CONCLUSION OF THE LEGEND.
The morning after this eventful meeting rose fair and bright.
Bridget and Zulmiera, seated at an open window, inhaled the sweet
breeze, while they bent over their embroidery frames; and the
fair Englishwoman was giving a description of her own far-off
land, when, gazing in the direction of the before-named copse,
Zulmiera espied a white feather glancing for a moment above the
tops of the trees, a well-known signal indicating the presence of
Raphe de Merefield.
Framing an excuse, she shortly left the apartment; and taking a
circuitous route to escape observation, in a few moments gained
the old tree, where, as expected, she found her lover.
"Zulmiera," said the young man, after the first greetings were
passed, "I have suffered deeply in mind since we parted, on
account of the strange words you let fall last evening; and I now
seek your presence to demand, as your affianced husband, their
signification. Tell me, Zulmiera, thine whole heart, or as Willy
Shakspeare saith--
"----If thou dost love me,
Shew me thy thought?"
Accosted in this sudden manner, and surprised by his serious
demeanour, Zulmiera's caution forsook her, and bursting into
tears, confessed to her lover, as best she could, the following
facts. Having been treated with great scorn and harshness by the
governor, and looking upon herself as the descendant of a line of
chieftains, and consequently entitled to respect, a deep and
irresistible feeling of revenge sprang up in her breast, and
absorbed her every thought. Roaming, as she had ever been wont,
amid the romantic dells and leafy labyrinths of her native
islands, she came one evening upon a curious cavern; her love of
novelty led her to inspect it, but in the act of doing so, she
was driven back in alarm by the sight of a flashing pair of eyes.
Unable to suppress her fears, yet too much overcome by the
encounter to fly, she leant against the rocky opening of the
cave; when, rushing from his concealment, a powerful man, whom
she immediately recognised as a Carib, darted upon her, and
placing his hand upon her mouth to prevent her screams from being
heard, was about to bear her away as his captive.
Terrified as she was, she still had the presence of mind to
declare her origin, and claim his forbearance, on the score of
their allied blood. To such a plea, a Carib's heart is never
deaf; the grasp upon the shoulder was relaxed; the armed warrior
stood quietly by her side; and a conversation in the Carib tongue
(which Zulmiera had acquired from her mother) was carried on
between them.
The stranger declared himself to be a Carib chief, named
Cuanaboa, and with the openness for which that people were noted
among their friends, acquainted Zulmiera with the cause of his
appearance in that lone cave. Following the example of his
fathers, Cuanaboa said he had resolved to make an attack upon
Antigua, accompanied by a neighbouring chief and their several
tribes; but in a war-council held by them, it had been arranged
for him to pay a secret visit to the island, in order to inspect
it, and endeavour to find out its weakest parts. Accordingly,
leaving his mountain home in Dominica, he had paddled himself
over in a slight canoe, and easily discovering the cave, which
had been well-known to the tribe in their former predatory
visits, he took up his abode there.
Zulmiera listened eagerly to this communication; and excited as
she was, thought it a good opportunity for effectually procuring
her revenge. After arranging for the safety of Raphe de
Merefield, to whom she had been long engaged, she finally
promised, that upon an appointed night, she would open the doors
of government house, and admit the band of Caribs. Ignorant of
the real force of Antigua, and led away by her own turbulent and
romantic passions, the Indian girl wrongly supposed that a few
half-armed Caribs would be able to strike terror into the breasts
and compete with the well-arranged ranks of the English. In
consequence of this wild fancy, Zulmiera further proposed, as her
reward, that when the battle was gained, and the English
defeated, she should be immediately elected queen, and Raphe king
of the Caribbees. Many other meetings had taken place between
herself and the Carib chief; and she concluded her relation, by
informing Raphe of the arrival of the whole band of Caribs, and
that the hour of midnight was the time proposed for the intended
assault upon government house.
The surprise, the consternation of the young man, as she unfolded
this tale to him, was overpowering, and for some moments he
remained as if rooted to the ground. At length, striking his hand
upon his forehead, he exclaimed, in a tone of extreme bitterness
--"Oh! Zulmiera--Zulmiera! what hast thou done! Surely it is some
horrible dream; and yet it is too true; thou couldst not have
distressed me so, an' it had not been. To-night, sayest thou?
Unhappy girl, thou hast indeed dashed the cup of happiness from
thy lips! Now I understand thy visible emotion--thy
half-smothered expressions! But I must away--the lives of
hundreds, perhaps, hang upon my steps;" and darting from her, he
left her to the deepest feelings of despair.
Leaning against the tree for the support her own limbs denied
her, the unfortunate Zulmiera remained with her face buried in
her hands, until aroused by the sound of footsteps. Hastily
looking up, Raphe again stood before her. "Dearest Zulmiera,"
said the pitying young man--"rouse thyself; I cannot leave thee
thus; all may yet be well. I will immediately to the governor,
and without implicating you as my author, inform him of the
inpending attack. Much as I dislike the man, it is my proper plan
--so now dry your eyes," for the warm tears were again gushing
down the cheeks of the repentant girl; "return to the house, keep
yourself quiet, and trust the matter to me." So saying, he
imprinted a fond kiss upon her brow, and turning away, hastened
with a quick step in the opposite direction.
Mastering her emotions, Zulmiera returned to her home,
determined, when the evening fell, to seek the cave, and if
possible, persuade Cuanaboa of the impracticability of his
schemes, and by that means, prevent the effusion of blood, which
a meeting of the Caribs and English was sure to produce.
In the meantime, Raphe sought the presence of the governor, and
without bringing forward Zulmiera's name, contrived to give him
the necessary information, and then departed, taking upon himself
the office of scout. Preparations were immediately made for the
intended attack--ambuscades arranged, and fire-arms cleaned; and
with anxiety the party awaited the rising of the moon.
As the day grew to a close, Zulmiera became more and more
restless, until at length, unable to bear the conflict of her
feelings, she left the house, and, unperceived by the family,
sought the promised meeting in the cave. The sun had sunk behind
the waves, and the stars began to peep forth, as the half-Carib
gained the entrance of the wood. Carefully threading her way
through its tangled bushes, and avoiding as she went the numerous
impediments, she gradually progressed deeper and deeper in its
thickening gloom. The air was calm, and nothing disturbed the
almost pristine stillness but the whisperings of the soft breeze,
or the shrill cry of some of the aquatic fowls who made that
lonely grove their home. In some parts the foliage was less
thick, and the beams of the now rising moon forced their way
through and snorted upon the ground, forming many a fantastic
shadow. Uprooted and sapless trees lay in various directions,
around which parasites wound in luxuriant beauty, and hid the
whitened wood in wreaths of green. In other parts, the larger
trees and shrubs made way for dense thickets of thorny underwood,
over which the active girl was obliged to leap.
Onward she sped, stopping only now and then to recover her
breath, and then darting forward at increased speed, until,
gaining a little knoll, where pointed crystals strewed the
ground, and the manchineel showered its poisonous apples,
beautiful and treacherous as "Dead Sea fruits," a mark in one of
the trees told her she was near the place of her destination; and
winding round another thicket, Zulmiera stood before the mouth of
the cave.
The interior was lighted by a few torches of some resinous wood,
stuck in the fissures of the rock; and their flickering light
shone upon the dark countenances and wild costume of the inmates.
Branches of trees roughly plaited together were placed partly
before the opening, and served to screen the light of the torches
from the view of any wandering stranger; while the ground before
the entrance to the cave had been cleared away, forming a kind of
rustic amphitheatre.
As soon as the maiden was perceived, Cuanaboa came forward, and
introduced her to Guacanagari, and a few of their principal
followers, who only appeared to be waiting for her presence, to
commence their solemn dance, as was ever the custom of the
Caribs, before undertaking any warfare.
Darting from the cavern, about twenty of these wild warriors
arranged themselves in a circle around an old woman, known among
them by the name of Quiba, who, squatting upon the ground,
chanted, in a monotonous voice, the burden of a war-song: the men
moving slowly, and joining in the chorus--"_Avenge the bones of
your fathers, which lie whitening upon the plain!_" Continuing
this revolving motion for some time, but gradually increasing in
celerity, they at length appeared as if worked up to the highest
pitch of their passions; and releasing each other's hands, and
twirling round and round with the greatest rapidity, tearing
their hair, and gnashing their teeth, at length threw themselves
upon the ground, foaming with rage.
Zulmiera, terrified at their frantic movements and horrid
contortions, tremblingly leant against the trunk of a tree,
until, aroused by an exclamation from the old woman, she
perceived another party of savages, apparently of meaner grade,
bringing in large calabashes and baskets, huge pieces pf baked
meats, and bowls of some kind of liquids. Placing them upon the
ground, they retreated; and old Quiba, quitting her recumbent
posture, seized upon one of the pieces of meat, and throwing it
among the prostrate warriors, exclaimed, in a cracked voice--
"_Eat of the flesh of your enemies, and avenge your fathers'
bones!_"
As she uttered these words, the men sprang from the ground, and
rushing upon the viands, devoured them with savage greediness;
while Cuanaboa, lifting up one of the smaller pieces of meat,
approached Zulmiera, and, with harshness, requested her to eat
it. Alarmed at his ferocious manner, but not daring to shew it,
the trembling girl essayed to obey; and putting a portion of it
into her mouth, by a strong effort swallowed it. No sooner was
this effected, than, breaking into a horrid laugh, and with his
eyes gleaming like the hyæna's, Cuanaboa shouted to the old
woman, who had just before entered the cave--"Bring forth our
present for our queen; surely, she deserves it, now she is one of
us!"
Startled by his evident irony, Zulmiera turned round, at the
moment that Quiba emerged from a natural passage in the interior
of the cave, bearing in her hand a small bundle, which, with a
sardonic grin, she laid at the feet of the observant girl.
"There, lady; that is our first present," croaked forth the old
hag. "Ay, lift it up, and search it well; Mayboya will stand your
friend, and send you many more, I hope." So saying, she hobbled
up to one of the torches, and taking it from its resting-place,
held it before the face of Zulmiera.
Impelled by an irresistible desire to know the worst, Zulmiera
stooped and undid the folds of red cloth wound around their
proffered gift. After untwining it for some time, the wrapping
felt damp to the touch; and dreading she knew not what, she
loosed the last fold, _and a human head rolled upon the ground_.
Uttering a cry of horror, but forced on by her unconquerable
emotions, she turned the gory object round; and as the torches
flashed with further glare, her eye fell upon the pallid
features. The blue eye, glassed by the hand of death, and over
which the starting eyelids refused to droop--the parted lips,
parted with the last throe of agony, and shewing the pearly teeth
--the finely-moulded cheeks, but disfigured by a deep gash--and
the long auburn hair, dabbled with the blood that still oozed
from the severed veins, bespoke it Raphe de Merefield's! Her own
blood congealed around her heart like ice--her pulse quivered and
stopped--and with one unearthly, prolonged shriek, the
unfortunate Zulmiera sank senseless upon the ground.
Recovered by the means of some pungent herb applied to her
nostrils, by the hands of Quiba, she awoke to all her misery. Her
eyes fell again upon the mutilated head of her lover; while the
demoniac voice of Cuanaboa whispered in her ear--"The food you
partook of just now _was part of the body of your minion!_ I met
him wandering in the copse a time agone; and I thought he would
make a fine sacrifice to Mayboya." This last horrible information
completely altered her nature, and changed the fond loving girl
to the disposition of a fiend. Lifting up the head, and
imprinting upon the blood-stained lips one long fervent kiss, she
enveloped it again in the wrappings of red cloth, and carefully
binding it around her waist, was in the act of quitting the cave,
when arrested by the powerful grasp of Cuanaboa.
"Not so fast, lady!" exclaimed the Carib chief; "remember your
oath to Mayboya! We still stand in need of your assistance to
guide us to the house of yon white chief. Remember that was part
of your bargain: let us in; and when we have vanquished the
enemy, we shall still be willing to receive you as our queen;
that is, if you will agree to take _me_ for your king instead of
the pale-faced boy, whose body has served to regale us and our
people." With eyes that flashed fire, Zulmiera was about to
reply, when suddenly constraining herself, she simply muttered--
"My oath to Mayboya!--follow me, then!" and with determined
purpose, left the cavern.
The whole party of Caribs, consisting of about eighty, were by
this time gathered around the spot, armed with bows and arrows,
clubs, darts, spears, and all the other rude implements of
warfare. As the two chiefs made their appearance, they pointed to
the moon--then rapidly ascending the heavens--and uttering a
suppressed war-whoop, they commenced their march in the direction
of government house, preceded by the half-Carib.
Unconscious of pain, Zulmiera darted through the thorniest
thickets, turned not aside for any impediment; but borne up by
the hopes of revenge, she outstripped the most active of the
party. Knowing, as she did, that the inmates of government house
were prepared for the attack, she felt assured that few, if any,
of the Caribs would escape; but completely altered in
disposition, from the effects of the horrible scenes she had gone
through, she experienced no compunctious feelings for the event.
Her only wish, her fixed purpose, was to possess herself of a
dagger--stab Cuanaboa to the heart--_drink his warm blood as it
gushed forth_--and after bathing the head of her lover with it,
kill herself upon the spot. To deceive Cuanaboa, she pretended
that her fear of Mayboya led her to conduct the party, an
assurance which his own blind zeal for that dreaded deity caused
him to believe.
In furtherance of her dreadful scheme, she carefully avoided
those spots where she supposed an ambuscade of English might be
stationed; fearing lest some other hand should take the life of
the chief. In this manner she was gradually progressing towards
the house, thinking it more probable a weapon could be there
procured, when in passing a clump of trees, one of the governor's
scouts, who was stationed behind it, and who was unable to bear
the sight of the Carib chief so near him without endeavouring to
take his life, sprang from his concealment, and rushing upon
Cuanaboa, was in the act of stabbing him with a dirk, when, with
the cry of some infuriated wild animal robbed of its prey,
Zulmiera was upon him. Wresting the weapon from the astonished
Englishman, the maddened girl fled after the Caribs, who, abashed
by this encounter, and the sudden appearance of a troop of
soldiers, were flying in the greatest confusion, and at their
utmost speed, in direction of the before-named creek, where they
had left their canoes.
Many of the Caribs fell wounded by the way, from the fire of
their pursuers' muskets; but Cuanaboa, closely attended by
Zulmiera, still kept on, until after passing over the same
undulating ground, forcing their way through thickets, leaping
over natural barriers, and creeping through leafy arcades, they
gained upon the creek. But woe to the Caribs! a party of English,
in hot pursuit, were, in fact, driving them into a trap, at the
point of their weapons. Throughout this irregular and hurried
retreat, Zulmiera had never dropped her dirk, or her gory burden;
neither had she lost sight of Cuanaboa; while the chief, seeing
her dash the weapon from his uncovered breast, when one stroke of
the Englishman's hand would have caused his death, thought she
had forgiven his horrid barbarity, and was well pleased to see
her nigh him.
As they emerged from the deeper glades of the wood, a volume of
smoke rose above the trees; and upon gaining the open ground, the
whole extent of their danger was revealed to the Caribs. There
lay their canoes, a burning mass; while the foreground was
occupied by another band of Englishmen, ready prepared for
battle. Hemmed in on all sides, the Caribs fought with the fury
of uncaged beasts, and sold their lives dearly. Many of the
English were stretched upon the ground, a flattened mass, from
the blows of their heavy clubs; while others, wounded by their
poisoned arrows, only lived to endure further torments. Still
Cuanaboa remained unhurt; and standing upon a gentle knoll,
brandished his club, and dealt destruction upon the foremost of
his enemies. His friends were rapidly falling around him; and as
he turned to seek for refuge, Zulmiera approached him
unperceived, and with one blow, drove the dirk into his very
heart.
Without a groan, the Carib chief sank dead upon the earth; and
Zulmiera, kneeling by him, plucked the weapon from the wound, and
applying her lips, _drank the warm blood as it gurgled forth!_
Unbinding the head of the unfortunate Raphe de Merefield from her
waist, where she had carried it throughout the fray, she gazed
ardently at it; tenderly parted the still bright hair, imprinted
a last kiss upon the cold lips, and then taking up in her hand
some of the vital stream, which was still flowing from the wound
of Cuanaboa, and forming a pool around him, she bathed the head
with it, exclaiming as she did so, "Raphe, thou art avenged!
thine enemy lies dead before thee, slain by my hand; and thy
bride, faithful in life and death, comes to share thy gory bed."
These actions completed, she looked up. The dying and the dead
lay stretched around her,--the conquering English were looking to
their captives,--the last gleam of the fire was shooting upwards
to the sky,--the moon had gained her zenith,--while, as if in
contrast to that bloody field, the waters of the creek rolled on
like molten silver, beneath her lovely beams. For one moment the
wild but beautiful girl gazed upon the scene; old remembrances
sprang up in her mind, and brought the tear into her eye. But
dashing them away, she regained her former implacable mood; and
as a party of the governor's servants came forward to arrest her,
placing one hand upon her lover's head, she raised with the other
the dirk--its bright steel glittered for a moment in the moonbeam
--in the next it was ensheathed in her heart; and she fell a
corpse upon that dire chief, to whom she owed all her misery.
The scene of this Antiguan tragedy may still be viewed; the creek
bears the name of "Indian Creek," while the cavern in which they
held their barbaric meeting is called "Bat's cave." The governor
retained his office until 1660, when Charles II. was restored to
the vacant crown; but refusing to acknowledge his sovereign, he
was superseded, and the vacant post was filled by Major-General
Poyntz, a royalist, who continued to act as governor until 1663,
when Lord Francis Willoughby obtained a grant of the island.
The name of Raphe de Merefield (the uncle of the young cavalier)
appears with that of Sir Thomas Warner in the original grant
signed by Charles I. It is still to be seen at "Stoney Hill,"--an
estate belonging to the late Samuel Warner, president of Antigua,
and a descendent of the old family. This property was willed by
him to his god-son, ------ Shand, Esq., of the house of Messrs.
Shand, Liverpool.