62 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[Jan. 24, 1903. 
Notes from Central America.— IV. 
Truxillo, Honduras, Dec. 8.— Seated in the little park, 
or plaza, here at Truxillo, sheltered from the direct rays 
of the morning sun by one dome of the old cathedral, 
below and before me the beautiful expanse of blue formed 
by the waters of the bay — now quiet and serene, but easily 
aroused to activity and violence by winds from north, 
northwest and west — behind and above, the mountains 
that here rise almost directly from the shore of the 
Caribbean Sea till they pierce the lingering clouds, giving 
a strong background to the scene. 
Gazing seaward one can see, far toward the horizon, the 
Bay Islands. To the northeast and across the point of 
mainland known on the coast chart as the Cape of Hon- 
duras, is plainly visible the mountainous island of Ban- 
naca (Guanaja) ; more directly to the northward is Roa- 
tan — whose friendly harbor of "Coxen Hole" affords the 
most available protection from "northers" for vessels 
plying this portion of the north coast — while to the north- 
\yest are the "Cochinos" or, as they are called in Eng- 
lish, the Hog Islands. 
In all directions the view is varied and pleasing this 
bright December morning, and even the town itself is not 
without attraction as the sun plays upon white walls, red 
tiles and galvanized iron roofing. The old Spanish fort, 
now in ruins, is both picturesque and interesting, but it 
does not appeal to me so much because it was once some- 
what imposing and commanded by gallant and gay Span- 
ish soldiers and the scene of martial activity, instead of 
as to-day a field of ruins in the campus of bare-footed 
Honduranian soldiers, but it interested me most in that 
it was alongside one of the walls still standing where the 
intrepid filibuster, Colonel Walker, was shot, and as I 
gaze upon the spot where his blood was shed, I cannot 
forget the villainous officials of the foreign gunboat who 
were mainly responsible for his ignominious death. What 
that he, an American, with a handful of followers, was 
victorious in Nicaragua and even became President of 
that republic ! What that he fell, shot like a dog, by 
Honduranian soldiers— were they in any sense victorious 
over him? No. Can Nicaraguans claim the honor of his 
defeat? Tampoco. One has but to review carefully the 
history of the Gulf Coast of Central America during the 
past centur}', the foreign occupancy of the Bay Islands, and 
the so-called protectorate of the Mosquito Coast, to know- 
that Colonel Walker was a greater patriot than he is com- 
monly declared, and to appreciate, in a measure, the cour- 
age and bravery he possessed, in virtue of which he dared 
to oppose not so much the arms of a new republic, but 
the avarice and caprice of a mighty power. If there had 
been more Americans with the spirit of Colonel Walker, 
intent upon establishing colonies of Americans in this 
part of the world, and if there had been less bending of 
the knee to those who finally and traitorously handed 
Walker over to his slayers, there would long ago have 
been a higher regard, in this part of the world, for the 
stars and stripes and ■ for the people to whom that flag 
is dear. 
Truxillo, though to-day a typical Spanish-American 
town of the sleepy variety, with only an occasional steam- 
ship in port and' difficult of access from the interior, is, 
nevertheless, comparatively speaking, in a healthy, flour- 
isliing condition. Here are a number of large general 
stores where one may purchase almost anything, 
form a safety pin to a sewing machine, from a 
penny's worth of bread to a barrel of American loaf 
sugar or a case of finest French cognac. From here 
are shipped annually large quantities of fine Honduras 
sarsaparilla, many hides, considerable rubber, and thou- 
sands of cocoanuts. • jj- 
Here on the hill and surrounding the plaza are, m addi- 
tion to the old fort and white-walled cathedral already 
mentioned, the cabilda municipal, cuartel, aduana (custom 
house), postoffice, etc., while still further back are the 
stores and houses of the Spanish inhabitants and foreign 
residents. A short distance down the hill, in the direction 
of la playa, is the old jail, which has been partly rebuilt 
and is still in use. The stone, mud-plastered walls that 
surround the inner court' are topped with broken beer and 
v/hisky bottles, serving in lieu of sharpened steel and 
iron. , , • f 
On either side of the hill on which the mam town ot 
Truxillo is situated are Carib villages— that to the east 
being known as Rio Negro, not because of the color of 
the people who occupy the mud-wall, thatched-roofed 
houses there built, but rather because of the mud-colored 
water of the creek that here reaches the beach. The 
Carib settlement on the western side of the town js the 
larger and more picuresquely located, and is called Crys- 
tals " though its denizens are just as black as those of 
"Rio Negro," but the little river that here flows to the 
sea is sparkling and "clear as crystal," and, as in the 
ether instance, has given a name to the locality. It is 
from this "crystal river" that Truxillo derives its gener- 
ous supply of excellent water, pipes conveying it m liberal 
quantity to all parts of the main town. , , . t 
Yesterday morning, while strolling along the beach, 1 
came upon a group of Caribs hauling a seine in the bay. 
The catch was considerable, and included drummers, 
"jacks," red snappers, a sort of brim, etc. A good many 
of these were sold on the spot, and excellent value given 
the purchasers— two reales (the equivalent of about ten 
cents U. S. currency) buying from four to six fair-size 
fishes. The remainder were carried to the Carib village 
of "Los Crystal es." 
In the afternoon I called on the Comandante and ob- 
tained permission to enter the ruins of the old fort. Aside 
from an excellent view of the bay, I found there very lit- 
tle of interest and practically nothing more to see than 
can readily be observed from without. It is one of those 
things to which distance lends enchantment. Ten old dis- 
mantled iron cannons and a few heaps of rust-eaten can- 
non balls still remain within the environs of the crumb- 
^"TriSno has not been entirely neglected in literature, 
fnr we find it noted in fiction as well as in history. My 
friend the author of "The Spider of Truxillo," -has^ as- 
sured me that the experiences of himself and companions 
in this locality thoroughly warranted .the narrative in 
question. Quien sabe? Those here who remember the 
Colonel's visit, tell a different story, and one that ac- 
counts, in a measure, at least, for wild scenes and vague 
imaginings. 
Speaking of human spiders, among the most dangerous 
that come to Truxillo and other ports in Central America 
are specimens of genus homo not native to this soil, whose 
webs have here but nest and outlet, for their fibres reach 
across the waters of the Gulf and entwine about unsus- 
pecting and gullible individuals who give up their hard- 
earned cash at the call of falsifying and silver-tongued 
promoters and concessionists, to be squandered in vision- 
ary and impossible schemes or stored in the meshes of the 
web itself. A home in the tropics! An interest in a 
grand enterprise! Dreams of wealth! One has only to 
visit the locality and feel for a few days the pressure of 
conditions as they actually exist to be utterly disillusioned. 
J. HoBART Egbert, M.D., Ph.D. 
Wild Horses. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The writer of the very interesting article appearing 
in the Forest akv Stream of Jan. 3 upon the wild 
horse, in referring to the Indian traditions as to the 
domestication of that animal, fails to allude to it as being, 
in some instances, at least, a matter of record. That the 
wild horse of North America was first caught and used 
by the Dakotas (the tribes comprising the Sioux, Chey- 
ennes, etc.), about the year 1812, appears to be substan- 
tiated by the evidence of divers so-called "Winter 
Counts," or chronological Indian records made in suc- 
cessive winters, and commemorating the most notable 
event of the year immediately preceding. One of the best 
known of these aboriginal chronicles is a pictorial chart 
made by Lone Dog, a Dokota Indian, a colored photo- 
graph of which appears in the tenth annual report of the 
Bureau of Ethnology. The original record was embla- 
zoned in various colors upon the back of a buffalo robe, 
each year from 1800 to 187 1 being indexed by a device 
emblematic of its most notable event: Thus the year 
1801-2 was the smallpox year, indicated by a rude figure 
with red spots on its body; 1802-3 was signalized by the 
capture of some shod horses, the exploit being registered 
by the pictograph of a horseshoe. Inasmuch as the In- 
dians did not shoe their animals, the theft was evidently 
that of a white man's property. 1803-4 is distinguished 
by the "lifting" of a number of curly horses frorn the 
Dakota's hereditary enemies, the Crows. These animals 
were a peculiar breed, their hair growing in closely curl- 
ing tufts, their capture being recorded by a device repre- 
senting a horse with black spots _ indicating the tufts. 
1812-13 records the absolute utilization of the wild horse, 
that being the year in which they were first lassoed and 
broken in, its attestatfbn bearing simply the device of a 
lasso. The year 1833-4, memorable for its fall of meteors, 
and 1869 for its solar eclipse, appear in these annals with 
appropriate devices and afford evidence of the accuracy 
ot the chronological record. 
Another winter count is that of Battiste Good, also a 
Dakota, which purports to extend a number of centuries 
back of the year 1700, assuming, however, a reasonable 
degree of certitude only subsequent to that date. The 
years 1714-1716 are indicated upon this chart as mem- 
orable because of the attacks of mounted enemies, not un- 
likely Comanches or other Indians of the south. In the 
year 1757 the Dakotas appear to have first essayed a war 
party upon horseback, which, by reason of a pos- 
sible insufficient mastery of their steeds, seems to have 
failed of encouraging result. To the 3^ear 1811-12, or the 
season prior to Lone Dog's chronicle of the first hunting 
and capture of the wild horse, is ascribed the first chase 
of the buffalo on horseback. 
Other evidence there is that about this period the 
northern tribes finally achieved a complete mastery over 
their thenceforward inseparable companion. Grinnell, in 
his "Story of the Indian," states that he learned from an 
aged aborigine that horses first came into the possession 
of the Piegans, an Indian tribe of northern Montana, 
about the year 1804. From various references made by 
Lewis and Clark it would appear that in their expedition 
of 1804-1S06 the horse was in fairly common use 
among the Indians with whom they came in contact. 
Their report asserts that the animal was principally dis- 
tributed upon the plains of the Columbia River, and the 
Shoshones of that region are mentioned as being very 
superior horsemen. The possession of numerous mules 
l,esides herds of horses by this Oregon tribe, as well as 
the frequent bitting of their steeds with Spanish bridles, 
would suggest that their advanced equitation was the re- 
sult of their contact with a superior race. The explorers 
fail to state that the horse was employed by the Dakotas 
and neighboring tribes in war and the chase, which cir- 
cumstance was to Catlin, a generation later, an impressive 
feature of Indian life upon the plains. It is noteworthy 
that despite the Indian's extreme adherence to ancient 
custom, that in a couple of generations following their 
complete dominion over the horse, their habits were so 
revolutionized as to render them utterly helpless, both in 
war and the chase, when deprived of their four-footed 
ally- . . J , • u 
To the Indian's tenacious conservatism and sluggish 
mind may be attributed his slow and gradual utilization 
of the most serviceable of animals. By degrees, dur- 
ing his probable two centuries of acquaintance with the 
wild horse, the Indian, beginning perhaps with a use of 
the animal's hide and flesh, then with his employment as 
a beast of burden, finally crowned his effort by becoming 
so identified with his four-footed servant as to prove 
Himself the most daring and the most expert of horsemen. 
It is probable that the northern Indian's first knowledge 
of the horse was acquired during the sixteenth century, 
certainly at its close the animal should have become 
abundant in their domain. It may reasonably be assumed 
that it was with the derelict animals of Coronado's 
famous expedition that the wild horse of the plains 
originated. The explorers' furthest point of attainment 
has been assumed to have been the confines of Western 
Kansas in 1541. About the sarhe time, 1537, the horse was 
trrned loose upon the pampas of South America, and, in 
forty-three years he was heard of, according to Darwin, 
at the Straits of Magellan ; thus, in that time, diflfusing 
his species over a range of fifteen hundred miles, that dis- 
tance being the attainment from the banks of the Plata, 
where the animal was landed. It will doubtless, in the 
light of this experience, be conceded that the horse of our 
western plains extended its range within half a century 
of its introduction over at least an equal area, and should, 
therefore, within that period have become known to the 
northern tribes. 
As further instancing the slowness with which savages 
adapt themselves to new conditions, Darwin mentions 
that, during his visit to Tierra del Fuego, an aboriginal 
tribe was undergoing a change from foot to horse In- 
dians, although their prior acquaintance with the animal 
must have extended through two centuries. The Sias, a 
harmless tribe of Pueblo Indians upon the upper waters 
of the Rio Grande, although keeping horses, seldom or 
never use them as beasts of burden, perhaps, in this 
respect, manifesting an initial stage of savage domesti- 
cation. 
If, with a full knowledge of the horse's accustomed 
servitude, its full accomplishment by the savage imposes 
centuries of effort, how much more prolonged must have 
been the blind, unguided endeavor of primitive man? In 
certain caves recently explored in France there have been 
revealed wall pictures of a big-headed, clumsy-necked 
brute suggestive of the Asiatic wild horse illustrated in 
the Forest and Stream in connection with the article 
first alluded to. This hairy and uncouth creature was 
doubtless the progenitor of the modern cart horse, the 
thoroughbred being of probable North _ African origin. 
Associated with the rock pictures of this vanished horse 
were others of the mammoth, reindeer, elk and other ani- 
mals now locally or wholly extinct, and it is asserted that 
not only was the primitive horse domesticated by the 
ancient lake dwellers, but that there are even indications 
of his servitude to the cave men. If this be so, if these be 
the beginnings of the creature's bondage that thus feebly 
glimmer out of the obscurity of time, the measure of their 
remoteness is beyond intelligent speculation. 
A. H. Gouraud. 
True Camp Stories. 
In the Canadian Adirondacks, 
We had gathered around the camp-fire for a quiet 
smoke and talk. The day had been a fairly success- 
ful one, and we could boast of a fine caribou with splen- 
did antlers which would make any hunter envious. 
The guides were in an extremely talkative mood, as 
the day's sport put everybody in good humor. It is 
at times like this that you sometimes hear interesting 
talks of the woods, which Avould make good reading 
matter were it possible to remember the different de- 
tails and the manner in which they are related. The 
Canadian guides with us on the present trip were all 
old experienced men, and had roamed the Canadian 
Adirondacks and further west for many years. Their 
lives were full of interesting reminiscences. Oliver was 
as good a cook as I ever had in the woods, and at 
the present time of writing is guardian for one of the 
best fish and game clubs in northern Quebec. Al- 
though born in Sillery, near the quaint old city of 
Quebec, he wandered to a lumbering city of Michigan 
when still quite young, and here he found employment 
for a few years in the shanties. With a quick aptitude 
for the cuisine he changed his place of abode and fol- 
lowed lumbering operations of the Upper Ottawa as 
cook for a big camp. The district was frequently both- 
ered with prowling Indians, too lazy to build them- 
selves a lean-to for the night. They preferred to seek 
shelter and food among the lumber men. The nuis- 
ance became unendurable to the foreman of the camp 
at which Oliver was engaged, and orders were given 
that no more Indians would be accorded a night's 
lodging henceforth. It was not long after the order 
was issued before the camp had a visit from a member 
of one of these roving tribes. It was four o'clock in 
the afternoon and Oliver was alone preparing supper 
for the men when they would return from work. The 
Indian asked for protection for the night, but was in- 
formed of the orders and left immediately. He came 
back later on and again solicited admission, trying to 
make us understand that he had a special reason for 
making the request that night. The foreman, how- 
ever, was resolute in his determination of putting a 
stop to what he considered a bad practice of the in- 
dolent redskins, and the unfortunate Indian was again 
refused the hospitality of the camp and forced to de- 
part to do the best he could for the night in the forest. 
Nothing more was thought of the incident. In the 
morning, about six o'clock, one of the men who had 
gone out of doors, returned to camp and called the 
foreman away. In a few minutes they returned with 
the huddled up form of a woman in their arms and laid 
her on the floor. Following was the poor Indian who 
had pleaded so humbly the night before for lodging. 
As we gathered around to see the face of the woman, a 
faint, low cry from the arms of the poor squaw 
wrapped in a dirty blanket told the story. During the 
night a little Indian boy had come to life on the cold 
hard snow-covered ground about twenty paces from 
our cofortable camp-house. Not a soul in that camp 
but felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor Indian and 
his squaw and the night they had experienced. Every- 
body took compassion upon them, and poor as the 
men were, a small subscription was raised and handed 
to the mother of the child, who was given food and 
shelter for a week, before continuing on their wander- 
ings among the Canadian forests. After they had left 
the foreman changed his orders, and the boys in camp 
never forgot poor old See Weed, his squaw and the 
little papoose, when a hungry Indian came to seek a 
night's shelter. 
* * * * * * * 
This narrative put Joe, one of the other guides, in 
mind' "of a story which had occurred while he was 
shanfying" some years previous. He first of all told 
us ot his experience a few weeks before when he was 
out with an American gentleman. They came across 
a sick caribou, who was so ill that he could hardly 
move along the ground. To relieve him from further 
suiteriilg' the sportsman finished him with a rifle shot. 
