W. E. Hardenburg

“ The tapir — the most valuable of all the pachyderms— ought to be domesticated, for its flesh is excellent and its skin makes first-rate leather. In addition to this, a framework of unseasoned wood built over an open fire to suspend meat, etc. from it has been suggested that it would also serve as a beast of burden. We did not awake until about 11 a.m. when we had breakfast or lunch — whichever it was — after which we set out on our usual stroll. Perkins elected to take the shot-gun and penetrate the forest a short distance, while I went down to the alligator-pool. ”

“ Needless to say, I did not follow up any more turtle trails in the vicinity of the pool, for I had no desire to enter those pearly gates that I had just escaped from so narrowly. Perkins, better in the afternoon, went out, while I remained with the canoe ; in about an hour and a half he returned with about twenty small eggs, having found a charapilla's nest and a large, beautifully plumaged bird, known as the piuri. This bird has a magnificent, black curled topknot and a yellow bill, tipped with black, and is about the size of a turkey. I believe this fine bird is rather rare. ”

“ Presently a tall, rather pretty woman appeared, whom he introduced to us as the wife of his partner, now absent on a trip to Iquitos, via the River Napo. In the kitchen we observed a number of Indian women busily engaged in making farina. We had not intended stopping here for more than an hour or so, but shortly after our arrival Perkins was attacked by a heavy dose of fever, and as Lopez pressed us to stay, we were glad to accept his invitation. I spent most of the lime in conversation with our host, who kindly supplied me with considerable information about the region of the Caraparana. ”

“ Returning to the canoe, I stumbled upon a large turtle track following it some distance, I observed that it had dug up the sand, probably to deposit some eggs, so, excavating a little with my machete, I discovered the nest, which contained over eighty eggs. As these eggs are excellent eating, I took off my shirt, tied them up in it and carried them to camp, along with the paujil. At any rate, we were in no danger of starving. There are two kinds of turtle common on the Putumayo, a large and a small species, known respectively as the charapa and the charapilla. ”

“ Thin, weak, and emaciated, they looked more like ghosts than men. They were all in rags, without food, without medicines, and suffering from malarial fever of the worst kind. Lopez gave them some food and assigned them quarters under the house, while I gave them the greater part of our quinine. They were accompanied by ten or twelve Cioni boatmen, who, curiously enough, looked quite plump and healthy. The next day was Christmas, and Perkins was better, so we celebrated the occasion by killing, the turtle Don Rogerio had given us. ”

“ The next morning Perkins and I set out on a forest expedition. Following our previous trail to the end, we took out our machetes and hacked our way on a couple of kilometers farther. On the way we saw a tribe of the monkeys known as the Barrigudos. They are hairy and pot-bellied, with large, bullet-shaped heads and well-formed limbs. ”

“ The hunter sneaks to them as they are feeding and excites them by imitating the barking of a dog ; as soon as they perceive him they all make a rush in his direction. The hunter climbs a convenient tree and the enraged peccaries dash themselves against it in an endeavor to overturn it. The hunter then descends within reach of them, and, with his stout machete frequently kills numbers of the infuriated animals before they abandon their attack. ”

“ The tapir, danta, or gran bestia is the largest mammal of the Amazon Valley, and somewhat resembles the hog. Its snout is, however, prolonged to a small, flexible proboscis and its brown skin is covered, not with bristles but with a few silky hairs. During the daytime the tapir generally remains hidden in the cool, swampy marshes, coming out only at night to feed on roots, nuts, &c. When startled, he rushes along at great speed, his head down and perfectly regardless of trees and underbrush, through which he passes like a whirlwind. ”

“ The eggs are very agreeable, and are eaten either fresh or smoked. In Brazil they extract from them an oil, which is employed for illuminating, like kerosene. After lunch, which was composed of rice, turtle eggs, fish, and yuca, we again took up chess, which we played steadily until about three o'clock, when, happening to glance up towards the river, I was overjoyed to perceive several canoes coming upstream. Rushing down to the water's edge, we saw that there were five canoes, each one containing about ten Indians. ”

“ By this time we were some distance past the spot where they had been, and as the current was very strong, we did not judge it worth while to go back, seeing that they had all disappeared. On the following day we were again favored, at about noon, with another heavy downpour. The wind was so strong as to cause large waves and make our progress exceedingly slow. When the storm passed, at about one o'clock, the sun again obligingly came out and dried our clothes for us, as on the previous day. A little after this we had the luck to shoot a turkey and find a large nest of turtle eggs. ”

“ Their flesh is excellent, and they generally yield large quantities of fat, which is often used as an illuminant. As the manatee has a very delicate sense of hearing, its capture is rather difficult, and the Indians generally conceal themselves in the thick rushes that surround the bank of a pool and wait there for the victim to come up. As it feeds on certain plants that grow on the edge of the bank, it approaches the shore with some frequency. The Indians then watch their chance and, at a favorable moment, spring out and stab it before it can escape. ”

“ Such large quantities of it are produced, however, and at such a small cost, especially in the Caraparana and Igara-parana districts, that its poor quality is more than compensated for. Lopez furthermore told me that he had several racionales and a number of Indians employed on his inland estates. The former he paid a salary, while the Indians exchanged the rubber they collected for merchandise. In the middle of the afternoon we perceived several canoes coming up the river. Finally reaching the port, they disembarked, and we saw that they were the police force that Becerra had told us of. ”