New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-06

character.
capacity yet our cargo seemed to have made no
impression on the great hills OF freight piled up on
the wharf and lying in confusion along the rivers
bank There a number OF warehouses In Bar
ranquilla. but the material along the bank repre-
sents the overflow and much OF IL is going to de-
struction The middle deck OF our steamer Is
given up to the dining room and kitchen. with
stuy little staterooms on either side. On the top,
or hurricane deck. the captain has his quarters.
and privileged passengers permitted 10 visit him
after the alligators become thick along the
banks and the mudhats to afford exciting
shooting for novices. Each stateroom is furnished
with cot and & Notwithstanding more Every
passenger has 10 supply his own mattress pillow.
sheets and towels
Travellers who have made the trip before.
have been advised OF the cuisine the Magdalena
boats. wisely bring along canned goods, crackers
and wine, TO which they can resort when the Ship
fare becomes intolerably monotonous. or the COOK
Is IN unusually bad humor-and, Judging from
the food bad humor TO be his chronic state
In addition 10 wine, each passenger carries guam
uty OF rum. the water Of the Magdalena is run
OF malaria. and after altering it is hardly III
70 drink straight"
After a great deal OF whistling and bell ringing
and hoarse shouting the part OF the hat NAKED
crew the last rope is thrown aboard, ana we are
on for Honda and the Andes. We steam north LOT
half a mile 20 a point where the side arm al Bar
ranQuilla Joins the main river. This size stream
appears 20 be the Barranquilla laundry. Scores OF
women are standing In the water up to their
waists. washing clothes By pounding them with
rocks and shouting and laughing In way that
browns out the putting OF our engines. The water
teens with naked children. who seem to be more at
home In this element than on the land.
A few minutes and round into the Magdaiena
proper the bow Of vessel pointing due south
The Magdalena is about wide near its mouth
as is the Rhine in Holland and, like Holland. the
country. aside from few sand hills. is perfectly
nat These the only points of resemblance.
however for the torrid fats OF the lower Magda-
lena do not all suggest the cool green pastures
OF the Netherlands. Soon after striking the main
river the sea breeze springs up and brings some
relief the torrid heat This breeze is felt
for about one hundred miles inland.
We leave Barranquilla at o'clock in the after
noon. and at l o'clock that night stop at the town
OF Colamar. where a majority of our hfty-eight
passengers disembark. Colamar is a comparatively
wide-awake town of some twelve thousand inhab-
ttants and is connected with CaTtagena. sixty miles
away. by railroad owned by an American com
pany
Owing 10 the width Of the river able to
sail for the first two nights guided by occasional
lights or shore. but after that we tie up by sun
down and wait for daylight before proceeding
The first two days take US one-third OF the dis
tance TO Honda. only stops being at the wood
landings where there is often a native village
Vast forests stretch away TO the east and west
We see many canoes. made from the followed
trunks Of trees and generally propelled by paddles
or poles Some OF the larger ones have sails. but
beyond the reaches OF the breeze these afIl-
cles appear be neither ornamental nor useful
ON account Of the swiftness of the current all of
the canoes going up stream keep near to the shore
and pushed by poles. The natives are wonder
fully expert polling. Stripped the waist, their
brown bodies glistening like polished bronze in the
sunlight they urge their canoes through the water
with a grace that conceals effort These canoemen,
trained the exercise from childhood splendid
examples OF physical development These canoes
go into side streams impossible to steamers.
ODD he F,1rsaT ga,
facilities Of the country
When / refer 10 the natives mean the Indians.
negroes and mixed breeds-about nine-tenths Of the
population-and not the cid Spanish stock who COM
prise the remaining small fraction and who are
people Of a different class. Many Indians in the
interior. indeed, still in q savage state and
some Of those along the Magdalena only slight
ly tainted with civilization.
At place where make of half
dozen daily stops for wood. there is Indian vii
lage where some kind Of a celebration seems 70 Re
IN progress The participants are very scantiy al
tired. but their clothes make up in gaudiness what
they lack in quantity. Each person is provided
With gourd Of red dye made from berries Men
and alike join in the proceedings which
consist OF grabbing each other. when the one who
has the more advantageous hold rubs quantity
Of the dye IA. the others face and hair. All the
while youth standing solemnly 20 side beats
a monotOnous time on a drum made by stretching
A n piece OF skin over gourd. When the crew go
M ashore for the wood they Immediately attacked
y and soon become as brilliantly cOlOred the
Others. The captain tries to aid matters but beats
retreat with his clothes half spoiled and some
OF the passengers who too near the rail
fare likewise. We finally draw away followed by
a chorus Of exuItant yells.
Three hundred miles up the river our stuffy 1T
tie staterooms became SO hot and so fun Of mos
Quitoes and ants that We take our coats to the
deck at night and try 10 sleep. Our boat always
tes up under the black shadow Of the forest that
looks like q Stygian wall The cries OF night
birds, the shrieking OF mating jaguars the wills
ting OF parrots on their rOosts, the occasional
roaring Of bull alligator and the hum1ning Of
myriads Of insects make a confusion OF sounds
well calculated 10 break the sleep Of the nervous
Through all the darkness the large and indescrib-
ably brilliant hreies Of these ATTITUDES flicker in
irregular but ceaseless activity, making il painful
TO the eyes, fascinated in observing them.
From time TO time the great green walls of
forest either hand are broken by little villages
composed OF dozen or two Of conical-roofed huts,
about which grow small orchards Of plantans.
These pantains. or large bananas. form the prin-
cipal food Of the natives OF the AGagdalena- Our
native cook evidently thinks that what is good
enough for the natives is good enough for the
"gTingos." for he serves US pantains roasted
boiled or fried. but never raw. az every meal.
The frst town Of any size after passing Cola
mar is Magangue. Magangue is said to have
population OF ten Thousand. About 8 o'clock at
night We tie UP. and number of passengers go
ashore for change. The place appears to be de-
serted. Here and there IN the far distance a dim
light is visible, and hear the barking Of
the omnipresent cur. but not human being
seems 10 be astr. A sign before a hut induces us
70 oehege II may be a place OF refreshment. After
some enort we succeed IN rOusing old Indian
Which are number OF dirty looking bottles The
OLD Indian woman's Castilian is doubtful our