Evening star., 1925-03-22

and the canoe. all snugly
stored. high and dry, on the bank OF
the river. We had just returned and
found the canoe missing, while on
the bottom of the shallow river glis-
tened the bright sides of all our cans
To our bitterer indignation. we
could see that in order to insure the
ruin OF their contents, the tins had
been cut open before they were
thrown into the water.
No starving traveller or thieving In
dian would have wasted such A rich
prize. This without question had been
a malicious act. 1t was obviously
committed for the purpose of dis
couraging my prospecting trip.
Our suspicious soon were confirmed
Felipe discovered shoe tracks, and
then, stuck on the trunk of nearby
tree a piece of cardboard. On this,
IN rather neat blue-crayon block-let-
ters was written: This climate is
unhealthy for you-get out!'
White men, then-men of my own
kind-had broken that unwritten law
obeyed by all true bushmen. which
holds a cache as a sacred thing. II
Is never to be robbed or injured. But
that same code, so just in its sim
plicity, gives to an injured bushman
the unquestioned right to obtain his
own justice. SO Felipe and | decided
at once to seek our unknown aggres-
sors and mete out to them the punish
ment they deserved.
Our situation might have proved
critical to men unfamiliar with the
jungle. but we had arms, ammunition,
bedding, first-aid kit and some few
provisions sufficient to last about four
days. And more reassuring than all
of this was our past experience of be-
ing stranded in the jungle which had
clearly demonstrated that We could
"live on the bush" Consequently the
fact that the nearest point of civili-
cation was some two hundred miles
away did not chill our hearts or deter
US from seeking redress for the
wrong which had been done US.
4 x x
FELIPE and I at once began to
Il search for signs which might give
us a clew as to the whereabouts of
our enemies. Felipe waded down
stream while investigated up stream.
My trip of three or four miles proved
fruitless, but Felipe, on his return to
the camp, had news in abundance.
Rock outcrops, on the banks Of the
river, showed fresh signs of the work
of a prospector's pick; and along the
rocky, sandy shore of one of the
rapids, plainly visible, were two trails
left by the heavy dug-out canoe. This
had been dragged up an down stream,
in order to avoid navigating the dan
gerous waters. 1t was evident that
the down trip had been made later
than the up trip, because, at the
points where the two trails touched
or crossed, the down trail was over
the other.
Our own canoe, irreparably dam
aged by a heavy ak, had been found
by Felipe caught in a snag, some five
hunrded yards away from our camp.
Felipe's discoveries, besides increas-
ing our rage, indicated that our un-
known enemies were professional
rivals. They were camped down
stream from us-so in that direction
we started to look for them.
Two "balsa' trees were felled.
Their cork-like weight and buoyancy
makes them admirably suited for
building a raft. We trimmed them
and securely lashed them together
with vines.
On this fimsy craft, with our mea-
ger outfit tightly bound to it, Filipe
and l commenced our journey of
righteous vengeance, Felipe polling
from the stearn, I from the bow.
For three days We journey on the
raft. At times we stood naked and
covered with perspiration while we
toiled through still waters. then
again, kneeling on the raft, Tending
rocks from right and left, we raced
through rapids. At night we camped
on large boulders by the riverside
hot and blistering from the days sun
during the early hours of the even
ing-wretchedly cold at night. Not
knowing how far or near our enemies
camp might lie, and not caring to run
the risk of warning them of our