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CRUSOE'S ISLAND:
A
Ramble in the Footsteps of Alexander Selkirk.
WITH
SKETCHES OF ADVENTURE
IN
CALIFORNIA AND WASHOE.
BY J. ROSS BROWNE,
AUTHOR OF
"ETCHINGS OF A WHALING CRUISE," "YUSEF," &c.
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1864.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-four, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern
District of New York.
CONTENTS.
CRUSOE'S ISLAND.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE BOAT ADVENTURE 9
II. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ISLAND 22
III. GOING ASHORE 25
IV. CONDITION OF THE ISLAND IN 1849 28
V. ROBINSON CRUSOE'S CAVE 37
VI. THE VALLEY ON FIRE 48
VII. THE CAVE OF THE BUCCANEERS 54
VIII. LODGINGS UNDER GROUND 55
IX. COOKING FISH 62
X. RAMBLE INTO THE INTERIOR 71
XI. THE VALLEY OF ENCHANTMENT 75
XII. A STRANGE DISCOVERY 77
XIII. THE STORM AND ESCAPE 86
XIV. THE AMERICAN CRUSOE 91
XV. CASTLE OF THE AMERICAN CRUSOE 96
XVI. DIFFICULTY BETWEEN ABRAHAM AND THE DOUBTER 99
XVII. THE MURDER 106
XVIII. THE SKULL 112
XIX. THE GOVERNOR'S VISION 117
XX. THE DOUBTER'S DYSPEPTIC STORY 120
XXI. BAD DREAM CONCERNING THE DOUBTER 123
XXII. THE UNPLEASANT AFFAIR OF HONOR 127
XXIII. DR. STILLMAN'S JOURNAL 142
XXIV. CONFIDENTIAL CHAT WITH THE READER 147
XXV. EARLY VOYAGES TO JUAN FERNANDEZ 151
XXVI. ALEXANDER SELKIRK AND ROBINSON CRUSOE 161
A DANGEROUS JOURNEY.
I. THE CANNIBAL 167
II. THE MIRAGE 172
III. A DEATH STRUGGLE 180
IV. THE OUTLAW'S CAMP 189
V. THE ESCAPE 201
VI. A LONELY RIDE 209
VII. THE ATTACK 214
VIII. SAN MIGUEL 222
IX. A DANGEROUS ADVENTURE 228
X. A TRAGEDY 235
OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE.
I. MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES 249
II. THE GREAT PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY, SHOWING HOW
WHISKY BUILT A CITY 270
III. THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA 284
A PEEP AT WASHOE.
I. INTRODUCTORY 309
II. START FOR WASHOE 322
III. ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS 350
IV. AN INFERNAL CITY 365
V. SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA CITY 385
VI. ESCAPE FROM VIRGINIA CITY 394
VII. MY WASHOE AGENCY 404
VIII. START FOR HOME 416
IX. ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO 430
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
CRUSOE'S ISLAND.
Map of Juan Fernandez Page 9
Leaving the Ship 13
Boat in a Storm 16
Struck by a Flaw 18
Shipwrecked Sailor 19
Juan Fernandez 23
Crusoe's Castle 26
Crusoe at Home 27
Plan of the Convict Cells 28
Convict Cells 30
Chilian Huts 31
Walrus, or Sea Lion 36
Crusoe's Cave 39
A Relic of Crusoe 40
Crusoe's Devotions 41
The Valley with the Cave and Cliff 42
Dream-land Crusoe 44
Fairy Cove 45
Rescue of Friday 46
Crusoe Asleep 48
The Californians in Juan Fernandez 51
Fishing 53
Crusoe and his Comrades 57
Cooking in Juan Fernandez 62
The Cliff 64
Abraham on the Peak 69
The Trogon 74
The Valley 76
The Skull 85
The American Crusoe 92
Tragic Fate of the Scotchman 107
The Lovers 109
Grave of the murdered Man 111
The Doubter 121
The Footprint in the Sand 124
The Savage Orgies 125
The Doubter back again 133
Swallowing an Island 140
Dreams and Realities 145
Peak of Yonka 146
Scenery of Juan Fernandez 148
Killing Savages 149
The Author a la Robinson Crusoe 150
Chilian and Chilienne 157
A DANGEROUS JOURNEY
Mirage in the Salinas Valley 168
Pass of San Juan 173
Antelopes in the Mirage 175
Vulture in the Mirage 176
Soledad 178
A Duel a la Mort 186
The Camp 192
Jack 193
A lonely Ride 210
The Attack 217
San Miguel 224
A Spanish Caballero 226
Valley of Santa Marguerita 230
Lassoing a Grizzly 233
The Belle of the Fandango 239
OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE
The Duke of York, Queen Victoria, and Jenny Lind 274
The Diggers at Home 285
Out in the Mountains 301
Protecting the Settlers 305
A PEEP AT WASHOE
The Bummer 311
Going to Kern River 312
Returning from Kern River 313
Ho! for Frazer River 315
Returned from Frazer River 318
Hurrah for Washoe 321
The Agency 323
"I say, Cap!" 326
Dollars with Spider legs (a Dream) 327
"Go it, Washoe!" 329
The Pocket Pistol 331
California Stage-driver 333
Whisky below 334
"Carambo! Caraja--Sacramento!--Santa Maria!--Diavolo!" 335
Board and Lodging 337
Grindstones 339
A Speculator 341
Dinner at Strawberry 345
The Lay-out 348
The Stocking-thief 349
The Trail from Strawberry 351
"We are waiting for you" 354
A short Cut 355
Diogenes 358
Carson City 362
The Stage 369
The Devil's Gate 371
Virginia City 373
A Question of Title 375
"My Claim, Sir!" 377
Gold Hill 379
San Francisco Speculators 380
Assay Office 381
A Fall 384
The Comstock Lead 386
The Claims 389
"Silver, certain, Sir" 391
"Indications, sure!" 393
An old Friend 399
Carson Valley 403
Holding on to it 405
Mount Ophir 407
Croppings 408
The Flowery Diggings 409
Honest Miner 410
"A gloomy Prospect" 411
Return from Washoe 417
Outgoing and Incoming 419
The Jew's Boots 421
Snow Slide 424
The Grade 427
Return to San Francisco 433
Reading extra Bulletin 436
CRUSOE'S ISLAND.
CHAPTER I.
THE BOAT ADVENTURE.
[Illustration: MAP OF JUAN FERNANDEZ.]
My narrative dates as far back as the early part of the year 1849. Then
the ship Anteus was a noted vessel. Many were the strange stories told
of strife and discord between the captain and the passengers; pamphlets
were published giving different versions of the facts, and some very
curious questions of law were involved in the charges made by both
parties. It appeared from the statement of the passengers, who were for
the most part intelligent and respectable Americans, that, on the voyage
of the Anteus to California, their treatment by the captain was cruel
and oppressive in the extreme; that, before they were three weeks from
port, he had reduced them almost to a state of absolute starvation; and,
in consequence of the violence of his conduct, which, as they alleged,
was without cause or provocation on their part, they considered their
lives endangered, and resolved upon making an appeal for his removal at
the port of Rio. On the arrival of the vessel at Rio the captain was
arraigned before the American consul, and pronounced to be insane by the
evidence of six physicians and by the testimony of a large majority of
the passengers. It was charged, on the other hand, that the passengers
were disorderly, mutinous, and ungovernable; that they had entered into
a conspiracy against the captain, and in testifying to his insanity were
guilty of perjury. The examination of the case occupied several weeks
before the American consul; voluminous testimony was taken on both
sides; the question was submitted to the American minister, to the
British consul, and to the principal merchants of Rio, all of whom
concurred in the opinion that, under the circumstances, there was but
one proper course to pursue, which was, to remove the captain from the
command of the vessel. He was accordingly deposed by the American
consul, and a new captain placed in the command. This was regarded by
the principal merchants of New York as an arbitrary exercise of
authority, unwarranted by law or precedent, and a memorial was addressed
by them to the President of the United States for the removal of the
consul. A new administration had just come into power; and the consul
was removed, ostensibly on the ground of the complaints made against
him; but, inasmuch as some few other officers of the government were
removed at the same time without such ground, it may be inferred that a
difference in political opinion had some weight with the administration.
It is not my intention now to go into any argument in regard to the
merits of this case; the time may come when justice will be done to the
injured, and it remains for higher authority than myself to mete it out.
I have simply to acknowledge, with a share of the odium resting upon me,
that I was one of the rebellious passengers in the Anteus. My companions
in trouble so far honored me with their confidence as to give me charge
of the case. I was unlearned in law, yet possessed some experience in
sea-life; and believing that the lives of all on board depended upon
getting rid of a desperate and insane captain, aided to the best of my
ability in having a new officer placed in the command. To the change
thus made, unforeseen in its results, I owe my eventful visit to the
island of Juan Fernandez.
It was the intention of our first captain to touch at Valparaiso for a
supply of fresh provisions. In the ship's papers this was the only port
designated on the Pacific side except San Francisco. Our new commander,
Captain Brooks, assumed the responsibility of leaving the choice between
Valparaiso and another port to the passengers. It was put to the vote,
and decided that we should proceed to Callao, so that we might pass in
sight of Juan Fernandez, and have an opportunity of visiting Lima, "the
City of the Kings."
Early on the morning of the 19th of May, 1849, we made the highest peak
of Massa Tierra, bearing N.N.W., distant seventy miles. The weather was
mild and clear. As the sun rose, it fell calm, and the ship lay nearly
motionless. A light blue spot, scarce bigger than a hand-spike, was all
that appeared in the horizon. It might have passed for a cloud but for
the distinctness of its outline. Weary of the gales we had encountered
off Cape Horn, it was a pleasant thing to see a spot of earth once more,
and there was not a soul on board but felt a desire to go ashore. For
some days past, myself and a few others had talked secretly among
ourselves about making the attempt in case we went close enough; but now
there seemed to be every prospect of a long calm, and we took it for
granted the captain would clap on all sail if we took the trades. There
was no other chance but to lower one of the boats and row seventy miles.
A party of us agreed to do this, provided we could get a boat. The
ship's boats we knew it would be impossible to get without permission of
the captain, and that we were not willing to ask. Mr. Brigham, a
fellow-passenger, was owner of one of the quarter-boats. We broached
the matter to him, and he gladly joined in the adventure, together with
his partner and some friends, so that we made in all a very pleasant
party of eleven. The proper number of men for the boat was six, but in
consideration of the great distance and the necessity of a change at the
oars, five more were crowded in. We had been in the habit of rowing
about the vessel whenever it was calm, and this we thought would be a
good excuse for lowering the boat. Being in great haste, lest the
captain should object to letting us go, we only thought of a few
necessary articles in case we should be cast away or driven off from the
island. Two small demijohns of water, a few biscuits, a piece of dried
beef, and some cheese and crackers comprised our entire stock of
provisions; and for nautical instruments we had only a lantern and a
small pocket compass. Not knowing but there might be outlaws or savages
ashore who might undertake to murder us, we armed ourselves with a
double-barreled gun, a fusee, and an old harpoon, which was all we could
smuggle into the boat in the excitement of starting. Captain Brooks
happening to come on deck, perceived that there was something unusual
going on, and, suspecting our design, took occasion to warn us of the
folly of such an expedition. At the same time, thinking there was more
bravado than reality about it, he laughed good-humoredly when we
acknowledged that we were going ashore. "Be sure," said he, as we went
over the side, "not to forget the peaches. You will find plenty of them
up in the valleys. Only don't lose sight of the vessel. You may exercise
yourselves as much as you please, but keep the royals above water,
whatever you do. Bear in mind that you are more than seventy miles from
that peak!" We promised him that we would take care of ourselves, and
come back safe in case we were not foundered.
At 9 A.M. we bade our friends good-by, and with three cheers pushed off
from the ship. The boat was only twenty-two feet long and an eighth of
an inch thick: it was made of sheet-iron, and was very narrow and
crank. Most of us, except myself and a whaleman named Paxton, were
unused to rowing, so that the prospect of reaching land depended a good
deal upon the day remaining calm, and upon keeping the boat trimmed, the
gunwales being only ten inches out of the water.
[Illustration: LEAVING THE SHIP.]
There was no excuse for this risk of life, save that insatiable thirst
for novelty which all experience to some extent after the monotony of a
long voyage. I will only say, in regard to myself, that I was too full
of joy at the idea of a ramble in the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe to
think of risk at all. If there was danger, it merely served to give zest
to the adventure.
By a calculation of the distance and our rate of going, we expected to
reach the land by sundown or soon after; and then our plan was to make a
tent of the boat-sail, and sleep under it till morning, when by rising
early we thought we could take a run over the island, and perhaps get
some fruit and vegetables. By that time, should a light breeze spring
up during the night, we thought it likely the ship would be well up by
the land, and we could pull out and get on board without difficulty.
Before long we found that distances are very deceptive in these
latitudes where the atmosphere is so clear; for notwithstanding the
statement of the captain that by the reckoning we were seventy miles
from land, we believed that he only told us so to deter us from going,
and that we were not much more than half that distance. In rowing we
made a division of our number, taking turns or watches of an hour each
at the oars, so as to share the labor. Once fairly under way, with a
smooth sea and a pleasant day before us, we became exceedingly merry at
the expense of our fellow-passengers whom we had left in the ship to
drift about in the calm, and it afforded us much diversion to think how
they would be disappointed upon finding that we were in earnest about
going ashore. Before long we had cause to wish ourselves back again in
the ship, which goes to prove that apparently the most unfortunate are
often less so than those who seem to be favored by circumstances.
At noon we took a lunch, and refreshed ourselves with a drink of water
all round. We had also a good supply of cigars, which we smoked with
great relish after our pull; and I think there never was a happier set
than we were for the time. Still there was but a single peak on the
horizon. It was blue and dim in the distance, and apparently not much
higher than when we saw it from the mast-head, from which we inferred
that there must be a current setting against us. The Anteus was hull
down, yet we seemed as far from the land as when we started.
A ripple beginning to show upon the water, we hoisted our sail to catch
the breeze, and found that it helped us one or two knots an hour. With
songs and anecdotes we passed the time pleasantly till 3 P.M., when we
entirely lost sight of the vessel. Paxton, the whaleman, now stood up in
the boat to take an observation of the land. There were a few more
peaks in sight; the middle peak, which was the first we made, began to
loom up very plainly, showing a flat top. It was the mountain called
Yonka, which is said to be three thousand feet high. We were apparently
forty miles yet from the nearest point; and the sun setting here in May
at a little after five, we began to feel uneasy concerning the weather,
which showed signs of a change. All of us, having gone so far, were in
favor of keeping on, though in secret we thought there was a good deal
of danger. At sunset we took another observation. The land had risen
quite over the water from end to end, and we hoped to reach it in about
three hours. It is true none of us knew any thing about the shores,
whether they abounded in bays or not, and if so where any safe place of
landing could be found, which made us doubtful how to steer. Clouds were
gathering all over the horizon; a few stars shone out dimly overhead,
and the shades of night began to cover the island as with a shroud.
Swiftly, yet with resistless power, the clouds swept over the whole sky,
and the horizon, in all the grandeur of its vast circle, was lost in the
shades of night. No sail was near; no light shone upon us now but the
dim rays of a few solitary stars through the rugged masses of clouds; no
sound broke upon the listening ear save the weary stroke of our oars: a
gloom had settled upon the mighty wilderness of waters, and we were awed
and silent, for we knew that the spirit of God was there, and darkness
was his secret place; that "his pavilion round about him were dark
waters and thick clouds of the skies."
One large black mass of clouds rose up on the weather quarter; a low
moaning came over the sea, and the air became suddenly chill, and the
waters rippled around us, and were tossed about by the unseen Power, and
we trembled, for we beheld the coming of the storm that was soon to
burst upon us in all the majesty of its wrath. For a while there was the
stillness of death; then "the Lord thundered in the heavens, and the
Highest gave his voice," and out of the darkness came the storm. In
fierce and sudden gusts it came, terrible in its resistless might;
lashing the sea into a white foam, tossing and whirling overhead, with
its thousand arms outstretched; grasping up the waters as it raged over
the deep, and scourging them madly through the air, while it moaned and
shrieked like the dread spirit of desolation.
[Illustration: BOAT IN A STORM.]
Every one of us cowered down in the boat to keep her balanced. The spray
washed over us fearfully, and the sail shook so in the wind, having let
go all, that we thought it would tear the mast out. At this time we were
about three leagues from the S.E. end of the island, which was the
nearest point then in sight. As the cloud spread by the attraction of
the land, the whole island became wrapped in a dark shroud of mist, and
in half an hour we could discern nothing but the gloom of the storm
around us, as we bore down toward the darkest part on the lea. Our lamp
was now quenched by a heavy sea, and being unable to distinguish the
points of the compass, we were fearful we should miss the island and be
carried off so far that we could never reach it again. Whenever there
was a lull we tried to haul in our sheet, but a sudden flaw striking us
once, the boat lay over till she buried her gunwales, and the sea broke
heavily over her lee side, and the crew at the same time springing in a
body to the weather side, to balance her, brought her over suddenly, so
that it was a miracle we were not capsized, which, had it happened so
far out at sea in the darkness, would have made an end of us. Indeed, it
was as much as we could do, by baling continually, to keep her afloat,
and every moment we expected to be buried in a watery grave. For the
reason that we feared the tide or current which set against us might
carry us off beyond reach of the land, we kept up our sail as long as we
could, thinking that while we made headway toward the lee of the island
we increased our chance of safety. Moreover, we knew it was four hundred
miles to the coast of Chili, and we had neither water nor provisions
left. At best our position was perilous. Ignorant of the bearings of the
harbor, we were at a loss what to do even if we should be able to reach
the lee of the island, for we had seen that it was chiefly rock-bound
and inaccessible to boats.
About 2 A.M., as well as we could judge, we found ourselves close in
under the lee of a high cliff, upon the base of which the surf broke
with a tremendous roar. Some three or four of the party, reckless of the
consequences, were in favor of running straight in, and attempting to
gain the shore at all hazards. The more prudent of us protested against
the folly of this course, well knowing that we would be capsized in the
surf and dashed to pieces on the rocks. Here we found the evils of
having too many masters in an adventure of this kind, where every man
who had a will of his own seemed disposed to use it. However, by mild
persuasion, we adjusted the difficulty, and agreed to continue on under
the lee, where we were sheltered in some degree from the gale, till we
should hit upon some safe harbor, if such there was upon the island. The
boat was our only resource in case of being left ashore, and all
admitted the necessity of preserving it as long as possible. If we found
no harbor, we could lie off a short distance and wait till daylight.
This plan was so reasonable that none could object to it. As soon as we
were well in by the shore, where the gale was cut off by the mountains,
we had a light eddy of air in our favor, which induced us to keep up
our sail. We soon found the danger of this. A strong flaw from a gap in
the land struck us suddenly, and would have capsized us had we not let
go every thing, and clung to the weather gunwale till it was over, when
we quickly pulled down the sail and took to the oars.
[Illustration: STRUCK BY A FLAW.]
We could see nothing on our starboard but the wild seas as they rolled
off into the darkness; on our larboard, a black perpendicular wall of
rocks loomed up hundreds of feet high, reaching apparently into the
clouds. Sometimes a part of the outline came out clear, with its rugged
pinnacles against the sky, and now and then a fearful gorge opened up as
we coasted along, through which the wind moaned dismally. It was a very
wild and awful place in the dead of night, being so covered with
darkness that we scarce knew where we steered, or how soon we might be
dashed to pieces in the surf. Once in a while we stopped to listen,
thinking we heard voices on the shore, but it was only the moaning of
the tempest upon the cliffs, and the frightful beating of the surf
below. We seemed almost to be able to touch the black and rugged wall of
rocks that stood up out of the sea, and the shock of the returning waves
so jarred the boat at times that we clung to the thwarts, and believed
we were surely within the jaws of death. As the voices died away which
we thought came out from the cliffs there was a lull in the storm, and
nothing but the wail of the surf could be heard, sounding very sad and
lonesome in gloom of night. It was a dreary and perpetual dirge for the
ill-fated mariners who were buried upon that inhospitable shore; a
death-moan that forever rises out of the deep for the souls that are
lost, and the hearts that can never be united with those that love them
upon earth again. I thought how well it was writ by the poet--
"Oh, Solitude! where are the charms
That sages have seen in thy face?
Better dwell in the midst of alarms.
Than reign in this horrible place."
[Illustration: SHIPWRECKED SAILOR.]
Having pulled about twelve miles along the shore from Goat Island, where
we first got under the lee, and seeing no sign of a cove or harbor, we
began to despair of getting ashore before daylight. In this extremity,
Abraham, a ship-neighbor of mine, succeeded in lighting the lantern
again, which he held out in his hand from the bow, hoping thereby to
cast a light upon the rocks, that we might grope out our way and reach
some place of safety; but it only seemed to make the darkness thicker
than it was before. We therefore concluded it was best to pull on till
we rounded a point some few miles ahead, where we thought there might be
a cove. So we put out the light and got Paxton to go in the bow as a
look-out, he being the most keen-sighted, from the habit of looking
from the mast-head for whales. On turning the point we were startled by
a loud cry of "Light, ho!" Every body turned to see where it appeared.
It was close down by the water, about three miles distant, within a
spacious cove that opened upon us as we turned the point. Paxton's quick
eye had descried it the moment we hove round the rock. Greatly rejoiced
by this discovery, we pulled ahead with a good will and rapidly bore
down toward the light.
Chilled through with the sharp gusts from the mountains, wet with spray,
and very hungry, we congratulated ourselves that there were still
inhabitants on the island, and we could not but think they would give us
something to eat, and furnish us with some place of shelter. Captain
Brooks had told us that he had been here several times in a whaler; that
sometimes people lived upon the island from the coast of Chili, and
sometimes it was entirely deserted. The Chilians who frequented this
lonely island we knew to be a very bad set of people, chiefly convicts
and outcasts, who would not hesitate to rob and murder any stranger whom
misfortune or the love of adventure might cast in their power. Pirates,
also, had frequented its bays from the time of the buccaneers; and it
was a question with us whether the light was made by these outlaws, or
by some unfortunate shipwrecked sailors or deserters from some English
or American whale-ship. The better to provide against danger, we loaded
our two guns, and placed them in the bow, as also the harpoon; upon
which we steered for the light. All of a sudden it disappeared, as if
quenched by water. This was a new source of trouble. What could it mean?
There was no doubt we had all seen it. The early voyagers had often seen
strange lights at night on the tops of the mountains, which they
attributed to supernatural causes; but this was close down by the water,
and was too well defined and too distinctly visible to us all either to
be a supernatural visitation or the result of some volcanic eruption.
While we lay upon our oars wondering what it meant, it again appeared,
brighter than before. Now, if the inhabitants were not pirates or
freebooters, why did they pursue this mysterious conduct? We suspected
that they heard our oars, and had lit a fire on the beach to guide us
ashore; but if they wanted us to land in the right place, why did they
put out the light and start it up again so strangely? For half an hour
it continued thus to disappear and reappear at short intervals in the
same mysterious way, for which none of us could account.
It being now about four o'clock in the morning, we felt so cast down by
fatigue and dread of death, that we decided to run in at all hazards,
and, if necessary, make our way through the breakers. All hands fell to
upon the oars, and soon the light bore up again close on by the head.
Paxton, who was in the bow, quickly started up, and began peering
sharply through the gloom. "What's that?" said he: "look there, my lads.
I see something black; don't you see it--there, on the larboard--it
looks to me like the hull of a ship! Pull, my lads, pull!" and so all
gave way with a will, and in a few minutes the tall masts of a vessel
loomed up against the sky within a hundred yards! I shall never forget
the joy of the whole party at that sight. The light which we had seen
came from a lamp that swung in the lower rigging, and though the ship
might be a Chilian convict vessel, or some other craft as little likely
to give us a pleasant reception, yet we were too glad to think of that,
and straightway pulled up under her stern and hailed her. For a moment
there was a pause as our voices broke upon the stillness; then there was
a stir on deck, and a voice answered us in clear sailor-like English,
"Boat ahoy! where are you from?" "The ship Anteus," said we, "bound for
California; what ship is this?" "The Brooklyn, of New York, bound for
California. Come on board!"
No longer able to suppress our joy, we gave vent to three hearty
cheers--cheers so loud and genuine that they swept over the waters of
Juan Fernandez, and went rolling up the valleys in a thousand echoes.
In less than five minutes we were all on deck, thankful for our
providential deliverance from the horrors of that eventful night.