STRUGGLES FOR LIFE--THE CHOLERA IN JAMAICA--I LEAVE
KINGSTON FOR THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA--CHAGRES, NAVY BAY,
AND GATUN--LIFE IN PANAMA--UP THE RIVER CHAGRES TO
GORGONA AND CRUCES.
I had one other great grief to master--the loss of my mother, and then
I was left alone to battle with the world as best I might. The
struggles which it cost me to succeed in life were sometimes very
trying; nor have they ended yet. But I have always turned a bold front
to fortune, and taken, and shall continue to take, as my brave friends
in the army and navy have shown me how, "my hurts before." Although it
was no easy thing for a widow to make ends meet, I never allowed
myself to know what repining or depression was, and so succeeded in
gaining not only my daily bread, but many comforts besides from the
beginning. Indeed, my experience of the world--it is not finished yet,
but I do not think it will give me reason to change my opinion--leads
me to the conclusion that it is by no means the hard bad world which
some selfish people would have us believe it. It may be as my editor
says--
"That gently comes the world to those
That are cast in gentle mould;"
hinting at the same time, politely, that the rule may apply to me
personally. And perhaps he is right, for although I was always a
hearty, strong woman--plain-spoken people might say stout--I think my
heart is soft enough.
How slowly and gradually I succeeded in life, need not be told at
length. My fortunes underwent the variations which befall all.
Sometimes I was rich one day, and poor the next. I never thought too
exclusively of money, believing rather that we were born to be happy,
and that the surest way to be wretched is to prize it overmuch. Had I
done so, I should have mourned over many a promising speculation
proving a failure, over many a pan of preserves or guava jelly burnt
in the making; and perhaps lost my mind when the great fire of 1843,
which devastated Kingston, burnt down my poor home. As it was, I very
nearly lost my life, for I would not leave my house until every chance
of saving it had gone, and it was wrapped in flames. But, of course, I
set to work again in a humbler way, and rebuilt my house by degrees,
and restocked it, succeeding better than before; for I had gained a
reputation as a skilful nurse and doctress, and my house was always
full of invalid officers and their wives from Newcastle, or the
adjacent Up-Park Camp. Sometimes I had a naval or military surgeon
under my roof, from whom I never failed to glean instruction, given,
when they learned my love for their profession, with a readiness and
kindness I am never likely to forget. Many of these kind friends are
alive now. I met with some when my adventures had carried me to the
battle-fields of the Crimea; and to those whose eyes may rest upon
these pages I again offer my acknowledgments for their past kindness,
which helped me to be useful to my kind in many lands.
And here I may take the opportunity of explaining that it was from a
confidence in my own powers, and not at all from necessity, that I
remained an unprotected female. Indeed, I do not mind confessing to my
reader, in a friendly confidential way, that one of the hardest
struggles of my life in Kingston was to resist the pressing candidates
for the late Mr. Seacole's shoes.
Officers of high rank sometimes took up their abode in my house.
Others of inferior rank were familiar with me, long before their
bravery, and, alas! too often death, in the Crimea, made them world
famous. There were few officers of the 97th to whom Mother Seacole was
not well known, before she joined them in front of Sebastopol; and
among the best known was good-hearted, loveable, noble H---- V----,
whose death shocked me so terribly, and with whose useful heroic life
the English public have become so familiar. I can hear the ring of his
boyish laughter even now.
In the year 1850, the cholera swept over the island of Jamaica with
terrible force. Our idea--perhaps an unfounded one--was, that a
steamer from New Orleans was the means of introducing it into the
island. Anyhow, they sent some clothes on shore to be washed, and poor
Dolly Johnson, the washerwoman, whom we all knew, sickened and died of
the terrible disease. While the cholera raged, I had but too many
opportunities of watching its nature, and from a Dr. B----, who was
then lodging in my house, received many hints as to its treatment
which I afterwards found invaluable.
Early in the same year my brother had left Kingston for the Isthmus of
Panama, then the great high-road to and from golden California, where
he had established a considerable store and hotel. Ever since he had
done so, I had found some difficulty in checking my reviving
disposition to roam, and at last persuading myself that I might be of
use to him (he was far from strong), I resigned my house into the
hands of a cousin, and made arrangements to journey to Chagres. Having
come to this conclusion, I allowed no grass to grow beneath my feet,
but set to work busily, for I was not going to him empty-handed. My
house was full for weeks, of tailors, making up rough coats, trousers,
etc., and sempstresses cutting out and making shirts. In addition to
these, my kitchen was filled with busy people, manufacturing
preserves, guava jelly, and other delicacies, while a considerable sum
was invested in the purchase of preserved meats, vegetables, and eggs.
It will be as well, perhaps, if I explain, in as few words as
possible, the then condition of the Isthmus of Panama.
All my readers must know--a glance at the map will show it to those
who do not--that between North America and the envied shores of
California stretches a little neck of land, insignificant-looking
enough on the map, dividing the Atlantic from the Pacific. By crossing
this, the travellers from America avoided a long, weary, and dangerous
sea voyage round Cape Horn, or an almost impossible journey by land.
But that journey across the Isthmus, insignificant in distance as it
was, was by no means an easy one. It seemed as if nature had
determined to throw every conceivable obstacle in the way of those who
should seek to join the two great oceans of the world. I have read and
heard many accounts of old endeavours to effect this important and
gigantic work, and how miserably they failed. It was reserved for the
men of our age to accomplish what so many had died in attempting, and
iron and steam, twin giants, subdued to man's will, have put a girdle
over rocks and rivers, so that travellers can glide as smoothly, if
not as inexpensively, over the once terrible Isthmus of Darien, as
they can from London to Brighton. Not yet, however, does civilization,
rule at Panama. The weak sway of the New Granada Republic, despised by
lawless men, and respected by none, is powerless to control the refuse
of every nation which meet together upon its soil. Whenever they feel
inclined now they overpower the law easily; but seven years ago, when
I visited the Isthmus of Panama, things were much worse, and a licence
existed, compared to which the present lawless state of affairs is
enviable.
When, after passing Chagres, an old-world, tumble-down town, for about
seven miles, the steamer reached Navy Bay, I thought I had never seen
a more luckless, dreary spot. Three sides of the place were a mere
swamp, and the town itself stood upon a sand-reef, the houses being
built upon piles, which some one told me rotted regularly every three
years. The railway, which now connects the bay with Panama, was then
building, and ran, as far as we could see, on piles, connected with
the town by a wooden jetty. It seemed as capital a nursery for ague
and fever as Death could hit upon anywhere, and those on board the
steamer who knew it confirmed my opinion. As we arrived a steady
down-pour of rain was falling from an inky sky; the white men who met
us on the wharf appeared ghostly and wraith-like, and the very negroes
seemed pale and wan. The news which met us did not tempt me to lose
any time in getting up the country to my brother. According to all
accounts, fever and ague, with some minor diseases, especially dropsy,
were having it all their own way at Navy Bay, and, although I only
stayed one night in the place, my medicine chest was called into
requisition. But the sufferers wanted remedies which I could not give
them--warmth, nourishment, and fresh air. Beneath leaky tents, damp
huts, and even under broken railway waggons, I saw men dying from
sheer exhaustion. Indeed, I was very glad when, with the morning, the
crowd, as the Yankees called the bands of pilgrims to and from
California, made ready to ascend to Panama.
The first stage of our journey was by railway to Gatun, about twelve
miles distant. For the greater portion of that distance the lines ran
on piles, over as unhealthy and wretched a country as the eye could
well grow weary of; but, at last, the country improved, and you caught
glimpses of distant hills and English-like scenery. Every mile of that
fatal railway cost the world thousands of lives. I was assured that
its site was marked thickly by graves, and that so great was the
mortality among the labourers that three times the survivors struck in
a body, and their places had to be supplied by fresh victims from
America, tempted by unheard-of rates of wages. It is a gigantic
undertaking, and shows what the energy and enterprise of man can
accomplish. Everything requisite for its construction, even the
timber, had to be prepared in, and brought from, America.
The railway then ran no further than Gatun, and here we were to take
water and ascend the River Chagres to Gorgona, the next stage on the
way to Cruces, where my brother was. The cars landed us at the bottom
of a somewhat steep cutting through a reddish clay, and deposited me
and my suite, consisting of a black servant, named "Mac," and a little
girl, in safety in the midst of my many packages, not altogether
satisfied with my prospects; for the rain was falling heavily and
steadily, and the Gatun porters were possessing themselves of my
luggage with that same avidity which distinguishes their brethren on
the pier of Calais or the quays of Pera. There are two species of
individuals whom I have found alike wherever my travels have carried
me--the reader can guess their professions--porters and lawyers.
It was as much as I could do to gather my packages together, sit in
the midst with a determined look to awe the hungry crowd around me,
and send "Mac" up the steep slippery bank to report progress. After a
little while he returned to say that the river-side was not far off,
where boats could be hired for the upward journey. The word given, the
porters threw themselves upon my packages; a pitched battle ensued,
out of which issued the strongest Spanish Indians, with their hardly
earned prizes, and we commenced the ascent of the clayey bank. Now,
although the surveyors of the Darien highways had considerately cut
steps up the steep incline, they had become worse than useless, so I
floundered about terribly, more than once losing my footing
altogether. And as with that due regard to personal appearance, which
I have always deemed a duty as well as a pleasure to study, I had,
before leaving Navy Bay, attired myself in a delicate light blue
dress, a white bonnet prettily trimmed, and an equally chaste shawl,
the reader can sympathise with my distress. However, I gained the
summit, and after an arduous descent, of a few minutes duration,
reached the river-side; in a most piteous plight, however, for my
pretty dress, from its contact with the Gatun clay, looked as red as
if, in the pursuit of science, I had passed it through a strong
solution of muriatic acid.
By the water-side I found my travelling companions arguing angrily
with the shrewd boatmen, and bating down their fares. Upon collecting
my luggage, I found, as I had expected, that the porters had not
neglected the glorious opportunity of robbing a woman, and that
several articles were missing. Complaints, I knew, would not avail me,
and stronger measures seemed hazardous and barely advisable in a
lawless out-of-the-way spot, where
"The simple plan,
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can,"
seemed universally practised, and would very likely have been defended
by its practitioners upon principle.
It was not so easy to hire a boat as I had been led to expect. The
large crowd had made the boatmen somewhat exorbitant in their demands,
and there were several reasons why I should engage one for my own
exclusive use, instead of sharing one with some of my travelling
companions. In the first place, my luggage was somewhat bulky; and, in
the second place, my experience of travel had not failed to teach me
that Americans (even from the Northern States) are always
uncomfortable in the company of coloured people, and very often show
this feeling in stronger ways than by sour looks and rude words. I
think, if I have a little prejudice against our cousins across the
Atlantic--and I do confess to a little--it is not unreasonable. I have
a few shades of deeper brown upon my skin which shows me related--and
I am proud of the relationship--to those poor mortals whom you once
held enslaved, and whose bodies America still owns. And having this
bond, and knowing what slavery is; having seen with my eyes and heard
with my ears proof positive enough of its horrors--let others affect
to doubt them if they will--is it surprising that I should be somewhat
impatient of the airs of superiority which many Americans have
endeavoured to assume over me? Mind, I am not speaking of all. I have
met with some delightful exceptions.
At length I succeeded in hiring a boat for the modest consideration of
ten pounds, to carry me and my fortunes to Cruces. My boat was far
from uncomfortable. Large and flat-bottomed, with an awning, dirty it
must be confessed, beneath which swung a hammock, of which I took
immediate possession. By the way, the Central Americans should adopt
the hammock as their national badge; but for sheer necessity they
would never leave it. The master of the boat, the padrone, was a fine
tall negro, his crew were four common enough specimens of humanity,
with a marked disregard of the prejudices of society with respect to
clothing. A dirty handkerchief rolled over the head, and a wisp of
something, which might have been linen, bound round the loins, formed
their attire. Perhaps, however, the thick coating of dirt which
covered them kept them warmer than more civilized clothing, besides
being indisputably more economical.
The boat was generally propelled by paddles, but when the river was
shallow, poles were used to punt us along, as on English rivers; the
black padrone, whose superior position was indicated by the use of
decent clothing, standing at the helm, gesticulating wildly, and
swearing Spanish oaths with a vehemence that would have put Corporal
Trim's comrades in Flanders to the blush. Very much shocked, of
course, but finding it perfectly useless to remonstrate with him, I
swung myself in my hammock and leisurely watched the river scene.
The river Chagres lolled with considerable force, now between low
marshy shores, now narrowing, between steep, thickly wooded banks. It
was liable, as are all rivers in hilly districts, to sudden and heavy
floods; and although the padrone, on leaving Gatun, had pledged his
soul to land me at Cruces that night, I had not been long afloat
before I saw that he would forfeit his worthless pledge; for the wind
rose to a gale, ruffling the river here and there into a little sea;
the rain came down in torrents, while the river rose rapidly, bearing
down on its swollen stream trunks of trees, and similar waifs and
strays, which it tossed about like a giant in sport, threatening to
snag us with its playthings every moment. And when we came to a
sheltered reach, and found that the little fleet of boats which had
preceded us had laid to there, I came to the conclusion that, stiff,
tired, and hungry, I should have to pass a night upon the river
Chagres. All I could get to eat was some guavas, which grew wild upon
the banks, and then I watched the padrone curl his long body up among
my luggage, and listened to the crew, who had rolled together at the
bottom of the boat, snore as peacefully as if they slept between fair
linen sheets, in the purest of calico night-gear, and the most
unexceptionable of nightcaps, until somehow I fell into a troubled,
dreamy sleep.
At daybreak we were enabled to pursue our journey, and in a short time
reached Gorgona. I was glad enough to go on shore, as you may imagine.
Gorgona was a mere temporary town of bamboo and wood houses, hastily
erected to serve as a station for the crowd. In the present rainy
season, when the river was navigable up to Cruces, the chief part of
the population migrated thither, so that Gorgona was almost deserted,
and looked indescribably damp, dirty, and dull. With some difficulty I
found a bakery and a butcher's shop. The meat was not very tempting,
for the Gorgona butchers did not trouble themselves about joints, but
cut the flesh into strips about three inches wide, and of various
lengths. These were hung upon rails, so that you bought your meat by
the yard, and were spared any difficulty in the choice of joint. I
cannot say that I was favourably impressed with this novel and simple
way of avoiding trouble, but I was far too hungry to be particular,
and buying a strip for a quarter of a real, carried it off to Mac to
cook.
Late that afternoon, the padrone and his crew landed me, tired,
wretched, and out of temper, upon the miserable wharf of Cruces.