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CHAPTER 2
GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATIONS
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1) Christine is 5’7” and has blue eyes. Such directly observable characteristics are called
A) alleles.
B) phenotypes.
C) chromosomes.
D) genotypes.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 45
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.1
2) Phenotypes depend in part on an individual’s
A) cells.
B) chromosomes.
C) genotypes.
D) DNA.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 45
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.1
3) A is a complex blend of genetic information that determines the species and influences unique
characteristics.
A) chromosome
B) genotype
C) phenotype
D) karyotype
Answer: B
Page Ref: 45
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.1
4) Within every cell (except red blood cells) is a control center, or
A) phenotype.
B) nucleus.
C) genotype.
D) zygote.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 46
10) Lynn, a Canadian, and Sasha, a Russian, are probably about percent genetically identical.
A) 50.1
B) 75.1
C) 90.1
D) 99.1
Answer: D
Page Ref: 46
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.1
11) A unique feature of DNA is that it can duplicate itself through a process called
A) canalization.
B) mitosis.
C) genomic imprinting.
D) meiosis.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 46
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.1
12) During mitosis,
A) each new body cell contains unique genetic information.
B) cells divide in half to form the fertilized ovum.
C) the chromosomes copy themselves.
D) each new body cell contains 23 chromosomes.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 46
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.1
13) The area surrounding the cell nucleus is called the
A) zygote.
B) cytoplasm.
C) gamete.
D) gene.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 46
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.1
14) are the biological foundation on which our characteristics are built.
A) Proteins
B) Genes
C) Chromosomes
D) Gametes
Answer: A
Page Ref: 46
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.1
30) A zygote that separates into two clusters of cells instead of just one produces
A) identical twins.
B) dizygotic twins.
C) fraternal twins.
D) triple X syndrome.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 48
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.1
31) Candace and Cassidy, like all monozygotic twins,
A) have the same genetic makeup.
B) will develop more rapidly than children of single births.
C) are no more alike than ordinary siblings.
D) will be healthier than children of single births.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 48
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.1
32) If the alleles from both parents _, the child is .
A) are alike; heterozygous
B) differ; homozygous
C) are alike; a carrier
D) differ; heterozygous
Answer: D
Page Ref: 48
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
33) In dominant–recessive inheritance, the one allele that affects the child’s characteristics is called
A) dominant–recessive.
B) dominant.
C) recessive.
D) a carrier.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 48
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.2
34) Which of the following is a recessive characteristic?
A) curly hair
B) facial dimples
C) red hair
D) double-jointedness
Answer: C
Page Ref: 48
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
35) Which of the following is supported by research on dominant and recessive diseases?
A) Children who inherit the dominant allele rarely develop the disorder.
B) Males are more likely than females to inherit recessive disorders carried on the autosomes.
C) Only rarely are serious diseases due to dominant alleles.
D) The recessive allele has no effect on the individual’s characteristics.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 50
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
36) North Americans with sickle cell anemia have an average life expectancy of years.
A) 5
B) 25
C) 55
D) 75
Answer: C
Page Ref: 50
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.2
37) Carriers of the sickle cell gene
A) often do not display symptoms until after they have passed the gene on to their children.
B) can be treated during infancy if placed on a diet that is low in phenylalanine.
C) are more resistant to malaria than are individuals with two alleles for normal red blood cells.
D) develop sickle-shaped red blood cells that cause degeneration of the nervous systems.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 50
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
38) Eric is more likely than his sister to be negatively affected by X-linked disorders because
A) males are more likely than females to inherit harmful recessive alleles.
B) the Y chromosome is much longer than the X chromosome.
C) the Y chromosome lacks many corresponding genes to override those carried on the X chromosome.
D) his sex chromosomes match, which makes him more susceptible to disease.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 50
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.2
39) Studies of sex differences show that
A) worldwide, approximately 106 girls are born for every 100 boys.
B) the proportion of male births has declined in many industrialized countries in recent decades.
C) rates of miscarriage, infant death, and childhood death are higher among females than males.
D) rates of mental retardation, learning disabilities, and behavior disorders are higher among females than males.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 51
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
40) Children with diabetes tend to have fathers, not mothers, with the illness. The pattern of inheritance is best explained by
A) incomplete dominance.
B) X-linked inheritance.
C) genomic imprinting.
D) genetic mutation.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 51
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
41) In which of the following disorders does genomic imprinting operate on the sex chromosomes?
A) fragile X syndrome
B) Huntington disease
C) sickle cell anemia
D) Marfan syndrome
Answer: A
Page Ref: 51
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
42) is a sudden but permanent change in a segment in DNA that can lead to .
A) Mutation; genetic abnormalities
B) Meiosis; X-linked disorders
C) Mitosis, fragile X syndrome
D) Genomic imprinting; mutations
Answer: A
Page Ref: 51
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.2
43) Studies of mutation demonstrate that
A) some mutations occur spontaneously, simply by chance.
B) mutations are never desirable.
C) females are more susceptible than males to harmful mutations.
D) exposure to nonionizing forms of radiation, such as microwaves, can cause genetic damage.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 51
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
44) Gilles has had frequent and high exposure to radiation in his occupation for the past ten years. Gilles’s offspring are at
greater risk for _ than children whose fathers were not exposed to radiation.
A) cystic fibrosis
B) childhood cancer
C) PKU
D) hemophilia
Answer: B
Page Ref: 51
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.2
45) Characteristics that vary on a continuum among people, such as height, weight, or intelligence, are most likely
determined by inheritance.
A) X-linked
B) polygenic
C) dominant–recessive
D) paternal
Answer: B
Page Ref: 52
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.2
46) Most chromosomal defects result from
A) X-linked disorders.
B) mistakes occurring during mitosis.
C) mistakes occurring during meiosis.
D) recessive disorders.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 52
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.3
47) There was a failure of the twenty-first pair of chromosomes to separate during meiosis, so Aziz received three of these
chromosomes rather than the normal two. Aziz has syndrome.
A) XYY
B) Klinefelter
C) Turner
D) Down
Answer: D
Page Ref: 52
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.3
48) The risk of bearing a child with Down syndrome rises dramatically with
A) multiple births.
B) maternal age.
C) prenatal tobacco exposure.
D) prenatal malnutrition.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 53
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.3
49) The most common sex chromosome disorders involve
A) aggressive and antisocial behavior, particularly in adolescent males.
B) the presence of an extra chromosome (either X or Y) or the absence of one X in females.
C) spontaneous miscarriage in the first or second trimester of pregnancy.
D) mental retardation and severe physical deformities.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 53
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.3
55) With , a woman is given hormones that stimulate the ripening of several ova. These are removed surgically
and placed in a dish of nutrients, to which sperm are added.
A) donor insemination
B) in vitro fertilization
C) surrogacy
D) genetic engineering
Answer: B
Page Ref: 54 Box: SOCIAL ISSUES: HEALTH: The Pros and Cons of Reproductive Technologies
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.4
56) Children conceived through in vitro fertilization
A) may be genetically unrelated to both of their parents.
B) tend to develop insecure attachments to their parents during infancy.
C) cannot be born to postmenopausal women.
D) tend to be less well-adjusted than their naturally conceived counterparts.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 54 Box: SOCIAL ISSUES: HEALTH: The Pros and Cons of Reproductive Technologies
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.4
57) Which of the following is an ethical concern regarding the use of reproductive technologies?
A) The in vitro “sex sorter” method could lead to parental sex selection.
B) Reproductive technologies cannot be used to overcome most male fertility problems.
C) More than 75 percent of reproductive technologies result in multiple births.
D) A lack of genetic ties often strains the parent–child relationship.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 54 Box: SOCIAL ISSUES: HEALTH: The Pros and Cons of Reproductive Technologies
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.4
58) Hoda, an economically disadvantaged mother of four, is considering becoming a surrogate. What is one realistic concern
that Hoda might have about surrogate motherhood?
A) About 50 percent of surrogate procedures result in multiple births.
B) The success rate of surrogacy is only about 25 percent.
C) Knowledge that their mother would give away a baby might cause insecurities in Hoda’s children.
D) Surrogate motherhood has been banned in 11 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 55 Box: SOCIAL ISSUES: HEALTH: The Pros and Cons of Reproductive Technologies
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.4
59) To detect developmental problems before birth, doctors use
A) prenatal diagnostic methods.
B) a family pedigree.
C) gene therapy.
D) carrier detectors.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 56
Skill: Remember
Objective: 2.4
60) To inspect Jasmine’s fetus for defects of the limbs and face, as well as to allow a sample of fetal blood to be obtained,
permitting diagnosis of hemophilia and sickle cell anemia, her doctor should use
A) amniocentesis.
B) chorionic villus sampling.
C) ultrafast magnetic resonance imaging.
D) fetoscopy.
Answer: D
Page Ref: 56
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.4
61) Except for , prenatal diagnosis should not be used routinely because these methods have some chance of
injuring the developing organism.
A) amniocentesis
B) fetoscopy
C) chorionic villus sampling
D) maternal blood analysis
Answer: D
Page Ref: 56
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.4
62) Gene therapy corrects genetic abnormalities by
A) mapping the sequence of all human DNA base pairs.
B) performing surgery to repair defects during the fetal period.
C) delivering DNA carrying a functional gene to the cells.
D) modifying gene-specified proteins involved in biological aging and disease.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 57
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.4
63) Mr. and Mrs. Hale plan to have a baby. Physical and genetic examinations revealed healthy reproductive systems and no
family history of genetic disease. What additional steps would you recommend they take to increase their chances of
having a healthy baby?
A) reducing or eliminating toxins under their control, taking prenatal vitamin–mineral supplements, and ensuring
proper nutrition
B) seeking gene therapy, genetic counseling, and genetic treatments
C) reducing or eliminating toxins under their control and seeking gene therapy
D) taking prenatal vitamin–mineral supplements, ensuring proper nutrition, and seeking gene therapy
Answer: A
Page Ref: 57
Skill: Apply
Objective: 2.4
64) Most adopted children
A) have trouble developing feelings of trust and affection toward their adoptive parents.
B) become well-adjusted adults.
C) fare better if they are adopted after infancy.
D) begin to search for their birth parents during early adolescence.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 58
Skill: Understand
Objective: 2.4
Language: English
RECORD
OF
SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS
IN THE
ANDEAN LA PLATA, S. A.
R. Elton Smile,
PRO-SCRIPTOR.
Buenos Ayres:
Calla Derécho, Imprenta De Razon,
1877.
U. S. Copyright
BY
ELTON R. SMILE.
DEDICATED
AS A
BOOK FIRST.
CHAPTER I.
On the morning of the 23d of May the Tortuga’s bow was turned
against the swift middle current of the Pilcomayo’s bayou expanse,
then at its height from the copious contributions of the rainy season
in the high lands and mountain sources of its tributaries. Night still
found us in the broad sea of waters, baffled in search of the interior
mouth which was made more difficult from the confluent branches
uniting with it near its Paraguayan embouchure. The commandante,
anticipating the difficulty likely to be encountered, had been
particular in giving directions; but although strictly followed, from a
calculation of the steamer’s speed, twice the distance had been run
without discovering the described landmarks. Uncertainty was
rendered still more uncomfortable by the shallowing of the water,
showing plainly that we were inland from the river’s channel. At
midnight, while anchored, a hurricane, heralded by a thunder-storm,
made the waters seethe with its force, causing our little craft to
careen and bob with a politeness to the gusts that impaired our
confidence in its self reliance. Padre Simon declared that the
lightning set his teeth on edge, prompting him from its dazzling
flashes to pray, but that the thunder so startled and confused him
that he was unable to think, and as a dernier ressort was obliged to
drink. This remedy finally rendered him proof to the best efforts of
Jupiter Tonans; but on waking in the morning he complained that he
could still hear the roll of the thunder in his head.
On the morning of the 24th the sun rose bright and clear in a
cloudless sky, compensating with its splendor the discomforts of the
night; its reflected light glancing upon the waters discovered far to
the south a broad ripple, indicating the sought-for channel. The
river’s stream was soon gained, and followed in a southwesterly
course until the river’s limits were defined by partially submerged
trees growing upon its banks. Having at Santa Anna filled every
available portion of the vessel with fuel, sufficient for a run of four
days, the boat was enabled to keep on her course under a full head
of steam, without anxiety from the dull prospect offered for
replenishing.
May 25th, at sunrise, after a good night’s run, we discovered a
headland above the surface of the water covered with fire-scathed
trees, from which the captain, for a surety, concluded to add to his
diminished supply of fuel. The labor of taking in wood from this
source was by no means pleasant, but the sailors with good-will
made the “virtue of necessity” cheerful with songs and jokes, the
“passengers,” suitably clothed, contributing with the zest of energy
their labor for its stowage, so that by eight o’clock we were again
under way. With the exception of this wooded bluff nothing but sky,
water, and foliage had met our eyes since leaving Santa Anna, the
monotonous compound making us well content with cabin
associations.
On the 28th at sunrise, our ears were gladdened with the cry of
“Land ho!” Rushing on deck, with the expectation of a greeting from
well defined banks, we were disappointed, as the contrasted
elements of the previous day still prevailed. Seeing that we were a
little inclined to be vexed, at what we considered to be an ill-timed
joke, the man at the wheel, an old river navigator, pointed to a mud
bank that closed our view with the bend of the river, at the same
time directing our attention to the eddy cast from it far out toward a
line of trees on the opposite shore. From these indications he
assured us that in a half hour’s time we should hear the songs of
birds to make us lively. Doubling the muddy cape we were greeted
with the screams of parrots, while other birds of gay plumage were
crossing and recrossing the river singly and in flocks, causing, in
apparent salutation, a lively line of demarcation between the land
enclosed current and the smooth waters of the flood below. The
welcome sight raised our spirits into a sympathetic mood of song,
which was unfortunately too nearly allied to the screaming discord of
the parrots to evoke other than a mirthful disposition for repartee
which expended itself in humorous comparisons, favoring the advent
of genial omens.
Mr. Welson, a prominent official of the Panama Railroad Company,
had accepted the freedom proffered by the steamship lines plying
between the maritime cities of the eastern coast of South America,
for his recuperative vacation of three months, and on his arrival in
Montevideo had been induced by Captain Greenwood to extend his
voyage up the river.
A Scotsman by birth, he possessed in an eminent degree the
predilection of his people for dry, caustic humor; and in his position
of commercial agent had cultivated the art of extracting fun from the
vagaries of migrating humanity in their transit across the isthmus.
Scientific whimsies were especially adapted to his quizzical vein, and
a happier combination of material could scarcely have been conjured
for his entertainment, than he found on board of the Tortuga. Padre
Simon was his especial favorite as a stimulating provocative. Won by
his naïve simplicity, he had soon interested himself to learn the
object of his river voyage, with the intention of rendering him
assistance. Greatly to his surprise the padre informed him that he
had no other expectations in visiting Entre Rios than the chance one
“of hitting an opportunity to make a strike.” Amused with his
vernacular, and the easy carelessness of his manner, which seemed
to defy disappointment, he was delighted to discover his growing
fondness for polemical disputations, which was gratified by a kindred
disposition cultivated by Dr. Baāhar, the naturalist of the corps. On
the steamer’s arrival at Entre Rios, the port of his destination, the
padre’s thoughts were absorbed in the dogmatic discussion of the
soul’s material identity with the body after the resurrection, so that
he gave no heed to the frequent repetition of the name of the town.
Aware of his total abstraction from all thoughts and anxieties
connected with the business responsibilities of life, necessary for
material sustenance, Mr. Welson connived with the doctor to hold
him in argument until after the steamer’s departure, well assured
that no material harm could arise from the derangement of plans so
lightly impressed as to give place to chimerical argument. For a
characteristic illustration of the disputants’ peculiarities we will give
the burden of their colloquial subjects of exposition.
Padre. “My conscience’ sake alive, man! Why, you might as well set
us down as beasts at once, as to argue that in resurrection we shall
assume the form of animals whose habits we most affect in life!
Surely your naturalistic learning has run mad with your orthodox
catholic ideas, for, upon my soul, they are rank with transmigration,
and if confessed, you would be denied absolution by every
ecclesiastic in the Christian world. Look you! the very fact, if
admitted, would controvert all that we hold sacred. Why, man, it
would render absurd our reliquary faith in the efficacy of sainted
bones and vestments for healing the sick and lame, for the marrow-
bones of swine and the hair of dogs would hardly serve to enlist
belief in the Christian doctrine of divine transubstantiation?”
Dr. B. “As we claim that reason has been bestowed as an
endowment to distinguish us in reality from the brute creation, its
possession presupposes preordination of intention in decree for its
use. Now, if you will devote your share of this human endowment to
the demonstration I am about to give of cause and effect, you will
not fail to perceive the distinctions upon which our faith is founded.
Humanity possesses omnivorously, in its varieties of genera and
species, all the habits of the lower orders of the animal creation in
their separate representation! But superadded to this resemblance in
the community of instinct, man has a discretionary power inherent
with his endowment of reason, which enables him to profit by
experience in shaping his course for the avoidance of consequent
evils which follow from the transgression of natural laws. This power
presupposes accountability that directs itself to Creative Cause. Upon
this innate feeling of responsibility, impressed by repentance from
transgressions, and joys imparted from adherence to the monitor
indications of our superiority, man has founded his religious
distinctions of vice and virtue. In furtherance of this natural division
man has volunteered to represent vice, and woman, unprejudiced by
his influence, would have naturally assumed the role of virtue in
truthful vindication of her vocation as the mother of our race. Now,
as you well know, it is impossible to harmonize vice and virtue, even
with the instinctive coalescence of the sexes? Hence, as you must
acknowledge, there will be a constant struggle for ascendency. Man
as the stronger of the two, in representative selfish determination,
and the moral force of muscular strength, is as full of devices for the
beguilement of woman from her sacred trust as the variations of his
ability admit.”
Padre. “Yes, all that may be true; but you don’t talk at all like
yourself, and I can’t see what you have said has to do with revealed
religion.”
Dr. B. “Why, its connection is self suggestive; virtue and vice in
sexual array, for the supremacy of example, naturally oppose to each
other their attractions and temptations. Fortunately, the harmonizing
beauty of woman, with loving affection, impressed on the rude
selfishness of man the preferred happiness of a home subject to
graceful refinements, and with her sex in the majority held his
passions and appetites of instinct in abeyance. To overcome this
tacit rule man devised a series of temptations to hold her in
subjugation to his control. These were addressed to her vanity and
envy, incited by the jealous instigations of man’s preferment on the
score of beauty. This led to artificial adornment, which placed the
means of temptation in the hands of man. Then, as a plea for the
encouragement of virtue, religious revelations were instituted under
the conjurations of mystery to control, with fear, superstitious
simplicity.”
Padre. “Perhaps I don’t quite understand you, for I can scarcely
account for my own thoughts as they seem to be so mixed with new
impressions; but if I understand what you express in words, I will
answer for myself that the revealed way of salvation is to use all the
blessings of life with moderation.”
Mr. Welson. (Amused.) “With the doctor’s permission, you will
perhaps appreciate an illustration that occurs to me? Woman’s
naturally unselfish affection, unbiased by the temptations of vanity
and envious curiosity, exerts with gentle forbearance a restraint
upon the more brutal appetites of man, softening asperities
provoked by over indulgence. Theodosius, the emperor champion of
Christianity, opened a way for the incursions of northern barbarians
by patronizing the intolerant sway it usurped over the more primitive
and lenient rites of paganism, as it weakened, by the introduction of
effeminate luxuries which allied the sexes for degeneration.”
Padre. “I have never been much of a book-worm, but it appears to
me if man, as Dr. Baāhar says, represents vice and woman virtue,
your college learning directly tends to the cultivation of a vicious
course by keeping before the people the barbarous acts of the
ancients derived from their own language, which gives the scholar a
directing power, from a studied understanding of the corruptions
practiced in past ages. So you see, it’s far better for woman, and the
world at large, that she’s denied the means of classical study; for
from your own admissions, her curiosity and envious vanity rages so
greatly at the present day she’d be more likely to play the part of a
Cleopatra than a Zenobia. As the world runs, I think the less we
know of the past the better it will be for our salvation.”
Mr. W. “But you forget church history, padre, from the record of
which you derive your knowledge of the fathers?”
Padre. “Well, but that is different from profane, for it teaches us the
way of salvation by saving grace.”
Mr. W. “Yes, through the tender mercies of the Inquisition.”
Mr. Dow. “As a listener I must acknowledge that you have each with
good arguments strangely confounded your former selves.”
The above colloquial rejoinders will serve as an illustration of the
attraction that beguiled the padre’s attention until the second day
after he had passed his port of destination. Then inquiring of the
captain the distance that still “intervened,” the supposed number of
miles being given, he relapsed into his usual routine without
suspecting that it was calculated from the stern instead of the bow.
When informed at the port of Rosas that the town of “Three Rivers”
had been passed some days previous, he exclaimed, “My goodness
gracious, there was where I wished to stop; my conscience’ sake
alive, what shall I do?” The captain, to whom he appealed,
answered by asking, “What did you intend to do at Entre Rios,
padre?”
Padre. “A brokerage business of some sort, real estate or sugar,
whichever offered the best opening.”
Captain. “But, padre, you cannot speak the language, which would
render your expectations abortive, for a bargain is never closed in
these countries without a great deal of word chaffering. A clear
understanding of the language is absolutely necessary, for the
inhabitants of the river towns are very apt to “fly” from a bad
bargain when they find themselves caught and lightly held, so that
the only safe way to secure them is to clip their wings and hood-
wink them in black and white. But I can send you back without cost
when we meet the next downward bound steamer; then you will
have the advice and assistance of Mr. Welson, who perfectly
understands the habits and customs of the people.”
Padre. “Well, I declare to gracious, I hardly know what to do?”
Captain. “Would you like employment on board? I think that there is
a berth that would suit you! Besides it will afford you an opportunity
to convince Dr. Baāhar of his errors; at the same time you can
perfect yourself in speaking Spanish.”
Notwithstanding the captain’s quizzical looks and speech the padre
thankfully accepted the proffered position of second officer, with the
expressed hope that he might perform its duties in an acceptable
manner. Captain Greenwood, although somewhat crispy in speech
and austere in address, had a strong undertow of humorous
appreciation when the shafts of irony were not directed against
himself. His disinterested disposition, prompted by the padre’s kindly
vis inertiæ, had suggested the offer; nevertheless he really desired a
person capable of superintending small matters that would relieve
him from a responsibility not greatly to his relish. The duties
imposed by the captain were as follows: “You must be the first up in
the morning and the last in bed at night. While on duty, see that
everything in the way of labor is well done, and never interfere with
advice when a helping hand is required. Lastly, never report to me
necessary changes until after they have been made.”
Padre. “But, captain, if I am never to speak how am I to improve or
correct to suit you?”
Captain. “With the moral influence of your head and hands, when
you see anything necessary to be done!”
This settled the question of the padre’s new vocation, and he was
forthwith introduced to the crew, who greeted his installation with
marked approbation. At night, when he became genial in
confessional overflow and dogmatic in argument, he was the source
of humorous repartee and good-will among the passengers on the
quarter-deck. His American birth having toned down the
quarrelsome disposition legitimate as an inheritance to the native-
born Irishman, when under the influence of whiskey, he indulged in
quaint disputations, peculiar to his Yankee ingraft, in freedom from ill
humor.
With this insight descriptive of mood foreign to the members of the
corps, we will now resume our narration of events transpiring in the
daily progress of the steamer’s river voyage.
May 28.—The banks of the river are now clearly defined, but the
water still submerges the undergrowth that margins its lower stages
in the season of drought; the more matured growths are already
peopled with the smaller species of birds delighting in the bushy
retreats overhanging the waters. Our naturalists’ eyes are now
greedily engaged in busy search for new specimens of the feathered
species.
May 29.—This morning we reached a sand-spit formed by a
confluent stream, upon which the receding waters had left a wood-
drift well suited for the steamer’s use, having been forced by the jam
of flood-tide high out of the current. The eddies and backwater of
the Pilcomayo’s stronger flow had carried the raft and lodged it high
up above the mouth of the lesser stream, leaving an extension inter-
stayed by the roots that reached into deep water; alongside of the
raft, in the smaller stream, the steamer moored. The axes of the
firemen and sailors were soon busy, wakening for the first time the
forest echoes to the chucking sound of their strokes. The more
active members of the corps volunteered their services in aid for
speedy replenishment, deriving in recompense the invigorating
novelty of exercise. While actively engaged with ready hands and
merry voices they were suddenly startled with the scream of the
steamer’s whistle, simultaneously accompanied with a flight of
arrows from the ambush of the forest screen above the raft.
Fortunately distance and trepidation from the unearthly screech of
the whistle rendered their aim harmless; the check it afforded
enabled the woodcutters to scramble up the sides of the steamer
before the savages recovered from their surprise. When they
realized that the shriek was harmless in effect, the Indians rushed
forth from their concealment to secure the axes which had been
abandoned by the men in their sudden fright, but were again
momentarily intimidated by the rumbling sound of the gong, which
Antonio, the steward, had seized to increase with concerted din the
scream of the whistle. The savages’ hesitation was but momentary,
seeing that like the former the steward’s overture was harmless in
effect, then with a counter whoop of defiance they sprang forward
to secure the coveted prizes. But the second diversion brought with
it presence of mind and time for the use of more effective weapons
than empty sound. One of the two howitzers, which had been taken
as freight to Santa Anna, the commandante loaned to Captain
Greenwood for the voyage; this had been loaded as a precautionary
measure the day previous, and intrusted to the charge of Jack and
Bill, two sailors who had “shipped” on the river voyage for a “lark.”
With thoughts trained to the duty of their charge they were the first
that reached the steamer’s deck, and before the savages recovered
from their second hesitation sighted the gun and answered their
whoop with a discharge of grape, with an effect that left five of their
number stretched on the logs, killed outright, the others in quick
retreat leaving a trail of blood showing from its copious flow the
infliction of dangerous wounds. The retreating savages in their turn
dropped clubs, spears, blow-pipes, and arrows, so that there was
but little danger of their return. But the premonition caused the
captain to place a guard in a position to command the isthmus,
accompanied by two hounds belonging to Mr. Dow. The dogs
following the bloody trail soon gave intimation that they had
discovered the wounded savages. Proceeding cautiously into the
thicket beyond the abattis they found near together, an elderly
savage and a boy of seventeen or eighteen years, both severely
wounded. The padre, with heedless but kindly intention, attempted
to raise the head of the old Indian upon his arm to relieve his
uncomfortable position, while the others stanched his wounds. In a
second from the time the padre’s arm came within reach of the
savage, his teeth were fastened upon the arm above the elbow,
while with working tenacity he used his utmost energy to penetrate
the sleeve of his coat. His intention was evident from the greenish
slaver that oozed from the corners of his mouth, betraying in
appearance the characteristics of the dreaded poison. Bill, who was
near at hand, relieved the padre from the danger of poisonous
inoculation, before the teeth of the savage had penetrated the cloth,
by the introduction of a marlin-spike with a decisive force that
showed but little care for their preservation. The boy was more
tractable, permitting his captors to handle him as they pleased. Two
other savages were overtaken dragging themselves from bush to
bush. When surrounded they were still defiant, threatening all who
approached with spear-heads attached to short staffs; these were
finally struck out of their hands, but they still repelled peaceful
overtures, making a formidable show of resistance with teeth and
nails. We had been specially warned against coming into close
quarters with them by an old trader, who had frequently
encountered their ferocious tendencies in his travels. Finding all our
conciliatory attempts futile the wounded savages were left to their
fate. Adopting the padre’s suggestion, the young Indian and his
savage companion were taken on board, with the intention of trying
the effect of kind treatment, but a lasso in the practiced hands of a
guacho was required to persuade the latter to accept the proffered
hospitality of the boat. Aside from the comparative docility of the
boy, his lack of resemblance in feature and general conformation
plainly declared that his subserviency to the will of his companion
did not arise from parental affection. Shackling them to the windlass
they were placed under the guardianship of the dogs, whose favorite
lounge was on either side of the bowsprit heel beneath the shadow
of the chocks. After they were secured, all hands, with the exception
of the engineer, steward, and cooks, resumed their labors on the
raft. As the padre insisted that it was a barbarous shame to throw
the bodies of the dead savages into the water to become the food of
alligators, when a few minutes’ labor would make them a decent
grave in the sand, he was allowed the privilege of extending to the
defuncts the rites of burial. As the spade in his hands had not been
a favorite specialty during the more elastic periods of his existence
under the benign influence of temperate heat, the torrid glow of the
morning acting in concert with a stimulant he had taken to steady
his nerves, caused a sweltering perspiration that in no way
accelerated the progress of his pious undertaking. The sands having
become quick from recent saturation were constantly caving, so that
in addition to aggravation he was in danger of becoming a victim to
his sextonic benevolence. While trying to extricate himself from the
caving sand, the while vainly pleading for assistance from the
laughing spectators of his disaster, his attention became fixed upon
an array of yellow nuggets which he had overlooked when thrown
from their bed with the sand. His silence and curious investigation
with hands and eyes extorted the inquiry, “What is it, padre?” The
laconic answer, “Gold!” brought the whole party to his rescue,
including the sentinels from the logs above, while the engineer,
steward, and cook deserted their posts in greedy haste. When the
truth of his announcement was verified they with some difficulty
dragged him from his grave, then oblivious to thoughts of savage
surprise and poisoned arrows, they consigned the dead to the river,
without remonstrance from the padre, and with flushed avidity
commenced with spade and pan to unearth the precious metal. Mid-
day, with its heat, found them still engaged, heedless of danger from
the sun’s rays and the miasmic current converging upon the spit
from the confluent streams. Silence alternating with wild bursts of
hilarity, caused the captive savages, chained to the steamer’s
windlass, to gaze with wondering looks of amazement.
Through the day, until darkness precluded the possibility of detecting
the golden grains, the wild search continued, then when collected on
the steamer’s deck they bethought themselves of the dangers to
which they had been exposed. Although resolved to be more
cautious in future while gathering their golden trove, its tangible
presence banished fear; still as a thoughtful precaution the steamer
was dropped into the stream as a guard against surprise.
CHAPTER II.
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