The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-25

On Aug. 20, 1902, 1 left Cali, the
principal town in the department of
the Cauqa, Republic of Colombia, on an
expedition into the interior of the coun-
try l was accompanied by another
white man-an English doctor-and
four natives. Our object was to COL
lect chronological specimens in a sec
ton of Colombia. hitherto unexplored.
We did not return to Cali until June
of the present year. In the interval
we had many stirring adventures and
extraordinary experiences among saw
age tribes, but the one episode of the
trip which overshadowed all the others
in romance, interest and excitement,
was our six weeks stay among the
cannibal handles of the Yari river
They are surely one of the strangest
savage races ever discovered.
Skipping over weeks and months of
travel and adventure, let up start with
one morning when ,on the banks of
the Rio Hacha, our native poems de-
serted US. They would go no farther,
because we were approaching the do
minions of a succession of savage
tribes who hate the Colombians, and
practice cannibalism.
Fortunately, we struck the camp of
white Colombian who was gather
ing rubber on the banks of the river.
We had been recommended to him by
Senior Pedro Pesaro, a great man in
the Colombian rubber business, and he,
therefore, gave us, for guides, two In
dams who had come in from one of
the neighboring tribes ia sell him rub
Der. One of these men spoke Spanish,
and so we could use him as an inter-
prefer.
Besides our guns, revolvers and
provisions, we carried in our canoe a
large stock of machetes, looking
glasses, scissors, penknives, fish
hooks, brightly colored cloths, and
other articles calculated to purchase
the good will and assistance of the
savage tribes through whose territory
we had to pass
We rowed down the Rio Hacha for
four days, until we arriver off the
settlement of the Tama Indians.
There we landed leaving the guns and
everything else behind in the canoe.
Our guides led us along a narrow
track, through dence tropical vegeta-
lion, to clearing where the tribe
dwelt together in oneg reat house. as
Is the custom Of all the Indians in
this part of Colombia.
The, tribe only numbered from forty
10 sixty people, the rest having been
Killed off shortly before by smallpox.
Perhaps this misfortune had soured
the temper of the tribe, for they GER
talnly gave us a very cold and forbid
olng reception. Our two Indians walk
ca before us carrying paddles over
thelr shoulders-a sign of peace-and
Explained that we were friends.
Inc chief Of the tribe was lying on
lne ground, evidently suffering agony.
He mad bad ulcer on the calf of his
49, and had not been able to move or
steep for week. The doctor offered
10 cure him, and, after some dcmur,
"e consented to an operation. We
sent pack TO the boat for a lancet, and
the doctor opened the leg, made an
lnclslon down the calf. took out q big
thorn, and dressed the wound.
While he was doing this, several of
Ihe Iamas grouped themselves around
our party, handling their blowpipes,
WOODEN swords and haichets signifi-
oahtly; and plainly intimating that
I'ey would kill us if anything went
wrong with the chief. Luckily, he
sept that night for the first time in q
week and next morning nothing was
100 sood Tor ,sS.