Some of the country through which they traveled was
little known to white men; some of it absolutely unknown. They
hunted and killed specimens of the jaguar, tapir, peccary, and
nearly all of the other strange South American animals.
In February 1914, they set out upon an unknown stream called the
River of Doubt. They did not know whether the exploration of this
river would take them weeks or months; whether they might have to
face starvation, or savage tribes, or worse than either, disease.
They surveyed the river as they went, so as to be able to map its
course, and add to geographical knowledge. Strange birds haunted
the river, and vicious stinging insects annoyed the travelers.
They constantly had to carry the canoes around rapids or
waterfalls, so that progress was slow. Some of the canoes were
damaged and others had to be built. Large birds, like the
curassow, and also monkeys, were shot for food. The pest of
stinging insects grew constantly worse,--bees, mosquitoes, large
blood-sucking flies and enormous ants tormented them. The flies
were called piums and borashudas. Some of them bit like scorpions.
Kermit Roosevelt's canoe was caught in the rapids, smashed and
sunk, and one of the men drowned. Once they saw signs of some
unknown tribe of Indians, when, one of the dogs belonging to the
party was killed in the forest, almost within sight of Colonel
Rondon, and found with two arrows in his body.
Pages:
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131