A new and agreeable sensation is a pleasant thing. It was on as bright
an evening as ever shone upon Brazil, and in as fair a scene as one
could wish to behold, that Martin Rattler and his friend Barney
experienced a new sensation. On the wide campos, on the flower-bedecked
and grassy plains, they each bestrode a fiery charger; and, in the
exultation of health, and strength, and liberty, they swept over the
green sward of the undulating campos, as light as the soft wind that
fanned their bronzed cheeks, as gay in heart as the buzzing insects that
hovered above the brilliant flowers.
"Oh, this is best of all!" shouted Martin, turning his sparkling eyes to
Barney, as he reined up his steed after a gallop that caused its nostril
to expand and its eye to dilate.
"There's nothing like it! A fiery charger that can't and _won't_ tire,
and a glorious sweep of plain like that! Huzza! whoop!" And loosening
the rein of his willing horse, away he went again in a wild headlong
career.
"Och, boy, pull up, or ye'll kill the baste!" cried Barney, who
thundered along at Martin's side enjoying to the full the spring of his
powerful horse; for Barney had spent the last farthing of his salary on
the two best steeds the country could produce, being determined, as he
said, to make the last overland voyage on clipper-built animals, which,
he wisely concluded, would fetch a good price at the end of the journey.
"Pull up! d'ye hear? They can't stand goin' at that pace. Back yer
topsails, ye young rascal, or I'll board ye in a jiffy."
"How can I pull up with _that_ before me!" cried Martin, pointing to a
wide ditch or gully that lay in front of them. "I must go over that
first."
"Go over that!" cried Barney, endeavouring to rein in his horse, and
looking with an anxious expression at the chasm. "It's all very well
for you to talk o' goin' over, ye feather; but fifteen stun--Ah, then,
_won't_ ye stop? Bad luck to him, he's got the bit in his teeth! Oh
then, ye ugly baste, go, and my blissin' go with ye!"
The leap was inevitable. Martin went over like a deer. Barney shut his
eyes, seized the pommel of the saddle, and went at it like a
thunder-bolt. In the excitement of the moment he shouted, in a
stentorian voice, "Clap on all sail! d'ye hear? Stu'n sails and
skyscrapers! Kape her steady! Hooray!"
It was well for Barney that he had seized the saddle. Even as it was,
he received a tremendous blow from the horse's head as it took the leap,
and was thrown back on its haunches when it cleared the ditch, which it
did nobly.
"Hallo! old boy, not hurt, I hope," said Martin, suppressing his
laughter as his comrade scrambled on to the saddle. "You travel about
on the back of your horse at full gallop like a circus rider."
"Whist, darlint, I do belave he has damaged my faygur-head. What a nose
I've got! Sure I can see it mesilf without squintin'."
"So you have, Barney. It's a little swelled, but never mind. We must
all learn by experience, you know. So come alone."
"Hould on, ye spalpeen, till I git my wind!"
But Martin was off again at full speed; and Barney's horse, scorning to
be left behind, took the bit again in its teeth and went--as he himself
expressed it,--"screamin' before the wind."
A new sensation is not always and necessarily an agreeable thing.
Martin and Barney found it so on the evening of that same day, as they
reclined (they could not sit) by the side of their fire on the campo
under the shelter of one of the small trees which grew here and there at
wide intervals on the plain. They had left the diamond mine early that
morning, and their first day on horseback proved to them that there are
shadows, as well as lights, in equestrian life. Their only baggage was
a single change of apparel and a small bag of diamonds,--the latter
being the product of the mine during the Baron Fagoni's reign, and which
that worthy was conveying faithfully to his employer. During the first
part of the day they had ridden though a hilly and woody country, and
towards evening they emerged upon one of the smaller campos, which occur
here and there in the district.
"Martin," said Barney, as he lay smoking his pipe, "'tis a pity that
there's no pleasure in this world without _something_ crossgrained into
it. My own feelin's is as if I had been lately passed through a
stamping machine."
"Wrong, Barney, as usual," said Martin, who was busily engaged
concluding supper with an orange. "If we had pleasures without
discomforts, we wouldn't half enjoy them. We need lights and shadows in
life--what are you grinning at Barney?"
"Oh! nothin', only ye're a remarkable philosopher, when ye're in the
vein."
"'Tis always in vain to talk philosophy to you, Barney, so good night
t'ye. Oh, dear me, I wish I could sit down! but there's no
alternative,--either bolt upright or quite flat."
In quarter of an hour they both forgot pleasures and sorrows alike in
sleep. Next day the sun rose on the edge of the campo as it does out of
the ocean, streaming across its grassy billows, and tipping the ridges
as with ruddy gold. At first Martin and Barney did not enjoy the lovely
scene, for they felt stiff and sore; but, after half an hour's ride,
they began to recover; and when the sun rose in all its glory on the
wide plain, the feelings of joyous bounding freedom that such scenes
always engender obtained the mastery, and they coursed along in silent
delight.
The campo was hard, composed chiefly of a stiff red clay soil, and
covered with short grass in most places; but here and there were rank
bushes of long hairy grasses, around and amongst which grew a multitude
of the most exquisitely beautiful flowerets and plants of elegant forms.
Wherever these flowers flourished very luxuriantly there were single
trees of stunted growth and thick bark, which seldom rose above fifteen
or twenty feet. Besides these there were rich flowering myrtles, and
here and there a grotesque cactus or two.
Under one of these trees they reined up after a ride of two hours, and
picketing their horses, prepared breakfast. It was soon despatched, and
then remounting, away they went once more over the beautiful plains.
About mid-day, as they were hasting towards the shelter of a grove which
appeared opportunely on the horizon, Barney said suddenly--
"Martin, lad, we're lost! We're out of our course, for sartin."
"I've been thinking that for some time, Barney," replied Martin; "but
you have your compass, and we can surely make the coast by dead
reckoning--eh?"
"True, lad, we can; but it'll cost us a dale o' tackin' to make up for
lee-way. Ah, good luck to ye! here's a friend'll help us."
As he spoke a herd of wild cattle dashed out of the grove and scampered
over the plain, followed by a herdsman on horseback. Seeing that he was
in eager pursuit of an animal which he wished to lasso, they followed
him quietly and watched his movements. Whirling the noose round his
head, he threw it adroitly in such a manner that the bull put one of its
legs within the coil. Then he reined up suddenly, and the animal was
thrown on its back. At the same moment the lasso broke, and the bull
recovered its feet and continued its wild flight.
"Good day, friend," said Barney, galloping towards the disappointed
herdsman and addressing him in Portuguese, "could you show us the road
to Rio? We've lost it intirely."
The man pointed sulkily in the direction in which they were going, and,
having mended his lasso, he wheeled about and galloped after the herd of
cattle.
"Bad luck to yer manners!" said Barney, as he gazed after him. "But
what can ye expect from the poor critter? He niver larned better. Come
along, Martin, we'll rest here a while."
They were soon under the shelter of the trees, and having fastened their
horses to one of them, they proceeded to search for water. While thus
employed, Barney shouted to his companion, "Come here, lad; look here."
There was something in the tone of the Irishman's voice that startled
Martin, and he sprang hastily towards him. Barney was standing with his
arms crossed upon his chest and his head bowed forward, as he gazed with
a solemn expression on the figure of a man at his feet.
"Is he ill?" inquired Martin, stooping and lifting his hand. Starting
back as he dropped it, he exclaimed, "Dead!"
"Ay, boy, he has gone to his last account. Look at him again, Martin.
It was he who came to the mine a week ago to buy a horse, and now--."
Barney sighed as he stooped and turned the body over in order to
ascertain whether he had been murdered; but there were no marks of
violence to be seen. There was bread too in his wallet; so they could
come to no other conclusion than that the unhappy man had been seized
with fatal illness in the lonesome wood and died there.
As they searched his clothes they found a small leathern bag, which, to
their amazement was filled with gold-dust; and in the midst of the gold
was another smaller bag containing several small diamonds.
"Ha!" exclaimed Martin, "that explains his hurry. No doubt he had made
off with these, and was anxious to avoid pursuit."
"No doubt of it," said Barney. "Well, thief or no thief, we must give
the poor cratur' dacent burial. There's not a scrap o' paper to tell
who he is or where he came from,--a sure sign that he wasn't what he
should ha' been. Ah! Martin, what will we not do for the sake o'
money! and, after all, we can't keep it long. May the Almighty niver
let you or me set our hearts on it."
They dug a shallow grave with their hands in a sandy spot where the soil
was loose, in which they deposited the body of the unfortunate man; and
then remounting their horses, rode away and left him in his lonely
resting-place.
For many days did Martin and Barney travel through the land on
horseback, now galloping over open campos, anon threading their way
through the forest, and sometimes toiling slowly up the mountain sides.
The aspect of the country varied continually as they advanced, and the
feelings of excessive hilarity with which they commenced the journey
began to subside as they became accustomed to it.
One evening they were toiling slowly up a steep range of hills, which
had been the prospect in front of them the whole of that day. As they
neared the summit of the range Martin halted at a stream to drink, and
Barney advanced alone. Suddenly Martin was startled by a loud cry, and
looking up he saw Barney on his knees with his hands clasped before him!
Rushing up the hill, Martin found his comrade with his face flushed and
the tears coursing down his cheeks as he stared before him.
"Look at it Martin, dear!" he cried, starting up and flinging his cap in
the air, and shouting like a madman. "The say! my own native illiment!
the beautiful ocean! Och, darlint my blessing on ye! Little did I
think to see you more,--hooray!"
Barney sang and danced till he sank down on the grass exhausted; and, to
say truth, Martin felt much difficulty in restraining himself from doing
likewise, for before him was spread out the bright ocean, gleaming in
the light of the sinking sun, and calm and placid as a mirror. It was
indeed a glorious sight to these two sailors, who had not seen the sea
for nearly two years. It was like coming suddenly face to face--after a
long absence--with an old and much-loved friend.
Although visible, the sea, however, was still a long way off from the
Serra dos Orgos, on which they stood. But their steeds were good, and
it was not long ere they were both rolling like dolphins in the
beautiful bay of Rio de Janeiro.
Here Barney delivered up the gold and diamonds to his employer, who paid
him liberally for his services and entertained them both hospitably
while they remained in the city. The bag of gold and diamonds, which
had been found on the body of the dead man, they appropriated, as it was
absolutely impossible to discover the rightful owner. Barney's friend
bought it of them at full price; and when they embarked, soon after, on
board a homeward bound ship, each had four hundred pounds in his pocket!
As they sailed out of the noble harbour Martin sat on the poop gazing at
the receding shore while thick-coming memories crowded on his brain.
His imagination flew back to the day when he first landed on the coast,
and escaped with his friend Barney from the pirates,--to the hermit's
cottage in the lonely valley, where he first made acquaintance with
monkeys, iguanas, jaguars, armadillos, and all the wonderful, beautiful,
and curious birds, beasts, and reptiles, plants, trees, and flowers,
that live and flourish in that romantic country. Once more, in fancy,
he was sailing up the mighty Amazon, shooting alligators on its banks,
spearing fish in its waters, paddling through its curious gapo, and
swinging in his hammock under its luxuriant forests. Once again he was
a prisoner among the wild Indians, and he started convulsively as he
thought of the terrible leap over the precipice into the stream that
flowed into the heart of the earth. Then he wandered in the lonely
forest. Suddenly the diamond mines were before him, and Barney's jovial
voice rang in his ears; and he replied to it with energy, for now he was
bounding on a fiery steed over the grassy campos. With a deep sigh he
awoke from his reverie to find himself surrounded by the great wide sea.