The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-05-09

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mouth, takes Il great leap into the air.
this way. There is no way for the fish
erman to tell how large fish lie has
hooked until it makes its first leap.
and then often he has seen it for the
last time. When it is Il big one there
will be Il big shout 90 up, and other
fishermen will quit their rods just to
watch the fun. Col. Clemmens. for
merly major in the 33d, used to be
an enthusiastic fisherman. and has
been known to fight tarpon for fully
an hour and /; half without stop be
fore finally landing him.
WILD ANIMALS IN ABUNDANCE. u
There are wild animals here in
abundance enough to please even the
mightiest nimrod. The largest game
animal is the tapir. or mountain cow"
as the natives call him. a hoOk-nosed
runinant, weighing often as high as
1900 pounds. 1t is not dangerous
animal, though the female will show
fight if with it's young. The most dam
gerous animals are the wildcats, which
are Of several varieties. called by the
natives according to the type they re-
Semble. They call them lions. tigers.
panthers, leopartls and jaguars. but all
are only different colored wildcats.
Some are large and fierce. and will kill
a man if they are hungry and catch
him unawareS. \ favorite trick Is to
crouch on the limb of a tree and wait
for man to pass underneath, when
they will spring upon him and sink
their sharp fangs and claws into some
| vulnerable spot.
There are many wild hogs. Of vari-
GUS sizes and names. There is the
large white variety. which is quite
| dangerous when cornered. l have
known one of them to nearly kill three
dogs that had hunted him out of his
hole There are hares and deer though
the latter are much smaller and are
tougher eating than those in the
States.
But the wonderful thing about a
4
though fine, is Il difficult job, and tir-
ing. The glory of the tropics is the
jungle. which is almost beyond descrip-
ton. The tropics. ut least here in Pam
anna. is Il mass of rolling hills. sur
rounded by watersheds Each Of these
watersheds dries out during the dry
season and becomes a sort of leafy SUBJ
way leading miles and miles into the
wilderness. Great trees grow on the
banks and the foliage Of these make a
roof through which the suns rays are
diffused into gentle radiance.
LIFE IN JUNGLES is WONDERFUL
1t is wonderful to walk up one OF
these pathways. with the myriad
sounds of the jungle OH every hand
the ciiattering Of monkeys and ba-
boonS. the screecheS Of parrots and
parraqueetS. the cooling Of wild pig
cons. and the squeaking of the hun
dreds of tree-frogs. There are poison
Gus snakes. of course, and the danger
Gus hoaconstrictor is sometimes met
but when one weans himself from his
fear of these creatures, the jungle is
a peaceful place indeed. There are
miles and miles Of jungle not two days
journey from Gatun where the foot Of
man has never trOd. It is wonderful
to go from civilized place like Gatun
into such waste wilderness, and see
nature at its most primitive. with all
the exotic plumage and foliage Of the
| oil <l,n ri. Of 1<
unknown.
THE WHITE MAN IN PANAMA.
Panama is also productive place
l have seen natives living in the jun
gle. getting their meat in traps. ant
raising all they eat and wear Oh les.
than ten acres Of cleared ground. And
such cases are not the exception. Tht
large ma jOrity Of the population Of thu
interior of the Republic Of Panama
live that they may eat There art
often rumors of gold far i'll the inte
rior. and many adventurous ones hav,
made long trips in search Of it. Som'
have even visited the San Bias In
dians, in the hope Of locating the vas
treasure it is reported they have beel
boarding in gold and silver. And re
port also has it that no white man ha
ever spent night in village of tin
; San Bias tribes and come out alive t.
tell the tale Certain it is that man.
!, men have gone into the jungles neve
to return. Who can say what hap
, pencd to them!
!, FRUITS PLENTIFUL.
Many wonderful things grow in
practically wild state here. pneapples
guavas. lemons and limes oranges. ba
nanas. cassava and yucca, papyas. etc
, flourish with almost no attention. an
vet they bring fair price in the mar
:. ket. The mango is perhaps the mos
popular fruit here. and is decided
original in its flavor. The priceless
alligator pear also grows PRACTICAL
wild here. The ivory nut" so largel
used in the States and elsewhere in tn
production of shirt buttons, etc. is al
' other Of the isthmus wild products.
e Woods are plentiful. the most valua
= BILE being lignum vitae. black palm Ill;
. hogony.
i Yes. Panama is wonderful place
and some day will be even more wOl
K derful than it il to-day. Everywher
!, Is the hand of America visible an