Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1922-03-09

monkeys leeT DOWN az US, and IRE
quently we are audience for a flock
of parrots. sputtering and chattering
in their quarrelsome way. All of the
larger streams are inhabited by great
motionless alligators, which have
come up from the Magadalena river
during high water. We were some
what surprised to find one on our re-
turn at Just the close of the third
daysI riding-away in the interior.
sprawled out on the sandy bank of
a little stream, that is hardly a stream
at all in dry season.
One Half Mile Drivers
According to a statement made by
Frank Chapman in Odtobar's Geo
graphic magazine over half the male
population OF Colombia are mule
drivers. This life is one of great ex-
posture and hardships calling for
great endurance and ability to meet
the disasters which sooner or later
befall one on the trail, and il develops
set of picturesque vagabonds who
play a leading part in any highway
scene in Colombian life.
Arrived at Kilometro 20 "a distance
of twelve miles from the Magdalena
and the full extent of the railroad
which has been building for nearly
thirty years. we were unable to get
so much as a cup OF chocolate made
for our supper, and with great diff
guilty secured the privilege of setting
up our cots for the night on the mud
floor of hut, which would form some
shelter from the rain. At one a. Iii.
the rain commenced TO pour down
copiously, through the matched roof.
through our mosquito net and into our
beds. There is no opportunity for
bathing after one leaves home until
one boards the river steamer. 1t is
impossible TO battle in rivers or
creeks en- route for several reasons
one Of which is that the water is fall
of infinitisimal insects that burrow
under the skin and cause great irrita-
tion and suffering. Each of us manag-
ed TO secure some two hundred apiece
of these residents in our skin, Just
riding through wet foliage, and for a
week after arriving at Medellin. and
again after getting home, we suffer
ed a great deal from them. These
mismis and other insects, the great
heat and besplashing mud made us
long with a great longing for our
daily baths. So as soon as it com
menced to rain at Kilometro 20. we
got up, one after another, and went
out in the darkness of the street,
carrying soap, and rid ourselves OF
as much of Santander as we could go
ing back to bed, cooled and rested
to finish tie part of the night that
remained to us.
Beds Are Lakes
We were too hungry to sleep well,
even though our beds had not been
turned into miniature lakes. For sup.
per we had only a soup that emp.
tied from tin-can, and to which Ga
la Miss Wiggs) added plenty of wat.
er ito make il go around" At four
we arose, packed up beds and nets,
also riding suits, leggings, encaucha.
tas, saddles, made a careful list of
everything. and entrusted it all to
the mule-driver who. from this point,
returned to the city. At fivc-thirty
we boarded the morning "cattle-train'
for the river-port, Witches, twelve
miles away.
The jungle constantly creeps upon
the little civilization that tries to ex.
list in its midst. The tract, in spite
of men constantly employed to cut
away the growths, is nearly swallow,
ed in vegetation. Weeds spring I'd
over night between the rails; creep
ers hang over them and rub against
the engine, trees send out strong
roots into the poor little opening
made for the passage of the track,
and every aspect gives one the suf-
locating feeling of absolutely ire
sistible forces of nature. Why strug-
gle? What does it all amount to? Ma
ture will eventually swallow up all
that man can do here-nothing can
keep her subdued in this region.
The cattle train had no closed car
only open Stats, with a few rough
benches, which were soaking wet
when first we saw them. Since we
had sent the encauchada to Bucara-
manga, the trunks and beds had to
sit up and take the rain. as well as
We ourselves did. An hour and a half
to go twelve miles. with great screech-
ing and squealings from engine and
cars on the track-and what wonder.
when it was almost "grass-grown"
track?-we finally arrived at the port.
Still raining. The only inn in the
place closed, because the sonora was
Ill. AS the train had to go about it's
business-that of loading cattle-we
were dumped out in the storm, which
was fortunately just a constant gen.
tie weep, nothing hysterical. Our bag
gage suffered a like fate, and stood
disconsolateiy in the mud, until Mr..