Native Myths Of The Galapagos

While in the Galapagos following WW2, it was the custom of the USO workers to take men on expeditions to collect and study strange and marvelous tortoises and other reptiles and creatures found on these remote islands. "We were very fortunate in capturing two of the giant land iguanas," wrote Mr. MacDonald Director of the USO Pacific Seaboard Outpost Service. "They are truly vicious upon capture. The largest one was about three feet long, stockily built and therefore unlike the common iguana of Central America. We were also lucky to capture another type, called the marine iguana, which is jet-black and semi-aquatic, and also found only on the Galapagos Islands. This is a gentle lizard, unlike his tough cousin of the rocks, which lives on thorny cactus."

A trip to an extinct volcano yielded a glimpse of the rare blue-footed boobies. There were hundreds upon hundreds of them nesting, some with fuzzy youngsters sitting beside them. Apparently unafraid of man, they never moved and only pecked at the G.I.s attempting to take a peek at their eggs or family. Next, a placid family of seals, and two small, fearless Galapagos tortoises did not object to the soldier visitors coming within a few feet of them. Pelicans and penguins, black and brown finches, native doves, and, at Hood Island, a species of albatross, attracted the sightseers. After the ending of hostilities the Army permitted USO workers to visit men stationed at San Jose, off the coast of Panama. According to ancient native history of this island, it was once inhabited, by hundreds of Indians, but there was not a soul living there when the Army took it over for experimental purposes.

The legend is that an Englishman, his wife and beautiful daughter homesteaded this island about 80 years ago. One night natives attacked them and the man and his wife were slain, and the daughter, who escaped into the jungle, became violently insane. At night the natives prowling off shore in their canoes could hear her wails and screams, seeming to emanate from the deep jungle —and this had frightened them away. But the USO workers started the service men hunting Indian graves, explaining what to look for, and how to identify a burial. It became a fascinating hobby for men with too little to do in their leisure time. In fact, so zealous were they in pursuing the hobby that two men got lost and had to spend the night in the jungle.

"They did the proper thing," according to Mr. MacDonald, "and spent the night in a big tree." And from this hobby of searching for ancient graves evolved the Ghouls' Club.

By: davidbunch

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