HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1954-03-11, Page 7A Prison Without Any Cuards
Yet Nobody Has Ever Escaped
If you were a cowboy " on p
Venezuela ranch and had to
throw an awkward steer which
was giving trouble, you would
gallop up behind it, catch hold
a its tail, ride abreast of it, and
the instant its hind legs were off
the ground, tug the tail with; a
flick of the wrist.
'Unbalanced, the steer crashes
to the ground, and leaping from
the saddle you are on it in a flash,
twisting its tail up between its
hind legs so that It cannot regain
its feet and you are able to hold
it dbwn single-handed.
That's how Boss Salmon found
it was done when, back from war
service in the Royal Navy, he
felt he couldn't settle to a hum-
drum job in a London office and
went to South America as ranch
assistant.
He also found that when a cow -
bey lassos cattle, the lasso is tied
to the horse's tail rather than to
the saddle pommel. The horses
seem to know what to expect, for
they turn round and brace their
hind legs for ` the shock as the
lasso tightens, and the bull goes
sailing through the air, to crash
•bn its side.
A second cowboy who has been
following then jumps from his
horse on to the bull and pulls
its tail between its hind legs,,
-while a third, with a smalrhack
save, cuts about six: inches off:
each horn.
Subdued by this treatment,
they can usually: be driven back
to the herd. Even if they charge
and try to rip the horse's stomach
they always miss by about six
inches -the length of the removed
horn.
In his vivid account of travels,
"Jungle Cowboy," Ross Salmon
writes of a strange prison hidden
In the uncharted interior of Vene-
suela. It is a prison without bars
or guards, for on one side towers
a range of unscaleable mountains
and on the others impenetrable
Jungle.
The convicts are flown in, and
though many have tried to escape
from the desolate place, where the
only food is that grown by the
convicts themselves, . not one has
ever reached civilization..
Of those who stay to make the
best of it in the settlement, few
live to complete their. sentences.
. San Fernando shops, the author
relates, were an easy prey to
gangs of thieves who raided the
town when short of money or
food. The only shop that hadn't
been robbed was a jewellery
store, the proprietor of which left
his pet ` alligator on guard at
night!
The local children had a novel
way of making pocket money.
When you wanted to cross a shal-
low river they stopped you, ex-
plaining that they'd dug a large
Some Sombrero - Joan Beard
models the latest in non'inflam-
moble headwear. Designed to
attract butts at any gathering,
the black sombrero ash tray has
a removable center that serves
as el cigaret depository.
hole somewhere in its bed where
the track crossed It and would
show you the way across, avoid-
ing it -for a mere $1.50 each. You
had to pay up, becauseif you hit
the hole you'd never get your
jeep put.
You couldn't paddle or even
wash your hands in the rivers be -
(muse of the millions of caribe
fish, apart from alligators. 'These
caribes-not more than six inches
long, with very sharp teeth -
were so attracted by blood that
any man trying to swim across
would not get out alive. '
A cow was attacked by a solid
mass of them and killed and eat-
en. /hen ruel but favourite sport
of the Indians was to lasso a
sleeping alligator en the bank,
chop off its tail and send it scur-
rying back to the river -to be eat-
en alive by the caribes.
For the Shrove Tuesday pro-
cession in the towns, everyone
dresses .up in old Spanish, buc-
caneer and pirate costumes, and
throws coloured paint, motor oil
or .syrup at passers-by; some cars
are even equipped with high-
pressure hoses.
Salmon, who hadn't been
warned of this, became a target
for all the ruffians in his white
suit. A passing jeep fitted with
high-pressure pump s p r eyed
bright red paint over. him: As he
scraped 'this out of his eyes, a
jar of syrup was emptied over his
head, and ashes and donkey -
dung gleefully plastered all over
him. Raiding parties entered.
friends' houses and sprayed paint
aver bungalows and patios.
The village of Santa Martica
had a big welcome awaiting Ross
Salmon upon his return there
when he crossed the border from
Venezuela into Colombia. Most
delighted of all to see him again
was his pet monkey, Mika, who
promptly, flew into his arms: -
'He screamed, twittered, cried
and purred," writes Salmon. "For
an hour' or more he would not
let go of my arm and little tears
welled into his eyes -and poured
down his cheeks. For the- .first
week he clung to my arm when
he saw nee, so hard that it needed
real force to prise him, loose, and
when 1 had' a look at the dogs he
flew at thein."
When he became ranch -manage
er in Colombia, a new young
priest at Santa Martica achieved
a minor miracle by persuading
five of his tough native cowboys '
-who already had three or four
. children each -to get married`.
Ono of his olde. men refused, and
when Salmon :asked; why, said;
We11;.1VIis$'er, I should feel a
bit. silly at My age, with fifteen
children . already. Anyway; I
haven't anything nice to wear."
Salmon agreed to be padrino
to the couples, making them a
present and standing behind them.
at . the ceremony. The bride-
grooms were all drunk; the child-
ren, from babes in' arms to kids
of six or seven, were dressed
up as angels or devils, St. Marta
or John the Baptist.
'The sight of a two-year-old
angel each side of the altar, a six-
year-old angel standing trivun-
phant over a grovelling little
black 'devil, and St. Francis with
a parrot on his arm,' all seemed
to inspire the right amount of
awe in the fifty Or so people jams
need into the tiny room.
The bridegrooms wouldn't
make the right responses, A four -
cornered fight started on the
ownership of the rings, with the
priest calling, "Order, order!" ea
The next ten minutes Were a
riot, With the padre trying to
rnarry off the last two fighting
bridegrooms, the little angel
weeping miserably, one bride-
groom_ falling flat on his face,
clean out -and hordes of excited
guests trying to comfort the an-
gel and referee the fight between
St. Francis and St. Marta.
A most enjoyable book, with
scores of photographs.
------ -� 9. Pollute
CROSSWORD 11. Angry
PUZZLE
ACROSS '
t. b'renoh
• revolutionist .
6. Weaken
9. fl mbanlcment
12. Straighten.
13. Lubricate
14. Japanese
outcast
14. Pies
17. Shackled
19. Perceive
20. Scarlet
22. Fourth calif
28. Lifts
26. Church
vestments
29. Squander
.c 91. Sack
23, BIL^lieai high
priest
34. Public
announcement
35. Pedal
38. tear
39. Old niece of
cloth
41, Rema ned
Seated
42. Angry
44, Poke.
46. Bed canopy
48, Seep hole
80. Dowry
61. Rodent
54. Different on
tit. itidieule
59. By birth
60. Cheese
63. Attention
64. Oiler
65, trxharusted
DOWX
1, Clharte
9. Wings
3. Upright pare
of stairs
4. Insect
5. Dogs of a
certain breed
8. Thus
7. Manner
3. Rntreaty
10. Affirmative
18. Old musical
note
21. Discussed
94. Siamese actin
25. Unhappy
21.''ell
thoughtlessij'
28. Location
29. Twist out of
shape
30 Jewish mono.
"12. Sparkles
26. Dine
37. Bather than
40. Burrowing
rodent
49..Reaoh a
destination
45. Stamping form
47. Turf
49. walked
42. City in Arabia
58. Canvas shelter
54. lndividtta1
56. Beverage
59. Discover
58. Knock
61.Vertrieb.)
Engineer (a LI
Seettentill
eSeniets
Answer efee leheexa an this pas*,
Fashion Hints . W•
Three in One - A complete suit, a wonderful three -in -one outfit
for spring which combines three of the newest Acetate fabrics.
Fashion's favorite boxy jacket is in an Acetate blend with a tex-
tured surface. Lapels match pja n worsted Acetate flannel of
skirt. Jacket is lined with 'same printed Acetate taffeta to match
blouse.
GREEN
1 tI B
GOr. dog:,
Planning
In planning a Leese -teal layout
small or large, there are some
good general and fundamental
rules to keep in mind. First of
all we should know something
about the final height of the
flowers, shrubs and trees and in
general keep the smaller things
In the front, so all may be seen.
Color and time of blooming
should be noted to prevent clash-
es, though nature can mix these
things more pleasingly than can.
lean. But more serious than color
clashing is no color at all. By
checking with the seed or nur-
sery catalogue for the time . of
blooming it is possible to have a
succession of :flowers from the
earliest snow drops in the spring
until the last chrysanthemums in
the fall.
Another general rule mention-
ed previously is to avoid straight
rows wherever possible with
flowers and shrubs but rather to
plant in clumps of two or three
of each type and more, of course,
with smaller things.
The 1954 Models
Plant breeders are constantly
striving to give us something
new and different. This year,
for instance, there is -a neva fire
colored Zinnia and last year ap-
peared a dwarf Alyssum, a pur-
ple in color and an excellent con-
trast with the normal white.
There are also new and better
beans, corns and other vegetables:
The person who wants to get the
most out of his garden is advised
to add some of these flowers and
vegetables each year. They will
add interest and satisfaction. All
and more are listed in the Can-
adian Seed Catalogues for 1954.
Back Savers
The elan who first thought of
the long- handle should have a
monument" erected in has honour
by the gardeners of the world.
With some jobs like thinning tiny
plants or getting the first and
closest weeds removed in both
flower and vegetable gardens it
18 necessary to bend +fine's back.
But a long handle on rake, curs
tivator, spade or other tool will
eliminate much of that painful
exercise. Specialized tools will
also banish much drudgery,
things like D -shaped Dutch hoes,
three and five -pronged, hand
cultivators, wheel hoes for larger
gardens, small tractors, wheel-
barrows, leaf sweepers, power
lawn mowers, sprayers, scythes
and so on. Much of this equip-
ment• will cut hand labour as
much as. 90 per cent. Keeping it
sharp and clean cannot be over-
emphasized. One can work twice
as fast and with half the effort
with a sharp cultivator or hoe.
Bulletins Will Help
Provincial and Federal Depart-
ments of Agriculture also publish
much literature which will'great-
ly help. Much of this comes in the
form of bulletins, usually free for
the asking. These bulletins are
non-technical and are crammed
with valuable hints about the
special likes and dislikes of flow-
ers, vegetables, shrubbery, trees
and vines, There are others that
deal fully and simply with special
jobs, like the construction of hot
beds or cold frames, the purpose
and handling of commercial fer-
tilizers, sprays and dusts, and
the control of weeds. With all
this information so easily avail-
able, one can soon become an
expert.
Poppy Gal - Hollywood starlet
.loan Weldon has been chosen
"Buddy Poppy Girl" by the Vet.
*rens of Foreign Wars, She will
heat! the iittle of poppies to aid
the veterans.
PLAIN HORSE SENSE..
By BOB ELLIS
London, England
One reason, beside the hospi-
tality of our friends In Surrey,
why we stayed a little longer
in this lovely country than oris
ginaily planned, was to find out
what Canadian farmers had to
to to win back their traditional
market for food products.
The search for customers led
us into the office of one of the
top men of the Co-operative
Wholesale Society (C.W.S.)
which has grown from the little
store in Rochdale, founded a
hundred years ago, into Una
largest consumer co-operative.
These co-ops are owned by
the people; they operatenot
only small stores in the country,
but have large department
stores in the cities. They supply
their members with all the ne-
cessities of life at cost and
NDitY SCIIOOL
LISSON
R. Barclay Warren, B.A., B.D.
The Raising of Lazarus
John 11: 32-46
Memory Selection: 1 ant the
resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth In me, though he were
dead; yet shall he'live: and who-
soever llveth and believeth 7n
me s h a 11never die. John
11:25-26.
Prior to the resurrection of
Jesus Christ, the raising of Laza
rus from the dead is probably
the most outstanding miracle on
record. Jesus had raised the
daughter of Jairus to life from
the bed on which. she lay. He
had raised the widow's son to
life as he was being borne to
the place of burial. But here
was a man who had been dead
for four days. The body had
been .laid in the tomb. When
Jesus said, "Take ye away the
stone," Martha remonstrated,
"Lord, by this time he stinketh."
But despite that, when Jesus had
pr aye d' and called, "Lazarus,
come. forth," he that was dead
came forth. Jesus gave a second
command, "Loose him and tet
..him go," and the grave clothes
were removed. The news of the
miracle spread quickly and re-
sulted in many of the Jews
believing on Jesus. This, of
course, angered the chief priests
so that they consulted how they
might put Lazarus to death.
' The home of Mary and Martha
and their brother Lazarus was
one where Jesus had always
been welcome. One scene shows
Martha getting the meal and
feeling badly because Mary was
more concerned about hearing
Jesus than fussing about the
meal. When Lazarus took ill they
naturally sent for Jesus. Poor
indeed is the home which has
not communion with God and
ready access when the day of
trouble comes. But Jesus did not
come immediately. He had a bet-
ter plan. God's delays are not
necessarily his denials,
In this • lesson we have the
shortest verse in the Bible:
"Jesus wept." Some think he
wept because others were weep-
ing. But it could not have been
for Lazarus for he knew he
would soon be back. Did he not
envision all who would ever
stand with bowed head and ach-
ing heart at the grave of a loved
one? Did he not weep with all
who ever thus would weep? We
think so. His tender compassion
reaches us all. The Christ who
can raise the dead can meet our
every need,
either buy their goods anywhere
in the world „ or manufacture
theta in their own factories.
Canadian. Products Wanted
Our co-op friend smiled when
we asked him whether Briton9
wanted Canadian food products/
"Of course, we do," The Aria
thing he asked. for was lard
which is "desperately needed'''
over there. '
Bacon was the next item men -
tinned. Britons were alwayt
"pleased with the quality of
Canadian bacon" when they
could get it. It is much more to
their liking than anything they
can buy in Europe.
The same applied to cheese.
Only from Canada did they get
Cheddar cheese that came cross
to the English type. Butter, of
course, was always wanted.
The demand for. B. C. salmon
is insatiable, said our friend, be-
cause it is much better than the
Russian. kind.
Nova -Scotia apples are highly
regarded and easily sold as they
are well graded and packed.
There is a " special market for
one gallon tins of apples for the
catering trade and, other canned,
fruit could also find a market.
Prices and Payments '
Our consumer friend waxed
quite enthusiastic talking of
Canadian food products. There
seems to- be no doubt that they
want our stuff.
That leaves the 'question of
prices and payments. By the
middle of May trade will be
completely decontrolled and
prices are expected to rise. At
present bacon is being imported
from Scandinavia at about $40
per hundredweight at British
port, while British farmers get
about $50 for inferior quality.
The price of butter depends
on the price of margarine which
is expected to go up after • May.
The guess was made that butter
would retail at 63 cents per
pound before the end of the
year: This was said, however,
before the recent decision of
the U.S. government to slash
support prices of dairy products.
The main obstacle for British
buyers to buy in Canada is the
shortage of dollars which the
federal government in Ottawa
so far has always demanded in
payment for Canadian farm
products.
The solution is in the has of
Canadian farmers.
e
* .�
This column welcomes criti-
cism, constructive or destruc-
tive, and suggestions, wise or
otherwise. Address your replies
to Bob Ellis, Box 1, 123-i$th
Street, New Toronto, Ontario.
Some dry cleaners are nava
returning cleaned evening
dresses in polythene garment
bags that provide permanent
storage protectors ,for the gar-
ment. The tabular bags are heat -
sealed at the top and closed with
cellulose film at the bottom. They
are 25 inches wide and are cut
to the individual length of each
dress.
(Upside down to- prevent oYr.': snarl
Angels Of Mercy
around a dummy
technique on the
ment for over 200
-- Student nurses in Dacca, Pakistan, gather'
patient as a UN nurse demonstrates sick -caret
model. The UN is currently providing equip.
nursing schools to train women as nurses -114
midwives.