The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-09-26

strucK Win pity Tor me, look up q
collection Of money to buy me a tick.
ct to the village of Marecasas. so
miles down the river. O'Neil got a
job as engineer on the same launch
on which l travelled, but was put
ashore because he was too Ill to per.
form his duties.
Monkey Saved Farrar's Life.
Here l should have died but for a
monkey, the property of an unfeeling
native, the keeper Of q hotel into
whose tender mercies I-fell. Although
/ was shaking violently with chills. he
said to me:
You've got to go to work" l pro-
tested and begged for quinine. IF
you don't work." he replied, I'll put
you in the stocks" | was too sick to
care, and told him to go ahead.
The stock, an instrument Of tor
ture, consisted of a framework with
holes through which my feet, arms
and head were thrust. For two days
and nights / sat in this machine, al
~ternately freezing with chills and con-
Stunning with fever. The time passed
like an evil dream. 1t was the Gus
tom of the people to pelt with missiles
the unfortunate occupants OF the
stocks. But the natives pitied me,
and some of them even gave me tea
and food by stealth.
Finally the hotelkeeper, muttering
hat he didn't want me to "die on
him." set me free and ordered the
cook to give me the water in which
he boiled the rice, so hat l would not
starve.
The monkey Of which l have spoken
was a prodigious thief. 1t stole every
thing it could lay paws on. It &C
Cured to me that it would be safe for
me to steal what food / needed and
blame the thefts on the monkey
Thereupon the monkeys pilfering
activity doubled, 1t seemed to its mas
ter.
One day the hotelkeeper, missing
two eggs, which he had intended for
breakfast and which, without his
knowledge, were In my pockets, said
to me:
THAT monkey is a thief
"He sure is" said I, and stole away
to eat my eggs unobserved.
One day several natives, painted
hideously, with thorns thrust through
their noses, came to the river to
trade. They were peaceful, but
imagine my feelings, after seeing
them eye me hungrily, to be told In
a whisper: Those men are cannibals."
When my health was a bit better !
revenged myself on the hotel man by
appropriating his n night and
padding way down the river. O'Neil,
who had been almost as Ill as myself.
went with me. We made our way in
Is days to Cantumayo, begging our
food as we went. The natives were
more than kind to us.
The trip was made hideous by mil
lions Of huge mosquitoes which
swarmed down on us until our feet
and hands were black with the In
sects. The natives do not even take
the trouble to brush them off, but they
tormented US terribly. At last, in pay
ment for my repairing her sewing ma
chine, a oma gave III a strip of
mosquito netting, which we spread
over the canoe at night while we slept.
1t happened that the chief OF police
at Cantumayo was an acquaintance
of mine. He permitted me to sleep In
the police station and paid for my
meals at a neighboring house. The
mistress of this house had a mania
for medicine and insisted upon dosing
me with a horrible mixture until ]
was sicker than yer
This decoction was a bowl of strong
liquor made from sugar cane, lemon
Juice and salt. I implored her to give
me quinine, but she refused and felt
that I had insulted her nostrum. I
believe ! should have died had ! not
met an American negro named Tolbit.
He gave me a pound, or 1886, with
which I bought quinine and cognac
In four days the fever was broken.
Tolbit obtained a canoe q suspect
he stole it, and we foated down the
river for seven days, stopping at vii
lagos for the nights. But on the sew
enth night the negro disappeared.
was picked up by a tall and pom.
pous parsonage who called himself by
the r~esounding name of Don Pedro
Segunda La Jera, and who made an
average of 500 a day by selling
phony jewelry to the natives. He
took me along to paddle his canoe.
He was so stingy that he would not
permit me to use the condensed milk
he carried for his coffee, and refused
to Pay for the provisions he purchas-
ed unless compelled by force. left
him at Porto San Francisco. where j
got work cutting down trees for rs
cents a day.
Here l remained IL days and left
only to avoid starvation.