Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-21

(MS1oo1N) explored country that
valley. In coming across
} Lake Titicaca travelled with an American
railroad contractor who is building line
through the heart of Bolivia. He has been
taking vacation of two or three months,
and has just returned from gold prospect
ing tour in the regions OF the Madre de
Dios, one of the high tributaries of the Anna
zon. The Madre de Dios rises on the other
side of the great mountain wall that skirts
the northern side of Lake Titicaca. 1t flows
in a winding course into the Beni and on
into the Mamore and Madeira, coming out
through the latter stream into the Amazon
below the city of Manaos. The region
where it rises is wild, and much Of that
through which it flows is known only to the
Indians. Mr.. Avant travelled on foot down
this river He started out from Cuzco, at
an altitude of over two miles above sea
Plevel, with guide, an interpreter and eight
Indians, and he descended to regions that
are less than half mile above the sea. The
mountains he crossed were more than To-
600 feet high, and his way led from the gla-
ciers and perpetual snow down into tropi-
cal Jungle, with crocodiles, Demonstrators,
palm trees and rubber.
AS we sat in the rude hotel here at Guaqui
this morning Mr. Avant told me something
OF the animal life OF that region. He says
that the country swarms with game. The
woods are full of wild turkeys, that look
like peacocks, each bird having topknot
and very bright plumage. The flesh is ex-
cellent, and it tastes like Our wild turkey.
Another bird of the same species is called
the pabogil This is twice as big as the lar
gest American turkey, and its flesh tastes
about the same.
I asked as to wild beasts, and Mr.. Avant
replied that he saw droves of peccares, or
wild hogs, and also tapirs and jaguars. The
.jaguars came around the camp at night, and
were now and then to be seen as the party
made its way through the woods. Much of
the journey was along the banks of the
streams, and the party did not lack for fish.
Whenever they wanted fish dinner all they
had to do was to explode dynamite cap
in the water, and a moment later the surface
would be covered with dead fish. From one
such explosion they took out 800 pounds.
Some of the fish were as long as your arm,
and were of a delicious flavor. Among 9TH
er inhabitants of the streams were alligators
of various kinds. One had no scales and its
enormous head was more like that of fish
than of an alligator. The skin was of a
blush cast with a few specks here and
there These reptiles are said to be danger
, Gus, and the natives would not go into the
waters where they live.
In talking of the Indians, Mr.. Avant said
that the most Of them are not friendly to
foreigners. They are savages, who dress
almost altogether in bark, and their chief
weapons are bows and arrows tipped with
poison. Some Of the tribes are supposed to
be cannibals and all are in very low state
of civilization.
1t was at Lima that met W. Bell Taylor
of Boston, who had just come down from
the coal mines in the high Andes near Cerro
de Pasco, and had chat with him about an
expedition he had recently made from Am
bato, Ecuador, down the eastern slopes Of
the Andes into the Amazon valley. His trip
took three months, and during this time he
travelled on foot and in canoes for more
than 1000 miles through the wilds. 1t took
'shim nine days to reach Canelos on the Rio
Bobanzo, during which time he walked and
had men to carry his cargo Each OF the