THE HOME OF MY CHILDHOOD IN SOUTH AMERICA--MY FATHER'S HISTORY--SENT TO
SCHOOL IN ENGLAND--LIFE AT SCHOOL--SUMMONED BACK TO AMERICA--VOYAGE WITH
MY UNCLE TO JAMAICA--SAIL FOR VENEZUELA--CHASED BY A SPANISH
MAN-OF-WAR--CROSS THE BAR OF THE MAGDALENA RIVER--DRIVEN ON SHORE BY A
STORM--BOAT NEARLY WRECKED--OUR NIGHT ENCAMPMENT--REPAIR BOAT--A DEER
SHOT--DISTURBED BY GOAHIRA INDIANS--FLIGHT--PURSUED--REACH THE PORT OF
CERVANOS--MEET TIM MOLLOY--HIS DELIGHT AT SEEING US--HOSPITABLY RECEIVED
BY THE COMMANDANT, BUT VERY INHOSPITABLY BY THE MOSQUITOES.
I should like to draw a picture, though I may succeed but imperfectly,
of the grand scenery amid which I passed my childhood's days.
Far in the west rose upwards in the intense blue sky the snow-capped
peaks of the Cordilleras, or Andes, of South America, with range beyond
range of lofty mountains intervening, the more distant rugged and
barren, the nearer clothed to their summits with trees, glittering
cascades leaping down their side? from rock to rock; while here and
there could be seen the openings of deep glens, at the bottom of which
copious streams came rushing forth, forming the headwaters of the mighty
Orinoco. Palms and other tropical trees surrounded our house, which
stood on a slightly elevated plateau, below which appeared a shining
lake of considerable dimensions fed by the mountain-streams, its waters
finding an outlet at one end, and from whence they flowed in a more
gentle current towards the western branch of the great river. Far to
the east and north extended a vast plain, in some parts covered with
dense forests, in others presenting an arid desert; while beyond were to
be found the wide-stretching llanos of Venezuela, bordered on the south
by the Orinoco.
The region I have described will be seen marked on the map, in the more
northern part of the South American continent. It is, indeed, a grand
country, abounding in valuable trees of various descriptions, and wild
animals and game of all sorts--jaguars, pumas, tapirs, and peccaries;
reptiles innumerable--alligators, anacondas, rattlesnakes; and birds of
various species, from the majestic condor and towering eagle down to the
diminutive humming-bird. But as I shall have to describe all sorts of
curious adventures, in which they and other animals played conspicuous
parts, I will not further particularise them at present.
As I was born in the country, it may be concluded that my father and
mother resided there. To my father, Barry Desmond, might have been
applied those touching lines of the poet Campbell:--
"There came to the beach a poor exile of Erin,
The dew on his thin robe was heavy and chill;
For his country he sighed, when at twilight repairing
To wander alone by the wind-beaten hill.
But the day-star attracted his eyes' sad devotion,
For it rose o'er his own native isle of the ocean,
Where once, in the fire of his youthful emotion,
He sang the bold anthem of Erin-go-bragh."
When a very young man,--scarcely eighteen years of age,--being a friend
of Thomas Addis Emmett and Lord Edward Fitzgerald (though his family
were firm Protestants), and carried away by mistaken patriotism, he had
been induced to take a part in the lamentable Irish rebellion of 1798,
which stained their beloved country with blood, and left her in a far
more deplorable condition than she had previously been. Young as he
was, my father had been actively engaged in the various skirmishes and
battles which occurred between the insurgent forces and the royal
troops. He was present at Arklow, Ross, and Vinegar-hill, where he was
wounded; and had it not been for the resolute courage of a devoted
follower, Tim Molloy, he would have fallen into the hands of the
victors. Carried off the field of battle, he was concealed for many
weeks in a mud hut by the faithful Tim; who, when a price was set on his
head, went forth nightly to obtain provisions, and finally assisted him
to reach the coast. He there, accompanied by Tim, embarked on board a
vessel bound for the West Indies; but unable to remain with safety in
any of the English islands, after long wanderings they landed on the
shores of Venezuela, then belonging to the Spaniards. Tim, fearing that
should his beloved master remain at any of their ports the Spanish
authorities might deliver him up to the English Government, urged him to
push farther inland. At length they reached the region I have
described, where their wanderings were over; for my father here found a
fellow-exile, Mr Denis Concannan, who had some years before arrived in
the country and married the daughter of a Spanish hidalgo of
considerable wealth. He was cordially received by Mr Concannan and his
wife, who had several sons and daughters,--one of whom, in the course of
time, became my father's wife and my mother.
His friends at home, to whom he at length divulged the place of his
retreat, might probably have obtained a pardon for him on the plea of
his youth, but, though still entertaining a warm affection for his
native land, he had become much attached to the country of his adoption,
which my mother also was unwilling to leave. My uncles, moreover, had
been sent to England for their education, where one of them continued to
reside; and my family thus kept up communication with the old country.
When I was old enough to go to school, my father determined to send me
also to the care of my Uncle Denis. As we had always spoken English in
our family, I did not feel myself completely a stranger in a strange
land; and brought up among English boys, I imbibed their ideas and
assumed their manners, and was, indeed, more of an Englishman than an
Irishman, and certainly more of either than of a Spaniard.
I need not mention any of the incidents of my school-life. They were
much like those other boys meet with,--nothing extraordinary. I made a
good many friends, and fought two or three battles. One was on the
occasion of Tom Rudge, a big fellow, calling me an Irish rebel, and
saying that my father had been hanged. I gave him the lie direct, and
replied that if he had been shot he would have died the death of a
gentleman, which was more than Rudge himself was; but that he had
neither been shot nor hanged, for he was alive and well, and that I
hoped to see him again before many years were over. I thereon planted
my fist between Rudge's eyes, which drew fire from them, and left them
both swollen and blackened. We then set to, and I was getting the best
of it, driving my antagonist backwards, when one of the ushers appeared,
and seizing hold of me carried me up to the doctor. I pleaded that I
had been grossly insulted. He replied that it was my duty to forgive
insult, and asked what Tom Rudge had said to me. I told him.
"I thought that you were an orphan," he observed, "the son of Mr
Concannan's sister, and that your father was dead."
"Mr Concannan is my uncle, sir," I replied; "but my father is alive and
well, I hope, in South America."
The expression of surprise which passed over the master's countenance
made me fear that I had said something imprudent.
"If your father were dead, that would only have aggravated Rudge's
fault," he said. "I do not excuse him; I will see what he has to say
for himself."
Rudge was sent for, and appeared with his two black eyes. The doctor
looked at him sternly, and reprimanded him for the language he had made
use of. "He has been punished, I see," he observed, "and I will
therefore remit the flogging he deserves, and which you, Master Desmond,
are liable to for fighting. Now, shake hands, and remember that the
next time you take to your fists I shall be compelled to punish you
both."
We shook hands as directed, and were sent back to the playground; and
neither did Rudge nor any one else again make any reflection on my
family. How he had found out that my father had been engaged in the
Irish rebellion I could not discover. He after this, for some time,
fought very shy of me, though from that day forth he gave up bullying,
and we became very good friends. Indeed, by the wise management of the
head-master, our school was really a very happy one, though fights
occasionally took place in spite of the punishment which we knew would
be inflicted were we discovered infringing its laws.
I had been there rather more than four years, and was now nearly sixteen
years of age, when one day the doctor sent for me.
"I am sorry that I am going to lose you, Desmond," he said. "I have
just received a letter from your uncle, desiring me to send you up to
town immediately, as he wishes you to accompany him to South America,
for which country he purposes forthwith setting out. I feel it my duty
to advise you as to your future conduct. The native inhabitants have, I
understand, for some years been engaged in a fearful struggle with the
Spaniards to become independent of the mother-country; and by the last
advices I see that it still continues. You may very probably be tempted
to take part with the insurgents; but I would urge you to remain
neutral. I do not enter into the point as to whether people have a
right to fight for their independence--and from what I know of the
Spaniards I fear their rule of their American provinces has been a most
tyrannical and unjust one; but I do know that those who draw the sword
are liable to perish by the sword, and I should be very sorry to hear
that such has been your fate."
"I am much obliged to you, sir, for your kind wishes," I answered, and I
felt the blood mantling my brow as I spoke; "but I cannot promise to sit
at home among the women and children when those I love are hazarding
their lives on the field of battle. I have heard enough of the way the
Spaniards have treated the inhabitants of Venezuela and New Granada to
make my heart burn with indignation and a desire to emancipate the
country my father has adopted from the cruel yoke pressing on it; and if
I am called on to fight in the cause, I cannot refuse through fear of
risking my life."
The doctor smiled, looking on me still as a boy.
"I suspect, Desmond, that the reason you have been sent for is, that you
may assist in protecting your mother and sisters should the older
members of your family be engaged elsewhere. Such I gather from the
tenor of your uncle's letter. However, remember what I have said, I beg
of you; and may a blessing accompany you wherever you go, as assuredly
my prayers will follow you."
I heartily thanked the kind doctor; and that very day--having said
good-bye to my school-fellows, including Rudge, who all heartily
expressed their hopes that I should not get shot, or be swallowed by an
anaconda, or eaten by a jaguar, and who regarded me with some little
jealousy on hearing that I was going to a country where I should meet
with all sorts of adventures--I set off for London.
My uncle, I found, had already engaged a passage on board a vessel bound
for Jamaica, whence he intended proceeding to the coast of Venezuela. I
had but little time to get an outfit, for two days afterwards we were
dropping down the Thames on board the good ship _Betsy_, bound out to
Kingston in Jamaica, to bring back a cargo of sugar. Next morning, when
I awoke, I could scarcely believe my senses. It seemed but an hour
since I had been at school, and I at first expected to hear the
morning-bell ring to call the boys up.
I quickly dressed and went on deck, when I found that we were already at
sea, and under all sail doubling the North Foreland. But I remembered
enough of my former voyage to be perfectly at home; and I felt as happy
as a bird let out of a cage, as it spreads its wings and soars into the
free air.
I told Uncle Denis what the doctor had said. He looked rather grave.
"I must leave you to be guided by your father," he said at length.
"Perhaps by the time we reach home the Spaniards may have been driven
out of the country, and the blessings of peace secured. We shall know
more about the matter when we get there." And he dropped the subject.
On the voyage, however, when it was calm, Uncle Denis gave me
instruction in the use of firearms. We aimed at bottles thrown
overboard as marks, and sometimes had a target rigged out at the end of
a studdingsail-boom; so I soon became a good shot, both with rifle and
pistol.
"Now, Barry," said my uncle, "let us try what we can do with the sword."
And producing some sword-sticks, he made me take one. Somewhat to my
surprise I found that he was an expert swordsman. He quickly initiated
me into the mysteries of attack and defence, which gave us plenty of
occupation, as it was seldom so rough that we could not practise with
our weapons; and many of the other passengers followed our example. I
did not, however, altogether forget my books, and employed myself in
studying Spanish grammatically. Altogether, we had a pleasant voyage,
and arrived safely at Port Royal.
Leaving the ship, we took up our abode at Kingston, which I thought a
remarkably hot and unpleasant place.
My uncle laughed at my complaints of the heat. "You'll find your native
land much hotter, my boy," he observed. "You've been so long getting
cooled down in England that you forget what heat is."
I suppose that I had done so; though my father's house being on elevated
ground, the atmosphere round it was much cooler than in the low plains.
We had to wait for some time till my uncle could secure a passage on
board a schooner, the _Flying Fish_, Captain Longswill, bound for the
coast of Venezuela. She was a fast, rakish craft, carrying four long
guns, and a parti-coloured crew of determined-looking fellows. Soon
after we got on board, she made sail out of the harbour and stood away
for her destination.
"You should know how to load and work a gun," said my Uncle Denis to me,
after we had got clear of the land; "you may some day have to use one in
earnest."
I, of course, was perfectly ready to be instructed; and the captain
directing three of the crew to assist us, we cast the gun loose, loaded
it, and fired it off. This we did several times, Uncle Denis desiring
me to watch carefully how each movement was made. I worked away with
him till my arms and back ached. By that time I began to feel myself an
accomplished gunner. We then ran in the gun and secured it.
We performed the same operation the next day, the whole crew being also
exercised at the guns. We then took a turn at rifle-shooting and
sword-exercise.
The _Flying Fish_ had a full and valuable cargo of merchandise which was
worth protecting; and as pirates at that time swarmed in those seas, it
was important to be able to beat them off, though few would have dared
to attack so stout a vessel as our schooner.
We were frequently becalmed, but in about a week we sighted the lofty
summits of the eastern range of the mighty Cordilleras, which sweeps
round along the northern coast of that portion of South America. As we
drew nearer, the view was indeed grand and sublime, some of the
mountains being of so great a height as to be at all times covered with
snow; while their bases, adorned with the finest trees and shrubs, are
clothed with perpetual verdure. We were expecting to get in close
enough the next day to land part of our cargo, when a perfect calm came
on, and the sun went down in a blaze of glory, shedding a golden hue
over the sky, reflected in the glass-like ocean.
The next morning, as I was about to turn out, I heard several persons
come into the cabin, and found that they were taking down the arms
arranged against the after bulkhead. My uncle was placing a brace of
pistols in his belt and girding on a sword.
On my asking what was the matter. "You'll know presently," he answered.
"Arm yourself as I have done;" and he hurried from the cabin.
I quickly dressed, and doing as he directed me, followed him on deck. I
there found the guns cast loose, and the crew at their quarters; and on
looking out astern I saw a large vessel, a man-of-war corvette, under
all sail, standing towards us. The wind was scarcely strong enough to
blow out her canvas, while we were still becalmed, but she was
apparently bringing up the breeze with her; while between us and her
were two large boats full of men, approaching evidently with the
intention of boarding us. The headmost fired a shot at the schooner--to
try the range, I suppose--but it fell short.
"What can that vessel want with us?" I asked of my uncle. "We are not
now at war with any country, and she looks too large a ship to be a
pirate."
"She is a Spanish man-of-war," he answered. "She takes us to belong to
the Republicans, and, though we have shown English colours, wishes to
overhaul us."
"But if the Spaniards were to come on board, what harm could they do
us?" I asked.
"They might find articles they would object to among the cargo; and the
captain has no wish to have the vessel searched," he answered.
Uncle Denis was perfectly composed, and seemed to take the matter as
nothing unusual. I felt as I had never felt before, for I fully
expected before many minutes were over to be engaged in a desperate
fight.
The schooner had all her sails set, though at present they were useless;
but on looking over the side I observed cat's-paws playing on the
surface of the ocean. Now they appeared, now they vanished, but as yet
we had not felt the slightest breath of wind. Presently, however, I saw
the dog-vane rise and flutter slightly; again it drooped.
The corvette meantime was stealing up, and the boats were getting nearer
and nearer. A shot from the headmost one could now have reached us, but
she appeared to be waiting for the other to get up with her. Captain
Longswill every now and then took a glance astern to watch them.
Suddenly, in a cheery voice, he ordered the crew to trim sails, and our
canvas bulging out slightly, the schooner began to glide slowly through
the water. Just then I saw a puff of smoke issue from one of the boats,
and a shot came ricochetting over the water, passing close to our
quarter. The captain laughed. "You're a little too late, my boys," he
observed; "you should have pulled harder than you did if you wished to
get up with us."
The shot now came flying towards us as fast as the Spaniards could load
their guns, but they all either dropped into the water astern or went
whizzing by on either side. Though a gun had been slewed round and
pointed through one of the after-ports, we had not fired a shot. "We
might probably knock the boat to pieces, but there is no object in so
doing if we can escape them with our heels," observed Uncle Denis. "You
see, Barry, we are peaceably disposed, though we don't wish to be
interfered with."
I now suspected, what I afterwards found to be the case, that the
_Flying Fish_ had arms and stores on board for the insurgents, which she
was to land at any port in their possession, or else at a part of the
coast where some of their troops could collect to receive them. The
difficulty was to ascertain the places in the hands of the republicans,
for they might have possession of a town one day, and it might be taken
from them the next.
I was perfectly ready to fight, but I had no special wish to do so if it
could be avoided; and I was therefore glad to see our sails fill out
with the steady breeze, and to find that we were dropping the boats
astern. The corvette was still coming on, but she no longer gained on
us; and the wind still further increasing, we found that the _Flying
Fish_ was much the faster craft. We were compelled, however, to haul
our wind and stand off the coast; and soon after noon had run the
corvette out of sight.
This adventure delayed us. After standing off for some days, we hove
to, keeping a sharp look-out. The next morning, having a good breeze,
we again stood in towards the coast. No sail like the corvette
appearing, we stood on till we reached the mouth of the magnificent
river Magdalena, inferior only in size to the Orinoco and Amazon on that
part of the continent. After forming numerous lakes, it empties itself,
by three mouths, into the Caribbean Sea. Off one of these mouths we
brought up, my uncle proposing to land with our property, and ascertain
the places held by the Republicans at which the _Flying Fish_ could
safely discharge her cargo. We were afterwards to ascend the stream as
far as it was navigable, a voyage which would occupy us some weeks. The
spot where we were to leave the river was about three days' journey by
land from Santa Fe de Bogota, the capital of the province of New
Granada. After the boat had put us on shore, she was to return to the
schooner with the information we could obtain.
Wishing good-bye to our friends, who gave us three cheers, we shoved
off; the captain crying out, "Be smart, my lads, and be back as soon as
possible; I don't quite like the look of the weather."
"Ay, ay, sir!" was the answer; and we pulled away towards the passage,
which led into one of the large lakes through which the river Magdalena
passes.
There was some sea on the bar, but not sufficient to make us hesitate to
attempt it. On we pulled, the water foaming and leaping up. As we
approached the more dangerous part, I saw my uncle looking astern at a
large roller roaring up after us. "Pull for your lives, my lads!" he
shouted. The men gave way, and though the water rushed over the quarter
and half-filled the boat, the stern lifted, and shooting forward, in
another minute we were on the calm surface of the lake.
We pulled up, keeping towards its western shore. It was fringed with a
broad belt of mangrove-trees standing on numberless branching roots
which extended far into the water. So dense and tall were these trees
that the view beyond them was completely shut out, while not a spot of
dry ground appeared which would have afforded us a landing-place had we
wished to get on shore. The scenery, indeed, was altogether
unattractive and gloomy,--very different from that which I had expected
to see.
We had not gone far when the weather, as the captain had predicted,
suddenly changed. Dark clouds chased each other at a rapid rate across
the hitherto blue sky; the wind came in fitful gusts, increasing every
instant; and the water, before so calm, rose in foaming waves with
extraordinary suddenness,--the cause of which, my uncle observed, was
the shallowness of the lake. Still we continued our course, hoping to
get to the village of Cervanos, where we could procure a bongo, or
native canoe, in which we could perform our voyage of eight hundred
miles up the Magdalena; and where also, should it, as we hoped, be in
the hands of the Republicans, we might obtain the information we
required to send back to the schooner. The fury of the wind, which, now
shifting, blew partly across and partly down the lake, made it
impossible for us to proceed in the direction we desired; and an opening
among the mangrove-trees, which my uncle hoped might prove the mouth of
a stream, appearing, he steered towards it.
Scarcely had we got the boat's head round when the gale came down upon
us with redoubled fury, and sent her flying along with only two oars out
at a furious speed. A small palm-branch which, floating by, my uncle
picked up, was almost blown out of his hands as he held it in the air.
We were fortunately right in conjecturing that we were entering the
mouth of a stream; so we went on some distance with unabated speed, when
a crash was heard, and the water came rushing into the boat. We had run
against a sunken log or projecting root. Still we ran on, while the man
in the bows attempted to stop the leak with his jacket and the boat's
sail, and my uncle and I bailed as fast we could with our hats. Every
moment we expected the boat to fill; but presently we saw a narrow
opening, through which we rushed, with only space sufficient for the
oars on each side to avoid the roots of the mangrove-trees, while the
dense foliage formed a wall of verdure high above our heads.
We had no provisions with us, and we could not tell whether the region
into which we were penetrating was inhabited by hostile Indians or wild
beasts and venomous serpents. After going some way, however, the stream
widened, and at the same time became shallower; and the mangrove-trees
ceasing, we found ourselves in the midst of a dense forest. Looking out
anxiously on both sides, we observed a bank which would afford us a
small space on which to land; so pulling up to it, we hurriedly sprang
on shore. In spite of all our efforts, the boat was nearly half-full of
water.
Our first care was to land our baggage, and especially to keep our guns
and ammunition dry. We then, having piled our property together, by our
united efforts hauled up the boat, and the extent of the damage she had
received was soon discovered. A hole had been made through a plank, a
portion of which had also been ripped off. It was a wonder the boat had
not filled and gone down. We had no tools--not even a marling-spike to
serve as a hammer--with which to repair her. The crew took the matter
very coolly, only observing that they wished they had some grog and
grub.
"I will try what I can do for you in the way of getting provisions,"
said my uncle, "and I hope to be able to shoot some birds, or an animal
of some sort; but in the meantime we must endeavour to repair the boat.
We can draw some nails from the seats, where they are of less
consequence; and we must cut some canvas out of the sail, if we can find
no plank to fasten over the hole."
Encouraged by my uncle, the men set to work to draw some nails out of
the stern-sheets with their knives; and we then managed to turn the boat
over. The canvas alone, it was evident, would not keep the water out of
the boat, even though backed by a piece of one of the bottom boards
which was broken off. My uncle, however, after examining the trees in
the neighbourhood, found a large one with a smooth bark; in this he made
a hole with one of the men's knives, and immediately a thick white
liquid issued from it. Sending for the piece of canvas, he allowed the
liquid to flow over it till it had formed a thick, hard cake.
"Now, my lads," he said, "stick that plaster over the hole, and nail the
board tightly over it. I will answer for it that no water gets through,
whatever it may do round the edges."
The plan succeeded; but still, only the most foolhardy would have
attempted to recross the bar in so unseaworthy a boat; indeed, with our
baggage on board, it was very doubtful whether we could accomplish the
rest of our voyage in her.
We had been so busily engaged in endeavouring to repair our boat, that
night came suddenly down on us before we were aware of its approach, and
we had no time to make preparations for encamping. Fortunately,
however, we had a tinder-box and matches; but it was difficult to
collect fuel in the dark, and we were afraid, when groping about, that
we might put our hands on a venomous snake, as we knew that such
creatures usually abound in the forests on level ground near the water.
I could not help recollecting the tales I had heard in my childhood from
my good nurse Josefa; and I thought it more than probable that a jaguar
or puma might attack us while asleep, or an alligator come out of the
stream and make his supper off one of us, or that an anaconda might come
crawling by and swallow the whole party at a gulp. Still, it was
important that we should have a fire; and my uncle suggested that we
should kindle a small one, the light from which would enable us to
obtain fuel with greater ease. We followed his advice, and in a short
time had collected dried branches sufficient, as we hoped, to keep the
fire burning during the night.
The men then began to cry out for something to eat, when Uncle Denis
remembered that he had a tin of biscuits and a case of wine, which he
had brought for emergencies. We had a tin cup and a small breaker; but
the men, supposing that they would not be long absent from the schooner,
had neglected to fill it with water, while that in the stream, as the
tide was then rising, was brackish. They continued grumbling for some
time, till Uncle Denis produced the biscuits and a bottle of wine, which
he divided among them and ourselves. Our scanty supper being finished,
the men threw themselves down by the side of the fire, hoping that the
smoke would keep off the mosquitoes, which swarmed round us in myriads.
"Hallo, my lads!" observed Uncle Denis; "you take things too easily. We
must set a watch, or our fire will go out, and by the morning some one
among us may have lost the number of his mess."
This hint aroused them, and they agreed that we should each keep watch
for two hours at a time, and draw lots who should keep the first watch.
The lot fell upon me. So, while the rest of the party lay down, I stuck
a brace of pistols in my belt, took a fowling-piece in my hand, and
prepared to do the duty of a sentry.
The scene to me was strange and novel. The dark forest towering above
our heads, the flickering flames casting an uncertain light on the giant
trunks, and the tracery of sepos or twisting vines, which interlaced the
branches and hung down in festoons and ropelike lines to the ground,
along which they ran, often assuming the appearance of huge serpents;
indeed, more than once, as I paced up and down, I could not help
fancying that an anaconda, or boa-constrictor, or rattlesnake was
creeping towards us. In the centre of the small open space was the
fire, with my companions sleeping round it; near them the pile of
baggage and the overturned boat; while the dark stream flowed by with a
murmuring sound. Beyond, though we were sheltered from the wind, I
could see the lofty summits of the trees waving in the gale, which
howled amid their branches, making them rattle and creak; while from the
depths of the forest came strange unearthly cries. At first they seemed
almost supernatural, and a feeling of awe, somewhat allied to alarm,
crept over me; till I recollected that they were probably produced by
howling monkeys and other wild animals.
I kept, as may be supposed, a very sharp look-out, with my eyes
constantly turned to one side or the other, generally towards the
forest. Every now and then I threw a few sticks on the fire, to keep up
a bright blaze, so that I might not be caught unawares. Still, every
moment I half expected to see a jaguar or serpent, or perhaps a band of
wild Indians, creeping amid the trees towards us. All the time the
detestable mosquitoes were buzzing about my head, effectually preventing
me from going to sleep; and I wondered how my companions could contrive
to do so.
At length, at the end of two hours, my uncle awoke, and told me to lie
down. He was to take the next watch. I wrapped my face in a
handkerchief, and in spite of my apprehensions was soon fast asleep.
When morning broke, the gale was still blowing as hard as ever, as we
saw by the way the tree-tops moved. We were unable, therefore, to
continue our voyage. We could not help also feeling some anxiety about
the fate of the schooner; till the men observed that, as the wind was
off the shore, she would probably have run out to sea, or might have
remained safely at anchor.
Matters were now growing unpleasant, if not serious. My uncle told me
that he was more apprehensive of an attack from Indians than from wild
beasts, as a large and savage tribe--the Goahiras--inhabited the whole
region bordering the coast; and should any wandering party discover us,
and suppose that we were Republicans, they would certainly attack us and
put us to death, as they had been induced to side with the Spaniards.
We accordingly launched our boat, but found the water leak in so rapidly
that it was evident it would not do to put the baggage on board till the
last moment. As we had no more nails, we could not expect effectually
to stop the leak.
We had now exhausted all the biscuits, and were again very hungry.
Uncle Denis and I accordingly took our fowling-pieces and endeavoured to
make our way through the forest, in the hope of shooting some birds or
monkeys--indeed, any creature with flesh on its bones would have been
welcome. It was only with the greatest difficulty that we could advance
even a few steps, in consequence of the numberless creepers. Now and
then we caught a glimpse of gay-plumaged birds amid the few openings
between the branches; but to shoot them was impossible, and we heard the
monkeys chattering, and nuts and broken twigs came rattling down on our
heads as the nimble creatures leaped from tree to tree.
We dared not venture far into the forest, for fear of losing our way;
besides which, it was necessary to proceed very cautiously, lest we
should be surprised by a jaguar or tread on any venomous serpent. We
neither of us at that time, it must be remembered, had any experience of
tropical forests, or we might have been more successful.
At length we were making our way back to the river, when just as we got
in sight of it we heard a rustling among the foliage. My uncle signed
to me to stop, and I fully expected to see a jaguar springing towards
us. He advanced cautiously a few paces; then stopped a moment, and
fired. At the same instant I saw a good-sized deer, which had been
going towards the water to drink. The animal made one spring, and then
fell over dead. With an exulting shout of satisfaction my uncle dashed
forward, and I followed him; while the men, hearing our voices, came
running up, and quickly bore the deer to our camp.
While Uncle Denis and I relighted our fire, which had gone out, the men
skinned and cut up the animal, and we soon had some slices roasting on
forked sticks.
"If we had had some nails, this deer-skin would have assisted famously
to patch up our boat," observed one of the men.
"Though we have no nails, we may secure it under her bottom with ropes,
and perhaps it will answer as well," said my uncle.
His suggestion was acted on; and again hauling up the boat, we covered
the hairy side of the skin thickly with mud, and then lashed it to the
bows, bringing one end up above water. On once more launching the boat,
we found that the plan succeeded beyond our expectations, but little
water leaking in.
Our patience was still to be tried: as yet the gale gave no signs of
abating. As we had a good supply of food, we had no cause to complain,
except on account of the delay. No one expected us at Cervanos, and the
captain of the schooner knew well that his boat could not cross the bar.
Our principal cause of anxiety was, that the Goahira Indians might
discover us, and perhaps commence an attack before we had time to let
them know that we were English. Uncle Denis thought it prudent,
therefore, to reload the boat, that we might be ready to shove off at a
moment's notice. We accordingly prepared everything for a start; but as
the wind was still violent, there was but little chance of our getting
away that evening. We therefore, before dark, collected a good supply
of fuel, so that we had enough to maintain a blazing fire during the
hours of darkness.
As on the previous night, we kept vigilant watch. The earlier watches
were kept by the men, and my uncle and I agreed to take those of the
morning. I was to succeed him. When he called me, I got up and
examined the priming of my pistols, and, taking my gun in my hand, began
to pace up and down. My uncle, instead of lying down, joined me.
"I will keep you company, Barry," he said; "though the bright fire we
have had may have scared away the jaguars, it may have attracted the
notice of the Indians, and perhaps at daylight they may be coming this
way to ascertain its cause. The wind appears to have gone down
considerably, and we shall be wiser to shove off as soon as we have
light to see our way, without waiting for breakfast. I will put some
steaks to roast and we can eat them in the boat."
I replied that I thought his suggestion a good one; and while he was
occupied as he proposed, I kept marching up and down. Some time had
passed, when I fancied that I heard a rustling noise among some thick
bushes near me. I cocked my gun, ready to fire, and pointed it in the
direction from whence the sound I had heard proceeded. Uncle Denis,
seeing this, came forward, and we stood for some time watching the spot;
but as nothing appeared, we thought that we must be mistaken. Still, at
every turn I took an inquisitive look in that direction; and before long
I again heard the sound. I stepped back and told my uncle.
"If a jaguar or puma were there, the creature would come forward. I
suspect that some Indians are watching us; and if so, depend on it they
will have sent to collect their companions to attack us," answered my
uncle. "I will rouse up the men, and the sooner we get on board the
better."
He on this shook each seaman, and in a low voice told them to collect
the few things remaining on shore, and creep quietly down to the boat;
directing me to retire in the same direction. The men obeyed him, and I
followed, glancing round every now and then at the suspected point.
They had got out the oars, and I was in the act of stepping on board,
when a fearful yell rent the air. At the same moment a number of
half-naked savages, armed with bows and spears, tall feathers
ornamenting their heads, and the skins of wild beasts floating from
their shoulders, dashed out of the forest. My uncle took the helm, and
the seamen gave way with might and main. The current was strong, and
the savages had some distance to traverse before they could reach the
margin of the stream. As they saw us escaping, they let fly a shower of
arrows; but from the uncertain light--for the dawn was only just
breaking--their aim was, fortunately, bad; and by the time they reached
the edge of the water we had got some way down the stream. We did not
relax our exertions, for they might possibly follow us along the banks,
and, as the river took two or three turns, cut us off at some narrow
part. Their arrows, my uncle afterwards told me, he believed were
poisoned. The Indians shot another flight, several of which dropped
unpleasantly close astern of us; but they now saw that we were beyond
their reach, though their fierce shouts and cries still followed us.
The wind had by this time completely fallen. We made rapid way down the
stream, happily escaping any sunken logs, and once more saw the broad
surface of the lake extended before us. Still, there was no time to be
lost, as the Indians might possibly have canoes concealed along the
banks, and might follow us; though, unless they had the agility of
monkeys, there was little probability of their making their way among
the mangrove-trees.
"If they do come, we must try and keep them at bay," observed my uncle.
"None of them appear to have firearms, and our guns will tell upon them
before they can get us within reach of their arrows."
The men, having no wish to fight where nothing was to be gained, pulled
away as fast as they could lay their backs to the oars; and we soon shot
through the narrow opening, and rounding the extreme point of the bay
into which the stream emptied itself, we steered for the village for
which we were bound. We had a long pull before us; but fortunately the
deer-skin kept the water out very well, and we had only occasionally to
bail to keep her clear. I could not refrain from giving a glance astern
every now and then, to ascertain if the Indians were coming; but we saw
nothing more of them.
We had brought away a supply of the cooked venison, and after rowing
some distance the oars were laid in, and we turned to to breakfast. My
uncle served out a cup of wine to each of the men; it was the only
liquid we had, as the water of the lake was salt. We would gladly have
exchanged the wine for a cup of tea or even fresh water, as the rays of
the sun, striking down from a cloudless sky, made us suffer greatly from
thirst; the men, especially, who had to row, felt the want of water.
We at length, some time past noon, came in sight of the village, which
stood close to the edge of the lake. Part of it consisted of Indian
huts, scattered about without much order. At the further end, on
slightly elevated ground, was a sort of fortification, surrounded by a
mud wall, with loopholes for musketry, high palisades, and a
chevaux-de-frise; while above it floated the Republican flag. We saw
sentries posted at each angle, who were evidently keeping a sharp
look-out.
We steered for a landing-place under the fort. Just before we reached
it, a large native boat, which had apparently come down the stream, had
arrived, and the passengers were landing from her. Among them was a
middle-aged man; from his complexion, even when I saw him at a distance,
I guessed that he was a European. He stopped when he saw our boat touch
the shore, and came slowly forward, eyeing us narrowly. The peculiarity
of his features and costume, and the thick stick he carried in his hand,
showed unmistakably that he was an Irishman. He now stopped, and looked
first at my uncle and then at me; then, giving a flourish of his
shillelagh and two or three wild leaps, he shouted, "Erin-go-bragh!--
shure it's the young masther and Misther Denis themselves, and no
other," and came bounding towards us.
I at once recognised my father's faithful follower, Tim Molloy; who, in
spite of his age, had lost none of his youthful spirits or activity.
"Shure, it's wonderful, isn't it, Misther Denis, that I should fall in
with you the very moment I had come, expecting to have to wait many a
month, maybe, before my old eyes would be gladdened with the sight of
you," he exclaimed, after we had got on shore. "And as the look of the
place isn't altogether over-pleasant, shure you'll be willing to start
away again up the river, without spending any time down here?"
Uncle Denis said he should be ready to commence our voyage the following
day but one, as he hoped by that time to have got through some business
he had to transact at Cervanos; on hearing which Tim expressed his
satisfaction.
We immediately, as may be supposed, made inquiries about all at home.
"As to health, the masther, and misthress, and the childher, are all
mighty well," replied Tim; "and Misthress Nora is as bright and blooming
as a May morning in the `old country,' and as tall almost as you,
Masther Barry--not a young lady in the land to equal her. And Masther
Gerald is as fine a boy as you can set eyes on for his age in any part
of the country: he can handle a rifle or paddle a canoe as well as any
Indian. And the rest, who were mere babies when you went away, are now
grown into fine, hearty childher. But, to tell you the truth, I would
rather see the masther wear a more cheerful countenance than he does.
He's throubled about the times, which are unquiet enough, it must be
owned; though we have never yet had a visit from the Spanish troops,
it's more than we can say when they may be upon us."
Tim gave us much more information about the state of affairs at home
than I need here repeat, and answered numerous questions which Uncle
Denis put to him, after we had reached our quarters. We found about a
hundred and fifty soldiers garrisoning the fort, the commandant of which
received us very civilly, and offered us a room in the house he
inhabited; while Tim took charge of our baggage, and saw it safely
stowed away. Uncle Denis wished to have the boat properly repaired
before she returned, although the crew declared that she was quite fit
to make the passage back to the schooner.
As soon as my uncle had gained the information he required, and had
written his despatches to the captain, they put off, with such
provisions as we were able to obtain for them,--having also filled their
breaker with water. Whether they got back we could not ascertain; but I
know that the schooner landed her cargo, which was much wanted by the
patriots. It was not till long after this that I again heard of Captain
Longswill, when he rendered me an essential service, as I shall narrate
in due course.
Tim lost no time in seeking a boat and crew, and making other
preparations for our long river-voyage.
We spent the evening with the commandant, who gave us many interesting
accounts of the war which had long been raging in the country. On the
whole, the patriots had been successful, though the forces of the King
of Spain were better drilled, and were well supplied with arms and
ammunition. The Spaniards had also made an alliance with numerous
Indian tribes; and by spreading among them false reports regarding the
objects of the patriots, the Goahira Indians, whose territory was at no
great distance from Cervanos, had been induced to side with the
Royalists. Several severe encounters had already taken place between
them and the patriots, and it was expected that they would before long
attack the fort itself. Our friend the commandant described them as a
peculiarly savage and warlike race, possessing more than the usual
intelligence of the native tribes, and able to bring several thousand
men into the field.
"I hope that they may not be induced to attack Cervanos," observed my
uncle; "though I doubt not that your soldiers would fight bravely, it is
but a small place to resist so powerful a force."
"We shall give a good account of them if they venture to come," answered
the commandant gaily; "we fear neither them nor any troops the Spaniards
can bring against us. We have scouts out in all directions to give due
notice of their approach, and are not likely to be taken by surprise.
Some of the scouts are Indians, others Sambos or whites; but we depend
most on the Indians, who know the habits of their people, and are likely
to bring us the most correct intelligence of their movements."
After further conversation we retired to our room--I cannot say to our
couches; for, with the utmost wish to be hospitable, the commandant
could supply us with neither bedsteads nor bedding. Our saddles, which
were to be used in our overland journey, served us for pillows; and some
horse-cloths and cloaks answered the purpose of mattresses and
coverlets. Notwithstanding this, we should have slept soundly enough
had it not been for the mosquitoes, which hummed round our ears all
night, darting down and running their trunks into every spot they could
find exposed. It was a severe lesson, and reminded us that we must
obtain mosquito-curtains to surround out beds at night, or we should be
eaten up before we had performed half our voyage.