Evening star., 1923-05-06
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followed beside vasco. The sur
face Of the rock was wet and streaked
In places with slime. I slipped after
three steps. and slid to the bottom.
Sitting down I removed my boots
and socks, tied the laces together
and slung them over my shoulders.
Then slowly and painfully I crept up
over the sharp edges Of feldspar crys-
tails that protruded from the ground
mass of the rock. Up. UP. up, and the
sharp crystals dug into my feet.
When ! gained the edge and Joined
the others. I bathed my bruised feet
in small pool Of rain water, and
put on my heavy wooden socks,
Leaving my boots beside the pool,
commenced to go upward, hand over
hand, foot after foot. Sometimes I
was obliged to turn around and go
up backward with palms and feet
gripping the irregularities Of the
slope.
In this way we reached the top Of
the lower area Of sloping bare rock,
and found ourselves at the edge of
scraggy forest OF dwarfed trees
and palms I sat down in a little
gully on some wet moss. and let the
tiny streamlet trickle over my feet.
How unspeakably sore they were! I
wished that had not left my shoes
behind, for part of the way now
would be over broken powders and
through an underground of pricking
vines and cutting blades Of palm.
Black and white lizards ran about
over the rocks. By the time we had
climbed into a ravine beneath some
sharp powders, my socks We're worn
out. My feet were lacerated and
bleeding. 1 paused a moment to tear
piece Of broad dried palm leaf into
strips and bound them sandal-wise
to the soles of my feet with handker-
chiefA
WYE entered a black cavity under
w powders which were too large
to tumble to the bottom OF the ravine
and had been held between the steep
and narrow walls. All was dark. and
there was a rumbGng furry, as if
some horde Of feathered things was
beating up the air.
had a few small candles. One
lit and stuck on a dried stick and
held it ahead OF me a. crawied
through the cavernous chambers,
always endeavoring to get higher.
We came up against q wall Of bowl
ders piled upon each other. Our
voices echoed and re-echoed within
the rock bound chamber.
20 Ia
the dim light of my small candle
flickered threateningly. I found one
a small hole scarcely large enough
to squeeze through. But I squeezed
and got through it. / found myself
in another cavern lined with rocks.
There was q "wh-i-i-i-rrr," and q
storm OF small heavy things came at
me through the air.
The furry whizzed past me and
came up against Vasco's face, which
was blocking the exit. with dull
thud. We had disturbed scores of
bats, which were simultaneously seek
ing the exit from their dark abode.
A narrow shaft of light streaked in
from above. The hole through which
the light came was too high for any
of us to reach and the rock was too
steep to climb.
Get on my shoulder. Vasco," I said.
He hoped nfmbly up and in q mo-
ment was through the opening and
out into the sunlight.
One of the natives boosted me up
and then helped the others through.
Here was a narrow ledge upon which
we all sat. Nearly a thousand feet
we had climbed. We squatted like a
litter of young eaglets on that shelf
and looked out over the country. We
could see moundlike hills in the north
and the Rio Negro as 1t wound back
and forth, now narrow like a slender
thread OF silver light, now broaden
ing out into lakelike expanses.
through Venezuela toward the dis
tant mountains of Colombia.
CMALL flies gathered. They blurred
y our vision, were drawn into our
mouths and nostrils, got into our
| eyes and our ears, and somehow down
our necks. We could not stand 1t
longer. In such condensed cloudfuls
they made living on that ledge un-
bearable.
Into the ravine!" yelled, waving
my arms wildly about my head to
keep some Of them out of my mouth
| Into the darkness" We lowered
each other back into the cavity and
caught tho last man as he jumped
down among us.
We separated and scrambled here
and there into the darkest corners
fell, pulled ourselves up to safety
and went on. No, opening that would
| lead US farther upward could be
| found. Still we searched. It was OF
| no use.
| Missing vasco, I anxiously called
| his name. There were moments OF
silence as tho echo Of my call rans
| through the rocky chambers above
"Hi, senhor!" came down his voice
sounding immensely faint and dis.
tant, almost like a voice from the
dead.
| Are you hurt" called.
mo. senior; come-I have found 6
way-come!'
Up I climbed, dragging my feet
leaving little splotches of blood OF
the cruel edges Of the powders. Bacl
into the dark crevasse we wriggled
and then up, up. up, until we had re
gained the ledge where we had en-
gagged in that silent and unfavorabl'
battle with the little devils. We sa
down and painted and sweated, sweat
ed and painted. while the minute file
gathered about US again, flew into u
in cloudfuls and caught up. agains
our dripping bodies, where they stucl
| a.. <hourb nm av S,nOer