It was with a feeling of triumph, indeed, that the negroes, after
gaining their own fastness, looked back at the sky, lighted by the
distant conflagration. They had now, for the first time, inflicted
such a lesson upon their oppressors as would make a deep mark. They
felt themselves to be really free; and knew that they, in their
turn, had struck terror into the hearts of the Spaniards.
Retiring to the depths of the forest, great fires were made. Sheep,
fowls, and other articles of provision, which had been brought
back, were killed and prepared. Huge bonfires were lit, and the
party, secure that, for twenty-four hours at least, the Spaniards
could attempt no retributive measures, sat down to enjoy the
banquet.
They had driven with them a few small bullocks, and also some
scores of sheep. These, however, were not destined for the spit.
They were to be placed in the heart of their country; so that,
unless disturbed by the Spaniards, they might prove a source of
future sustenance to them.
There was wild feasting that night, with dances, and songs of
triumph in the negro and native dialects; and Ned and Gerald were
lauded and praised, as the authors of the change which had taken
place in the condition of the fugitives. Even the stern severity of
Ned's act was thoroughly approved; and it was agreed, again, that
anyone refusing to obey the orders of the white chiefs should
forfeit his life.
The blow which the negroes had struck caused intense consternation
throughout Hispaniola. The younger, and more warlike spirits were
in favor of organizing an instant crusade, for sending to the other
islands for more troops, for surrounding the forest country, and
for putting the last of the negroes to the sword. More peaceful
counsels, however, prevailed; for it was felt that the whole open
country was, as Ned had told the governor, at their mercy; that the
damage which could be inflicted would be enormous; and the
satisfaction of putting the fugitives to death, even if they were
finally conquered, would be but a poor recompense for the blow
which might be given to the prosperity and wealth of the island.
All sorts of schemes were mooted, by which the runaways could be
beguiled into laying down their arms, but no practicable plan could
be hit upon.
In the meantime, in the mountains, the bands improved in drill and
discipline. They had now gained some confidence in themselves, and
gave themselves up heartily to the work. Portions of land, too,
were turned up; and yams and other fruits, on a larger scale than
had hitherto been attempted, were planted. A good supply of goats
was obtained, huts were erected, and the lads determined that, at
least as long as the Spaniards allowed it, their lives should be
made as comfortable as possible.
Fugitive slaves from time to time joined the party; but Ned
strongly discouraged any increase, at present, from this cause. He
was sure that, were the Spaniards to find that their runaways were
sheltered there, and that a general desertion of their slaves might
take place; they would be obliged, in self defense, to root out
this formidable organization in their midst. Therefore, emissaries
were sent out among the negroes, stating that none would be
received, in the mountains, save those who had previously asked
permission; this being only accorded in cases where such extreme
brutality and cruelty had been exercised, by the masters, as would
wholly justify the flight of the slave.
For some months, a sort of truce was maintained between the
Spaniards and this little army in the woods. The blacks observed
the promises, which Ned had made, with great fidelity. The planters
found that no depredations took place, and that the desertions
among their slaves were no more numerous than before; and had it
depended solely upon them, no further measures would have been
taken.
The case, however, was different among the military party in the
island. To them, the failure of the expedition into the forest, and
the burning of the governor's house, were matters which seriously
affected their pride. Defeat by English buccaneers they were
accustomed to; and regarding the English, at sea, as a species of
demon against whom human bravery availed little. They were slightly
touched by it; but that they should be defied by a set of runaway
slaves; and of natives, whom they had formerly regarded with
contempt; was a blow to their pride.
Quietly, and without ostentation, troops were drafted into the
island from the neighboring posts, until a formidable force had
been gathered there. The foresters had now plenty of means of
communication with the negroes, who regarded them as saviors, to
whom they could look for rescue and shelter, in case of their
masters' cruelty; and were always ready to send messengers up into
the forest, with news of every occurrence which took place under
their observation. The grown-up slaves, of course, could not leave
the plantation; but there were numbers of fleet-footed lads who,
after nightfall, could be dispatched from the huts into the
mountains, and return before daylight; while, even should they
remain until the next night, they would attract no attention by
their absence.
Thus, then, Ned and Gerald learned that a formidable body of
Spaniards were being collected, quietly, in the town; and every
effort was made to meet the coming storm. The various gorges were
blocked with high barricades; difficult parts of the mountain were,
with great labor, scarped so as to render the advance of an armed
force difficult in the extreme; great piles of stones were
collected, to roll down into the ravines; and provisions of yams,
sweet potatoes, and other food were stored up.
The last stronghold had, after a great debate, been fixed upon at a
point in the heart of one of the hills. This was singularly well
adapted for defense The hill itself was extremely precipitous on
all sides. On one side, it fell sheer down. A goat track ran along
the face of this precipice, to a point where the hill fell back,
forming a sort of semicircular arena on the very face of the
precipice. This plateau was some two acres in extent. Here
quantities of forage were heaped up in readiness, for the food of
such animals as might be driven in there. The track itself was,
with great labor, widened; platforms of wood being placed at the
narrow points; and steps were cut in the hill behind the plateau to
enable them, should their stronghold be stormed, to escape at the
last moment up to the hilltop above. In most places the cliff
behind the plateau rose so steeply as to almost overhang the foot;
and in these were many gaps and crevices, in which a considerable
number of people could take shelter, so as to avoid stones and
other missiles hurled down from above.
At one point in particular the precipice overhung, and under this a
strong erection of the trunks of trees was made. This was for the
animals to be placed in. The heavy roof was amply sufficient to
keep out any bullet shots; while, from its position, no masses of
rock could be dropped upon it.
It was not thought probable that the Spaniards would harass them
much from above, for the ascent to the summit was everywhere
extremely difficult; and the hillside was perfectly bare, and
sloped so sharply upward, from the edge of the precipitous cliff,
that it would be a difficult and dangerous task to descend, so as
to fire down into the arena; and, although every precaution had
been taken, it was felt that there was little fear of any attack
from above.
At last all was in readiness, as far as the efforts of those in the
forest could avail. A message was then sent in to the governor, to
the effect that the men of the forest desired to know for what
purpose so many soldiers were being assembled in the island; and
that, on a given day, unless some of these were embarked and sent
off, they would consider that a war was being prepared against
them, and that the agreement that the outlying settlements should
be left intact was therefore invalid.
As the boys had anticipated, the Spaniards answered this missive by
an instant movement forward; and some four hundred men were
reported as moving out towards the hills. This the boys were
prepared for, and simultaneously with the movement the whole
band--divided into parties of six, each of which had its fixed
destination and instructions, all being alike solemnly pledged to
take no life in cold blood, and to abstain from all unnecessary
cruelties--started quickly from the forest.
That night the Spanish force halted near the edge of the forest;
but at midnight a general consternation seized the camp when, from
fifty different points, flames were seen suddenly to rise on the
plain. Furious at this misfortune, the general in command put his
cavalry in motion, and scoured the country; only to find, however,
that the whole of the haciendas of the Spanish proprietors were in
flames, and that fire had been applied to all the standing crops.
Everywhere he heard the same tale; that those who had resisted had
been killed, but that no harm had been inflicted upon defenseless
persons.
This was so new a feature, in troubles with the negroes, that the
Spaniards could not but be surprised, and filled with admiration at
conduct so different to that to which they were accustomed. The
sight of the tremendous destruction of property, however, roused
them to fury; and this was still further heightened when, towards
morning, a great burst of flame in the city proclaimed that the
negroes had fallen upon the town, while the greater portion of its
defenders were withdrawn.
This was, indeed, a masterly stroke on the part of the boys. They
knew that, even deducting those who had set forth, there would
still be an amply sufficient force in the city to defeat and crush
their band; but they thought that, by a quick stroke, they might
succeed in inflicting a heavy blow upon them. Each of the bands
therefore had instructions, after doing its allotted share of
incendiarism, to make for the town, and to meet at a certain point
outside it. Then, quietly and noiselessly, they had entered. One
party fell upon the armory, and another attacked with fury the
governor's house. The guards there were, as had happened with his
residence in the country, cut down. Fire was applied in a dozen
places and, before the astonished troops and inhabitants could
rally, from the different parts of the town, the negroes were again
in the country; having fulfilled their object, and carried off with
them a large additional stock of arms.
Before the cavalry from the front could arrive, they were again far
in the country; and, making a long detour, gained their fastness,
having struck a terrible blow, with the cost to themselves of only
some eight or ten lives.
It was a singular sight, as they looked out in the morning from
their hilltops. Great masses of smoke extended over the whole
country; for although most of the dwellings were, by this time,
leveled to the ground--for, built of the lightest construction,
they offered but little resistance to the flames--from the fields
of maize and cane, clouds of smoke were still rising, as the
conflagration spread; and at one stroke the whole agricultural
wealth of the island was destroyed. The boys regretted that this
should necessarily be the case; but they felt that it was now war,
to the knife, between the Spaniards and them, and that such a
defeat would be beneficial.
This, indeed, was the case; for the commander drew back his troops
to the town, in order to make fresh arrangements, before venturing
upon an attack on foes who showed themselves possessed of such
desperate determination.
Another six weeks elapsed, indeed, before a forward movement was
again commenced; and in that time considerable acquisitions of
force were obtained. Strong as the bands felt themselves, they
could not but be alarmed at the thought of the tremendous storm
gathering to burst over their heads. The women had long since been
sent away, to small native villages existing on the other side of
the island, and living at peace with their neighbors Thither Ned
also dispatched several of the party whom he believed to be either
wanting in courage, or whose constancy he somewhat doubted. A
traitor now would be the destruction of the party; and it was
certain that any negro deserting to the enemy, and offering to act
as their guide to the various strongholds of the defenders, would
receive immense rewards. Thus it was imperative that every man, of
whose fidelity and constancy the least doubt was entertained,
should be carefully sent out of the way of temptation. All the band
were, indeed, pledged by a most solemn oath; and death, by torture,
was the penalty awarded for any act of treachery.
The greater portion of the force were now provided with European
arms. The negroes had musketoons or arquebuses, the natives still
retained the bow, while all had pikes and spears. They were
undefended by protective amour, and in this respect the Spaniards
had a great advantage in the fight; but, as the boys pointed out,
this advantage was more than counterbalanced by the extra facility
of movement, on the part of the natives, who could scale rocks and
climb hills absolutely inaccessible to their heavily armed and
weighty opponents.
The scouts, who had been stationed on the lookout at the edge of
the forest, brought word that the Spaniards, nigh 1500 strong, had
divided in six bodies; and were marching so as to enter the forest
from six different, and nearly equidistant, points. Each band was
accompanied by bloodhounds, and a large number of other fierce dogs
of the wolfhound breed, which the Spaniards had imported for the
purpose of attacking negroes in their hiding places. Of these
animals the negroes had the greatest dread; and even the bravest,
who were ready to match themselves against armed Spaniards, yet
trembled at the thought of the encounter with these ferocious
animals.
It was clear that no repetition of the tactics formerly pursued
would be possible; for if any attempt at night attacks were made,
the dogs would rush out and attack them; and not only prove
formidable enemies themselves, but guide the Spaniards to the
places where they were stationed. Ned and Gerald would fain have
persuaded the natives that dogs, after all, however formidable they
might appear, were easily mastered by well-armed men; and that any
dog rushing to attack them would be pierced with spears and arrows,
to say nothing of being shot by the arquebuses, before he could
seize any of them. The negroes, however, had known so many cases in
which fugitives had been horribly torn, and indeed, frequently
killed, by these ferocious animals, that the dread of them was too
great for them to listen to the boys' explanations. The latter,
seeing that it would be useless to attempt to overcome their fears,
on this ground, abstained from the attempt.
It had been agreed that, in the event of the Spaniards advancing
from different quarters, one column only should be selected for a
main attack; and that, while the others should be harassed by small
parties, who should cast down rocks upon them while passing through
the gorges, and so inflict as much damage as possible, no attempt
would be made to strike any serious blow upon them. The column
selected for attack was, naturally, that whose path led through the
points which had been most strongly prepared and fortified. This
band mustered about three hundred; and was clearly too strong to be
attacked, in open fight, by the forest bands. Gerald and Ned had
already talked the matter over in every light, and decided that a
purely defensive fight must be maintained; each place where
preparations had been made being held to the last, and a rapid
retreat beaten to the next barricade.
The Spaniards advanced in heavy column. At a distance of a hundred
yards, on each side, marched a body of fifty in compact mass,
thereby sheltering the main body from any sudden attack.
The first point at which the lads had determined to make a stand
was the mouth of a gorge. Here steep rocks rose perpendicularly
from the ground, running almost like a wall along that portion of
the forest. In the midst of this was a cleft, through which a
little stream ran. It was here that the boys had made preparations.
The point could not be turned, without a long and difficult march
along the face of the cliff; and on the summit of this sixty men,
divided into two parties, one on each side of the fissure, were
stationed.
The Spaniards advanced until they nearly reached the mouth of the
ravine. It must be remembered that, although the forest was very
thick, and the vegetation luxuriant; yet there were paths here and
there, made by the constant passing, to and fro, of the occupants
of the wood. Their main direction acted as a guide to the
Spaniards; and the hounds, by their sniffing and eagerness, acted
as a guide to the advancing force.
They paused when they saw, opening before them, this entrance to
the rocky gorge. While they halted, the increased eagerness of the
dogs told them that they were now approaching the point where their
foes were concealed; and the prospect of an attack, on so strong a
position, was formidable even to such a body.
A small party, of thirty men, was told off to advance and
reconnoiter the position. These were allowed to enter the gorge,
and to follow it for a distance of a hundred yards, to a point
where the sides were approached to their nearest point. Then, from
a parapet of rock piled across the ravine came a volley of
musketry; and, simultaneously, from the heights of either side
great stones came crashing down. Such of the party as did not fall
at the first discharge fired a volley at their invisible
assailants, and then hurried back to the main body.
It was now clear that fighting, and that of a serious character,
was to be undertaken. The Spanish commander rapidly reconnoitered
the position; and saw that here, at least, no flanking movement was
possible. He therefore ordered his men to advance, for a direct
attack. Being more afraid of the stones from above than of the
defenders in the ravine, the Spaniards prepared to advance in
skirmishing order; in that way they would be able to creep up to
the barricade of rocks with the least loss, to themselves, from the
fire of its defenders; while the stones from above would prove far
less dangerous than would be the case upon a solid column.
With great determination, the Spanish troops advanced to the
attack. As they neared the mouth of the gorge, flights of arrows
from above were poured down upon them; and these were answered by
their own musketeers and bowmen, although the figures occasionally
exposed above offered but a poor mark, in comparison to that
afforded by the column below.
The men on the ridge were entirely natives, the boys having
selected the negroes, on whose courage at close quarters they could
more thoroughly rely, for the defense of the ravine. The firearms
in those days could scarcely be termed arms of precision. The
bell-mouth arquebuses could carry a large and heavy charge, but
there was nothing like accuracy in their fire; and although a
steady fire was kept up from the barricade, and many Spaniards
fell; yet a larger number succeeded in making their way through the
zone of fire, by taking advantage of the rocks and bushes; and
these gathered, near the foot of the barricade.
The stones which came crashing from above did serious damage among
them, but the real effect of these was more moral than physical.
The sound of the great masses of stone, plunging down the hillside,
setting in motion numbers of small rocks as they came, tearing down
the bushes and small trees, was exceedingly terrifying at first;
but as block after block dashed down, doing comparatively little
harm, the Spaniards became accustomed to them; and, keeping under
the shelter of masses of rock, to the last moment, prepared all
their energies for the attack. The Spanish commander found that the
greater portion of his troop were within striking distance, and he
gave the command, to those gathered near the barricade, to spring
forward to the attack.
The gorge, at this point, was some fifteen yards wide. The
barricade across it was thirty feet in height. It was formed of
blocks of stone, of various sizes; intermingled with which were
sharp stakes, with their points projecting; lines of bushes and
arms of trees, piled outwards; and the whole was covered loosely
with sharp prickly creepers, cut from the trees and heaped there. A
more difficult place to climb, even without its being defended from
above, would be difficult to find. The covering of thorny creepers
hid the rocks below; and at each step the soldiers put their feet
into deep holes between the masses of rock, and fell forward,
lacerating themselves horribly with the thorns, or coming face
downwards on one of the sharp-pointed stakes. But if, without any
resistance from above, the feat of climbing this carefully prepared
barricade was difficult; it was terrible when, from the ridge
above, a storm of bullets swept down. It was only for a moment that
the negroes exposed themselves, in the act of firing. Behind, the
barricade was as level and smooth as it was difficult upon the
outer side. Great steps, some three feet wide, had been prepared of
wood; so that the defenders could easily mount and, standing in
lines, relieve each other as they fired. The stones of the top
series had been carefully chosen of a form so as to leave, between
each, crevices through which the defenders could fire, while
scarcely exposing themselves to the enemy.
The Spaniards behind endeavored to cover the advance of their
comrades, by keeping up a heavy fire at the summit of the
barricade; and several of the negroes were shot through the head,
in the act of firing. Their loss, however, was small in comparison
to that of the assailants; who strove, in vain, to climb up the
thorny ascent, their position being the more terrible inasmuch as
the fire from the parties on the rocks above never ceased, and
stones kept up a sort of bombardment on those in the ravine. Even
the fierce dogs could with difficulty climb the thorn-covered
barriers, and those who reached the top were instantly shot, or
stabbed.
At last, after suffering very considerable loss, the Spanish
commander drew off his soldiers; and a wild yell of triumph rose
from the negroes. The combat however had, as the boys were aware,
scarcely begun; and they now waited, to see what the next effort of
the Spaniards would be.
It was an hour before the latter again advanced to the attack. This
time the troops were carrying large bundles of dried grass and
rushes; and although again suffering heavily in the attack, they
piled these at the foot of the barricade, and in another minute a
flash of fire ran up the side. The smoke and flame, for a time,
separated the defenders from their foes; and the fire ceased on
both sides, although those above never relaxed their efforts to
harass the assailants.
As the Spaniards had calculated, the flame of the great heap of
straw communicated with the creepers, and burnt them up in its
fiery tongue; and when the flames abated, the rocks lay open and
uncovered. The Spaniards now, with renewed hopes, advanced again to
the attack; and this time were able, although with heavy loss, to
make their way up the barricade.
When they arrived within three or four feet of the top, Ned gave
the word; and a line of thirty powerful negroes, each armed with a
long pike, suddenly arose and, with a yell, threw themselves over
the edge and dashed down upon the Spaniards. The latter, struggling
to ascend, with unsteady footing on the loose and uneven rocks,
were unable for an instant to defend themselves against this
assault.
The negroes, barefooted, had no difficulty on the surface which
proved so fatal to the Spaniards; and, like the crest of a wave,
they swept their opponents headlong down the face of the barricade.
The heavily armed Spaniards fell over each other, those in front
hurling those behind backwards in wild confusion; and the first
line of negroes being succeeded by another, armed with axes, who
completed the work which the first line had begun; the slaughter,
for a minute, was terrible.
For some thirty paces, the negroes pursued their advantage; and
then at a loud shout from Ned turned, and with a celerity equal to
that of their advance, the whole were back over the barricade,
before the Spaniards in rear could awaken from their surprise; and
scarcely a shot was fired, as the dark figures bounded back into
shelter.
This time, the Spanish officer drew back his men sullenly. He felt
that they had done all that could be expected of them. Upwards of
sixty men had fallen. It would be vain to ask them to make the
assault again. He knew, too, that by waiting, the other columns
would be gradually approaching; and that, on the morrow, some
method of getting in the enemy's rear would probably be discovered.
In the meantime, he sent off fifty men on either flank, to discover
how far its rocky wall extended; while trumpeters, under strong
guards, were sent up to the hilltops in the rear, and sounded the
call lustily. Musketoons, heavily charged so as to make as loud a
report as possible, were also fired to attract the attention of the
other columns.
The boys were perfectly aware that they could not hope, finally, to
defend this position. They had, however, given the Spaniards a very
heavy lesson; and the success of the defense had immensely raised
the spirit and courage of their men. The signal was therefore given
for a retreat; and in half an hour both the Indians, on the summit
of the hill, and the negroes, behind the barricade, had fallen
back; leaving only some half dozen to keep up the appearance of
defense, and to bring back tidings of the doings of the enemy;
while the rest hurried off, to aid the detached parties to inflict
heavy blows upon the other columns.
It was found that these were steadily approaching, but had lost a
good many men. The reinforcements enabled the natives to make a
more determined resistance, and in one or two places the columns
were effectually checked. The reports, when night fell, were that
the Spaniards had altogether lost over two hundred men; but that
all their columns had advanced a considerable distance towards the
center of the forest; and had halted, each as they stood; and
bivouacked, keeping up huge fires and careful watches.
It formed no part, however, of the boys' plan to attack them thus;
and when morning dawned the whole of the defenders, each taking
different paths, as far as possible; some even making great
circuits, so as to deceive the enemy, were directed to make for the
central fortress. The intermediate positions, several of which were
as strong as the barricade which they had so well defended, were
abandoned; for the advance from other quarters rendered it
impossible to hold these.