ANCIENT SEPULCHRE.
MANUEL.
The lodgings of the travellers on their night at Huancané were an improvement upon their quarters at Vilquechico. They had a stone floor to sleep upon in place of the bare ground, and the room was large enough to accommodate all three of them without crowding. They rose early, and managed to get out of the place in good season, in spite of the desire of their drivers to linger in the town, and the evident willingness of Manuel to accommodate them.
It was deemed prudent to see the baggage-train on its way before venturing outside the limits of the town, and consequently our friends waited until the last of the burden-animals had received his load before they ordered the saddles placed on their mules. Under the eye of his employers Manuel worked vigorously, when he made up his mind that further delay was impossible.
Immediately on leaving town the road began to ascend, and in a little while they were winding among the mountains in a way that recalled the journey from Guayaquil to Quito. The western shore of Lake Titicaca is comparatively low, but on the east the mountains come pretty close to the water, and in places fall off into precipices. In the region of Huancané the snowy peaks rise in full view, and seem but a few milesdistant; Sorata, the Crown of the Andes, fills the horizon in the south, and there are other peaks that continue the chain far as the eye can reach.
Up and down the hills wound the path, but, until the summit of the pass was reached, the ups were far more numerous than the downs. Four or five miles from Huancané the train halted at a hacienda where a train from the eastward had just arrived. The animals became a good deal mixed up, and as each of the trains was composed of mules and llamas in about equal proportions there was a prospect of trouble in sorting them out. The Doctor suggested to Manuel the possibility of a trade, whereby they could send back all the llamas, and have the train consist entirely of mules. Somewhat to his surprise it was quickly arranged, through the offer of a small premium to the owners on each side. The loss of time in the transaction, and the changing of the loads, was more than made up by the superior speed of the mules. The llama cannot travel as far in a day as a mule can; he carries less weight, and consequently a train of llamas is longer than a train of mules with the same amount of baggage,and more difficult to manage.
LOADING THE MULES.
Occasionally a load slipped or there was a kicking-match among the beasts of the train, but on the whole they got along very well. The mule of South America is much like his fellow in the North, but Frank was of the opinion that he is not so active with his heels. High altitudes may possibly render him more docile, and he may have the good sense to understand the folly of expending his energy against the air. The mules on these mountain paths follow their leaders with great fidelity; the foremost of the train wears a bell, and its tinkling is the magic sound which draws them on. If the bell is silenced the drivers have far more difficulty in managing their charges than when it is audible.
THE START.
But all is not smooth travelling with the hybrid beast of burden. The saddle mules were the best and strongest of the entire collection engaged by our friends, and on several occasions they manifested their sportiveness in a way that was far from reassuring. The second morning of the journey one of them began to dance just as his rider was putting a foot in the stirrup; the others caught the contagion, and in a very few seconds all the saddles were empty, and the travellers were scattered on the ground or surveying the scene with feelings the reverseof amiable. Fortunately, the incident took place in the corral, and the unruly beasts were not able to escape. One after another they were secured and held until the mount could be successfully accomplished. In the evening Frank made a sketch of the scene, which contained a good deal of action to the square foot of paper.
A MOUNTAIN TRAIL.
The road increased in roughness as they ascended to the crest of the pass, and the descent down the eastern slope of the mountains was equally steep. As they crossed the pass, 14,750 feet above the level of the sea, the air was thin and cold, and the glittering crests of the snow-covered mountains seemed to be close at hand. Far in the east the Cordilleras filled the horizon; the party halted a few minutes, and Manuel indicated the route they were to follow among the mountains while descending into the valley of the Beni. It was too cold to stay long, and they were soon winding down the slippery path.
HACIENDA AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Before nightfall they reached a hacienda, which was kept by an Indian for the accommodation of travellers. It was a sorry establishment, but as it was far better than no accommodation at all they passed the night there. The sleeping-quarters were open to the winds almost as much as the corral where the animals were secured; a cold blast blew from the mountains, and the temperature hovered in the neighborhood of zero. There was no fire, or even a fire-place, but by a judicious use of all their wraps and coverings the travellers managed to sleep fairly. By the next night they were considerably farther down the slope, and experienced no more trouble with the cold.
As they descended the mountains they entered the region of moisture, much like that encountered on going down to Napo from the crest of the Andes, near Quito. Clouds swept over them, the rains fell, vegetation was everywhere about them, and the indications of a change of climatic conditions were plainly to be seen. By and by the wooded district was reached, and with each mile of advance the density of the growth increased.
It is interesting to watch the changes as one descends eastward from high elevations in the Andes. At the crest all is sterile—nothing but bare rocks, with possibly a few mosses clinging to their sides. No water is visible, but by and by we find a tiny thread formed by the melting snows, or the condensed vapor from the eastern winds. The thread enlarges; after a time it grows to a brook, with little pools here and there in which a cup can be dipped, or our tired animals can drink. Most of the mountain trails follow the valleys and ravines which form the natural channels of the water, and so hour by hour the brook increasesin width and volume. The mosses on the rocks grow more dense, they give place to shrubs, and the shrubs in turn give place to bushes. Then come stunted trees, only a few inches in height, but having the form and appearance of perfect trees, gnarled and twisted by the wintry blasts.
The stunted trees are less and less dwarfed, and from inches they increase in height to feet. The ground is covered with grass, at first, in stray bunches, as though life was a struggle under the low temperature constantly surrounding them. The bunches increase in number till they become a carpet, and the rich verdure covers the open ground where the trees are absent. Bogs and swamps take the place of arid wastes. Pines and larches are larger and larger; after a time they disappear to make way for foliferous trees. The way of the traveller isdevious and full of toil; it is blocked by fallen trunks mingled in perplexing confusion, and unless he is where a road has been opened the progress of an hour is counted by feet or yards, in place of the miles left behind in the open country.
Especially in the mountain ravines, where the trees have been swept down by the torrents, is the way thus obstructed. Trees and great stones are piled closely together, and sometimes they form an arch beneath which the stream meanders during the dry season.
The first part of the downward journey is generally along the valley of a river flowing from the mountain, but after some thousands of feet of descent it is necessary to follow a larger stream, and cross one by one its numerous tributaries. There are fresh and great difficulties in this part of the route. After crossing a stream its bank must be ascended, sometimes almost precipitously, then a dividing ridge is traversed, and then comes the descent into the next valley. In this way the main valley is descended until the lower country is reached, where the river becomestranquil, and suited to navigation by canoes or other craft.
Dr. Bronson and his young companions travelled thus down the eastern slope of the Andes into the valley of the Beni. Ten days after their departure from Huancané they reached the point where it was necessary to leave the mules; the drivers were paid off and discharged, and were ready to start back to the shore of Lake Titicaca. Fortunately, they found an engagement with a merchant who had some goods to transport over the mountains, and was glad to secure their services.
For the next thirty miles the way was so steep and rough as to be impracticable for even the sure-footed mule. Travellers have the choice of thesillaor to go on foot, while their baggage is carried on the backs of men.
Frank and Fred looked doubtingly at the silla, and so did the Doctor. They preferred to walk, but at the suggestion of Dr. Bronson each of the party engaged a silla, to be used whenever he was inclined to it.
Perhaps you are wondering what the silla is. It is thus described by Fred:
TRAVELLING BY SILLA.
"A bamboo chair is strapped to the back of thesillero, or porter, by means of belts going around his chest and another which crosses his forehead. The traveller sits in this chair, with his feet supported on a step which forms part of the conveyance. He must sit perfectly still while the sillero is in motion, as the least change of position might cause the porter to stumble and fall, and a fall among the rocks is liable to be a very serious affair for both parties.
"Mr. Horton, in his 'Twenty Months in the Andes,' tells of a Spanish officer who was travelling in this way, and wore a pair of spurs with which he occasionally prodded the porter, to urge him to greater speed. The latter took a fearful revenge.
"Maddened with the pain produced by the cruel spurs, he pitched hisrider headlong over a precipice, where there was a sheer fall of two or three hundred feet. The officer was killed instantly, and before his companions could secure the sillero the latter fled into the forest and escaped. The scene of this occurrence is pointed out, and there is little doubt of the truth of the story. It is easy to see that the traveller is entirely at the mercy of his carrier; knowing this, we were careful to secure the good-will of our silleros by promising an extra payment if they went through without accident.
"We walked the greater part of the distance; it may surprise you to know that we walked over the easiest part of the route, and rode where the way was dangerous, except in a few places. Manuel told us that these menwere accustomed to this work from the time they were able to carry burdens, and they knew every inch of the way. It was really safer for us to ride on their backs, in the dangerous places, than to attempt to walk; they knew exactly where to put their feet at every step, while we did not. We followed his advice and found it correct, and we were very careful, you may be sure, not to move a muscle when ascending or descending the steep slopes of the ravines."
Three days were consumed in this journey of thirty miles. The porters with the baggage led the caravan, and sometimes they were an hour or more in advance of the travellers. At night they spread a small tent, which formed a part of their equipment, and were thus sheltered from the weather. It was necessary to wear rubber clothing, as the rains were frequent, and even with this precaution the evening generally found them wet through to the skin. But a change to dry clothing and several cups of steaming hot tea with their supper drove away all suggestions of rheumatism and kindred ills resulting from the dampness, and they finished the novel ride without a mishap.
Fred took note of the changes in the animal life as they descended from the crest of the great Andean chain. In the mountains they frequently saw the condor, the giant bird of South America, whose range extends from the Isthmus of Darien to the Strait of Magellan. Both the youths were disappointed in the size of the condor, which had been grossly exaggerated in the tales of travellers and the accounts of the old historians. He has been represented as having wings spreading fifteen or twenty feet from tip to tip. The largest they could hear of measured thirteen feet, and even this was not entirely authentic; the largest theysawwas nine feet across the wings; Humboldt never found one ofmore than nine feet, and the largest specimen seen by Darwin measured eight and a half feet. The body from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail is from three to three and a half feet in extreme length.
DEAD WHALE ON SHORE.
Equally exaggerated were the stories about the condors attacking men or carrying away children; they belong to the vulture family, and though they sometimes carry off small animals, they greatly prefer to feed upon carcasses of horses, cattle, or similar beasts. They live usually in the mountains, but on the west coast they come down to the sea to feed upon dead whales, and they serve as scavengers on some of the cattle estates of Peru and other South American countries.
SHOT AT A CONDOR.
Frank tried a shot at a condor one day, but the bird flew away unharmed. After his excitement was over the youth wondered what he would have done with his prize if the shot had been successful. An Indian offered to capture one alive for a couple of dollars; Frank declined the proposal, but gave the man a small present to tell how it was done.
"Easy enough," was the reply, "I should watch near a cattle estate for the first dead ox, and immediately build a pen around him. The condor cannot rise from the ground without running a short distance to get a headway, and this is the reason why I make the pen.
"When my pen is done I go away. The condors come down to eat the flesh of the ox, and when they have gorged themselves full I come around again. They cannot fly because they are so filled with food, and,besides, they cannot get the short run they want to rise in the air, because they are in the pen. I throw a lasso around one of them; he fights; I throw another lasso and another; he tires himself out fighting; then I tie more ropes around him, put him in a cage, cut the ropes, and you have him safe for two dollars."
Frank thought he would like a condor's egg, and would pay a good price for it. He was told that few persons had ever seen an egg of the condor, partly for the reason that the nests of this bird are built on high cliffs, almost if not quite inaccessible, and partly because the Indians have a superstitious fear of going in search of them. And besides their superstition there is the dread of the bird itself, which will fight in defence of its nest, and is a match for a full-grown man, unless his assailant is armed with a gun. It is no easy matter to shoot a condor, as the skin is very tough and protected by a dense mass of feathers.
PUMA, COUGAR, OR AMERICAN LION.
They looked for wild vicunas among the mountains, but saw none. Manuel said there were lions farther down, and when they descended below the timber line he pointed out some tracks which he declared were made by that beast. The lion is better described as the puma, or cougar, and it has a range from the lowlands up to an elevation of ten or twelve thousand feet. It is not a courageous animal, and will flee from danger if it has the opportunity.
CAPYBARA.
A more dangerous beast than the puma is the jaguar, oronca, which is not infrequently called tiger. He is the most savage and the strongest animal in the South American continent, and in some regions is very destructive to cattle, though he rarely attacks man unless pursued and assailed. He is spotted like the leopard, but his spots are angular instead of rounded, and there are dots in the centre of the spots. Humboldt says he saw a jaguar "whose length surpassed that of any of the tigers of India which he had seen in the collections of Europe." He haunts the borders of rivers and lagoons, and his favorite food is the capybara; the latter is the largest of living rodents, and resembles a greatly overgrown guinea-pig. The capybara is amphibious and gregarious, and is found all through the valley of the Amazon and its tributaries; he is sometimes called the water-hog, from his general resemblance to the animal which supplies us with pork. His length often exceeds three feet, and the naturalists say he is a connecting link between therodents and the pachyderms.
The first game secured by our friends was a capybara. It was resting comfortably on the bank of a river, where it was seen by the sharp eyes of Manuel. The guide made the motion of bringing a gun to his shoulder, and then beckoned for Frank to advance; the latter took his rifle from its sling, and cautiously crept forward in the direction indicated. Considerable manœuvring was required to get a good position for a shot, as Manuel had previously explained that it was necessary to kill the animal instantly, or it would dart into the water and be lost.
The rest of the party remained quietly in the rear until Frank had gained the place he wanted. Then a well-directed bullet crashed through the capybara's brain; Manuel ran forward and secured the prize, which furnished fresh meat for the next meal. It was a welcome addition to their stores, as the flesh proved excellent eating; the good taste of the jaguar was commended, and Fred said he wondered that the beast of prey should condescend to kill cattle as long as capybara meat was obtainable.
Elated with his success in the hunting-field, Frank desired to try his skill upon a jaguar, but was advised to be careful. Manuel said there was very little probability of his having the chance to shoot at one, as the jaguar rarely shows himself. He prefers seeing to being seen, and unless you catch him swimming in the rivers or lagoons there is not much likelihood of ever setting eyes on him.
JAGUAR.
"It sometimes happens," said the Doctor, "that the jaguar is seen in the water from a steamer on the river. A friend of mine was ascending the Amazon some years ago on one of the Brazilian boats. Just as they rounded a bend in the river the pilot saw a jaguar swimming from one bank to the other and nearly in mid-stream. The boat was turned in his direction; the jaguar increased his speed, but could not escape. The odds of steam against muscle proved too much for the muscle; the animal turned for the side whence he started, but the boat turned too and pressed him closely. Then he was forced out into the middle of the river again; a small boat was lowered, as it could follow his turnings much more readily than the unwieldy steamer. A few vigorous strokes of theoars brought the boat near him; a lasso was thrown over his head, and then he wheeled about and attacked his pursuers.
"They had him at an advantage, as he could not sustain himself in the water and maintain a vigorous fight at the same time. Just as his paws touched the side of the boat he was killed by a bullet from a revolver; his body was towed to the steamer and taken on board, where the skin was removed and carefully preserved. He was one of the largest of his race, and estimated to be only an inch or two less than three feet high at the shoulder when standing erect. He could have slaughtered and dragged off an ox easily. The jaguar's method of killing horses or oxen is to spring on the back, and break the animal's neck by a single blow of his powerful paw."
GAME FOR THE JAGUAR.
"The jaguar will dig in the sand for turtle's eggs," said Manuel, "and he will also kill and devour turtles of good size; he can scoop out their shells as easily as though he had all the implements of a skilful cook, and he will stand in the water, where he seizes fish with his paws and tosses them on shore. If captured when very young he can be made as docile as a kitten, but when he gets his growth and strength he is a dangerous pet. I had one once," continued the guide, "and didn't realize what he was until he one day came near eating up one of my friends while playing with him. I concluded he was not good to have about a family, and sold him to a collector of curiosities."
Fred asked what the collector did with him.
"I heard that he had a hard time with the beast," said Manuel. "He went down the Amazon, and was several months on the voyage. By the time hereached Para the animal was nearly full-grown, and though perfectly submissive was averse to familiarity on the part of strangers. He bit the hand of a passenger on one of the steamers, and it was necessary to shut him in a cage; this made him ill-natured, and he refused to be quiet except in the presence of his owner.
"When the collector reached Para he received letters that called him down the coast, and compelled him to part with his pet. He tried to sell the beast, but nobody in Para wanted to buy a tiger; then he tried to give him away, but nobody would accept a tiger as a gift; next he offered him to the city to start a menagerie with, but the city didn't propose starting one; he tried to hire somebody to kill the beast, but nobody would take the contract; then he caged him for shipment to England, but the agent of the steamer refused the freight; the hotel-keeper wouldn't accept the tiger as security for the gentleman's board, and altogether he was in an awkward predicament.
STEAMER LEAVING PARA.
"When the southward-bound steamer arrived he took the tiger and cage along as part of his personal baggage, having placed a large stone in the bottom of the cage for the animal to 'scratch his claws upon.' The captain of the steamer demanded extra payment for such a package, the passenger refused it, and during the altercation the cage and contents were thrown overboard. The stone carried the whole thing to the bottom, and there it rested."
"That was the end of the jaguar, I suppose?" queried Fred.
"The end of the animal," was the reply, "but not of the owner's troubles. When the steamer returned to Para the authorities presented the captain with a bill for violating an ordinance relative to obstructing the harbor by throwing things overboard. He escapedresponsibility on the ground that the animal was the personal luggage of the passenger; when the latter came again to Para he was presented with the account, and had to pay it."
"He was glad to get out of the scrape," remarked Frank, "and didn't hesitate to pay the final bill."
"Quite likely," answered Manuel. "But somebody had fished up the drowned beast, and stuffed the skin. When the traveller had settled with the authorities the skin was brought to him. He paid for the work of preservation, and then sent the specimen to a friend in England, in care of a taxidermist. It arrived in bad condition, at least the taxidermist said so, as he sent a bill for repairs, and explained that he supposed the gentleman wanted to have the skin in proper shape when presented to his friend.
"He paid this bill, and happily it was the last. I don't believe he will buy another jaguar in a hurry."
Manuel's story was voted a good one, and worthy of preservation—like the hide of the animal whose adventures it recorded. Frank agreed to be the taxidermist of the story, without charge; he rendered Manuel's fluent Spanish into the vernacular of the United States, wherein it is here presented.
HEAD OF NAVIGATION.
A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE.
All were heartily glad to terminate the journey by mule and on foot, and there was sound sleep in their little tent on the night following their arrival at the village on the river's bank. They were up early, and for two or three hours were occupied with paying the carriers, and negotiating for canoes for the voyage down the stream. The settlement with the carriers was less difficult than the engagement of the canoes. The price for land transportation had been agreed upon beforehand, so that there was little occasion for dispute; the porters of the sillas had exaggerated ideas of the value of their services in bringing their charges through without accident; but the question did not rise toanything like a serious misunderstanding.
The Indians of the village were disinclined to move, as it happened to be a period of festival, and they resented the idea of stopping their rejoicings in order to make a voyage down the river. Manuel argued that it was a downward voyage, and they would have no hard work to do; by the time they were at their journey's end the festival would be over, and consequently the proposed trip would not really interfere with their amusements. They admitted the force of his suggestion, and when this was fairly conceded the negotiations proceeded, with some hitches, to a happy termination.
In spite of all efforts to secure an early departure, they did not get away until the morning of the third day following their arrival from the Andes. Four canoes were engaged; two for the baggage, and two for the three travellers and their guide. The canoes were each about twenty feet long, and two in width; they were hollowed from the trunks of trees, and closely resembled the American "dugout." In fact they were literally of that type of craft, and reminded Frank and Fred of the boats they had seen in the Malay Archipelago, and at Singapore and Point de Galle.
Each canoe had four rowers, and apopero, or pilot; the latter was an important personage, as the safety of the boat in the rapids depended upon his watchfulness, and his prompt action in moments of peril. The baggage was placed in two of the canoes; the third was occupied by Doctor Bronson and Frank, while the fourth held Fred and the guide. The Doctor and Frank led the advance, while Fred and the guide brought up the rear, the baggage canoes being in the centre of the column. After an affectionate parting of the Indians with their friends on shore the canoes were manned, and the flotilla was under way. The leave-taking of the Indians was peculiar; they clasped hands, then kissed the hands alternately, and then kissed each other. As each Indian was obliged to go through this ceremony with every one whom he left behind, the osculation consumed considerable time.
The canoes were to take them to the point where the river they were descending unites with the Beni; it was estimated that the downward journey would occupy two days, while the Indians would be eight or ten days in returning. In descending they keep the canoes in the middle of the stream, and take advantage of the current, but in ascending they hug the banks, and propel the boat by means of poles, or by dragging it around the rapids. The current is swift, as there is a considerable fall to the river; nowhere was the flow less than three miles an hour, and in many places it amounted to five miles. Several rapids were passed whichhad a dangerous appearance, and undoubtedly they would have been full of peril to any one unaccustomed to them.
Dr. Bronson certainly looked very serious while passing the first of the rapids, and the face of Frank wore an expression of anxiety. But their possible doubt as to the result was removed when they saw the skill with which the popero swung his long paddle, dexterously brought the canoe around when it seemed about to go headlong on a rock, and let it glide past a whirling eddy which threatened to swamp it. They were only a few minutes in the rapid, but it seemed at least an hour to the travellers.
A LANDING-PLACE.
The trees on the banks of the river showed that they were in the tropics. Palms of several varieties were visible, bamboos grew luxuriantly, banana bushes were numerous, while papayas, plantains, and similar vegetable growths were everywhere to be seen. Frank had hisrifle ready for use in case of large game, but none was discovered; birds rich in plumage flew among the trees, but, like most of the birds of the tropics, they were seen rather than heard. Few tropical birds have the power of song, and it is possible that their brilliant feathers are given in compensation for their deprivation.
But do not understand that all the birds of South America are unmusical. On the borders of Guiana is a rare bird, known as the Uruponga or Campanero, which may be rendered into English as "the tolling-bell bird." It is white, and somewhat smaller than a dove, and has a black tubercle under the beak. One traveller, Waterton, says of this bird, "Orpheus himself would drop his lute to listen to him, so sweet, so novel, and romantic is the toll of the pretty, snow-white campanero." Sydney Smith, in reviewing Waterton's narrative, says "The campanero may be heard three miles! This single little bird being more powerful than the belfry of a cathedral ringing for a new dean! It is impossible to contradict a gentleman who has been in the forests of Cayenne, but we are determined, as soon as a campanero is brought to England, to make him toll in a public place, and have the distance measured."
Professor Orton says the most remarkable songster of the Amazonianforest is the Realejo, or organ bird. Its notes are as musical as the flageolet. Another authority says it is the only songster which makes any impression on the natives. The umbrella bird has a deep, loud, and long fluty note, which can be heard a great distance through the forest. He is black as a crow, and has a crest of waving plumes above his head, while there is a long lobe below his neck covered with blue feathers so glossy that they shine at every movement he makes.
HUMMING-BIRDS OF THE ANDES.
Before reaching the river our friends had seen a good many humming-birds, and Frank tried in vain to secure specimens of these tiniest members of the feathered race. On the river he was more fortunate, and he made sketches of some of the most remarkable, after fixing them upon wires, to give the greatest possible resemblance to life. There is one variety that has two long feathers forming the tail; each of these feathers has a broad tuft at the end, and when the bird darts among the leaves and flowers the tail seems like a flash of bright color among the varied hues of the foliage.
HUMMING-BIRD'S NEST.
A little past noon the foremost boat drew up at the bank, and the others followed its example. Here they remained an hour, while the boatmen partook of their repast of bananas and parched corn, and the civilized travellers regaled themselves upon provisions better suited to American tastes. Frank and Fred endeavored to take a stroll in the forest, but the way was blocked by vines and thick undergrowth, so that their advance was slight.
PAIR OF TOUCANS AND THEIR NEST.
Frank saw a toucan, one of those comical birds, with an enormous beak which seems specially made for devouring bananas; the bird was seated on the sloping trunk of a tree, and close observation showed the head of another bird of the same kind protruding from the wood. Frank guessed rightly that he had come upon a pair of toucans and their nest. The toucan makes his home in a hollow tree, as his bill is quite unadapted to nest-building after the manner of the robin or the oriole. Think of a toucan endeavoring to weave a nest like the graceful structure the oriole hangs from the tree! As well expect to see a lace collar wroughtwith a crowbar.
TANAGERS AND NEST.
On they went through the tropical forest, along the swiftly flowing river, passing now and then little stretches of open pampas or grassy plain, where there is excellent pasturage for cattle. At night they halted at an island; the boatmen always prefer to pass the nights on islands when journeying along the river, as they are then much more secure against the wild Indians who might do them harm. Most of the hostiles are without boats, and even when possessing them they are cautious about venturing on the islands for the purpose of making an attack. They greatly prefer to have a safe line of retreat behind them in the shape of the forest, where pursuit is next to impossible.
At their second day's nooning it was Fred's turn to make a discovery in ornithology. Several times they had heard the shrill voice of the parrot, but had not succeeded in detecting the bird that made it; at the halting-place we have just mentioned Fred saw two or three parrots among the trees just as his boat swung to the shore, but they flew away at the approach of their disturbers and disappeared. As soon as they had landed, the youth followed in the direction the birds had taken, and was fortunate enough to see them again; evidently they were near their nesting-place, but they did not manifest any willingness to invite thestranger to see them at home.
TOUCAN. PARROTS.
The hooked bill of the parrot is as inconvenient in nest-making as the great beak of the toucan; the philosophical bird accepts the situation, and rears its young in a hollow tree, like its huge-billed friend. Parrots are more numerous than toucans and also more noisy; probably for these reasons they are seen quite frequently, while the discovery of a toucan is not easily made. The Doctor said a traveller might make the descent of the Amazon without seeing one of the latter birds, while he would encounter the parrot very often. Consequently Frank might feel proud of what he had seen the day before, and but for the accident of stumbling upon the locality of the nest he would not have been thus favored. Occasionally parrots and toucans are found together; both are gregarious, and the same may be said of most of the birds of South America.
To the parrot family belong the true parrots, paroquets, and macaws. Paroquets go in flocks, while the parrots always fly in pairs, though they flock together in large numbers on the trees. A few Indian tribes consider the macaw sacred, and it is called by some of them "the bird of the sun."
It was near evening when they reached their destination, a village of perhaps fifty huts, on the tongue of land forming the junction between the Beni and the river they had descended. Half the payment for the boats and boatmen had been made before starting; the balance was now due, but by common consent the settlement was postponed till morning. All the huts were so intolerably dirty that the travellers refused to occupy one of them; the little tent was spread near the cleanest of the huts, the baggage being piled in the latter, in charge of Manuel, whilethe Doctor and his young companions slept under canvas.
The boatmen were paid off in the morning, and started at once on their homeward journey. The prospects for an immediate departure down the Beni were not brilliant, as most of the Indians were away, and nobody could say when they would return. They were absent on a turtle-hunting expedition along the Beni; they might be back in a day or not for a week.Quien sabe?
"Never mind," said the Doctor; "what can't be cured must be endured. We will build a hut for ourselves, and study the Beni and anything else that comes in our way. We can make excursions into the forest and learn something of the country. The time will not be wasted, by any means."
Frank and Fred assented readily to the proposal; in fact, they never didanything else when the Doctor gave advice or suggestions.
But it was easier to agree to build a hut than to build it. Labor was not easy to obtain.
AN AMAZONIAN DWELLING.
The forest supplied the material, but it was difficult to induce the Indians to do anything. After considerable argument they prevailed upon some of the men to cut the requisite bamboos, and bring them to the spot selected for the temporary dwelling. Under the supervision of the youths and their guide, the walls were put up by driving some of the bamboos into the ground; a space was left for a doorway; the roof was put on, and thatched with leaves of the Pandanus palm; and by nightfall the new house was completed. It measured about twelve feet by fifteen, and was admirably ventilated; the total cost was estimated at six dollars and a half, and it was pronounced one of the handsomest structures in the village. The Indians were well paid for their labor, according to the rates of the local trades union; and it was understood that the building was to become the property of the alcalde, or chief man of the village, after the departure of the strangers.
The alcalde surveyed the edifice with evident pride, and the Doctor thought he discovered an avaricious expression on the fellow's face. Frank and Fred thought likewise.
"I tell you what it is," said Fred, "we have 'builded wiser than we knew.' He will be anxious enough to get us away in order to take possession of his new residence."
"I was thinking the same thing," said Frank, "and we shall save more than the cost of the building when we make our bargain with the alcalde for boats, to go down the river."
NEAR THE VILLAGE.
It was the first new house erected in that village for several years, and the alcalde was covetous. The prediction of the youths was correct, and the old fellow was quite active in speeding the parting guests. When the Indians returned from their turtle-hunt the bargains were easily made and the necessary boats and men obtained. But they did not return for a week, and while we are waiting for them we will take a glance at the Beni and observe its peculiarities.
The Beni is formed by several head streams, that rise in the Andes east and northeast of the plain of Titicaca. It flows to the northwest for about three hundred miles, receiving numerous tributaries, and then in a northeasterly direction to the frontier of Brazil. Here it enters the Madeira, which is formed by the Mamoré and Iténez Rivers, and from thepoint of junction its name and identity are lost. It is the largest of the affluents of the Madeira, and is thought to be equal to both the other streams combined. It is half a mile wide at its mouth, and fifty feet deep, and is estimated to discharge at an ordinary stage five thousand cubic yards of water every second.
The Beni and its tributaries are navigable for many hundreds of miles in the interior of Bolivia; how far this navigation may be carried is not known, as no complete survey has been made. With a fleet of steamboats on the Beni and its kindred streams, and a railway around the falls of the Madeira, the resources of Bolivia could be developed with ease; until that work is accomplished the foreign commerce of the country can never be extensive.
Through much of its course the Beni runs through forests, but there is also a wide extent of pampas or grassy plains, where millions of cattle and horses might find pasturage. So abundant and cheap are the cattle at the present time that they are killed for their hides alone, the flesh being left to rot on the ground. The other rivers that form the Madeira traverse a similar country, but have their sources farther east than those of the Beni. They are fed by the rains brought from the Atlantic by the easterly winds, which are heavily charged with moisture.
Frank and Fred were not slow to win the confidence of the Indians during their stay at the village; through the aid of Manuel, who understood the language of this people, they learned some of the ways of native life on the tributaries of the Amazon. They did not hesitate to ask questions about anything they saw; sometimes the answers were evasive, while at others the information sought was readily obtained.
While visiting one of the huts Fred espied some reeds, ten or twelve feet long and perfectly straight, among the rafters of the building. Pointing to them, the youth asked what they were for.
"They are guns," answered Manuel; "the guns that the Indians kill game with."
"How can they kill game with guns like these?" queried the astonished visitor. "They would explode with the lightest charge of powder."
"But they don't use powder at all," was the reply; "they blow arrows through the reeds, and shoot in that way."
Fred expressed a desire to see how it was done, and Frank joined in the wish. Manuel talked a moment with the owner of the implements, and at Fred's suggestion agreed to pay a good price for a chicken if the Indian would kill it with the blow-gun. The Indian consented, and the party adjourned to the open space near the new house.
The Indian placed a small arrow in one of the reeds. The missile had a sharp point of iron, and was fitted with a tuft of cotton at its other end, to prevent the air from passing it during the act of shooting. Thus equipped, the man took a position behind a bush, and the unsuspecting chicken was placed on the ground about twenty yards away.
The bird walked around a few moments, uncertain where to go. The Indian raised the reed to his lips, took aim, and "fired."
The arrow went true to the mark, and pierced through the chicken from side to side. The man offered to repeat the experiment as long as the visitors would pay for fresh game, but they had seen enough to satisfy them, and declined his proposal.
"But can they kill large animals in this way?" said Frank. "I understand how they can shoot birds by concealing themselves in the trees, and watching for them to come near, but when it comes to large game, I wonder how they can give force enough to the arrows, especially where the animals have tough skins, like the capybara and the tapir."
"For killing large game," replied Manuel, "they use arrows poisoned withcurariorwoorara. The name has several pronunciations in different parts of South America, and there are at least half a dozen kinds of the poison."
"What is that?"
"If you should ask the Indian he would not tell you. The Indians have long guarded the secret of its origin and preparation, but it was obtained from them some years ago by Sir Robert Schomburgh, I believe. It is made from the juice of theStrychnos toxifera, a tree or shrub resembling that which supplies the St. Ignatius bean; the St. Ignatius bean is familiarly known as the 'Quaker button,' and yields the strychnine or nux vomica of commerce."
"But it is more powerful even than strychnine," said the Doctor, who had just joined them; "in fact, it is considered the most active narcotic known to science. It acts on the nervous system and produces paralysis, with convulsive movements followed by death. It has been tried with some success in the treatment of lockjaw and hydrophobia, but it is too dangerous for general use.