Around the Caribbean and across Panama :

Front matter

Smithsonian Institution

(:^-y(ihrarii varies

Alexander Wetmore

Preface

Of all the regions adjacent to the United States none are so attractive or present such varied conditions of development, scenic beauty, and commercial opportunity as the countries about the Caribbean Sea. From the islands of the West Indies, with their teeming population, some of them the most densely peopled spots in the world, to the low lands of Central America, where, in the solitude of the wilderness, a human voice is all but unknown, we find a varied country. It is a vast region surrounding the pleasant waters of the Caribbean Sea, inhabited by divers people, and presenting for our consideration snow-capped mountains, temperate uplands, broad savannahs and grassy plains, open valleys, dense jungles, and mighty rivers pouring their torrents of muddy water into the sea. One meets Spaniards, Englishmen, Negroes, and Indians of many different tribes. Of products everything known to the American tropics is

PREFACE

to be had. Commerce is flourishing as yet only in its infancy, but with the opening of work on the Isthmian Canal a great impetus will be given to all this region; and many will turn to the South, some looking for business in the cities, others going to the wilderness on projects of development, or seeking to gather products.

For my part, I have visited almost every point of the Caribbean regions, and expect to go there again many times. What has happened to me, is similar to what others may expect ; descriptions of a country are all very well, but incidents and adventures of the road give a much clearer idea of the conditions and of the circumstances which one must expect to encounter.

XVIII. Page

Going South 1

Camping on the Coast of Spanish Honduras 4

Indians and Mosquitoes ... 17

Wild Animals and a Panther at Night 30

Alone in an Indian Village . . 37 A Startling Proposition and a Heavy

A Row IN Camp 51

Alone with the Indians Again . . 66 Over the Mountains with Indian

Murderers 65

Treachery and Poison .... 79 Perplexities and Spanish - American

Hospitality 96

Examining a Mine under Difficulties 107 Over the Mountains on a Race against

Time . 120

A Rough Journey to the Coast . . 130 Honduras to Costa Rica via New

Orleans 138

The Death Dance of the Talamanca

Up the Atrato River in Colombia . 175

The Wilderness op the Choco Country 185

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

XIX. A Canoe Route from the Caribbean

TO THE Pacific .... 197

XX. Across Panama 215

XXI. The Indians and Resources of Panama 226 XXII. Panama and Nicaragua Routes for the

Isthmian Canal .... 235

XXIII. Hunting for Gold in Antioquia . . 242

XXIV. A Canoe Voyage in the Open Sea . 251 XXV. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Mountains 258

■ XXVI. Among the Goajira Indians . . . 294

XXVII. Ramon, a Story of the Goajiras . 307

XXVIII. Across Country to Bogota . . . 336

XXIX. Through the West Indies . . . 351

XXX. A Faithful Guide 371

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Pine lands and savannahs near the Eio Patuca, on the

way to the Indian village {See page 38) Frontispiece

Map of the Caribbean regions v

Map of the Caribbean regions and localities where

adventures occurred vii

The Eio Patuca .26

A river of the tropical low lands .... 52

Mosquito bars prepared for the night near a tropical

river 70

Jungles in the low lands of Central America . . 134 Entrance to the king's house. " A shed protected the entrance from the rains, and formed an open veranda where horses were tied, and the Indians

gathered at times " 146

Josecito. Heir to the kingship among the Talamanca

Indians 150

Josecito 15g

The private house of Antonio, King of the Talamancas 160 Talamanca Indians. Men who are almost wild creatures of the woods. The Indian on^he left is the man who prepared the models of the dead as if for

bnrial 166

Model of a dead Talamancan Indian prepared for laying out in the woods. A tambour back of the model, and above it articles of adornment used at the dance for the dead . . . . . . 172

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Cartagena, Colombia. View outside the city wall . 178

Natives catching fish. Men who tell of the quicharo and other strange objects believed to inhabit their rivers 190

Map illustrating the canoe route from the Caribbean

to the Pacific 198

Cartagena, Colombia. View across the harbour, where the principal trading centre will be located when the canoe route from the Caribbean to the Pacific is developed 212

Low tide in the Pacific off Panama .... 216

A Spanish-American country town. Through the American tropics there is great similarity among the towns and villages, and all look very much alike 220

Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal . . . 224

Maps of Nicaragua and Panama Canal routes drawn

on exactly the same scale 236

Crater of Poas, one of the volcanoes of Costa Rica, among the mountains south of the Nicaragua Canal route 238

Crater of Irazu. A silent volcano of Costa Rica overlooking the Nicaragua Canal route . . . 240

City of Barranquilla, Colombia. One of the most

rapidly developing places in South America . 242

Market-place in Madellen, Colombia .... 246

Street in Dibulla, a little town at the back of the Sierra

Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in Colombia . 258

Portrait of an Aurohuaco Indian. The people who deserted their city when our party proposed to visit them 278

An Aurohuaco Indian, one of the men who might have rolled great rocks down on us from the mountains had we remained in their country . . . 284

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

A Goajira Indian woman of high position among her

people 296

Collection of articles used by the Goajira Indians exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History, New York 306

Goajira Indians. A marriageable girl offered by her

uncles 310

Belts used by the Goajira Indians. Their principal

clothing during war and hunting expeditions . 314

Goajira Indians prepared for hunting or war . . 318

Tumas. Beautiful red beads found in ancient graves among the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, used by the Goajira Indians and considered priceless. The bullet-shaped specimens at base of picture are similar to the bead given to Ramon . 332

The road over the Andes to Bogota, Colombia . . 342

Scene in a Spanish-American city of the uplands.

Bolivar Square, Bogota, Colombia . . . 346

Steamboat on the Magdalena River .... 350

A house in the interior of Jamaica. Occupied by one of the independent land-owning negroes of that island 358

The wild mountains of the interior of Jamaica, British

West Indies 364

In tropical America the poor labour under heavy

burdens 372

AND

ACROSS PANAMA

Chapter I. Going South

One cannot explore the Caribbean regions in a month or even in a year, and it is some time ago that I found myself with a considerable undertaking in view, the exploration of all that country for the South American Land & Exploration Co., Ltd.

Plans had been carefully considered, and I was to go alone, use my own judgment as to finding companions on the way, and explore the gold regions, the timber lands, the rubber forests, and other resources of the tropics. I crossed and recrossed the Caribbean Sea many times, but for convenience in relating all that happened I will crowd the incidents of a long period into a tale as of one continuous journey.

Going south is very easy. Comfortable steamers leave New York at regular intervals ; the traveller at ease on his way watches the waters of the ocean change day by day to the deep blue of the tropical seas, feels the air grow warmer as the breezes come up from the south; a glimpse of green islands in the distance, beyond them the sweeping trade-winds and turbulent blue waters of the Caribbean ; then a line of mountains, gray in the distance, and in a little time the steamer anchors near the shore. A strange odour of swamps and forests fills the air, a damp clinging heat settles oppressively about one. Presently a crew of natives comes aboard, some in rough cotton clothes, one or two in gaudy, ill-fitting uniforms, and some dressed in a mixture of both, looking strangely incongruous and not very clean. Now one is to leave the steamer, and the expectant traveller goes ashore with the motley crew of natives, amused perhaps at noticing how they all shout out orders and direct one another. When the boat reaches land, one may find a rough wharf, but at most places only a lot of sheds marks the landing, where there is a stretch of white sand burning hot under the sun of the tropics, a few straggling bushes, some cocoanut-trees, — ragged specimens tossing to and fro in the wind, or drooping listlessly if the day is still, — patches of coarse grass, a vault of blue overhead where surely a group of buzzards will be circling about, and everywhere intense burning heat. One hurries to the nearest protecting shade, and is glad when permission is received from the custom-house authorities to leave the landing-place and seek the interior of one of the low, cool houses in the city beyond.

Under such conditions, I arrived at the little seaport of Truxillo, in Spanish Honduras. The details of the scene were not pleasing, but the broad expanse of the blue ocean, the intense sky, the great jungles stretching away below the city, and the lofty mountains toward the interior combined under the flood of glowing sunlight to form a scene of dreamy loveliness.

CHAPTER n.

CAMPING ON THE COAST OF SPANISH HONDURAS

A FEW days in Truxillo, and I started down the coast in a small sailboat with some adventurous Americans and a goodly company of negro passengers.

These daring Americans were taking me to see property and mines, in which they, with some of my friends in New York, were interested. Their time was passed in praising each other, drinking, telling me of the great things they had done, and in doing me for money. It was all part of a prearranged plan, and had to be tolerated.

As we stood along the coast I saw a succession of low, sandy beaches, a tangled growth of jungle beyond, and then a range of blue mountains in the distance.

After three days under a tropical sun, the captain informed us that we had arrived off our destination, the inlet of Brewer's Lagoon, and that he would put about for the shore, reminding us that he did not guarantee a safe entrance, and in case of loss the damage was for our account.

Passengers were ordered below, but the captain allowed me to stay on deck, perhaps because I had taken the tiller for part of the time on the way down, and had gotten along fairly well sailing the boat.

" What will happen to us," I asked, " if the boat runs aground? "

" Do you see those big waves ? " the captain replied, in the low, deep voice common to the negroes, but with the most perfect enunciation, and no sign of negro dialect. " There are the shifting sand-banks; the channel is never the same ; it is always changing ; if we ground, the boat will be beaten to pieces; our people will swim ashore, but the sharks will eat white men ; you were not made for these countries. Don't talk to me now."

Surely a pleasant prospect. I had sailed many a small boat in rough water, and was not at all afraid of a swim ; but the sharks, — how awful it would be to feci their great jaws close on a leg, and then be torn to pieces by a company of them attracted by the blood!

" Are there really many sharks ? " I asked, in a whisper.

" Yes ; don't talk," answered the captain.

A big negro called Tom,- a perfect specimen of health and strength, said to me : " See that swirl in the water over there, and see that thing moving just ahead of the boat. They are gathering all around us. Here dead animals float out to sea ; that is why they come."

We were approaching the shore now. Great, muddy waves rose up with a threatening comb, rippled into a foaming line along the top, and then settled down again. I could see no sign of an inlet, but still the little boat kept on, the captain now giving orders in his native tongue, a remnant of African memories used all along the coast. The men stood at their places, and then, swinging the sail full to the wind, the captain stood directly for the shore. For a moment we ran quietly before the wind, then a great sigh seemed to rise up among the waves, and with a trembling and dragging the boat went grinding along the bottom. Behind us came a rolling wave, in which, as it rushed toward us, I pictured thousands of evilly disposed sharks; in another instant the boat went staggering on, then it came down on its side, and seemed to be endeavouring to bury itself in the sand; waves were now breaking all about us, and we were not more than fifty yards from the shore. Once more the boat rose up and staggered forward, came down with a bang, that sent us all on our backs; the next instant a wave dashed over us, and then, with a grinding and dragging, while the men shouted out to each other, the boat seemed to make a final effort and floated gently into quiet water behind the bar. Here a current was running out to sea like a mill-race, and it was some time before she could be brought around to the wind and started toward the inlet.

" We disappointed the sharks that time," the captain said, while the men began making vows that they would never come again with such a heavy cargo.

Then all the passengers began talking at once, but I felt little patience to hear them, and, going to the bow of the boat, sat on the guardrail beside Tom, who gave a kind of sympathetic rub up against me, a movement expressive of satisfaction, such as a great dog gives at times, and then said, " You needn't look so white and frightened about it; we would have taken care of you, anyway."

A landing was made on the inner side of the sand point at Brewer's Lagoon. I scrambled over the side of the boat, and immediately a painful, smarting sting developed on my face and hands, caused by the sand-flies, tiny enemies, too numerous to combat; and soon they converted our hopeful company into as quarrelsome a set of individuals as ever made themselves disagreeable to one another in a tropical country. The negro sailors did not mind the sand-flies very much, and they soon had the cargo on shore ; then the boat prepared to go away. I wanted Tom to stay with me, but he would not hear of it, and urged that I should return with them, but that could not be. Tom had been a faithful servant, and I felt I should miss him sadly; for continued good nature, strong, steady muscles, and a faithful spirit are rarely found, especially in the tropics. As the boat sailed away, I was lonely and discouraged, and determined that when I returned to Truxillo I would engage Tom for a long cruise; but I never saw him after.

A circumstance not a little to be regretted in a traveller's life, is the parting from faithful people. One meets with many who are companionable and worthy of esteem, — rough Indian guides, courageous and true; vigorous negroes, ready to dare anything in one's service; courteous officials, kind friends, and charming hostesses ; and at parting one resolves he will meet them at some future time, but often they are never seen again.

On the sand point at Brewer's Lagoon our camp settled itself to await the pleasure of the Mosquito Indians who were to take us on our way. The days were not pleasant, but after I found that a mixture of kerosene oil, carbolic acid, and vaseline, if smeared thick enough on the hands and face, would keep the sand-flies from bothering, life became tolerable, and the evenings were always charming, for then the sand-flies went away, and the mosquitoes did not come till late.

When one has nothing but corned meat in tins, it is really noticeable with what eagerness one starts on the chase, and, when evening came, I was always ready to take my rifle and follow any guide who might be willing to lead the way. At our camp there was a negro called Big George, who stood six feet four, and knew all the country round about. Frequently, after sunset, he and I would go among the sand-dunes looking for deer. We never got anything. Big George said I talked too much, but I am not so sure about that.

One night we determined to follow the beach looking for turtles. It was a beautiful experience; under the intense moonlight the sand looked like a pathway of silver stretching out in the distance, with the ocean and the jungle, one on either hand, each shrouded with the mystery of night; from the ocean the sound of the waves breaking along the shore, and from the jungle the cries of wild animals — weird voices from creatures unseen. Strange surroundings, intensified by the presence of fierce semi-naked Indians, who, following one after the other, went like shadows stealing silently along the sand !

On and on we went, our hopes frequently raised, to be followed only by disappointment. Sometimes it was a log glistening in the moonlight; again a patch of shells would so much resemble a turtle that out steps would quicken impulsively. Finally, Big George said it was of no use; the moon was too clear. But just then something unusually bright in the distance caught my attention, and hurrying on, we saw that this time a really large turtle was just before us, resting quietly on the sand. Now all was excitement. Nearer and nearer we crept. The turtle, all unsuspecting, remained quiet; then suddenly its head was raised for an instant only, and it started clumsily for the water. Immediately the Indians were upon it, and for a moment I could not tell which was Indian and which was turtle. In the general confusion one man was sent rolling over and over at a blow from one of the flippers; in an instant he was on it again, and then the struggle was over; the turtle was turned on its back, hauled to a safe place, and we returned triumphantly to camp.

The next morning four Indians said they would bring the turtle in with ropes if I would loan them. I thought they must be very strong, and rather doubted their- ability, but I gave them such things as they wanted, and, taking my rifle, followed, to see what they would do. After a tramp of about three hours, we reached the turtle, finding it unharmed and just as it had been left the night before. The Indians began at once tying up the turtle for the return to camp. I could not help admiring their ingenuity. A rope was tied to each flipper, when the turtle was allowed to crawl back to the water, where the Indians, holding the ropes from the shore, could guide it as they wished. We went toward camp with some enthusiasm at the thought of the supply of fresh meat that was swimming along before us as we walked rapidly over the hard sand.

Presently we came to the mouth of a river, where we all crowded into a small canoe, one man holding the turtle, and three attempting to paddle. But the turtle was too strong for us, and began at once dragging the canoe down the river toward the breakers on the bar. Here was danger; around us an ever-increasing company of sharks came, gathering closer; some even brushed against the canoe, rocking it violently, while the efforts of the turtle threatened to upset us every moment, and once in that water there would have been little chance for us. We were now nearing the breakers, and the canoe began to race ominously. I called to the men to cut the ropes and let the turtle go. One seized the hatchet, but at that instant the turtle turned down the coast instead of crossing the bar, and this gave the Indians a chance to reach the other shore, and we soon had the turtle hauled up close by camp. That night he was made into soup, a whole turtle stewed in a great iron pot, and it was good.

As the days went on, my companions continued to drink freely, and presently the camp ran dry, that is, all the spirits had been consumed. This wasn't my fault, and I was rather well satisfied ; but my companions were most unhappy, and the superintendent ordered that I immediately provide the money for a fresh supply. I had all the funds for the expedition, which, in some respects, was fortunate, though I hardly think that expedition would ever have gone to water; yet, except the money had been in my hands, it would never have gone very far.

After thinking for a few moments, I declined to provide more drink, and prepared to face a storm, which came on in good earnest, — a wind of words before which I finally weakened. I was still very young then, and had frequently read of the necessity of spirits on an exploring expedition, especially for snake-bites, exhaustion, etc.

I decided to go myself to a trading-station some miles away, and bring to camp six bottles of cheap liquor, — a mixture of alcohol and other things, called brandy, which ought to have been more fatal than a snake-bite.

Taking two Indians, I started for a long tramp to the trading-station. There was little of incident, but much that was beautiful, the influence of which was probably enhanced by the sense of harmony and the satisfaction I had left behind among the members of the expedition. Through dense jungles, the trail led on and on, the Indians never hesitating for an instant, till finally we reached an open savannah, where we stopped to rest, with a beautiful expanse of green before us, containing some square miles of grass, dotted with groups of fine trees, through which the distant mountains could be seen, a bold outline in beautiful prospective.

Starting on again, we presently came to the traders' camp, where I bought six bottles of brandy, and, after resting my men and giving them a feed, started back for camp, each Indian carrying three bottles of the brandy and looking the picture of misery while they trudged along in front of me, endeavouring to get away by themselves. Finally they became worked up into such a state of excitement that, for safety, I promised to give them each a drink when we got to camp, and after that I could not go fast enough for them.

At sunset we reached camp, and all came crowding around eager for brandy. One bottle was given to the superintendent, who immediately partook liberally himself; and then he began treating all hands, and soon came back for a fresh supply. But I had placed the five remaining bottles in a suitable box, nailed down the lid, and put my seal over the cracks, as one does when shipping bullion; then I announced that that brandy was mine, and threatened all the law and prosecution of the courts on any one who dared to break my seal. Then there was a racket, before which I winced and trembled, but would not give in ; for, though I was afraid all through, I was mad also, and that helped me out.

It was amusing to see the superintendent look at the impression of my crest on the box, and then turn away doubtfully and consult with the Spaniards ; but they seemed to consider that I had the law on my side, and it is remarkable what a little thing will hold men in check. Finally the camp quieted down, and after a cold supper I went to bed. Before I turned in, the cook, a rough fellow named Brown, slapped me on the back and said, " Wal, now, for a kid, that war purty well done," and then he went away laughing. I was very indignant that any one should call me kid, and went to sleep planning how it should be stopped.

Chapter III. Indians And Mosquitoes

Now the days dragged and time was heavy on our hands, and it appeared as though the Indians never would be ready to take us on. but one morning a whole fleet of canoes appeared, brought by a goodly company of Indians who had come to take us to their village.

Under the direction of their chief, our goods were shortly distributed among the canoes, and in a long procession we started across the lagoon, a sheet of water formed quite the same as the shallow lagoons along our Atlantic coast, but surrounded with vegetation of bewildering density. The water was very shallow, and the canoes made good progress. After some hours we saw in the distance a collection of cocoanut-trees floating as it were above the water. They mark one of the principal towns of the Mosquito Indians, a place where dark stories linger, tales of the Indians and their cruelty. Arriving at this place in the late afternoon, I saw only a low, muddy shore, and groups of huts clustered together among the trees.

As we came up to the landing, women and children crowded about, talking eagerly, and anxious to see everything we had. Climbing over the side of a great canoe, I stood for the first time on the native land of the Indians, and it would have been hard to tell which were the more interested, I or the Indians crowding about me. The girls were graceful ; the younger ones beautiful. The children were bright and pretty, like little fairies, almost ; but the older women were worn and bent by labour. The men showed all too clearly the signs of unrestricted dissipation. They were of rather dark skin, and among some there were marked traces of negro blood. Their huts were oblong, rounded at the ends ; they were made by driving palmettotrunks into the ground and covered with a thatched roof of palm-leaves. The children wore but little clothing; the women used a short skirt and little shawl, and the men wore pantaloons and a short coat, only partially covering the abdomen. All were friendly, and in a very short time willing hands took our supplies from the canoes, and then made us welcome, with presents of fruits and game. All our things were stored in one of the larger huts, and we were given a place near by, in which we were to live, — a very comfortable hut, with mahogany boards for the floor.

Soon people grew tired of looking at us, and went about their own affairs. The women busied themselves preparing food, and presently seated before the huts were groups of people, eating, talking, and laughing, evidently secure in the abundance of the present and the promises of the future, with no care at all.

In a little time the family groups began to disappear, and laughing and talking could be heard from under heavy canopies; and from the surrounding jungles a distant hum, rising up and dying away, could be heard constantly growing louder, and apparently drawing nearer. Most of the people had disappeared by this time, and the chief now shouted to us, " Get under the mosquito canopies; don't you hear them coming? "

We had been provided with canopies before leaving the settlements, and, finding that the Indians had been careful to hang them in our hut, we hurried under cover. For a time I lay awake, listening in wonder to the myriads of mosquitoes that came swarming about. This was the Mosquito Coast, and I began to understand how, at night, the mosquitoes are a real danger, and to sleep without a heavy canopy would truly mean death.

A day or two later, in the early morning, when the fog was thick among the marshes, and the mist hung low over the water, I left the little Indian village under the cocoanut-trees on Brewer's Lagoon, and began a long journey, canoeing up the Rio Patuca of Spanish Honduras. I had been pleasantly entertained at the village, but my late friends were apparently so indifferent at my going that I began to lose faith in the Indians, while stories that I had heard of their cruelty and treachery were constantly suggesting themselves to my thoughts. My white companions were rough, boasting, quarrelsome men, not pleasant travelling companions; and from them I separated myself, and found a comfortable place in one of the smaller canoes alone with three Indians, about whom I really knew nothing. Soon the Indian village was lost, in the gray light of the morning, and then we were surrounded by fog and desolation. Along the shores of the lagoon were dead or dying trees, gaunt and naked; about us were quantities of water-fowl, and in the water were many watchful alligators. Our progress was slow, for the shallow water was choked with plants and decaying vegetation. About noon we made a branch of the Patuca River, where a volume of muddy water came pouring out of a narrow channel, surrounded by great stretches of marsh land covered with tall reeds and extending for miles. Progress was slow, and the clumsy boat designed by the superintendent of the expedition could scarcely be held against the current.