Evening star., 1924-09-28

| water" I suggested. u can skin it
while the men paddle"
Accordingly / squatted down in the
sern of the boat. and, dragging up a
foot or two of the heavy body, l began
Sitting the skin down the white
belly with sharp machete. The
scales were too brittle for my slender
hunting knife.
The skinning was difficult, and 1
had to pull the skin with all my
strength to get it from the snakes
| body. Every now and then ] chopped
| off a peeled section of his body and
threw it back into the water, coiling
| the freshly removed skin about my
feet. Then suddenly, when l had
skinned barely three yards. the end
| of the snake came out of the water,
| a jagged, red end. The suddenness
OF it amazed and aggrieved me. The
blacks giggled among themselves.
"Perai" Capt. Peter laughed.
They've clean eaten up your snake
story"
1t was the first time in my life
that | had occasion to curse fish as a
genus. l did it thoroughly, much to
| the delight of the black paddlers, who
profited gladly by the chance to learn
| new English words.
| / sliced a few strips from the con-
| strictor's hide, intending to make a
| belt and hatband later on, and
threw the rest to the blacks, who
eagerly cut other pieces from the hide.
We were a happy caravan.
/ X < X
| TOWARD noon, while on the river.
l. we saw heavy column of smoke
rising above the jungle on the left
| bank.
Big Indian settlement" Capt
| Peter said. Seems about two miles
back in the forest"
while we stop for lunch a few of
| US will go in / said
So we pointed the boat toward the
left bank, and, finding a place where
| the men could cook lunch, we landed.
Dudley, Capt. Peter, two of the blacks
who carried knives, and | went into
| the forest. Dudley and I were all
| eagerness for the first sight of a
primitive community. AS We went
into the forest, the blacks cutting
holes in the jungle ahead of us, We
crossed a small trail. Capt. Peter did
not follow it, but kept a true course
westward. We hurried on until pres
| emily we met another path, this time
| larger and well trampled.
Guess this heads toward the viii
lage," said Capt. Peter, looking up
through the tree tops at the sun for
| his bearings.
And so it did. for soon we saw in
creasing patches of light showing up
| through the trees ahead, and suddenly
came out into a large clearing. There
was a score of small thatched huts,
with no sides, surrounding large
conical hut. Dogs began barking, but
we saw no human life.
The black men hesitated.
Me not goin in" one of them ex-
claimed. TOO much humbug, dees
Injins"
Wait here, then" said Capt. Peter,
| land be quiet"
A few PAGES more, and we saw a
single brown head appear from be-
hind secluded hut, then other faces,
| then shoulders, and finally several
small men came out in full view, each
| holding slender tube in one hand and
bunch of small darts in the other.
| They've got poisoned arrows"
| Dudley whispered
| Capt. Peter quickly held his hands
| above his head and called:
"Me-a-rei Me-a-re,"
| Other Indians came into view as il
| from nowhere. until we stood facing
| a score or more of well-armed men.
Many small boys eyed US defiantly as
they gripped their small bows and
arrows tightly. Then women began
to appear. They wore no clothes
| Other than a small apron OF DeauS
slung in front of them by thin cords
\ around their hips.
| 1 had often read of the beautiful
| physiQues that primitive women have.
But these Akawoia women were not
| beautiful. They were short and
| squat Their legs were bowed and
barrel-shaped. With their heavy, fiat
| features they resembled Mongolians.
| 1 looked at the warriors again,
watching for some opportunity to ad-
vance. They were all very short and
chunky. They seemed very well built,
| but their smooth bodies showed not a
| single trace of muscular development.
Some of them had paint on their faces.
Some were tattooed on the body. They
stood there looking askance at US for
| a brief time, while we dared not ap-
| proach nearer until they had an
swered our welcome. Finally an old
| man who was drawn a little apart
\ from the rest of the village uttered a
low ''Me-a-re," almost like a purring
cat Instantly the Gordon of warriors
| broke up, dispersed to hide their
weapons, and returned to stare at US
| again.
| Dudley and 1 inspected the village