Decemi;er I, 1904] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



77 



were shot down, one by one, until only he and one negro 

 escaped. 



Another time he was caught far up a river by the dry season, 

 and had to wait for the rains. When they finally came and he 

 got his rubber afloat, they had for provision only rice and bana- 

 nas. Floating down the river one evening in the bright moon- 

 light they came to a fine stretch of beach, and he at once or- 

 dered the canoe men to make camp there. They refused, with 

 every evidence of extreme terror, as they said the place was 

 haunted. The Pioneer, tired and hungry, forced them to do 

 as he ordered by threatening them with his revolver, and 

 soon had supper and was quickly sound asleep under his mos- 

 quito netting. About midnight, just as the moon was setting, 

 he was awakened by a strange and dreadful cry. Sitting up to 

 call the crew they suddenly threw themselves upon him, held 

 him down, and practically gagging him kept him quiet until 

 the screams ceased. Then they whispered that it was death to 

 speak aloud and returned to their sleeping places. The next 

 mornmg they explained that the screams came from the spirit 

 of a man who was murdered and buried with money on him, 

 and if any one had spoken the spirit would have at once 

 attacked and killed the speaker. No whit impressed, the 

 Pioneer searched the river bank and finally found a huge and 

 ancient sloth which he promptly killed. And thus was the 

 uneasy spirit laid, for the cries ceased from that time. 



The rubber trees up there, so he said, were from two to three 

 feet in diameter and most abundant bleeders. They always 



cut them down to secure the rubber, as they get more that way 

 and know that if they spared them the next crew of gatherers 

 would destroy them. He said that on the land we had come to 

 examine the rubber gatherers had been in the habit of cutting 

 the trees down, but that two years before the practice had been 

 stopped, and a premium of $25 paid to any one who informed of 

 such destruction. As the whole tract, some 500,000 acres, was 

 private property, and wild, and as most of the Indians lived on 

 the other side of the mountains, the rubber was quite plentiful 

 and with a very little system the crop could be greatly aug- 

 mented. 



The next day was undertaken in good earnest the work of 

 getting our stores and ourselves safely ashore. And no light, 

 task we found it. The surf was tremendous and it was impos- 

 sible even with the skilful management to get to land without 

 being drenched. The men were landed in the ship's boat, while 

 the stores came ashore in a dugout. 



While the goods were being landed the Scout and the Pros- 

 pector stripped and took a bath. Later they shuddered when 

 they remembered it, for the sharks that haunt that shore, com- 

 ing far into the shallow water, are big and voracious. In the 

 meantime I was looking at the forest. Much to my delight I 

 found Castilloa trees growing within 100 feet of the shore. 

 Small ones to be sure, but thrifty. One about three inches in 

 diameter had been tapped, and from the cuts I stripped some 

 good strong rubber. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



° SANTIAGO 



C 



E 



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The AZUERO RUBBER LANDS 



REPUBLIC OF PANAMA 

 Scale 1 ineh=lo Miles 



e.F.FISK, ENGR., N.V. 



