The squadron sailed, and I was ordered to embark in a fine old
store-ship, to cross the Sea of Cortez. The lumbering craft went urging
her lazy length through the water, her sails now and then giving a
gentle flapping, as if to convince herself they were not asleep, but
napping, unlike the indolent sailors beneath their shade. "Blessed be he
who first invented sleep, for it covereth a man all over like a mantle."
When eyelids have fallen with very grief or weariness, how we may retire
within a shell, to live a new peaceful existence, shut out from all the
toils and cares of everyday life.
We arrived in the broad bay of La Paz. Circling hills and mountains
arose red, parched and arid, enclosing on three sides a vast sheet of
water--like an inland gulf--thirty miles in length and fifteen wide.
Vegetation appears to have forgotten this portion of the Peninsula
entirely, at least to deck it in that delightful greenish hue that
attracts the gaze when beheld from a distance--creeping up narrow
valleys, or reposing, like an emerald carpet, on the sloping plains.
Here Nature looks as if baked in an oven, until she had been thoroughly
done too! A mile from the anchorage, at the head of the bay, another
large lake extends beyond, and near by is the little town of La Paz--the
ancient Santa Cruz of Cortez. The place has nothing to recommend it,
except the fig-groves and vineyards of a Portuguese, named Manuel, and a
tank of fresh water, where one may have a morning dip, before the vines
are irrigated. There were a score or more senoritas, who danced with us
all night, and washed our clothes all day, and very well they performed
both accomplishments, being withal intelligent, and, to a certain degree
educated; also two or three billiard-tables; a monte bank, of course;
millions of cat-fish; plenty of fleas, dust, and heat; and about an
hundred of Yankee Volunteers--charming follows they were, as was
remarked, "for a small tea-party without spoons." I think this is a
correct summary of all the diversions and societies of La Paz, in the
which we soon became contented and domesticated.
No civilized beings excepting those unkillable gentry, yclept
salamanders, could by any chance endure the noontide heat on shore; no
one ever had energy to consult the mercury, but we presumed it was very
high--say three or four hundred. We never left the ship until after the
land wind came from the lofty heights to apprize us, perhaps, that we
might risk a visit, without becoming sublimed in perspiration. Then the
vine-clad arbors of the Portuguese were our favorite resort, where we
killed time, devouring figs and grapes, or puffing cigarillos; the
evenings came cool and temperate, with never a cloud in the heavens; the
lassitude and languor of the sultry day gave place to more invigorating
influences, and we sauntered from casa to casa, wherever lights were
twinkling. The doncellas were seated on low stools beneath the leafy
awnings, whilst careful _amas_--house-keepers--were plying the needle or
tambour work within.
"Kiss your hands, senoritas." "Shall we dance this evening?" _Con mucho
gusto!_ cry they all in a breath. Aye! the Graces doubt them! who ever
knew a lithe young creole to turn her pretty toes away from whirling
waltz or contra-danza. "Where shall we dance?" At Lola's, or Mariana's,
or Ampara's--it matters not. "But the music?" Pshaw, you _gringo_! as if
those well-fingered old harps and guitars were not ready tuned for the
occasion, and the old night owls of musicians ever watchful, playing
around the girls, like pilot fishes about the sharks. _Vamanos pues!_
The well-known faces are shortly assembled in a neighbor's dwelling; the
listless, indolent air of morning has gone--at the first tinkle of the
harp, eyes are sparkling with rapture, and feet patting the floor, like
prisoned birds, only awaiting the harmonising crash of the little
orchestra to be in motion. _Contra-danza!_ shrieks the old leader. Two
lines are formed--swinging gracefully to and fro, figures are changing,
hands clasping and thrilling, arms are twining and winding, until the
different bands are wound into beautiful and panting groups, when the
music pauses a moment--hands fall, and to be convinced that our angelic
partners have not wings, each seizes his fair companion around the
waist, and away we spin in the waltz.
In return for the nightly _tertulias_ on shore, we gave them a little
ball on board the frigate--the quarter-deck was gaily dressed and
bedizzened with parti-colored bunting, flags, chandeliers of bayonets
and other nautical ornaments; but in the absence of any marketable
matter, the supper-table below presented more variegated hues than the
ball room itself; being all lights, glass, fancifully carved melons and
dulces. However, they had capital music by the German Confederation, led
by Peter the Greek--dancing until midnight--the old ladies were allowed
to puff cigarillos on the quarter-deck, and all went away apparently
highly delighted.
When becoming a little ennuied with these light pleasures, we made
boating expeditions, and afterwards returned to them with renewed zest.
Once on the glorious anniversary of Yankee Independence, we made the
lease of a jolly boat. It was a capacious, portly and staunch receptacle
of marine locomotion, generally used for big market baskets, beef,
vegetables, and at times to transport drunken sailors. Our party was
select and companionable; the General, Luigi, Canova, Speckles,
Magarrabin, Earl and myself--a tambourine and fiddle, with each a nigger
accompaniment, both combining with music a taste for cooking. We had
fishing lines and fowling pieces, which last were voted bores and
forthwith ordered to be discharged, and kept so during the cruise; then
there was plenty of malt and sherry, a huge jug of punch after the
ancient Romans, a comfortable chowder kettle and bag of biscuits. We
were up betimes, and as the first ruffle of the sea breeze disturbed the
quiet surface of the bay, we pushed off from the ship.
Here let me apostrophise! I hate ships, I hate boats, I hate everything
that floats! even more than I detest poor people; but at times they are
all endurable, and marine misanthropic as I am, once in a great while I
become reconciled; but should I ever have a son, and should ships exist
and not merge into balloons, and he wish to become notorious for filial
piety by reading the book his sire wrote--and be thus imbued with that
parent's ideas and prejudices--I beseech him never to trust his precious
toes with only half an inch of plank betwixt them and the briny deep.
But providing he should be so fortunate as to fall into a roomy bowl of
a boat, like to our jolly, then after selecting the smoothest,
shallowest of water, the gentlest of breezes, and flimsiest of sails,
that will fly out of their bindings at the first puff of wind--armed
with a broad sombrero, summerly jacket and trowsers, let him recline
pleasantly on the seats, with a leg and arm thrown over the side,
trailing in the rippling current--if there be the slightest suspicion of
a shark, don't do it--then I say, let him lounge and doze as we did, as
our richly freighted argosie calmly turned the native element from her
prow, and proceeded majestically up the inner bay.
We had a ten miles voyage, pausing occasionally to cast out the lines,
temptingly baited by choice bits of meat, whereby were hooked great
numbers of horned fishes of the feline species, commonly called cats,
which served to divert our leisure moments until the cooks pronounced
the market glutted, and we accordingly drew in the hooks, and again
steered lazily towards our destination. It may have been an hour past
meridian when the keel grated softly on the strand. We had chosen a
little jutting sandy point, where the wind made a cat's paw of us, and
came fawning and eddying around in the coolest manner imaginable. Days
are ever the same in La Paz--there had not been a sprinkle of rain for a
century, so we had naught to fear but the clear bright glare of the sun,
which poured down light and heat on the arid mountains and glassy sheet
of water, from which, like a polished mirror of silver, it was reflected
back again.
On the little promontory there chanced to be a stunted olive, and it was
but a minute's labor to cut away the lower branches, clothe the
umbrella-shaped top with a boat's sail, spread mats and awnings beneath,
build a temporary fire-place near by, and then repose happily in the
shade, with cigars in full blast, and supervise the interesting process
of cleaning fish, by the sailors, whilst the negro minstrels charmed us
with falsetto ballads, or highly-complicated jigs.
We had narratives of adventure, accounts of previous fourths of July,
and anecdotes of distinguished naval heroes, which last, I am sorry to
say, as a general rule, are not complimentary--a pint of ale and a bite
of luncheon. Then after multitudes of speculations upon the merits of
the embryo chowder, and many direful threats and disrespectful allusions
to the shins and pedigree of our sable cooks, in case the mess should
prove a failure--gradually one by one we fell off into siesta.
San Antonio, or that great fisherman, Sam Jones himself, only knows how
long we remained in this happy state of insensibility, or how long the
fishes, potatoes and _chillis_ had been bubbling in the cauldron, or how
often the jolly's crew had applied their lips to the punch jug--if I
might be allowed to conjecture, possibly very often; nevertheless, we
were all startled by a doleful yell from Mr. Speckles, who at the same
time expressed his opinion in emphatic language, that the larger portion
of the infernal regions "had broke loose." Appearances certainly favored
the conviction, for within a few yards there came tearing along the
beach a drove of bullocks, scattering the sand in clouds, besides having
a very unpleasant expression about their horns. We immediately vacated
the front seats, and rolled away into the interior of the branch-built
castle, leaving no impediment in the path of our enraged visitors. We
emerged again as they went by, and in the words of the Archbishop of
Granada to Gil Blas, wished them "all manner of prosperity and a little
more taste." The cause of this stampede was soon explained by the advent
of a youthful _vacuero_, who stopped to observe us. The General very
dextrously hitched a boat hook on to the waistband of his leather
breeks, whilst some one else with equal skill, applied a like implement
to the bit ringbolt of his bridle, and thus, as it were, brought him up
all standing: _Senor_ quoth we, "you behold the _rightful
conquistadores_ of California, the enormity of your crime, in driving
wild beasts through a cavalier's house and furniture, renders you liable
to fine and imprisonment, therefore we desire you to dismount,"
whereupon, making vigorous resistance, we assisted him to alight by the
aid of the boat hook.
Now, being supplied with a horse, we instantly made up a purse for a
_carrera_--sweepstakes for all runners. But two competitors
entered--Canova and Earl. The rest of the party held the bets and
bottles, and constituted themselves judges. Mr. Earl took the nag, and
Canova to his heels. The course was stepped fifty yards, the day being
warm. They got away cleverly together, although the first twenty yards
the former tried to jockey by crowding his antagonist into the water! At
the turning-stone the cavallo was ahead, and if he could have been
turned at that precise moment, the game would have been up; but every
one knows how difficult it is for one unaccustomed to the business to
pull a horse short up at his speed, and, consequently, the animal went
still farther ahead, and when suddenly checked, pitched the rider to the
ears several times before he could be made to gather fresh way on the
other tack. At this period of the action, Canova was making long
strides, and came in winner, after a hotly-contested race of two
minutes. Rewarding the _vacuero_ with a ship's biscuit, we graciously
permitted him to depart on his steed.
The chowder was done to a charm--smelled and tasted nicely--neither over
done nor underdone, nor too much _chilli_, nor too dry, nor too cold;
and not being afflicted with indigestion, we did full justice to the
feast, and attacked the big pot unceasingly, whose capacious interior
did not shrink from the encounter. Still there is an end to all things,
and there was, after a great while, to our appetites; so we sighed
deeply, and drained the cups to the memory of '76, and other republican
sentiments of patriotic tendency.
As the shades of evening began to fall, we walked into the water and had
a delicious bath. The old jolly was then gotten ready, and as the last
rays of the setting sun flashed behind the western hills, we pushed from
the strand, and gave three cheers in commemoration of our marine
pic-nic. The light land wind wafted our bark slowly down the bay--the
large lug sail swelled sluggishly over the gunwale, sound asleep. The
crew were doubled up on the thawts, sound asleep also; and our own
coterie, while listening to a narrative by Magarrabin, one by one dropt
into slumber, and there was no one awake save the helmsman. I was
comfortably esconced on the low grating, and on awaking the "pale night
stars in millions bespangled heaven's pavilions." The breeze had
freshened, and the water was seething and hissing under the cut-water.
"Hillo! coxswain, where are we? near the ship, eh?" "Sir," said Fagan
solemnly, "we have not budged an inch these two hours--it's strong
flood." True enough we had been sailing in an aquatic treadmill, going
through all the motions, without getting ahead. Pending these
reflections Luigi came forward, and peering through the gloom to have a
glimpse at the surrounding scenery--for he was near-sighted--accidentaly
lost his foothold, and popped overboard. I caught him by the toe of his
boot, and assisted by the brawny arms of a stout Dutchlander, who,
reaching down, seized our friend Luigi by the head, and letting go his
heels, he righted, and was hauled on board.
The oars were now called to account, and without any further episode,
sometime during the night we crept sedately up the frigate's side,
descended to our several dormitories, and sank peacefully to rest. This
was the way we passed the glorious anniversary, thousands of leagues
away from our homes and country.
A few days afterwards, in one of the frigate's large cutters we departed
on an excursion of longer duration, for the Pearl Fisheries. We sailed
late in the afternoon for the Island of San Jose. It stands like a
sentinel at the mouth of the great bay, almost forty miles from the
usual anchorage of La Paz. With a fresh and fair wind, just as day was
dawning, we rounded an elbow-shaped reef, and let run the little anchor,
near the shore. At sunrise a portion of the crew were landed on the
beach, and under the shady lee of a rocky bluff, tents were pitched, and
all the necessary arrangements for an encampment promptly made.
From the first discovery of the peninsula, in the sixteenth century, by
Hernando de Grijalva, the shores of the gulf have been famous for their
valuable pearls. Many of the inlets and bays were then resorted to, and
continued to yield large quantities for more than two hundred years; but
from the beginning of the present century the trade has gradually fallen
off, and at the breaking out of the war with the United States, there
were but two small craft employed in the fisheries. Still there is no
doubt that the pearl oyster abounds in immense quantities, and were the
ground properly explored, the labor would be attended with profit; but
the natural indolence of the natives throws a wet blanket upon
everything like industry or enterprise, and as a consequence these
submarine mines hide their beautiful treasures from view.
In the harbor we visited there were a number of squalid Indians, farmed
out by some more sagacious _armador_, or patron, who provided them with
jerked beef and paper cigars, in exchange for rare shells or pearls.
The season is chosen during the prevalence of calms and light winds, so
that the water be not disturbed during the operations; for they
"Dare not dive
For pearls, but when the sea's at rest."
We had three _buzos_, or divers of great celebrity, but in the end we
were not so highly impressed with their skill.
The manner of conducting the performance is a very simple one. The boat
is slowly urged over the calm water--perfectly clear and transparent it
is, owing to the white sandy bottom. The _buzos_ stand in succession on
the prow, each provided with a short sharp stick to dislodge the shells,
whilst another with shaded eyes close to the surface, peers down into
the pure blue depths, and marks the object of their search, or warns
them of the appearance of the _tintero_--a ravenous species of shark.
_Mira!_ says the look-out man, pointing with his stick. Splash! down
plunges the swarthy figure. You see him squirming and groping on the
bottom, reflected in the mirage-like fluid, when presently he shoots to
the surface, in one hand holding the prize, which is tossed into the
boat. _Hay mas!_--there's more!--he exclaims, takes a long respiration,
and again sinks--this time reversing his heels, after getting under
water. Two or three feats of the kind, and he gives place to a fresh
_buzo_. The depth ranged from twenty to thirty-five feet, and they
remained below about a minute.
One would naturally suppose that the oldest oysters, like heads of
families, out of the sea would adorn themselves with the costliest
jewels, but the system is quite the reverse. The venerable shells are
contented with little, valueless seeds, and the princely peas of pearls
are distributed among the juveniles. This is invariably the case, and
the rarest gems are always found in the smallest and youngest oysters;
nor are they worn, as with mortals, in the ears, for we ever discovered
them, after much scrutiny, carefully secreted in their beards!
After shelling and fishing until the sea breeze agitated the inlet, and
put an end to the morning's sport, we disembarked, and did full justice
to the excellent fare of one Senor Eloi, who had kindly attended the
party in capacity of major domo, keeping a watchful eye, moreover, on
vicious persons inclined to filch an over allowance of grapes, or
unconsciously to swallow an entire bottle of porter, which, by the way,
is an unpardonable crime on aquatic recreations like the present.
Towards evening, refreshed by _siesta_ and bath, we shouldered rifles
for the chase. I returned very soon, satisfied with stumping along the
beach, where were strewn hundreds of thousands of polypii, or squids,
with large black eyes like human beings, their putrefying jelly-like
carcasses filling the air with a horrible stench; after a sweltering
tramp over the dry, parched ravines and hills of the island, which were
thickly covered with scrub cactus, having thorns nearly as long as
bayonets, and very much sharper, as I found to the damage of my legs and
trousers. I saw nothing within range of a bullet, and was altogether
tolerably disgusted, and glad to get once more within shelter of the
tents. My companions were more fortunate--they started numbers of
deer--were far more fatigued from their tramp, and returned quite as
empty handed.
Game is said to be very abundant on the Peninsula, but I can hardly
believe the nature of the country admits of it. We had venison
occasionally, of indifferent quality, flavored with the flowers and
shoots of the aloes, upon which the deer can only find nourishment. On
the opposite shores of the Gulf, in the Tierra Caliente, between San
Blas and Mazatlan, I occasionally saw a few deer, stray coveys of
quails, chichilacas, wild ducks and turkeys; but even on the upper
terraces of the interior, I met with only a large species of hares; and
I am confident the whole country can bear no comparison to the worst
regions for game in Upper California.
My friend, Don Guillermo, in Mazatlan, who was a great hunter, told me a
curious fact relating to the Coyote, who, on spying a wild turkey on the
lofty branch of a tree--after a wary approach--fixes his eye upon the
bird, and commences a revolving promenade, never for an instant removing
his fascinating gaze from the devoted prey. The poor turkey, anxious to
observe the perambulations of his friend below, follows him with eye and
neck, until becoming too dizzy to maintain the perch, when down he falls
into the cunning wolf's clutches!
We made a hearty supper, and then sat down to an old fashioned rubber of
whist--the bets were glasses of toddy. "Steward," shouts Monsieur
Borodino, who had won a stake, and nearly drank half of it, "Steward,
it's too strong!" _Si Senor_, said the attentive domestic, and forthwith
gave it a dash from a dark-colored liquid, which was not water. "Ah!
Eloi," murmurs, _sotto voce_, another young gentleman in delicate
health, "Have my flask filled, eh? Want it for stimulant, in case we
should fall short!" This caused a _pronunciamento_, and being somewhat
fatigued with our day's work, we made a smoke to drive away mosquitoes,
rolled ourselves up in blankets, and sought repose on the yielding sand.
The following morning we were early astir--diving, fishing, and
hunting. Being unsuccessful, however, after breakfast it was decided to
leave our haven in San Jose, and try the fortune elsewhere.
At noon the tents were again metamorphosed into sails, and away we
steered, in an easterly direction, across the broad strait which opens
into the bay. The first hours of the voyage were fair and tranquil, but
with the declining sun the wind arose from the gulf and began blowing
with great violence. The straining canvas was reefed down, and curtailed
of its fair proportions, and by the assistance of the _buzos'_ eyes we
were piloted into a narrow, alcove-like nook, of the Island of San
Antonio. Then the dimity was all furled, and with the ashen sails we
strove might and main to get beneath the high cliffs of the little port.
_Dios!_ how furiously the gusts came sweeping down the steep gorge,
brushing the stout oars like feathers alongside the boat; then a renewed
struggle, only to be blown from the course, and the water torn into
foam, and dashed over us. We began to despair of getting on shore,
although the strand was nearly within arm's length, for the gale blew
with such unremitting violence as to defy our efforts. However, thanks
to San Antonio, there came a transient lull, and the pilots were enabled
to fasten a strong cable to the rocks. It was somewhere in this bay
where the great Cortes became tossed about in his crazy bark--perchance
it may have been the haven we had sought--and in gratitude for our
escape, we voted a candle to the Virgin.
We found ourselves shut up in a slender canal, walled by precipitous
masses of granitic rooks, hundreds of feet above us, and the channel
terminated by fifty yards of smooth, pebbly beach. The fires were soon
blazing merrily, and after a hasty supper, we stretched ourselves on
the clean sand, and in sleep, forgot our escape from boatwreck.
The morning came bright and cheerful, with not enough wind to roughen
the quiet surface of the little haven. We were amused paddling among
caverns and grottos of the cliffs for an hour, and then once more
stepping on board the cutter, we soon lost sight of our harbor of
refuge.
Coasting along the island we passed a number of these narrow
indentations, protected like spaces between one's fingers. At one of
them we threw out a grapnell, and the divers collected upwards of an
hundred pearl oysters within the hour; beyond we selected a cool
retreat, beneath overhanging ledges of rock, where we proposed dining.
Our position was exceedingly novel and curious. The finger-like
promontory lifted its crest perpendicularly from the bay; the base of
the cliff was composed of a thick and variegated strata of black
pudding-stone, worn into lateral curves and arches, upon which rested
the great body of the cliff, which appeared formed of red sand-stone,
having one side scooped and scolloped into profiles upon
profiles--hideous caricatures and contortions, letters and numerals,
while on the face, looking towards the inlet, and immediately over our
dining-hall, was cut a well-defined gallery, leading from turret to
turret, the whole closed by a most artificial-looking tower and
battlement! We had to gaze a long while, before convinced that the
elements themselves had been the sole architects.
The same evening we sailed over to the mainland, took another night
bivouac on the sandy shore, arose with the sun, beat through the Harbor
of Pichilingue, and in the afternoon reached our floating home in the
frigate.