UP THE PARANA--MURRAY'S FOREBODINGS--BATTLE OF PUNTA OBLIGADO--ATTACKED
BY FIRESHIPS--SCHOONER BLOWS UP--JACK AND MURRAY PERFORM A GALLANT
EXPLOIT--MURRAY WOUNDED--THE BATTERIES STORMED--TOM AND GERALD CARRIED
OFF BY GAUCHOS.
"Hurrah! my boy, there is a prospect of more glorious or, at all events,
more exciting work than slave-hunting," exclaimed Adair, as he came on
board the _Supplejack_ from the _Tudor_, both vessels then lying in Rio
harbour.
"When? where?" asked Jack.
"Up the Parana, and immediately, as far as I can make out. Murray has
just received his orders, and you will get yours before the day is many
hours longer. I conclude that small vessels are wanted for the work, so
you are certain to be sent."
"Has Murray heard what we are to do when we get there?" asked Jack.
"Yes, to force our way up the river, which a certain General Rosas,
calling himself President of Buenos Ayres, has taken it into his head no
one shall do; and so, of course, he will attempt to stop us."
"Who is the fellow? I don't think I have ever heard of him before,"
said Jack.
"Nor did I till Murray told me, and, as he reads everything, he, of
course, knew all about the matter. You have an atlas, just get it out,
and I will try and impart the information Murray gave me.
"The river Parana, you see, runs a course of many miles nearly north and
south before it runs into the river Plate. On the east side are the
provinces of Paraguay, Entre Rios, and Banda Oriental, and on the west
and south those of Santa Fe and Buenos Ayres, comprised under the
general name of La Plata. General Rosas wants to unite these provinces
under one confederation, and to make himself dictator or emperor.
"Another party calling themselves Unitarios want to unite them into one
state, and have, for this slight difference of opinion, for several
years done their best to knock each other on the head. His troops
having blockaded Monte Video and captured some French merchantmen, the
French have, therefore, sent a squadron to take satisfaction, and open
up the commerce of the river Plate.
"We are going to join them, as the Buenos Ayrians have treated some of
our merchantmen in the same way, and Rosas dares us to do our worst, and
declares that up the river we shall not go.
"By an old treaty it appears that the English and French governments
having guaranteed the integrity of the Banda Oriental, Rosas was ordered
to withdraw his troops from the territory, and as he refused to do so,
his squadron besieging Monte Video has been taken from him, while the
province of Paraguay, and that of Corrientes, have combined to overthrow
his power. In revenge for this, he has closed the outlets of their
rivers, so as to put an effectual stop to their foreign commerce.
"The Parana, though it looks of no great size on the map, is broad and
deep, and even large vessels may make their way some four or five
hundred miles up it.
"The French squadron and some English ships are already off Monte Video,
and as soon as we and the other vessels join them we are to begin the
ascent of the river. Here is Monte Video, on the northern shore of this
wide river of La Plata, which, however, looks more like a huge gulf than
what we call a river in Europe, and here, some way up on the southern
bank, is Buenos Ayres. There was a fearful ruffian, called Orribe, who
got the upper hand in some of these provinces, and murdered all his
opponents who fell into his power; he therefore got the appropriate name
of the `butcher.'
"Don Rosas, with a devoted army of gauchos, the wild horsemen of the
Pampas, united with him, and the two mild-mannered gentlemen together
endeavoured to get possession of Monte Video, but, being defeated, Rosas
has since wisely kept to his own side of the river.
"Besides the horsemen, he has managed to get together a good supply of
heavy guns and flying artillery, with which he expects to send us to the
right about, and our business will be to show him that he is mistaken.
"That is all I know of the matter, and I hope I have made it as clear to
your mind as Murray did to mine."
Jack duly received his orders, and the next morning by daybreak the
corvette and brig, in company with a few other vessels, sailed out of
the harbour. They had a quick run to Monte Video, where they fell in
with the English and French squadron, consisting of several steamers and
sailing-vessels.
Soon after their arrival, the ships were ordered to proceed up at once
to Guassu, one of the mouths of the Parana; a heavy gale, however,
coming on, drove the ships back. The midshipmen were, of course, as
eager as any one for the fun, as they called it, which they expected to
meet with, and were much disappointed at the delay which occurred. The
steamers could have gone ahead without them, but as there were only four
in the whole squadron, two English and two French, such a force would
not have been sufficient for the object.
Day after day they had to beat backwards and forwards, a strong westerly
wind blowing in their teeth, giving General Rosas time to complete his
defences.
"Well, there is one satisfaction," exclaimed Desmond. "If we had gone
up at first we might have caught the enemy unprepared, and lost all the
honour and glory we shall now reap in thrashing him."
"As to that, considering that he and his followers are half savages, as
the commodore says, I don't see that there is much honour and glory to
be obtained," observed Tom.
"Faith, now it seems to me that it does not much matter what kind of
people the enemy are, provided they have got arms in their hands, and
don't run away," answered Desmond. "These fellows fight fiercely enough
among themselves, and they are not likely to change when they have got
foreign foes to deal with."
Paddy was not far wrong after all. At length the weather moderated, the
steamers got up their steam and the sailing-vessels hauled their wind
and stood for the westward.
They had proceeded some distance, when down came another pampeiro upon
them, and they were once more disappointed. Still the work was to be
done, and the English and French commodores were not men to be beaten by
a difficulty. Days and nights together the ships kept at it, doing
their uttermost to reach the rendezvous off the mouth of the river.
At length they all met, and the flag of England flying from the peaks of
some, and that of France from others, in friendly proximity, with a fair
breeze they commenced their ascent of the mighty stream.
As they watched the distant shore on either hand it was difficult to
persuade themselves that they were at a considerable distance above the
mouth of the river. Still, on and on they sailed. With their glasses
they could occasionally see horsemen galloping along apparently watching
them, although no opposition was offered, indeed they were generally too
far out of the range of field-pieces, even should the enemy have
possessed any.
As the current was strong and the wind light, it was slow work, and
often they did not make ten miles a day. They had got about a hundred
miles up when the commodore gave the signal for the squadron to anchor,
and they found that they were within three miles of a place called Punta
Obligado, on the right bank of the river, where General Rosas had thrown
up some strong defences to oppose their further progress.
All hands were in high spirits at the thoughts of the fight, which they
expected would take place the next morning. Murray and the more
reflective officers, could not help thinking that fighting was a serious
matter, and that if a report that they had heard was correct, before
another day was over, many enjoying high health and spirits might be
laid low.
Jack, who brought up close to the _Tudor_, came on board with Tom to pay
their friends a visit. Their chief regret was that Higson was not there
to take part in the expected achievements of the following day.
"We never know what may happen to us when we go into battle," said
Murray, as Jack sat with him in his cabin. "In case I should fall, I
must get you to take this packet to Stella. She is ever in my thoughts,
and I am anxious to make arrangements for her future comfort and
support, for I doubt that she is as well provided for as she supposes.
Her father spent most of his fortune in the wild schemes in which he
took part, and careless as I heard he was about his own pecuniary
affairs, he probably neglected to make due provision for his daughter.
Had she married me, she would, at all events, have enjoyed a pension as
my widow, and as those who would otherwise obtain it can do very well
without any addition to their incomes, I have left all the property I
possess to be enjoyed by her for her life; and you, Jack, must undertake
to see that my intentions are carried out."
"Of course I will, my dear Murray," answered Jack. "But you must not
suppose that you are to be knocked on the head. I hold to the belief
that no man knows beforehand what is to happen to him, though, of
course, when he goes into battle, he may be killed, but his thinking
that he will or will not will make no difference."
"It may be true," answered Murray, with a sigh, "but there is something
within me which says that I ought to be prepared."
"Of course, and I hope you are, my dear Alick," said Jack gravely. "A
truly religious man like you always is prepared, and I suspect that the
weather, together with the fatigue you have gone through, and your state
of health, have something to do with your forebodings. If you won't
think me frivolous, let me ask you what you had for dinner yesterday?"