The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-21

natives make calls on each other. While
/ at FL Golfo some visitors called at the
mlre. They consisted Of a man, four
daughters and n son, all mounted on
mules, with two mounted servants and
q couple of packed mules They came
IN the carly morning, went in bathing,
donnod more comfortable clothing and
made themselves generally at home, not
returning until late AT night. \ white
woman was a great curiosity, even
though for the time being clad in men s
kaiihi clothes, for thc majority Of the
natives had never seen white woman,
and people came for miles so look upon
and perhaps go up and touch a white
woman. 1t was one Of the disagrceable
features Of the trip to have a crowd
gather at every stopping place and
stand and stare till starting tune again.
Leaving El Golfo the trail descended
into a valley for many miles. For
some distance it was comparatively
smooth travelling. the animals progress
ing quite rapidly across the llamos
or prairles, while in other places it
would be necessary to procure an extra
guide and mozos to go ahead with their
machetes 30 cut path through the
dense, thick iungles. and for days tho
caravan would slowly wcnd its way
through the damp, dark iunglc-forests,
which hold such tcrrors for the average
foreigner, and even to most natives.
At times the guide would reckon in.
correctly. and the route would he mis-.
taken. Hours and hours would be lost
! endeayorlng TO regain the correct trail,
and IL, was always an occasion of re-
ioicing at these strenuous times 10
strike the right trail and come upon
| the looked for thatched hut and be met
by the usual bevv OF gaping men. dirty
women, naked children. crying babies
., |, ,,,ly, IL . ..l,
tho foreigner that every house has
several women, and every woman has
more children than she can counts so
that the average home strongly re.
sembles an orphan asylum.
Jt was often necessary TO rise at 4
or in the morning and ride ill Q or 10
at night. Then it would be by no
means soothing to one s tired feelings
I TO reach q "haCicnda, or ranch.
house, and on account Of the staring
crowd, TO have TO throw opesef into
hammock without disrobing, and
probably he kept awake for the re-
mainder of the night by the wailing
babies, noisy dogs, and possibly by the
| long and loud prayers of the women of
the family In one place fox came
out of the woods at night and within
/ few PAGES of the hammock caught and
| devoured two or three chickens be-
fore any ono could strike a match or
could awaken mozo to dispatch the
animal. At one stopping place your
fears We're by no means reassured when
the host told tale OF how wild
mountain lion from the forests had
come boldly out a few weeks previous
and caught and eaten six-year-old
| child before help could be procured,
Slept in Cattle Pen,
The usual place Of rest at night was
plifIp- in lo,
mock swung hlgh. There were, of
course. no walls To these structures,
just roof, but anything was better
than to have TO bunk in the same room
with the lower natives, and a hammock
was certainly preferable to one Of their
beds, which practically consists Of a
piece of tanned hide stretched tightly
over frame, on the order OF canvas
cot, making such hard and uncom-
Portable resting place that ono IS bones
fairly ached after n night on one.
The heavy rains continued till the
trip was nearly over, for the rains are
few in the vicinity of Manacua, The
/ preciate unless one has really been
through 1T; roads and paths were con-
verted into muddy little creeks, creeks
changed to angry rivers, while the
rivers themselves became so swollen
that they were impossible to ford and
me ANIMALS were forced. TO swim across
with their riders clinging desperately
TO their backs, and frequently beast
would get cuught in the swift current
and be carried some little distance be,
fore 1T could get the best of it. Some
times IL was necessary to camp n day
or so on the banks Of stream, waiting
for the rain and high waters to sub,
side enough for safety in crossing. 1t
was no infrequent occurrence to have
the packs become absolutely soaked