other place for the dried plants, trunks, sextant, a dipping needle, and
the meteorological instruments, than the space below the lattice-work of
branches, on which we were compelled to remain stretched the greater
part of the day. If we wished to take the least object out of a trunk,
or to use an instrument, it was necessary to row ashore and land. To
these inconveniences were joined the torment of the mosquitoes which
swarmed under the toldo, and the heat radiated from the leaves of the
palm-trees, the upper surface of which was continually exposed to the
solar rays. We attempted every instant, but always without success, to
amend our situation. While one of us hid himself under a sheet to ward
off the insects, the other insisted on having green wood lighted beneath
the toldo, in the hope of driving away the mosquitoes by the smoke. The
painful sensations of the eyes, and the increase of heat, already
stifling, rendered both these contrivances alike impracticable. With
some gayety of temper, with feelings of mutual good-will, and with a
vivid taste for the majestic grandeur of these vast valleys of rivers,
travellers easily support evils that become habitual.
[The torment of insects--mosquitoes and venomous flies by day,
and the _zancudos_ (large gnats) by night--became almost
insupportable as they advanced. On the upper Orinoco the
mosquitoes form the principal topic of conversation, the usual
salutation being, "How did you find the gnats during the
night?" or, "How are you off for mosquitoes to-day?" Humboldt
thus describes the situation:]
The lower strata of air, from the surface of the ground to the height of
fifteen or twenty feet, are absolutely filled with venomous insects. If
in an obscure spot, for instance, in the grottos of the cataracts formed
by superincumbent blocks of granite, you direct your eyes towards the
opening enlightened by the sun, you see clouds of mosquitoes more or
less thick. I doubt whether there be a country upon earth where man is
exposed to more cruel torments in the rainy season. Having passed the
fifth degree of latitude you are somewhat less stung; but on the upper
Orinoco the stings are more painful, because the heat and the absolute
want of wind render the air more burning and more irritating in its
contact with the skin. "How comfortable people must be in the moon!"
said a Salivo Indian to Father Gumilla. "She looks so beautiful and so
clear, that she must be free from mosquitoes." These words, which denote
the infancy of a people, are very remarkable. The satellite of the earth
appears to all savage nations the abode of the blessed, the country
of abundance. The Esquimaux, who counts among his riches a plank or
the trunk of a tree, thrown by the currents on a coast destitute of
vegetation, sees in the moon plains covered with forests; the Indian of
the forest of Orinoco there beholds open savannas, where the inhabitants
are never stung by mosquitoes.
[The story of the voyage closes as follows:]
It would be difficult for me to express the satisfaction we felt on
landing at Angostura [the capital of Spanish Guiana.] The inconveniences
endured at sea in small vessels are trivial in comparison with those
that are suffered under a burning sky, surrounded by swarms of
mosquitoes, and lying stretched in a canoe, without the possibility of
taking the least bodily exercise. In seventy-five days we had performed
a passage of five hundred leagues--twenty to a degree--on the five great
rivers, Apure, Orinoco, Atabapo, Rio Negro, and Cassiquiare; and in this
vast extent we had found but a very small number of inhabited places.
Coming from an almost desert country, we were struck with the bustle of
the town, though it contained only six thousand inhabitants. We admired
the conveniences which industry and commerce furnish to civilized man.
Humble dwellings appeared to us magnificent; and every person with whom
we conversed seemed to be endowed with superior intelligence. Long
privations give a value to the smallest enjoyments; and I cannot express
the pleasure we felt when we saw for the first time wheaten bread on the
governor's table.
THE LLANEROS OF VENEZUELA.
RAMON PAEZ.
[Don Ramon Paez, in his "Wild Scenes in South America; or, Life
in the Llanos of Venezuela," has given us some interesting
pictures of a region little known to travellers. These vast
plains are inhabited by a people many of whom bear a close
resemblance in their habits to the Argentine Gauchos. The
following selection is devoted to a description of this people
and their region of habitation.]
We left Ortiz as usual, very early the next morning, stumbling here and
there amidst the mass of loose stones which paved the way along the
winding bed of the _quebrada_. In proportion as we advanced on our route
the hills decreased in size, while the loose stones seemed to increase
in quantity. The splendid groves of hardy and balsamiferous trees, which
near Ortiz formed an almost impenetrable forest, gradually became less
imposing in appearance, until they were replaced by thickets of thorny
bushes, chiefly composed of several species of mimosas, with a delicate
and feathery foliage. The traveller accustomed to the shade of a
luxuriant vegetation, and to the sight of cultivated valleys, is struck
by the rapid diminution of the former, and the total disappearance of
the latter, as he emerges from the Galeras of Ortiz; yet he is somewhat
compensated by the almost overpowering perfume shed by masses of the
canary-colored blossoms with which these shrubs are loaded, from the
summits down to the bending branches that trail the ground at every
passing breeze.
Suddenly we entered a widely-extended tract of level land almost
destitute of vegetation. With the exception of a few clumps of
palm-trees with fan-like leaves, nothing but short grass covered its
entire surface, almost realizing the idea of an "ocean covered with
sea-weed." A dense mass of vapor pervading the atmosphere obscured the
horizon, while the fan-palms, seen from afar, appeared like ships
enveloped in a fog. Gradually the circle of the heavens seemed to close
around us, until we became, as it were, encompassed by the sky. We were,
in fact, treading the shores of the great basin of the Llanos, over one
of the ancient shoals or _mesas_, which, like successive terraces, now
form the border of those grassy oceans known as the Pampas. This was the
Mesa de Paya, the seat of one of the cattle-farms to which we were
bound.
After wandering for nearly three hours over this monotonous landscape
without compass, and guided only by certain landmarks known to the
_vaqueanos_, we came unexpectedly upon the borders of the Mesa, which
commands an extensive view of the lower savannas. As if by magic, the
dreary scene changed to one of the most glorious panoramas in existence.
At our feet lay a beautiful expanse of meadow, fresh and smooth as the
best cultivated lawn, with troops of horses and countless herds of
cattle dispersed all over the plain. Several glittering ponds, alive
with all varieties of aquatic birds, reflected upon their limpid surface
the broad-leaved crowns of the fan-palms, towering above verdant groves
of laurel, amyris, and elm-like _robles_. Farther beyond, and as far as
the eye could reach, the undulating plain appeared like a petrified
ocean after the sweeping tempest.
But I feel that my descriptions fall short of the reality, and that I
am unable to depict the harmonious effects of light and shade, and the
blending of the various tints of green, blue, and purple, dispersed
over this extensive panorama; the towering palms gracefully fanning
the glowing atmosphere with their majestic crowns of broad and shining
leaves, and myriad other beauties difficult to enumerate.
I could scarcely tear myself away from the spot, so fascinated was I
with the novelty of the scene. My companions, more concerned for the
speedy termination of the journey than the beautiful in nature, set off
at a brisk trot towards the house, which was at no great distance.
Fearing to lose my way among the intricate paths leading to it, I was
compelled to follow in their wake, stopping occasionally to gaze once
more upon those enchanting groves, which seemed to return me to the
highly cultivated fields and green meadows of glorious "Old England,"
from whence I had just returned.
On descending to the plain below, my attention was attracted to an
unsightly group of palm-thatched huts, looking more like huge beehives
than the abode of human beings. A formidable fence of palm-trunks
surrounded the premises and several acres of ground beyond. These were
the _corrals_, or enclosures where the training of the fierce herds
was practised by the hardy dwellers of the Llanos; but no signs of
cultivation, or aught else connected with the rural occupations of the
farmer, were visible in the neighborhood. Presently the cavalcade
stopped before the gate, and all the individuals composing it dismounted
and began to unsaddle their horses, amidst the barking of a legion of
dogs and the braying of all the donkeys in the vicinity.
This was the _hato_, or cattle-farm, of San Pablo we were in quest of,
famous in the annals of the civil wars in Venezuela as the occasional
head-quarters of the constitutional armies, commanded by the owner of
this farm. Our leader was received at the entrance of his estate by a
grave and elderly negro slave, who acted as overseer, and had under
his control all the men and property attached to it. Kneeling upon
the stony court-yard, he kissed the hand extended to him in friendly
greeting, after which he proceeded to unsaddle his master's horse, which
he led to a pond within the enclosure, where the horses were watered.
We purposed remaining a few days at San Pablo, with the object of
incorporating some fresh relays of mules and horses from the abundant
stock of this estate; so we of the staff installed ourselves under
the palm-roof of our rustic mansion, while the rank and file of the
expedition found accommodation in the open barracoons adjoining it,
although none of the party had reason to boast of being better off than
his neighbor.
"It is sad when pleasing first impressions are obliterated," remarks a
sentimental writer; "always painful to become _desenchante_ on a more
intimate acquaintance with either people or places." I soon found that
I was not in the fairy-land I had imagined, abounding in grottos and
refreshed by sparkling fountains, but in the region of the Llanos, where
the French adage, _Chacun pour soi et Dieu_ _pour tous_, is verified to
its fullest extent. San Pablo, with its vaunted prestige, and in spite
of its proximity to several important marts, was no better provided with
accommodations than the untidy _douar_ of the wandering Arab of the
desert. A rickety table standing against the wall for fear of tumbling
down, two or three clumsy cedar chairs covered with raw hide, and a
couple of grass hammocks, serving the double purpose of beds and
lounges, constituted all the furniture of the great farm. As a
substitute for wardrobes and hat-stands, we were shown a number of
deer-antlers and bull-horns embedded in the walls of reeds and mud,
on which to hang our pouches, bridles, etc.
I searched in vain on our arrival for something like a bowl in which to
lave my hands and face, covered with dust and parched by the broiling
sun of the savannas. Even water was so scarce that it was served to us
sparingly from a large calabash gourd used in bringing it from the
river, nearly a mile distant. It is true there was, within the enclosure
of the houses, a pond or excavation, made while searching for the
remains of a brave officer who fell fighting for his country's freedom.
Sufficient water had accumulated there during the rainy season to
entitle it to the name of _Laguna_ or Lake of Genaro Vazquez, the name
of the aforementioned hero; but it was so filled with _bavas_,--a small
species of alligator,--terrapins, and toads, as to render the water
undrinkable.
But to return to our head-quarters, the structure of which struck me so
forcibly at first as a beehive of vast proportions, naturally suggesting
the idea of a "land of milk and honey." Unfortunately, neither of these
could be obtained for love or money, although the woods and pastures of
the estate abounded in both the creatures that produced them. So we were
compelled to resort to our reserved stock of _papelon_ to sweeten our
coffee, and to its own delicious natural aroma in the place of milk. As
to the house itself, it only differed from the rest in that region in
being larger, and perhaps in better order, than are the generality.
Imagine a pyramidal structure, thatched with palm-leaves, the roof
slanting to within a few feet of the ground, and supported on stout
posts of live timber, which served also as framework for the walls, and
you will have some idea of the style of architecture peculiar to the
country. Doors and windows are of no account in a country uniformly warm
throughout the year, and where the inhabitants possess few articles
capable of tempting the cupidity of light-fingered gentry. Therefore an
ox-hide stretched across the openings left in the walls to admit light
and the inmates is all that is required to keep off uninvited guests. As
an exception to this rule, our mansion of San Pablo had one or two rooms
set apart for invalids, provided with doors and windows of solid planks
of timber in the rough; the other apartments had the upper half of the
walls purposely left open, to admit full and free entrance of light and
air. A narrow piazza or corridor, formed by the slanting of the roof to
within five feet of the ground, ran along the entire length of the main
building, and was intended more as a protection to the rooms against the
sun and rains than as a resort for the inmates.
The first step, on arriving, was to secure a place in the open
reception-room for my own chattels and hammock, before all the
spare posts and hooks had been appropriated by my companions. This
accomplished, I proceeded to a thorough examination of my saddle and its
accoutrements, so as to have them adapted to the peculiar mode of
travelling in the Llanos. This care I left to the good judgment of our
attendants, not being myself sufficiently skilled in the art of mending,
greasing, and putting in order the complicated gear of our riding
equipment. In the same predicament were also my two English companions,
and our worthy doctor; a kind word, however, addressed to the
good-natured Llaneros--especially if accompanied with a drop of
aguardiente--never failed of enlisting their services in our favor.
Habit, as well as necessity, is sometimes the mother of invention, as my
experience soon taught me that, to get along in my new quarters, it
would be requisite to set aside the airs and insignia of civilization.
Divesting myself, therefore, of all such superfluities as coat, cravat,
pants, and shoes, I adopted the less cumbrous attire of the Llaneros,
consisting mainly of breeches tightly buttoned at the knee, and a loose
shirt, usually of a bright checkered pattern. Shoes are altogether
dispensed with in a country like the Llanos, subject to drenching rains,
and covered with mud during a great portion of the year, besides the
inconvenience they offer to the rider in holding the stirrup securely
when in chase of wild animals. The leg, however, is well protected from
the thorns and cutting grass of the savannas by a neat legging or
_botin_, made of buff-skin, tightly buttoned down the calf by knobs or
studs of highly polished silver. Another characteristic article of
dress, and one in which the wearers take great pride, is the linen
checkered handkerchief loosely worn around the head. Its object is
ostensibly to protect it from the intensity of the sun's rays; but
the constant habit of wearing it has rendered the handkerchief as
indispensable a head-dress to the Llaneros as is the cravat to the neck
of the city gentleman.
[The traveller proceeds with further details of the life of
these people, and with an account of their half-savage method
of slaughtering their cattle; which we can well omit for a more
general descriptive passage.]
The people inhabiting the vast region of the Llanos, although claiming
descent from the old Castilian race, once the rulers of the land, are,
in fact, an amalgamation of the various castes composing the present
population of the republic. These are the whites, or the descendants
of the European settlers of the country; the aboriginals or Indians,
and a great portion of blacks. In most of the towns the native whites
preponderate over all others, and represent the wealth as well as the
most respectable portion of the community; in the villages and thinly
populated districts of the plains a mongrel breed, resulting from the
admixture of these three, constitute the majority of the inhabitants.
These are dispersed over an area of twenty-seven thousand square miles,
making a proportion of only fourteen individuals, out of a population
of three hundred and ninety thousand, to every square mile.
This race, although vastly inferior to the first in mental capacity and
moral worth, is endowed with a physique admirably adapted to endure the
fatigues of a life beset with dangers and hardships. Cast upon a wild
and apparently interminable plain, the domain of savage beasts and
poisonous reptiles, their lot has been to pass all their life in a
perpetual struggle, not only with the primitive possessors of the land,
but with the elements themselves, often as fierce as they are grand.
When it is not the alarm of the dreaded viper or the spotted jaguar, it
is the sudden inroad of vast inundations, which, spreading with fearful
rapidity over the land, sweep off in one moment their frail habitations
and their herds. Nevertheless this insecure existence, this continual
struggle between life and death, between rude intellect and matter, has
for the Llanero a sort of fascination, perhaps not so well understood by
people possessing the blessings and ideas of civilization, but without
which he could not exist, especially if deprived of his horse and cast
among the mountain region north of his cherished plains.
The modern Centaur of the desolate regions of the New World, the Llanero
spends his life on horseback; all his actions and exertions must be
assisted by his horse; for him the noblest effort of man is when,
gliding swiftly over the boundless plain and bending over his spirited
charger, he overturns an enemy or masters a wild bull. The following
lines of Victor Hugo seem as though copied from this model: "He would
not fight but on horseback; he forms but one person with his horse; he
lives on horseback; trades, buys, and sells on horseback; eats, drinks,
sleeps, and dreams on horseback." Like the Arab he considers his horse
his best and most reliable friend on earth, often depriving himself of
rest and comfort after a hard day's journey to afford his faithful
companion abundance of food and water.
Few people in the world are better riders than the Llaneros of
Venezuela, if we except perhaps the Gauchos of Buenos Ayres, or equal
to either in the dexterity they display in the wonderful feats of
horsemanship to which their occupations in the field inure them from
childhood. Their horses, moreover, are so well trained to the various
evolutions of their profession, that animal and rider seem to possess
but one existence.
The life of the Llanero, like that of the Gaucho his prototype, is
singularly interesting, and resembles in many respects that of others
who, like them, have their abode in the midst of extensive plains. Thus
they have been aptly styled the Cossacks and the Arabs of the New World,
with both of whom they have many points in common, but more especially
do they resemble the last named. When visiting the famous Constantine
Gallery of paintings at Versailles, I was struck with the resemblance of
the Algerine heroes of Horace Vernet to our own, revealing at once the
Moorish descent of the latter, independently of other characteristic
peculiarities.
[Sir Francis Head, in his "Journeys across the Pampas," gives
the following description of the infancy of a closely similar
race.]
"Born in the rude hut, the infant Gaucho receives little attention, but
is left to swing from the roof in a bullock's hide, the corners of which
are drawn towards each other by four strips of hide. In the first year
of his life he crawls about without clothes, and I have more than once
seen a mother give a child of this age a sharp knife, a foot long, to
play with. As soon as he walks, his infantine amusements are those which
prepare him for the occupations of his future life; with a lazo made of
twine he tries to catch little birds, or the dogs, as they walk in and
out of the hut. By the time he is four years old he is on horseback,
and immediately becomes useful by assisting to drive the cattle into the
corral."
When sufficiently strong to cope with a wild animal, the young Llanero
is taken to the _majada_ or great cattle-pen, and there hoisted upon the
bare back of a fierce young bull. With his face turned towards the
animal's tail, which he holds in lieu of bridle, and his little legs
twisted round the neck of his antagonist, he is whirled round and round
at a furious rate. His position, as may be imagined, is anything but
equestrian; yet, the fear of coming in contact with the bull's horns
compels the rider to hold on until, by a dexterous twist of the animal's
tail while he jumps off its back, he succeeds in overturning his
antagonist.
In proportion as he grows older and stronger, a more manly amusement is
afforded him with the breaking in of a wild colt. This being, however, a
more dangerous experiment, in which many a young eagle "is rendered a
lame duck," he is provided with the necessary accoutrements to withstand
the terrible struggle with the animal. Firmly seated upon his back and
brandishing overhead a _chaparro_ vine for a whip, the apprentice is
thus installed in his new office, from which he must not descend until
the brute is perfectly subdued; the coil of lazo in the hands of his
merciless instructor would be the least evil awaiting him should he
otherwise escape safe and sound from the desperate kicks and plunges of
the horse.
Here commences what we may term the public life of the Llanero; his
education is now considered complete. From this moment all his endeavors
and ambition will be to rival his companions in the display of physical
force, which he shows to an admirable degree when, armed with his tough
lazo, he pursues the wild animals of his domain. If a powerful bull or
wild horse tries to escape into the open plain, the cavalier unfurls the
noose which is always ready by his side, and the fugitive is quickly
brought back to the corral. Should the thong give way under the
impetuous flight of the animal, the rider seizes him by the tail, and
whirling round suddenly, pulls towards him with so much force as to
cause his immediate overthrow.
In all these exercises the roving cavalier of the Llanos acquires that
feeling of security and enduring disposition for which he is famous.
Unfortunately, it is often turned to account in disturbing the balance
of power among his more enlightened countrymen; for he is always ready
to join the first revolutionary movement offering him the best chance
for equipping himself with arms of all descriptions. Next to the horse,
the Llanero esteems those weapons which give him a superiority over his
fellow-creatures,--viz., a lance, a blunderbuss, and a fine sword. If he
is unprovided with either of these, he considers himself a miserable and
degraded being, and all his efforts will tend to gratify this favorite
vanity even at the risk of his own life. Therefore he goes to war,
because he is sure, if victorious, of finding the battle-field covered
with these tempting trophies of his ambition. In this, unfortunately, he
is too often encouraged by a host of unprincipled politicians, who, not
wishing to earn a livelihood by fair means, are eternally plotting
against the powers that be.
THE FORESTS OF THE AMAZON AND MADEIRA RIVERS.
FRANZ KELLER.
[The author of the following selection, with his father, was
sent in 1867, by the Minister of Public Works at Rio Janeiro,
to explore the Madeira, and to project a railroad along its
banks where the rapids rendered navigation impossible. His
observations during this journey are given in "The Amazon and
Madeira Rivers," from which we extract his remarks concerning
the Brazilian forests.]