Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

As the owner began TO see his ma
chine reassemble before him, he
perked up and grew hopeful.
Senior" he said. there is place
two DAYS I'D where the river narrows
down to a kilometer and there are no
side channels. Those ladrones have
one days start. In the launch--if by
the mercy of God it will Cove can
make 1t in one day. Basta! 1t Is
| enough.
'"They may elude us among the is
| lands. but we shall wait for them in
the narrows. Caralhos! will the
senior kill?"
'Quem sabe?" was all 1 could tell
| him.
However. the robbers had not
passed the narrows when we arrived,
and the mist thinned out sufficiently
| with the following sunrise to let us
| discover them stealing up under the
| shadows of the far shore. We were
all prepared, of course. and our
plans were made-had been for
| hours.
The Indian family had a dug out
canoe that would carry not more
than three men. We judged 1t wise
to have them handle 1t In the swift
4
left for only one.
| Young America was motion
picturesquely heroic with a gun
swinging low on each hip-positively
swelling with the glorious oppor-
tunity to race off in the frail canoe
to hold up the pirate galleons. That
there might be danger in the pro-
ceeding never gave him a moment
pause; but such is the universal at
tribute of young Americans.
The r. M. and l took up stra-
tegic position, with those wicked
Savage rifles, on a point of rock and
set the sights for a thousand yards
in case the bandits might not be
lamenable, or-what we thought more
likely-should elude our gunman.
Away out on the other side of the
river we could see Young America
risk our all by standing up in the
precarious canoe in order to get the
better effect while he called to the
pirates, EN- Gina os maos," which
I am positive he got from a lurid
Western film, and which is the
Portuguese translation of "Stick 'em
up, gents"
They did so with precision. He
herded them in.
was satisfied But what was
there to do? What vengeance is
there, when one is dealing with hard
practical life, that one can visit
upon four grown men where there Ii
no policeman to whom one can turr
them over? None. So all that we
did was to transfer our gear to the
launch and tell them to go away
swiftly from the place. And we left
our faithless cook with them.
This King Of the Issana came
about 30 years ago. Why he came
nobody knows. He just started up
river and he kept going till he found
a place that suited him, and there he
stayed and began to build the first
little hut that has now expanded
into community.
| His sons are strong grown men
and his grandsons are rearing their
little brown babies. Indians they
are, in feature and complexion, but
their speech is Spanish and their
manners are those of the hidalgos Of
old Seville.
The old don rules them and their
wives and their multitudinous Indian
relatives like veritable king indeed
When they come into his presence
they remain silent until he signs
that they may speak.
| WHICH lAcJ Hdfo SPOncH' A0 SlfOs
them his hand to kiss before they
withdraw. His word is law among
the tribes along a hundred miles OF
river front, and there is no doubt a
all that without his permission nc
man may travel his river.
To us, the King was the soul o.
dignified courtesy. All that his hOus'
afforded was ours. He deprecated
the poverty Of these days; but fec
! us-of all things-on pate de foi'
gras and Huntley & Palmer's bis
cults, delicacies that had not beer
known in the upper rivers for II
years.
He told US that the Rio Issana was
for our purposes hopeless. We mus
go up the Uaupes, he said. He had 6
well built monteria, and he agreed t.
TRANSPORT us another lap on our