Evening star., 1940-09-01
By RICHARD TEWKESBURY.
When the Pan-American highway

terious jungle which the white man
has scarcely glimpsed.
This unknown Darien- country OF
dark and foreboding legends was a
challenge I found it impossible to
resist, particularly since hemisphere
defense makes this link in the
planned motor highway one of vital
Importance to two great continents.
1t seemed incredible that the
strategic area could be so little
known. Long interested in explor-
ing, I decided to visit the Darien
jungle. Three years ago, during
summer vacation, looked over the
prospect and returned last summer
for exploration preliminary to this
years attempt.
There were practical reasons why
the exploration should be made.
The $50 miles of jungle swamps,
mountains and rivers between Pan
anna City and Atrato River in Co.
lombia were the least known of the
entire route of the highway, which
now is being built from the South
as well as the North, and provides
an all-weather road to a point sew
eral hundred miles south of Mexico
City.
Rainfall Heavy.
Officials of the American
Highway Education Board at Wash
ington wanted definite information
as to topography and the attitude
OF the Indians. AS far as d. they
knew, no white man ever had pene-
trated the area There are excel
lent reasons for this, real as well as
imagined
The jungle is impenetrable in
places. Rivers are wild, choked
with debris and given to sudden,
treacherous floods. Rainfall is as
high as II inches a month in mid
summer. There are no roads. Too.
no one knew if the Indians could
be persuaded to act as guides and
boatmen. There were other dis
couragements to exploration-the
possibility of snake bite, or the
probability of malaria, the lurking
chance that rough going might
throw man and injure him so
he could never get back to civiliza-
ton.
Food supplies were scarce and un-
certain.
Perhaps the most serious deterrent
was the reputation OF the Indians.
There were tales of white men i'm
prisoned in the jungle. or pierced
by arrows, of white Indians" with
weird rites-an reputedly guarding
their jungle from invasion by the
whites
Some of the tales I learned to be
far from true, and some of the most
preposterous, strangely enough,
turned out to be accurate. learned
and saw lot in the % days I toiled
through the Darien country Yet
the reader must remember my OBJ
servations and conclusions are not
those OF the scientist or technician.
Dependent on Indians
My preparations for the eXpl0ra-
ton which I have just completed
were based, as I have said, on two
previous trips to the area. Last sum-
mer spent six weeks in the interior.
had been preparing for a year
when left the United States last
June
I had sought information from
many sources, yet was still uncertain
If the Indians could be persuaded
to give me help, without which the
whole undertaking was doomed. The
success of my venture, I knew, was
up to the Indians, who would have
me, at their mercy once I entered
their territory of thick jungle and
swollen rivers.
I had heard that white men were
not allowed in the villages at night,
and that the primitive people re-
sented the encroachment of civiliza-
ton and would fiercely defend their
privacy.
drew upon previous experience
in choosing my equipment. For &C
cidents I had an emergency kit. For
malaria fever I had % 5-grain cap
sules of specially mixed quinine. I
carried few other remedies for jun
gle ills and aspirin to alleviate ner-
vous strain.
Gifts for Indian Chief.
This latter was necessary because
noticed last summer that my visits
to unknown villages were followed
by periods of collapse accompanied
by nervous headache and heavy
sweat. At first 1 took this to be
malaria, and later came to recognize
it as a reaction from uncertainty
and anxiety as to how I would be
received by the Indians who held
my fate in their hands.
On my last trip I had learned
much about the Indians. knew
their likes and dislikes. Already I
had sent to the San Bias coast
presents of phonograph records,
beads and pictures for the grand
chief, Nele de Cantule. The chief
had been good to me last year.
Perhaps he might influence the wild
Indians who ventured into his vii
lage.
took with me blue cotton cloth
Tor skirts, red and yellow beads;
post cards, hundreds of toy dogs
and elephants, and 5 pounds of salt,
rare and precious in the jungle,
sealed in tin.
I had my food scientifically pre-
pared and sealed in tins. took 20
cans of dry rice, 20 of dried con-
centrated potatoes, and .l5 of dried
apricots. For fats and proteins I
had timed beef, corned beef, sar-
dimes and salmon. This should sup
ply balanced diet along with the
fresh mangoes and bananas I ex-
pected to find on the route.
Torrential rains are one of the
greatest obstacles. They had re-
duced me to 90 pounds on my last
venture. I chose my sleeping bag
with care. 1t was made Of q light,
resin-surfaced material, as was my
Jacket with attached hood to pre-