The Man-Faced Crab—A Lady Big-Game Hunter—Cock-Fighting in Porto Rico, etc.
In some parts of the desert region of the South-Western United States, where there are no springs or streams of drinkable water, Nature has stored the precious fluid in barrel-like cactus plants, of which a good specimen is shown in the accompanying photograph. They are known botanically as Echinocactus, but English-speaking dwellers in the desert call them "barrel cactuses." Mature plants stand from two to four feet in height, with a diameter of one to one and a half feet, and weigh from fifty to a hundred pounds. When the top of one of these cylindrical plants is sliced off, the interior is found to be a mass of watery, melon-like pulp, which, when scooped out and squeezed, yields several pints of a fluid that makes a fairly palatable substitute for drinking water. The serviceableness of the Echinocactus as a source of potable water has long been known to the Indians, and the knowledge of its properties has saved the life of many a wayfarer who would otherwise have succumbed to that most awful of all fates—a lingering death from thirst.
A "BARREL CACTUS"—THE WATER FOUND INSIDE THESE DESERT PLANTS HAS SAVED MANY A TRAVELLER FROM THE TORTURES OF A LINGERING DEATH FROM THIRST.
From a Photograph.
The striking picture next reproduced was taken on an ostrich farm in Cape Colony, and shows the stately-looking birds indulging in their "morning dip." Ostrich-farming is a profitable and interesting industry, and every year the demand for the magnificent plumes seems to increase.
AN OSTRICH FARM IN CAPE COLONY—THE BIRDS ARE TAKING THEIR "MORNING DIP."
From a Photograph.
The curious crab shown on the following page is to be found at only one place in the world—the Straits of Shimonoseki, in Japan. Needless to say, the Japanese have a legend to account for the extraordinary face on the creature's back. In the year 1181 or thereabouts, the story runs, two great tribes—the Tairi and the Minamoto—fought out a long-standing feud at a place called Dan-no-ura. The Tairis, driven down to the beach by their opponents, took refuge in boats, but the victorious Minamotos followed, the battle being continued out in the straits until the Tairi were exterminated. It is said that the dead warriors, when their bodies reached the bottom, were turned into crabs, each carrying his death-mask on his back. Be that as it may, it is an undoubted fact that this particular species of crab bear upon their backs a strikingly realistic representation of the features of a dead Oriental.
THE MAN-FACED CRAB—THIS CURIOUS CRAB, BEARING THE REPRESENTATION OF A DEAD ORIENTAL ON ITS BACK, IS FOUND ONLY AT ONE PLACE IN THE WORLD, THE STRAITS OF SHIMONOSEKI, IN JAPAN.
From a Photograph.
The photograph given below depicts two very curious pieces of ordnance—more curious than useful, one would imagine. They are wooden Chinese guns, captured from the Taku Forts by the Royal Marines during the operations of 1900-1. Nine feet in length, they have a six-inch bore, and are composed of thick staves, firmly bound together by wooden hooping, for all the world like a barrel. These remarkable weapons are reputed to be over three hundred years old, and are at present mounted on the parade-ground of the Royal Marines at Wei-hai-wei.
TWO WOODEN CHINESE GUNS CAPTURED FROM THE TAKU FORTS BY THE ROYAL MARINES—THEY ARE COMPOSED OF THICK STAVES BOUND TOGETHER BY WOODEN HOOPING.
From a Photograph.
Ladies have won renown in various spheres of activity usually looked upon as the prerogative of the sterner sex, but really skilful female big-game hunters are still few in number. Here is a photograph of a lady who has achieved quite a reputation as a killer of crocodiles. The picture shows her standing over a newly-killed man-eater, at a place called Belochpore, on the river Jumna, in India. When this particular crocodile was cut open there were found inside it two pairs of silver bracelets, several copper rings, some boars' tusks, two human skulls, and a new rupee, a truly heterogeneous collection.
A LADY BIG-GAME HUNTER, WITH A MAN-EATING CROCODILE.
From a Photograph.
Cock-fighting is as keenly enjoyed by the native of Porto Rico as bull-baiting was by his Spanish ancestors. In the old days enormous sums were staked on these birds, and not a few men were ruined by their passion for the sport. Since the American occupation of the island, however, cock-fighting has been made a criminal offence and persons detected in its pursuit are severely punished. But it is too deeply-rooted a habit to be suppressed in a few years, and notwithstanding the vigilance of the police it is still extensively practised. On Sundays and other holidays lovers of the sport select a secluded place and fight their birds as of old. The foregoing photograph shows a retired spot in the country where the birds are trained. They are staked out in the morning sun after having been trimmed up, sprayed with rum, and fed. The peasants seen in the background are their guardians and trainers. The Porto Rican game-cocks are fierce fighters, and, though they fight only with their natural spurs, often kill each other with a single blow.
COCK-FIGHTING IS PROHIBITED BY LAW IN PORTO RICO, BUT IS, NEVERTHELESS, STILL SECRETLY PRACTISED—OUR PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS A SECLUDED TRAINING GROUND FOR THE BIRDS, WHICH, AFTER BEING FED AND SPRAYED WITH RUM, ARE STAKED OUT IN THE SUN.
From a Photograph.
They have a happy-go-lucky way of running their prisons in easy-going Portugal. The annexed photograph shows a corner of a Portuguese lock-up, and concerning it a correspondent writes: "The prisoners seem to spend their time in wrangling among themselves and begging food and money from the passers-by. They have a bag on a string for this purpose, and dangle it before the pedestrian's nose. The snap-shot shows a kind-hearted gentleman just putting some coins into the bag, while excited inmates protrude their heads and arms through the grated windows."
A PORTUGUESE PRISON, SHOWING THE INMATES BEGGING FROM PASSERS-BY BY MEANS OF A BAG ON THE END OF A STRING.
From a Photo by S. H. Wright.
That it is possible to give scope to one's artistic feelings even in the building of so commonplace and utilitarian a thing as a pile of firewood for winter use is proved by the next photograph. This depicts a châlet in the village of Toffeln, near Berne, in Switzerland, which is celebrated far and wide for its wood-stack, which is seen in the foreground. Each year the good folks of this particular house endeavour to make their pile more ornamental-looking than before, and they usually succeed. The stack is entirely composed of cut logs, extending right to the centre of the pile, and the structure reaches to the second storey of the châlet. There is not such another wood-pile to be found in the length and breadth of Switzerland, and the villagers are very proud of it.
AN ORNAMENTAL WOOD-PILE—THE PEOPLE OF THIS SWISS CHÂLET TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THE DESIGNING OF THEIR FIREWOOD STACK, AND CHANGE THE PATTERN EVERY YEAR.
From a Photograph.
We are requested to state that the picture of a bear appearing on page 236 of Mr. R. A. Haste's article, "Through New Ontario on a Jigger," in our June number, was from a photograph taken by Mr. F. C. Ballard, of Banff, Alberta.
THE MAP-CONTENTS OF "THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE," WHICH SHOWS AT A GLANCE THE LOCALITY OF EACH ARTICLE AND NARRATIVE OF ADVENTURE IN THIS NUMBER.