Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 204: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

190 at Para, you could go down in small steamers andthe trip could be made in this direction in ten days. Back of all these rivers lies the unexplored country. In this region you would find the Pampas del Sacramento, in Pert, in which France could be set down without filling it, and which is wild enough for the most am- bitious explorer. elf you are not satisfied with what you found in this part of Pert, you could strike into the interior from Paita, in the departamento—prov- ince or district—of Piura. Passing out of this departamento, you would reach the river Marafion, which bathes the regions in litigation between Ecuador and’ Pert. By descending the Marafion to its union with Ucayali, which forms the great river of the Amazon, you would find yourself in primitive country. Your attention should be called to the fact that on the right bank of the Pachitea are to be found Indians called Cashibus, who are anthropophagi, or cannibals, who are ~very fierce barbarians and who are hated and pur- sued by all the surrounding tribes. These Cashibus are said to be very splendid specimens of humanity. The best time to go to that country is from April to July, which is called the dry season, y although it is not dry, but simply rains every afternoon and not all the time. In order to reach that country by the first of April you ought to leave the United States about the middle of February. I have indicated in a general way what the means of transportation are. While you are in Lima, you ought to make yourself known to the authorities, telling them that your object . is to explore the country in the interest of science and asking for the cooperation of the ° government. If you secure this, it would aid you in obtaining Indians and the cooperation of the authorities in the country districts and in the wilds. | | Your special equipment should consist of as few clothes as possible, and they should be of light weight, as the weather is always ex- tremely hot. For shoes you could find nothing better than alpargates, which you could buy in Lima. You should always carry a hammock, and you can secure hammocks so light that they could be bound around your waist and used as a helt in traveling. Your firearms for protection should consist of a good rifle—your Savage would be all right—and a good pistol. Your .38 Smith and Wesson seems to me rather small. I like a Colt .45 double-action. Nevertheless, your Smith and Wesson .38 will probably be all right, as you would depend upon your rifle mostly. You ought also to get a good machete in Lima. This is a handy weapon for defense and for chopping. Carry all the ammunition you can. You should take along all the canned and drv pro- visions you can pack. Sugar and alcohol you can easily secure in Lima. You will tfeed plenty of quinine, purgatives, iodine (for insect bites), laudanum fas you will often have stomach-ache due to change of water), and ammonia, A few bottles of Perry Davis’s Adventure “pain-killer” would come in handy, as it and the ammonia are good for scorpion bites. You will not be able to use money among the Indians to any great extent. You will - therefore need to take articles for trading: cheap shotguns, muzzle-loading, with powder, shot and balls, and percussion caps. The natives have no use for cartridges. You ought to have a big supply of knives, shears, scissors, needles, thread, white cloth, beads, and in gen- eral any small useful articles. Cheap pocket- knives. are very good. Cheap pistols, old- fashioned and muzzle-loading, would be good for trading. In Iquitos or in Canchamayo you can get good guides and porters from the local au- thorities. You should be very careful to have reliable Indians. . All the rivers have plenty of fish so that you could always fall back on this kind of food. You can take along hooks and tackle, but you could probably supply yourself with those of a primitive “character in Iquitos. There is game, if you know how to get at it; deer, wild boar, armadillos, anta (moose or elk), and a vast variety of birds. You ought always to have a supply of canned or dried food as an emergency, Various kinds of chocolate can be secured in the country, and this, as you know, is good food. The hide of the jaguares, ett,, are worth pre- serving and are salable. .You can secure maps in Lima, and if you wish to supply yourself with local maps in advance, write to the Sociedad Seo Lima, Pert, and to the Ministerio de For- mento, Lima, Peru, using a five-cent stamp on your letters, and explaining that you wish maps of the country indicated, and telling of your desire to make scientific investigations. Maps made by Raymondi are very good. Upon your arrival at Lima, you can secure much information about that country by visit- ing the Convento de los Padres Franciscanos (Padres Descalzos). There is a slight export tax on gold. | When you reach Callao, if you explain to the custom-house authorities the nature of your expedition, and that you do not intend to sell, but rather to barter in order to cover your expenses with the Indians, you probably will have to pay little or no duty. Would You Hunt in Africa? VERY adventurer should serve an apprenticeship in his own country be- fore trying those far places where only the experienced, the hardened, the de- termined can expect to succeed. West Africa is about the toughest spot on earth for the uninitiated. Ife you ever hope to follow the dark trails of Nigeria weigh carefully what Mr. Miller says: Question:+«“What are the chances for big- game hunting in Africa? What equipment Would be necessary for a six-months’ trip, and what: would be the cost? Gomicboolk a :