The sun. [volume], December 31, 1893, 2, Page 6, Image 6

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

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IFF i
f W ' 5, THE SUN, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1893.it -- --
1 ON TME BEACH AT WAIKIKI.
- whkbk xna ivnttou. or zirx is
.C ,'" F'l. tULLBD AMD LAZUtBSS IS AM ART.
Ml fj, P A Ka PH la a Jramoaa ffafcara f
IjTOj l J, Hoaelnla Bom of the Modal Diversions
Ufk It DM of Modtm Hawallaa Aristocrat
IX II t' ral.Waataa. aaa Ho;, and 1)1 pa lata tha
fW' II? K TVarm Waters of lb Honlh Bta.
- ft' JK One man who hart been twice around the
V ' re world and la now slowly drifting around on lilt
&' ' H third tour said to me that he thought life af-
i l it; forded more pleasure In the flandwloh Ialands
7 y than anywhere else on the stole. Of course
ft t W, that tort of opinion I valueless unlets you
? ft ' know alt about the mental and physical mako-
' f IV up of the man who exprettos It, so thatrou
' , ,t R roar oorreoUr determine the view point. Well.
'V r the man cares Quito a bit about painting nnd
j , f music, nothing about books or literature, It a
'. f fairly Intelligent dlnor. has substituted whit-
, I key and water for champagne as a beverage.
It f Is a connoisseur In female boauty, and wnuld
V rather bathe lti the ocean than say his prarors.
' At one must forego on the Islands such do
; ' lights as aro affordod by picture gallorlos.
j ststuary, music, except the most elemental,
Mllteraturo holds no place In tho esteem of
oclety, at the culinary art Is only rarely
raised abort the talent required to make pal-
table pol, and, as theatrioat entertainments
re limited to the oceatlonal appearanoe of
'ft troupt en route between Ban Francisco and
Australia, It will be sten that a great many
fy ' compentatlont must be offered to proteot
r Jv from boredom any one aoaustomtd to depend
! i& A upon any or all of thete pltaturet for social
$ I f reortatlons.
, : ' jj '; Yet no one It tTer bored on the Islands. The
I. '8T ' Ba,lTe' nT8 no word to express that mental
jf w . condition and the Tltttor forgets what It It
T M Hke. To be ture, the natives will sometimes
lOte eontM( t being In a vtlikea, which may be
A EBr ttaa,,'(1 "trouble;" butthatusualty results
V !(' Xroni tome such difficulty as not balbgable to
( Kr obtain at tha moment onough ftowtrt to make
f, cSr ' ft lufHclently handtome let to present you as
V tr an expression of tbelr joy that you have nr-
W ' r'T,d' tne,r resret that you are going, their
jr. jfj contentment that you 'are to remain, or their
i IK,, hope that rou wilt return aoon.
v jEi A few mllos from tho town of Honolulu,
l reached by a drive borderod with parks and
'"' gardens of luxuriant tropical plants and trees,
, I gLi with now and then a cocoanut grove, or an
''i' cpen ,paC9 through which, on ono side tho
II 8B ' "n,"DBtJulhBea reached away forever, or, on
rr '' W ' the othor. the dork creon mountains rested tho
' 'M " cre and c00,)d tho air. Is a suburb aallod
L 'M ' tValklk!. You call that y-koo-koe. and It
BSfr " J", meant laughing wator, or tmlllng water, or
I -, ' tumbled water. The "Wal" Is water, and
i every bit of water on or about tho Islands
' glvos a prottlly cnaracterUed namo to
the locality. Well, at Wallclkt many wealthy
people have hom. some on the vary
edgo of the water, which are neither "sum
. mor homes nor "winter" homes, to bo closeJ
and nVimrtod half the year. Their owners havo
homes in town, hut keen tho Walklkl rlaces
open always, to bo occupied by uny mombers
or tho family or nil tho family, as tho fancy
dlctatos: lor a tingle meal, a night, a week, n
month, or continuously. It must have been at
Watklkl that tha globe trotter referred to lived
y his tHiuttl Hea idyl.
J . One of tho most charming places on tho
cejuliat ttniklki Is owned by a Honolulu mor-
ch.mt whom 1 had the oeoullar good fortune to
meet pleasantly In this country and then to
i aacnmpanyon thnstenmorfrom han i''ranclsco
tolliinojiilu.. In that way I bcamo his guest
atWalkiki. Ho hail a beautiful home In the
town, but nearly entry ovenlng drove to tne
beach. Uut. and this Is n peculiarity of
Hawaiian temperamont, ho never knew
, whothor he was going to the boaah or not
I until he got Into his buggy to do so. I want
to toll something about that very thing, for it
. explains a whole lot about the habits and tern-
pornmfntsof thn HawnllanK. This merchant
was born on the Islands, of Kngllsh parents.
Hero is a scone In his business ofllce: A
natlvo srrvunt enters, moving with great de-
t. liberation, but speaking with, amazing volu-
. blllty, nnu Informs the merchant that bis, the
, fnerohonts, mother wants to know at once If
b Is going down to the beach that afternoon.
t I & i Tho merchant talks for a long time In
', C,' Hawaiian to tho servant, and then tells him
'i. ' ff. , $ to wait for a mlouta. The servant goes out on
J y 'av'.,.. the sidewalk and promptly goes to sleep.
tp II K .In an hour another servant arrives to deliver
A.' U Wfc tn samo.messago and to recover the Hrst
i 81 W. ;' Mfyant He talks and Is told to wait a minute,
JT i. . nd Joins his comrade In slumber.
j" ' - ,'n another hour the merchant's mother nr-
il m Ives tna village cart and sends her drl or In
It ' lor the merchant. She Is coolly dressed, alt In
V ', ! white, but appears to be greatly excited. The
0i two sorvants on the sidewalk wake up and bo-
tjv, ' eomo excited, ami the merchant appears and
& : 5V' wra to be txclted. too. In a leisurely way.
i " , Uamma begins: "how, (ieorge. will you ever
i 2 isarn to answer my messages V Are you going
S k- tothe beach to-night, or not? You know if
r' g- ou are 1 miist tend down some pol she per
, - tii1 mitt her family to eat only the poi made by a
Y", i -Wy ftrtatn old servant), and some extra Ice. and
I l WM omelrult, and some "
A '- " ow. inammu. my dear. I can't toll." In-
if ?a l"uptedthesou. "We are expecting a ship
$ 1 &. n th afternoon, and-well. why don't you
S : 15 end the things down any way?"
' $ ' And let those lay servants down there eat
if m' vpprthlncl send down 1"
l' A" trace of excitement has now disappeared.
(ft '. W ""f threo native servants are asleep, tha
3 S" mother and son are speaking in drawling, low
? ; tones, another village cart stops, there Is an
' . exchange of gossln. the mother drives away
. If- n. her cart with lier friends, the morchant
iT . K" sks the two remaining servants what they
c? Sf loafing lor. and thoy depart, grinning.
31 i S Jhat same scene occurred nearly everyday,
fff - S nd no one concorned seemed to think there
.1 . Wns anything odd about It
if ' I ... was Tlttlo eent.u little excuso for a
,f S little, a yery little Hurry, and that was reason
J enough for the scene. Life Is very slmpli, very
r, f unsophisticated there, and tho natural desire
J lor a little excitement causes them to make an
rT 5 excitement, work It up. out of nothing.
k 1 ..iniC8Au!'i',!F.Ka.,ttLau,VelKnI breakfasted
W A t his Walklkl plaro with a party wlilch lu-
f' ?, fluded ray merohant friend, an ox.Governor of
i J 4 y'fln', an lingllsh tourist, and Llaus
' ? ,prolie',,, After breakfast wo went out Into
if 4 i t!1,1 Kim beautiful oocoanut grove, whero
f Kalakaunorderedoneofhlsniostexportcllmb-
4 rs to go up a tree and send down some nuts.
' i2 t "heF" wer dozens of native retainers
3 leunclng about In the grove who saw nothing
'. WSt extraordinary In Jho wore of the climber which
m. amazed ua all. The young Kanaka who in ado
WS the asoent touched no part of his body but tho
'- w salrat of his hands and Ihnsnles of his fet In
1 .1 Klfr domgso, yrt huran uptlio tnll tree a rapidly
' ' HE W easily as sailor climbs tho ratlines.
V ' Iff When ho reached the bunch of nuts he wound
t if poe leg about the slender trunk and ftlih una
"' 11 loot began kicking off the nuts, cutchlng the
If. atems hetueeu tho big ami tho next
I I Cff toe. As the nuts esmo bounding down
f fl' I? on ',he creensward one of thorn fell
II S ?.? ?i0,.e lo ,,1. ex-Oovernor that that
fl pk fllgnlHuil person hopped about In a Htelr
ft Banner to keep from t'lnr hit. Instantly, on
f fjf observing this, every Kanaka In. tho grove be-
UV ime .wildly excited. Thev lumped about.
1? Bsnctd. laughed, sang, and had a deuce of a
i i- W time generally. Uy the tlrbe the climber had
, Vtt dstcended, and the King had citen an order
'B forspme surf riders to take their surf boards
f IP ?Jt,n bach and glvo an exhibition of surf
1 riding, all the Kanakas wore In a delirium of
!fc xoitement, their own expressions of this
- , fP motion constantly adding to It.
. Sh. lint tha h,.li t-W-IL-ILlI luhM.. .!...
.f sex .- w .iuiia(, jtg liv.i luui-a
: if eoaststed of one central roomy cottage, ad-
- ft Joining which, and between It and the ocean.
i ' tr waathebiglanal, In the centre of that there
m was a billiard table.ln every eornerhammocks,
v VZ S"d scattered about were light easy chairs.
L IS ?'lenJ".e?!.were other detached cottages, a
1 r detached kitchen, and. a step from the beach,
W dressing rooms for bathers. Thelanal was, I
i, 5J tbould think, a hundred foet from where the
t baby turf broke after rolling In over the Inside
ft ' .. eoal reef, the big surf breaking on tho out-
2 i' iff tldereef, I don't know what the temiisrsturo
f- 1 W1 Wat of air or water, I don't think any one
', W ?Jr A?ok ,$ Iberniomelers.or things like
" . that there. ou know that tho air :a balmy
t ' ' $ fV1 "oft. and that you are perfectly happy
i ft tiring In the hammock In pajamas, or lying on
f m ne while, beach sand in your wet bathing
f Jf, drTM aDd that to l In the water is a luxury.
IJK The native servants might not bo accounted
ft J,eryood servants In the estimation nt a New
1 York housekeeper. It takes two or three to do
E, What one Chinese or Jaraneao will and there
ro Plenty of the latter. If you prefer. Hut the
X, oatltes can du so. many things outside of
fc household work which the Chinese and Japs
Sf, aannot. 1 remember one night we were loung.
B Ing on the lanat with a big moon swinging
B pwrus. the baby surf purring at our feet, the
I' bin surf sanding In a faint, drowsy boom Ironi
1 tn 01i,f!.J. ree' andagroupof uutUes just
beyond thj lansi rail softly slnglngandlaugh-
1 1?5" "8 had all been silent for a long time
f when our host lazily called one of the senants
1 fi?',5ynlmJ,i0.l"A,DJl,''uHon that caused
I the wlldtst delight, Tht nathes run out
eaooe, and thl'V of theui, absolutely nude.
T eiaharked. One paddlod, one held a torch
E S08 "fd. ,MVi 'r,!r ellently moved out
beyond the line pi inside surf, and there the
M pan with tht paddle held the canoe tllll. The
T torch bearer and spearaman stood up. For
Hi - rsttral minutes they were as motionless at
W ?""!? slatues. and at handsome, too. tht
W torch hearer holding bis flaming light over his
bead, the spesrsman standing with muscles
. IWf iUIA. pr P0''d Tor a stroke.
f buddenly thtre.wat a quick, dexterous plungt
', (ibttpear. tad a royal kumu. tht big golden I
' ' V'?Sl thoae waters, vrafptlie. The men i
k , , 'ht canoe announced thtlr prUe. and thtlr J
k.
comrades on the beach danetd exnltantly. We
had that kumu for breskfatt, and the natives
teteoncd their pol with a little devil fish
one of the fishermen caught. with hit hands
and calmly killed by biting It baek of Ita head
at It wound Itt tentacles around his arm. I
saw a Kanaka woman do that once, aad her
expression wat Just the same as on American
seamstress wears when the bltos her thread.
Hut what I wat going to toy Is that, while
tha natives may not makes good house ser
vants s somo others, they do something In
compensation. The, picture of those men In
that canoe that night might even compensate
for the lack of pictures painted on canvas.
, Home nights our host Invited parties of
ladles and gentlemen down to Watklkl. There
are a nnmber of hlgh-catte half-white families
In Honolulu, and the poet Is not horn who can
exaggerate the charm of a high-caste half
white belle. Ask any of the naval omcers who
have been them and In every other port In the
world famous for the fascination of its belles.
Htatd old I'rof. Draper explained that the
divergent effects of soil and climate on human
nature, in exemplified In the temperaments
north and south of Mason and Dixon's line,
caused the late unpleasantness. I'osslblr an
npnllcatlon of his sclentlfla theory might re
sult In some such explanation as that Ha
waiian girls, awing to tho effects of their en
vironment, are possessed of all the clmrms of
femininity most eltective when directed to tne
subjugation of the male human: and that
those girls are no more responsible for the
jmsjeinlon of those attributes than is the rri
of gsrdlnlasthey put on your neck for Its per
fume. Hut you don't recall Drapers history
in iionoiuiu i especially ynu rum i wneu you
are In lht company o( a halt-white girl br tha
sands of Wnlklkl. , . , . ......
rtnme of tho girls bring taro patch fiddles
with them, A taro pateh llddln Is some
thing like a banjo and something llko
n guitar in it construction, and is plarod
not tiy picking Its strings, but hy softly and
swiftly passing over the strings the tip ends of
the fingers as the chords aro rapidly changed.
They all bring bathing dresses, they all bring
Irtt, ami they all bring chaperons. Now an
Hawaiian chaperon -but the would take a
chapter to herself.
Those glrls-1 am speaking, of coarse, of the
hlgn castes, those whoso mothers descended
from chieftesses of. the days of Kamaharn
aha I. and II., and whoso fathers were well
bred Americans. Kngllshmen, or Oermans all
hnve big black eyes so deep you can lose your
self In them without trying, clear, dark com
plexion, only a little darker, than that of an
American who would be called a "decided"
brunette; musses of hair, and beautifully reg
ular white teeth. As they all swim and rldo a
f treat deal I've seon them ride n bare back
torse, sstrlde. on a keen run over a rough
country there Is nothing the matter with their
figures: that is, until they get too mature or
lary to ride or swim much.
Whllo Ltlluokalanl and her ststor Llkellke
wore princesses of the roral house, thoy euoh
had about thorn a great deal a number of
young people, whites and half whites, who
were known ns J.lkelike'snnd Lllluokalanl's
"sets;" then thero was, In the days of the
downgor Uueen r.mma. a rival party known as
her sot Hhe was hersoll a half white, and
around her were gathered tho llowersoftho
half-whltu aristocracy of Honolulu. The mon
of bar set were white, half white, and a fow, a
vory fow. Kanakas; the remnants of tho old
families of chlofs and chieftesses. whoso
blood linil not boen paled by Intermarriage
with whites. Many of the half-white mon
were American college bred, and some of
tho girls had been sent to the "btates"
to bo educated, and some to England and tier-
many; uut you iiiikik asnnciaio wim uioso
young men and women intimately for months,
as did, without receding a hint any moro
than an occasional bit of Harvard or late
slang, or a suggestion of Ilrltlsh or Qermnn
ncceiit-which would lend you to suppose they
had ever been away from thu, Islands. Thoy
novor indulged in the expression of a view of
llfo which suggested university teaching;
never discussed topics which suggested a
class-room iocturo. For Instance, I re
momber ono girl who had been thor
oughly educated In muslo In Germany,
who would thrum her taro patch for you, play
ing minor chords of accompaniment to tho
quaint, half-sad native songs, willingly and for
hours, but who would have to be coaxed for
hours by hor doatlng papa before she would
play a single show piece on her grand piano.
Well, those were tho people who made up tho
jolly houso parties down at Walklkl. With
them came as ontertulnors, not as guests, a
troupe of natlvo girls, not high castes, " be
longing" to one of tho ladles I have men
tioned. Itlsdinioult to desorlbe exactly tho
social status or these native girls In the royal
households. They wore all good looking
that was the sine quel non of their position.
They could all sing and dance. Hesldes this It
Is probable their son loot were called upon In
the matter of asslstsnce at toilet. I know this,
because one time when a party of us called at
Uueen Emma's town house we saw that hand
some and distinguished-looking dowager run
from a summer house In the grounds to ner
apartments In the main dwelling, followed by
a lot ot hor native girls, nil of them pretty
much In a gale of laughter. We saw also
that Emma wat then dressed In a
holoko, a garment exceedingly llko a
nightgown, in whloh she looked oxtrnmelr
picturesque. When she game from the hands
other maidens and reaelved us she was gor
geous, but not Picturesque, in a satin und vel
vet gown of 1'arlslan construction ot the style
of the year before.
, Well. I'll try again to gather that party
down at Walklkl. Early In the evening there
wat a good deal or taro-patch playing and
tinging, not vigorously done, nor with set pur
pose and malice preDense. but fragmentary,
and incidental, one might say, to the climate
and the moon: a pretty little solo from one
corner of the lanal where the moon happened
not to penetrate, and the colored lamps
only dimly lighted: a chorus from a group on
the lawn that might bo brokon tip by a laugh:
or a softly sensuous duet from where some
couple strolled on the beach. The words of
their duet, possibly fortunately, wore veiled
by tho not Inharmonious blending of the far
away surf. Then some of the young men took
thn Instruments and played with good, strong
college-trained fingers, whllo those who cared
to danced in the lanal.
Next tho ocean won tho fancy of the younger
members ot the party, and soon from the dif
ferent cottages came tho bathers dressed for
thesurf Uathlng by moonlight in thetiouth
Hea. where the wator affects the whole body
as a glass of Una wine sometimes does the
palate, as something Imparting more than a
physical luxurr almost, and where tho com
panionship Is fitted for just that kind of bath
ing, is a diversion that can bo Hafely recom
mended botwsen dancing and supper on an
evening In Walklkl.
1'or the supper came after dressing. It was
spread on n long mat, around which we all sat
crohs-logged n the floor, lleforo that 1 had
eaten poi. but with the aid of a fork. The
liandiomo calabash of that delectable paste
from which I was expected to serve myself
was also the source of supply of a pretty half
white girl mar gardenias eer grow around
herlanalst It amused horthat I ate pol with a
fork, him used her lingers as n mode of ron ey
anre betwoen tho calabash and her mouth.
Why don't you do so" she asked, as she
again dipped a finger In the pol. It Is quite
probable I should havo d ono so at her sugges
tion If the cool pol had been molten lead. So I
Inserted a tentative finger and obeyed her in
structions In slowly turning my linger until I
hvlfaccumulated a soft ball on my linger.
-Sow this way." she said, and carried her
flngerto her mouth In a spiral motion, and
Iinrhorrd It safelr. I was not up to the spiral
motion, so that in y pol. yielding to the law of
gravitation, unmodified by centripetal cause,
lodged placidly on my shirt front, I soon
learned, and thoreafter preferred my lingers
too fork In eating pol. I havo never dared
until now to admit this preference, but get
ht art from no Use fashionable authority than
. Marlon Crawford, who, in a recent maga
zine article, writes "For my own part.
1 i .alwsTB j struck me that lingers
should be considered as mueh more np
proprlato Instruments for feeding than
forks. I know that they are my own
flngert and that I have washed them, but as
for tho forks In plaees of public entertainment.
I am not sure that they have been washed at
all. and I would much rather not think of the
way they haie been used We would rather
suffer much than use another man's tooth
brush, but wo think nothing at all of using
the wnolo world's fork-a fact which proves
the vanity ot most outward refinements."
After supper the native clrla belonging to
one of the princesses or tho Uueen dowager
danced the nuluhulu for us. There Is a law
on the islands prohibiting this dance, which
lias resulted In confining It as an entertain
ment to tht very rich and powerful, who are
above the law. and to the very poor, who are
without it. At a matter of fact the law resulted
In stopping the dance In places of publlo en
tertainment, and tboreby served Itt purpose.
Compared to the huluhulil tht lintus ilu rrnrre
la a mild entertainment fit for the closing ex
ercises of a young ladles' seminary.
The huluhulu is tho national Hawaiian
dance, and may bo danced by one or a couple
or a dozen, by man or woman, or men and
women together; boys and k'lrle still of the
tender age when a gunny sugar bag Is con
sidered a sufficient garment dance It. In the
Detention Hospital for lepers I taw two old
mon sunning themselves on a cottage veranda
one day. As our party passed they began a
gutteralcroningof a huluhulu song, and one
of the lepers rose to his feet and began to
dance, while tho others "patted " and sang for
htm. They wero awaiting transportation for
life to the leper settlement on MoloUa.
Formerly it was the Invariable custom, and
Is yet on several of tha Islands, for the hulu
hulu dancera to depend on native Instruments
for their "musle." but the comparatively mod.
ern taro fiddle, guitars, and banjos now sup
ply tunsful Inspiration to the dancera. Tht
Instrument players, and the dancers, too,
sometimes, the men dancers always, sing with
the dance, songs which exalt tht prldt and
and strength tbut not In war) of tne Island he
roes of old. The words of the song havo never
been translated from Hawaiian. A pew Hoc
cacolo would And mueh material In them. The
dance illustrates tht song The muslo It In
harmony with the ttntlment of the words, and
at the same time, especially in Itt cadences. It
an inspiration to tht dances.
The girl dancers wear only one gsrment.
which doss not conform Identically with the
outline of their bodies: a fluffy affair roads of
leavevblch hang from their walttt and tndt
at tb- thighs. Itt result, and probably 1U
lntent?i to exaggerate the six ot their hips
and tbUbt. far the danct chltdy consists In
movements of those portions of. the body
which prove an amazing possibility of their
action, unrelated to the body above and below.
A dancer begins, her performannt standing
motionless and with her arms held rigidly at
length before her. Bhe rematnt to while sev
eral bars, of muslo. are slowly .sung
and played, but at the music quickens
her arms relax and begin a slow, graceful,
weaving motion. The musicians. hurry their
cadence and the dancer's hips and thighs take
up the motion. After that tho leads the music,
which now becomes an accompaniment, not a
direction. For several minutes, perhaps, the
dancer! feet have not left the ground, hut
after that she begins to move, then slowly and
almost ioltlngly, and without altering her po
sition. Later the may address her dance espo
I dally to some musician or to some spectator,
and will then slowly and nppsallngly move to
ward the object of her attention. Her arms,
hips and thighs are tho ohlef mediums for tha
expression ot the meaning ot the dance, ami
their movements becomn faster, freer, wilder,
until the dancer stops from exhaustion
The dancers wero on the lawn between the
lanal and tho bench: the spectators wore
banked up on tho l.-.nal steps, leaning over the
rail, scattered about In hammock-i and ensy
chairs. A lady In Honolulu, a European, took
her nloce, a hnlf-whlto girl, on a visit with her
In France, one time. Hhn told mo that she
never could Induce hor niece to milliter n cer
tain nrt gallery where, on her llrst visit, tho
girl had seon a number of nude statuei. That
frlrl sat by my side whllo wo watched the tittlu
itilu that night. I wanted to run away. Tho
girl obsened It all with pcrlect calm.
fii'i., niiinnuiiiK iiuit nuu uipii, ffuuivi linen
lummlug the music ot tho dunce, sometimes
favoring mo with the gossip concerning Hie
rlvalrv between tho girls In Uueen l.rnma's
and I.lkellke's sots If alio comprehended tho
sugffestlvenoasof the dancs she wns a con
summate actress, I don't belloteshe wns.
Our host had a whimsical delusion that he
was always rushed with business. Possibly ho
was for Honolulu. I havo known him, before
ho retired at night, to call a servant and give
repeated and Imperative orders that breakfast
was to bo served nt 8 o'clock, and n
horse wns to be ready for htm to go
Into town nt l. Tho next morning nt
10 he would co mo up from tho bath
houses In his pnlamas.and would say that If we
would excuso him he would breakfast just at
ho wat. At 12 ho would be likely to suggest
that we practise surf-board riding a little.
After that exciting and tumultuous aport ho
would engage hlmsolf seriously with rt tele
phone for a period of time.
It Is a significant fact that Honolulu was tho
first community in the world to mako practi
cal use of the telophonn. Modern science ad
vances very slowly In Honolulu genornlly, but
when that community heard of thetelaphono
It arose as ono man and said, "Now, here Is
something worth talking about and
through. They stilt tat raw flh jind use
thslr lingers for that purpose, but they use
more telephones In proportion to population
than New iork does.
Aftor learning by telephone that no ship had
como In, and oxauslng hlmsolf from his ofllce
on the ground that he had something "very
Important to attend tost tho beach," our host
would join us In that occupation nowhere else
to artistically perfected doing nothing. Dur
ing thn day some one would be likely to sug
gest billiards, and somo ono else tonplns, ur
tennis, or target practice, or oven that
we get dressed; but theso seldom went
further than a lazy discussion; It was
so much more seemly to Ilu still nnd
smoke and drink shandygaffs, nnd watch
the warm rain storms gather and burst
.... i. -i. ..... ....i,..., . i. & .
mm iu mo uivuuimus, nun ruan in lurreni
down the dark, deep canons, or watch tho
fleets ot canons sail by. tholr occupants
perched on tho outriggers, or watch -well,
watch anything rather than do anythlnir.
That Is Walklkl. All the life on tha islands
Is not like that. Cher on tho big island. Ha
waii, thore is sport: hard riding and danger
ous hunting of wild bulls, and ttie mad fun ot
boar hunting. Hut that will make another
story. Euwabd W. Townsenu
DECAPITATED HY XII R SWOItD.
Mllttarv Execution of ftatlre Itthela by tha
French on the Cambodia Hirer.
A retired French naval officer, who saw
much service In Indo-Chlna In the many wars
of conquest carried on there by Franco, Is au
thority for this aocount of a military execution
held at Travlnh, on tha east shore of tho Cam
bodia HIver, some twenty years ago:
At that time Franco needed all her avail
ablo troops at home to resist the steady
advance of the German armies toward
l'arls, and all the colonial garrisons were
reduced to tho lowest possible limit.
Several ot the Indo-Chlneso annexed
provinces took advantage ot this condition
and InBtttulod a revolt undor the leadership of
the two sons of Fan Tan Olnng, a mandarin
who had besn captured and killed by the
French la 180'J and by tho Hluh lieo-Bluh
Deing mo corresponding rang in the Anamlto
armies to that ot Brlgadlor-Oonoral In Europe.
Tho French naval commander, Rallcotti,
with as many sailors and marines as could be
spared from tho few gunboats on tha In
dia station, marched against thn robels,
but the small band of white men
was ktitmbushed near the town of
Mocay and slaughtered. When a relief col
umn camo up n few days later thoy found the
town desertod nnd saw tho heads ot their
comrades Impaled on bamboos along the road
side. Tho bodies were never recoerod, but
It was eupposod that thoy were thrown Into
the Cambodia Itlver.
When Admiral Iiuprt', then Governor of
French Indo-Chlna. learned of this massacre,
he decided that it would probably be easier to
buy off the leidersnf the revolt than to light
such savngo foes. Ho therefore mudo an oiler
tollluh Tan. the second In command to lltuh
llee. agreeing to pay him l.oon.uou frnnos, to
recognlz his rank us (ienurul. and to mako
him a Knight or thn Legion of llonor.lt ho
would botrav Into the power of tho I ronch
llluh Hee nnd the two sons of Fan Tnn Olnng
and suppress tho rebellion in tho provlncos.
llluh Tan accepted the offer and currlod out
his end of tno contract with the exception of
the surrender ot the two sons of the late
mandarin, whom he ullonod to escape on a
junk to tho city of Hut't.
After his capture Kluh flee was tried by
court martial at Travlnh and condemned to
have his head cut off. Tho weapon used for
decapitation In Indo-Chlna Is a ounod yata
ghan, the ra7or-llke blade of which Is wider
and heavier at thoendthnnnt thelmndle. The
condemned may stand upright or kneel upon
a straw matting In the public square,
but his neck must be entirely bared so an to
offer a good mark for tile executioner. He Is
also allowed to mark on his neck the exact
spot where he doslres to bo struck with the
yataghan. He makes this mark by moisten
ing Ills forellncer Willi saliva, which Is colored
by chowing tho betel nut. which yields a
brlsnt red julco
There are no regularly appointed execu
tioners, but it is considered an honor with the
men of tho native contingents of the army lo
be allowed to net as headsman. And ns soon
as these soldiers heard that the llluh llee was
to be executed tliey began practising on trees
nnd stumps with tholr yatughanssoastobe
In good practice If the honor fell to their lot.
It was finally decided that the Dot or Captain
of the native guard should act as executioner
When llluh lleo was brought to the pub
lie i srjuaro to be killed ho looked disdain
fully At tho headsman nnd then carelessly
drew the red mark across the back of his
nsck. Me knelt nnd told the Dol to strike
hard and hit tho mark. Hut for some
reason the Captain of the guard lost all his
strength and courage at tha last moment ami
struck so weak nnd false a blow that Instead
ot chopping off the Hluh's head he merely
made an ugly cut across his back and arm.
With heathen curse th condemned man
jumped to his feet and. seizing the sword
which had fallen to the ground, he swung It
around and lopped off the executioner's head
berore any of the French soldiers, who were
dra?.n. Hp .near Wo witness the execution,
could Interfere.
Coward I" shouted niuhDee'to undertake a
duty rou are unable to perform I Die as you de-
1 " rruai.fou were unaoie to give l '
Jhe condemned .man was then turned over
tothe surgeons of the Dost, who fixed up his
wound to that he .would be well enough to be
executed a week later. When It came time for
the second attempt a soldier named Hep bo.
who bad proved himself an artist with the yat
?i?.haDhWia,,.Br",s,nea,0.hB d,"'',0' I'boPPln
the Hrlgadler-qenerart head off. 'Jhe
freneh Admiral, .however, gate ordert that If
iiu.yieemW0Sla te I vliro the two sons of
lanTsn Giangjcould befound.hls llfo would bo
spared and he- would be sent aa exile to
h'I''.JV"''.9 '''"V"1 ,0.P" anyatten
Hon to this offer, but bowed his head and
marked his neck, and said fiercely to lien Ho
who was waiting for tho answer that the
trench Usutenant expected lleo to make.
,. Vjhy don't you strike Aro you afraid?
Must I show you bow to cut off a man's head ?'
liep bo lifted his yataghan high in the air
there was a Hash of steel, and theu the head nf
Iliiih llee rolled off on tho matting at liU body
fe I forward heavily
IlepSo picked up the head And held it br tho
hair so tha: the soldiers and the crowd of na.
fives might plainly tea h w well he had done
bis work. Then the three wives of the dead
chief came out and carried off their husband's
remains for burial
Three months later llluh Bee's two chief
Ileutonants were captured by tho French
troopt, aidtd by llluh 'Isn't olunteers. and
thyL too, were subsequently condemned to
death by a court martial. (In account nf his
proven skill. Hep bo aaln enjoyed the honor
of being appointed official headsman.
This time the condemned men stood uorlght,
back to back, about six feet apart. Hop No
took his position between Ih two und
as soon as they bad made the marks on their
ntckt he gripped hit yataghan and leaned for
ward on It at a modern athlete leans prepara
tory to throwing a hammer N hen the French
ofiictr gave the tignal Hep Bo lifted tha heavy
sword, swung It once around his head,
and, with a .quick ttroke to the right and
another to the left, decapitated the two men
almost at the tame instant. He threw away
bis yataghan and. seizing tht two heads, held
one up In each hand that the people assembled
uliat admire hU work..
AGUADULCE DE VERAGUAS.
rinsr rmwa of xob iirxxnton or
PA It AH A IStltHVB.
Aa OI4a4 Cnrlena HtatoofClvltUntloaNa
Moeqnltoes CheetTnt Joaxohora Tferh.
r When the Nteaner Halls A Horse
aa IVho Iter Ilava Learned Sonethtas
In Chleago-Tho Ttrtsht Htaaala Above
the Towns Iron That Ie ReptaetocTlle.
Among the curious facts that will Imprest
themselves upon the mind of any traveltor
bound on a Journey through the Isthmus of
I'nnama Is this, that he can exnmlne alone to
his heart's content the country lying west ot
tho Panama llallroad, but If he would goto the
east for any dlstnnco he must take a company
of welt-armed men with him to protect him
from the savage natives of tho Woods. It wns
in September of the yoar 1013. 380 years ago.
that that splendid sntlorman Ilnlbao waded
out waist deep Into tha lovely waters
of Panama Day and flashing his tword
In tho air proclaimed the mighty ocean he had
discovered to bo the nronerlr of his Klnir.
From that day to this Panama Hay nnd Its
shores hat boon ic jure undor tho dominion
of tho Rpanlnrdsor their mixed brood descend
ants, the Ladlnos. l)t facto, however, ono
Morgan and sundry other freebooters have
dlclatodthe manner of dotngt there for brlof
Intervale, while there hat naver been a day
that the Indians In the forests east of Panama
have not had actual control ot tholr own terri
tory. And yet that territory contains placer
gold whloh those eamt lmplacablo Indiana
bring a dozon timet a year to Panama city to
barter for Iron.
In connection with this curlout condition of
affairs on the Isthmus Is another faot that Im
presses tho mind of the traveller who knows
the history ot tho States. When tho Spaniards
had beon In possession of Panama Hay and the
city they founded there Just 100 years that Is
to say, until November. 1013 one Capt, Ar
gall, sailing home to Acadia from a voyage to
Virginia, "landed at Manhatas Isle, In Hud
son'! Itlvor," whoro ho found "four houses
built, nnd a protondod Dutch Governor."
On Soph 8. 1004, when old Gov. Ktuyvetant
"led his soldiers down theBoavor lano to the
wator slde.whonco they ombarked for Holland,"
nnd an English corporal's guard took posses
sion of the fort, the business of the city ot
Panama was such that "bars of silver and
Ingots of gold were pllod In tho streets, with
out tear or anxtoty for thslr safety," while
trade was booming so that "tho rent of a
lloor In some of the houses cost the prodigious
sum ot $1,000 per month."
-v.d ..v.... i,..,,o i-iuuuiuo(iua iuoso lacia
when going on a journoy through the settled
parts ot the Isthmus. It will enable one to ap
preciate better the conditions he will find
there. If hedoos not forget that the civiliza
tion or the region, such as It Is, was estab
lished about 100 years before tho first white
settlement In Now York, and that rentt In
Panama 2U0 years ago were about what they
are now In somo parts of Broadway.
After my second night's sleep on tho deck ot
tho llttlo cattle boat, as has boen told In Tub
Sun. Iawoko to begin new studies In llfo In
I.adlno land. Porhnps one of the most re
markable of these llfo studios was In en
tomology, among tho mosaultoos, for Instance.
The wator whore tho schooner lay was muoh
llko that of the Jersoy meadows, salt from
the soa mixed somowhat with fresh from the
stream. Every one who reads has heard ot
the moequttoos of New Jersey, and nearly all
readers have hoard of the mosqultoosof thd
tropics that with bagplrjo-llke muslo come to
destroy tho peaco of the travellor. I do not
doubt these stories ot travollors in the tropics,
and I hope thoy won't doubt mine; but I saw
but ono mosquito while on theschoonor, and
I hoard only two more. The air was llko that
of a sultry night In June in .New Jersey, just
the night for the raids of thirsty mosquitoes,
but there were no mosquitoes around me. I
can offer no explanation tor their absence un
less, inaeod. the tropical mosquito hibernates
In tho dry season, as the l'ike county bears
hibernate In winter. Nor did tho mosquitoes
bother me at any time during my journey, al
though the rainy season overtook mo In Gua
temala, where In tho swamps about Han Joso
I remained for a woek. seeing showers every
day. The mosquitoes must be there, because
everybody says so, but 1 did not son them, did
not use even once the Adirondack mosquito
grease I carried as a protection,
Ut human llfo on the banks of the Aguaduloe
I got my llrst glimpse at about 8 o'clock. The
schooner. In ndditlon to the sick beast brought
back, was freighted witb an assortment ot
merchandise, dry goods for tho most part.
About Ho'cioek a man driving an ox cart ap
peared in the trail that led away across the
Savannah, and alter him came three or four
moro. Then the skipper and his crew came
down to tbe vossol. bringing a lot of boon com
panions with them. Thoy wont nbout dis
charging the schooners as men do the work of
bini-raUIng on a backwoods farm. 'I hey
made a plcnloof it. They did not work any
faster than a 'longshoreman In houth street
would do-that Is to say, they worked deliber
ately -but they had a lot of fun doing it.
Meantime the regular steam coaster was
heard coming up tho rlvoron her return trip
to Panama, and the notes of her whistle drew
n great throng of people down from the
village. This was another Picnic, it
tha cheerful work of discharging tho
schooner may be called one. Everybody was
dressed n elean and for the most part bright
colored clothing borne fow came In carriages,
but many were on horseback, while oxcarts,
with the baggage ot thoae golngnway. abound
ed. Everybody laughed and chattered at once,
and four times as many people went out to the
steamer as eventually went away In her. The
parting came ery quickly, for tho steamer
had but a ahort time. Sobs nnd tears and
lamentations rose nnd fell. Tho grief of the
parting e eemod inconsolable. The men wept
aswollas tho women, and If the reader could
havo seen somo of the women some of the men
were leaving, he would ha o satd-but. no mat
ter. It Is better to speculate on tha welcome
awaiting those men on their return.
borne of tho schooner's cargo was dlsoharced
before the steamer camo. The rest went
ashore alter tho steamer left. Among the rest
was my baggage. It was plied on a cart drawn
by two sleek oxen with n yoke lashed across
.'?.. r ,1,nrna,' 'Ihe baggage was delivered in
town rreo of charga.
Having seen my baggage on the cart I
started up the trail alono. l declined the use
iLH i'hre n.' ,- u'Ilha two "" to town,
llotli the captain and thn owner or the hors
told mo bit "all the gentlemen ride to town i,"
JS1"1,6' would consent to bo swindled. Ho
,Ia,ki"1 them " they wero going to Uiicogo.
TriBhoronersaldhowas -"'cago.
Hood." said I. " Von think you know how
Chlcagi?" K Prle- but wait till you are In
ii,nn?tli8.',fu.Iiil;'.8'''i rfh my pronuncla.
tlon of IheCustlllan language had something
wrono about t. but It's o daratu cigarettes
that his quandary then was nothing to what
"' w.nwn ' " to settle his bills In Ch.
itiSmiiTJ.li Bret. ,0,,?latlon to me whsn
J.i-t.l'P.fl'n".!' 0el'aed among those pao.
P8iHn!?irn.?hi"t ?? m!i.ttr ,hm Intended
listing tlie Columbian EiDoaition.
trail." nrf.h.A-B.,?a'1'i!Ceremlndfd " ' the
-I i0' th9 Indian Territory. It was a very
?o1 ' h ."..so.n road' .A.1" "wide asthi
road that Is paed w th good resolutions.
iiVaJiffrf" a 1"?1 rUln Jh tVamstera aim
Ply selected a new track when an old one be
came too deep wlthduat. There wire pretty
Kirs nn' treM' ?Sme.0' which were In
V!S2m'?n 1xttT flda- A' b'a: wide
tract was dented to ut making of which
ftTthnr iWl" bV.e,!at" a i Mother Mmi1
'i thLr 5 " P""d through a strip ot woods,
fbn.L Jill'6 ".? me,a- "r u" ,ho worl(1 llk
'?J8. E?nJron,hacar between Denver and
Z?lJ ii.t"?ct- Tlle similarity was the
greater from the vast number of light colored
!'i''r,e.,.1n.',conua Hiat.llko such rooks as the
r.lepliiint. make picturesque Hie Colorado
plains. At llrst glanoo I thought the forma
tion the same, but on closer examination the
snires and pinnacles. Instead of rock ucheav.
ah i were found to be anthills P"cav.
. V,.q..Bri00.'D,. vi8W hB always present sign
of a town In tht Interior of the Isthmus of Pan
nmi"'i. V.'e ff'1. shimmering green globes Into
wlilch tho Ironds of the cocoanut palms form
ii',Vt".?ienlH lhe 'SfMnut Is found growing
w'ili'V?e,d0?!" t0 tha ,8a- but in tho Interior
,Vi Kinoii,t0.,i,,om. favJ "bout the settlements,
w" V'.'.w.1Ul !llBald of orange and other fruli
iui'.u.uJ b"!arlDB re- they bury out of sight.
Iik,i"i,w-.0.'i.no lght ln u,at country that so
gladdens the eye, of the traveller riding over
the hot. half barren hills as does th view of
a cocoanut grovo waving lazily in the sunlit
r f.f'i ' 'e. trees aro not only exquisitely
benul ful in themselves, but beneath them the
trateller always finds a hearty welcome from
tho people, with rest and refreshments. And
yet. curiously enough, the streets ot the towns
and the plazas, too. lor that matter, art vtrr
nearly at verdureless as a granite boulder,
lha treat all grow between and behind tha
houses, and are thickest ln the outskirts of the
towns. There Is no such beauty at is found In
the long rows of alma and maples of a New
England town, while tht oool shade to wbleh
one If to i hotpltably welcomed U that of a Ula
or a thatched root.
Tha trail from tbt rlvtr tntsradtht town of
Agusdulcel between two rows of thatched butt
-wall ot poles, pluterti with mud. aad roofs
of twamp grata. At It approached In ram
bling fashion the Plaza the houses became
better. The verandas were roofed with tiles,
which made an, odd combination with the
iwamn grass of the main roof. urtnnr on the
entire roof was madeottlles.and when tho plaz.i
Itself wns reached the houses and stores there
were built with substantial ndobo walls, somo
of thorn two stories high, and all, well roofed
and comfortable. Most of tho walls had been
whitewashed, and, sne In the glnro ot the
midday sun, would have beon plo'islnc to the
I eye, but for the fact that on. New ) oars of
JWU tho people had had somo kind of n Jtibl;
lee and had gonn nbout with blu. brithes nnd
black paint, painting ."Viva lWUI" oorv
where. The whllo walls ot the beat houes
were thus disfigured. And that, too, ln n town
otVf.tKKI people I
.While I stood garlng at tho curious specta
cle presented by these houses a man, who In
bearing and dress looked much tike n well-to-do
Englishman, came along nnd spoko to tno
In pertoct English. He had reeognlred mo as
an American, and wnntcd to know If ho could
be of any sen Ice to me. Ho I told him why I
was thero and whoro I hopod to go, nnd men
tioned Incidentally that at tho capital of tlin
Htate. Hantlngo, I hoped to meet a cltlren of
Panama, Heflor Don Juan Josil Dlar, to whom
1 had a letter or Introduction from .Superin
tendent Mansllold of the Panama l.locttio
Eight Company. . .. ...
Ah, I am glad to hoar tint,' said tho man,
for I am tho man 1 camo down horo to seo
afrlondgo away on thn steamer this morn
ing. , I expect to roturu soon, and wo will
travel together."
oo we wont to tne nnuso on mo main corner
ot tho plaza, which the Don owned, ami whom,
being a widower, he kept bachelor s hall, so to
speak, though we took our nivnls in tho houso
ntn neighbor Horo for two ilms 1 lived In
luxurious Idleness, 1 siopt on a n.ol canvas
cot at night, explored tho town and country
around In tho cool of tho morning nnd evening,
and sat In n tilted chair ln tho shade nf tho
xoranda during the heat ut the day. Moan
time tho townspeople made me welcome. .So
other newspaper had over sent n correspond
ent to see and write about tholrcnuntry and its
resources, and they bellood that what Wild
West folks call a wrlto-up would boot great ad
vantage to tho town. About the first man that
I met after Honor Diaz was Dr. II. 1- I'nbregn,
a graduate ot Manhattan Collego in New York
and of the College of Physicians and Surgeon.
The Doctor was about ns much of a Now York
er as ho was a Colombian, nnd ho wns good
enough to say that hn missed thero nothing of
bis lormor llfo In Now York so much ns thn
dally copy or TltK Huv. With such guides in
the Doctor and tho Don I had mi trouble In
finding the Interesting fenturos nf the town
and Its life, and of the country behind It. S hat
I learned horo nnd elsewhere along tho routo
about the resources of tho Interior of tho
Isthmus will bo told nt nnothnr time, but thorn
wero certnln things loarned about tho ton
worth telling now.
Among those wns tho boll tower besldo tho
church It Is the fashion, to which thoro nto a
few exceptions all through the HpanNh main,
to put tho bells In somo tort of a tower built
separately, but near the church. This one of
Aguaduleo was mudo ot four long logs for a
frame, with a platform on which tho ringer
could stnnd when at work. Tho platform was
needed hocauso the clappers wero pulled by
dlroct contact of the hand. Thoy do not swing
tho bells to ring thorn In that country, tiordn
they always have clappers: stones often eeno
the purpose. Hut this helltowcr wns peculiar.
It showed, as tho citizens satil, that the peo
ple there wero ndoptlng tho appliances ot
tnoreprogresshocommunltles. Not only wero
the bolls now, and from Troy, N. Y but tho
roof of thn towor was of gnlnnl7cd sheot Iron,
Instead of old-tneblonod ljidlno tilot.
1 ho effect of Introducing this bald patch of
American mlno camp roof into the foreground
of the picture nf the quaint old mud nnd rock
church and its dark moxoytilo root was shock
ing to every nrtlstlo fooling.
homo commorclnl point of lew the boll
tower was certainly pleasing. Its roof iid
metthourprov.il ol the community. It wns
cheaper and moro efllciont than tllos. II any
body ever builds a new houso In Aguaduleo,
galantzod Iron will be uoi to root It. And
vory likely n now house will bo built thore
some time, but If not thoro then olsowhoro tu
the Htnto of Vertiguas. '1 hero Is sure to be a
demand for more American gnhnnlred sheet
Iron In tho Isthmu. If an art lover follows In
my trail lltty jears from now. hn will want to
Weep and laugh at onco nt tho alghtofthe
ni I ved house roofs. Nor Is tho metal roof thu
only incongruity to bo found there, for tho
women on tholr way lot ho springs for water, as
will bo told nt another time, show ono still
more shocking to nrtlstlo nerves.
Whllo walking along ono side nf the plnrn
In the evonlng I snw, just around n corner, tho
carcass or a recently slaughtered cow. Tho
body wns hanging to tho root or tho vorandn,
in front of a corner storo, ono of the largest In
town, and tho storo proprietor wns busy re
moving the skin. The sand of tho street hail
absorbed most ot the blood, nnd the tropical
scavengers, tho buzzards, were caring for the
odd scraps of offal. Tho ttoxt morning a stoor
was slaughtered In a main stroet. a block from
therlS7a. and tho hldo staked out in tho street
for the buzzards to clean. The meat was all
cut into stringsnnd hung up undor tho vernn-
una. nun luiuj cuuie were kiuo'l nuts in a
year no one seemed to know, but I susport
that an enterprising Englishman will eomo
along some day ami buy n monopoly of tho
slaughtering business as has been done else
where, and sosecure avory gratifying return
on the capital ho will lnet In a slender
wrought iron shed for an abattoir. Tho Yan
kees are not after such concessions.
It was natural to ask Dr. l'abrega about the
health of the community, after seeing such
things, nnd what the Doctor said was a little
nstonlslng nnd woll worth the attontlon ot
people elsewhere Ho said:
Aguadulce Is ono or tho henlthiost places
anywhere In spito ot tho Ignorance ami enre
lessness of the majority of its people in sani
tary matters. Tho wind springs up every
morning and blows for hours ; that Is ono rea
son. Then tno town lies high and Is on a
sandy soil. Tho drinking water comes from
wells about a yard deep outsldo of tho town
and tho water is unpolluted.
Hut what will astonish tho stranger hero is
tho fact that, although tholr food Is nbundant.
to may people suffer from nnn-mla, which Is
E radically another word lor starvation, i'hnir
odles are very poorly nourished, nnd they
readily ylold to tho attack of tiny disease.
Thoy eat rice, bean, and bananas exclusively,
it may be said, although oranges and other
juicy fruits are as common us nitlior stnplo
mentioned, egetarians talk of thodoslrablo
nessof the diet that excludes meat nnd thn
grossnoss of meat enters, and novelUts nnd
poets tnll of long Ufa on a Truit diet Hero In
the Isthmus tho vegetarian can llnd his Ideal
lite, but tho scalpel will show the result ot It.
People die for tho want of tho strength that
comes from eating meat
Tho most common dlsorme in the Isthmus Is
a mild form ot malaria. It com sonwlthtlio
llrst of the dry season, whou tho sun is evap
orating the water from the ground. Nearly
all thu people fed thn offeits of It then, but It
Is rarely severe und fatal only among the poor
er people, who are not well nourished. Nine
calls out of ten thnt a physician lecolves are
for malaria. At tare Intervals lie llnds typhoid
symptoms, and typhus has been known Dysen
tery Is not common, nnd never fntnl Pleurisy
and pneumonia sometimes appoar. Tho poor
or people are exposed to tho nlternato rains
and hot suns ot tho rainy season, 'Iheyuro
heated and chilled and catch cold when ono or
the other ot these diseases may come on, and
end fatally very soon. Thero is no diph
theria und no scarlet fever In tho coun
try. Once In a fow sears n man going
to Panama or Colon brings bnck yellow lovor
An outbreak of small-pox has been known
once In twenty-llvo yoars, but n Phjsli-iau is
kept travelling about continually by tho
Government to vucclnate people, and ho does
his work thoroughly. People drink tho milk
of cows Indiscriminately, but tulurrul.ir con
sumption It rarely known npd the same may
be said of enerral dheases. lu shoit, save
fr the ague ot thn spring season, tho com
munity is remarkably freo Irom diseato Al
though no stuttsiics are kept tho percentage
ot deaths la very low, burglcul cases aro rare,
but many women dio to childbirth, even
among the peons Tho commonly acceptod
notion that squaw nnd half-breed women aro
freo from that dancer did not originate among
the Indians ot tho Isthmus.
The 'old women remedies 'arotho favorites
tttnnn, .!,.. on. ..ftwila flirfV linl. m rt n V
MUW, ..W J"'M. ,-,w..., ...v. ..-..w ........
stews and decoctions of herbs, tun most nf
which art harmless and some t-llls icious. The
quack, or practitioner who has not been edu
cated to the profession, exists and lias many
iollowers. Una who sent a prescription to Dr.
ubrega's drug storo culling for sixty different
and worthless kinds of Mull, was arrested and
sent to prison under lh statute applying tu
suoh cases. Hut a real oudoo is nut known,
although West India negroes aro rcuttcred
through the region ,, , ,,
I mean to tell about Ahn I adino children at
another time, but there were a plnnty or iluou
In Aguadulce. and a most cheerful und well
behaved lot they wore. Iu tho Mates una
sees boys playing with pebbles Instead of
marbles, because too poor to buy marbles. In
Aguadulce the boys used the kldncy.shaped
seed that crows on tho outaldo of a native
fruit. Wlthlila heel us a pivot, a boy would de
scribe n circle with lu big too, and Into this the
players would dump an equal number of tiieeo
heeds. The came was to knock the seeds from
the circle, but they threw their shooters over
hand Instead of plumping them raarblo fash
ion, ho boys ever enjoyed n murblo game
more than tiiese boys their gauio with teods.
1 have ntrer aeen creator cheerfulness, zest,
or goodnature, I watched thebovs at many
games during a two days s stay and did ut
teoacate of cheating or a light, or an Ill
natured word For that mattor I do not ra
member seeing tors tight uny whore In the
Hpanlsh main. Moro remarkable still, I saw
tho Aguadulce mother call hor boy of ten years
to come from an ei-'itlng came and earn fur
the bal.y, and the boy always did it with ulao
rlty. Nor did he pinch the baby alterward to
make It err
.Dogs will become associated with boys in
tne minds of tht travellers there, because the
dogs are always to be seen where the hoys are.
The dogs usually sat In the shade with tieir
tongues out. tholr ears cocked forward, and
their faces wrinkled into a smile as they
watchtd the games tho boys played Hut
their inttreat was placid. They did not bark
or caper. More curlout still, the dogs never
an from the houses to bark or tnarl at the
stranger. In my journey through tht Interior
: met people whs ttld tbey bad ntvtr teen an
American before. Because I wat larger and
whiter than any one they (, 'WJjIil
regarded somewhat at a freak BJwfJr'
museum. 1 presume the dogt Were lento
what a?tonlshed at seeing me too hut except
whennrr v no nt a place at night. I ncr.ln
nil my Journey as far at Guatemala, heard a
dog" fir anything about lt-not n dog snarled
or barked at me. In Tehuantepco tho dogs
wore different Tho Isthmian dogs are all
rangy nbull.l. all thin hatred, all nf" Huh ; colj
"?. and mongrels. I saw but one that looked
llko n well-bred dog, and ho was a greyhound.
Hut ho was without podlgreo. ... ik
on tho socond nflernopn of my slay a swarthy
man lu it straw hat, a while cotton wMto
cotton trousers, and barefooted, brought n
substantial niulo In front of my veranda a""
nsked mo what I thought of tho beast. When
I oppressed approval, he praised the mule ox
trnvnganllr. unci llicn said It would cost mo
l to rldo it lo Santiago, fourteen league,
Hlnco somn nno would have to rldo another
mule to sauting" to bring this ono back, tho
prlco was fair. N'n ovoreharge wa made, bo
entio Don Junn Mar. had secured him tor mo.
My baggngo had already been sont forward on
a freight cart for a dollar, the weight boing
sixty pound, and that, too, wns n fair prlco.
Tho prices are mentioned hocauso thoy glvo
point lo mi experience I had in Panama. At
thehoiisnof one M Geo iloPollgnacalrencli
man who has temporarily a concession for ft
railroad ttnm Panama tocosta Hlea. I met
Heflor Don Prosper vmndor, nneon member of
tho Colombian Legislature nnd for some tlmo
a resident ot the L'nlted Htatos. Don Prosper
became greatly Interested In my proposed
journey, as was M. do Pollgnne. M. tie l'o-
lluone waniuu mo lo oooin ni imitonu rciivuiu.
nml Frostier wanted mutohlro i mule ot a
friend of liis In Aguadiilen The Don said tho
regular prlco of conveying a foreigner with
sixty pounds of baggage from guadulen to
Hnntlngu vvn f.'ll, but us u special favor to
him his friend would do It tor SIU for the mulo
thn bnggago could bo "entnn cheaply In a
cart." The traveller In thn region will find
great extortioners, but they can be avoided If
ono does not appear to be ln a hurry.
After hnvlng completed all arrangements,
we wore delayed In Aguadulce by a business
rnuttorot Don Juan Diaz until Thursday. Job.
HI. but on thnt morning I wns colled at 4
o'clock. A breakfast was ready, and In half
a n hour I was astride the substantial mule
nnd heading out of town. I began my journey
Into the interior on toot How I wished I
might havo continued It thus rnthor than on
thn muln bofnro thn day was over, together
with such odd nnd Interesting facts as wero
plekod up along tho forty-two miles ot trait,
will bo told at nnothor tlmo.
John R. Bruno.
CIllMStliC FAltDKS'S UlRiaTUAB,
lie Itelntrn a rlenttmentnl Ntorjr lo JTrove
Mr. l'atlt to bo No Farmer.
"Say, Mr. Paul Is a farmer I don't (Ink.
Why, ho's slick as doy makes dom, an' dough
he looks llko ho was tired t' deaf, I'm tlnkln
ho could clvo weight to any ono ln his clad
an' lose dem ln do turn.
" Dnt's right. Ho was a wlnnor at our Christ
mas tree what wo had down nt our placo In do
country where wo Is stopnln' till Miss Fannlo
'scuso mo 1 I forgot Do Duchess said I
wns t' keep mo mout shut 'bout Miss Fannie,
an' dat's why we Is staytn' In de country. No,
J oil needn't wink nt mo. I alnt savin' nuttln',
cept pout uat Christmas tree.
" Woll, as I wns tollln' you, we had de tree at
our houso. nn' nil do dudo folks 'round dero
came ln do aftornoon vvld dore kids. Miss
Fannin was dead sot on bavin' all do folks
bring doro kids an' dcro presents to our tree.
An' such kids! tfnv. dey wasn't much llko de
kids Miss Fnnnlo ustertako grub to an' Jolly
up doro raudders when I first knowd hor down
In do oast side. Dey wero all llko dose falrlot
what's Into plays out on top of de stage, only
deso was do renl ting; no mako believe. Dey
was outer eight wid dore protty close an' dure
pretty hnlr an' doro pretty facos.
"Do funniest ting 'bout dom wat dat day
didn't Room t' bo In nobody's way at de kids
whoro I usterlho always was; an' dey wasn't
'frnld ot nobody needer. llko dey taut dey wat
turo t' get a tumpln' pretty soon,
"Hay, you otter seen hlsWhlskertt He wat
drcssod up llko a mug doy called Santa Claus,
wld whlskors nil over him an' furs an' a beak
-say. Mr. Taul palntod his Whlskers't beak,
an' you could soen Itamilo tru a fog I It wat
up t' delimit!
" Woll. mo nn' Mr. Tnul nn' his Whiskers was
lu n side room wuttin' for do kids all t'getln
do pnrlor, an' his Whlskors was all de time
sarin' dat his Hnnta Claus close titled him too
warm, an' .Mr. Paul was all do tlmo tollln' mo
to open small bottles so as t" cool olTHanta
I. Inns! an liAfnrA ,!n lrA nra. ,..il. !.! U'kl.l,.
ers dldn t know wodder his name was Santa
Llaus or Denis. Whan wo went t' de tree all
do kids nn' all der muddors an' all der dads
was dore. an' Miss Fannie was dere. an' de
Duchess was doro say, dat Duchess always
sneaks in on a bluff dat she's helpln', which
she novor nln't. only just pipln' tings t' talk
bout dom an' den we gives out de presents. De
first crack his Whlskors makes f get down a
rresont he near knocks over do dinky tree,
pen Miss I onnlo comes up. on' she gives Mr.
Paul a look lilts sho was onto what he'd been
doln', but sho only says, jolly like; 'Let's do
It dls way, fndder.'she says. '.Mr. l'aul will
rend off de nnmo, ( hamts.' mennln' me,
Chamcs will reach down de presents, nn1
yuso'll glvo It fde child what's its for.' says
she. See?
"So dat's de woy we dons, nn' pretty soon all
do kids hail so many presents der couldn't
pack dem 'round. Den der had dere grub,
an den dey wont home wld do servants,
an' don do old folks had dere grub. It
was after dat dat Mr. Paul played de game
I was tellln" you 'bout. Doforo dinner he made
a sneak Into do rooma whore ho knowd all do
folkx would go after dinner, an' ho tied a pleco
ql mistletoe on de carpets what hangs between
do rooms-do carpets what dey calls de por
teers. you know.
"sny. I seen him doln' It. an' I says t do
Duchoss, says I. 'what t ell.' I says, 'what fell
Is his game, tvln' u dinky piocoot tree on do
porteorsr I says.
"Den she tells me dot It was mistletoe, an'
dat any man what catchod a girl undnr It
hnil a dead rlirht t L-laa he, Un.... mi...
wedder shes married or not. de mug had do
law on hit tide, an' nobody had a license t'
kick Dat was de ghost story do Duchess give
mo. an' when I tells her she was lylnceho
just mushed an' sold for mo to wait an' see.
Do Duchess felt so good 'bout It dat I guess
she taut someone might catch her dere. But
I look alter dat melf
"Hay. as I was tollln' yots, de folks alt went
in dose rooms after dinner, an' nobody noticed
ilo mistletoe 'copt Mr Paul, who was all de
time sorter loalln"rnund dore like you'd tint
dore must hn n smnll Imttlo dore.
"Well, pretty soon me nn' do Duchess, we
wnspeokin' In tru some odder porteers, and we
seen Miss Fnnnlo walking from one room fde
udder, an she had f go straight undor de
mistletoe. Dero stood Mr. Paul. Do Duchess
gives me a pinch.
.-ay, dis is straight: de second Miss Fannie
gets undor dat mistletoe Mr. Paul steps up,
cool an' quiet, puts ono hand under her ohln,
pushes up her face an' gives hera smack onde
mout. binuok on do inuut. I'm tellln' you.
"Dat's right. Mhs Fannie looks near pary
lyzed, nn turns white, lien Mr l'aul ho smiled
an pointed up t'de mistlotoo. an' everybody
looked an' dey all laughed an' clapped dere
hande
"His Whiskers he callel out, 'Daft fair
game Fannie, dat's fair game
" Den all de men der begins f put up jobs f
get de loldles t' walk from one room f dn
odder, an' ssy you never seed so,mnny tings
de loldles in one room had t' go an' tellde
loldles In de odder. 'til dey had a regular cir
cus in dere.
" Illmo by Miss Fannin came out t' where we
wast' order somn punch sent In dere. nn' she
net do Duchoss if she knew who lied dat mis
tletoe up.
'I ghede Duchess de wink f keep her mout
shut, but she Mild 'I hames saw Mr Paul.'
says she. 'nw Mr. Paul trlu'lt up before din
ner,' says she
"say I taut Miss Fannie would sure give mo
a jawln' for. not tellln' her belore dinner. But
shodidn t "
An lucKeut ..fa Stroll la F lerUa.
lion (A HuryH Tt (ia.
GuNKtviii). Doc. IK. Uaroly hat a man
more narrowly escaped ileuth than dtd Capt
'1.11 Wj!luidr Hi-'h Springs, bunday night.
Ills experience wns one of the most thrilling
and at the i-.uno tlmo dangerous that ever hap.
leimd tu nnv man, and a n reault he was
Lrub oil and forced to pass anight In the woods.
H was walking through tho woods in the
vicinity uf his homo inllieevenlos. The dark.
m-b was intense and ha could not see hit way.
Hueof his feat failed to touch terra llrma and
greatly to his surprise ht wat hurled down n
rck y I reclpice, a distance of what ho aupposed
to be fully seventy feet Fortunately lie was
not injured to, ur grcatextent, but it wus irn
passibiu fur him to form any de us to where
ho had landed -whether, lie was still in the
land uf the Ihlni;. or had just arrived lu the
land ot loulinuous summer. After having
spent aorne lime feellog (ho bad no mutchesi
he arrived at the ermt conclusion, much
to his satisfaction, that he was lu 0Dh of the
natural wella so numerous In that locality.
satisfying himself as best he could as to the
point most lavorablo to ascend, he commenced
togropehisway to the top. For some dis
tanco ho mad fair progress by tho use da
an-'.o JacUntfe. with, which ho made foot.
bo da ln the rock. When.ntarly two-thirdt
of the ascent had J'ten make he encountered
an ptatlcle which he could not remove and
which completely blocked his way. It waa a
large crag, almost perpendicular for a height
,ta!t?u "," "? on a nH Platform of the
side of the well at the time, und ha coucluded
to make that hit lodging place fur the night
He made a rope by the use of his suspenders
and trousers one end of which ht fastened to
ib9.r?cli:i7W!'.u ,h o'htr wat tied around hit
waist Fseling secure, he sat down and toon
fell asleep. The next morning he found hit
wty to tht top, making tht ascent with tafsty,
J
MODERN SUPERSTITIONS,
rriTr Axittttsu nous lir.r.tttF ur av-
rttttSAIVtlAh IhTKUVKlMXCK.
Great IIHtaln'a Martinmas Itllea, tho Ital
ian Taronlnla( ItnnEarlan Vumplr, tha
j:ll Kje.Ohnim Aicnlnst IV llclitr.n, Ei.
orelam Aelora' JHseeota nnd lloodno.
LoMDox.Hee. 13. Ostentatious Independence
of speoch, boAAtful cynicism, nnd affected
atheism being the present characteristics 0f
society, It became Inevitable that with these
strong-minded qualities, tuporstltlon. a belief
In tho mythical nndtho supernatural, should -as
they have always dona go hand In hand.
Thorn Is a yearning for traditional myths, tor
spiritual manifestations, and n growing de-
slro to nselinllato tho belloft of other coun- I
trios and transplant them Into ono's own. Lon- A
don cannot qulto commomorato tho nnnlver-
snryof St Martin as medlrcvally at It Is ob- 1
sorvod In the country, but surreptitiously I
roung pooplo havo this year renowod the old I
custom uf setting out ovornlclit vossols filled 1
with water, If not In the expectation of llndlns J
them the noxt morning changed tnlo wtn, at I
least ln the hopo ot dotoctlng on tho surfnoe, I
.. n I . . I.I.. .. I it... .,,.. B
grown Ulltl?, .inioii ui t..u iuiuivi i
St. Martin Is nil over Iuropo tho patron of sol-
dtors ; the colbitoral forefather ot the old Haro-ia 1
of Harnstnblu, who, llko tho present Arch- '
bishop of York, otrly exchanged tho sword for
tho cassock, und ovontuslly became Hlshopot ' J
Tours. In Groat Ilrltnln alono IDOcliurchos
are oonsecrated to him, nnd tho day appointed '
by the Church for tho celebration of lilt festi
val wns substituted for tho original one tn j
honor ot Ilacchus, wlilch took placo nt the
ssmoopooh. With toemlng Inconsistency th i
Mlchelmns goose appears to bo closely con- y
nectod with tho saint who Is frequently and
nnlvely represented with this fowl at his tide. .
The liacchanaltan origin of tho foast can '.,
still bo traced tn Germany, where hugo stores i
of sausage moat are laid In on that day; In 'j
tha grape-growing districts tho now wines aro ';
first drawn nnd tasted on St. Martin's Day to I
Insure a good quality of tho mintage. In F.nc- '
land, on somo ostntos. the tenants paid one i
penny to tho landlord In commutation of the J
duty Imposed on them by tenure ot carrying j
salt from market to lardor In sign ot plenty. r
Qrewsome superstitions prevail to this day .'
on the Continent In tho kingdom of Naplot
the dangerout bite ot tho tarantula Is not j
cured by phrtto or surgery, but by totally
nllon functions. Absoluto confidence Is placed
in tho efficacy of llvoly linotlon. nnd tho bitton
person la made to dance, sometimes with the
stimulus ot a horsowhlp till ho sinks to the
ground from shear exhaustion. Thoso'mothodt
aro applied to patients, possibly In the belief
that tho violent agitation or the blood caused
by oxerclso countoractt the torpor produced
by the bite ot the tarantula. Hut this motive
does not apply to another form ot cure when
tho dancing It done by others. In some Nea
politan vlllagos tho sufferer Is burled up to
his nook In manure and twenty-one fomalo
dancers aro solectod to surround him with
their quick gyrations; sovon are widows,
teven wives, and seven maldons. Whoa they
drop off from lassitude ho la extricated from
hit position and ahovod Into a moderately
heatodoven. When he does not dlo from the
blto or tho treatment tha charm It tald It .
to have workod. f
In Hungary and Roumanla the belief In the
mythical vampire lnvestt this being with fatal
reality. If In a village a youth or maiden. !
without apparent cause, grows pale or
wattes away, tha elders deliberate and gen
erally connlude that there must be a vampire '
in tho locality. Tho creature la not a bat or ,
reptile, but a human being deceased. Those I
who recently died are numbered, and it it de
cided which of the dead feedt ln his tomb on (
the blood of the living. Men gather at night J
hearing torohes and one of them a trident; I
they seek tho priest, compel him to nssumo 1
his stole, and carry him off to the churchyard t
the grave dlggerls made toopon the tombot tha i
supposed vampire, the coffin lid Is burst open,
and If the corpse appears undeoayed and
with the color of llfo on Its face, they declare
that their suppositions are oorrect and their
excited Imagination suppllos all further proof.
iiiuiBavKgu iiuwib auu imprecations tne tri
dent It plunged iln the brentt of the body, tha
heart Is plercod, the limbs torn asunder, and '
when nothing remains but a contused matt of
llesh and blood and the fury of tbe avenger
is satiated, thoy strew earth over the ghaatly
remains and, with a final execration, depart
Then only Is tho vampire really dead, and If
perchanco tho youth onmaldon recovers. It It
attributed solely to the nightly outrage.
In tho French province of the Horry, when
child Is lying in peril of death and given up br
tht doctor, tho father and mother search
among thelr.hoards for some golden trinket
ring or cross and hasten to burr It secretly
under tho eavet of a houso one or two hundred
yards off. registering n vow that a certain
number of masses wid be said. Is this not a
reminiscence of tht old pagan custom of pro
pitiating fate by a visible sacrifice?
. JR. ! 1B. hPl of Hurmah It Is a matter of
faith that nothing stable can bo accomplished
without previous effusion ot blood, and tome
miserable wretch had to pay tho ponaltr. If.
for example, a new gate was constructed In a
city, tho llrst nat v poasant whn-passtd under
It was seized, klllod. and burled on the thresh
old. Mussulmans to this day slay an animal
tnlnaugurate a monumsnt or an enterprise.
v hen tho railway from Jaffa to Jorusalem wat
foltmnly opened, tho rails nt the terminus of
the Holy C Ity were crimsoned with tho blood of
a sheep slaughtered for the occasion.
rot all superstitions, however, are of to oruel
and brutal a character. In tho fair land of
l'rov-enrn and Languedoo some of the poetry
ot tho troubadours hallows them. In order to
endow children with a tine voice thn cran.i.
mother takes them under arose tree, where
she cuts their nails with dolls' scissor. If the
llttlo ones are dollcnto or rickety, they are
carried at early dawn Into the depths of a
wood.wliere their parents, godfather, and god- '
,m,?'""Procdtooerforratfie "dew baptism."
xne father, wielding an axe, opens a huge
gash In some young tree, and through the J
yawning slit Inthe trunk tho Infant is repeat- k
22ijT-i!i"Ve,!.i,. ana r? tlelnc meanwhile :
sprinkled with drops of .low. Then the tree It
carefully tended and ligatured, and If It re- fi
covers and grows thn child will be strong. if
In another province one can seo very old fl
w?m'.IL"lL,,n,: .,n ,h8 0Dn "If combing tha
fair, silky hair of young children, nnd taking W
any stray locks that may remain in the comb. i
After examining thorn they spit on them three
times, roll them, nnd throw them to thw ,,
winds, muttering In their patois words which ''
nr?' Jade retro Hatanas! Vni t net's cou
quino." It la there that you see thn fountains
where the heads ot children aflllcted with ,
seal p diseases are washed, and thelrllttlellnen
cap. hung upas tt mro to the good falrrof '
the fountain In Ilrlttnny very rew natives
would cut their nalla on a Friday lost torao
Illness should berall them or theirs before
the end of the week. -Normandy Is, par excel
lence, the land of witches and sorcerers; It It
common to hear of puopit on whom a four
has been cast A W"r is a species of malefi
cent charm which can only bo conjured br
having a mass said by a priest wearing a
crimson vestment, and on condition of re
turning home after hearing it without uttering;
.w0.rJ ,'P anyone. If theso rules are com.
plld with It Is heuceforth the sorcerer who
suffers the ills he would have inlllctedon hit I
?,oJ,.nY i,a "i'L19 heard shrieking at night I
i i his bed. and those who listen say devoutly.
In other dlstrlots burns can be cured by
pronouncing certain raaglo formulas in which t
the name ot our Lord and of Judas era
coupled. The thatched roofs of Normandy. L
or which rotet trail and mosses grow, aro I
yery Habit to catch lire, whllo the appllancct t
tor putting It put and the help ot firemen are I
very scarce. Therefore it Is necessary to ro- I
eort to supernatural agencies . man must 1
be found who Is acquainted with the maglo I
words and is endowed with ' the power tn ut-
tor them." He Is brought with oertaln cere- I
monies before the flaming homestead; he '
makes the sign ol the cross, uses tht tarn
formula so efficacious for burns, and the de
vout spectators nm convinced that in his pres.
ence the lira grows.dliu and gradually die out
It is not rustics alone who aro superstitious.
?i,I?.f80f i'0lj ' wore to than actors,
a belt In a less ptoturosquii fashion than the
others. Mme. lavart fainted In a room when
three candles had beon lit together. Frederick fcsfi
J-emaitro Invariably turned back if on leav-
Ins ha houso he met a funeral. Tbeluiiulta- IK
ble Aimiia Uesclee went into, hysterica If aha I IK
taw a knlfoand fork crossed or a salt cellar A'w
overturned. Dojarot used to say that sho had '9M
oes,.mi0,t.,uscM'u.! ln."' Pr created 05, M
the l.llli of the month hen Mile, llacbel waa" IB
congratulated on heractlng in the pfeeeof "Ad. 1
riennI.couyreur" when it camo out, tha an- ji
snered that the felt as if ho was herself tho IE
heroin and would ha her fato She did die f
at tblrtr-seven, tho exact aire of the actress -
Whom she repreisnted It was In ''Adrlennu
Leeouvreur," on the 17th of December, IKSS.
at t harleston. that tbe made her lttt at pear- u
anca. M. Leon Ileiuvallet tho biographer of
hor American tour, relatet that aa he waa
composing tha programme for that perform.
auee she insUted that he should add that she
acted potltlvelr only for that night and for
the last time. The last time, on any stage' t
In one 1 ant theatre the rat ot the con lerg
decides the probable fato of a new pltct.
If u'er '9by wanders wearily from th
etage to the auditorium during the reheartala.
actors, author, and manager are seriously
uneasy; but It be settles comfortably in a stall
and watches the proceeding with a bestlAa
Stob AVtlr! 60aShaT l001" 'a-TiV
Mi tmamtm