Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-07
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY the BookIoveT

Screen HELP Is q sensational title
for a true thriller. The author, Julian
Duglid, an Englishman tired Of Office
life in London, with three companions,
trekked through the Bolivian jungle,
from Asuncion, up the Rio Paraguay,
to Corumba and Lake Gaiba, then
across the Chaco, through primeval
Jungle, to Santa Cruz. All four travel
ers were driven by the urge of Ish-
mael." Mamerto Urriolagoitia, called
Uric in everyday life, was consul
general for Bolivia in London and easily
obtained leave of absence for explora-
ton. ]. C. Bee-MaSon, Engl1shman,
cinematographer, bee cult:vator, was
out to make thrilling commercial
movie film, and to that end insisted on
posing his friends with poisonous SNAKES
and wild animals. Alexandra Siemel,
called Tiger-Man, a Russian engineer,
who had lived IA years in the jungle,
Joined the other three through chance
meeting at a ranch on the Paraguay
River, and because OF his jungle WIS
dom proved the real leader of the party.
The adventures of the four included
snakes, alligators, mosquitoes ttne ma,
larial variety fortunately is not found
there), tarantulas, ticks, small tortur-
ing black insects called "ihenn1, IN
Gus wild animals.
X X X
The description of the "ihenni' sug-
gests that they are of the same family
as the "n1idges," found in the Maine
woods and the Adirondacks. The
whole caravan track to the interior Is
plagued and made abominable by tiny
fly, surnamed ihenni. 1t is black and
prolific, and its bite is like fire. There
is not a single moment from days END
to days end when it is not present IN
vast, lowering, blood-sucking clouds.
At night it takes no rest, and II
man can manage to sit tight for three
consecutive minutes he must nave a
hide like an elephant Not long ago
a German and an American started to
walk from Puerto Saurez to Santa Cruz
and they died on the way-from lack OF
sleep. Into this first hell of unrest we
rode all unsuspecting at 10 O'Clock OF
a moonlit night, after ID hours OF prep
aration and travel. We were ready
enough for sleep and we slung our
hammockS to the poles OF an open
shed. In 10 minutes our skins were
burning and our minds 1nhamed, 1or
| the nets which were good enough 1or
the mosquitoes of the Paraguay were
laughably inadequate here-the 1hennl
sailed through with wings spread. Be
fore long, Uric, Bee-Mason and met
near the cattle corral, where a bunch
of long-horned, sleepy bullocks grunted
| through the bars at us as we passed.
None of us spoke, but we walked into
! the forest in the urgent hope OF finding
somewhere to rest. Soon we found IT,,
and in our excitement ran back to the
hut for our hammocks. In the mean
time, however, the insects had spied
out the land and were waiting Tor us.
| Weary and disheartened, we plunged
down a steep slope to a tiny stream
and took it in turn to lie buried in the
discussed the matter with the guardian.
He told us grimly that no one had ever
become accustomed to the scourge and
that the only way to sleep was to
| possess a net of thick, holeless material
like Tiger-Man's or his own. At this
We settled down to the inevitable and
walked about the clearing while the
moon sank behind the black wall OF
forest and the real darkness began"
Tiger-Man had warned them about the
necessity of the thick nets and they
/ had not taken his advice, so when he
I offered to share his in turns they were
( too proud to accept. So Duguid and
Bee Mason did not sleep for 80 hours
l
| country. Uric became ill from tick
| bites and his two friends gave him a
nights sleep by standing by his cot and
| driving off the ihenni with towels.
| x X X X
In the midst of sufferings and mar
| row escapes from death, when sitting
at night by their camp fire, talking
about their lives and things in general,
TigerMan sometimes appeared as a
philosopher and told them of his I'M
| conventional beliefs. Before he lost
himself in the jungle he had lived in
cities and suffered from the injustice
| and cruelty Of men and women. Yet
| he nourished no animosity. 81 blame
no man for being bad he used to say
| in his grave sweet voice. No one Is
responsible for his parents or his up
| bringing. If he is bad it is just his
nature Naturally if he is dangerous
the community must put him away,
but for Gods sake don't call it justice!
Then justice has no meaning to you?'
I asked. Is it just to kill tiger that
robs you of your cattle? His stomach
is made for fresh meat and he only
| follows his nature. Some men are like
| tigers. don't blame them, but don't
| let them bite me. Is a sheep more
righteous than lion because its teeth
are made for grasp"
| X \ X X
Bertrand Russell in his new book,
"The Scientific Outlook" looks forward,
| either seriously or Satirically, to an
oligarchy of scientific experts ruling a
world exhausted by the experiments of
politicians. Such an oligarchy will not
offer happy paradise for the individ-
ualist. It will be ruthless with the in
dividual for the benefit of society as a
whole The only loyalty permitted will
be world loyalty; nationalism will be
a thing of the past. All decisions will
rest with government; it will not be
the duty of the individual to reason
why" Manual workers will be properly
cared for, but will be kept in a subor-
dinate place. BY the way, where will
| the labor unions be at this time? Mr..
Russell does not explain. A picture of
Mr.. Russell, published with review of
his book, shows a cynically smiling face,
as if he were making fun of his own
program. Perhaps he does not intend
| to allow Bernard Shaw to have a
monopoly of shocking the public.
X X x x
Those who have thumped and ratified
over the loose flooring and under the
pabled roof of an old-fashioned covered
bridge, in buggy or surrey, of course,
will enjoy dipping into the book,
Clara E. Wagemann. One reader,
however Immediately starts an argu-
ment with the titles implication. There
we're many and still are a few covered
bridges in upper New York State. Mrs.
Wagemann tells the history of over SO
covered bridges in various sections of
New England. She has pictures of
MANY of the bridges. She has searched
for and discovered the origins of covered
bridges. with the result that she con-
cludes that the peculiar roofed-over
type so common in New England is
indigenous there.
X X X