The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-03-04

TUNED the rest into slaves, terroriz-
ing them with the most inhuman
tort,'res In order to force them to
gather the india-rubbes, which was
then fioated down the liver to Para.
Lord John Roxton expostulated on
behalf of the wretched victims, and
received nothing but threats and in
suits for his pains. He then for
mally declared war against Pedro
Lopez, the leader Of the slave-driv-
ers, enrolled band OF runaway
slaves in his service, armed them.
and conducted campaign, which
ended by his killing with. his own
hands the notorious half-breed and
breaking down the system which he
represented.
No wonder that the ginger-headed
man with the silky voice and the
free and easy manners was now
looked upon with deep interest upon
the banks of the great South Ameri
can river, though the feelings he in
spired were naturally mixed, since
the gratitude Of the natives was
who desired to exploit them. One
useful result of his former expert
ences was that he could talk fluent
ly in the Lingoa Geral, which is the
peculiar talk, one-third Portuguese
and two-thirds Indian, which is cur
rent all over Brazil.
have said before that Lord John
Roxton was South Americomaniac
He could not speak of that great
country without ardor, and this ar
dor was infectious. for, ignorant as
was, he fixed my attention and
stimulated my curiosity. How
wish I could reproduce the glamour
OF his discourses, the peculiar mix
ture of accurate knowledge and of
racy Imagination which gave them
their fascination, until even the Pro-
fessor's cynical and skeptical smile
would gradually vanish from his thin
face as he listened. He would tell
the history Of the mighty river so
rapidly explored Cfor some of the
first conquerors OF Peru actually
crossed the entire continent upon its
vaters), and yet so unknown in re,
gard to all that lay behind its ever
changing banks.
"What is there?" he WOULD CRY,
pointing to the north Wood and
marsh and unprecedented jungle. Who
knows what 1t may shelter? And
there to the south? A Wilderness OF
swampy forest, where no white man
has ever been. The unknown is up
against us on every side. Outside
the narrow lines of the rivers what
does any one know? Who will say
what is possible in such a country?
Why should old man Challenger not
be right?" At which direct defiance
the stubborn sneer would reappear
upon Professor Summerlee's face,
and he would sit, shaking his car
donic head in unsympathetic silence
behind the cloud of his briar-root
pipe.
So much, for the moment, for my
two white companions. whose char
acters andN limitations will be fur
Their gexposed, as surely as INV own,
as this narrative proceeds. But al
ready we have enrolled. certain re-
tanners who may play no small part
in what Is to come. The first is a
gigantic negro named Zambo, who
Is a black Hercules, as willing as
any horse, and about as Intelligent.
Him we enlisted at Para, on The rec
ommendation of the steamship COM
pany, on whose vessels he had
learned to speak hating English
1t was at Para also that we en-
gagged Gomez and Manuel, two half
breeds from UP the river, just come
down with largo of redwood. They
were swarthy fellows, bearded and
fierce. as active and wiry as pan
theirs. Both Of them had spent their
lives in those upper waters of the
Amazon which we were about to ex-
plore, and it was this recommends
ton which had caused Lord John to
engage them. One of them, Gomez,
had the further advantage that he
could speak excellent English. These
men were willing to act as our per-
sonal servants, to cook, to row, or
to make themselves useful in any
way at a payment of $15 "A month.
Besides these, we had engaged three
Mojo Indians from Bolivia, who are
the most skilful at fishing and boat
work of all the river tribes. The
chief of these we called Mojo after
his tribe, and the others are known
as Jose and Fernando. Three white
men, then, two halfbreeds, one negro
and three Indians made up the per-
sonnet Of the little expedition which
lay waiting for its instructions at
Manaos before starting upon its sin
gular quest.
At last, after weary week, the