The Hattiesburg news., 1910-10-17

l was situated attempted to rise and
the stake holding my right hand pull
ed out of the rain softened ground. l
was able to turn on one side and af-
ter long and patient work pull the 9TH
er hand free, After while was able
to pull my leg stakes out and Heav-
ems, what fight put up to keep life
in my body till the night was over and
l could move, to make an effort at
escape from the vicinity of the band
of Mayas. l went from bush to bush
in the dark, draining the rain water
out of the followed leaves until my
thirst was slaked and with the first
light of dawn l began the hunt for
food. The popular idea of the tropics
has one point of fallacy. 1t is comm
belief among people who have never
been in the tropical wilds that every
other tree is palm, banana, bread fruit
or such tree that bears something fit
to eat. The truth of the matter is that
food bearing trees are rare and the
birds and monkeys keep them stripp-
ed. 1t is only when man has planted
them that there is an abundance.
kept on the hunt, however, until had
filled my stomach and then began to
take my bearings.
After two hours creeping through
the jungle guiding my way by the
slope of the watershed l felt that |
was near the location of the ruined
buildings and began to move with
great care. | had made up my mind
that l could not set off across country
without arms or supplies and the one
way to prepare myself was to play
strategical game. | could hide in the
jungle near the game till l had some
opportunity of waylaying some strag-
gler or of stealing in and getting what
l must have. 1t was a desperate, des-
perate thing to do and | think that
with all my efforts to keep a strong
hand on myself that l must have been
half mad.
Slowly crept nearer the place, ap-
preaching from the side on which the
cenote was situated. There was 10
one about the water hole and making
a detour was soon near enough to |
the ruins to tell that they, too, were ap- |
parently deserted. Long and carefully |
l listened and watched and when salts
fed that the band had departed I ven
tured forth openly.
From the discarded trappings and |
from my own boxes of instruments |
which they had been unable to carry, |
got together a makeshift outfit, rig |
ged some bird snares, made myself |
a rude knife, contrived water bottle, |
and shaped myself a stout club and |
then with all the scraps of food could |
collect l struck out in the direction of |
Chinchanrha.
1t must have been about a week |
later that l became aware, as | made
my way across the short brush coun;
try of the arid section of Yucatan,
that there was something or someone
me. l hid behind a clump
of bushes and waited. In a moment
there stole out of the growth a hene-
quen planter who had seen me from
horseback at a distance and had dis
to stalk me, wondering what
strange thing l could be. At sight of
him I sprang forward and dropped
before l reached him. and
when l recovered consciousness it
was weeks later in the hospital at
Merida.
This was the man | saw from the
1eck of the ship as l sailed from
Southampton and hope if he reads
.hese lines that he will write to me,
,are of the Lambs Club, New York {
City and give me the opportunity of
banking him for rescuing fellow be-
ng in desperate straits.
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