THE OIL-WELLS OF THE ORINOCO.
I fear that the description of the land of El Dorado has already been
extended beyond the limits assigned to that chapter; otherwise we might
continue our voyage down the noble river, and visit other points of
attraction along its course; such as the falls of the Caroni, three
miles above its confluence with the Orinoco. On its margins grows the
beautiful _Bomplandia trifoliata_, which yields the Angostura-bark of
the pharmacopœa--next to quinine, the most efficacious antidote
against the miasmas of these regions. It also furnishes the principal
ingredient in the composition of the fine bitters manufactured there
under that name. By descending the river still farther, we might enter
any of the thousand channels into which the Orinoco divides itself
before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean, and there take a look at the
curious race of men--the Waraun Indians--living on trees like apes, for
want of dry land upon which to stretch their limbs; or in rude huts
built on piles driven in the soft mud of the Great Delta. But as the
time draws near for our departure from the Llanos, and the rivers
commence to overflow the plains, we will reascend the Orinoco and rejoin
our friends, who await us impatiently on the banks of the Apure; or else
we might find ourselves, like Spira and his companions, cut off
from the rest of civilization. We shall also miss the curious
harvest--_cosecha_--of turtles’ eggs, which is gathered about this time
upon the sand-islands of the Orinoco, just above the mouth of the Apure.
Here the great turtles called _arraus_ by the Indians, and _tortugas_ by
the whites, assemble in vast multitudes during the dry season to perfect
the incubation of their eggs. This they accomplish by digging pits in
the sand with their hind feet, in which they deposit the eggs, covering
them afterwards very carefully, and entrusting the rest of the operation
to the heat of the sun. The people from far and near this _el dorado_ of
eggs and turtles, then hasten to these sand-banks, and provision
themselves for “a rainy day” at the expense of the lawful tenants of
those islands.
Other travellers having already studied the habits of these amphibia in
their native habitat, we may avail ourselves of their experience in
forming some idea of their prodigious increase, in spite of their
sluggish habits. I may mention, among others, Humboldt and Bates, who
have given to the world very graphic accounts of this singular
“harvest,” the former on the Orinoco,[60] and the latter on the Amazon
river.[61] But the most interesting account within my knowledge is that
of Father Gumilla, who, having spent many years among these wilds, is
entitled to special attention on the part of the lovers of nature. As
his book is very rare and curious nowadays, I will, for the benefit of
my readers, give here a translation of the chapter devoted to the
subject:
“OF THE EXTRAORDINARY HARVEST (_Cosecha_) OF TURTLES GATHERED BY
THE INDIANS OF THE ORINOCO; THEIR EGGS, AND OF THE PECULIAR OIL
OBTAINED FROM THEM.”
“So great is the number of turtles in the Orinoco river, that whatever I
may say on this subject will fall far short of the actual truth; and I
even fear that many, in reading my authentic account of what I myself
have repeatedly seen, experienced, and touched with my own hands, will
accuse me of exaggeration; but it is a fact that it would be as
difficult to count the sands of the extensive banks of the Orinoco, as
to compute the immense number of turtles which it harbors on its borders
and in the depths of its currents.
“Some idea may be formed of the enormous consumption of these creatures,
when we say that all the tribes and people of adjacent countries, and
even from those farther off, frequent the Orinoco with their families to
secure what I termed the harvest of turtles; for they not only maintain
themselves therewith during the months that it lasts, but also carry
away a large supply of turtle-meat, dried by fire, and a still greater
number of baskets of eggs, dried also by the same means. But what
principally attracts the people of these tribes is the oil which they
gather from the eggs of said turtles, in large quantities, to anoint
themselves throughout the year twice every day, and to sell to the more
remote tribes who cannot, or through fear dare not, go down the river
Orinoco.
“As soon as the river begins to fall and to display its first sandbanks
in the month of February, the turtles commence to show themselves, in
order to deposit their eggs in the sand; those which appear first are
the small turtles called _terecayas_, weighing scarce an _arroba_ of
twenty-five pounds; these lay twenty-two and sometimes twenty-four eggs,
like hen’s eggs, but without the shell, instead of which they are
covered by two membranes, one soft and the other thicker. With these
_terecayas_ other turtle also appear, who, in the previous year, found
no sand in which to deposit their eggs, or were prevented from so doing
by the great number assembled there. These large turtles, which, when
three years old, weigh two _arrobas_--as I have proved by the
scales--deposit sixty-two, and ordinarily, sixty-four round eggs each,
larger than those of the _terecayas_, with stronger membrane, and with
which the Indians play ball on shore, or egg each other in sport. In
each nest of eggs there is one larger than the rest, from which the male
is hatched; all the others are females. About this time the Indians, of
various tribes, commence to arrive from all points of the adjacent
countries: some of them build their straw huts; others content
themselves by driving poles in the sand, from which to swing their
hammocks. A multitude of tigers also appear to turn up the turtles,
which they devour in spite of their strong cuirass; a circumstance which
by no means adds to the pleasure and satisfaction that the Indians
derive from their excursion to the Orinoco, since, in spite of all their
care, scarcely a year passes in which the tigers do not devour some of
the poor Indians, who have no other mode of keeping them off at night
than by fires, which, so long as they burn, keep the beasts at a
distance.
“Fearing the heat of the sun--which often kills them on the
sand-banks--the turtles at first come out only at nightfall to lay their
eggs; but, as the season advances, the gathering is so great, that the
multitudes already out prevent the passage of still greater numbers,
which, with heads above water, are waiting a chance to pass on; and so
soon as an opportunity presents itself, they hasten to lay all their
eggs at once--the burthen of which they cannot support without great
inconvenience,--regardless of the sun and heat, which often costs many
of them their lives.
“I have noticed three curious facts with reference to these
turtle-nests: the first is, that after opening with the utmost care the
holes in which these animals deposit their eggs, they take particular
pains to close them again, so as not to leave a trace by which the nest
may be found. For this purpose they leave the ground perfectly even with
the rest of the sand-bank; and in order that the marks of their feet may
not lead to their discovery, they pass over and around the nest several
times in succession before they quit the ground. All their precautions
are in vain, however, for wherever there are eggs, the sand remains
quite loose, and gives way under foot; and by these means the eggs are
found in the early part of the season; but later, in the height of the
harvest, there is no need of looking for these signs; for, in the same
sands in which the first turtles laid, the second, third, and scores of
others also lay their eggs in such prodigious quantities, that wherever
the Indians may dig, they find them in heaps, the animals themselves
scattering them all over the ground while excavating their own nests.
“The second curious fact that I have observed, by driving a pole near to
a newly-laid nest, is, that in three days’ time, the incubation of the
eggs is not only perfected, but the young turtles have broken through
the shell; so great is the power of the sun and the intensity of the
heat absorbed by the sand.
“The third point noted by me is, that the young turtles, on coming out
of the shell--at which time they are about the size of a half
dollar,--do not leave the nest by daylight, nature having taught them
that the heat of the sun will kill them, and the birds of prey will
devour them. They come forth, therefore, in the silence and cool of the
night; and what has most excited my admiration is, that although the
hole from which they emerge may be half a mile or more from the river,
they never mistake the road, but go in a direct line to the water. This
pleased me so much, that I have repeatedly taken the turtles a great
distance from the river, carrying them covered, and turning them around
over and over again on the ground, in order to make them lose their
course; but whenever they found themselves free, they made straight for
the water, and I following them, admiring the wonderful goodness of the
Creator, who thus endows each of his creatures with powers to find its
natural element. What a lesson to us, who, in spite of the hope of
eternal reward and the danger of everlasting punishment, scarce succeed
in taking the right path for that ultimate goal for which the goodness
and mercy of God created us!
“About this time the Indians, both men and women, rise very early, and
the former turn over as many turtles as they please, leaving them on
their backs in such a way as to render them incapable of resuming their
natural position; for although they strive with their paddles to right
themselves, their back is so high that they cannot touch the ground in
order to obtain a foothold. They are then carried by their captors to
the ranches, where they are made fast by leaving them on their backs, as
aforesaid. Meanwhile the women and children occupy themselves in filling
and carrying baskets of eggs and little turtles to the ranches, making
large heaps of the former, and keeping the latter in the baskets to
prevent their escape into the river, which they always do whenever they
can. The men also dig holes in the sand down to the level of the river,
which are quickly filled by the infiltration of the water, and place
therein large numbers of baby-turtles, to be eaten as wanted; each of
which makes a delicious mouthful, free from bones, the very shells being
soft and tasty. The number of delicate young turtles eaten daily by the
innumerable families congregated there is incalculable. But the quantity
of eggs consumed is even greater, both as food and for the extraction of
oil; so great, indeed, that notwithstanding the size of the Orinoco
river, it is the opinion of the experts of that country that, were it
not for this extraordinary consumption of turtles and their eggs, the
increase of these animals in the river would be such as to render it
unnavigable; for boats would find it impossible to make way through the
immense number of turtles which would appear were all these eggs to be
hatched; in which opinion I participate also. In the same way, it is
said that on the fishing-banks of Newfoundland, frequented by so many
vessels, the shoals of codfish are so immense that the passage of
vessels is seriously embarrassed and delayed. It is also asserted that
each fisherman can catch as many as four hundred codfish per day.
“Let us now see how the oil is extracted, which, as I have already said,
is the chief attraction which brings so many people to the Orinoco.
After washing the canoes which have brought them there, they draw them
on the beach, and pour several pailsfull of water into them: they then
wash the eggs in baskets, until not a grain of sand remains adhering to
them, and when perfectly clean, they are emptied into the canoes and
trod upon by children in the same way as grapes are mashed in
wine-making. Once full, the canoes are left exposed to the sun’s rays,
and in due time a fine and limpid liquid rises to the surface, which is
the oleaginous portion of the eggs; so abundant is this, that I have
been surprised to see a frying-pan placed dry on the fire, and after
being heated, well beaten eggs poured therein, which, on touching the
hot pan, gave forth sufficient oil to fry the omelet, with a certainty
that it never sticks to the pan.
“Whilst the heat of the sun is extracting this fine oil, the Indian
women place large pots over the fire, and the men with fine shells, very
suitable for the purpose, remove the oil from the surface of the mixture
in the canoes, and carry it to the pots, where the heat of the fire
boils and purifies it. If, during the operation of transferring the oil
any of the beaten eggs are taken along, they remain fixed in the bottom
of the pots. The oil, when purified, is put in suitable jars, and is
much finer and clearer than that of olives, as I have proven to many
Europeans, who could hardly believe it, in the following manner. I
filled half a glass with olive-oil; I then poured in a like quantity of
oil from the eggs of turtles; when, lo! they commenced to change
positions from top to bottom, first one and then the other, gradually
mixing together in the middle until they finally commingled, losing
their natural color and assuming an albuginous appearance like watered
milk; the mixture being left quiet for half an hour or more, the egg-oil
commenced to rise to the surface, and in a short time remained on top of
the olive-oil, just as the latter floats on the surface of water, both
resuming their natural color. But to return to our narrative.
“At the dinner hour--although they are all the while eating eggs and
young turtles, just for the fun of it--a single animal will provide
three large and distinct dishes, ample for the largest family; a turtle,
split on both sides, furnishing the following portions, viz.: head and
neck, the two hind legs, and the pectoral paddles, which require a
good-sized pot to hold them. Before placing them in it, some large lumps
of fat are removed, yellow as the yolk of an egg; and this is another
source of gain, which the Indians take home; and as the turtle which
gives the least, yields two pounds of this fat, the profit is
considerable. The pot being placed on the fire, the husband takes the
shell which forms the turtle’s back, and the wife the breast-plate; and
after carefully chopping together the meat, fat, and great quantity of
eggs which still adhere to the shell, the latter serve them as pots
also, without the slightest danger of burning. Before the mess is quite
cooked, they put the shells on the fireplaces, and make their first
dish, the _gigote_, on the breast-plate, which is very delicious and
tender; and even the breast-plate itself is sometimes eaten, as it
becomes impregnated with the fat, and is quite palatable. The second
dish is made from the hash prepared on the shell taken from the turtle’s
back. This is quite a treat, and is called _garapacho_, I do not know
why. Finally, the third dish is the _olla_, or bouilli, which ends the
meal, and is washed down with plenty of _chicha_,[62] which they take
good care to provide themselves with in sufficient quantity for the
whole season.
“One would scarcely believe how fat the children, and in fact the whole
pack of them, grow during the season; but no wonder, for as the good
Father Manuel Roman, the Superior of our Orinoco missions, has often
assured me, although born in Olmedo, and grown in Valladolid and
Salamanca, he did not miss the fine mutton of those places so long as he
could depend upon the turtles of the Orinoco. Other Spanish priests of
the same missions expressed themselves in like terms.
“The gain and benefit derived from these turtles by the Indians does not
stop here; for, besides the immense number of eggs which they consume,
both as food and in the preparation of the oil, they also carry away
great quantities of them, dried like figs in the sun; or by the heat of
slumbering fires made underneath horizontal trellises raised for the
purpose. The amount of eggs thus purloined can easily be imagined from
the fact, that these people will readily give in exchange for a knife
four basketfuls of them, each of which contains at least one thousand
eggs. They also carry away as many turtles as they can conveniently stow
in the canoes, without danger of sinking, tying them securely therein to
prevent their escape.
“Of this species of turtle, what most excited my surprise was the
immense number of eggs which each of them has within itself; for,
besides the roe ready to be laid this year, farther in they have the one
for the next season, of nearly the same size as the former, but
destitute of that covering or white membrane which envelops the eggs;
then follow those for the third year, about the size of musket-balls;
for the fourth year, of the calibre for a fowling-piece; for the fifth
year, they are no bigger than buckshot; and at this rate they decrease
until they present a confused mass resembling turnip and mustard-seed;
and God only knows for how many years those creatures are endowed with
similar receptacles of life in embryo.”
* * * * *
This much was observed and related concerning the turtles of Orinoco by
the reverend missionary father in the early part of the seventeenth
century: let us now hear what the great philosopher of modern times says
in regard to these humble creatures; for he, too, spent several days
among the children of nature during the “harvest” of eggs and turtles
provided for them by their beneficent mother.
* * * * *
“I acquired some general statistical notions on the spot, by consulting
the missionary of Urvana, his lieutenant, and the traders of Angostura.
The shore of Urvana furnishes one thousand botijas, or jars of oil
annually. The price of each jar at Angostura varies from two piastres to
two and a half. We may admit that the total produce of the three shores,
where the _cosecha_, or gathering of eggs, is annually made, is five
thousand botijas. Now, as two hundred eggs yield oil enough to fill a
bottle (limeta), it requires five thousand eggs for a jar or botija of
oil. Estimating at one hundred, or one hundred and sixteen, the number
of eggs that one tortoise produces, and reckoning that one-third of
these is broken at the time of laying, particularly by the ‘mad
tortoises,’ we may presume that, to obtain annually five thousand jars
of oil, three hundred and thirty thousand _arrau_ tortoises, the weight
of which amounts to one hundred and sixty-five thousand quintals, must
lay thirty-three millions of eggs on the three shores where this harvest
is gathered. The results of these calculations are much below the truth.
Many tortoises lay only sixty or seventy eggs; and a great number of
these animals are devoured by jaguars at the moment they emerge from the
water. The Indians bring away a great number of eggs, to eat them dried
in the sun; and they break a considerable number through carelessness
during the gathering. The number of eggs that are hatched before the
people can dig them up is so prodigious, that near the encampment of
Urvana I saw the whole shore of the Orinoco swarming with little
tortoises an inch in diameter, escaping with difficulty from the pursuit
of the Indian children. If to these considerations be added, that all
the _arraus_ do not assemble on the three shores of the encampment; and
that there are many which lay their eggs in solitude, and some weeks
later, between the mouth of the Orinoco and the confluence of the Apure;
we must admit that the number of turtles which annually deposit their
eggs on the banks of the Lower Orinoco, is near a million. This number
is very great for so large an animal. In general large animals multiply
less considerably than the smaller ones.”[63]
[Illustration: Arrow used in Turtle Shooting.]
So extraordinary do these things appear to those not conversant with the
wonders of South America, that, to strengthen my statements, I am often
compelled to quote from more familiar writers on this subject, for fear
of being accused of exaggeration, as has already happened with reference
to one simple fact of every-day occurrence among Indian hunters. I
allude to the mode of shooting turtles and crocodiles with arrows of a
peculiar construction, referred to at page 109, and which appeared for
the first time in previous editions of my _Wild Scenes in South
America_. The _London Saturday Review_ of July 11th, 1863, commenting
upon this--to others than the practised eye of an Indian--most
extraordinary feat of skill, appeals to one of the best mathematicians
in the kingdom to learn if such a thing can be done at all; although in
other respects the remarks of the reviewer are highly flattering to the
book. I will endeavor to show, on this occasion, that nothing is easier
when you know how to do it, in support of which I could do no better
than appeal also to the testimony of English authorities. Both Wallace
and Bates mention the fact in their respective books of travel on the
Amazon and Rio Negro; and the latter accompanies his remarks with an
accurate representation of the arrow used for that purpose, which I
reproduce on the previous page, with the following paragraph alluding to
the mode of using it:
* * * * *
“Cardozo and I spent an hour paddling about. I was astonished at the
skill which the Indians display in shooting turtles. They did not wait
for their coming to the surface to breathe, but watched for the slight
movements in the water, which revealed their presence underneath. These
little tracks on the water are called the Siriri; the instant one was
perceived, an arrow flew from the bow of the nearest man, and never
failed to pierce the shell of the submerged animal. When the turtle was
very distant, of course the aim had to be taken at a considerable
elevation, but the marksmen preferred a longish range, because the arrow
then fell _perpendicularly_ on the shell, and entered it more
deeply.”[64]
* * * * *
The writer goes on then to describe the arrow, which corresponds in
every particular with my own description of it at page 109. _En
passant_, I will remark here that both books containing it came out in
London about the same time; and I would recommend to lovers of travel
and adventure the perusal of Mr. Bates’ interesting chapter on the
harvest of turtles’ eggs among the sand-islands of the mighty Amazon, as
well as Humboldt’s narrative on the same subject among those of its
brother river, the Orinoco; both are exceedingly entertaining.
But what will the mathematicians and military men of Great Britain, or
any other country, say, when I tell them of an Indian who, for a small
consideration, would strike a _medio-real_--half a dime--with an arrow
at an angle of 85°? This was done by placing the money on the top of a
lime or lemon close to the big toe of the archer’s left foot; he then
would bend backwards, assisted by the right one, allowing a sufficient
space between the bow and the lime for the arrow to turn down after
being shot up in the air; and so certain was the aim that the savage
made quite a little fortune about the streets of Caracas, where he
exhibited his skill during the short visit which his Cacique paid
President Paez at the Capital.
It is also related of another Indian that he could shoot a buzzard
soaring above his head without looking at the bird, guided only by the
shadow cast upon the ground about midday. In connection with this the
reader will find in the work of the Rev. J. C. Fletcher, _Brazil and the
Brazilians_, a wood-cut representing an Indian archer shooting on his
back at a flock of ducks passing over him. A large and strong bow is
bent by his legs while he holds the butt-end of the arrow in his
hands--“In this way they are able to shoot game at a great distance.”
Although these things appear very wonderful to us, who cannot even
“draw a bow at a venture,” we should recollect that the very existence
of the savage depends upon the accuracy of his aim as, with lightning
speed, he flings the unerring arrow at his prey. No one thinks of
doubting the historical story about the Parthian children who were
obliged to bring down their morning’s meal from the top of a post with a
much more clumsy instrument--the _sling_, thereby acquiring the
wonderful dexterity for which their warriors were famed.
Some may be inclined to doubt the truth of the stories found in profane
history, but will not dispute the testimony of Scripture, wherein we are
told that the giant-warrior Goliah was slain by the youth David, with
only the help of a sling and a “ pebble from the brook.” It may be said
that it was by Divine aid that David hit the mark so skillfully; but who
shall presume to say that such aid is withheld, because the being
requiring it is a savage and not one of the chosen race?
* * * * *
And now, my dear reader, though such wonderful exhibitions of skill as
are related above, may appear to your mind as savoring strongly of the
proverbial exaggeration which is supposed to accompany the relation of
all extraordinary feats of the chase, yet, if we reflect on the thousand
examples which come under our daily observation, illustrating the
marvelous inventive powers of man, and the manual skill required to
produce and apply many of his inventions, you cannot but conclude with
me that there are latent powers given to us by the great Master, which,
when awakened by necessity, can surmount obstacles and attain ends
involving a degree of physical as well as mental perfection almost
superhuman. A constant supply of food is the first and greatest demand
of nature. To attain this, the inhabitants of the vast wilds of South
America have no other resource than the game which their streams and
forests afford; the acmé of their savage education is to excel in the
skill and cunning of the chase; their hunting implements are necessarily
rude and imperfect; consequently, great accuracy of aim, and steadiness
of nerve are required in their successful application.