THE PLACE OF THE PAINTED HANDS
Upon leaving the Spanish settlement, Queen Barreto provided us with an
escort to guide us to the caves in which it was reported gold was to be
found. The country outside the settlement was of the same rocky, barren
nature as everywhere along the coast, while the natives we encountered
were hostile and warlike. Armed with spears and slings, they attacked
us, and were only driven off after many had been slain.
Pedro de Castro did not accompany us. He had pleaded a disinclination
to leave his mother so soon after their long separation. At the time we
thought his conduct strange, but in return for the assistance that
Queen Barreto had given us, we promised him a share of any gold
obtained.
At length, after a day's journey, we came to the entrance to the caves,
a gloomy portal to a tunnel which ran into a high rocky cliff from
which issued a sluggish stream over a bed of water-worn pebbles. At the
entrance to this dark recess, upon the face of a flat rock, appeared
painted hands, some with six fingers, some with four, and others with
only two. They were painted with a dark brown pigment, and were easily
discernible. It was the sight of these hands, and the assertion that
they had reference to the measures of gold obtained, as set forth on
the paper found by Hartog in the locker of the "Santa Isabel", that
decided us to explore farther into the heart of the caves, and, having
procured torches, Hartog and I, accompanied by Janstins and a lad named
Bruno, a Mulatto, entered the tunnel, and made our way along the left
bank of the stream.
As we advanced the caves increased in size, until at length we stood in
a great apartment, formed of colossal fluted pillars, and roofed high
above our heads with depending stalactites which glistened in the light
of our torches. Everywhere in this huge cavern the same mineral
formation was to be seen, so that we seemed to be standing in a palace
composed of glittering gems.
The stream here was wide, moving sluggishly over a bed of black sand.
Presently a cry from Janstins brought us to where he was standing
beside a heap of what, at first sight, looked like yellow clay, but
which, upon closer inspection, proved to be a quantity of gold dust,
interspersed with small nuggets. Here, then, was the treasure collected
by the fishermen from Lamakera, and abandoned by them in 1467, almost
two hundred years before the date of our coming. But the cause of the
great trepidation which had come upon them, so that they had been
unable to carry the gold away, we had yet to learn.
We had become so intent upon our gold discovery that we had failed to
notice a peculiar humming sound, which became louder as it drew nearer,
and suddenly we observed descending upon us, from the vaulted roof,
what appeared to be white feathery clouds, which, however, speedily
resolved themselves into a prodigious number of flying hornets. Bruno
was the first to be attacked by these venomous insects. In a moment he
was covered with them, and ran screaming into the water of the
slowly-moving stream. His cries were pitiful, but we could do nothing
to relieve him. In less than a minute he was stung to death.
It now became imperative, if we would save ourselves, to make the best
of our way out of the caves without attempting to carry off any of the
gold we had found. The fate of the boy Bruno had caused a diversion
among the hornets to which we probably owed our lives. In the hope of
distracting them still further, we fired off our muskets, which awoke
echoes in that silent place the like of which had never been heard
before. Had we exploded a barrel of gunpowder, the sound of it would
not have been louder nor the concussion greater, than was caused by the
discharge of our firearms. Huge masses of stalactites fell from the
roof, while the air space around us became filled with bats, and flying
creatures with heads like foxes, disturbed from their slumbers by the
discharge of our guns. The flapping of their wings drove off the
hornets, and greatly aided us in our escape from a horrible death.
On reaching the entrance to the caves, where we arrived more dead than
alive from our adventure, we were met by those of our crew whom we had
brought with us, but were informed that our guides had returned to the
settlement. For this conduct the guides had offered no explanation.
They had said they were acting in accordance with directions given them
by Queen Barreto, and that, having brought us to the mouth of the
caves, their mission ended. We did not at the time attach much
importance to this desertion of us, being now well acquainted with the
path over the cliffs into the valley, opposite to which our ship lay at
anchor, so we did not anticipate any difficulty in returning. As we
advanced, however, our journey was continually impeded by attacks made
upon us by hostile natives, so it was not until toward the evening of
the second day after leaving the caves that we succeeded in climbing
the cliffs above the settlement. Judge then of our dismay when, upon
looking seaward, we perceived our ship standing out from the bay under
full sail, while at her mizzen floated the flag of Spain.