TRAVELLERS’ ADVENTURES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8609, 20 December 1913, Page 10

TRAVELLERS’ ADVENTURES

AX THE MERCY OF HUGE ANTS. Dr Hamilton Rice, the American surgeon ami traveller, has just arrived hi London after a journey of twentyone months’ exploration in south-east Colombia and north-west Brazil, in the course of which he has traversed about 100,000 square miles' of almost unknown territory,' The objects of his expedition were to explore and map tho greatest unknown area in the world, and also to pursue medical and anthropological studios. Dr Rice says that in spite of enormous difficulties and hardships ho has collected valuable scientific data, has cleared up tho geography of the Amazon and Orinoco systems, and has prepared maps of a great area hitherto unchartered. The accounts of operations performed in the primeval forest, in which Dr Rice had to be anaesthetist and operator at tho same time, form not the least interesting feature of a re- . markable journey. On one occasion the explorer had with tho aid of cocaine to perform an operation on himself which, carried on by candlelight in the forest, occupied two hours. This was done last January, but tho wounds are not yet healed. In describing his journey, Dr Hamilton Rice said;— FED ON MONKEYS. “Mosquitoes made life almost unbearable, and the swarms of large grass-cutting ants, which appeared at sunset, ato our clothing, mado our mosquito nets ' useless, and even devoured our ropes. During a certain portion of our journey we were reduced to eating monkey flesh, and very little of that “Our progress was extremely difficult and painful, and only worked out at two or three miles a day. Every foot of the track had to bo cut. Hundreds of small streams ran across our path, and these were simply alive with rarjas, a dangerous swordfish, of a vindictive nature, which inflicted an ugly wound attended with much pain.” “All of us,” continued the explorers, ' “were practically starring, and tho only course was to retreat in the hope of meetingsom© relief parties. These did not, however, turn up, and wo were reduced to one meal of monkey per day. Continuous thunderstorms, with great trees being struck by lightning all around us, made our retreat a perfect nightmare. Presently the rain stopped, and myriads of ants, bees, and mosquitoes came out and further tortured us. Our Condition was desperate. One of the men lost all power of speech, and could onlywhine like an animal. “Early in the journey', the wife of the chief Indian guide appeared, having been practically cut in half by a machete, and I also had to operate onher for internal abscess. My terrified followers erected a rough operating table in the virgin forest, and I Lad to administer the chloroform and use the knife as well. It was not surprising that the patient died, and there in the primeval jungle the practically dying Indians erected a cross 10 feet high. The majority of the operations, of which there were over a hundred, were successful. “One notable case was of a man suffering from anthrax. His temperature was 107 for six days, and I had to operate three times, reducing his temperature by means of sheets soaked in a stream. He made a complete recovery, and hundreds of cases subsequently came to me for treatment. "At the end of eleven days’ retreat, we reached the Macaya river, where we had some food stored. THROUGH SNAKY SWAMPS. “On Christmas Day last we reached San Jose, on the Guaviari. The trad; was in a horrible condition, and wo were all suffering from fever and covered with sores. From this point I started on the second part of my ex-

podition with two canoes, each laden with a ton of stores. Our party oonsisted of Liouunant Von Bauer, an Austrian and mysc.li, with -four half* castes and a Colombian Indian boy. “Wo discovered a magnificent water, fall over 100 feet in height. .One day a man came up in a canoe. He had been wounded, and had a spear in his kidney, winch had been bleeding for two days. His little craft was halffull of blood. I operated on him, cud he eventually recovered. Later w® came across a colony composed entire* ly of male Indians. At a subsequent stage of the journey wo traversed s snake-infested swamp on the Upper Vmrida. There was no sign of human life, but tapirs, jaguars, and monkeys abounded. They were as tame n» domestic animals. The tapirs swan* round the canoe, while the jaguar* sniffed round our touts at night, and had to bo driven off like dogs. “J* l August wo reached civilisation nt Manaos, and first heard of the Bali 11 , ar aU( I of the Scott disaster is the Antarctic.”