The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-15


Is now known as British Guiana, is
coming true at last.
Hundreds of miles beyond the but
hosts of civilization, in places where
no white mans foot has ever trod until
know since the days of Spanish con-
huest and exploration, hundreds of
knen, eager for wealth and possible
millions, are daring death in many
HORNS in virgin tropical forests to
kfelds of Great Britain's South Amer
&can colony.
For three years, ever since some
indians from the interior appeared in
&Georgetown with several diamonds
land a story that they had been found
In gravel in the interior, this race
with death for riches has been going
&bn. Often prospecting expeditions
&come out ahead and return from 'at
1.-THE back of beyond with thousands
EOf dollars worth of precious jewels
&belted around the bodies of the lead
&ers. But often, too, many an expe-
sdition leaves Georgetown and Bartica
10 go up one of the three rivers lead
ing to a diamond field and never come
&back 1t is hardly possible to pick up
II
ling such headlines as Another Boat
ling Disaster in the Essequibo Rapids -
E'Diamond Hunters Starved to Death
AAlong the Mazaruni," or "a Diamond
EExpedition Attacked by Indians Along
: the Cuyani."
Bad as they are. these are only three
Hpf the dangers that threaten every
diamond hunter. As a matter of fact,
ESQ numerous are the perils that a
Aheavy toll in lives is being constantly
kpaid for the jewels that are finding
ttheir way from the hearts of the jun
&gles to the seacoast. 1t has been es-
Minated that for the 1907 diamonds
&discoVered the year ending June 80,
1882, 264 lives were sacrificed, or two
flor every 1000 of the precious stones
Recovered from the widely scattered
&Rravel drifts.
u Here is the story of a party that
Wdid get back to civilization with whole
skins, but only after encoutering a
Remarkable series of adventures What
#these men endured are typical of the
Hperils that threaten every man who
%dares to seek his fortune in the new
WWorld'S diamond land.
An Indians Secret.
Three young Englishmen-Thorpe
Rerrold and Hodge-led the expedi-
Wtion, which was the first to penetrate
Tup the headwaters of the Guyana In
4the summer of 1901, while they were
in Georgetown, one of the trio made
"a strong friend of an old and withered
Indian, who had come from the bor-
tder land of Venezuela, by giving him
"a gaudy trif1e which he craved. Some
days later the old fellow hunted up
The white man.
II have not forgotten your kind
fness to me- senor,"- he said, land now
4 shall reward you'll shall tell you a
Ax-r.& k,,fI Ix.z.l -
! tniles to the west up the Cuyani, near
where the Caruno joins it, are big
diamond fields. Many years ago,
when my grandfather's grandfather
bnd his grandfather lived the Span
yards came and cleared away the I'M
Hergrowth and dug in the gravel and
found diamonds. 1 have seen the
place myself, senor-the Jungle has
hever grown over 1t to this day. 1t
ts just a big slice out of the forest, as
VI cut with the knife of the Great God,
hnd you cannot possibly fail to find
IT If You go there and search. And
then YOU will come back rich and a
great man.
The fire of adventure and the hope
of wealth thus kindled by the Indians
tale, the three Englshmen decided to
search for the mine, which, according
10 their information, must have been
excaVated to paying gravel in the
time of AlonZo de Ojeda. They at
once set about organizing the eXpedi-
ton, and two weeks later they struck
out from Bartica for the little known
reaches of the Cuyan in thirty-nine-
foot river boat, with a two-months'
supply of provisions, trinkets for the
savages they might meet, and a crew
of eighteen negroes and mulattos and
Indians, each secured for 48 cents a
Gay, and under the command of a cap
tain, also a negro, but a trusty one.
The First Adventure.
The expeditions first adventure &C.
curred on the morning of the first day
The boat was gliding swiftly through
the water with scarcely a ripple at
the bow. The boatmen, keeping time
to the tune with the bank-swish- bang
of their paddles, were singing one of
their favorite chanties.
Bamboo fire, bamboo fire,
Bamboo fire mex so.
Bamboo fire cook yo' pot,
Bamboo fire mex so.
Bamboo fire boil yo' salt fish,
Bamboo fire mex so.
Bamboo fire, bamboo fire,
Bamboo fire mex so.
Suddenly straight ahead, where the
river narrowed, a large jaguar appear
ed swimming across the river. One of
the Englishmen, who sat in the boats
stern, with rifles ever ready for use
across their knees, fired at the beast
and wounded it slightly. Infatuated. 1t
turned and made straight for the boat
and, reaching it in an incredibly short
time, endeavored to Chamber in. In the
excitement that followed among the