320 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



Apkil ]. 1912. 



iously about with new and appetizing dishes. The pickaninnies 

 gazed with wide open eyes, and the circle of gaunt hounds sat 

 and slavered at every mouthful. . A bone thrown to them re- 

 sulted in a mass play that had football beaten a mile. Speaking 

 of the dogs, they arc really to be respected. Left to guard a 

 house, no cne may enter. They will fearlessly attack the huge 



Don Angei. .\nd the Whiter. 



wild boars that are found in those mountains and harry them 

 until their negro master -makes the kill, or as is often the case 

 is himself killed. In the last case the dog will stay for days 

 watching and starving, until help comes. These boars, luige 

 fellows, four feet high at the shoulder, 

 with tusks eight to ten inches long, avi- 

 vicious only when attacked. \\ e sav 

 their spoor many times but as we u eve 

 not hunting them we had not the 

 slightest uneasiness, even though \vr 

 knew that they were aware of our 

 close pro.ximity. 



The movmtain negroes are very 

 friendly toward Americans. Thus, 

 Salvador had named one of his girls. 

 America, to show his admiration for 

 Uncle Sam. 



Incidentally we tapped some bread 

 fruit and some chicle trees while at 

 the plantation. The latter gave a fair 

 grade of chicle, while the former pvo- 

 duced an exceedingly sticky gum that 

 may or may not have contained a cer- 

 tain amount of rubber. 



Finally the day came for our re- 

 turn to Baracoa. We said our good- 

 byes not only to Salvador and his 

 family but to all of the neighbors for 

 miles around who had come in for 

 the purpose. The horses had been 

 dispatched down the trail hours be- 

 fore, as we were to go a part of the 

 way by boat. The one o'clock start 

 was made at three. The small flat 

 bottomed boat was more than crowded. 



Beside the boatman, Don Angel and myself, were America who 

 was going to visit relatives at the Boca, a goat, two kids. 



bananas, cocoanuts, some furniture, saddles for the led horses, 

 etc.. etc. The river, although broad, was at thai season of the 

 year a series of ponds connected by rapids of greater or lesser 

 turbulence. We progressed partly by paddling and partly by 

 poling. Half a mile from the plantation .America's little yellow 

 dog was discovered swimming calmly in our wake, so we 

 laboriously poled back to return him to his home. Then we 

 started on our way again. 



This river ride was long to be remembered, so beautiful were 

 the forested shores, so clear was the water, and so balmy the 

 air. .^t nightfall we were still far from our destination. The 

 liver was broad and deep now, and the boatman hugged the 

 shore as he poled. We no longer shot rapids witli the boat's 

 linttom thumping on hidden rocks, the prow swinging from side 

 t'l side. One of those thumps had loosened a plank and America 

 was cheerfully bailing out the water that swashed to and fro in 

 the bottom of the boat. Soon we heard the roar of breakers 

 and the evening breeze came up the river strong and salt. Later 

 we crossed to the further side where showed a light ; tied up at 

 a rickety pier ; scrambled ashore by sense of touch rather than 

 sight and found a tiny river settlement. Here under a luige 

 shed, in cne corner of which was bar and kitchen, we ate a big 

 meai and sat around and smoked as if it were not evening and 

 w e had many miles more to go before we reached home. Next 

 followed a horseback ride for a mile or more over a narrow- 

 gauge banana railroad. I presume my horse could see where 

 he was going, 1 am sure I couldn't. The road ended at the bank 

 nf a deep lagoon on the further bank of which was the dim out- 

 line lit what seemed to be a ferry slip. After many hails a big 

 boat came slowly across, we embarked ; the horses, stripped of 

 their saddles, were urged into the water and we crossed. I did 

 not wonder at the reluctance of the horses when I learned that 

 the occasional heavy splash with the accompanying shower of 

 phosphorescent sparks, rneant sharks, with which the waters 

 swarmed. Then came a long ride aloi.g the beach, water on one 

 side and shel\ing coral cliffs on the other. I noticed that the 



I'l.xza and Catheiiral, Baracoa 



thin strip of beach along w^hich we rode began to be wet by an 

 occasional wave. The tide was rising. Soon Don Angel with 



