36 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS January, 1911 
all but eaten by hundreds 
of big, black ants. He has had 
to fight treacherous guides for 
his life, and has had escapes 
too numerous to describe. 
It was while engaged in 
hunting orchids in Colombia 
for the Philadelphia Orchid 
Queen that a revolution broke 
out. Barrault was seized by 
Colombian soldiers and forced 
fo fight “ior them. | As, a 
Frenchman he had seen mili- 
tary service, and philosophi- 
cally accepting his fate he led 
a regiment of the Colombians 
to battle, and was engaged in 
seven stiff fights. It was on 
off the track of the opposing 
armies. Jere he secured an- 
other set of guides and started 
off on the trail of a wonder- 
ful snow-white orchid which 
had been graphically describ- 
ed to him by a half naked 
Indian in the streets of Bo- 
gota—"‘An orchid so_ big,” 
said the native, clasping hands 
and rounding arms, ‘“‘and as 
white as snow on the moun- 
tain tops. I will take you to 
i 
Barrault headed an expedi- 
tion to the mountain haunt of 
the marvelously big flower— 
an expedition that was fraught 
the last occasion, when the 2m : with many adventures. Hardly 
slaughter of his men seemed / » ox had he started before the 
imminent, that Barrault seiz- — = ll + first of them occurred. Bar- 
ed a flag and rallying a hand- — Qychid. CatileyatSchrocderaina trom the pper Onnoco, raretena rault’s saddle-girth broke as 
ful of soldiers about him extremely difficult to obtain his mule was stepping gin- 
charged straight at the line of gerly along a narrow moun- 
popping guns ahead. ‘The rest of his regiment—who wor- tain path at the edge of a two thousand foot precipice, over 
shipped their apparently invincible leader—followed excit- which the orchid hunter promptly disappeared. He was 
edly. On they rushed until almost hand to hand with the caught in a tree growing out of the side one hundred feet be- 
enemy, when suddenly Bar- low, and after his guides, 
rault staggered and fel] peering cautiously down the 
severely wounded, and panic chasm, had recovered from 
their dismay, a rope was low- 
ered and he was hauled back 
to safety none the worse ex- 
cept for a few scratches. 
They arrived without fur- 
ther mishap at their destina- 
tion two weeks later and were 
soon hard at work collecting 
the orchids, which grew in 
great profusion. Then swamp 
fever struck the camp, and 
seized his followers, who 
turned and fled. 
And so Barrault, the 
orchid-hunting soldier, was 
thrown into prison by the 
rebels and there left to get 
well as best he could. Slowly, 
but surely, his fine constitu- 
tion pulled him around, and 
one night about six montns 
later he floored his guard and 
got away. Two days and one after another the guides 
nights brought him to the for- Orchid! Cattleya Percinaliana, ftom Veneeuclaiowearin fell ill, so that Barrault had 
est, where he knew rare the late fall to give up his beloved orchids 
orchids were to be found. and turn nurse. ‘Then he, too 
Living on roots and herbs that former experience had caught the fever, and was prostrated for days. Some of 
taught him were good for food, Barrault gradually worked the guides recovered before he did and taking advantage 
his way through the forest until he came to a lonely village of his heipless condition, stripped him of his _posses- 
Orchid, Deliocattleya Orchid, Cattleya Mossi, from Venezuela, Orchid, Cattleya Specisissima from Venezuela 
flowers in the spring 
