THE CONGO FREE STATE 



ers, and sometimes reaching the ground. The milky stream 

 coagulates and turns black as it runs, forming a long strip or 

 cord, with which the huleros often tie up their bales. 



" The parasites removed, Pete and Jose strapped on their 

 espuelas (climbing spurs), fastened at the knee and ankle, 

 and having dug a small pit or basin at the foot of each of a 

 couple of trees, passed a ring of stout rope round the trunks 

 and their own waists, and walked up with their machetes 

 between their teeth. By lifting the rope at every step they 

 were enabled to stand almost erect, and when lying back in 

 the ring both hands were at liberty. 



" Jose, whom I watched closely, commenced operations im- 

 mediately below the first branch. With his broad-bladed 

 sword he cut in the bark a horizontal canal which almost 

 encircled the trunk and terminated in a V-shaped angle. 

 From the point of the V downwards he next cut a perpen- 

 dicular canal about two feet in length, which joined another 

 horizontal channel ending in a V, and so on to the ground. 

 In the last cut he inserted a large green leaf to serve as a 

 funnel and guide the milk into the basin. 



" The Brazilian rubber collectors always place a receptacle 

 of tin or earthenware in the hole at the foot of the tree to 

 prevent the admixture of grit or other foreign matters ; they 

 also strain the milk through coarse muslin ; hence the 

 greater value of Para rubber. But Nicaraguan methods are 

 primitive.""^ 



In the Congo Free State the taxes are paid by the 

 collection of rubber. It is alleged that " if the demands for 

 rubber or other produce were not satisfied, the people at 

 fault were flogged often most barbarously with a thong of 

 twisted hippopotamus hide, called the chicotta. Or else the 

 natives were told to catch the women from the offending 



