Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-09-01
RUBBER TRADE BRUTAL
Dealers Treat the Natives With Rough
Tactics.
ADVENTURES ON The UPPER AMAZON
Dangerous Work is Gathering Gum
From People Who Know Nothing OF
the Ordinary Methods of Business or
of the WAYS of the White Man.

Sudden death is the risk q business
man. runs in certain sections of south
America, particularly in the strange
territories of the Upper Amazon, In
Brazil. There are no banks, no mail
order houses, nc telephones, and trade
is carried on by simple barter. OF this
curious region have been told by
Louis Wanderer, a business man with
past in tropical lands. and here is
one of his adventures in the days be-
fore the war, when rubber was Valu-
able and when competition among va
rious groups of exploiters was furious.
Wanderer is a little man, wears
glasses, has blond hair and a sharp
little curved nose. He speaks with a
German accent and with honesty and
simple love of romance.
I was the only passenger on the
Para, steamer of the Amazon Steam
ship Company" he began, "on trip
up the river from Manaos across the
Peruvian boundary to the Rio Mara
non, in April, 1912.
when we reached the spot where
wished to ,disembark, the beat stopped
in the middle of the river and waited
for the canoe that should come for me.
It was padded by four Indians, bare
to the waist, their copper bodies glst-
ening with sweat, their hair braided
Tn hn
a yellow fellow, a white man, of pro-
nounced German features. He was
steering.
II knew that he was the younger OF
two brothers managing a rubber estate
for their mother, q native Brazilian
woman. Their fatner had died some
two years before of poison administer
ed by an Indian.
After throwing my luggage, con-
sisting Of a rubber bag, my guns and
several other parcels, down into the
canoe, I descended the rope ladder. AS
we were nearing shore I introduced
myself, told him that I had come for
any rubber and Brazil nuts they hap
pened to have, and also to find out
their needs in merchandise.
"He was an amiable fellow, not bad
looking, about twenty years old. On
the way to shore he suddenly-drop-
ping Portuguese-launched into Ger
man and complained that the crop so
far had been very poor on account of
the reluctance and dishonesty of the
Indians working for him, and he swore
that only the most severe treatment
netted him any production at all. He
told me that the natives hide large
parts Of the rubber in the jungle and
bring it out at night, further up the
river, to sell it to peddlers Of liquor
and merchandise.
when we landed I saw a really fine
looking building, of stone, with large
vcranda, well kept lawn and shrubbery
on front forgot for moment that
was in the middle Of tropical wilder
ness. Dozens of fruit-bearing lemon
and orange trees were grouped about.
At the left was a big patch planted
with manioc and cared for by six In
dian women, some of whom carried
their pappooses dangling in n sling.
II met the mother, pleasant, white
haired woman, who must have been
exceptionally beautiful once. She had
an exquisite nose and delicate mouth,
and her eyes were large, black, very
lovely. She welcomed me in the choic-
est phrases of the Portuguese langu-
age, offering me, with q sweep of her
arm, the hospitality of her house.
"The house was finely furnished.
There were many rooms, all with par
quet floors. One room held library
with books in every language; there
was a piano, a photograph; oil paint
ings on the walls. My room was large
and airy, charmngly furnished in bam-
boo and mahogany.
81 was amazed at the luxury, for
every stone, board, and piece of furni-
ture had been brought 1900 miles up
the Amazon.
"As dressed l actually laughed with
gladness at having found such civil
lized spot where l had expected to find
nothing. I got into a khaki suit, high
laced boots, put my Browning auto
matte in my pocket. with plenty of
cigarettes and mirrors, beads and
pocket knives, for the natives, and
went out to meet my host.
I'VE went over to the general store.
He had everything in it from shoe
laces to sewing machines and phono-
graphs. He suggested a visit to- the
Indian village. We walked along for
about twenty minutes by creek Of
clear green water, covered in spots by
a giant specimen of the Victoria Regia.
The leaves of this water plant meas
ured yard ard half in diameter and
| in the centre were about an inch thick.
| | hung onto an overhanginG branch
and stepped on one of them. 1t sup
ported me easily.
Turning a bend of the creek he
| pointed out a sloth hanging from a
( tree. / wanted to shoot it, but it was
! too far off. Soon we reached n clear