WE GO DOWN THE META, MY DEAR LADY AND I--THE PLEASANTEST JAUNT HEART OF
MAN COULD DESIRE.
We set out from the River Cauca with the whole tribe of those Ingas, the
effects, and the captive women and spoil taken from the Portugals; for
they were still minded to raise their people to carry war into the
strong-holds of their enemies, and counted to bring other tribes to
their intent by a display of their force, and the trophies of their
victory. And so in a long line, with the ablest men to the fore spying
the way, we traveled painfully through the desert wilds, crossing the
River Magdalena by a tolerable ford, besides many mountains and valleys
of prodigious proportions; for there is no country in the world where
the mountains are so high and steep, and the valleys so deep and bushy,
I do think; and how we made our way, yet keeping a fairly true course,
is a mystery to me, for one half the time we never saw the sky for the
umbrage of trees and the other half never a blade of grass for the stony
barrenness of the rocks.
At the end of six weeks and three days we came to the great River Meta,
which was as long again as the Ingas do usually take for that journey,
by reason that in many places a way had to be hewn for the passage of
the mules, where the Indians might readily have slipped through in their
nakedness. However, though by this delay we lost in one respect we made
profit by it in another; for not only did my Lady Biddy and I pick up
enough of their words to make ourselves understood, which later on
served us in good stead, but also we learnt great store of things, for
want of which we might have been sorely pestered when we had no hands to
help us but our own. Thus we learnt to make excellent bread from the
root of the _cassavy_--which, made properly, is as good as any loaf of
wheat flour, and yet for want of proper attention may poison you so that
you die of it in an hour. Also they showed me how to make a canoe with
the bark of a tree, sewn up at each end, and smeared over with the gum
of _caoutchoucona_, a most admirable natural juice, which hardens
quickly, and is as water-tight as any Sweden pitch. Likewise, to our
great comfort, we were shown a sweet-smelling herb called _caccanowa_,
from which issues a thin oil that no flies or insects can abide; so that
by rubbing the skin therewith one may sleep all night and never once be
bitten by any scorpion, moskitaw, or ant. And besides this we learnt
their mode of kindling fire, which is ten times better than our fashion
of striking flint and steel together; and this they do by making an
engine of two pieces of cane like a child's popgun, only that the ends
of these canes are open at one end and closed at the other. In the
bottom of the bigger cane they put a store of powdered touchwood; then
slipping in the smaller cane, which serves as a rammer, they give it a
smart blow with the hand, and this sets fire to the tinder, though as
how it passes my comprehension. In short, we picked up more knowledge of
herbs, fruits, flowers, birds, beasts, and fishes, with the divers
manners of rearing them, with properties of others things, their uses,
etc., in those six weeks than I could describe fairly in six months, and
so will I go back to my history.
Being come to the Meta, as I say, we made our way to the village of
those Ingas who were friendly with ours, and there we were very well
received. With them we stayed two days, during which time I showed them
the use of the muskets taken from the Portugals, which I had not done
before because of wasting the munitions, and in return they gave us as
much information as they possessed with regard to descending the river,
bidding us beware of certain falls which would certainly be our ruin
unless we escaped them by drawing our boat through the woods from the
upper river to the lower, and also counseling us to find a suitable
shelter as soon as the rains threatened to fall; for they reckoned we
could by no means hope to get down even to the Baraquan before the rainy
season began.
Then they chose the largest and fittest canoe they had, and gave it us
with a free heart; and in this, when we were ready to depart, they set
(_imprimis_) an ample store of buccan and cassavy cakes; (2) vessels for
cooking and drinking; (3) a Portugal sword and knife like those they
gave to Matthew; (4) three good bows with strings to spare, a hundred
arrows, and a small gourd of poison to envenom the points, which poison
they do esteem and prize most highly; (5) a gourd of their tinder and
two popguns, as I will call them for kindling it; (6) two wands, very
curiously wrought with carving of figures, to serve as tokens to other
tribes that we were their friends and enemies to all Portugals; (7) two
sleeping-nets; (8) a packet of various things, such as medicines against
fevers, bites of serpents, etc.; and (9) a couple of soft woven mats
which these people do use for blankets. And now, when these good, kind
folk had nothing more to give us for our use, they came, every man,
woman, and child, and laid their hands on us as a sign of love, so that
our hearts ached as we got into the canoe bidding them farewell, and the
tears coursed down Lady Biddy's cheeks as she waved her hand to her
little friend Wangapona, who, kneeling on the bank by the water-side,
covered her face with her hands, as if she could no longer bear to watch
one so dearly loved sliding down that river, away, away, never to
return.
However, though I risk being deemed heartless, I must admit that this
feeling of regret passed from my breast as soon as the bend of the river
shut the Ingas from our perspective, and in its place sprang a sentiment
of gladness and joy that I could scarce contain; for there before me sat
my Lady Biddy, radiant with health and beauty, her eyes yet glittering
with tears, but a gentle smile playing about her sweet cheek as hope
revived her heart, and I knew that for many weeks--ay, months--we must
live close together; that for long, long days every word of her dear
lips must be for my ear, every smile for me, and for me only. My mind
was too enchanted with the prospect of such happiness to dwell on the
blank, dreadful misery that must follow when our journey came to an end,
and she was restored to her friends. "Why should I plague myself," says
I to myself, "with the future when the present is so lovely? If one is
to weep to-morrow, there is more reason in smiling today." Yet,
nevertheless, a wicked hope did secretly lie at the bottom of my heart
that ere we reached our journey's end some sudden accident might put an
end to both our lives.
'Twas like some pleasant summer holiday jaunt, for the river was broad
and smooth, and the current just swift enough to carry us merrily
onward, with no more than a stroke of the paddle now and then to keep
the canoe to her course. On either hand were trees weighed down with
strings of rubies and opals and amethysts, for so those twining wreaths
of flowers seemed. In the pools stood wondrous herons; some saffron and
rosy pink, and other some crimson red; but of the birds that started
from the reeds, and those that flew over our heads, there was no end to
the gorgeous tints.
About midday we became conscious of a most delicate sweet scent, and at
a sudden turn of the river my dear lady clapped her hands and cried out
in delight. Turning about whither her eyes were resting, I spied a wide,
deep inlet of the river, where there was but slight movement of the
water, all covered over with green lily leaves, dotted with blooms of
creamy-white and tender pink, from which that delicate perfume issued.
But how shall I tell, and yet be believed for a truthful man, of the
wondrous size of these lilies? There was not a bloom that measured less
than a yard about; and as for the leaves, I have seen no round table so
big, for some of them did measure a good fathom and a half from side to
side.
For some time we looked in amaze at this wondrous field of beauty, and
then perceiving a part of that inlet very agreeably shaded with drooping
palmettoes, I thought it would be a vastly proper place to rest in and
eat our noon-day meal; and Lady Biddy being also of this opinion, I
shoved the canoe in the midst of these lilies, where she was like to
stay as secure as if chained to an anchor, and there we ate and drank,
refreshing ourselves at the same time with the delights of this lily
paradise.
When we had feasted to our heart's content, I pushed to the shore, and
having tied one of the nets betwixt two trees, I begged my lady to
repose till the heat of the day was passed.
"'Tis but changing one dream for another, Benet," says she, lying down
in her net. So she lay facing the water and looking at the great moths
that fluttered over the still flowers, with sweet content in her face,
till her lids dropped, and she slept.
As soon as I perceived this I got up, for to gratify her wish I had made
a pretense of sleeping on the herb at a little distance; and observing
that this grass was exceeding fine and soft, I got my sword and mowed
enough to make two good trusses, and these I took down to the canoe and
bestowed them in the hinder end. Then pushing out amongst the lilies, I
cut me two great leaves of like circumference, which I carried to the
shore, and there laying them on the ground back to back, I made shift,
with a long thorn for a needle and some stout palmetto fibre for thread,
to sew them tightly together, so that it stood on edge very well by
reason of the edges being curled up all round half a foot high, and one
leaf supporting the other. Then this I took down to the canoe, and
setting it up crosswise betwixt the two trusses of grass, and further
securing it by means of threads from its circumference to the hinder end
of the canoe, it kept its place as well as I could wish. By the time I
had finished this business my Lady Biddy awoke, and coming down to where
I stood looking at my handiwork, she says, "Why, what is that for,
Benet?"
"To keep the sun from your back as we go down the river," says I, "and
the sun out of my eyes."
"And the soft grass is a cushion for me to sit on," says she; "sure, no
one in the world is so ingenious and thoughtful as you."
But I had another purpose in view for this screen, as I put in practice
that night when we could go no further, and I anchored our canoe in a
little shallow. While Lady Biddy was ashore to get some fruit she had a
mind to, I set this lily-leaf screen midway in the length of the canoe,
which was some twenty feet long, or thereabouts, dividing it, as you may
say, into two chambers, each ten feet long, and duly screened one from
another; and this screen I secured with strings, so that it could fall
neither one way nor t'other. In the hinder half, which was not
encumbered with our goods, I strewed one of the trusses of grass, and
from the other I drew out a good soft armful that I set against the
screen for a pillow.
When my lady came with a leaf full of fruit for our supper, I pointed to
the provision I had made in the boat, and says I:
"There, my lady, is your bed-chamber" (indicating the hinder part), "and
here is mine" (pointing to the fore part).
"That is famous," says she with a little blush. And I think she was the
more content for having been troubled in her mind before as to this
matter, as I judged from her silence. So when we had eaten our fruit, I
stepped into the shallow, drew the boat hither, and helped my lady to
step into her part. Then I pushed the boat out into the current, where
she was anchored, and after pressing my lady's hand for a good-night, I
stepped into my part of the boat and lay me down with a feeling of
boundless joyful gratitude in my heart, such as I never felt there
before. To think that she lay quite close to me, with naught but a
lily-leaf betwixt her dear head and mine, was enough to distract my
reason.
Though we had said good-night, Lady Biddy continued to chat some time,
and from her cheerful, sprightly tone it was clear that she made her
preparations for the night without fear; but, Lord, I do believe, had
there been no screen betwixt us, she had been as secure from my
observation, for I would have torn the eyes from my head rather than
destroy the dainty image of virgin modesty that was hallowed in my
breast.