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[Illustration: HUNTING THE GUANACHO. See p. 70.]
THE CAPTIVE IN PATAGONIA;
OR,
LIFE AMONG THE GIANTS.
A PERSONAL NARRATIVE.
BY
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BOURNE.
With Illustrations.
BOSTON:
GOULD AND LINCOLN,
59 WASHINGTON STREET.
1853.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by
GOULD & LINCOLN,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the
District of Massachusetts.
STEREOTYPED BY
HOBART & ROBBINS,
NEW ENGLAND TYPE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDERY,
BOSTON.
PREFACE.
Book-making is so much of a trade, that it may be thought quite
unnecessary to be at the trouble to assign reasons for embarking in it;
but, as it is not my own vocation, it will be allowed me to say, that
the deep interest which many, not only of my personal friends, but
others whom I never saw, have taken in my fortunes, and the desires
expressed, both verbally and by letter, to know more of my adventures
than was communicated through the newspapers, overcame the reluctance I
felt to undertake such a task. The interest of personal adventure,
however, great as it might be in immediate view of the events while they
were fresh, would not alone have been presumed upon as a sufficient
attraction for this volume. But the strangeness of the country
observed, and the deficiency of exact information concerning its people,
it was thought, would make welcome any contribution, however slight, to
the knowledge of this section of our world and race. After the
contradictory statements of voyagers as to the "giants" of South
America, there may be some curiosity to hear the testimony of one who
has "seen the elephant" under circumstances that enabled him to measure
its proboscis.
My story is a plain one,--a simple record of facts, but not, I would
hope, tedious. It offers no feats of literary agility for the critic's
inspection, but a recital of human experiences and observations,
sufficiently aside from the beaten track of life to have attracted a
degree of attention which flatters me with the belief that they will
repay a nearer and more minute survey.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
For California--Pernambuco--Straits of Magellan--Trading with
Patagonians--Their treachery--Four men made prisoners by
them--Three escape; the author detained, with promises of release
on paying ransom--Indian village--The chief and his
household--Eating, sleeping, and adventure in a Patagonian
wigwam--Find myself booked for an indefinite residence in
Patagonia, and some natural reflections thereupon 25
CHAPTER II.
A proposal to go to Port Famine negatived--"Holland"--Discovery of
vessels in the straits--Double disappointment--A crisis--Survey of
Patagonia--Scanty vegetation--Animals and birds--Climate--The
people--Their habits and character--Domestic
relations--Weapons--Government--Superstition--Cannibalism--Their
reputation abroad 47
CHAPTER III.
Hard journey--Encampment--Division of the tribe--My new
guardian--Story of the capture of a British
vessel--Reunion--Gambling--Culinary arts--Hunting--Symptoms of
danger--Mutual deceptions--Tough yarns--The fatal ring--An
effective oration--Indecision of the Indians 63
CHAPTER IV.
Corey Inlet--Another disappointment--A hunting frolic with an
unpleasant termination--Moving of the camp--Aimless
wanderings--Alarm--A marriage treaty and an unsuccessful
suitor--Laws of marriage--Qualifications of a husband--Feminine
quarrels--A marriage in high life--Dressing
meat--Profaneness--Absence of religious ideas--Mysterious
ceremony--Reasons for abstaining from religious instruction--The
metals--State of the arts in Patagonia--Tailoring Fashion 78
CHAPTER V.
Inclement weather--State of my wardrobe--Attempts to deprive me of
my clothes--Powwow and horse-killing--Hair-combing
extraordinary--Remedy for rheumatism--Sickness--Turn barber--A cold
bath--Fasting--Discovery of my watch, and its effect--I am made
showman--Lion-hunt--Successful chase 100
CHAPTER VI.
The chief's oratory--A case of sickness novelly treated--The
captive commissioned as physician to the chief--Dr. Bourne's first
and last patient--Murder--Cannibalism--Another assassination,
showing the perils of medical practice among savages--Sports of the
children--Patagonian farriery--Slender success in the chase--A
second struggle for life 114
CHAPTER VII.
A new torture--Bloody gossip--An explosion nearly fatal--Plea of
insanity--Reconciliation--River Santa Cruz--Naval
architecture--Original mode of ferrying--Accident--Ominous
demonstrations thereupon--Perilous superstition--Plans of
escape--The chief fighting his battles over again--Prospects
brighten--A blind hint to naturalists 128
CHAPTER VIII.
Retrograde march--A look-out ahead--New specimens of birds
observed--To the right again--Large inducements to visit
Holland--Apparent effect--Council--Other tribes of Indians--Story
of a battle--Capture of wild horses--A royal speech worth
hearing--Deputation to Holland--A start and a sudden halt--Journey
commenced in earnest--Order of arrangements--First view of
Holland--A weary day and night--A boat--A short parley--Swimming
for life and liberty--A rescue--Farewell to Patagonia 144
CHAPTER IX.
A civilized meal--A happy evening--A survey of the
island--Preparation of guano--Preparations against invasion by the
giants--A proposal to attack them--Loyalty and revenge--Killing
time--Trouble in the settlement--A disagreeable situation--Arrival
of vessels--Countrymen--A welcome by new friends 166
CHAPTER X.
A Christian ship-master--Cruise for whales, and for a
California-bound vessel--An outlandish craft--An American
vessel--Passage secured for California--Tempestuous passage through
the Straits of Magellan--Warlike demonstrations, with an inglorious
issue--Chilian penal settlement--Pleasing reception--Extensive
coal-mine--Sea-lions--Mutiny of the convicts, and awful fate of the
governor and chaplain 189
CHAPTER XI.
Port Famine--St. Nicholas' Bay, and its inscriptions--Politeness of
the Indians declined--Difficulty of navigating the straits--A
post-bag in a bottle--An English steamer, and its humane
errand--Exertions of the British government to rescue prisoners in
Patagonia--American schooner--Celebration of our safe passage
through the straits--Juan Fernandez--News from home--A chapter of
accidents--A trip to Lima--Almost an adventure--Arrival at San
Francisco--Journey to the mines--A happy meeting 204
CHAPTER XII.
A gigantic speculation, with a dwarfish result--Perils of
waters--Sickness and bereavement--Growth of Sacramento and San
Francisco--Voyage homeward--Imposition on
shipboard--Panama--Havana--Home--Concluding
observations--Practicability of Christian missions in Patagonia
considered 223
THE CAPTIVE IN PATAGONIA.
CHAPTER I.
For California--Pernambuco--Straits of Magellan--Trading
with Patagonians--Their treachery--Four men made prisoners
by them--Three escape; the author detained, with promises of
release on paying ransom--Indian village--The chief and his
household--Eating, sleeping, and adventure in a Patagonian
wigwam--Find myself booked for an indefinite residence in
Patagonia, and some natural reflections thereupon.
Among the early subjects of the "gold fever" that became epidemic in the
autumn and winter of 1848-9, a company of twenty-five men left the port
of New Bedford in the schooner John Allyne, A. Brownell, master, and B.
F. Bourne, mate, for California. The vessel had been selected for her
good sailing qualities, light draught of water, and general fitness for
river navigation. In the haste and excitement of the time,
California-bound craft carried out some rather motley companies; but we
considered ourselves fortunate in the character of the men associated in
this enterprise, and were organized on such principles of equality as
seemed to promise entire harmony and good fellowship. Of course we had
high and golden hopes, and our great object was to reach the new Ophir
in the easiest and most expeditious manner. On account of the delays and
dangers incident to the doubling of Cape Horn, it was determined to
attempt the passage of the Straits of Magellan.
We left port on the 13th of February, and for many days our time passed
pleasantly, but rather monotonously, with nothing greatly to exhilarate
or to depress our spirits. It was discovered, at length, that our vessel
needed some running rigging. The more impatient were for going on, and
making such headway as we could without it; but a majority of the
company decided to run for the nearest convenient port, and replenish.
We accordingly ran for Pernambuco, and anchored in the outer harbor on
the 25th of March. The beauty and security of this harbor are
remarkable. It is defended from the sea by a nearly perpendicular reef,
extending three-fourths of the way across its entrance, with an opening
of ample width for the passage of vessels to a safe anchorage. Being but
eight degrees south of the equator, the town lies continually under the
burning rays of a tropical sun. Its appearance is like that of most
Spanish and Portuguese cities, abounding in high and massive buildings,
with more of the castle than of the counting-house or dwelling in their
outward expression, built upon narrow, irregular streets, that are
constantly alive with men and beasts of divers colors and forms. Men
from the country, driving their mustangs, mules and asses, laden with
produce; wealthy and noble citizens borne by servants in palanquins;
women bearing water in buckets, tubs and urns, which they balance on
their heads without the aid of their hands, and walk off under as erect
as so many midshipmen;--all the sights and sounds have a pleasant
strangeness, that made our visits on shore highly agreeable. The
churches, which are quite numerous, have nothing admirable or attractive
outside, but the richness of their interior decoration testifies to the
prevailing orthodoxy and fervor of devotion to the Church of Rome. The
church is, indeed, the grand receptacle of the wealth of the country.
Every _bueno catolico_ of them, rich, or poor, will sooner stint himself
and his family in their daily comforts, or even necessaries of life,
than omit his due contribution to mother church.
Our stay at Pernambuco was short, which must excuse a more particular
description of its notabilities. Having obtained the articles we needed,
we stood out to sea. Nothing occurred on our passage to the straits
worthy of particular record. We spoke one or two vessels, and spent some
time "gaming" with them,--the nautical phrase for visiting. On the 30th
of April we made Cape Virgin, and stood in for the Straits of Magellan.
In company with us, and bound for the same golden country, by the same
course as ourselves, were bark Hebe, of Baltimore, and schooner J. B.
Gager, of New York. We were becalmed off the mouth of the straits for
several hours, and Captain Brownell visited the Hebe. He returned just
before night. A fair wind setting in from the eastward, we all stood in,
the J. B. Gager, as being best acquainted with the navigation, taking
the lead. The three vessels anchored about midnight, within twelve miles
of the first narrows.
The next morning, it being calm, some of our men went on shore in the
small boat, for a gunning excursion. They returned early in the
forenoon, with a large number of sea-fowl. Not long after, Captain
Brownell announced his intention to go ashore, and commenced making
preparations. He soon changed his mind, however, and asked me to go, in
his stead, to procure some fresh provisions, if they were to be had.
Knowing, from the reports of whalers and others, something of the savage
character of the natives, I felt reluctant to venture; but afterwards,
to oblige the captain, I complied.
Taking our guns, a bag of bread, and some tobacco, four of us started
for the shore. As we approached the beach, a crowd of black-looking
giants came to the water's edge to gaze at us. We did not particularly
fancy their looks, and lay on our oars for a considerable length of
time. A recollection of the many ugly stories current about the
Patagonians, their barbarous and cruel character, did not greatly
fortify our confidence, or make us especially anxious for a personal
acquaintance with them. We accordingly lay off in our boat, and, hailing
them in Spanish, asked them if they had eggs, fowls, and beef. They
replied, in broken Spanish, that they had plenty at their houses. I told
them to produce their stores, and they should have plenty of bread in
exchange. We parleyed with them for some time, till our boat at length
touched the shore. I stood in the boat's stern, gun in hand, endeavoring
to keep the natives from stealing, and warned the men not to leave the
boat. They jumped ashore, promising not to stray from the spot. The
Indians offered some skins for sale, which I paid for in bread. While my
attention was diverted from them by this barter, the Indians were
coaxing my men away. I looked about, and found only one man near me. He
was despatched in pursuit of the others, and directed to bring them
without delay. The tide at this point rises and falls forty-two feet. It
was now ebb tide, the boat was fast grounding, and, it being large and
heavily loaded, I was unable to get it off. The old chief and several
other Indians crowded into it, and once in could not be got out.
Persuasion was useless, and they were too many to be driven. In short, I
was in their hands, and became immediately conscious of the difficulty
and peril of my situation;--my men gone, I knew not where, the boat fast
aground and crowded with the savages, while nearly a thousand of the
tribe congregated upon the beach. What was before me, at the worst, I
could only conjecture from report; and nothing but evil was reported of
the creatures that surrounded me. What could I do? A question easier
asked than answered.
After a long time, or what seemed such under circumstances that made
minutes seem ages, one of my men came down, and asked permission to go
to the Indian village, "a little way back from the shore," as they had
been promised meat, eggs, and fowls. I ordered him to come immediately
back to the boat. He persisted in urging his request, but it was so
dangerously absurd that I absolutely refused. He then said he would
inform his comrades of my refusal, and return immediately to the boat;
but, for some cause, they seemed in no hurry to obey orders. Weary of
waiting for them, and not without apprehension, I asked an Indian for
the use of his horse, and rode with all speed after the fugitives. In
the hurry of pursuit I inadvertently passed them, and tried to turn back
my steed; but his inclinations were decidedly against a retreat. While
our opposing impulses kept us stationary for a moment, I descried my men
approaching on horseback, behind the Indians. When they came up I urged
them to return to the boat. They persisted in going with the savages. I
remonstrated with them on the impropriety and danger of their course,
but in vain. Their mouths watered for the meat and eggs they were told
of. Their cunning guides had completely allayed suspicion, and even laid
to sleep their common prudence. The Indians kept on their course,--the
men followed, and I felt at my wits' end. I rode from one to another,
talking as industriously and as urgently as I could. At last I gave them
peremptory orders to return. The Indians had plainly lied to us. Their
village, they said, was only a little way off; and yet we were
three-fourths of a mile from the boat, and not a house was yet in sight.
Determined to go back, if I had to go alone, I turned my horse's head.
At this point the mask was thrown off. The Indians seized my bridle, and
arrested my progress. We all dismounted, with a view to retreat on foot,
but before I could reach the man nearest to me the Indians had robbed
him of his gun. With a mutual agreement to stand by each other in case
of pursuit, we hastened our retrograde march, but had made no great
distance when we saw the Indians coming after us. They rode in advance
of us, halted in our front, and manoeuvred to cut off our retreat; but
by various zigzag movements, or boldly turning their horses' heads, we
made considerable progress. Our foes, however, knew what they were at;
it was only a question of time with them. A sudden and decided movement
indicated a crisis. I drew my pistols (a pair of single-barrelled
ones), but before I had time to cock one I was jumped upon from behind
by some half-dozen of these monsters. One of them grasping a pistol by
the barrel, I pointed it to his head and pulled the trigger. It missed
fire, and I thank God that it did! Its discharge would have certainly
killed him, and would as certainly have been revenged upon my life,
probably upon the lives of my comrades. This is easily felt and said
now; but at the moment, when excited by the struggle for liberty, and,
as I feared, for life, with such dreaded enemies and at such formidable
odds, it was quite another matter.
The old chief now came up, took me firmly by the wrist, and said, "Usted
no bono! usted habla varmano por me casa, mucho, mala hombre currarhae!
mucho montaro hombre!"--by which specimen of choice Spanish he desired
to inform me that we promised to go to their houses, and now would not
go; that we were bad men and liars. His peculiarly thick and guttural
pronunciation did not make the dialect more intelligible; but I was in a
situation where criticism would have been rather out of place, and my
ears were quickened by the revelations made to sight. I therefore
promptly replied, that if he would restrain his men from violence, we
would go where he pleased. They, meanwhile, grasped their knives, and
looked as if they wanted to use them on our persons; but the chief told
them, No, _not then_; he would get rum and tobacco for us first, and
kill us afterwards. Whilst I was thus engaged, my nearest companion
discovered his gun in the hands of an Indian who stood not far from
where I was struggling. Rushing suddenly upon him, he succeeded in
recovering his piece,--more by tact than force, for his antagonist, like
all the Patagonians, was very large and muscular. Then nimbly jumping
aside, he told me to look out for myself. That was rather more than I
felt able to do just at the moment. One Indian seized me by my arms and
legs, some of them grasped my body, and others were busy investigating
the contents of my pockets, and appropriating the same to their own use.
And if he supposed himself able to show as much independence as he
recommended me to, he was evidently mistaken. He had not elevated his
gun to his face when the Indians were upon him, and wrenched it from his
grasp. The old chief, all this time, held me tightly by the wrist,
menacing his followers with his half-drawn cutlass, while I endeavored
to bid for life and liberty. I told him he should have plenty of rum,
tobacco, bread, flour, brass and beads, if he would carry us to the
boat. At length he beat off my plunderers, and seemed on the point of
yielding to my terms. He mounted his horse, and ordered me to get up
behind him. I obeyed with alacrity, and fancied myself in a fair way to
get out of trouble.
But, whatever may have been the chief's original intention, I had not
gone far before his policy was diverted. One of the most audacious of
the troop rode up, and insisted that I should not be allowed to return.
I was the captain of the ship, he affirmed, and if I were restored they
would get none of the promised rum and tobacco. The old savage seemed
struck by this new suggestion, and halted. We then dismounted, and he
led the horse up the hill, ordering me to follow. I was next directed to
sit on the ground and wait further action. There I sat, looking
alternately, with longing eyes, at the boat, and at our vessel riding at
anchor in plain view. My three companions were soon brought to the
spot, and dismounted. And now began a more earnest negotiation. We
offered large ransom, and after some higgling they agreed that three of
our number might be released, but one must remain as a hostage; and I
was pointed out as the one. I endeavored to have one of the others stay,
and one actually agreed to; but his heart soon failed him, and I could
see that he was using all his powers of persuasion to provide for
himself. I assured him that I would use every effort in his behalf, if
he would consent to remain for the present; but he evidently thought of
the maxim, "A bird in the hand," &c., and was bent on making sure of his
own safety first of all. Poor fellow! I cannot blame him for loving his
own life, though, at the moment, it did seem rather hard that, after
getting into the scrape by their own headstrong folly, against my
entreaties and peremptory commands, they should extricate themselves
from it at my expense, and leave me to bear the hardest of it! Very
likely I might have done the same, if our cases had been reversed. And,
even if one of them had offered to remain, it is very doubtful whether
the substitution would have been permitted. The Indians too evidently
regarded me as the chief prize, and were bent on retaining me as such.
They insisted that I must stay while the other three should go for
ransom, and I had nothing to do but to submit.
Three Indians each took a man with him on a horse, and started for the
boat. I watched them as they went, with feelings that I will not attempt
to describe. It seemed but too probable we should never meet again. A
sense of desolation came over me, at the thought of being left alone in
the power of these savages, of whose treachery and cunning I had
already had such ample experience, and of whose cruelty I had heard so
much. I felt that I was beyond the aid, if not cut off from the
sympathy, of my associates. The falseness of the Indians to all their
engagements, as I afterwards learned, was signally displayed towards my
more fortunate comrades. They evidently had no intention of releasing
any of us. Before reaching the boat, they halted, and refused to go any
further, or allow our men to leave them. The prisoners, however,
struggled desperately, and at length got clear of their captors. One
rushed up to his neck in water, the others sprang into the boat, pushed
off, and rescued him as he was struggling with the waves. They reached
the schooner, told their tale, and represented my desperate situation.
All hands commenced breaking up cargo, to get at the rum and tobacco for
my ransom. Two boats were forthwith manned, provided with the required
articles, and with plenty of arms and ammunition, and started for the
shore. They got to the land a little before dark, and pulled into a
cove, or slight indentation of the beach.
On catching sight of them, I desired the Indians to conduct me to the
shore, and receive the ransom. But this they declined. They ordered me
to the summit of an eminence near by, there to beckon the men to come
ashore. An old skin was given me to wave as a signal. Perceiving that I
was to be used as a decoy to lure the others into their treacherous
snare, and secure them all as prisoners, I protested against this new
breach of faith, and assured them that our men would not leave their
boat, but that, if they wanted any rum and tobacco, they must take me to
the shore. To this, after a long palaver, and with visible reluctance,
they assented. The old chief ordered me to mount his horse,--this time
reversing our relative positions; he made me sit on the rude apology for
a saddle and guide the horse, while he took his seat behind, clasping
both arms tightly around my body, and spurring his old nag forward. Thus
mounted, and wondering what would be the next trick of the savages, I
was conveyed to the shore, near the spot where the boats lay off on
their oars. Driving as near them as possible, I hailed the men,--told
them by no means to fire on the Indians, but to give them all they had
promised. They asked what they should do with the articles. I turned to
the chief, told him what the boats had brought, and once more asked if
it was a satisfactory ransom. He said, Yes; if those articles were laid
down, I should be released. But he was plainly resolved to have his pay
in advance; he distrusted us too much to let me go first; and I need not
say that my confidence in him was far from implicit. But, "Nothing
venture, nothing have,"--I directed the men to put the things ashore,
which they did. The Indians greedily picked them up, and I claimed my
release. The old rascal said, "he had not got _plenty_ of rum yet, he
must have a barrel." I insisted and struggled, but to no purpose. He
kept a tight hold of my body, and when I begged that at least he would
not squeeze me quite so painfully, he only redoubled his clasp. He
obviously suspected, and I more than suspected, that it would not
require a very great relaxation of his embrace to prompt a pretty
decided movement on my part, for the effectual resisting of which the
vicinity of the water was not altogether favorable. He now began
spurring his old horse from the scene of action; I drew upon the bridle
with my whole available force and weight; but the disparity between
human strength and horse power, stimulated to its utmost by the spur,
was too great. I begged the men in the boats to come again the next
morning, and on no account to leave me, which they solemnly promised.
I was now hurried back into the country five or six miles, and at last
reached an Indian village, and was set down by the old chief at his
wigwam. He gave me in charge to one of his squaws, who ordered me into
the hut and bade me sit down on the ground. While sitting there, and
casting an inquisitive glance around the rude habitation, my attention
was suddenly attracted to what appeared to be several pairs of eyes in a
dark corner, shining with a strange brilliancy. I speculated silently on
the sight, much doubting whether they belonged to human beings or to
wild beasts; but, on carefully reconnoitring, I discovered that they
belonged to three huge women. Further investigations disclosed a number
of dark-skinned boys and girls, of divers ages and sizes, playing and
capering about the premises, in a state of perfect nudity. It took a
considerable time to make out these, or any other objects, distinctly,
owing to the darkness of the hut. Presently the chief, the patriarch of
the tribe, entered his habitation, and began a conversation, in his
peculiar dialect, with his wives. He spoke in a low, guttural tone, in
words the purport of which I could not gather. I was in no mood for
conversation, but would have been much gratified by learning his version
of the day's "stroke of business."
And now a few dry sticks and a bunch of dry grass were brought, mine
host drew from a convenient repository a brass tinder-box, with a stone
and a piece of steel, and soon produced a blaze that brilliantly
illuminated the scene. By its light I was enabled to survey the first
specimen of Patagonian architecture that had blessed my vision. It was
constructed in a _pointed_ style, though not very aspiring, consisting
of a row of stakes about eight feet high, each terminating at top in a
crotch, or fork, with a pole laid across them; two parallel rows of
stakes on either side, about two feet high, with similar terminations,
and a similar horizontal fixture; and a covering composed of skins of
the guanaco, sewed together with the sinews of the ostrich, the only
thread used by the people. This covering is drawn over the frame-work,
and fastened by stakes driven through it into the ground. For purposes
of ventilation some interstices are left, but these again are half
closed by skins attached to the outside; so that the air from without,
and the smoke from within (in default of a chimney), must insinuate
themselves through these apertures in great moderation. In truth, my
first survey was rather hurried; the first cheerful gleam had scarcely
set my eyes on the look-out when I was fain to shut them against an
intolerable smoke. In no long time I felt as bacon, if conscious, might
be supposed to feel in the process of curing. No lapse of time was
sufficient to reconcile my eyes, nostrils and lungs, to the nuisance;
often have I been more than half strangled by it, and compelled to lie
with my face to the ground, as the only endurable position. Talk that is
"worse than a smoky house" must be something out of date, or
Shakspeare's imagination never comprehended anything so detestable as a
Patagonian hut. The chief and his numerous household, however, seemed
to enjoy immense satisfaction; and jabbered and grunted, and played
their antics, and exchanged grimaces, as complacently as if they
breathed a highly exhilarating atmosphere.
My meditations and observations were shortly interrupted by preparations
for a meal. The chief's better half--or rather fifth part, for he had
four wives--superintended the culinary operations, which were as rude
and simple as the hut where they were carried on. And now my fancy began
to conjure up visions of the beef, fowls and eggs, the promise of which
had lured my men from the boat,--had proved stronger than the
suggestions of prudence, and had made me a prisoner. But these dainties,
if they existed anywhere within the chief's jurisdiction, were just at
present reserved. The old hag threw down from the top of one of the
stakes that supported the tent the quarter of some animal; whether dog,
guanaco, or whatever, was past imagining. She slashed right and left,
with might and main, an old copper knife, till it was divided into
several pieces. Then taking a number of crotched sticks, about two feet
long, and sharpened at all their points, she inserted the forked ends
into pieces of the meat, and drove the opposite points into the ground
near the fire; which, though sufficient to smoke and comfortably _warm_
the mess, was too feeble to roast it. At all events, time was too
precious, or their unsophisticated appetites were too craving, to wait
for such an operation; and the raw morsels were quickly snatched from
the smoke, torn into bits by her dirty hands, and thrown upon the ground
before us. The Indians seized them with avidity, and tossed a bit to me;
but what could I do with it? I should have had no appetite for the
dinner of an alderman at such a time and place; but as for tasting meat
that came in such a questionable shape, there was no bringing my teeth
or resolution to it. While eying it with ill-suppressed disgust, I
observed the savages, like a horde of half-starved dogs, devouring their
portions with the greatest relish; seizing the fragments with their fine
white teeth, at the same time clenching them with their hands, and
giving every sign of enjoyment _except_ what one is accustomed to see in
human beings. The old chief remarked the slight I was putting upon his
hospitality, and broke in upon me with a fierce _Por que usted, no munge
usted, usted carna? Esta carna mucho bueno hombre por munge, se hombre,
munge!_ "Why don't you eat your meat? This meat very good to eat,--very
good to eat. Eat, man! eat!" I may here observe that my knowledge of
Spanish, like the chief's, was colloquial; picked up here and there in
voyages to South American ports, which may account for my orthography
being so plainly determined by the ear rather than by any rules of
Castilian grammar. Seeing him so much excited, and not knowing what
deeds might follow his words if I refused, I thought it expedient to
_try_ to "eat what was set before me, asking no questions;" thinking,
moreover, that if there were any evil spirit in it that the fire had
failed to expel, it could not possibly have resisted the smoke. So,
being sorely divided between aversion to the "strange flesh" and fear of
showing it, I forced a morsel into my mouth. Its taste was by no means
as offensive as its appearance had been unpromising, and I managed to
save appearances with less disgust than I had feared. This was my first
meal with the savages, and a sample of many others; though better viands
afterwards varied their monotony, now and then.
The eating being over, a large horn, that had once adorned the head of a
Spanish bullock, was dipped into a leathern bucket and passed from one
to another. Between the bucket and the horn, the fluid had gained a
flavor not found by Adam in his first brewing, and, indeed, not far from
nauseating. However, it seemed expedient to "conquer my prejudices" so
far as to drink with the other guests, and the ceremonies of dinner were
over; for which, "with all other mercies," I felt thankful, and turned
to my corner near the expiring fire, to chew the cud of sweet and bitter
fancies, in which the latter ingredient decidedly predominated. The
strange and sudden desolateness of my condition, the doubtful chances of
escape, the possible sufferings before me, the uncertainty that rested
on the designs of my savage captors, all rushed upon my mind, and
suggested to my heated imagination a host of terrors.
These painful thoughts were interrupted by an order to prepare for the
night's repose. An old skin, about two and a half feet square, was
thrown upon the cold ground in the back part of our rookery, and
assigned for my couch; I took possession accordingly, and the whole
family bestowed themselves in a row near me. The stifling atmosphere was
soon vocal with their snoring. My brain was too busy for sleep. Feverish
fancies kept me wakeful. I revolved a variety of plans for escape. Could
I steal out of the hut unperceived? Could I find my way to the shore? I
doubted the first, and more than doubted the second; and even if so far
successful, there was no boat to take me from the accursed land. And how
could I conceal myself from the Indians till a boat should arrive? They
would miss me; and, long before any possible communication with my
vessel, would be hunting me down with horses and dogs. Not a wood or
thicket had met my eye on the dreary waste I traversed the day before. I
tried to devise some other plan, but none offered itself. It was this or
nothing,--and this was next to nothing. Grown desperate, at last, I
determined to make an effort.
After lying some time, listening to the heavy breathing of the sleepers,
and satisfying myself that none of the company were awake, I raised
myself as noiselessly as possible, and stole towards the front of the
wigwam. Casting a furtive glance backward, I could see that the old
chief was restless; either he had feigned sleep, or some evil spirit had
waked him just at the wrong time. To go immediately back would too
plainly betray my purpose; so I walked very calmly and deliberately into
the open air, and stood as if star-gazing; the old fellow, as I plainly
perceived, all the time watching me from the lodge. In a short time I
walked quietly back to my dark retreat, and found him where I had left
him, lying very coseyly, as if nothing had happened to disturb his
slumbers. Once more stretching myself on my uneasy couch, I lay two
hours or more, still revolving the same unsolved problem in my mind. At
length, all appearing to be sound asleep, I decided to venture a second
attempt; and, in the event of failure, to make the best of it for the
present. Stealthily as possible I crawled from among them, slid out of
doors, and crouched upon the grass. Could I be mistaken? No--those
infernal eyes were fastened on me as before! There was no eluding their
vigilance. At this moment a howling as of a hundred wolves was heard
approaching, and about that number of dogs came rushing, pell-mell,
towards me. I scampered for the wigwam as fast as my feet could carry
me, and in my flight stumbled over a stick nearly eight feet long. I
seized the weapon thus kindly lent me, and, swinging it furiously about
me, gave all intruders that came within my reach a sufficient touch of
its quality. Thus defending myself from the brutes, I backed towards the
lodge, glad to shelter myself among its detested inmates. The cunning
old Parosilver, as before, had bestowed himself on the ground among his
squaws and dirty children, and was, apparently, fast asleep.
This was more than I could compass. Vexation at my fruitless attempts to
escape,--dread, inspired by the relentless vigilance and quiet assurance
of the chief,--tormenting apprehensions as to the issue of any effort on
the morrow to effect my ransom,--all kept my brain upon the rack, and
effectually drove sleep from my eyes, till near daylight, when I fell
into a disturbed slumber. In my dreams I was at once transported from
the savage hut, on board my vessel. Methought she was driving before the
wind, all sails set, at full speed, upon a dangerous reef. All on board
seemed insensible of the danger; I alone perceived it, but a nightmare
spell was on me, and my lips refused to speak, my limbs to move. Rooted
to my place on the deck, I stood in dumb agony, while our vessel rushed
upon her fate. There came a sudden shock,--our bark had struck, and her
total destruction was inevitable. Some of the men were dashed violently
upon the deck, others precipitated into the boiling surf, where they
clung desperately to spars, and fragments of the wreck. While the
confusion was wildest, and the dream of effort for escape was subsiding
into the calmness of despair, I suddenly awoke, and for some time was
unable to comprehend where I was, or how I came there. If I were indeed
shipwrecked, I was also, like Jonah, vomited upon dry land. I drew my
hand across my eyes to assure myself that vision was unobstructed, cast
my eyes right and left;--the lodge, the ashes of the last night's fire,
the chief and his motley family, the door through which the "lubber
fiend" had followed me with his restless eyes, and into which the fierce
dogs had driven me, recalled my distracted senses, and restored
consciousness of a reality which, at the moment, I would almost have
exchanged for the wildest terrors of my dream.
With the light calmer thoughts succeeded, and I once more addressed
myself to the task of effecting my escape. The first thing was to get
the chief with me to the shore, in readiness to meet a boat, and to
renew negotiations for my liberty. Observing that he was awake, I began
to promise him an abundant supply of the articles most tempting to his
fancy, on condition of my release. He carelessly replied that he would
go with me to the beach by and by. I tried to urge his departure, being
anxious to go without the rabble at his heels the day before, but for
whose violence he would now hardly be master of me; but there was no
hurrying his movements. He took down his little cutlass, drew it from
its brazen scabbard, and commenced sharpening it with a rusty file,
trying its edge with his fingers as the work went on, and casting side
glances at me the while. Whether this ceremony was the preface to some
act of violence he meditated, or a scene for effect, to fill me with a
wholesome dread of his power, I could not guess; but, determined to show
no foolish fears, I thought it best to put a bold face upon the matter,
and make an equally striking demonstration of courage and presence of
mind, qualities which savages generally appreciate. I therefore
approached him, tried the edge with my own fingers, praised the beauty
of the instrument, and interested myself in the process of sharpening
it. Following up my assault on his vanity, I extolled him as one of the
best of men, and assured him that when we got to the shore I would amply
reward him for his kindness to me; taking occasion, however, to throw in
a hint on the vast importance of starting early. This I enforced by the
suggestion that, when he got his good things, the fewer there were
present, the fewer claimants there would be to divide the spoils.
After much coaxing, he started after his old horse; I mounted behind
him, and we moved slowly off. When we arrived at the shore it was
blowing a perfect gale. A boat could not live in the billows. All three
vessels had dragged their anchors, and lay at some distance from their
anchorage of yesterday. Bark Hebe appeared to be dragging towards the
Orange Bank, a dangerous shoal. I afterwards learned that the Hebe,
after getting into water as shoal as would barely float her, slipped her
cables, put up a little sail, and finally succeeded in weathering the
shoal and getting safely out to sea. The J. B. Gager was dragging in the
same direction. My own vessel was holding on better than the others,
and I hoped she would ride out the gale in safety.
I made my captors understand the reason why no boat had come, as
promised; with which they appeared to be satisfied, and we returned as
we came. By means of their broken Spanish, which they had picked up from
sailors, and in visits to the Chilian or other Spanish American
settlements, and by signs, amounting at times pretty nearly to a
pantomime, I found myself able to understand inquiries or commands, and
to make known my wishes.
Early on the following morning we again visited the shore, and I looked
eagerly toward the anchorage, where all my hopes of deliverance centred.
Not a vessel was in sight! Whether they had foundered, or were driven
upon the shoal and wrecked, or had dragged out to sea in a disabled
condition,--or whether my shipmates, the gale having subsided, had
deliberately proceeded on their voyage, and left me a prey to cruel
savages and all the ills of this inhospitable shore,--I was unable to
conjecture. I only knew that they were gone, and that I was left alone
to the tender mercies of the Patagonians. No present means of escape
appeared. The future, wisely hidden from my view, suggested none to my
imagination. I told my captors the worst; that the high winds had
probably sunk the ships, and all that were in them. At this intelligence
they seemed delighted, and laughed immoderately, as if such a calamity
were a consolation for the loss of their expected ransom. Their cruel
glee could add nothing to the weight of my desolation. My past life was
sealed up as if by an entrance on a new state of being. I looked round
on a bleak and cheerless region, and forward on a life as barren of
human joy, made up of every species of suffering,--hunger, cold,
fatigue, insult, torture,--liable to be cut short at any moment by the
caprice of my tormentors, and so wretched that death itself, with all
the enormities of cannibalism, lost its terrors by comparison. Life, for
any good or great purposes to be achieved, was over. And then my
thoughts turned to far different scenes,--to happy faces, and pleasant
voices, and familiar sights;--to hearts that beat with no dread of this
day's calamities, felt no consciousness kindred to my despair, but
would, in due time, be rudely awakened from their security. GOD help me,
for I am helpless now!