68 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 2?, 1894. 



PADDLING DOWN THE PATUCA.-III. 



A Story of Travel in Honduras. 



(Concluded from Page 47.) 



A pock-marked, stumpy Sambo dipped his brand new 

 mahogany paddle into the river beside a ! brand new ma- 

 hogany canoe at sunrise. With dignity befitting the 

 office of captain of a white patron's canoe he cried in 

 severe tones: 



"Lux! Lux!" 



Three men forward obeyed the order to push the boat 

 off. The usual farewells were chanted by crew and by 

 friends on the bank at the embarkadera. The village was 

 in sight until we were a mile or more from the landing. 

 The voices of the women floated to us across the placid 

 waters in cadence that grew more melodious as the dis- 

 tance increased. They ceased when we entered a rapid 

 where the weight of the current swept into a sharp bend. 

 Great masses of talpatali, in which the waters had gnawed 

 countless holes, choked much of the width of the river; 

 but there was neither danger nor difficulty in dashing 

 through to the smooth water below. 



We entered a long, still reach at noon. Midway down 

 its length stood a dozen watlas on a high day bank that 

 made a narrow terrace at the foot of a low range of hills. 

 We were welcomed by all the habitants of the place, 

 for all were sober. Ualpa-tanti was dull, in fact. The 

 rubber gatherers — the huleros — were in the forests of the 

 Amacwass, or River of Honey Bees, of tlie Cuyumel, and 

 of the TJas-presini, or Swiftwater, getting together a new 

 supply of precious gum with which to buy yet more pre- 

 cious powder, shot and rum — particularly rum. 



It would be unjust, I knew, to judge that camp by its 

 dead appearance, I knew that two or three times each 

 year it was full of life and liquor, of debased men and of 

 women who tried their worst to be more degraded than 

 their fit companions — and failed. But life and property 

 were comparatively safe, for even when one man robbed 

 another of his woman bloodshed rarely followed. Once 

 in a while a man might cut another rather: badly with a 

 machete; but they would excuse him because he was 

 quite too drunk to know what he was doing. And they 

 would tie the pieces together and in a few weeks they 

 would be ready to go on again getting rubber or getting 

 drunk. 



There was nothing to stay there for. Before me lay an 

 hundred miles of river, wide and deep, wherein were no 

 rapids, no dangers, no excitements. Not a mountain 

 would vary the monotony of the low and- level banks. 

 vThey would be dull but for the profuse bloom, the brilliant 

 orchids, the fuscias, the soldierly palm royals and the 

 bamboos that leaned far out over the milky flood that was 

 the contribution of hundreds of streams, dashing down 

 from the hills of Olancho over placers where golden stores 

 await the batea of the women who wash out a few yellow 

 grains during the week, then piously devote some to the 

 blessed saints, a few more to bet on the next Sunday's 

 cock fight, and thus to dutifully add to the happiness of 

 their spouses. The rest would pay for a bit of bright 

 ribbon. 



My Waikna crew were not silent men, nor solemn. 

 Shouts and laughter came often from them. They 

 slapped the water resoundingly with their paddle blades, 

 and yelled enough to scare the scalp from a statue of 

 stone. Now and then one would take a hehder into the 

 river, and then pretend that he had seen a turtle. Once 

 in a while one did bring up a boca-toro or "bull-mouth" 

 turtle, whereat there would be great rejoicing. 



So there was when their keen black eyes would get 

 sight of an iguana barking on the tops of the tall grasses 

 or on some branch of bush or tree. 



"Kokomoke, kokomoke, boss!" they would whisper, 

 eagerly. If I could manage to make out the form of the 

 big lizard— that was in color so like the limb or the grass 

 on which it lay, my gun would rise, the men would be as 

 still as the wood they sat in, intently watching. At the 

 crack of the rifle every man would yell like a lunatic. 

 If the game was killed it would be pitched into the pipanti 

 and loud would be the chatter. 



As we managed to kilL three or four iguanas each day, 

 and as they were usually 2 to 4ft. long, with enough white 

 and tender flesh in each to make a good meal for four 

 men, we seemed to be in little danger of starvation. 



We camped on the edge of a prairie at Uaxmuth, a 

 name that means the "cry of the hawk," and may be a 

 corruption of "hawk's mouth." 



One could have jumped from the edge of that prairie 

 into the deep river, 30it. below; but it did not occur to 

 me to try it. It was more in my fine to sit in my canoe 

 and note how the red volcanic mud and gray ashes had 

 become sifted all through the deep bed of keen-edged, 

 sharp-cornered fragments of milk-white quartz. No man 

 can guess how deep that bed of quartz fragments may be; 

 but any man who knows sugar cane would guess that 

 that red soil would make the best of sugar fields; one need 

 not guess that that land would grow good oranges, for 

 there was ample proof of that on the three or four trees 

 which were grouped where houses stood, before evil 

 spirits took possession and drove the people away. 



Superstition is most useful to some people. If fatal 

 sickness often visits a house or a village, it is much simpler 

 to believe that the devil is in it and to abandon the place 

 to evil influences than to go tediously prying into the 

 occult secrets of nature for the cause of the sickness. It 

 is easier to say, "Mafia has taken the house; let us leave 

 it," or "It is the will of God; let us be resigned," than it 

 is to find the sources of disease and remove them. So, 

 through their superstition and experience, the natives of 

 Mosquitia have in the course of generations come to dwell- 

 ing in salubrious places, that are also free from annoy- 

 ances, and convenient. 



One of the crew started a fire and began getting supper. 

 The others unloaded the canoe and fixed my bed on the 

 ground. I took a look at a tiny brook that flowed among 

 the palmettos not far away. A deer rose from the grass. 

 He coolly stared at me ten seconds, more or less. I didn't 

 hurt him, although I have seldom allowed deer to long 

 stand and make big eyes at me. Vexed as I was I could 

 not have brought myself to shooting the fellow. I hadn't 

 even brought my gun. I had my voice with me, though, 

 and let it go into a yell that would have charmed an 

 Indian. Then the buck went away.J 



It is very pleasant to have a rifle in camp, sometimes. 



There was a big drunk, a mishla, going on in the 

 Waikna village of Cropunto when we landed there. One 

 of the boozy men at the landing gave us first news and 

 invitation to join the festivities. My men looked so wish- 

 ful, and really needed a big spree so badly that I had not 

 heart hard enough to refuse them. Besides, they would 

 surely have stolen away if I had not, with most generous 

 air, made virtue of the necessity and told them to go. 

 After that they would have felt that a grievous slight 

 had been put on village and on tribe, if I had refused 

 their hospitality. 



The way to the village led through a belt of straight 

 young willows to the pine-fringed prairie. A mile from 

 the river stood a grove of mangos, cocoa palms, orange 

 and lemon trees. The houses stood on the northern siue 

 of the grove; but, although hidden from our sight, it 

 would have been quite easy for us to find them without 

 guide other than the din that came to us from thunder- 

 ing drum and squeaking pipes of bamboo. 



On the great pines beside the trail big spots had been 

 shaved free from bark. On these places curious images 

 bearing crude resemblance to men, had been cut through 

 what was left of the bark. From the lines dripped trans- 

 lucent, glistening tears of pitch. The figures may have 

 been cut to express the Waikna sense of the beautiful in 

 art, but my captain gravely admitted that their purpose 

 was to keep the devil away from the village. I judged 

 that they were frightful enough to drive out of the 

 country even a devil of decently artistic tastes. 



A big canoe rested on two logs before the biggest watla 

 in the village. It was two-thirds full of liquid on which 

 floated a score of little cups made of the shell of the cala- 

 bash. A swarm of little stingless bees hovered about the 

 canoe, or crept down its sides to the edge of the mishla 

 within and drank their fill, or gathered whatever they 

 could of sweet with which to fill their cells. 



Beside the canoe a Waikna swayed on groggy legs, 

 while he held out to a friend a calabashful of the tipple! 

 Near them a couple of Sambos embraced with maudlin 

 friendliness. A mother stood beside the drink and held 

 a cup of mishla to the lips of the naked babe sitting 

 astride the woman's hip. Two or three nude youngsters 

 dabbled with cups in the fermenting drink, supping now 

 and then. Men sat talking or dozing in the huts, or under 

 the shelter of the eaves. Other men lay asleep in the shade 

 of the lime trees and the shrubbery. There they would 

 lie until their stupor would so far leave so as to allow them 

 to resume their enjoyment. 



Few of the women were as drunk as the men were. 

 Some of the women were quite sober. They took upon 

 themselves to see that none should find machete, or knife 

 or oiher weapon, and that no half drunken reveler should 

 fire a thatch, and so perhaps turn the whole village out of 

 house and home. They attended to whatever cooking 

 was done during the carnival; but only a little food would 

 be wanted while the mishla should hold out, to fill big 

 stomachs and little. 



Quarrels arose, now and then. Two men squabbled 

 before the door in which I stood enjoying the scene. One 

 of them persisted in refusing to pay the value of the w T ife 

 he had coaxed into leaving the other. This was very un- 

 fair, the more so since her first husband offered to take 

 half price for the damaged goods. Possibly he thought 

 the girl would be dearer to him than she had been to her 

 first purchaser at par. 



Patience ceased to be a virtue of the wronged spouse. 

 He rushed away to a palmetto thicket and caught up from 

 a bunch of reeds the rusty-headed manatee harpoon he 

 had hidden there. He ran back toward the plunderer of 

 his domestic altar and brandished the spear threateningly. 



Then there was a row; women screamed, men shouted. 

 The cause of the fracas looked on. Perhaps she was vain 

 of being the cause of such commotion. No one tried to 

 stop the fierce slayer. It may be that his harpoon looked 

 altogether too dangerous, in the hands of a husband 

 driven to desperation by a deep wrong that nothing less 

 than two red blankets, or a good cow at the very least, 

 could right. 



When that weapon came within throwing distance the 

 offender decided to go away. He flew down a grassy 

 slope, the pursuer yelling close behind. The fugitive 

 stopped behind a big pine tree, and picked up a piece 

 broken from a rotten limb by its fall from above. The 

 avenger halted, then turned and ran toward the houses. 

 He was followed by the other and the rotten club. Before 

 the door they began squabbling again. At last the 

 wronged husband declared that he would surely shoot a 

 cow— anybody's cow— if he was not at once paid for his 

 stolen wife. That brought the other to terms. He knew 

 that if that should be done he would have to either pay 

 the value of the cow to her owner, or leave the country. 

 And there was the chance, in fact it might be said to be 

 likely that the fellow would kill one of the best cows he 

 could find; for he was manifestly desperately angry. 



They turned to me to umpire their game. It might 

 sound better to say that they elected me judge. The hus- 

 band demanded that the wife come forward, then told 

 how good a housewife she had been. 



"She make big plantation, big," he cried. "She paddle 

 the pipanti better than two men! She cook the fish and 

 the deer better than any woman!" The mireen grinned. 



"Oh, no!" shouted the other, "she lazy. I go hungry 

 all the time. She not worth one, one old blanket; but I 

 give one for her." 



The girl's smiles vanished. 



"She worth ten pine blanket, ten. She is strong like a 

 horse. See how fat she is," he exclaimed, appealing to 

 the judge. "She is fat, big fat, and smooth. Look at 

 her, how young and active. No man will be hungry in 

 her watla, for she can catch the boca-toro and the iguana 

 and the fish. He must pay two blankets — and a cow." 



The girl was won completely by such eloquent public 

 proclamation of her virt — no, not virtue, but ber charms. 

 She smiled on her former husband. I thought I saw a 

 way to a Solomon-like decision; but there was no need 

 for haste Let them dispute a little more. I had plenty 

 of time. 



The Waikna who feared that he would have t pay for 

 his offense against the moral laws of Mosquitia, again 

 labored to reduce the penalty by belittling the value of 

 the property in the estimation of the court. He succeeded 

 so well in counting up her faults that he brought a gust 

 of laughter from the women who were looking on. He 

 also brought a hurricane of vituperation from the cause of 

 contention. She declared that she never would go back 

 to him, and that he was not half the man that her true 



husband was. Whereat that gentleman looked hugely 

 flattered. 



"Go away now. Come at nightfall and I will give my 

 decision," said I, mindful of the example of those wise 

 judges who manage in like manner to get time to reflect, 

 and perhaps to get counsel of their wives as well. 



While the captain of my crew was boiling eggs and 

 roasting plantains for my supper he told me what the 

 women of the place were saying of the case. I sent for i 

 the culprit and advised him to give up the girl. I re- 

 minded him of the shameful abuse she had heaped upon 

 him, then told him that I would try to get him out of his 

 trouble without the loss of more than one blanket. But I 

 he must not tell any one that I had promised to do this. 

 He agreed. 



There was no difficulty with the married couple. Each 

 was quite ready to return to the other, who had so boldly 



Sublished the high qualities both felt that they possessed, 

 he bright red blanket was promised. The wife returned 

 to her happy husband, everybody went back to the mishla 

 and by bedtime they were all most completely, satisfac- 

 torily drunk. 



'Twas nine o'clock the next morning, before we could 

 get away. The paddlers begged for another day, for such 

 a soul-satisfying mishla as this at Cropunto would not be 

 seen again in years; and life is uncertain at best. But 

 my captain reminded them that the patron had freely 

 given his consent to their staying the day before, when 

 they might have been required to keep on down the river, 

 and so been deprived of ail share in the carousal. Besides, 

 if they hurried back they would be in time to get another 

 chance at the festivities and drink. 



A couple of the men managed to swill a quart or two 

 apiece of the mishla, before we started. Their fellows in 

 the bow were nearly sober, but their wild paddling gave 

 the steersman trouble. An hour after we started we 

 crashed into the top of a fallen tree at Poon-cara-crichma. 

 The eddy under the point was tremendously strong and 

 deep; but it was only a little way to the sandbar below. 

 I felt qnite interested in the question whether or not the 

 crew were so drunk that they would not get out of that 

 whirlpool alive. 



There was no need for worrying. The two who were 

 most drunk did sink. The others instantly swam in pur- 

 suit of the canoe and our belongings. I held to a branch 

 a minute, looking for the float that was fastened at the 

 end of a long piece of fishline. My rifle was at the other 

 end. When it bobbed to the surface I noted the spot, 

 and considered how I should reach it through the boiling 

 current. It was a stiff pull, but I managed to catch the 

 cord and swim toward the bank. Then one of the two 

 drunken Sambos swam toward me, to give me help in case 

 of need. He may have been sobered by his ducking; his 

 instinct of swimming, born of long lines of ancestry who 

 were dwellers by the sea, and cultivated by daily use from 

 infancy, may have been too strong for mere rum to wash 

 out or to stupify. However that may have been, he swam 

 high and easily through the eddies, and stayed by me to 

 see that no harm should befall the patron. 



The rifle caught in something on the bottom of the river. 

 Down that Sambo promptly went head first along the 

 fine, while I stood neck deep and held its end. A minute 

 later he came to the surface and started for the bank with 

 the gun and a mighty puffing. 



By that time all the rest of the crew were spreading the 

 baggage in the sunshine on the dry gravel. To have left 

 them wet all day would have been to spoil the goods. 



That afternoon we paddled down the western outlet of 

 the Patuca. The channel tortuously led through deep 

 alluvium of unsurpassed fertility. On the banks the Santa 

 Maria stood in groves, and tali ceibas stood, their smooth, 

 swelling boles showing gray amid the brown and green, 

 giant columns that support enormous masses of bloom. 

 Bamboos shot out far over the water, from sunny spots 

 where dense masses of grass, eight or ten feet high,walled 

 the river. Curtains of vines hung from the branches full 

 forty feet above the water; they would be thickly studded 

 in the cool morning with morning glories, purple and 

 pink and white. Floating on the water were clusters of 

 minute and dainty blossoms, resting among delicate little 

 leaves from which pretty pink and white rootlets hung 

 down into the clear water. In broad coves acres of white 

 lilies, pure and fragrant, their perfect petals scarce 

 touched by marring insect, perfumed the gentle breeze. 



The banks became low. Vast fields of grass replaced* 

 the forest. Cranes and egrets, the ibis and the flamingo 

 stood among the reeds or flapped over the waters. Ducks 

 flew up as reach after reach, bend after bend opened 

 before us. Great flocks of muscovies quacked in ponds 

 where wild asparagus grew. Ripples widened from mov- 

 ing spots where little knobs showed that alligators' eyes 

 were watching. 



We paddled silently along miles of water as straight as 

 any canal, and as uniform in width. Its even banks 

 were like artificial levees. What race dug this channel? 

 Was it done when the great temples of Copan, of Palenque 

 and Uxmal were new, and Central America was rich in 

 people, in commerce and in art; when all the inland 

 waters of this region were connected by navigable chan- 

 nels, and their craft could go without hindrance from 

 Payas Peak to Chiriqui Lagoon in the far south, as they 

 could have done, indeed, scarcely more than half a cen- 

 tury ago. 



The stars looked down upon us as we picked our way 

 through wide and shallow channels, out into the waters 

 of Cartago Lagoon, rippling under the refreshing trade 

 wind as softly and peacefully as though they had not been 

 through many decades the home of the bloodiest pirates 

 that ever ravaged town on the Spanish main. 



It was an hour after we entered the lake before we 

 jumped overboard from our sinking canoe, that was filled 

 by seas that curled and broke breast high on us, as we 

 stood knee deep. We were only a few rods from the bluff 

 edge of the prairie where a white man's comfortable hut 

 stood beneath the rustling leaves of the cocoa palms. 



Honduras. E. W. P. 



The Minnesota Moose Law Works. 



Duluth, Minn. — A deputy sheriff from the northern 

 part of Minnesota recently brought to the city two half- 

 breeds on the charge of violating the State game laws, by 

 the killing of moose which are protected by our game 

 law3 until 1898. 

 i They were siven a trial, convicted and sentenced to 

 ] sixty days each in the county jail. This is the first con- 

 viction for the violation of the game laws this season. 



