_JUNGLE DAYS BEGIN_
Such food as could be eaten without cooking had been served and
everyone was asleep except Jimmy, who awaited my coming, and tumbled
me into a hammock beneath a canvas shelter. I suppose I had slept many
hours but it seemed no more than five minutes before I was awakened
and crawled out for breakfast. The camp kitchen had been set up, the
blacks had already eaten and were getting the boats ready. Our
breakfast consisted of boiled rice, salt fish and biscuits.
The second day up the river was uneventful. There were broad sweeps of
water, grand, wide curves and the seemingly endless mile after mile of
thick jungle vegetation growing down to the water's edge. That night I
had an opportunity to see how such an outfit was handled. We landed in
a rather likely spot, not far back from the shore, at five o'clock.
Some of the blacks brought the kitchen outfit ashore, others cut long
poles and put up the canvas shelters. It seems that we took our
"hotel" along with us, merely a great canvas cover, and spread it anew
at each night's camp.
A great pole was placed in the crotch of two trees, about twelve feet
above ground, the canvas stretched across this and propped up with
shorter poles and ropes. Beneath this were stretched two hammocks, one
for Lewis and one for myself. Meanwhile Captain Peter and the bowman
swung their hammocks under the awning of the large boat.
Our twenty paddlers put up three smaller shelters beneath which they
swung their own hammocks.
The tropic sun was turning the great Mazaruni to a sheet of molten
gold, deep blue dusk was falling, this turning to gray, and then the
camp fires began to glimmer here and there.
The captain and bowman needed no camp fire, sleeping on the boat, but
we had our own, and the natives had their own at each shelter. Jimmy
presided over our fire, made coffee for us and prepared our supper.
Captain Pete and the bowman had charge of the food for the natives.
The English laws outline clearly to the last ounce and gramme, just
how much food you must give the natives who work for you, to live on.
It was interesting to watch Captain Peter, assisted by the bowman,
with their scales, measuring out the rations to our paddlers. The
Government standard of weekly rations for each man is: flour, 7 pints;
salt fish, 1 pound; sugar, 1 pound; rice, three and one-fourth pints;
salt pork, 1 pound; dried peas, one and three-quarters pints;
biscuits, 1 pound. Frequently the men prefer the extra portion of
sugar in place of the peas, as the sugar is a delicacy with them,
desired above all else.
Captain Peter, through long years of experience, knew just how to
divide this weekly allowance into daily portions and the blacks
trusted him. In line they would march down to the boat, each with a
tin plate, and receive his portion, carefully weighed on the scales,
then he would march back to his camp fire and prepare his food as best
suited himself.
[Illustration: A JUNGLE "HOTEL"]
[Illustration: WE WORKED STEADILY UP THE DANGEROUS RIVER]
At the same time each one was given extra tea, sugar and crackers for
the light morning meal, to save time in breaking camp. With their pint
of flour they baked a cake beside the fire, using the salt from their
fish for the seasoning. Sometimes boiled plantains were eaten with
their supper but these they brought with them as they are not required
by the Governmental regulations to be furnished them. These plantains
are much like bananas, but smaller and really considerably different
in taste. Then there was game and fish to supply additional meat so
that, with the foodstuffs we brought along, everyone fared quite well.
As soon as they had eaten and had cleaned their tin plates they
crawled into their hammocks and filled their short black clay pipes
with tobacco. I must say that it was not a very attractive brand of
tobacco, to judge from the odor. That night we gave cigarettes to
those who did not have them and after that we sold them cigarette
tobacco and papers from our stock at cost. They are extremely fond of
them.