Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-03-04

honor to rest in my house. Alas, | am a
poor bachelor. ! Will make the price for
you with the b~alseros. Tomorrow fore
noon all will be ready. The best shooting
Is seven or eight miles below here. If you
VIII permit me, l viii 90 with you to the
spot. TO show you where l have often got
ten boar and deer. | viii have the pleas
ure or your society, and a day on the river
Will do me good"
We thanked Don Simplicio, and after a
shower bath and a siesta. strolled at dusk
about the admirable village. At every
mouse the dwellers sat in contemplation
at the windows. We were greeted with
invitations to enter, and with smiling ques-
lions of our Impressions of Palma. Few
Americans came that way.
The sweltering July humidity and the
under our nets early, on the beds of woven
cane.
After breakfast Of mangos, coffee, rolls
and eggs, we went with Don Simpllcio to
where the balsa was being made.
u sent word, as soon as ! heard of your
arrival, to hasten the work" he said to us.
1t Is almost finished. In an hour or two
we will be off,"
1t was more than forty feet long and
twenty broad, raised well out of the water
and slightly pointed at both ends. Huge
single pipes of bamboo, ten inches In
diameter, formed the framework and on
this smaller bamboos, laid closely together,
made a footing through which no water
penetrated.
From the high bank the balsa was a
wonderful sight to us, like a floor in a
new native house without walls, the round
ed stems of the broad, golden bamboos
glistening in the sun. Two fimsy struc-
lures were upon 1T; one a little hut with a
roof OF nipa leaves, and seats within 1t
for several; the other a stall, and inside
1t, already, our sturdy mule. The cart
was fixed with %cleats, opposite. Two
/ Ip1fn0nng xvfth lnnr hornhna nn1aa tat1nrz
the balsa to the bank. In the nipa hut we
perceived Inez, who was sheltering her
self from the sun. The bank was brisk
with the villagers who had come to say
goodbye to their chief, and with girls who
had renewed their childhood friendship
with Inez. We were assisted on to the
balsa by citizens Of good viii, being
actually carried to our places, as IL we
were children. The Palmenos do not credit
any others with craftsmanship.
The balseros, or pole men. had begun to
shove off our stern when there was d atir
In the crowd, and two Withholding, near
nude men appeared on the brink OF the
stream carrying q large. round cargo,
they set 1t down with groans Of relief.
They spoke to the presidente, who told us
that they were woodsmen OF another dis
trict, who wanted to carry their jungle.
produce" down the river. Would we mind
their coming along?
my heavensi' said Harrison, Jungle
product If we don't get away soon they'll
bring that carabao aboard"
He pointed to the long-harned water buff
falo, a ton in weight, wallowing In the
shallow.
They must know their business" / re-
piled. Its not our raft. Bueno, Senior
Presidente, the more the merrier.'
The woodsmen hefted the weighty basket
and set 1t down towards the stern, as indi-
Gated by the presidente. They lay down
beside 1t, dripping with sweat, and, as Is
the fortunate gift of the tropics, they were
asleep before we had gone q hundred yards
The Palmenos waved to us, and called out
"Adios" and we Americans shouted back
! braves for Palma. The mule put back Its
ears and added a discordant note TO the
clamor. The raft bobbed up and down as
1t entered the light current. At last we
were on the painting bosom OF the Rio
Tinto. We were soon out of sight OF
J Palma in q turn Of the shore, a new and
delightful panorama greeting us each few
!, minutes.
Along the bow and the forward sides OF
the balsa walked, or ran, the balseros, bare
footed, oldish men, In breechclouts, lons
, poles in their hands, with which they
guided the raft through the Grant cur
rents, keeping 1t away from the banks
and Tending of obstacles, floating trees
and extensive drifts of Vegetation.
The presidente watched their movement!
with nice appreciation.
"Resurreccion and Pope are the wisesi
halseros of Palma he said. "They coult
! take us all safely to the sea in a gale. But
g%racias a Diosl we have a smooth river
and no wind. Senores, know that you arr
perfectly safe, and enjoy the view. Is !
not admirable, our Palma country? 1t re
calls to me these lines from Camoens."
He recited in a s0norous voice, and Ii
: stilted Spanish style:
: "On golden Tagus' undulating stream,
Skim the light barks, by gentlest wishes
sped,
Trace their still way, midst many a rosy
That steals in bushes, DER its TREMBLING
bed.
The presidente hesitated, as he realized
that he might not be with kindred poetic
souls. The senorita, who listened, en-
!, tranced, clapped her hands, and we. ap
plauded. The Californian, maybe a trifi'
homesick, sang a stanza of an old chantey
about his own Sacramento river.
, ~.
A snort from the mule recalled me tt
, the raft. This nervous animal had sounded
a raucous note at the outset, but had ap
~parently dozed for long. Now she called
Ihoarsely to the blue heavens to witness hei
discomfort. She swayed her bamboo stal
2 and tried to peer around the upright tina
. barred her movements. She leaned toward
} the water to discover in the yellow tide
I some cause of offense.
, "I've been smelling something wild ant
|, I'll bet. she does, to. i guess It's one o
ikuObG udDiD oato
like to get a shot at one with my forty-nve
9 Mules have a better nose than horses. Hey
!, Senior Presidente! Cocodrilo?" and h
! pointed to the water.
. "Puedeser, senior" the mayor replied
. "The cocodrilo is very quick in swimming
< Maybe one has been about, perhaps smell
I ing your mule. They are hard to shoot II
{ the water. You must look along the low
banks. They may be half hidden in tn
mangr0ves."
I went to the mules side and soothe'
8 her in soldier lingo, which was mostly pro
fame, but said by the military to be tn
e only suitable talk for mules. In Luzon |
t was a compound of bad English, Spanish
0 and Tagalog. :,
.iPoruue you abba so mucho? LintigG'
{ said. listed smello cocodrilof Putaname
Shut your bOca! y
The mule did not obey, but again pro
: truded her head In a vain endeaver to loeI
r towards the carter. That sleepy youth ma
9 stirred at my words and then relaxe'
again. The men who had brought tn
q basket OF jungle produce aboard RENAME
inert. Doubtless they had walked mile
e during the night and morning TO earn
0 few centavos by a sale Of their burden.
patted the mule, and though she snined tn
air with distaste che gradually qulete'
9 under my familiar army dialect; %returne
= to my seat, as another bend In the rive
: brought an enchanting vista.
a Harrison was now concentrated on kill
a ing a hated cocodrilo. and he fired at likel
. objects until he had exhausted the car
= tridges In his Colt. Then he cursed tn
wary saurians In Chaucerian English, whic
9 was Greek to any one else but nae.
"All the other ammunition is LOCKED u
= In the zinc box" he deplored, .and I'm to
. ~fatigado to hum for 1t. Wen dust thei
ecaly hides when we get to the sandspi
'Sus, but It's hot!'
He curved into his corner or the penc