Mistaken Journey

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 291, 19 January 1945, Page 23

Mistaken Journey

ROY

SHEFFIELD

[IV.] NE of the chemists in the institute ‘was able to give’ me some helpful advice regarding conditions on the Rio Paraguay, and, at first, was particularly reassuring regarding mosquitoes and the risks of fever. The Paraguay, unlike the River Parana, he said, was practically free from the maleria-carrying mosquito, and ordinary precautions with quinine should be quite sufficient for q normal healthy person. One could even drink the river water in safety, he affirmed, which was pleasing, since I could not imagine any other possible supply. However, after some conversation, he discovered that I was not intending to go on a passenger launch, but by canoe, and his tone promptly changed. The mosquitoes assumed a new frightfulness; the water became polluted; the now familiar warnings were trotted out, and some he omitted I was able to mention for him. He was a very charming man, and my news caused him such uneasiness that he spent the rest of the afternoon showing me the different species of mosquito I should meet. I wish I had listened more carefully; then, later on perhaps, I could have called them by their scientific names instead of the names I did call them. The chemist, who was really a very obliging .man, showed me _ various snakes, which he hoped I should not encounter -- an expression of goodwill which I seconded. The flat-headed ones were generally poisonous, he declared, though he thought it safest to act promptly in the event of a bite and to use the serum, whether the reptile looked to have either a flat head or a rounded one. I thought so, too, and bought some serum and a syringe. on the strength of it F | outside of a horse is the best " thing for the inside of a man, they say. That may be, but next to a horse I would put the remoter sections of that Brazilian railway track. We bumped and jolted gaily across half a continent, and although several times I felt certain we were off the metals, that was a contingency which did not arise. Had it happened, the second-class passengers would have been required to assist in lifting the derailed coaches back again. There are only two trains.a week to Puerto Esperanca, and before leaving Sau Paulo I was wisely prevailed upon to telegraph ahead to Bauru to reserve sleeping accommodation, This was indeed a wise precaution, because here, where we arrived about 9.30-p.m, and had to change trains, there was an excited scramble round the ticket-office window to obtain berths. Despite my youth and energy, my linguistic shortcomings would have proved too great a handicap among that bunch of fast talkers had it not been for the telegram. The ticket agent referred to a paper and

called out a name which, although he | commenced it with a sibilant, sounded strange to me. However, the others were silent for a moment waiting for somebody to speak, so I promptly cried "Si senhor!" and kept repeating "Si!" to everything he said until I received my ticket and was elbowed out to the edge of the crowd. The first part of the journey was made in an electric train with an overhead line, and the country we went through was well cultivated, coffee, rice, sugar, cotton, cocoa and orange groves being much in evidence. After a few hours we came to the end of the electric line, and our train was drawn by a wood-burning steam locomotive. Then, too, the fields and plantations began to thin out, and soon we were going through wooded jungle land. The single track was often just a thin line cut through the all-en-veloping tropical growth, and the foliage brushed the coaches on both sides as we rattled through. ; Usually, on this journey, one gets smothered in dust from the red earth, terra roxa, which in Sau Paulo is found to a depth of three feet, and in which the coffee plant grows so flourishingly. We were spared this ordeal, however, as the dust was laid by a steady drizzle of rain. That night, in the not too uncomfortable sleeping berth, provided a first touch of comedy. In spite of the continual buffeting, and the immigent danger of being precipitated right out of the bunk altogether, I soon managed to fall asleep, Suddenly there was a tremendous bump, the train came to a clattering standstill, and a pungent smell of burning filled the carriages. The same thought occurred to all of us simultaneously, and in about 10 seconds there was a motley collection of frightened and voluble passengers on the line at a wayside halt. Had the danger been a real one we should probably have remained blissfully unaware of our shockingly immodest condition; but a refuse heap, foully smouldering, dispelled our fears of a fire, and the abrupt halt, apparently, was nothing more than an unusually violent application of the brakes. As my thoughts returned to normal, I was increasingly aware of several distressing irregularities in my companions’ attire. The women, though still well covered, were, for once, not wearing their usual black dresses; although, to be honest, I must admit that I saw nothing which outraged my susceptibilitiesmuch, The men, with a few exceptions, had prepared for bed merely by doffing their coats and collars. One cleric, however, had’ gone so far as to remove his trousers also, and he appeared among us minus these essential garments, but wearing his flat bowler hat and clutching his umbrella, * * oo EXT morning we were turned out of our sleeping berths at an amazingly _ early hour, and by 6.30 a.m. I began to (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) feel that I had been sitting in that train for weeks. But just afterwards we reached Campo Grande, a town of some little importance, and at once we saw that something was toward. Assembled at the small station were all the locals of any standing, and quite a few of no apparent standing at all. Strolling about, smoking cigarettes, were several soldiers with rifles and very long bayonets. The rifles and bayonets I mention particularly, since without them these warriors looked less like soldiers than sandwichmen, or scene shifters in a circus. Half-‘a-dozen half-starved,’ mangy dogs were there, too, and a band. Very definitely there was a band. Such a band! In all, they must have numbered quite 10, and they did not possess that number of shod feet among them. The bootless ones just wriggled their toes, but were still able to mete out shrewd chastisement to any of the dogs which unwisely came within reach. The tunics of some matched the trousers of others, and in few cases did both garments possess anything like their full complement of buttons. Some wore hats, some didn’t; and, without exception, none had shaved that morning, or, more probably, that week. And so battered and battlescarred were their instruments one doubted their ability to produce a note at all, let alone a true one. The band sprang smartly to attention by putting out their cigarettes and. placing them behind their ears, and I saw that the chief actor in the drama was approaching. The instrumentalists’ big moment had arrived, and they crashed into it. To my surprise, after the opening bars, their tempo was not fast nor furious, neither was the volume of sound in any way tempestuous. Rather, they, played softly, languidly, even carelessly, knowing just when they could stop to: spit without letting the side down. The trombone player succeeded in hitting a mongrel with one of his expectorations,. a feat which brought a satisfied gleam to his eye, and an added vigour to his trombone playing. But, perhaps, it was" hardly fair to expect an inspiring performance at 6.30 in the morning, and after a short spasm the melody-makers called a truce. The occasion was evidently an official farewell to a person of some importance, and this proved to be a good-looking man in his thirties, who throughout this,. and subsequent scene at other stations, bore himself well, with a pleasing air of modesty and dignity. When the band ceased playing, a wellmoustached little man said his piece, ‘and his impassioned tones drew rounds. of "Vivas!" from his audience. With great composure, the hero accepted a bouquet from an olive-skinned beauty, and removing a bloom, admired it, before placing it in his buttonhole. His answering speech evoked great enthusiasm. "Vivas!" rang out vociferously. At last, after a series of caressing hugs, the great one was allowed to enter the train. The band slipped into something lively; rockets were fired; and’ amid.a salvo of cheers we jerked on our way. ; It had all been very entertaining, and I was further heartened to discover that with the exception of myself the other passengers in my section of the coach had been obliged to vacate it in favour. (continued on next page)

(continued trom previous page) of the new 4rrival afid his bodyguard; two tough-looking déspérad6es with very businesslike bulges in their hip pockets. % x * ATER we crossed the Rio Parana at Trés Lagaos, and I had my first sight of a big South American river. It did not impress me as being particularly beautiful, for, although wide and swiftlyflowing, it had the colour of anaemic cocoa; but few things look théir best on a dull, raitiy morning, so perhaps I saw it at ai inopportune moment. At intervals we st6pped for the enginedriver to replenish his supply of fuel from the wood piles alongside the line. We often saw tumbledown littlé shacks made of batriboo poles with grass roofs; dumped down miles from anywhere, with just a féw square yards of cultivated land teclairnéd from thé surrounding jutigle to supply the ownefs’ scanty wants. Always the family gathered to see the train go by. There were usually two or three small childten running about; and a few black pigs without so miich énergy; some chickeris, goats, and the inevitable mangy mongrels. Sométimés we would: stop at a small towh wheéré thé station boasted a name. Then our distinguished passenger was required to alight — to hear moré spééches, to repéat his own-and to bunny-hug the local worthies. Bunny-hugging is supposed to have have resulted from ati old form of greeting which enabled both parties to feel each Other’s persons for concealed weapons. Nowadays it consists of putting one’s chest against the other fellow’s, whilé your right hands pat éach other’s backs. I noticed its use artiong the "bloods" of Lisbon, and it conveys cofsiderably more feeling than an ordinary handshake. This practice is confiriéd to mén orily, which, I thought, was father hatd lifiés on my companion, as many of the young ladies were bettér stiited than the official deputations for making that sort of welcome a real pleasure. I had heard a gréat deal about the horsemanship of the mén on the fazendas, and it was a treat to see how they rode. With lotig stifrtip$; backs’ as straight as ramfods, and their enveloping panchos, or cloaks, spread right over their animals’ haunchés, they made picturesque figures. If their ancestors, those early Inquistadors, sat their mounts like thésé men, I do not wonder that the ignoraht natives, who had néver previously séen @ horse, bélieved rider and steéd to be one. That night we had no shocks, though, probably due to the incessant jolting and rattling, I had vivid dreams, Next day, the third since léavitig Sati Paulo, habitations becamé féwér afid more désolate, afd nothing broke the continuity of forest and swamplarid. At one spot whéré wé stopped for wood there was a gréat noisé, something between the barking of small dogs and whir of a thousand cogwheels: It went on; and on, atid was the croaking of countless frogs. I learnt later that my travelling compatiion was the néwly-appointed Inténdente, or Govetfior, of Matto Grosso State, which is the wildest of the Brazilian provinces. I have often wondered how he fared; since many of his predecessors in that job have come t6é a sticky finish. His two hénchmén, with their bulging hips, apparently did not underestimate thé possibilities of an unpleasant surprise even at so early a

moment in his career, for they shared watches and one of them at least was on thé alert at all times. The Intendéente duly presented himself to one or two more small communities, once being awakened from a nap to do so. This particular place was very primitive, not to put téo fine a point on it, and, as he returned to his seat, he favoured me with a smile that was as near to a wink as a Goverhor can be expected to go. * % * E reached Puerto Esperafica towards teh o’clock that hight, and again I had cause to bé thankful for the good advice of my benefactor in Santos. Since it was marked prominently on the map as a railway terminus and a river poft; I had imagified a faif-sized town, with a féw hotels, some English-speaking folk, and a busy waterfront. He had warned ifié that it Was nothing of the sort: that theré was just a cOdlléctidn of peons’ huts, a landing stage for the boats, and that that was all. Hé had told me; too, that I would Have to take the launch which méets thé train and go tip-river to Corumba, the second important town in Matto Grosso. Had I sot known this I should have been in trouble at Puerto Esperanca, for when we got there it was Very dark and raining heavily. The passengers all clutched their assorted belongings and splashed through the mud to the waiting boat, Thé obvious thing to do on the launch, sifice it was getting well oti towards midnight and pouring heavens hard, was to get a biink. By that time I had gained eridugh éxperiénce not to let my igfiorancé of the language prove too great 4 huisatice. , Therefore I did not Waste time ih futile discussion but started on a tout of the cabitis and aftef threé or four unfruitful ventures managed to find an unoccupied berth. Unoecupied, that is, by a human body, but I soon discovered that an army of creepy, crawly things were disputing posseSsion of it with me. Luckily, they seemed cofitent to pursue their investigations in a spirit of genuiné discovery and refrained from all acts of aggression. Next morning I was ablé to gather my first réal impréssion$ of the Rio Paraguay. The width of the river varied considerably; sometimes being less than 200 yards, with forést afid thick tropical undergtowth fight déwn to the water’s edge; in other places, the pilot had to pick out the chatinel from great stretches of flood water, where any one of several routes might have been the right one. There were many varieties of bird life, from big white storks, water fowl; vulturés; and parrots, down to tiny, vivid creatures whose flight was a flash of fire. Several titties we saw alligators sunning themselves on a sandbank, and there was something horribly foul in the way they slid into the water at our approach. Approaching Corumba about mid-day, we wéré met by an aeroplane and a gaily bedéckéd motot-bodt which camé to give the Intendente a welcome. At the landing stage anothér good reception awaited hith, and this timé the band réally did beg thé occasion. I established myself at one of the two hotels-thé wtong ofie, as I discovered later, because at tlhe they made ice-cream---and prepared to ascertain thé réactions of the local intelligentsia to my plans. (To be continued hext week)