July 23, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
129 
ing. For my own part I was tired, and soon for¬ 
getting my companions was fast asleep, enjoying 
a thorough rest under a well-protected mosquito 
tent. 
The next morning I was awakened early by 
the people moving about, and the various sounds 
from discontented animals, particularly pig's that 
had made their beds under the house. It was 
miserably hot under the mosquito tent, so dress¬ 
ing hurriedly I crawled out from under its folds 
and was immediately saluted by a swarm of 
mosquitoes and began my morning exercises by 
vigorous movements to protect the face and 
hands from the swarming pests of the tropics 
where I had fancied I might take a bath in the 
cool water. There was fog on the river and 
there were smells in the air. Children were cry¬ 
ing, dogs whimpering, the senora scolding, and 
the men in anything but a pleasant temper pre¬ 
paring the canoe for the day and evidently anx¬ 
ious that we should start. 
Here I found an example of some of the most 
miserable conditions in tropical America. Such 
as this were the lives of the negroes who occupy 
the river banks in Colombia. Their existence 
is similar to that'of the people of the river coun¬ 
tries all over the far South. They live in a great 
open shed-like structure with no protection from 
the mosquitoes except their mosquito tents, which 
serve each one for a separate room. Cramped 
quarters, indeed, for sleeping, but all the pro¬ 
tection they could devise. It was miserable—a 
hot, steaming fog, no breezes blowing, odors 
from animals and human beings. This they en¬ 
dure day after day, becoming in a measure im¬ 
mune, yet always suffering from the plague of 
insects or “plaga” as they are aptly called in the 
river countries. 
Coffee and plantains were served, but we took 
little time for eating. Each hastily drank a 
quantity of coffee, then taking the plantain in 
our hands, gave our thanks and farewell with a 
little money to our entertainers, and then began 
making our way through the fog over the swell¬ 
ing current of the river. Now and again some 
of the river birds flew past us, yet in spite of 
the fog all seemed to know where they were go¬ 
ing, and the men, well accustomed to this work, 
followed the current with skill, making their 
way successfully, though not being able to see 
far ahead. Sitting under the tolda in the canoe 
I nursed my hands and face and listened while 
Don Pacho told me of the endurance and strength 
of the men who, without complaining, could 
carry on such work as this for days. Presently 
he looked forward with some anxiety and said 
to me: “The men are drunk, and I did not 
mean that they should have run.” 
This drinking is one of the curses of Spanish 
America. No one refrains. All the lower classes 
drink to excess, not checking their indulgence, 
and excuse themselves because of the sufferings 
with which they are compelled to contend. 
On up the river we went, steadily making our 
way against the yellow current and presently 
came to smoother water, and then the canoe 
brushed against a bank where wild cane and 
grass were growing in rank luxuriance. Around 
us great masses of water hyacinths were float¬ 
ing, and immediately from out of the grass and 
canebrakes came swarms of mosquitoes, so we 
hastily put off from the shore. This was the 
mouth of the Cauca River, and Don Pacho in¬ 
formed me that here there was much gold, 
though for my part I could not see any reason¬ 
able indication to be ieve him. I could see noth¬ 
ing but yellow water, yet it is true that the 
Cauca River is one of the richest gold regions 
in all the world. The gold, however, is higher 
up. Where we were at present was all a mud 
and swamp country. 
On we went, the men still drinking, until they 
had become hilarious from their rum. Evidently 
our late entertainers had given them the supply 
and they would not stop until all had been con¬ 
sumed. I requested Don Pacho to order them to 
give up drinking. He only smiled and looked 
at me as much as to ask if I did not know better 
than that, and in fact to take away the rum 
would have been a great deal like endeavoring 
to take away a supply of food from a ferocious 
company of dogs, for these men, in spite of their 
strength and loyalty, were in their passions and 
appetites but little removed from animals. So 
we continued our uncertain course, and after a 
time stopped for breakfast. At that place there 
was a hut, smaller, but in all other respects 
similar to that in which we had passed the night. 
The people were poor, but we were made wel¬ 
come. The plague of mosquitoes had subsided, 
so the people were at ease. Except on the rivers 
no one works very much in that country. When 
the people are home they simply lay about the 
house, the light, domestic duties of the women 
not keeping them fully occupied, and the men 
scorning to touch anything at all like domestic 
work. 
Our boatman tied up the canoe and then made 
themselves comfortable lying about the house, 
where we expected we would have to remain, 
at least until our men became partially sober. 
One of them was very drunk. Two were de¬ 
cidedly quarrelsome, but Vincente, the man to 
whom I had taken a liking, was fairly sober, and 
with his help we prepared a rough breakfast of 
plantain and meat stew cooked in a great iron 
pot. This was enough for us, and along in the 
afternoon two of the men being in fair condi¬ 
tion to work and one sleeping, Don Pacho 
thought that with Vincente’s aid we might get 
on our way, and so ordered that the canoe should 
be started. The men obeyed willingly enough, 
but our drunken companion had to be carried 
aboard, where we would allow him to sleep off 
his intoxication, while the other men, with the 
help of the captain, Don Agusto, would push the 
canoe forward. The men were anxious to reach 
a better place to sleep that night, so urged our 
way, and I began to admire their strength and 
dexterity. They were magnificent specimens, and 
but for their vices could have accomplished very 
much for the good of the country in which they 
lived. 
After a time a change came in our surround¬ 
ings. The mud banks gradually became less 
prominent and pleasanter hills arose near the 
water. It was a sluggish, mushy stream all the 
way, but the surroundings were more attractive, 
as we were drawing near to a better country. 
Then at a bend in the river we saw a group of 
houses some miles above us. The men gave a 
satisfied expression, half a cheer, and bent at 
their work with renewed vigor. We were arriv¬ 
ing at the place where we would sleep, and now 
the men began talking together. This awoke the 
man who had been sleeping, who now came from 
under the forward part of the tolda entirely 
naked and stood, with bewildered face, demand¬ 
ing that the canoe be put in to shore immedi¬ 
ately, saying that the canoe was his and every¬ 
thing in it belonged to him. The men laughed 
and hooted at him, which seemed to arouse his 
anger, and with violent words he declared that 
the canoe was his, and that he would overturn 
it if he wished. Immediately he gave a scream 
and a plunge to one side. The canoe lurched 
dangerously, and then one of the men threw our 
drunken companion to the bottom of the canoe 
and sat on him; not long, however, for in an¬ 
other instant he was free, and with a wild 
scream jumped to the top of the tolda, knife in 
hand, starting on a wild scramble to the stern 
of the boat, where it seemed that he would at¬ 
tack Don Pacho and me. 
For a moment the situation seemed dangerous, 
but Don Pacho was quite equal to the emer¬ 
gency, and awaiting a favorable instant as the 
man came toward us, tipped the canoe suddenly 
and sent him headlong into the water. Don 
Pacho now immediately took command, and I 
saw that he was a vigorous and daring leader. 
He immediately ordered me under the tolda, 
which position I politely declined to take. He 
replied: “At your own risk; there will be trouble 
here.” 
The men were all attention and ready to obey 
his orders, even to the slightest command. Our 
companion was floundering in the water, cursing 
and demanding that his canoe be delivered over 
to him. Fortunately he had lost his knife, so 
that danger was past. Don Pacho now ordered 
that the canoe be paddled down toward the 
struggling man, who ordinarily was an expert 
swimmer, but now in his state of intoxication 
could not well care for himself. 
Slowly the canoe approached, and then Don 
Pacho, at a signal to the men with his hand, 
directed that it stop just near our struggling 
companion, Don Pacho himself standing in the 
stern ready to throw him a rope. The man 
gasped and sank, then came to the surface and 
struggled toward the canoe. Don Pacho sig¬ 
nalled again to them to draw nearer the man, 
but. as the latter grasped the canoe with one 
hand, to my surprise Don Pacho loosened his 
hand and forced him into the water again. Gasp¬ 
ing and spluttering, he came to the surface once 
more and grasping the boat a second time, with 
gulpings and pleadings, begged to be taken 
aboard. But no, again Don Pacho forced him 
into the current and down he sank. To me it 
looked like murder. Perfectly cool and col¬ 
lected, Don Pacho stood at the stern of the boat 
and waited. A line of bubbles showed where the 
man was under the water, and following this, 
the canoe was kept close in his wake. Then we 
saw him coming to the surface once more. The 
canoe was forced to where he was rising, Don 
Pacho caught him by the hair, and all but dead 
he was dragged aboard and thrown into the bot¬ 
tom of the canoe. Immediately we were poled 
ashore, the man was taken out and his com¬ 
panions started the vigorous work of reviving 
him. This was entirely successful, and presently 
he was quite well and sufficiently humble and 
contrite to be taken aboard and carried on to 
the house where we were to stop for the 
night. 
I asked Don Pacho if this would be a lesson to 
him, but Don Pacho only laughed and said: 
“No, he will do it again to-morrow if he can 
get the rum,” and the other men made com- 
