CHAPTER XVI.
THE PALM-WOODS.
It happened, that upon the opposite side of the stream there was a broadtrack covered with palm-trees, while not one was to be seen on that sidewhere they intended building their house. As these are the mostconvenient trees for constructing a house to suit the hot climate of theMontana, it appeared necessary that they should use them. But how werethey to get at them? The stream flowed between them and the camp; andalthough not a large river, yet at that place it was very wide and deep,for in the flat table valley it expanded to the dimensions of a littlelake.
Below, where it issued out of the valley, it ran for some distance in adeep cleft between rocky banks almost or quite perpendicular, and abovethe valley it came dashing through an impassable ravine. If they couldonly get over to cut the palms, they knew they could roll them to thebank, and float them across the stretch of still water. But how to getover required some consideration. Guapo could swim like a water-dog, butDon Pablo could not; and Leon, having been brought up as a town boy, hadhad but little practice, and consequently was but a poor swimmer. What,then, was to be done, as Guapo could not well manage the palms withouthelp?
After examining the stream, both above and below, no crossing placecould be found, but just at the point where it ran out of the valley,the space between the high banks was very narrow. A good long plankwould have reached across it--had they only had one--but that they hadnot. Now, upon the opposite bank there grew a tall tree. It was one ofthe beautiful silk-cotton trees already mentioned. It stood upon thevery edge of the chasm. Both Don Pablo and Guapo saw at a glance thatthis tree could be felled, and made to fall across the stream, so as toform the very bridge they wanted.
Not much time was lost about it. Guapo, tying his axe upon hisshoulders, ran up the near side, until he was opposite the still runningwater; and then plunging in, swam across in a few seconds. He soon afterappeared on the opposite bank, at the root of the bombax, which heattacked in such a manner that one who did not know what he was aboutmight have fancied he was angry at it. In a few minutes a great notchappeared in the side of the tree, and Guapo continuing his sturdy blows,made the yellow chips fly out in showers. Of course the notch was cut onthe side next the stream, so that the tree would fall in that direction.The beaver understands that much, and Guapo had considerably moreintelligence than any beaver.
In about half-an-hour the bombax began to creak and lean a little. ThenDon Pablo threw over a lasso, which had been brought along. Guapo noosedone end over a high limb, and tying a stone to the other, pitched itback to Don Pablo, who hauled it taut. Then a few cuts of the axe brokethe skin of the tree on the other side, Don Pablo pulled by the rope,and with a loud tear and a crash, and a vast deal of crackling amongthe branches, the great bombax settled into a horizontal position acrossthe chasm. The bridge was built.
After all, it was no slight adventure to cross it. The rounded trunk wasanything but sure footing, and even had it been a flat plank, the depthof the chasm--nearly an hundred feet clear--and the white roaringtorrent below, were enough to shake the stoutest nerves. All, however,got over in safety, and proceeded up to the palm-woods. I say all--but Imean only the male population of the new settlement. Dona Isidora andthe little Leona remained by the camp, both of them busy scraping_yucca_ roots, to be manufactured into cassava, and then into bread.
On arriving among the palm-trees, Don Pablo was struck with a singularfact. He observed (indeed, he had already noticed as much from theopposite side of the river) that instead of one species of palm, therewere not less than a dozen kinds growing in this wood. This was a veryunusual circumstance, as although two or three species are often foundtogether, such a varied collection as were there could only have beenmade by human hands. Here, again, was recognised the work of themissionary monk, who had no doubt planted most of the species, havingreceived them very likely from many distant stations of hisfellow-labourers in other parts of the Amazon valley.
Whether Franciscan, Jesuit, or Dominican (for all three have had theirmissions in this part of the world), the holy father who resided here,thought Don Pablo, must have been an ardent horticulturist. Whether ornot he converted many Indians to his faith, he seemed to have exertedhimself to provide for their temporal necessities, for there was hardlya useful plant or tree suitable to the climate that was not to be foundgrowing near the spot. Such were the reflections of Don Pablo.
"What a variety of beautiful palms!" said he, looking around upon theseby far the fairest forms of the vegetable creation.
Now, my boy reader, I have not the slightest doubt but that you, too,think the palms the fairest forms of the vegetable creation. I have notthe shadow of a doubt that your heart beats joyfully at the very word"palm;" that you love to gaze at one of the stately trees, and that youwould give all your pocket-money for an afternoon's ramble through areal palm-wood. Would you not? Yes. I am sure of it. Now I could tellyou a great deal about palms if I _would_; and I would, too, if my spaceand time allowed me, but neither will, alas! Why, if I were only to giveyou even the shortest and dryest botanic description of all thedifferent palms that are known to us, that mere dry catalogue would filla book as big as this one!
How many species do you think there are? Up to this time you havethought, perhaps, there was only one, and that was _the palm-treeitself_. Maybe you have heard of more, such as the sago-palm, thecocoa-nut palm, the date-palm, or the cabbage-palm; and you fanciedthere might be others--perhaps as many as a dozen! Now you will hardlycredit me when I tell you that we know of no less than _six hundredspecies of palms_, all differing from each other! I may add, further,that it is my belief that there exist on the earth as many more--thatis, the enormous number of twelve hundred.
The reason why I entertain this belief is, that in all cases wheresimilar guesses have been hazarded--whether with regard to plants, orbirds, or _mammalia_--they have eventually proved far below the mark;and as the palm countries are the very regions of the earth least knownand least explored by botanists, it is but reasonable to conclude thatgreat numbers of species have never yet been described, nor even seen.Another fact which strengthens this probability is, that peculiarspecies of palms are sometimes found only in a limited district, andnowhere else in the same country. A small river even sometimes forms theboundary-line of a species; and although whole groves may be seen on theone side, not a tree of the same sort grows on the other. Some botanistseven prognosticate that more than two thousand species of palms will yetbecome known.
Of the six hundred species known, about half belong to the Old World,and half to America. In America they are chiefly found growing on theContinent--although several species are natives of the West IndiaIslands--while on the Eastern hemisphere the greatest number of speciesbelong to the islands.
I might tell you a great deal of the importance of these noble trees tothe human race, for they are as useful as they are beautiful. Almostevery sort has its particular use in the economy of human life. Not onlydo they serve certain purposes in Africa, Asia, America, and Oceanica,but in all these divisions of the earth there are whole nations who_live almost exclusively_ upon one or another species of palm.
A discovery has lately been made in regard to an African species, whichit is to be hoped will have an important influence in doing away withthe infamous slave traffic so long existing in that unhappy country. Youhave heard of _palm-oil_. Well, it is extracted from the nuts of aspecies of palm. The oil is no new discovery, but it is only lately thatit has been found to be as quite as good for the manufacture of candlesas either spermaceti or wax.
The consequence has been a great increase in the traffic of this articleon the western coast of Africa; and the native princes, finding that itis more profitable than slave-selling, have in many parts given up thelast-named atrocious commerce, and have taken to gathering palm-oil. Ifa palm-tree can effect what has baffled the skill of the combinedphilanthropists and powers of Europe, then, indeed, we shall say, "Allhonour to the noble palms."
But I might go on talking of palms until our little volume came to anend. I must, therefore, no longer speak generally of these beautifultrees, but confine myself to such species as came under the observation,and ministered to the wants, of the new settlers.