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The National Geographic Magazine 



with emphatic nods of appreciation, 

 with the exception of two or three 

 pieces which one of them saved. He 

 explained, by digging, a hole in the 

 ground and pretending to cover up one 

 piece, that these were to be kept for 

 seed, so that in the future they might 

 have plenty of so delicious a fruit. 



Of their religious life or the lack of it 

 almost nothing could be learned from 

 the bands we met along the Tambo- 

 pata. At Maldonado, however, the 

 newly established military post of Peru 

 on the Aladre de Dios, were two or 

 three Chunchos from another river, 

 who had become residents of the camp 

 and had learned some Spanish. The 

 commandant of the post and I spent 

 some time trying to find out whether 

 these savages have any idea of religion. 

 The commandant, a good Catholic, at- 

 tempted to explain to them some idea 

 of God. They listened apparently in 

 vague wonder, and when asked if their 

 people had no such belief replied in the 

 negative. The idea of a future life after 

 death, so far as we could learn, was not 

 familiar to them. At the present time 

 there are several thousands of these 

 savages living in scattered groups of 

 twenty or more along the rivers flow- 

 ing into the Madre de Dios. Many of 

 them are just coming into intimate 

 contact with the white race. A condi- 

 tion little better than slavery awaits 

 them. 



is it a white; man's country 



For the present the chief interest in 

 this great, undeveloped region lies in 

 the fact that it is rich in rubber and a 

 few other natural products. But what 



of its future? Is it "a white man's 

 country?" Parts of it undoubtedly 

 offer favorable conditions for white 

 laborers, so far as'climate is concerned. 

 From the crest of the eastern Andes 

 down to the level plains, every climate,, 

 from the frigid to the torrid, is passed 

 in succession. This zone, however, is 

 narrow and badly cut up into deep val- 

 leys with precipitous sides. Agricul- 

 ture has its difficulties. It is stated that 

 a farmer arrived one day at the Santo 

 Domingo mine in very bad condition. 

 Asked what had happened to him, he 

 replied that the night before his farm 

 had fallen on him. Landslides in this 

 region are certainly frequent. Prob- 

 ably enough water power is going to 

 waste on these slopes to do the work of 

 the world. Within a short distance 

 large streams fall in a continuous mass 

 of foam 10,000 feet or more. Nor does 

 it seem to me probable that the lower 

 plains will be found especially un- 

 suited to the white race. At present in 

 these endless forests insects swarm in 

 countless millions and malaria doubt- 

 less is prevalent ; but, with the forests 

 cleared away and with the comforts of 

 civilization, the conditions would be 

 much improved. The altitude is some 

 2,000 feet above sea-level and the heat 

 by no means extreme. During our 

 journey on the rivers the highest tem- 

 perature recorded was 96 F., and a 

 temperature above 90 was extremely 

 rare. One hesitates even in imagina- 

 tion to picture what manifold industries 

 may be found among these foot-hills in 

 coming centuries, and what millions of 

 prosperous dwellers may be clustered 

 on the plains at their feet. 



