Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-08-02
PREPARING ROADDED

The savages OF this region light
with bamboo headed spears and pol
soned arrows, the latter propelled by
n powerful bow seven feet long. The
arrowheads, of bone. are dipped in
snake venom, and infiict mortal
wound. The venom is said to be pro-
cured by boiling snakes heads to ex-
tract 1t from the glands. and evaporat-
ing the solution to almost dryness.
The Indians are, however. afraid OF
ANYTHING that will shoot. consequent
ly the constructors OF the Madeira ana
Mammore line always carried revoi-
yer. IF you carry gum. says Mr.
! Chester. the probability is that you
will never have to use 1t, but II you
don't carry one the Carapunas VIII
get you sure
The Carapunas do not show them
selves In the white mems vicinity ex-
cept when they come out on the river
bank to meet the rubber batalaos COM
ing down the river These batalaos are
wooden craft covered with an avn
ing OF palm branches, and can Dc
taken all the way from Bolivia down
are the falls OF San Antonio here
the Indians have to get out and SHOVE
or pull the boat through the stones
on one side. The Indians sell SKINS
mostly in exchange for cartridges
These they string about their necks'
not to have ready for use. because
they don't use firearms. but as orna-
, ments.
Snakes and gigantic spiders are the
, terror OF the jungle railroad man.
when you are working In the Jun
gle" said one of them. you always
awake with feeling Of uncertainty In
;, the morning. OF course, surveying
party simply has to hew its pain as IL
goes along, and your camp is usually
. in a clearing just big enough to con
: tain it. About 1t Is n thick wall oil
!, trees, vines. and underground that
!. man cannot pierce without the aid OF
!. an ak. which. OF course. are filled WIZ
every manner OF creeping thing
q when you awake In the morning
4. for instance. you may see playtu
n, snake wrapped around the pole over
= head giving every appearance OF Sc
i. lecting the proper point from wnici
!, to drop into your month. You ma!
20 feel something soft and clammy ru'
up against your ear, and when yo'
grab at it to fling it away, lou ma
- is a lizard. Or perhaps a scorpion
- may be playing with your hair.
-, Then. when you have decided Z
hnntg
80 are apt to find that a big tarantui
has made up his mind that one 9
- them would make comfortaDl
=, house. and has put himself and III
- legs I'm there so cozily and nice tina
90 YOU hate to disturb him. We caugf
one of these horrors and killed MI
a. and measured him, and. witno'
" stretching him at all. it was eigl
inches from the tip OF his starooai
n leg to those he carried on the pc
NJ side. Perhaps your other shoe III
'n' been appropriated by a family OF
u! ant centipedes. which abound In larl
10, quantities.
- "As for snakes, the Garden OF Ed
-, wasn't in It at all. Some OF the 0
. ones. the anacondas. are as big arou'
,,a as your body. and 1t was not mi
ouent that some Of our men In enc
ming away at what they thought we
giant roots or vines found they n
w taken a hack instead Of big snal
y" and then there was some scamperiI
'' One of these big fellows killed
~ The men OF our party measured
feet. You never see the sun wn
,a you are in a Brazilian jungle.
COO there ia something going on. even
=. It is only crawling.