The Washington herald., 1908-06-28

Andes. really rise out Of the lagOons and
morasses on tho plains This River
Unilla has been represented by all geo
graphers as flowing into the Rio Guaviare
and rising in the Andes. II does none OF
these, but rises far east of the Andes
and flows into the Rio Itilla, tho juno
tion OF which makes the Uaupes. which
enters the upper Rio Negro
DR., Rice says that the maps that have
heretofore been I'm use show rivers which
never We're, and prolong others far into
Imagination. lie found that the source Of
the Uaupes was l2O miles south OF BO-
gotta, instead OF sixty miles. rs mapped
by Wallace and CreveauX.
Continuing his story. be said:
I'm the region about the junction OF
the Uaupcs we stayed until November
covering the region thoroughly and re-
tracing our steps TO the Rio Unilla. The
cOuntry3 though called plains is covered
with dense forests Of immense natural
wealth. II seems 60 me. however, that
IL will forever remain serai-inaccessible
1 cannot imagine a railroad running
through IT, At the present time only the
rubber is worked, and there remain un-
touched great riches in woods, vanilla
and cocao.
The rubber is got out with great diff
Guilty. Tho natives force their laden
canoes ur thc swift rivers. and by mules
and man carry 81 back 10 Bogota
whence il finally reaches the sea and
New York by canoes down the Magda-
lena.
Rubber is Of three kinds. and the two
kinds that are nearest Bogota are hardly
worth gathering Red rubber Is good for
nothing. Black is used for some pur-
poses. The white, or elastic. is the article
Of commerce.
Covered Canoes Used.
Early in December. With seven In
dams. / began the descent Of the Unilla
toward tho Amazon. This time we were
IN monteira. canoe larger than the
uba AMI made Ike a lap streak boat, IN
stead of out of a log. and having a COW
cred house Of palms.
There went with me a very intelligent
rubber gatherer. or cauchero. whose
mother is famous woman IN her tribe
Jose Esperiella was his name. and he
was OF very great assistance to me in
chronological Investigations
The Indians all through the country
speak mostly the Lingua Geral. the
European element Of which was taught
them by the Jesults. and particularly by
the famous German. Padre Samuel Fritz.
As Il stands now IL Is rather Portuguese
than anything else.
"As TO the native element in their
tongue. the language shows that they are
members OF the great Carib family. get
distinguished by many tribal differences.
They all live in huge houses called malO-
cas-, one house constituting village and
W. l. I
quisite is polygamy. while all the other
men OF the tribe are monoGamic They
have curious religion, known as guru-
parry. They don't believe IN a hereafter,
but they have primitive ideas as TO the
origin Of animate things by both creative
and evolutionary forces. These Indians
are good-natured and treacherous but
not braves. which means bad
Men Usually Naked.
THE men commonly wear nothing: the
women a short skirt. except when in a
canoe. when they also are naked. All
OF them usc pigments exclusively. dec
Grating their faces. arms. bodies. and legs
with curious and gr0tesque designs. The
use Of the blow-ppe and bow and arrow
Is very common among them, but they
do no. use the curare poison which is
extensively used by the Indians on the
Rio Icana, a river which runs just north
OF the Maupas.
Among these people the land is owned
in common and titled by all the families
living IN one maloca. But the hunting
and fishing stages are more marked than
the agricultural They are by no means
romads. dislklng to go far from home.
The chiefs power is hereditary in the
male line and is uS1111lv dferfurr,1icNoS nv
both mental ability and physical prowess
His viii Is absolute. The families live
in perfect harmony and not uncommonly
have from eight TO ten children. The
training OF the boys begins az very
early age and the girls marry when very
young. say about twelve or thirteen
years OF age. These big houses they live
in are thatched and built Of palms"
With the country below the sources Of
the rivers. Or. Rice was not geographic
ally much concerned. The descent OF the
Unilla and the Uaupes brought him into
the great RIO Negro. and that in turn.
with little delay, TO Ianaos. which he
reached. on the Amazon. April g. From
that point he took the steamer which
brought him 20 New York
The scientific results Of the exploration
Will be reported 90 the Royal GeOgraph-
ical Society. Of which DR. Rice is a mem
Der. They viii be published In the Jour
nal OF the society. in whose print a chap
ter OF the report already stands
DR.. Rice is more than satisfied with
the results OF his trip but not content
He expects 90 return again to South
America in the course Of a year and con-
tinue 10 search after new things