The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-05
SOARING A T|M|D
TROPICAL TOURIST
Man From Worthwhile Regaled
With "reminiscences
IN THE SMOKING ROOM
Is Told All About Twenty-four Foot
Snakes and Fatal Southern Fevers.
Some Other Pleasant Topics
of Casual Conversation.
IN THE SMOKING ROOM
From the Boston Herald.

From the Boston Herald.
There were dozen or more men in the
smoke room of the little two by four
steamer that once q month plods south
ward with flour and canned goods and a
little of everything until she hits the
north coast of South America, and turns
around to come back laden with bananas.
cocoanuts and hides.
The dozen were enough to fill comfort
ably the room, for 25 passengers is a
heavy load on that line and now and
then the boats run up or down with the
captain, the chief officer, the chief en-
gineer and the banana super-cargo SOL
EMMY occupying the dining saloon.
In one corner of the smoke room the
banana boss and young man whose
duty it was to preach the virtues of
chemical fertilizer were talking of Costa
RIGA, and their talk ran like this
do you remember Tom - who ran
the railroad fof~the United?" UNITED"
meaning always limited Fruit company.
II knew him, but not very well"
Hes dead Fever. Got the idea thai
the only way to live down there was gin
and bitters for breakfast, Scotch whisky
at midday and more Scotch whisky at
dinner"
In another corner a young man mad
been telling casually of a voyage from
Bahia to Boston in sailing ship because
he hadn't money for steamship passage.
As the talk grew general he outlined his
present venture, rice growing in BRITISH
Guiana, where the constant stream or
coolies imported from East India by the
British government furnishes market
There was only one trouble. he added
fever. Every white man was bound 10
get it, but with care it wasn't serious,
provided you could afford an occasional
L trip north and knew how to take care of
yourself, mosquito netting. quinine. not
too much whisky and that sort of thing
Plainly Unhappy.
Between the two groups and where he
could catch fragments of conversation
from each sat the young man from
Worthwhile He was plainly unhappy 1t
was unwelcome business, not pleasure
which had sent him on this his first trip
to the tropics. Dyspepsia had not been
helped by the seasickness that comes to
the unaccustomed traveller on the edge OF
hurricane. Moreover he couldn't eat
pork or veal, and the mind of the ships
chef seemed never to wander beyond
these two meats.
His unhappiness wasn't lessoned by this
talk of fever He had taken every pre-
caution he knew of, even to bringing bot
tied water from spring near his nome.
But IL mosquitoes were worse enemy
than water, of what use was that pre-
caution?
The two groups merged on the COM
mon ground Of whisky and soda, and the
young man from Worthwhile moved closer
The rice grower noted his wide open
eyes and mouth and broadened the SUD.
1ects of conversation from fever TO all
sorts of tropical terrors.
"It isn't the real serious things that
bother SO much as the little pests ne
| said casually. Ever get bitten by cup
cup?"
No one said yes, although one or two
men nodded understandingly. Flnaiiy,
after q moments hesitation the unhappy
man from Worthwhile asked plaintively:
| whats a cupcup?"
IAN ant" said the British Guianian.
mot an ant like you have up north, or
course, but full grown regular ant,
maybe half an inch long. Bite? My word!
| there's nothing like it. It's Ike peang
| burned with little red hot irons all over
| YOU And somehow you can't escape en-
| No matter how tight you keep your put
| tess strapped they'll creep up your legs
when you step in nest or near one, ana
heaven help you IL you get half dozen
| under your clothes; There's no torture
know like it. Ever hear of the Bush IN
dian chief that undertook to prove ms
bravery with 'em? It's a way they nave
of showing that they're MT 70 get haA
ried. This chap put handful or cup
cups in a big sack stripped, got in it and
had it tide around his neck. He near
died."
Fever Talk.
The man from Worthwhile slowly d.
| gested this information about cupcups
and looked still more unhappy. The talk
reverted to fever, and some one casually
inquired II there was much ''Blackwater"
| in the part of the world for which the
young man from Worthwhile was headed.
There was. Two Or three voices Joined
| In that affirmative and the young man
began to add to his knowledge. Black
water, he learned. was particularly
| horrible tropical disease which killed
quickly, certainly and painfully.
do. you get the Creeping Johnny down
here?" asked . man from Central Amer
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