Evening star., 1962-04-18

Lets CO." and charged off
downhill into the forest.
AS we passed from the clear
ing into the shade, the tenn
perature seemed to drop a full
10 degrees. 1t was cool in the
jungle-cool and damp. The
sunlight was filtered by the
leaves Of trees and everything
took on a greeniSh cast.
I commented on the relative
GOODNESS, and Smitty said. You
should see it at night. 1t gets
colder than hell. You'd be sur
prised."
I asked Smitty whether the
sounds of the jungle at night
worry people. Its not the
sounds as much as the utter
silence, occasionally broken by
a noise" he replied.
A Slow Trip
Progress down the hillside
was slow. At times we had tt
hack our way through under
brush, and always we looked
before putting a foot down o.
reaching for a handhold. Smitt!
pointed out the safe vines anC
the dangerous ones. Oddly, the
palma generally beneficial
plants one of the worst fol
holding onto. Many palms have
terrible, Spiny thorns and one
is really BOBBY trapped. Even
its Spines have spines," Smitty
said.
The jungle is full of food,
if you know where to look for
it. But finding it is only half
the trick. Much of it has to
be proceSsed to be fit to eat
Witness the caShew nut, that
Stateside cocktail-party deli
cacy. In its native state it is
violently poisonous, and has to
be roasted to be edible. And
the cassava, that starchy staple
of the tropics around the world.
It's raw roots are loaded with
cyanide. ITO be safe, cook all
tubers thoroughly before you
eat them" Smitty warned.
Many plants exude dangerous
juices that can burn or blind
or even kill. A danger sign is
a whitiSh sap. If a cut branch
exudes white stuff, stay away
Don't Corner the Animals
What about animals?
There are only a few that
are dangerous, and these only
when cornered," Smitty said
These are principally cats ano
snakes. Jungle cats are small
not very much bigger thar
domestic catS-but they can be
mean if you corner them. The
worst snake is the fer de lance
He's probably the deadliest
snake in the world. His
poison kills in a matter o!
minutes by attacking the
nervous system and breaking
down the blood cells. There!
always a chance of being bit
by a fer de lance if you reach
for a hand hold between two
rocks. That's their favorite
place"
The jungle is full of insect.
borne diseases, with mosquito
carried yellow fever and malaria
the most common dangers. Il
! is a good idea to use insect
repellent.
/ I was beginning to realize
that 1 had gone for something
more than a quiet walk in the
woods. The hillside gradient
Steepened abruptly and we hac
to stop talking to give full at.
tention to where we were going
I reflected that a slip of the
foot or a missed hand hole
could easily mean a broken les
or arm. And being brought out
of the jungle with a broker
leg would not be. pleasant
experience.
Sights and Sounds
All around us the jungle wa!
alive with sounds that mean
small creatures were watchins
us. Occasionally a flash of vel.
low or red revealed the pres.
ence of a bird. Chattering
sounds echoed through tht
treetops. Once a green lizarC
about a foot long eyed u
beadily for a moment beforr
skittering away.
, Near a small spring that bub
: bled out of the ground a lant
= crab stood immobile AM
/ watched us. AS we approached
g, the little brown creature