CHAPTER XIII

WHENEVER we started afresh in the morning, orafter any tcmporary hall, the man at the I)1'0\Vof thc canoe would cali out, 'Vaya con Dios,'anci thc man on thc stern, who steerecl with apaddle far larger than the others, would reply,

'y con la Virgen' (' Goci go with us,' ' and thcVi¡-gin,' rcspcctively). rrbe fair Queen ofH caven, being thus com memorated, piety waswedded to chivalry.

Thc days followcd cach oiher in sceminglyendless succession, like the windings of theriver. Familiarity with thc ever - varyingaspects of Nature begot a sense of monotonyanci weariness. rçhC forests and the prairies,clawn and sunset, the whole marvellous land-scape, passed unheeded. Wc longed to reachthe main aricry ; ihe Orinoco is,as our Mecca,

apparently unattainab]e. Fishing aiid hunting

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had lost zcst, ¿md becoine simple drudgery,indispensable to renew our provender, as ¡utlie long journey ncarly al] our stores wereexhausted.

Raoul aud Leal frcquently shot at the alli-gators, vhich, singly, in couj)le.s, or in shoais,basked in the sun in a sort oí gluttonouslethargy, with hanging tongues and halí-closecieyes. 1'hc huge saurians, when hit, woulcl turn

over anci make for the water, except on rareoccasions vhen the builct entereci below theshoulder-bladc, this behig a mortal wouncl.

\\T e would sit listeniiig io the even stroke ofthc pacidies on dic sicles of dic canoc mul dicclrowsy sing-song oí dic men.

Frcquently, towards sundown, Wc heard dicdecp note of tigers in dic forest, aud always dicconfused uproar of a thousancl animais, frogs,crickets, bircis, ushcring in the night.

Besicles alligators and wild-boar, dic onlyother large aninials which we frequcntly sawwcrc the harmless tapirs.

Snakes are not abundant on dic Vichada, yetit was on thc shores of that river that Wc carneto quite close quartcrs with a water-siakc ofdic boa constrictor spccies. The repUle was

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found coiled not far írorn our balting-p]acc.

Raoul at once fired bis fowling-piece at shortrange, blinding and wounding it. He thendischargecl the five bullcts of bis revolver into

the snake, and the mcii coinpletccl the work,beating it with their padclles. When stretched

orn, it measured sorne 16 íeet in lengib, and Nyas

of correspondtng thickness.Thesc snakes, thougli not pOiSOnOUS, are

dangcrous if bungry. They Iurk at thcdrinking-places, and when a young calf, cleer,

or any other small animal comes within rcach,they coil themsclves round it anci sirangle it.They devaur their prey s]owly, aud thcn íallinto a sleep, which is said to lasi for several days.

In all probability, the snake ve had killcdniust have been at the enci oí one of theseperiods. IVluch to our astonishment, notwith-standing bullas and biows, dic snake began to

move in dic direction of our bainmocks. Hacithis not been scen iii time, it rnight possiblyhave coiled itsclf around sorne unwary siceper.More biows werc administereci, and ibis time

ihe animal seetned quite dead. However, itmanaged to roli j ulo the river, anci 01) strilcing

the water appearecl lo revive.

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'Phis Nvas our on]y mecting face to face \Vitha clenizen of thesc forests and rivers, aix!1 can truly say ve longed for no closer ac-quaintance with thern.

For obvious reasons of prudence, WC soonmacle up our minds never to pitch our nightcam[) on beaches cas>' of access io the Tndiansscttled along the shores, but during the day vewould frcquently halt at their setticinents, audthis cnablecl us to see a good deal of thcir mocleof ¡¡fe anci peculianties.

\\Tc found ihe tribes docile anci frienclly,raiher inclineci to be inclustrious in their wayihan odierwise.

rl.1 1 ndians of ihe Vichada basin are dic

bakers, ¡í 1 may so cali them, of ibat grealregion. The bread which they prepare is ¡nadeÍrom de 7JIa77oc, or yuca, root, which grows iiipleniy along Wc banks of rivers and sireanis.1 here are two kinds of mañoc, one sweet audharniless, the other bitier anci poisonous, yet itis from this laiter kincl thai the casabe is pre-pared. 'l'he root, varying inJcngth from2 lo 3 feet, wiih a thickness of from 1 tO 3inches, is grated on spccially-prcparcd boardsof very hard woocl. Thus a whitish pulp

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is obtained, which is tbcn cornpressed in amost prirnitive manner. A 1)0110W cylinder,¡nade of matting of coarse and pliant straw,varying in length from 4 to 6, and sometimes

8 1 feet, and ¡a diaineter from 5 inches up-wards, is fifled with dic pulp, sausage-wise.The cylinder is then hung from the branch ofa tree, or a beam conveniently upraised ca aframe ; it is then stretched and twisted frombelow. The juice of the pulp fiows through themesh of the rnatting. When all dic juice hasbeen extracted, the pulp is eniptied into largewooden basins, and is soaked in water, which isrun off, dic operation being repeated severaltimes. The poisoncus element, soluble inwater, is thus ehiminated, and the pulp isready. It is then spreacl on a slab of stone,thin aud perfectly even, called budavc, whichstands over a fire. The casabe is soon baked,generally ¡a round calces from 12 to ¡S inchesin diameter, and from halí an inch to an inch inthickness. After baking it is stored ¡u specialbaskets, called ma/ni-es, wherc it can be kept formontÁis, as it stands aH weathers and is imper-vious to moisture. It has dic taste aud dicconsistency of sawdust, and hunger must be

154 DO\VN TI-lE ORINOCO IN A CANOE

very keen for any novice to reiish thc food.\Tct it is znost nutritious, and after a whilercp!accs biscuit and bread, especially whcn

these are not to be found! Not oniy dic

Jndians, but even dic white inen, or thosewho cal] thcmselves civilized ¡u that vastregion, use casabe exclusively. Wheat flour issoon spoilcd iii that hot, damp atmosphere,where there are no facilities for protecting itagainst moisture and vermin, aud though cornmight be abundantly produced, diere are nomilis to grind the meal. Population is SO

scarce, and dic kw inhabitants are so farapart, that it would not pay to set LII) dicnecessary machinery. Nature scems to over-wheini man, who drifts back easily luto primitiveconditions of being.

The Iudians also prepare mañoc flour. Themethod is dic same as ¡u dic case of casabe,only that before bak-ing dic pulp is allowcd toferrneat to a cerlairi degree ; after that it isbaked and reduced to powder. This powder,rnixed with water, makes an acid, refreshingdrink. If sugar or molasses be available, theyare added.

As 1 have said before, the Vichada Indians

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are expert weavers of harnniocks, and carvers

or makers of canoes. rrhey feli a large tree,

and, after months of labour, produce very finecanocs. The canoes, the harnrnocks, and the

casabe and mañoc are soid to traders who

realize large profits. A pair of trousers anda bat to the captain of a tribe are deemed agood price for a srnall canoe. Such articles asa cutlass, or art axe, are rnost highly prizeci bythe Indians, and are paid for accordingly. Itis pitiful to learu how ihese poor savages arecheated, when not robbed outright, by thepseudo-Christians who come in contact withth e ni.

Tbey also manufacture torches from resinous

substances extracted from the forests. Sorneof these substances are excellent for caulkingpurposes, and, as they are found in great abund-ance, shouki constitute an important anide oftrade. A torch made from beraman about

3 tu 4 feet ¡n Iength, Iighted as night set iii,would bura with a brilliant yellow flame, andthrow a strong glare over the camp IR the

srnall hours when dic bonfires had beenreduced to ernbers.

\'Ve had been on the Vichada about twenly-

156 DO\VN THE ORINOCO IN A CANOE

five clays, whcn one of us clevdoped svmptornsof fever, aud as diese increased within the ncxttwenty-four hours, svc looked about for sorneconvenient spot where Wc inight rest for a fewclays, lest the attack might become reallyserious. It vas our intention to build upsorne sort of hut—a cornparativc]y easy rnatter,as sorne of our men were dci hands at thatkind of vork. Fortunateiy for us, however,WC met coming from tbc rnouth of thc Vichadaa Venezuelan mañoc trader, who vas sailing toone of dic Vichada affluents, where he expectedto receivc a load of maíioc and casabe. 'l]ic

man's name Nvas Valiente. Ile haci threecanoes and ten meri with him. Wc weredelightcd to meet him, as it liad been inipos-síb]e for us to gaiher correct information fromthc 1 nclians.

He to)d us that WC were still two or threedays' journey fi-orn Wc Orinoco, advised us notto piit up itt any of the beaches, but to push onto within a few hours of the rnouth of theVichada, where, on thc left bank, ve wou!dfinci an abandoned caney that had been built bycattle-ranch ers sorne years prcviously. 1-1 e liadjust been diere. It was possible, he addcd,

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that ve might find sorne Indians in possession,in which case we should enforce the right ofthc white man and drive them out. At anyratc, the caney was on high ground, the forestsarcunci were cicar, and we should find it farmore comfortable than anywhere else in tbatneighbourhood.

Foliowing his advice, we hurried on as fastas we could, promising to walt for him at SantaCatalina, that bcing Wc narne of the place.Valiente thought that he would start back in

six or eight days.In diie coursc we reached Santa Catalina.

Ori Wc high bIuff, about 300 yards frorn tlieshore, ve saw ihe welcorne outlines oí a caney;it showed unmistakable signs of having beenbulit by white men. Wc could see from theriver that it was inhabited. This was not sopleasant, but we had made up our mincis tbatsve would take possession of the caney with orwithout the consent of its occupants. Jí softwords proved insufficient, sve were bound 10

appeal to the !ast argument of Kings and of

men at bay—force.1 really did not fed inclined to violence;

peaceful means and, diplomatic parleying seemcd

158 DO\VN TiTE ORINOCO IN A CANOE

to me preferable, but as vc liad no cboicc,fol]owing the practice sanctionecl by, cxierience,of prcparing for var if you want to insurepeace, WC ciecideci tO make a great display offorce, even as the Great Powers, with theirinilitary anci naval manauvres—a show of teethand claws to overawe the occupanis of thccaney.

\Ve moored oil dic bank near by. Not-withstancling my appearance, which, as 1 havechronic]ed in thcse pages, liad warrantecl dicbelief in others tliat 1 belongecl to the ho]iestof human professions, 1 vas toid off to ascertain

whether ve shouki occupy the premises pcace-ful!>' or by force. 1 donned a red shirt,suspended from a broad ]cather belt a inostmurdcrous-looking cutlass and a six-shooter,cocked my bat sideways in a desperado fashion,and, fuil of ardour, advanced, flanked on chhcrsido by, Leal and one of our men, each ofwhom carrieci a rifle and the inevitable mac/it/e.Veril), . 've lookecl like a wandering arsenal

Rernembering tbat the actor's success is saidto be greater dic more he lives up to bis part,1 encicavourcd to look as fierce as possible,and tried to cali to mmd scenes of dauntiess

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courage, assaults of fortrcsses, heroic deecisfrom my historical repertory. 1 musi havesucceeded, for 1 felt uncornrnorily brave, par-ticularly as there seemed to be no dangerwarranting our preparations.

Unfortunately, 1 happcn to be afflicted withrnyopia, which at a certain distance blurs thcoutlinc of objects large or srnall.

As sve continued to advance 1 could dis-tinguish that sorneone was corning towards us.My courage evaporated; 1 felt sure that thismust be sorne hostile Indian intent on hinderingour access to the longeci-for caney. 1 wouldfain have turned taj], but vanity, which is dicsource of nine-tenths of the displays of humancouragc, pricked me on. My ears awaited thewilcl whoop of the advancing Indian, and myeyes wcre prepared to witness the onslaught

of bis ferocious braves from the neighbouringbushes. Yet the die ivas cast, and forward

ve went.Imagine my surprise when, from the ap-

proaching figure, still indistinct and vague tomy short-sighted eyes, a grceting of the utmostcourtcsy in the purest Castilian rang forth ID thcair of the cicar afternoon. 1 shall never íorget

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it. Those words in my nativo tongue, uttered¡ti the midst of that wi!derness, 500 baguesfrom the nearcst town or civilized settlernent,conjured np in one moment cherished memoriesof a distani worJd.

Greatly relieved, E put asido my weapons ofassault and destruction, which, to speak thctruth, were most inconvenicnt to waik ¡n.

1 knew before, and am more convinced thanever since that day, that 1 am not compoundedof dic clay of heroes in which 1 am like therest of dic world. Peace and peaceful avoca-tions are mucli more in my une. E love heroes—military ones especially—in books, in pictures,or iii statues; as every-day coinpanions, 1 believe—not having met any herocs iii the ílesh—thatthey must be unbearable. They really owc itto thernselves to get killed or to die the momentthey hayo attained their honours. They aresure to be ruined if left to the vu]garizinginíluenccs of claily life, mixing with the rest ofbunianity iii every-day toil and strife. Youcannot hayo your bust or portrait in Parliamentor Asscmbly, your nicho in the cathedral orin public hall, and your equestrian statue withyour horse eternally lifting bis fore-legs fin the

DO\VN THE ORINOCO IN A CANOE 16'

edification of coming generations, and at thesame time insist on waiking about the streets inthe guise of a commonp!ace mortal TU you Uvein bronze anci marbie, ¡U your name fihis haif acoiumn of the encyclopmclia, and appears as anoble example in the books in which childrenare taught to consider brutal violence thehighest evolution of human intelicci aud action,you cannot ask yotr humble cornpanions onearth to put up with you in their midst.Heroes should find tbeir places, and stick tothern, for their C)Wfl greater giory and thecorn fon of thei r fellow-rnen.

'l'he gentieman whorn we ma was narnedAponte, aud carne from Caracas, the capital ofVenezuela. He liad been appointed to thegovernorship of the Arnazon 1 erritory. Afterspending severa! years ¡u its capital, San Carlos,he becanie afilicted with cataract. People toidhim that the \T ichacla Tndians cured cataractwith the juice of certain herbs, which ihcy keptsecret. He had arrived at Santa Catalinaabout ten days before us, accompanied by bissister artd a young Corsican who haci been inhis employ at Sari Carlos. An 1 ndian womanfroin one of the tribes had taken blm ¡u charge,

11

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aud made daily applications of sorne rnilky juiceextracted from plants, and, sirange ½ say, hefound relief. 1 have since heard that he iscompletely cured.

J\n occulist, who travelled through thoscregions two or three years later, investigateddic truih of these alleged cures, aixl founcl thcrnto be authcntic. He could not, however, inducethe Indians to tell him what they use. Thisknowledge of the virtue of plants arnongst the1 ndians is found in ncarly all tropical lands.Quinine, to which hurnanity owes so rnuch, WaSalso an Indian secret, and vas discovered byEL weII-lcnown con)bination of ci rcu rnstances.'l'owards thc niddle of the eighteenth century,in one of the Peruvian States, the Indians weretreated very cruelly by their masters. Thcdaughter of dic house won the love of the1 nclian siaves by, her kindncss and charity. Itliad been noticed that no 1 ndians died frommalarial aud othcr fevers, which proveci fatal tothc white mcii, but what rneans ihcy ernployedcould not be learned eiiher by threats orentreaties.

rrIe daughter of the cruel master vas takeniii. I-ier nurse, an 1 ¡idian wornan, gaye her

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sorne concoction which saved her life, but wouldnot reveal dic secret for ycars. Qn her death-bed she toid her young mistress what plant itvas that the Indians employcd against fever.Tlius the cincltoncz, or Peruvian bark, vas cus-covered. Iii the Choco rcgions in Colombia,which teem with snalces, the Jndians lcnow notonly dic plants that cure the bite and counteractthe poison, but those whicli confer irnmunity.They also have a combination of substancesÍorming a son of paste, which, wben applied todic wouncls and ulcers of man or animal, how-ever sore they may be, exercise a healirig andimniediate action.

1 haci an uncle, Dr. Triana, well known toEuropean botanists, and cspecially to collcctorsof orchids, tu severa] varieties of which bismime is linked (the numcrous vaneties ofC'alleya Irianensis are named after him). Helived for a long time ni the Choco region, ancibrought back large quantilies of this paste,which he used with succcss in cases of wounds¿mcl ulcers, both in Europe and America, but hecould never 1)ers1ac1C thc lndians to te]] blm itsexact coinposition.

Tbe young Corsican whom we íouncl with11-2

164 DO\VN THE ORINOCO IN A CANOE

Mr. Aponte was a sort of globe-trotter, jack-of-al[-trades, hail-fellow-well-met with evcrybocly.1 l was an exp]orer, a dentist, could serve asbarber if required, liad acted as clerk to Mr.Aponte, had with him a fairly well-stockedmedicine-chest, and proved to be a first-ratecook. 1-le either kncw sornething of medicineor made up for ignorance by his daring. Atariy rate, he i.00k our sick cornpanion in hand,admiuistered to hini sorne of his drugs, and in

two or three days restored hiiu to perfect health.1 tus was a great blcssing. Thus disappeared

from our horizon thc only ominous cloud whichdarkened it during thosc days of so rnucb sun-light and íreedom. 'l'hosc who know not whattropical fevers are can forrn no idea of the dreadthat their presence inspires when one sees thernstea]thily gaining ground. At times they actslowly, and give one a chance of strugg!ingagainst them, but often they develop withlightning rapidity, and a man in fuil health andni the bloom of life is cut down suddenly in afew days or in a few hours.

Figarella vas the iiarne of the Corsican'doctor' who enlivened the few days we spentat Santa Catalina with bis songs, bis tales of

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Corsíca, the narrative of his adventures, trueand fanciful, in all parts of the world, anci whomanaged to prepare sumptuous dinners withturtie eggs, wild-boar meat, fresh Fish, and

other ingreclients, picked UI) the Lord only

knows where. 1 oftcn had qualms that hemust be drawing too freely oii bis medicine-chest, but the dishes proved palatable, ¿md as

we survivcd from (lay to clay WC bave nothing

but thanks and gratitude to thc frienci whornve inet in ihe niidst of ihose wilds, with whom

our hives carne in contact for a fcw days, whothen remained behiud to work out bis owndestiny, as Wc ours, eveti as two ships thatsight each other for a moinent in niid-oceanand then both disappear.