The Washington times., 1922-05-28

tCopyright, 1874 by Cosn opolitan News
Ssrvice)
HOWEBROOK, Me-, May 27.-
Having braved starvation for
week in a desolate section of the
Maine woods, the modern Adam
and Eve are about to be eaten
alive by swarms of black flies.
Following a terrific thunder
storm, Carl A. Sutter and his
bobbed-haired wife--the modern
duplicates of humanity's common
ancestors-came out from their
makeshift lodge of spruce boughs
today only to encounter untold
thousands of black flies, whose
sting is worse than Jersey mos
quitoes.
A Breakfast Hindrance.
All night the Suffers had huddled
In their tiny bower and when the
story had abated, the mountain
brooks were raging torrents, and the
air steamyas the warm sun fell upon
the drenched vegetation. Instantly
the air became alive with the black
flies, hungry for human blood. The
almost nude bodies of Adam and
Eve, already laCcrated by briars and
underbrush, make excellent targets
for them.
1t is a common sight during the
summer to see moose and deer, half
crazed by the bites of these flies,
plunge into ponds and lakes untn
only their noses stick out above the
water. In no other way can the ami.
mails rid themselves Of the barbcd
menace carried in the bills of the
tiny flies. They swarm in such
numbers az to cloud the atm Dsph're
and make human travel through the
woods difficult.
The Suffers were obliged to hunt
for their morning meal while sur.
rounded by millions of the insects.
Mrs. Suffers ears and eyes and
nostris were assailed by them.
while they bit and tortured her
tender skin. Finally she was obliged
to return to the hut and build a
smoke screen.
Mr.. Sutter struggled along as best
he could and succeeded in catching
the usual breakfast of trout, but
he was half crazed by the attacks
of the black flies.
The inhabitants hereabouts fear
to venture out of the house during
the fly season without plentiful
supply of fly dope to smear on ex.
posed skin. But the Suffers had
no fly dope. and for a time We're
fearful that the insects would do
what the wild animals have failed
to do-drive them from the wilder
ness.
Yesterday afternoon, however
Mr.. Sutter made some home brew
for the flies. He stripped the bark
from the tender shoots of the alder
hush and stepped it. The resultant
tea he applied literally to himself
and his wife. The home brew
worked to a degree, and kept the
Suffers from going crazy.
Would Like a Deer.
Sutter hunted diligently yesterday,
but with little success. He found
only trees that had been uprooted by
storm. He occasionally heard the
whirr of a partridge's wing. but
could not get close enough TO one or
the willy birds to kill. Once, in a
ANAL clearing, he saw a big fox star
ing at him impudently, but it gave
. flirt of it's tail and glided away.
The Suffers are half-starved, and
their ONLY hope lies in the capture Of
some large animal like a deer or
moose. which would yield both food
and clothing. Sutter made several
efforts to snare a deer, but was un-
successful because he did not nave
ANYTHING strong enough to choke
the big animal. He constructed "A
snare along a deer runway here yes
terday. but when he returned some
hours later he found il torn to shreds.
THE snare was made Of heavy vines
woven together, and while the deer
had nut his head through the loop
and drawn 1t tightly around his neck,
he was able to break away. Suttcr
will try now to get a bear or deer in
n deadfall. hut is not optimistic.
suffers whole effort will he con
centrated during the next few days
IN the construction of bow and
arrow of sufficient force and carry.
ing power to bring down one Of the
larger animals. He is confident that
he can hit deer.
Sutter is already seasoning choice
bows. In the meantime, however,
he and his wife must live, md he
must catch enough food to keep up
their strength.
There is absolutely nothing IN the
woods that suggests food. The vast
reaches of the forest with their
silences stretch away intcrminably,