PREFATORY INTRODUCTION. BY THE HISTORIOGRAPHER

In the following record of the explorations of the Teutonic corps of the R. H. B. Society of Berlin, dispatched for the classification of parasitical animalculæ peculiar to the vegetable productions of the tropics, I shall confine myself exclusively to the revelations of the day until the culmination of the corps discoveries, and then to Manatitlan dictation, either direct or through the medium of thought dictation.

The discoveries, as verified, will undoubtedly tax “public credulity” to its utmost stretch; but as the absorptive power of human instinct for the marvelous is unlimited in its superstitious gullibility, it will peradventure receive—with perhaps an awkward spasm from the novelty of goodness—the practical experience adduced as worthy of disputatious consideration. Still we feel assured that there is a reasonable minority who will adopt the practical suggestions with joyful avidity. The facts related—although at present stranger than the instinctive fictions projected from the unreason of the stomach’s rule—will prove, to the affectionately disposed, of easy reconciliation with healthy digestion, and in vievery respect worthy of universal adoption by our race. Assuming the privilege of narrative relation in recording the progressive events, I shall only advert to the leading adventures of the scientific corps while en route toward their ultimate field of exploitation. But while in progress shall endeavor to render

the characteristic peculiarities of the members sufficiently conspicuous for the clear exposition of their national traits, that the reader may realize the obstacles opposed, in degree, to their assimilation with the practical teachings of the Manatitlans demonstrated by Heraclean example.

Lucenhouck, in prophetic forecast, says, “Man, in the arrogance of his pride, believes that he is of a race separate and distinct from the lower orders of the animal creation. Assuming attributes of deity he has constituted himself arbitrator of his own destiny. Yet, with all his affectation of superiority, there is an approximation in his form and physical conformation that distinctly declares his relationship to the simia species; among which there is as great a variety in form and racial intelligence as with those of the genus to which he stands confessed. With the full development of microscopical power, future generations will learn that the wonders of Creation are beyond present conception, and that well defined organic humanity may yet be revealed on the utmost verge of atomic divisibility.”

CHAPTER I.

In the month of January, 187-, M. Hollydorf was selected to conduct an exploring corps of the R. H. B. Society to the head waters of the Paraguay and its tributaries, for the purpose of observing the habits and classifying the different species of animalcular life native to the trees and plants appertaining to those regions. The Royal Society had supplied him with able assistants, and the most complete set of instruments ever constructed for botanical or other research in the fields of natural science. Among the instruments of recent invention, was one of Lutsenwitz’s solar reflecting microscopes, especially designed for field explorations. This was of the highest concentrated power yet attempted by that artist,—the intensity of its magnifying capacity being capable of showing the facial contortions of the most minute animalculæ. Attached to the focal platform was one of Phlegmonhau’s highest grade of responsive tympanums, with reflecting auricle for magnifying the articulation of sound. The corps arrived at Montevideo on the first day of April, and was fortunate in finding

a small trading steamer, under neutral colors, ready with quick despatch for a barter voyage up the Paraguay and its tributaries, without a specified port of final destination.

2The captain was sole owner, and proved to be a man of rare intelligence, which had been cultivated by travel and study. To his love of adventure was added a strong amateur predisposition for the pursuits of natural history. These qualifications led to a speedy agreement, with conditional arrangements for a charter of the steamer open to variations suited to the requirements of the corps.

On the 15th of April the members of the corps, instruments, camp utensils, and travelling gear, were safely stowed on board the little steamer Tortuga,—a name that implied slow progress, which to our satisfaction her speed decried. At eleven A. M., having bid farewell to our newly acquired friends, we left the anchorage with their “Good speed,” and after threading her way among the vessels in the roadstead the little steamer puffed her way up the broad expanse of the La Plata estuary. The balance of the day was occupied in arranging instruments for river observations, the while listening to praises lavished by the captain upon the “worthy” qualities of his little propeller, of which he was the architect and builder. During the evening he regaled us with incidents of his life in California and the East Indies. His adventures in California received occasional illustrations from a genial individual introduced as Padre Simon, the prefix having been conferred—as we afterwards learned—from his zealous support of the Catholic dogmas, theoretically. As the padre was eventually

enlisted in our corps, we will foreshadow some of his peculiar characteristics. In form he was of medium height, with a rotund outline visibly inclining to jovial obesity; his face was in-dyed with a complexion blending with the Roman auburn of his hair, which gave a warm glow to his expression when lighted with a smile. In the first generation of descent from Irish parentage, he retained the full impression of inconsistency 3in the practical adaptation of his habits to the faithful index of goodness ingrafted from the maternal stock. Guileless in thought, when free from temptation, he possessed a ready facility of excusing his habits of excess with the plea of saving grace administered under the seal of confession. With this hint, in forecast of development, we will proceed in the relation of events transpiring during the river voyage.

On the morning of the 21st of May, after having been subjected to our full share of vexatious delays, incident to the provincial poco pocoism of the guarda and custom-house officials, the steamer gained the river post of Santa Anna on the Pilcomayo, two miles above its mouth. At Santa Anna they found the well-known American naturalist, Diego Dow, waiting for an opportunity to obtain sufficient aid to attempt the exploration of the Pilcomayo as far as the reputed settlement of Tenedos, which rumor located on a confluent stream rising and flowing eastward through the valleys of the Andean spur that reached into central La Plata.

The ultra-savage disposition of the wandering tribes on the banks of these rivers, having defeated every previous attempt made to establish trading-posts, but few had been found willing to incur the hazard proposed by Mr. Dow. Even the indomitable Jesuits had been foiled in all their endeavors to conciliate the Indians in degree sufficient for the establishment of missions preliminary to their subjugation.

The magnet of Mr. Dow’s desire had been drawn thitherward by the reputed existence of a walled city inhabited by a white race of great beauty. He considered the report sufficiently well authenticated to warrant the adventure of his life for its discovery and relief from the constant siege to which it had been subjected by the savage tribes from time beyond date. His chief authority, which had incited him to engage 4in the emprise, was his Auraucanian servant, who had, in his wanderings and progress northward, served in an Indian marauding expedition, which invaded the valley of the city for the purpose of lifting the cattle of the inhabitants, who were in seasons of drought obliged to protect them while feeding beyond the walls. As Indian forays were expected, the herds were well guarded by shepherd escorts, whose persons were safely protected with defensive armor, so that with the exception of the face the other parts of the body were proof to the poisoned arrows. In addition they were armed with a bow which in their practiced hands

sent the arrow sure to its mark far beyond the range of their savage foes’ weapons, so that in the open valley they were safe. Besides, their tactics embraced so many precautionary variations that the Indians were almost invariably decoyed and blinded from real intention. These feints caused the savages to become over wary, never venturing an attack unless with the advantage of overwhelming numbers. The party with which Aabrawa, Mr. Dow’s servant, was engaged, met with a severe repulse that indisposed them to renew the attempt, notwithstanding an opportunity was offered on the succeeding day. So well managed were the citizens’ plans of protection that they rarely lost either men or cattle, and without being aggressive frequently administered well merited punishment upon their foes, who were inspired with wholesome fear from a superiority so manifest in deadly effect. Unable to cope with their white antagonists in the open field, they, with constant wariness peculiar to the savage, neglected no opportunity to harass, hoping at some

time with constant worrying to catch them off their guard. The cause of this implacable hatred was hereditary, reaching, as Aabrawa learned, far back to a time when the forefathers of the citizens abused their supremacy by enslaving their Indian benefactors. The Indians having surprised and overcome their oppressors, 5a remnant of the whites obtained refuge in the present city, which had since been kept under constant espial. As the city was overlooked from an adjacent height, but little passed in the streets unknown to the besiegers, who were quick to discover any relaxation of vigilance; and whenever from pestilence or other cause it did occur, couriers were dispatched to summon aid from distant tribes.

Curiosity and love of exciting adventure had enlisted the members of the corps in favor of aiding Mr. Dow’s projected enterprise, and through their continued solicitation, M. Hollydorf consented to waive the strict interpretation of his commission, designating a particular field of operation, by using his discretionary power in favor of the proposed scheme for raising the siege of the beleaguered city. Captain Greenwood without hesitation tendered the aid of his steamer, and being one of those peculiar persons who are accustomed to take the head of time by the forelock, he immediately commenced the precautionary labors to protect his vessel from the wily tricks of surprise practiced by the savages. The commandante of Santa Anna, being well acquainted with the methods of attack that led to the defeat of the various expeditions directed against the Chacas, proved of great use in suggesting precautions. The chief dread arose from the poisoned arrows of the savages, which inflicted incurable wounds, adding to death the horrors of lingering putrefaction. The fears anticipated from

this source were relieved by the confidence inspired through the energetic character of the captain, whose experience with the superior cunning of the North American Indians prepared him to cope with the lower instincts of their southern congeners.

On the morning of the 23d of May the Tortuga’s bow was turned against the swift middle current of the Pilcomayo’s bayou expanse, then at its height 6from the copious contributions of the rainy season in the high lands and mountain sources of its tributaries. Night still found us in the broad sea of waters, baffled in search of the interior mouth which was made more difficult from the confluent branches uniting with it near its Paraguayan embouchure. The commandante, anticipating the difficulty likely to be encountered, had been particular in giving directions; but although strictly followed, from a calculation of the steamer’s speed, twice the distance had been run without discovering the described landmarks. Uncertainty was rendered still more uncomfortable by the shallowing of the water, showing plainly that we were inland from the river’s channel. At midnight, while anchored, a hurricane, heralded by a thunder-storm, made the waters seethe with its force, causing our little craft to careen and bob with a politeness to the

gusts that impaired our confidence in its self reliance. Padre Simon declared that the lightning set his teeth on edge, prompting him from its dazzling flashes to pray, but that the thunder so startled and confused him that he was unable to think, and as a dernier ressort was obliged to drink. This remedy finally rendered him proof to the best efforts of Jupiter Tonans; but on waking in the morning he complained that he could still hear the roll of the thunder in his head.

On the morning of the 24th the sun rose bright and clear in a cloudless sky, compensating with its splendor the discomforts of the night; its reflected light glancing upon the waters discovered far to the south a broad ripple, indicating the sought-for channel. The river’s stream was soon gained, and followed in a southwesterly course until the river’s limits were defined by partially submerged trees growing upon its banks. Having at Santa Anna filled every available portion of the vessel with fuel, sufficient for a run of four days, the boat was enabled to keep on her course 7under a full head of steam, without anxiety from the dull prospect offered for replenishing.

May 25th, at sunrise, after a good night’s run, we discovered a headland above the surface of the water covered with fire-scathed trees, from which the captain, for a surety, concluded to add to his diminished supply of fuel. The labor of taking in wood from this source was by no means pleasant, but the sailors with good-will made the “virtue of necessity” cheerful with songs and jokes, the “passengers,” suitably clothed, contributing with the zest of energy their labor for its stowage, so that by eight o’clock we were again under way. With the exception of this wooded bluff nothing but sky, water, and foliage had met our eyes since leaving Santa Anna, the monotonous compound making us well content with cabin associations.

On the 28th at sunrise, our ears were gladdened with the cry of “Land ho!” Rushing on deck, with the expectation of a greeting from well defined banks, we were disappointed, as the contrasted elements of the previous day still prevailed. Seeing that we were a little inclined to be vexed, at what we considered to be an ill-timed joke, the man at the wheel, an old river navigator, pointed to a mud bank that closed our view with the bend of the river, at the same time directing our attention to the eddy cast from it far out toward a line of trees on the opposite shore. From these indications he assured us that in a half hour’s time we should hear the songs of birds to make us lively. Doubling the muddy cape we were greeted with the screams of parrots, while other birds of gay plumage were crossing and recrossing the river singly and in flocks, causing, in apparent salutation, a lively line of demarcation between the land enclosed current and the smooth waters of the flood below. The welcome sight raised our spirits into a sympathetic mood

of song, which was unfortunately too nearly allied to the screaming discord of the parrots to evoke other 8than a mirthful disposition for repartee which expended itself in humorous comparisons, favoring the advent of genial omens.

Mr. Welson, a prominent official of the Panama Railroad Company, had accepted the freedom proffered by the steamship lines plying between the maritime cities of the eastern coast of South America, for his recuperative vacation of three months, and on his arrival in Montevideo had been induced by Captain Greenwood to extend his voyage up the river.

A Scotsman by birth, he possessed in an eminent degree the predilection of his people for dry, caustic humor; and in his position of commercial agent had cultivated the art of extracting fun from the vagaries of migrating humanity in their transit across the isthmus. Scientific whimsies were especially adapted to his quizzical vein, and a happier combination of material could scarcely have been conjured for his entertainment, than he found on board of the Tortuga. Padre Simon was his especial favorite as a stimulating provocative. Won by his naïve simplicity, he had soon interested himself to learn the object of his river voyage, with the intention of rendering him assistance. Greatly to his surprise the padre informed him that he had no other expectations in visiting Entre Rios than the chance one “of hitting an opportunity to make a strike.” Amused with his vernacular, and the easy carelessness of his manner, which seemed to defy disappointment, he was delighted to discover his growing fondness for polemical disputations, which was gratified by a kindred disposition

cultivated by Dr. Baāhar, the naturalist of the corps. On the steamer’s arrival at Entre Rios, the port of his destination, the padre’s thoughts were absorbed in the dogmatic discussion of the soul’s material identity with the body after the resurrection, so that he gave no heed to the frequent repetition of the name of the town. Aware of his total abstraction from all 9thoughts and anxieties connected with the business responsibilities of life, necessary for material sustenance, Mr. Welson connived with the doctor to hold him in argument until after the steamer’s departure, well assured that no material harm could arise from the derangement of plans so lightly impressed as to give place to chimerical argument. For a characteristic illustration of the disputants’ peculiarities we will give the burden of their colloquial subjects of exposition.

Padre. “My conscience’ sake alive, man! Why, you might as well set us down as beasts at once, as to argue that in resurrection we shall assume the form of animals whose habits we most affect in life! Surely your naturalistic learning has run mad with your orthodox catholic ideas, for, upon my soul, they are rank with transmigration, and if confessed, you would be denied absolution by every ecclesiastic in the Christian world. Look you! the very fact, if admitted, would controvert all that we hold sacred. Why, man, it would render absurd our reliquary faith in the efficacy of sainted bones and vestments for healing the sick and lame, for the marrow-bones of swine and the hair of dogs would hardly serve to enlist belief in the Christian doctrine of divine transubstantiation?”

Dr. B. “As we claim that reason has been bestowed as an endowment to distinguish us in reality from the brute creation, its possession presupposes preordination of intention in decree for its use. Now, if you will devote your share of this human endowment to the demonstration I am about to give of cause and effect, you will not fail to perceive the distinctions upon which our faith is founded. Humanity possesses omnivorously, in its varieties of genera and species, all the habits of the lower orders of the animal creation in their separate representation! But superadded to this resemblance in the community of instinct, man has a 10discretionary power inherent with his endowment of reason, which enables him to profit by experience in shaping his course for the avoidance of consequent evils which follow from the transgression of natural laws. This power presupposes accountability that directs itself to Creative Cause. Upon this innate feeling of responsibility, impressed by repentance from transgressions, and joys imparted from adherence to