The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-07-11

the capital of Colombia, is one
of the most interesting the
traveller can find, says the London
Times. The time Of the voyage varies
from nine to fourteen days, according
to whether it is made In the wet or
dry season.
During the trip one ascendS from
sea level to 1900 feet above it; there
are three separate train, and two
steamer journeys; the scenery varies
from sweltering forest to wide, airy
pastures, wheattields and ragged blue
mountain peaks; the dwellings Of the
people change from insouciant, palm
matched huts to the imposing Spanish.
style stone mansions Of the ancient
city Of BOgota.
Puerto Colombia, with the turquoise
Caribbean washing It's feet, Is a port
by courtesy. Steamers call there for
the convenience of ~BarranQuilla. Wide
spread, sunny, flOwer-bedecked Bar
ranquilla sits upon the bank OF the
Magdalena, and continually and pas
~sionately discusses the question Of wa
ter transport, for 1t can have no direct
access to the sea until the Magdalena
bar is conquered.
From ~Barranquilla M takes a river
steamer to La Dorado. On the flat
bottomed river boat, drawing only a
foot or two Of water, travellers must
provide themselves with bedding; the
steamship company lends a canvas cot,
but nothing else, and the BarranQuilla
hotels specialize In providing the Wis
itor for BogOta with the outft-a pill
low Of tree-cottOn, a couple OF tiny
sheets, a mosquito netting "bar," q
couple Of little towels. No other bed
ding is needed, for the heat is sitting
but the judicious also take table dell
cacies and everything needed In the
way Of beverages, with the exception
of coffee, Of which there is a constant
and most excellent flow.
Soon the forest closes down to the
edge Of the water, as u~nconquered, as
dominant, as In Quesada's day, 400
years ago. Quesada took two years to
ascend the river to Bogota, the sur
vivors Of his party arriving ragged and
starving; the marvel is that a single
one Of those adventures reached the
plains.
Scene Of Great Beauty.
The jade Of banana leaves, whipped
into rags by the wind, the glaucous
green of lilies, the emerald Of the
palms, the jasper of the great forest
giants, is only broken here and there
by q trail of Towering vine or he rare
sight Of a h~igh-perched mauve or gold
orchid; where open spaces occur there
are low-growing bushes covered with
flowers, and one sees q host Of butter
flies and birds, but usually there Is
nothing but the river and the green
wall Of forest. When rain falls In a
straight sheet even the forest Is blotted
out and the ~alligators and turtles OF
the margins are Invisible until the sun
reappears.
When a stop is made for wood or to
deliver merchandise to. some little trad
ing point the outlet for some rich
region producing sugar, hides, coffee or
tobacco, all the village m to the
little wharf, guns are fred and the
church bell Is rung In the steamers
honor; there are a number Of such
places below Puerto BerriO. Puerto
Berrio Is important as the starting
point for the wonderful Cauca Valley,
worth some trouble to reach and pos
sessing a perpetual June climate, a
wealth Of fruit and flowers, q fertile
soil and mountains sown with precious
minerals.
At La Dorado, where the blue noun
tains have suddenly come nearer and
turn green and purple, there Is little
but q row of modest cottages, and the
railway sheds; but here is the train
for Beltran. the line leaving the river,
and traversing a wonderful country of
bright green pastures with sturdy
herds grazing, fine lusty trees and hills
that rise grotesQuely. topped with fan
tastic rocks like battlemented castles
Of the middle ages. All this region is
famous for It's tobacco, and has ex-
ported 1t to Europe for over q hundred
years. The train stops at Honda, where
one looks far down at the rapids; the
town is bright and pretty, the center
Of a gold mining industry, and here,
by the way, one buys four cigars of
excellent tobacco for the equivalent Of
I'D.
There Is another halt at MariQuita,