Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1912-09-26


apart from one another. You cannot
stop on the river bank because tho
Jungle comes to the waters edge.
The canoomen will not run at night
il they can avoid II, because suags
might overturn the boat and the i'm
mense allgators that are in the waters
in great numbers like nothing so
much as company. They have no
choice between dark and light meat
but when you go to the friendly
| shack you can get some sort of
| nights rest even though 1t will be
| found densely populated, too. We
| went to one shack, about twelve feet
| square, that contained twenty-t two
grown persons, including eighteen men
and four women, ten children. four
teen dogs and lot of hogs and chick
ems These inhabitants were not hams
| pered by furniture. All the human be-
ings We're eating out of one pot.
These, with our party, slept in this
| place that night A number OF the ma
tives and children scrambled up TO a
roost that had been made by placing
bamboos across from side to side OF
the house at the caves. Two of our
own party had hammocks. We had al
so mosquito nets and blankets.
"The people in Colombia have no
idea OF time, distance or haste. Al
one place they thought | was an im-
patient man because I kicked at a
little steamer being four days late.
Once the canoemen wanted to stop
days journey at 3 p. m because thu
next shack was too far away We
tried to travel each morning at day
break, but couldn't get the boatsmen
to going until or o'clock. When
we were caught on the river one inky
night with the rain pouring down thu
wonderful instinct OF the boatmen
, came out. One fellow lay in the bow
J and detected every snag ahead OF us.
He saw and heard and even smelled
I his way. Suddenly he exclaimed in
= Spanish: Il sEs!l smoke! Steer the
boat in herel" He ran the canoe with
, in Ave feet OF shack and We called
! Out to the people and one appeared
! with burning ember
Venomous Snakes Abound.
"On our land journeys small ven,
omous snakes gave US most concern.
Lying coiled up on the trail, only the
I sharp eyes OF the natives could dis.
I Germ them. We had practically to
shoot our path through them as they
D were pointed out On one occasion
Q two native blacks and the Indian boy
passed a snake without seeing It, We
: saw but one boa constructor, but were
9 often near them, as we know by the
}. peculiar odor they give OF. These
g snakes grow thirty-five feet long and
d q foot thick.
l. I'VE saw hundreds OF thousands OF
It water fowls, including many food
a ducks. Birds of the most brilliant
l. plumage about and there are parrots.
It macaws, cockatoos, and pink, white
Is and black herons. Monkeys, deer,
), wild turkeys and wild pigs abound, and
g some Of the monkeys are as big as q
e fve-year-old child. These are esteem.
h ed as a great delicacy by the natives
st and | killed two OF them for our pack
n men.
I'VE saw tiger prints, which, from
their great size and the evidences Of
i'd the animals stride, indicated beas
to twelve feet long. There was possibl!
n, lively time In store for somebody, al
Ss the tiger had evidently been trailing
d, the prints Of big black mans bar,
rn foot. This was only mile from a vii
at lage where the night before the tige
is got three hogs.
nd I'VE found one native whom tn
lis tiger had visited two nights before
nd The man went around to his house Il
.
st ahead OF him. slipped into the doc
OF and the last the man saw OF 1t It wa
y, scooting through the gloom with hi
is child in its mouth. II was also tn
he last he saw of the child.
,s- ION one part OF our overland tril
&C. we had to make a forced march, be
d. cause the difficulties had caused us h
80 tighten our load of provisions W.
Is walked for thirteen hours on a stretch
at, doing from three to four miles an hOu
III over the rough trail. Night found III
le with a river between us and shack
es and our immediate party caught hol'
~ of hands and walked across, with wa
IN ter up to our armpts. We formed ou
he human chain to steady ourselves, fo
I'd the current was strong,
os Luckily, in this wild land OF M
h. roads | did not fall sick OF malaria bu
at one time while on a river Mr.. Mont
v gomery and Luis, the guide, and tive
n boatmen had the breakbone fever, &C
es climated as they were. The principa
We objece OF our search was, however
e. found in higher and healthier lands
d, AS explorers, though, we had to @,
1u through all the dangers"