Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-09-01
He-he's,' the Arauna how-do-you-do.

aware of anything wrong. 1 thought
of Mr.. Sumner and all the reformers in
this country. '''
"They surrounded us, especially the
girls, and were amused at my hob
nailed boots. One of them took off my
gggling. The men were more serious
and kept in the background. / sat on
q tree stump while my host interview
ed the chief. So had plenty Of time
to look them over. They were all tall
and we'll proportioned, with regular
features Among the younger girls
there were some one would have called
pretty if they hadn't filed their teeth.
After a while elderly people came,
bringing bananas and peanuts. pull
ed out trinkets and cigarettes to dis
tribute and they rushed at me, almost
pushed me off my seat, tearing the
things out of my hands. When 1 put
my hand in my pocket my cigarettes
were gone. And I saw some Of the
young girls smoking them.
1--WE visited the great hut, strung
with hammocks, with holes in the roof
to let out the smoke from the fires. 1t
was cool inside and not a single one
Of the millions Of bugs that were
everywhere else was there. All $50
of the tribe lived in this hut.
1--WE returned when it began to grow
dark, and I was really sorry to leave.
There was fascination about the life
these people led, and about them.
"But on our way home my host told
me that there was trouble ahead, that
q native to whom he had given scme
$40 worth of tools and merchandise as
advance payment on some rubber, had
disappeared. The sane thing had hap
pened often lately, he said, and he had
decided to make an example Of this
man. So he had ordered the chief to
bring the fellow back within three
days or else be driven away and have
everything set afire. He warned me
70 stay away from the settlement, but
would not tell me more. That night
dreamed Of fighting Indians.
Next morning at Z o'clock my host
reused me and asked me to come over
to the store. I hurriedly dressed and
went over. I saw an Indian wearing
a loin cloth, standing in the middle of
the room. He had shackles on his
ankles. I was told that this was the
fugitive. The doors were closed and
the young man started to bawl the
Indian out The latter hardly answered
and thought everything was all right.
But then my host reached under the
counter and brought out an instru-
ment of hardwood. 1t was round
block, three inches across and an inch
thick, with handle on 1t. He grabbed
the Indians hands, palm up, and
started to beat him terribly. / tried
to stop him, begged him to stop. Then
I tried to get out, but he asked me to
stay, saying that he had told the
native that was the boss from down.
river and that 1 had come for rubber
that he was unable to deliver because
Of such scoundrels as him, the Indian.
By this time the fellows hands were
cut open and the blood was squirting
from the fngernails and tears covered
his face. 1t was too much for me.
cursed my host and told. him that
would report matters to the state au-
thorities at Manaos, and told him that
didn't wonder at the death of his
father any more. Then / broke
through the door and got away.
THAT afternoon l found the fellow
with a big iron ball chained to his feet
cutting grass in front Of the house.
His back was one mass of bloody welts
and it was exposed to thousands OF
mosquitoes. l got pail of water and
glass, gave him n drink and poured
water down his back. l shall never
forget his look of gratitude.
"Next day my host told me that the
man had been sent back to the tribe.
l warned him of trouble, but he laugh
ed Several nights later he came to
my room and asked me to come out,
something had happened. When |
reached the hall saw two bodies on
the floor a white couple that had
worked for the house. They were
terribly mutilated.
"The men of the place were assem-
bled. One was sent down the river for
help. The rest of us went to take
look about the house. We had not
walked twenty feet when shower of
arrows greeted us. There followed a
veil from one of our men. One Of the
big arrows had pierced his chest and
the point Of it stuck out behind near
the spine. We retired to the house,
closed the windows and opened fire
through the Sits in the shutters. The
Indians were hidden in the shrubbery.
Yells ard screams answered our first
volley. Another shower Of arrows,
then all was quiet. We waited, on the
watch, until daybreak, but nothing
happened. In the morning we found
that the ten Indian women who work