AN UNKNOWN LAND.
Now, although we were adrift in a perilous sea, and had no hope of
making land, save in a wild and savage country, where there was more
hope of mercy from the Indians than from the civilized Spaniards, I was
yet so thankful to find myself free of the ship and of Senor Manuel
Nunez, that for some moments I could scarcely believe in my freedom.
"I could swear that I am but dreaming and shall presently awake to find
myself a prisoner," I said to Pharaoh, who was busily engaged in
examining the boat.
"'Tis no dream, master," said he. "This is a very stern reality, as you
shall quickly find. Nor is it time for dreaming. If we mean to come out
of this adventure with whole skins, we shall have to acquit ourselves
like true men."
"I am ready," said I. "Tell me what to do, and I will do it."
"Well said," he answered approvingly. "But I could see from the outset
that you had the true spirit in you. You are a Yorkshireman, master, and
I am a sea-dog of Cornwall; but, marry, we are both Englishmen, and we
will come out of this scrape yet. 'Tis not the worst I have been in--but
more of that anon. Now to begin with, we will discuss our present
situation, and then, having determined our course of action, we will put
it into execution."
So we talked things over, and eventually came to these conclusions. We
were, so far as Pharaoh could reckon, about ten miles from land, and we
must reach the coast during the night if we wished to escape
observation. That accomplished, we must strike across country for
Acapulco, where it was possible we might meet with an English ship. The
distance was some three hundred miles in a bee-line, and the character
of the country rough; but that mattered little, for we should of
necessity be obliged to keep away from the roads and bridges. There was
no considerable town on our way, save Oaxaca, and that we must leave to
our left. If we fell in with Spaniards we were lost men, for they would
certainly carry us to Vera Cruz or to Mexico, and there hand us over to
the Inquisitors. As for wild beasts and Indians, we must take our
chance, trusting in God's mercy for protection and help.
We now examined the boat, which was but a small craft that had been
unstrung the day before, in order that the ship's carpenter might
examine some fancied defect in the rudder. Fortunately a pair of oars
had been left in her, and these Pharaoh now took in hand, bidding me
steer for the volcanic flame, which played over the peak of Tuxtla,
immediately before us.
"I can pull ten miles in this sea," said he, "and I warrant you have had
little experience in that line, master. Now, you see that the wind has
drifted us due south until to-night, and therefore Nunez has come some
five-and-thirty miles out of his course for Vera Cruz. He will now beat
up along the coast, heading north and west, and so if we steer
south-by-east he will have hard work to catch us when he finds that we
are gone, as he will ere morning. And now to work."
Thereupon he fell to the oars, and with such good-will, that the light
craft, her nose kept towards the volcanic fire, began to shoot through
the regular swell of the placid ocean at a comfortable rate. Hour after
hour he toiled, and would hear naught of my relieving him, though his
throat grew dry with thirst and his arms ached. Gradually the coast
loomed higher and higher through the gloom, and at length Pharaoh pulled
in his oars, and stood up in the bow to look around him.
"When I was off this coast ten years ago," said he, "I remember a spot
hereabouts where a boat might land with safety and ease. We will lie
quiet till the light comes, master, and then attempt a landing."
"But suppose Nunez should see us?"
"He could not catch us ere we land if he did, unless by some strange
chance he has gotten to the east of us--and that's not possible," said
Pharaoh. "I reckon that by this time he is twenty miles to westward of
us, and therefore we are well out of his reach."
So we hove-to until the morning began to break, when, spying a
convenient creek, we ran the boat ashore, and so set foot on Mexican
soil, wondering what was to befall us next.
Now, to me, who had never seen aught of any land save England, these new
surroundings were exceeding strange and wonderful. Although it was yet
but a half-light all round us on shore, the giant peak of Orizaba,
rising high and magnificent across the land to the north-west, was
already blazing in the saffron-colored tints of early morning, while
directly above us the lower heights of Tuxtla also reflected the rays of
the rising sun. Once away from the shore the vegetation surprised and
delighted me exceedingly. Great trees, such as I had never seen or heard
of, sprang from the rocks and towered above us like gigantic ferns; the
undergrowth was thick and luxurious, and the grass under foot was soft
and heavy as velvet. Also, though it was winter, there were flowers and
plants blossoming in the open such as never blossom in our English
glass-houses, so that altogether I was amazed at the richness and
prodigality of the land, and said so to my companion.
"Aye," said he, "'tis indeed a fair land, master, and would be very well
if these murderous Spaniards had left it alone. As it is, they have
simply turned it into a pandemonium, such as all lands, fair or foul,
become when men go a-lusting for gold and treasure. Yea, not even the
Indians, with all their heathenish practices, were half so cruel as
these Spaniards with their racks and thumb-screws, their stakes and
daggers. And therefore the more reason why we should avoid them."
Having somewhat refreshed ourselves by a brief rest, and armed ourselves
with two stout cudgels cut from a neighboring tree by Pharaoh's knife,
which was the only weapon we had, we set forth through the woods, he
leading the way. By that time we were faint with hunger and could well
have done with a meal, but though there were, doubtless, Indian villages
close at hand we dare enter none of them, and so went forward with empty
stomachs. In the woods, however, we came upon prickly pears, which there
grow wild, and these we essayed to eat; but had great difficulty in
stripping them of the prickles, which, if they enter the tongue, do
cause an unpleasantness that is not soon forgot. Our hunger growing
very keen we sought to capture or slay some bird or animal, and Pharaoh
being accustomed to this sort of hunting--for he had known many
adventures--presently succeeded in knocking down a wild turkey, flocks
of which bird we constantly encountered. We lighted a fire by means of
his flint and steel, and cooked our quarry, and so went forward again
refreshed by the food, which was pleasant enough to hungry men.
We pressed on for two days through the woods, living as we best could
upon such animals as Pharaoh was able to knock down, and on the pears,
which were all the more aggravating to our hunger because of their sharp
spines. During those two days we did not come in contact with human
beings, though we thrice saw parties of Indians and had to conceal
ourselves from them. We followed no path, and if we chanced to cross
one we immediately left it and plunged deeper into the woods. By the end
of the first day our clothes were torn to rags, and hung in strips from
our backs; by the end of the second our shoes had been cut to pieces,
and so we looked as wretched and lost a couple of vagabonds as you ever
saw.
On the evening of the second day we came to the verge of the wooded
heights, and saw before us the wide plain of Orizaba, which lay between
us and Acapulco, and must needs be crossed if we meant to reach the
Pacific coast.
"It is here that I see most reason to be a-feared," said Pharaoh, as we
halted and looked out across the plain. "There is precious little cover
or shelter on this plain, and it will be a miracle if we escape
observation in crossing it. Moreover, there are constantly traversing it
bodies of Spaniards, going to and from Oaxaca and Mexico, so that we
shall be liable to capture at any moment, having nowhere to hide
ourselves."
"How would it do to hide ourselves as we best can by day, and to go
forward by night?" said I.
"'Tis a good notion, master, and we will try it," he answered. "But I
fear me there is little in which we can hide, and as for food, I do not
see how we are to manage. Howbeit, we will not despair yet awhile,
having managed so far."
That night we accordingly made our way across the wide and lonely plain,
having for our guide the constellation Virgo, which Pharaoh Nanjulian
knew and pointed out to me with some learning.
"Them that go down to the sea in ships," said he, "must needs learn a
good deal if they would prosper. I have studied the heavens somewhat,
because more than once it has been my lot to find myself at sea without
a compass, and in a plight like that a knowledge of the stars and
planets is a good thing for a man to have at his command. Now, if we do
but set our faces to yonder constellation we shall keep in a straight
line for Acapulco--and God send we may land there safely!"
We made fairly good progress across the plain, but when morning broke
from the eastern horizon we were still many a long mile from the great
terrace of mountainous land which divides Mexico from Oaxaca and the
Pacific coast. Therefore we had to cast about us for some shelter. This
we had great difficulty in securing, for the plain at that part was
entirely barren of shrub or tree, and there was not even a water-course
at which we could slack our parched throats. But coming upon a
half-ruined hut, which had evidently been the home of some Mexican
Indian, tending his sheep in those wild parts, we took refuge in it and
lay down to sleep, hoping that no one passing that way would feel
curious enough to stop and examine our shelter.
This sort of life continued to be our lot for another day and night,
during which we had scarcely anything in the way of food, and also
suffered severely from thirst. And what with this, and with our fear of
meeting Indians and Spaniards materially increased, our condition was by
no means a happy one. But we still continued to hope, and to cheer each
other onward.