The Coolidge examiner., 1933-08-25

Some Of the great trees are most
arresting. There Is the stilted tree.
or awasakuli, whose roots thrust
themselves high above the ground
and incline to form a pyramid sup
porting on its apex the tall, straight
trunk. Another striking kind is
the fiuted tree or yururu, with the
whole length of its trunk marked by
deep longitudinal grooves, as if 1t
were composed of thick bundle of
smaller saplings. More abundant
but none the less attractive is the.
mora, the immense trunk base of
which is drawn out into buttresses
like the witches seats of Channel
island chimneys, some of them
often following a sinuous course be-
fore they reach the ground. The
bush ropes are of all varieties and
patterns designed to give them
strength. Some are twisted with
such regularity that one can scarce
ly tell the difference between them.
and the ropes made by man.
Some Peculiar Trees.
The expeditions chief trouble in.
the forest came from dampness.
When it arrived, the wet season
was at it's height. Every day rain
fell in torrents; the air was so per
cent saturated with moisture: every
leaf in the forest dripped. A step
into the bush meant getting soaked
to the skin; and, once wet, clothes
never dried. One had to become.
accustomed to starting off each day
in the sodden clothing of the eve
ming before. AS a consequence of
this continual moisture, boots and
everything else of leather soon were
covered with green mold; animal
skins and specimens rotted; photo
graphic plates refused to dry. Much
has been written of discOmforts in,
a tropical forest, but few writer's
impress on their readers thar the.
real trouble is persistent dampness.
The expedition had, of course, its
share of insect pests, of which the
chief were the ticks and the bette
rouge. These minute creatures
live freely on the forest vegetation.
While wandering about they collect
on clothes, underneath which they
soon found their way to the tender
est part Of the skin. The bette rouge,
an almost invisible harvest mite,
was much the more annoying of the
two. 1t burrowed into the skin, MAX
ing a red irritation that felt like.
an attack of nettle rash. The only
way to deal with these tiny crea-
lures was to 60 over the whole body
carefully each day and pick them
off. The penalty for neglecting this
all-important duty was a sleepless
night of scratching.
Indians Helped the Climbers.
Members of the expedition antici-
pated difficulties of many kinds, for
they had been impressed upon them,
before they sailed for Guiana. The
trees, they had been warned, were
too tall and straight and branchless
for climbing; their timber was too
hard to take climbing irons; their
crowns were too full of dangerous
rotten branches to afford footing:
the foliage, everything, swarmedl
with armies of venomous ants; and
even If they did get into the can
opy, they would be able to see very
little in the dense vegetation. Such
were the difficulties that had been,
predicted for them. Fortunately
they found that they had been con-
siderably exaggerated.
The first tree they attempted to.
climb was one that they had left
for the purpose in the center of their
camp clearing. Confidently they
brought into action their rocket ap-
paratus and the line-throwing gun,
but both proved virtually useless.
They sent their missiles forcibly
enough-too forcibly in fact-not
only into the canopy but far above
it, 1t was impossible to aim the.
rope over the branch selected and
to bring the end back to earth.
The devices of civilization thus
failing them, they engaged the serv-
ices of two Arawak Indians, who
provided much more satisfactory
help, since they had been accus-
toned to climb and tap for it's milky
gum sort of rubber tree known
as the balata.
By using loops of rope passed
around their bodies and the tree
trunks, these "balata bleeders' could
make ascents in any part Of the for
est.
They first attacked the camp tree.
climbing it by means of spikes on.
their leather boots, and carrying
light line with them up to the first
fork at 70 feet Meantime a block
and-tackle apparatus had been got
in readiness. The upper end of It
was made fast to a suitable branch
to the lower end was attached y
seat made of straight pieces of stick
cut in the forest, somewhat after
the fashion of a bo's'n's chair. Seated