A Brazilian, Clothed Only In His
Black Skin, Came Down The House Ladder And Stared At Us As We Passed.
The Compliment Was Returned, Although We Had Become Somewhat
Accustomed To That Style Of Dress - Or Undress.
A little farther up
the bay, a white stone shone out in the sunlight, marking the
Bolivian boundary, and giving the name of Piedra Blanca to the
village.
This landmark is shaded by a giant tamarind tree, and
numerous barrel trees, or palo boracho, grow in the vicinity. In my
many wanderings in tropical America, I have seen numerous strange
trees, but these are extraordinarily so. The trunk comes out of the
ground with a small circumference, then gradually widens out to the
proportions of an enormous barrel, and at the top closes up to the
two-foot circumference again. Two branches, like giant arms spread
themselves out in a most weird-looking manner on the top of all.
About five leaves grow on each bough, and, instinctively, you
consider them the fingers of the arms.
It was only three leagues to the Bolivian town of Piedra Blanca, but
the "Bahia do Marengo" took three hours to steam the short distance,
for five times we had to stop on the way, owing to the bearings
becoming heated. These the Brazilian engineer cooled with pails of
water.
In the beautiful Bay of Caceres, much of which was grown over with
lotus and Victoria Regia, we finally anchored. This Bolivian village
is about eighteen days' sail up the river from Montevideo on the
seacoast.
Chartering the "General Pando," a steamer of 25 h.p. and 70 ft. long,
we there completed our preparations, and finally steamed away up the
Alto Paraguay, proudly flying the Bolivian flag of red, yellow, and
green. As a correct plan of the river had to be drawn, the steamer
only travelled by day, when we were able to admire the grandeur of
the scenery, which daily grew wilder as the mountains vied with each
other in lifting their rugged peaks toward heaven. From time to time
we passed one of the numerous islands the Paraguay is noted for.
These are clothed with such luxuriant vegetation that nothing less
than an army of men with axes could penetrate them. The land is one
great, wild, untidy, luxuriant hot-house, "built by nature for
herself." The puma, jaguar and wildcat are here at home, besides the
anaconda and boa constrictor, which grow to enormous lengths. The
Yaci Reta, or Island of the Moon, is the ideal haunt of the jaguar,
and as we passed it a pair of those royal beasts were playing on the
shore like two enormous cats. As they caught sight of us, one leapt
into the mangrove swamp, out of sight, and the other took a plunge
into the river, only to rise a few yards distant and receive an
explosive bullet in his head. The mangrove tree, with its twisting
limbs and bright green foliage, grows in the warm water and fotid mud
of tropical countries.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 51 of 161
Words from 25822 to 26330
of 83353
