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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Frank M. Chapman 



SAWING BOARDS BY HAND IN THE SUBTROPICAL ZONE OF" THE CENTRAL ANDES 



Two men — one above, the other below — work with mechanical precision. A dozen boards 

 ten feet long, a foot wide, and not more than half an inch thick will be produced from the 

 log pictured. They were designed for use in making boxes to hold one-pound bricks of sugar. 



came our headquarters while we explored 

 the surrounding forests. 



Never were naturalists more comfort- 

 ably situated. The temperature ranged 

 from 6o° to 70 ° daily ; there were no flies, 

 mosquitoes, or other troublesome insects; 

 the grandeur and diversity of the scenery 

 held us in a condition of exclamatory en- 

 thusiasm ; and every day brought valu- 

 able additions to our collections. 



Whether naturalist or painter, these 

 quickly accessible subtropical mountain 

 resorts form a distinctive and highly im- 

 portant feature of life in this favored re- 

 gion. 



One is tempted to linger here indefi- 

 nitely, but we are already far behind our 

 schedule. These time-table itineraries are 

 the bane of travel. They may be made 

 with some reason for Cook's tours, but 

 they are assuredly out of place in a coun- 

 try where the means of transportation are 

 irregular, where time is rated far below 

 par, and where the traveler will be tempted 

 at every turn to depart from a prear- 

 ranged plan. 



The next stage in our journey, for ex- 

 ample, may be made by steamer or by 

 mule, but if one has a choice by all means 

 take the former. I never recall my three 

 days' voyage from Cali to Cartago with- 

 out a desire to repeat it. The distance 

 in an airline is about ioo miles, but by 

 the river it is nearly twice as far and I 

 wouldn't have shortened it an inch. 



A TRIP DOWN THE CAUCA RIVER 



The Cauca is a small, intimate river. 

 From the steamer the details of both 

 banks may be easily seen. The height of 

 the water and rapidity of the current de- 

 pend upon the amount of rain which has 

 recently fallen in the area the river drains. 

 At the time of our voyage in May the 

 river was bank full and running about 

 five miles an hour. To bring our flat- 

 bottomed stern-wheeler to her not infre- 

 quent landings it was necessary to pass 

 them, turn, and steam slowly up stream. 



If the Cauca's serpentine course in- 

 creased the length of our journey it also 

 added greatly to its charm. Rapidly we 



