Camping in Sovith America 
By FRANCIS C. NICHOLAS. Ph.D. 
Poisonous Insects a.nd Mora.cones 
P ERHAPS nothing - is quite so penetrating 
as the damp chill of a clear tropical 
morning in the woodlands Dew had 
been falling copiously all night, and the leaves 
were wet, some of them dripping. During the 
hours in which moisture is accumulating only 
dampness is felt, but immediately the falling- 
dew is checked by the first warmth of approach¬ 
ing day, evaporation begins, and a chill to 
which there seems no barrier fills all the air. 
The natives speak of it as the rising of the 
night, and seem to associate it with the depart¬ 
ing of evil before the coming day. The toldas 
weie wet when we woke up that morning, and 
no one wanted to remain under them; it was 
too unpleasant. So one after the other we 
scrambled out, having a care not to encounter 
a scorpion, centipede or tarantula in the folds 
of our coverings; because these unpleasant 
creatures have a way of crawling to the tolda 
to seek warmth, and if the folds are not well 
tucked in all around the bedding, unpleasant 
ci eatures may ciawl too close, and in the morn¬ 
ing a yell of pain may indicate that some one 
has been stung or bitten. 
Excepting only the tarantula, the crawling in¬ 
sects of the tropics are not really dangerous, 
though they are more than unpleasant, suf¬ 
ficiently so to make every one wary; and an 
instinctive watchfulness becomes after a time 
habitual. It is only a matter of being careful, 
and dangerous stings can be avoided. The sting 
of a scorpion is sharp and painful. Rapid 
swelling follows till a great lump is formed at 
and about the wound, the glands often become 
swollen and painful, and the tongue swells so 
that speech may become difficult. The pain 
lasts from two to twenty-four hours, usually 
about a day; and it is exceptional if any serious 
effects follow. 
1 he centipede attacks by burying its sharp 
feet in the flesh, and then biting with its jaws, 
inflicting deep wounds. Often it goes on crawl¬ 
ing rapidly over the flesh, puncturing it with 
burning needle-like feet, biting continually, its 
jaws buried deep in the flesh with vigorous 
rapidity. This is a serious affliction; the sores, 
like burning blisters, are open for days, and 
where a centipede has walked and bitten the 
flesh, a livid sore develops, leaving a deep scar 
witness to the pain inflicted. Sometimes even 
gangrene may set in, and then death is apt to 
follow in a few days. Thus a wound from a 
centipede unattended easily becomes serious. The 
centipede s back is so smooth, and its muscles 
so supple, that to check it under one’s clothing 
requires fortitude which could press a red hot 
iron against the naked flesh. Relax the hand 
for an instant, and the centipede slips away to 
continue its course over the body. The result 
is not easily described. The screams of a per¬ 
son so attacked attest the pain, and we dread 
the centipedes. I have seen them in the jungles 
over a foot long, and about three inches broad. 
Usually they are less than half this size, and 
fortunately their attacks are rare. There are 
smaller centipedes, and bad enough it is to be 
bitten by them, but it is the big fellow's in the 
woods which we dread. 
Of all the insects which crawl about in the 
tropics the tarantula is most to be dreaded. It 
sinks its fang-like jaws deep in the flesh, and a 
poison which oozes out around them is carried 
into the wound. The soft body of the spider 
permits it to be easily killed, and if there is a 
way open for escape the tarantula will take it, 
perhaps not biting at all. One bite it gives, 
seldom more, and this is sufficient. Days of 
suffering must be endured, and death may occur. 
Violent swelling follows the bite of a tarantula 
and afflicts all that part of the body which has 
been bitten. At times the flesh becomes dis¬ 
colored, and with the intense pain a form of 
paralysis develops which may result in death. 
If, however, the person bitten is enjoying fair 
health no evil effects result, but where the blood 
is in poor condition, the heart weak, or other 
organic troubles are present, then stings or bites 
from creeping insects, not only tarantulas, but 
all of them, are apt to be fatal. 
Naturally one crawls out from under the tolda 
with feelings of trepidation, and usually finds 
that some creeping thing has made the outer 
folds of the tolda a resting place for the night! 
There was a big tarantula outside my tolda that 
morning, and it seemed as though I had been 
in great danger. Really this was not so, and 
the evil insect, as big as a crab, went scuttling 
away at my first appearance. It hid under a log 
nearby, where we killed it with long sticks, not 
daring to approach very close because the tar¬ 
antula can jump several feet to attack, and one 
must be careful. We had quite an assortment of 
insects about camp that morning, some 
scorpions, a couple of centipedes, not very 
large ones, and the tarantula. No one paid 
much attention to them, but all crowded about 
the fire, which was now burning vigorously, 
and tried to get warm; succeeding indifferently, 
for something seemed to be sucking all the 
warmth out of our bodies, while a chill crept 
along the bones; yet it was not cold. Fortu¬ 
nately this peculiar condition did not continue 
for any great length of time, and presently a 
warm breath seemed to circulate through the 
woods. 
“There,” Viejo said, “the night has lifted.” 
Our surroundings immediately became de¬ 
lightful, odors of the forest everywhere, cool 
breezes stirring among the trees and blowing in 
our faces, while the whole jungle became 
jubilant with the cries and songs of birds. 
1 urkeys and mountain hens were so abundant 
about us that it seemed almost as if we were in 
the barnyard of a prosperous farm where in the 
morning the fowls were rejoicing over the 
abundance. 
“We will have turkeys enough to-day,” I said. 
Lopez did not reply, but busied himself doling 
out provisions. We are careful in the woods, 
game we can throw away as we will; but with 
coffee, sugar, tobacco and similar supplies it is 
a different matter. I he task having been 
finished, Lopez gave the coffee and sugar to 
Viejo, who would prepare some of it to drink 
before we started the work of the day; and then 
the old man turned to me and said: 
“Turkeys? You spoke of turkeys?” 
“Yes,” I replied, “we might easily get some 
of them.” 
“But if we are to explore along the base of 
the mountains to the east the way will be far, 
and perhaps moracones would suit you as well 
as turkeys.” 
Anything suited me. I had come to the Con¬ 
clusion that my guides knew what they were 
about, so made no further comment. Our 
coffee was now ready, a liberal supply with a 
baked plantain for each of us, and with this we 
set out on our explorations, taking a route 
along the base of the mountains, going to the 
eastward, the plan being to explore as far as a 
stream called Rio Dibulla. 
We were not out for sport that day. Mineral 
formations and gold deposits occupied our at¬ 
tention. Game, if we encountered it. would be 
welcome for our breakfast, but we hardly ex¬ 
pected to find anything because we would travel 
over a dry country; and the turkeys and wild 
animals naturally congregate at the pleasanter 
places. 
Carrying our provisions, we cut our way 
