The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-10-12
SPENT YEARS IN WILDERNESS
Continued from Page 81

was curator of ornithology and mammol-
ogy for the Brooklyn Institute of Arts
and Sciences and is now connected with
the National museum of New York.
Prof Cherrie married in Chicago Dec.
/. 1895, Miss Stella NJ. Bruere of Knox
vile. Ia, and she has been his companion
on more than one long jaunt into the
wilderness. He considers that she is a
little the best sportsman he ever has had
as a companion, and in so expressing him
self he admits he, is paying her a
very high compliment for famous sports
men have been his companions.
While ON one of his trips in the inter
ests of the British museum in French Il
Guiana he had the misfortune to slip and
fail into a gorge. How long he was m
conscious he does not know, but when he L
recovered his senses he noticed his rifle /
living near him with the stock broken. He |,
was alone in the wilderness, 200 miles
from any aid He attempted to reach
his gun with his left hand and discovered /
that his left wrist was broken and one
of the bones protruded through the flesh /
To repair the damage as well as he |
was able and at once was absolutely nee
essary He first placed two sticks for |
splints within reach and then managed to
tie his left hand to tree With teeth |
set and beads OF persplraton from the m
tense pain covering his face, he leaned
backward until the bones were pulled
hack as nearly into place as he could
get them He managed to bind the
splints to his arm and days afterwards
worked his way TO village, where he OBJ
( tanned transportation to a point where he
r could obtain surgical treatment.
4 His reference to this adventure led to
q the question as to why he undertook such
/ trips alone.
, because it is difficult" he announced,
ito find anyone, native or others, who,
o when it came to the real battle are able
a to stand the strain as well as | appear to
d he able to do | have on one occasion
$ nursed all five members of my party, set
y broken bones Tor two of them and brought
h them all out, but my trip amounted to
n [nothing. On the occasion OF my broken
n wrist had it been my hip or my head
IS should not be here. 1t is the element
of chance.
le You should know that Mrs. Cherrie
d has had a lot of experience along the
r. Orinoco with me. and with all due respect
to others with whom ] have been asso-
T. ciated on such journeys ! consider her a
ID little the best sportsman it has ever
II Ebeen my fortune to travel with. Our
O. second oldest daughter was born on the
ne banks of the Orinoco. over 1000 miles
ID from physician 1t was not long after
- her birth that | moved my camp for the
ce first and only time because | was afraid
ce of a jaguar. The puma does not attack
IN human beings | know there are atroci
he ties that they do, but | have been unable
to satisfy myself of one authentic in
r. stance of the kind The jaguar does
as occasionally attack humans, especially
e. children. and carry them off.
k Not long after IneZ was born we were
I I
he at the time OF high water, and that meant
: that in places the Ornoco was over II
n miles IN width from bank to bank ana
t NEAR the shore the boat moved over or IT
IL and ont among the tree tops. Suitable
G. spots for camps are few. finally picked
IS, spot which. although muddy. appeared
d. to be the best to be found before night
" fall As soon as the two natives with II,
had gotten the boat to shore | left then
n to make camp, and, taking my gun, start
in ed into the bush, for we were gettln.
n short of meat In the mud on the edg,
n. of the bush | saw the fresh tracks of
of large iaguar. | said nothing. hut FOLLOWED
l., them in the hope Of getting a shot at tn
OF animal. The big cats are not bad. eatin3
is when youl are hungry. Il followed TIN
I'm tracks cautiously through the dens
"a growth, and as they circled about and
Il came back to them agaipl saw on top Q
of NIX, own footprints those of the jaguaf
The tracker was being tracked tn
nd hunter was being hunted. | was afral
H. because | could not see the animal an
an because my wife and baby We're close by
My men were afraid the cat woul
- come for the young animal, meaning tn
. baby, who was crying at the time, and
MY shared their fear | tried again to get
shot at the cat. but failed and went bac
,rl and said to Mrs. Cherrie; This is
nv mighty wet place to try to sleep and W
ad will take a chance on finding a bette
nts one before dark. My men lost no tim
his in getting away and fortunately just b.
fine fore dark we found a fine place in DIR
av. clear spot to camp, and IN the mornin
,ng I ran across a drove of capabyr, a vii
ted guinea pig that is excellent meat. tn
nv meat is white and tender
me You have heard, of course, that it. j
mt lunwise to eat much meat Ill the tropit
al and that fruits can be obtained anywhel
,os in the wilderness in sufficient quantities
10. sustain life. These are fallacies. / fin
90. that | need meat IN the tropics as {
ia in this climate. In the real wilderness
~ ;, South America there is not enough fru
- to be found that is edible to sustain III
-, for "a hours What there is it is unwi'
IN to eat unless you know that the monk
~ or wild hogs eat it. On the whole, aft
o9t considerable experience, l think | pref
by the judgment of the hogs | was new,
me made seriously i'll by eating what Ina
ner seen monkeys eat, hut ! consider that tt
me wild hogs have the better taste. Mo
lso lievs are rood food hpt there are sever
lph species | shall avoid eating in the futur
All so-called bowling monkeys are goo
meat. Turtles of all kinds are goo'
ing some much better than others. All of Il
lity cat tribe may be used for food. III
South American deer are smaller thu