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Photographic

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SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES;

WITH

A TRIP ACROSS SOUTH AMERICA.

HENRY E. CROASDAILE,

HETIRED LiaCTBNAMT, B.V.

LONDON:

THB TOWN AND COUNTRY PUBLISHING COMPANY, LIMITED,

23. WABWICK LANE. PATEBNOSTEB BOW.

1873.

r,3>

■t

—•-•■»■■»■'

PREFACE.

In offering to the Public these few imperfect sketches
of what the Author saw, did, and heard, while
sojourning in the far West, he desires not to lay claim
to originality — for he believes that many similar
incidents are far better described elsewhere by more
able pens than his, and he has trod on no new
ground — but to rest his plea for their acceptance
on whatever merit they may possess as being, to
some extent, the records of a naval officer's life
while serving on the Pacific station. He made little
or no effort to collect information about persons and
places, which a more experienced writer would have
done, but contented himself with simply jotting
down his own experiences and thoughts, and any
little incident communicated to him in an ordinary
way which he considered might prove interesting.
If he may l^ve been a little inaccurate in some

■W

<^»»6»»o

PREFACE.

statements, it is only in trivial points, for which he
* * would ask the indulgence of the reader, for there
* is no intention to *' extenuate or set down ought in
malice."

It may be objected, and perhaps rightly, that he
has entered too much into particulars of a certain
kind, so he must plead in the words of honest
Corporal Triro^ — " I believe, an' it please your
honour," quoth the Corporal, ''that, if it had not
been for the quantity of brandy we set fire to every
night, and the claret and cinnamon with which I
plied your honour off" — "And the Geneva, Trim,"
added my uncle Toby, *' which did us more good
than all " — " I verily believe," continued the Cor-
poral, "we had both, an' it' please your honour,
left our lives in the trenches, and been buried in
them, too." '

ill he
there
rht in

lat he
sertain
honest
J your
ad not
) every
^hich I
Trim,"
re good
the Cor-
honour,
iiried in

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

CHAPTER I.

"A Oastilla ya Leon
Nuevo mundo dio Colon."

Not many years since, it was ordered, by an econo-
mical Board of Admiralty, that the oflScers and crew
of the flag-ship on the Pacific station were to be
relieved, and a new ship's company was sent out in
a line-of-battle ship (an almost disused class of vessel,
except for such purposes) to Panama, which Isthmus
they were to cross by train and take possession of
the flag-ship, the old crew of which was to return
again to " Merry England " in the line-of-battle
ship from Aspinwall. Amongst the new " lot " was
the writer of these pages, who will hereafter be dis-
tinguished by the personal pronoun "I," and who,
if the reader has enough spare time to follow him,
will introduce him or her to scenes and people in the
" Far West," and endeavour to interest to the best
of his powers.

As we leave the familiar waters of the Atlantic
behind, and approach the mighty continent— large

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

im>

,' w

districts of which are still new, and waiting to sur-
render the riches of their mountains and plains to
enterprising man — on which I hope to spend many
days and see something of its forests, prairies and
streams, and also to have a peep at brother Jonathan
in his own abode, I shall commence this journal and
jot down any incidents of travel, and of '' flood and
field," which it may be interesting to refer back to
in future years.

It was in the month of January, 1870, we ap-
proached the shores of America. To many of us it
was a first visit, and, therefore, we eagerly watched
the nearing land, to gain an early impression of the
New World. The view of Colon, or Aspinwall, as
the Americans always call it, did not impress us
very deeply with a sense of its importance, its only
claim to notice being that it is the terminus of the
railway, which was, perhaps, the most enterprising
undertaking ever accomplished, until the Union
Pacific Railway was constructed. All that could be
seen from the ship were a few houses standing amid
some cocoa-nut trees, on a low shore, along which a
heavy surf was breaking — a long shed and buildings
on the right, showing the position of the railway
station. The neighbouring country was covered
with a mass of thick, impenetrable-looking jungle,
spread over ranges of low hills. The bay swarmed
with sharks, several of which we caught while lying
in the roads. To facilitate the disembarking of the

M 'Ht;:;.'.'

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

large number of men we had on board — ^nearly eight
hundred — ^we went alongside one of the wharves,
and thus had the benefit of a railway running almost
up to the ship's side, and were able to put all the
baggage and stores on the luggage cars as they were
landed.

Soon after the old ship had thus settled to rest
from the fatigues of her journey from England, some
of us sallied forth to have a look at the town. Drink-
ing bars and hotels were the predominant features
in its long and one-sided street, and dirt, curs, and
ugly negroes abounded. Not long ago this place
was periodically the scene of great bustle and acti-
vity; the hotels crowded, the negroes, whom we
now see loitering idly about, busily employed as
porters, and trains travelling across the Isthmus
laden with passengers and freight. This was T^^fore
the railway from New York to San Francisco was
finished, and when great tides of people flowed to
and from California. In the first six months of '68,
thirty-six thousand passengers passed through As-
pinwall. The steamers from New York were fre-
quently so crowded that there was not sufficient
accommodation in the town for them, and often the
steamers from Panama to San Francisco were not
large enough to carry them on. I have been told of
men offering three and four times the passage money,
in order that they might not be left behind.

Aspinwall is situated on a small island some three

. ■'. B a

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

miles in circumfcrenco, which is divided from the
mainland partly by lagoons and partly by swampy
morasses, which render its climate a most un-
healthy one for Europeans.

The Monday following our arrival, the first
division of officers and men started to cross the
Isthmus. Wo fell in on the wharf alongside the
ship, and marched up to the cars, the drums and
fifes leading. It was something new to Jack,
crossing an isthmus by trains en masse, and every-
one was in the highest spirits. All were in, the
engine gave its hoarse whistle, and we slowly
glided away from our romaining men and officers,
through a crowd of yellow, chattering negroes,
along the street of Colon — for the line occupies its
centre — where, in the balcony of an hotel, we saw
the flag-captain— a general favourite. Cheer after
cheer saluted him as we passed, but the train moved
quickly on, and, in a short time, we took what
seemed likely to be our last gaze at the Atlantic
for some years.

The Panama Railway was commenced in 1848,
and finished in about seven years, after many
difficulties and interruptions had been met with,
and successfully surmounted. The cost per mile
was something over thirty-three thousand pounds,
and it is said that a life was lost for every sleeper
laid down. The greatest difficulty was obtaining
labourers, for the climate was dreadful, and the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

powerful malaria arising from swamps and masses
of decaying vegetation was the deadly foe to be
encountered. Natives, Chinese, Negroes, Irish,
Germans, and Americans, were successively h. 'Ught
to complete this mighty undertaking, and to nearly
all it proved fatal ; for few, very few, • ut o'" the
hundreds who worked on that perilous railway,
survivea. There were men breathing fever wuding
b ,amps, fighting pumas and alligators, eaten by
noxious insects, evading boa-constrictors and other
reptiles, all for a couple of dollars a day. Well may
it be called the *' almighty dollar ! " Negroes from
the Southern states, and workmen from America,
bore the climate best, and finished the work.

The vegetation surrounding the line was most
beautiful. All the wild magnificent grouping and
colouring, only to be seen in the tropics, was here
visible to perfection. A rich, dense mass of mangoe
and palm, of oranges, limes, and plantains, and
thousands of shrubs and parasites, grew in glorious
confusion, while here and there we came across a
long half-hidden lagoon curving amongst the hills,
and occasionally a glade of green grass enhanced the
scene. How the enterprising Y& 20 de Balboa ever
crossed that Isthmus seems a mystery ; what indo-
mitable perseverance he must have possessed ! I can
well understand his falling on his knees, when he
reached the summit of the hill from which the Pacific
was visible, and thanking God for prospering his

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

work so far, and allowing him to be the first
European who had gazed on the peaceful blue waters
of the wide-spreading western ocean. Doubtless a
good deal of satisfaction at having his troubles almost
over must have mingled with his expressed thanks.
" He bravely accomplished his object, and took
possession of the sea and all its bordering lands —
having first waded into it, sword in hand — for His
Most Christian Majesty, the King of Castile and
Leon, his heirs and successors for ever." *

But to return to our train full of blue jackets.
The line at first led through low swampy jungle,
and, at times, over almost shaky morasses. We
soon, however, commenced the ascent of the low
range of hills which runs the whole length of the
Isthmus. The carriages appeared old and rickety,
and vibrated tremendously, although going at a
slow pace. About the time we gained the summit of
the ridge, the train coming across with the first half
of the old company of the flag-ship met us, and the
two trains stopped abreast of each, other for some
minutes. There was great cheering, excitement,
shaking of hands among old shipmates, and enquiries
about friends at home, fi:om neighboiu's who had
recently left; bottles were passed and re-passed
from train to train, and not half the little acts by
which the men expressed their goodwill towards one

« " West of the Missiseippi." Bichardson.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

le first
J waters
btless a
} almost
thanks,
d took
lands —
-for His
ile and

jackets.

jungle,
3s. We
the low
1 of the
rickety,
ig at a
immit of
first half

and the
or some

another was performed when the two trains sepa-
rated and continuGu their respective journeys. We
made a descent of about 300 feet, the incline being
steeper on this side than the other, and found our-
selves in the station, or under the railway sheds, of
Panama.

The old town of Panama, which was situated
some miles to the southward of the modem one, is
barely discoverable now — some ruined walls and
grass-grown mounds being the only relics. Yet it
was here the first Christian s^ .tlement was formed —
the first impress of European footsteps made on the
sands of the great Pacific.

Vasco de Balboa, although the discoverer of the
passage across the Isthmus of Darien and the
existence of the rich countries of Peru and Chili,
on the shores of the western ocean, was not fated to
reap the benefits of his daring achievements, or to
be amongst the first settlers on that distant shore.
Pedrarias, who, though his father-in-law, was his
deadliest enemy, took occasion to prefer a charge
of disloyalty to the king against him, and, being
governor at Santa Maria, had the power of appoint-
ing the judges. Sentence of death was pronounced
on this brave and noble man, and, although every
exertion to mitigate the punishment was made by
the colonists, including even the men who had
passed his sentence, his father-in-law continued
inexorable, and Balboa was executed; and the

,"'-i-'

■IT-

'■w^»^a—p>nipiii— jpppwwnii

.^■^,

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

Spaniards beheld with astonishment and sorrow
the death of a man who was universally esteemed
and admired, and considered more capable than
any other of their commanders of forming and
accomplishing great designs. Pedrarias, notwith-
standing the injustice of his proceedings, was
shielded from the punishment he merited, and soon
after obtained permission to leave Santa Maria with
his colonists, and form a settlement at Panama, the
other side of the Isthmus — thus it was that in the
year 1517 the old town was founded. The modern
town might well have been built even at a date
prior to that I have mentioned — it was built, I
believe, in the seventeenth century — so truly may it
be said that its glory has departed ; what we behold
to-day makes us but think of it as it must have
been in former times. There stands its remarkable
Cathedral, covered with moss, and showing many
signs of decay; the front bears traces of having
been at one time very handsome, and has the usual
number of images of saints let into niches ; but
these sanctitied old ladies and *jentlemen look con-
siderably the worse for time and wear. There is
the old crumbling wall surrounding the town, which
must, in bygone days, have rendered it a place of
great strength. There are the remains of monasteries
and convents, towers and strongholds, and evidences
of past wealth converted to the Tiae of present men-
mcy on every hand, and all — save the European

UL.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

quarter - alike bearing the marks of dilapidation
and decay, The principal show of active life is at
the American liquor bars, and at the landing-place
where coolies are unloading lighters. There are
many Jamaica negroes both at Panama and at
Colon, the remains of the numbers imported to con-
struct the railway ; they all speak English, and do
the work of porters and servants. I was very much
amused one day, while waiting at the landing-place,
by a disreputable-looking gentleman of the race of
Ham coming up to me, in an independent manner,
and saying : " What man-of-war dat out dare, sar ? "
I told him her name. "Is she English?" con-
tinued my interrogator. " Yes," I replied. *' What
she do here, sar ? " he inquired. I gave him a short
account, when he said, with a manner half conde-
scending and half apologetic : " You see, sar, me
British subject, and feel great interest in English
affairs, and wish to hear how she do, sar." After
which he stuck his dirty old make-shift for a hat on
one side of his head and walked off, evidently feeling
the full importance of being a British subject, and
hailing from the free and independent land of
Jamaica.

From Panama we went to Tobago, one of the
many islands with which the buy of Panama is
studded, to take in coal and water, it being used as
a coal dep6t on account of the depth of water close
to the shore, and there is a beautiful clear spring

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

just behind the little village. The island is very-
pretty and picturesque, and produces large quanti-
ties of fruit for the Panama market. Not long ago,
the Pacific Steam Navigation Company had their
chief dep6t here — ^their factories, store-houses, and a
large staff of skilled mechanics and engineers, but
they have now removed to Callao, and empty
buildings are all that remain. There are great
quantities of sea-fowl in the hay, as the many barren
rocks and small isHnds afford peaceful opportunities
for breeding. The great pelican is to be constantly
seen making his vicious dives after little fish, which
do not appear to have much peace, as they are chased
by their larger brethren in the water, and winged
tyrants when they show near the surface. The
pelican can swallow some twenty or thirty of its
puny prey whole, as I found on examination.

Having coaled, &c., at Tobago, we weighed an-
chor and commenced our first cruise in the Pacific,
intending, if time permitted, to visit the Sandwich
Islands ; or, if otherwise, to steer for San Francisco.
As it is not my intention to enter into any descrip-
tion of a tedious and monotonous sea cruise, but
merely to speak of such places as we visit, I will lay
aside my pen for the present.

"PasB we the joya and Borrows sailors find,
Cooped in their wicged sea-girt citadel;
The foui, the fair, the contrary, the kind,
As breezes rise and fall, and billows swell,
Till on Mme jocund mom, lo, land ! and all is w«ll." ' '

IS very
quanti-
mg ago,
id their
and a
jers, but
empty-
re great
J barren
rtunities
)nstantly
h, which
'e chased
I winged
ce. The
ty of its
1.

ghed an-
B Pacific,
kndwich
'rancisco.
'■ descrip-
uise, but
I will lay

I well."

CHAPTER II.

THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS — DEBATING SOCIETY ON BOAED.

We were about eight days from Panama, when we
found ourselves not far from the Galapagos Islands,
situated on the Line, a few hundred miles from the
coast of South America. Great excitement prevailed
on board when it became known that we should call
at Charles Island, for any break in a voyago is
pleasant and acceptable.

All our sportsmen were on the qui vive ; guns and
cartridges were brought to light, from cases where
they had lain undisturbed since our departure from
England ; no one talked on any subject but the pro-
s'^'^-'tive immense slaughter of wild cattle, pigs, and
wild-fowl ; and, had all these anticipations been
carried into effect, our visit to Charles Island would
have become a famous incident in the annals of the
sporting world.

On nearing the island, its volcanic origin became
plainly visible, for most of the higher hillo were
evidently extinct craters, and, so far as we could see
from the ship, the vegetation consisted solely of
dried-up brushwood, except towards the hills, where

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

this occasionally assumed a greenish tint. Soon
after our anchoring we were boarded by a boat con-
taining half-a-dozen Spanish Indians — a colony
numbering some five-and-twenty of whom we found
to be on the island. From one of these, an intelli-
gent fellow, we learned that numbers of cattle and
wild-fowl were to be had, and that the reports we
had read and heard of their existence were founded
on fact. As the ship was only to remain till the
evening of the following day, we immediately formed
a shooting-party, leaving the ship in the natives'
boat about noon.

But oh ! ye Gods ! how the prospect of coming
sport warms the blood, raises the spirits, and makes
the true sportsman eager for the slaughter. A mem-
ber of our party — one of the excitable sons of old
Erin — unable to restrain his passion for the sport
until our arrival on terra firma, made the rocky shores
ring again with his wild discharges at all chance sea
birds that came within a hundred yards of the boat.
Strange to say, however, these birds will carry a
large dose of shot comfortably, and one after the
other they sailed away in total indiflference to the
efforts of our sportsman, till at last one stately man-
of-war bird, hovering for some seconds within fifteen
yards, was made *o feel the skill of our friend, when
firing within a reasonable distance. We had to beat
up some three or four miles along the shore, to get
to the landing-place, which occupied a couple of

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

liours. Our landing was rather difficult, owing to a
heavy surf running on a shelving rocky shore ; but
it was at length effected on the shoulders of our
boatmen, and as some of us were fourteen-stoners,
considerable amusement was caused by their narrow
escapes from a ducking. At length we are all safe
on shore, and away we start along a pathway leading
straight inland, over nothing but dust and clinkers,
with a perfectly dead and leafless bush around us.
The farther we got from the beach, the more intense
became the heat, perspiration was oozing from every
pore ; but onward we steadily plodded, till at last,
gasping and panting, we came in sight of what we
were informed was the settlement. It consisted of
some eight or ten tent /ormed of dried bullock-hides ,
spread over frameworks of sticks. Their dusky
inhabitants were grouped around these with the
exception of some who remained stretched out
asleep under the tents, even our unaccustomed visit
being insufficient to arouse these listless, lazy crea-
tures to curiosity. We received considerable civility
from the head-man, obtaining the requisite informa-
tion as to the whereabouts of our game, and some
half-a-dozen of his people to act as guides and assist
to carry.

A two-mile walk, with a gradual ascent, brought
us to a much pleasanter atmosphere and increasing
signs of vegetation ; trees appeared here and there,
and the surrounding bush showed that it was pos-

■im^-'

S3H

*fe

'H,

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

>^"

sessed of some portion of vegetable life. Another mile
and, on rounding the base of a large hill, we came on
grassy glades, and in the distance patches of prairie,
with cattle grazing on them, were dimly visible.
Now we advanced more cautiously, taking advan-
tage of every leafy covering which offered, and
peering through boughs into the openings. At length
a herd of some thirty or forty was discovered graz-
ing quietly, in imagined safety, within a hundred
yards of us. Too much eagerness to fire, and the
spirit of rivalry which invariably shows itself amongst
a large party, prevented a proper amount of execu-
tion being done. One calf, however, bit the dust,
and a young bull was brought on his knees, though
he soon regained his footing and followed in the
wake of the rest of the herd, leaving a trail of blood
behind. We now divided into two parties, one going
in pursuit of the wounded animal, the other stai ting
for a lake some distance off, where we were informed
wild-fowl and more cattle would be met with. The
party which followed the herd of cattle consisted of
myself and two others. It was hard work pressing
on at a rapid pace over broken ground, through
thorny thickets and pathless jungle, but we were re-
warded in the end by sighting the bull in a patch of
thick scrub close to a small clear stream of water.
He was lying down, and glared fiercely at us as we
approached, but a bullet from one of our guns enter-
ing the fleshy part of his shoulders served to rouse

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

)ther milo
3 came on
)f prairie,
y visible,
g advan-

red, and
At length
jred graz-

hundred
and the
f amongst
of execu-
the dust,
)8, though
ed in the
1 of blood

him, for, with a great effort, he staggered to his feet
and charged right at us ; we leapt nimbly out of his
way, and, fortunately, saved ourselves. It was the re-
sult of his expiring strength, for, though the impetus
of the charge carried him on a little farther, he came
down head fii'st, bending the neck half under the
body by the force of his fall. After the excitement
and hard work of the chase, we were very glad to
slake our thirst at the little stream and rest ourselves;
we then proceeded to our rendezvous, some large
rocks near where we had separated from our fellow
sportsmen. The scenery viewed from this spot
was very fine ; around all was green, except where
some huge barren rock reared its head from amidst
the foliage, the dark colouring of many of the tro-
pical plants contrasting with the brighter grass. On
one side was the hill which lay between us and
the settlement, and which had presented a very
uninteresting appearance from the sea, having only
rocks and scrub right up to the edge of the crater.
But the view it now showed was very different ; this
side of the crater had been entirely torn away by
some mighty convulsion of nature, and the interior,
being exposed, revealed one mass of beautiful vege-
tation sloping down from the opposite side. On the
other hand, the country declined down to the sea in
a succession of valleys, which were thickly wooded.
The plateau on which we stood was surrounded by
hills of various heights, many of them extinct vol-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

canoes. Amongst the rocks we found the parent
spring of the stream filling a natural basin in the
centre of a thicket, which made a pleasant shady
retreat from the heat of the sun while we awaited
the return of the others. They had been very suc-
cessful, and had bagged thirteen brace of ducks and
a young pig. As the shades of night closed over the
sylvan scene, we retraced our steps to the settlement
after a very fair day's work, considering we were
perfect strangers to the locality. It was now we
found the natives useful in carrying the meat down
to the settlement, and they engaged to bring our
prizes on board early the next morning. After a
wearisome march, we arrived at the village, and,
wishing to remunerate our attendants, we gave the
head-man a dollar and a half (value 6s.) to distribute
amongst them, but they would only take half a
dollar, a case of honest modesty beyond all under-
standing, a Liimilar one, I may safely say, it had
never been my lot to witness previously. The head-
man in a civil manner offered any of us who liked to
stay on shore accommodation for the night — of what
kind I do not know — and promised plenty of shoot-
ing next morning, which was, he said, the best time
for sport. However, such a villainous stench per-
vaded the whole camp, from decaying meat and cattle
hides going through the process of drying, that none
of the party felt inclined to accept the oifer ; or, as
an American would say, could prevail on his

the parent
Eisin in the
isant shady
we awaited
n very suc-
' ducks and
ed over the
! settlement
ng we were
iras now we
meat down
) bring our
g. After a
illage, and,
ve gave the
,0 distribute
take half a
I all under-
say, it had
Thehead-
vho liked to
ht — of what
ty of shoot-
:ie best time
stench per-
at and cattle
g, that none
)jffer; or, as
irail on his

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

nose to give a ticket to remain. After a couple of
miles' walk in the dark, during which some of us
were constantly knocking our shins against the
rough stones bestrewing the path, we arrived at the
landing-place, and wore again carried througli the
surf to the boat, getting on board about 10.30 p.m.

The next day another party went shooting, and
had good sport. Two boat loads of officers and men
also landed for the purpose of hauling the seine, or
large net, supplied to the ship. The dress of officers
when going for a day's seining is of a very nonde-
script character ; the opportunity is seized upon for
appearing in the oldest of coats and inexpressibles,
well provided with ventilation-boots, which are sure
of letting water out as well as in, and, in fact, the
general appearance is presented of gentlemen who
have had only naval half-pay for some time past upon
which to support tliemselves. A good supply of
stimulants is always provided to prevent catching
cold and rheumatism. Though going nominally for
the purpose of fishing, many took their guns, and
the scene was more likely to frighten a nervous
actor in it out of his wits, than to cause him to feel
perfectly at ease, as a continual popping of guns was
going on all around, and dead and wounded birds
were continually fal%g amongst the fishermen, for
many sea-birds — pr in ;.ipally pelicans — were collected
round by the sight of fish on the beach and in the
shallow water. Sharks also showed the greatest au-

it%

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

dacity, following the captured fish in the net, close
up to the shore ; several small ones were caught in
it. One of the officers was most pertinaciously at-
tacked by a small shark, who followed him into
shallow water, a,nd only that he fought hard with a
boat-hook which he had with him, and repelled the
attacks, he would most likely have suj)plied tlie shark
with a delicious meal.

The boats returned to the ship in tlu vening-
with enough fish for several days' consumption, if
the heat of the weatlier had permitted of their being
kept.

On the 5th February, we spread our wings for a
very long flight — possibly, as I said before, to visit
the Sandwich Islands, and, if not, for San Francisco
— our orders being to arrive at Vancouver's Island
by the end of April. However, man only proposes,
and unfavourable zephyrs delayed us so long near
the Equator, that we shaped our course direct for
the Golden City, and had to look forward to visiting
the islands another time. Time hangs heavily at
sea, and, though perhaps it passes a little faster
when once the monotonous round of every-day rou-
tine is got into, still there is little active employment,
and few events to mark one dav from another.
Seeing these things, the captain interested himself
very much to give us some amusement at least once
a week, and a debating society was started, which
met on Wednesday nights, and to which the crew

'i^i

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

were admitted as listeners. Religion and present
politics were prohibited. A week's notice was given
of the subject, of the introducer of it, and the pro-
poser and seconder of his vote of thanks. After
these prescribed speeches had been delivered, any-
one was allowed to express his opinion. Some of
the best subjects we had were " Warren Hastings,"
" Charles I." *' Superstition and Mesmerism," &c.,
and though, occasionally, when business was dull, we
had to I'sten to dry discourses on '* Salt Water,"
and some uninteresting statistics of the American
navy, yet, as a rule, these evenings were anxiously
looked forward to and much enjoyed.

■ ■■X4 ^

c 2

CHAPTER III.

ARRIVAL AT SAN FRANCISCO — A TRIP UP THE SAN
JOAQUIN RIVER.

After passing some sixty days at sea, the frigate to
which I belonged might have been seen, on a bright,
pleasant day, steaming and sailing up the narrow
passage which leads to the harbour of San Fran-
cisco.

It is supposed by many that the large harbour of
San Francisco and its many bays, together with
San Pablo Bay, originally formed an inland sea,
which eventually burst its barriers at the "Golden
Gates" (as the entrance is called), and becamo
united with the ocean. The appearance of the gates
justifies this theory, for the lieadlands and bluffs on
each side are bold and massive, and, so far as can
be seen from the water, ranges of hills extend on
each hand, which appear calculated to keep the
waters back to all eternity. So it is probable that
the place where the Golden Gates now open was the
one weak link in the chain. Approaching the city
from the sea, a, "^ery fine view presents itself, and
one on which Califomians properly pride themselves.

■Vfiij,.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

THE SAN

The hills on either side are of a soft, undulating
appearance, and are clad in a bright verdure from
base to summit. How pleasant and refreshing they
looked, after a couple of months on board ship !
Here and there small villages, or the < >litary home-
stead of the farmer, surrounded by ^ tie results of his
labour, nestling in some pretty valley. As we round
the last bluff which shuts in the city, the large bay,
bordered by picturesque hills, spreads itself out
before us. Many steamers and sailing craft ply
their busy mission across its peaceful waters,
pointing out by their course the direction where
many rising towns Jie hid amidst the distant
valleys. Lying to the right of the bay is the golden
city itself, that proud boast of California, rising over
several hills, and presenting an uninterrupted view
of its lines of long, straight streets, and square
blocks of houses. There was a great deal of shipping
lying in the harbour and alongside the wharves,
but they were mostly small craft, engaged in the
coast and harbour trade.

The inhabitants of San Francisco we found most
kind and hospitable. On a first visit to a port, it
takes some time to form an acquaintance with
people, but we soon found that here the inhabitants
were most willing to meet our advances half w&y ;
invitations were issued for an afternoon dance on
board, and before long our slight friendship ripened
into intimacy. Gaieties and amusements were the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

order of the day. A box at the opera was kindly
placed at our disposal, and many of the officers took
advantage of it. ,4

Game abounds in great quantities and varieties in
California — deer, bears, and almost every descrip-
tion of feathered game and wild=fowl. Unfortunately,
we arrived just at the termination of the shooting
season, and the only birds at all available were
snipe, which, as migrators, do not come under the

game laws. My friend H and myself, when

on shore, soon after our arrival, heard of a very good
place some eighty miles up the San Joaquin river,
where, as a rule, the snipe remained later than else-
where. The place named was a ranch or farm,
situated in the Tule lands. These are large tracts
of low lying country bo .dering for many miles on
the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Little of
these tracts is at present reclaimed, but they con-
tain many a rich harvest for the agricmturist of the
future. We made up our minds to accept the invi-
tation of Captain F , of the " Amador," one of

the San Francisco and Stockton river boats, to
accompany him on his upward trip; so, having
obtained a few days' leave, we packed up some
traps, and started from the wharf in the afternoon.
The *' Amador" steamed through the long harbours
towards the Strains of San Pablo. Hills rose on
either side, their grassy slopes, dotted here and
there with herds of grazing cattle and sheep, looking

i' j.JM. ^ j...a i iiimwu) i!— WW—

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

r boats, to

beautiful in the soft light of the evening. Occasionally
we saw a farm-house peep out from amongst a clump
of trees, with its canopy of light smoke floating in
the evening air. Soon we passed the Straits, and
San Pablo Bay lay befo;e us, surrounded by
similar green hills and grassy plains ; while a
gorgeous sunset bathed the scene in a rich flood
of light, reflected in the rippling waves, and over-
hanging circles of clouds.

" Day closes, and the sun, though weary,
Still lingers in his own loved west,
And sheds around a golden glory,
Ere yet he sinks to his evening rest."

The scenery along the river was all fine, though
somewhat monotonous. The first town we touched
at was Benicia, from which Heenan, the prize-
fighter, took his nom de guerre of the " Benicia Boy."
We had no opportunity of visiting this classic spot,
for we just ran alongside the pier, and, with a bustle
and scramble, were off again. Two small towns,
called New York and Antioch, were our next
stoppages, around which a considerable quantity of
land was under cultivation. Antioch is a rising
town of some little importance. The coal is shipped
here from the Black Diamond mines of Mont Diablo,
whose summit is visible, towering like a giant above
the surrounding hills, from a considerable distance.
Undulating ranges occupy the space between Antioch
and the mines, and over these the coal descends on

T?T!^P?9fP!BP'

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

trucks, coming the entire distance of thirty-five
miles without the use of steam power.

We originally intended to visit a ranch belonging
to a family named Webb, but, as police-constables

say.

" acting: on the information we received " as

to tie scarcity of snipe there, we determined to go
some ten miles further up, and stop with a man
named Harrington, who was in charge of a large
ranch there. About eleven o'clock wo approached
Harrington's cottage, and a few shrill calls from the
steamer's whistle brought him down to the end of
a rough little pier he had run out for the conve-
nience of communicating with the steamers. We
tumbled out with our traps, and in a moment more
the ''Amador" was lost sight of in the dark-
ness, leaving us standing face to face with the
man we had aroused out of bed at that untimely
hour, not quite knowing how to apologise for our-
selves, and explain matters. However, a word or
two put things all right, and he conducted us into
his house, which was a small wooden aifair, con-
tainir.g three rooms ; two on the ground floor, and
the one up above where my friend and self stretched,
ourselves out for the first peaceful sleep in a steady
bed which we had enjoyed for months. Next
morning we sat down to breakfast at a little after
six o'clock, for early hours were always kept in this

establishment. Mrs. H was, of course, our cook,

and a very good idea she had of how to prepare a

.•■■#

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

thirty-five

1 belonging
3-constables

ceived " as
nined to go
vith a man

of a large
approached
lis from the

the end of
r the conve-
imers. We
Dment more
I the dark-
iG with the
at untimely
2^ise for om'-

a word or
cted us into

affair, con-
d floor, and
3lf stretched

in a steady
nths. Next
1 little after
kept in this
se, our cook,
to prepare a

breakfast. We were suddenly transported from the
unpleasantness of salt meat and hard biscuit, to
which a mess is reduced at the end of a long sea
voyage, to a choice rejDast in a land literally
overflowing with milk and honey. Bittern was
our principal dish ; it was the first time I had
tasted it, and liked it very much. Quantities of
nice, brown, home-made, wheaten cakes, cream,
butter and eggs, made up our meal. During our

stay, Mrs. H kept up the first impression she

made, by her continued good cooking. She gave
us a variety of American dishes, including the
miners' favourite, bacon and beans.

We spent our days in hard walking over soft
boggy land, and bagged a good number of snipe,
ducks, and bitterns, starting immediately after our
early breakfasts, taking lunch with us, and coming
home in the twilight to a cheerful inviting meal
ready spread, or waiting on the stove and Mrs.

H smiling a welcome. The good people were

very much jjleased to have us with them, as for
weeks they f jr jtimes went without receiving a
single visitor.

During our short stay I learnt more incidents of
rough American lift than I before had had a chance
of doing. Harrington was a thorough specimen of the
enterprising shrewd American. He was born in Ken-
tucky, and had been accustomed to the woods, and
the use of the rifle, from a child ; he afterwards went

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

to Missouri, where he saw most of the turmoils and
lawlessness of that state, where street fights, election
rows, bowie-knives, and revolvers were the order of
the day. He afterwards crossed the plains of Central
America with a party for the gold mines ; but, as
each evening was spent in listening to his stories
and anecdotes, I will give his account, in his own
words, as near as it was possible for me +o write it
down during my stay. The narrative has no pre-
tension to any extraordinary amount of interest,
but still, it is one applicable to large numbers of
cases, and descriptive of the dangers and trials the
all-powerful allurements of the gold mines are
capable of causing their votaries to pass through.

..,-'<t;^'

irmoils and
its, election
he order of
i of Centriil
es ; but, as
his stories
in his own
1 +0 write it
has no pre-
)f interest,
numbers of
d trials the
mines are
through.

CHAPTER IV.

" I know not if the taJe be true,
'Twas told me as I tell to you."

LEAVING SAN FRANCISCO. VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.

I When the news of the discovery of gold in California
pst reached the Eastern States, it was not believed
)y many to be true, but was looked on more as one
[of those reports which were at that time frequently
circulated, to induce immigration into a particular
district or town. However, there was a great deal
of speculation on the subject, and many resolved to
try their luck. Some parties started away at once
to cross the plains, over a road which was then but
little used, and one beset with many dangers, from
Indians, starvation, and a want of guides. When the
first gold arrived in Kansas from the new diggings,
it was like a spark being appKed to a barrel of gun-
powder. Almost every one was for the diggings.
Men threw up good farms, paying professions, and
I stores ; loafers looked out for gangs, to take them as
" pals ; " and there was a general move to the West
from all parts. It was not long before I caught the

business, which tv

gave up my

prmci-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

pally horse-jobbing, and went into partnership with
some others for mutual protection and help duri"^
our trip ot er. We got a waggon and team, and tne
necessary tools for mining, and started to cross the
plains — a party of nine. There were many others
travelling the same road as ourselves, bo and for the
golden land, where, according to popular rumour,
gold was to be picked up for the trouble of stooping ;
all calculating on making a considerable pile in con-
siderably less than no time. We thought we had
little to fear from the prairie Indians while there
was such a rush, and we were right ; for though
they at times attacked small parties, when overcome
with fatigue or hunger, for the sa!ie of robbing a
waggon or getting arms, they seldom cared to risk
their lives where the odds were not so much in their
favour.

We gained the foot of the Rocky Mountains in
safety, and here different tracks led away to the
various mines and finds of gold, through a country
which a year or two previously had only been ex-
plored by a few wandering Indians or trappers.
The road we were unlucky enough to choose led us
away by a mere trail to some new diggings, reported
to be most productive, through some of the roughest
travelling known amongst the Rockies, and to the
vicinity of some of the worst tribes of Indians.
However, we went on the principle, " nothing ven-
ture, nothing have," and trusted for safety to the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

ership with
lelp duri T
am, and inc
o cross the
lany others
and for the
ar rumour,
)f stooping ;
pile in con-
jht we had
whib there
for though
sn overcome
)f robbing a
ired to risk
uch in their

[ountains in
Lway to the
;h a country
ily been ex-
3r trappers,
hoose led us
gs, rejiorted
;he roughest
, and to the
of Indians,
othing ven-
afety to the

members of our party. For some days all went
well ; once or twice we saw an encampment, but did
not come face to face with them. We kept a sharp
look out, and had always a watch set at night ; but
at last good luck forsook us, our misfortunes com-
mencing this way. We had been traversing a valley
during the best part of the day, a good hunting
country, and our having fired several shots at deer
may have attracted some stray Indian scouts, for tlie
ring of a rifle sounds for a long distance amongst
the mountains; but, any way, we were encamped
under shelter of a large rock, with our fire screened
in as much as possible. A man named Sanders was
keeping the second watch, and if he dozed a little
it was not to be wondered at, for we had had a weary
day's journey, often having to work hard to get the
waggon out of soft places, and over rough ground.
He was sitting in the shade, with his back against
the rock, dozing lightly, when he was of a sudden
brought to his senses by a little pebble striking him
on the face. Turning his eyes up, he saw the face
of a tarnation red-skin peering over the edge of the
rock, taking stock of the camp and ourselves.
Sanders moved his hand towards his rifle, but,
before he could use it, the red-skin had made tracks.
As we placed some value on our scalps, we felt it
was lucky for us he had no party with him. We were
pretty sure we would hear more about that visit, and
so we did, for towards evening on the next day we

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

were attacked from behind the rocks and trees, and
driven back into a narrow caiion, where we,
fortunately, had only a small opening to defend.
• They attacked us several times, using every artful
dodge they could devise. During three days we
killed or wounded some fifteen of them ; but their
losses appeared to make them all the more deter-
mined, and, changing their tactics, they sat down to
starve us out. The canon was barren of shrub or
tree, and there was not a living thing to eat in it.
The back of it looked impassable, and the sides were
precipitous ; so, if ever there was a catch in a trap,
or '' possimi up a tree," it was there. At last, when
our small stock of food was gone, we determined to
try and escape by the mountain at the rear. This,
with hard toil, we accomplished at night, having to
relinquish our waggon and all our traps to the
Indians, first, however, killing the horses. After
many perils and hardships, only five of us out of the
nine reached our destination."

Harrington's story was at the end a little more
detailed, but the above was its substance. The
Tule lands present great inducements for settling.
They have a rich, productive soil, many feet deep,
and will yield for many years without manuring.
Drainage would be the only expense to get the land
into good order, and, though labour is expensive,
the returns are sure and quick, with such a large
and high-priced market as that of San Francisco

V^i^SS*

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

near. Rivers and slews wind through the country
in every direction, the waters of which are tidal,
though, above a certain distance, fresh. The
method of drainage is therefore simple. At the end
of the drains are self-acting gates, which, as the
water goes down, open and empty the drain, and as
it rises they close again.

Our leave having expired, we carried our traps
down to the end of the little pier, ready for the
steamer. We had previously seen her smoke, when
more than twenty miles distant by water, travelling
to the right and left, across the flat country, as
she followed the curves of the river, which winds
backwards and forwards often at less than a right
angle. At a signal from us she came alongside,
and, after saying good-bye to our host and his wife,
we were in another half-minute speeding back to
San Francisco.

Amongst seamen in the British Navy, there is a
great belief in the gold-to-be-picked-up character of
California, and many are, consequently, lost from
ships calling at San Francisco. The morning after
our arrival, when we had only two boats in the
water, one a steam launch, the other a pinnace,
despite of sentries, officers, and discipline, seventeen
men manned the pinnace smartly, and pulled on
shore, before any other boats could be sent in pur-
suit, the launch not having steam up at the time.
On touching American soil all become free men, so

SCENKH ON rACIFIC SHORES.

the terrors held forth against deserters are here
Laughed at with impunity. The men, liowever, soon
find out their mistake, and bitterly do tliey regret
their niHlmess. Nine out of ten who ''run" are made
insensible at the houses of the crimps, who infest
the various landing-places, and are then put on board
merchant ships, many of which are constantly
detained here, unable to go to sea through want of
hands. The crimps receive from two to four months'
pay in advance from the captains for their services ;
the ships immediately sail, and, when the sailors
recover from the effects of the drugs they have
taken, they find ^heir short-lived dream of making
fortunes in California . ^^led, and a mate's rough
voice singing out for them to move up, to reef top-
sails, or make sail. They must, however, grin and
bear it, for, if useless, or sulky, the captain can
always hand them over to tho English authorities,
on arrival in port, as def<^'rters. Those deserters
not taken in hand by tiie crimps, who are always
on the look-out, must be thoroughly useless, and for
whom a merchant captain would give no price.

These, as a rule, left to their own devices, sink
into a state of utter destitution, and often give them-
selves up to men-of-war, preferring to suffer the
heavy punishment awaiting them, than to linger on
in starvation.

Towards the end of April, we steamed once more
through the Golden Gates on our way to Vancouver's

WW,jm UJMP4iii|yip|.n«,wi^.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

ra are here

Island, and many were the regrets, and many were
the pulls at the heart-strings of some of our suscep-
tible young officers, on leaving the hospitable
Californians. i

A good many glasses were turned on the
Cliff House Hotel, which stands on the southern
promontory, as promises had been given by
friends of going there to see the ship pass out;
but distance did not lend enchantment on this
occasion, as we were unable to distinguish who
was who.

The day previous to our arrival, one of those sad
accidents occurred which are only too frequent on
board ship. A boy, w ) was taking his clothes
down from drying in the fore-rigging, fell overboard,
striking the ship's side in his fall. One of the sub-
lieutenants, T , very courageously jumped over-
board after him, though there was a very heavy sea
running at tlie time, and the ship was rolling con-
siderably. Ihe boy, however, did not float long

enough for T to get hold of him. T was

some fifteen minutes in the water, and was nearly
numbed and quite exhausted when the life-boat
picked him up.*

On the morning of the ninth day out, we sighted
Cape Flattery, the south point of the entrance to
the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The cape terminates

* This officer has since been awarded a medal by The Humane
Society.

^^^W^rC^TT^ty^^r^^^^^^^

SCENES ON PACIFi::; SHORES.

in a small Island and reef of rocks. A range of hills
run inland, which, though small at first, gradually
increase in size till they at length transform them-
selves into the Olympian mountains, whose snowy
peaks are plainly to be seen from Esquimalt, and
make one long for a transit to that perpetually cool
region, when the summer's sun strikes warmly down
on Vancouver.

The harbour of Esquimalt, where the dockyard is
built, is most picturesque and beautiful, and, at
first sight, looks hardly large enough to contain
more than two or three ships, being entirely enclosed
with small hills, all covered with the graceful pine ;
but, on longer acquaintance, it enlarges into a good-
sized harbour, with accommodation for a fleet.

rirVvir'" ' '*'

CHAPTER V.

" If tbou art worn and hard beset
With sorrows, that thou wouldst forget ;
If tbou wouldst read a lesson that will keep
Thy heart from fainting, and thy soul from sleep-
Go to the woods and hills ! No tears
Dim the sweet look that nature wears."

Vancouver's is an island which must surely possess
some feource of interest or attraction for every one,
for the man must be a cynic indeed who can see no
beauties or find no enjoyments in nature's own wild
and lovely abode ; and here she has assuredly pro-
duced some of her master-pieces of scenery. Moun-
tains and hills of every shaj)e and form, yet all
clothed in a variegated mantle of graceful verdure ;
broad estuaries washing their silent shores, placid
lakes sleeping in their valleys, sparkling mountain
torrents, or rippling streams winding across the
plain — a!^ these, picturesquely grouped, are the
component parts of a succession of the most charming
landscapes. For the sportsman, the dark, sombre
pine woods, intenningled with maple aad birch,
and spreading over the greater part of the country,
shelter a large vai'iety o^ game. For the angler,
stream, lake, and estuary alike teem with -lis shining

u 2

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

prey ; while, for the searcher after knowledge in
the vegetable and mineral worlds (about which I,
unfortunately, know nothing), it contains many
wide and untrodden fields.

The fishing season was just commencing at the
time of our airival, but it was too earl])^ for trout to
take well, the nights being still frosty. Many lakes
are a convenient distance from Esquimalt for a day's
fishing, and there are several larger and better ones
situated further off, to fish which it was necessary to
make an excursion for three days. To one of these,
called Prospect Lake, myself and two companions
determined to go, and trust to our rods and gUns to
keep the pot boiling, or rather to furnish the meal
when the pot was boiling. We drove nearly all the
distance, taking our camp-gear with us, which,
however, we had to carry ourselves during the last
couple of miles, making two trips. We determined
to form our camp on a small island situated at a
convenient distance from the shore, so as to be safe
from Indians, and leave them no opportunity to
steal from the camp, if we should be away fishing or
shooting. The first day we were principally em-
ployed in building a shelter, and getting our trapse
&c., across in a little boat to the island. We had
also to cut down some small trees, and take them,
together with a quantity of pine branches, to our
island, as it boasted but one solitary .:?v3e. 'Vho
camp was simjjly composed of two stout pohs at

j5^'^:

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

each end, wliich crosBed at the top, and a transverse
beam, resting in tlie two forks ; against this side
poles were placed, and one side and both ends
wattled in with young fir branches, thus leaving one
side only exposed, where the fire was lighted.

The lake, surrounded by its pine-clad hills, was
very beautiful, especially if one looked at it so as
to take in the little island, and its camp, with the
one solitary pine behind it ; the blue smoke curling
up from the fii-e against the dark green bank beyond.
(See frontispiece.)

B-^ and F , my two companions, were the

very men suited for this pleasant make-shift life —
always good-humoured, lively, and ready for any
amor.nt of necessary work. We discovered an old
r euoli trapper, who lived in a little log shanty at
< r. ' ^ ad of the lake, who gained a livelihood by shoot-
ii ;; Mid trapping beavers at several beaver-dams oa
the ':■■''' . and in its vicinity. He gave us some veni-
son t le first day before we were able to procure any
for ourselves, but was rather uncommunicative,
though, perhaps, his slight knowledge of English
n.a,y have accounted for that.

The day after om* arrival we were up at daybreak*
Led a swim in the lake, then lit the fire, put the pot
LQ. for cocoa, and prepared our repast of broiled

venison and fish. F started after breakfast with

the old trapper for a day with the deer and grouse,
and B and myself stuck to the lake and gentler

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

craft. The weather was charming, and in a couple
of hours we got some three dozen trout, averaging
from l|lbs. to Iflbs., one or two rather above that,
all of whi '^ v^ere strong fish, and gave us plenty of
sport. We jd the rest of the day]^pleasantly

away in finishing some work about the camp, and
cutting firewood until sun-down, when we heard

F 's cheery shout from the opposite shore of the

lake ; in answer to which one of us took the boat
across and brouglit him back with the result of his
day's work, which consisted of the best parts of a
young buck he had shot, and a brace of grouse.
These ha]3ly insured us plenty of food for some days
to come. We prepared our repast, and were not
long in falling-to vdth all the zest and enjoyment
which healthy exercise, bracing air, and freedom
from all worldly cares can give. After dinner wc
threw more logs on the fire, and were soon setting
round a roaring blaze smoking and spinning yarns
— an accomplishment in which both my companions
excelled, and we did not forget to pass the flowing
bowl — for, with a due regard for the preservation of
our healths, wc had brouglit the ingredients with us.
Soon, however, the effects of unwonted exertion
began to make themselves felt, and, after replenish-
ing the fire with good heavy logs, akely to burn for
some time, we rolled ourselves in our blankets, and
sunk into souiid repose on our couches of spruce
tops.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

;i9

The next day the order of our amusements was

reversed, F remaining on the lake, and B

and myself going with the trapper to try our luck
after more difficult prey. We struck away, through
the pine forest, from the shores of the lake — up bill
and down dale — walking at a rapid pace, though
witli little fatigue in our moccassins. The old French-
man had four well-trained dogs with him, and, on
our arrival at the outskirts of a likely-looking cover,
generally a large thicket at the bottom of a valley,
we would station ourselves round it at different
points, and put the dogs in. The clumps of willows
were often too large to surround properly, and once
or twice deer got out, as we could tell by the dogs
breaking into full cry, but without our even seeing
them. However, we managed to bowl over a tolerably
fat doe, and with some grouse we were quite satisfied
as we returned to our island-home, in the evening.
The remainder of our stay we spent similarly em-
ployed, and with varying luck. There is no life so
pleasant to some men as that I have been aescribing,
to occasionally get away into the primitive forest,
away from the petty annoyances of this life, away
from all society and its obligations, away from dis-
agreeable, though necessary, neighbours. I do not
mean to say that a continuance of such a life would
be agreeable to any civilized person, but, undoubt-
edly, it is delightful as a change. I know we
thoroughly regretted having to leave our pre ty

.*■

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

!!1

little camp when we liad packed up to start back for
Esquimalt.

" And stem Duty rose, and frowning,
Flung her leaden chain around us."

' Being anxious to visit as much of the neighbour-
ing country as our limited periods of leave would
permit, I, after the lapse of some time, started
for a district called Cowichin, some forty miles
to the northward of Victoria, with four com-
panions. A steamer runs there weekly with
mails, freight, and passengers, but Tuesday being
her day of departure from Victoria, we could not
afford to wait, our leave expiring on the following
Sunday. We, therefore, chose another, though
somewhat slower, route, which took us through
twenty miles of the South Saanich district, and then
went on by water another five-and-twenty miles.
Having engaged a good two-horse traj), we packed
up and started from Esquimalt at half-past ten. The
road for the first seven or eight miles passes many
houses and clearings, but after that it became rough
and narrow — little more, in fact, than a waggon-
trail. At intervals the wheels would plunge into
deep ruts, and we frequently had to stoop to allow
the branches of trees to sw eep over us. Nearly the
whole distance was through dense forests, but we
occasionally caught glimpses of a settler's clearing,
with its deeply-cut cart-track leading off to it from
the main road. The forest was composed chiefly of

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

cedar, maple, and pine, some of the latter grown to
an enormous height, being, I think, the "Douglas
P' le." The woods were alive with birds and gaily-
coloured insects. The pretty blue jay was con-
stantly about us, and the large red-winged wood-
pecker was often disturbed by us from his boring
occupation, while, with a loud and startling whirr,
the humming-bird, the most beautiful and brilliant
of all the feathered tribes, would whisk past us,
allowing us just a glance of him as he flitted from
branch to branch of his favourite wild currant tree.
We constantly passed large beds of the wild rose
and hyacinth, filling the air with their sweet per-
fume. In fact, all nature was in a smiling and
pleasant liumoui* as we jogged merrily along on that
June morning.

Saauich is divided into two districts — north and
south — the former being the most cultivated division,
and called the garden of the island. There the hops
are grown which are used for the Colonial breweries,
of which there are several doing a thriving business.
We at length arrived at a " store," as such country
inns are called. We found it one of the usual type
— a long, low bar, with the inevitable long lines of
brandy and gin bottles ranged at the back. There
was an Indian village near, where we hoped to hire
a canoe. We found a couple of farmers, their sad-
dled horses being outside, refreshing the inner man.
Having entered into conversation, we exchanged

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

drinks, that being the proper thing to do. One of
them looked a somewhat striking man, not tall, but
strongly built, and very broad in the shoulders, with
a tanned, resolute face, the lower part being almost
hidden by a thick beard. He had a quick, dare-
devil eye, and altogether looked a "knowing shot."
During an hour's waiting for a canoe, we had a long
chat together ; and he, evdcntly glad to meet some
one out of his ordinary cii'cle, became very commu-
nicative, and told us some incidents of his own
life. I will relate his narrative almost iu his own
words : —

" T am now forty-five years of age," he began,
"ana have altogether led a pretty rough up-and-
down sort of life of it. I come from not many miles
from Portsmouth, which place I have no doubt most
of you, gentlemen, know well. I was always a wild
boy, and, when ten years old, ran away from home,
and took shelter with an old man whom I knew
before, who had been for many years in the habit of
carrying on a rather loose commercial business about
the Isle of Wight and the neighbouring coast — one,
in fact, which I am afraid required more the cloak
of night to prosper than the light of day. Some
tliirty-five years back a brisk trade was still being
done in the smuggling line, and many boats ran
cargoes.

" When I joined my old friend, I was, naturally,
not much up to the management of a boat or the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHOKES.

I long

intricacies of li.'s profession ; but, being an apt
scholar, and taking kindly to that lino of trade,
after a few trips across the Channel and in and out
around the islands, he considered me Entitled to the
h'onour of being his only companion in running a
heavy cargo he was particularly anxious about. We
made the French coast safely, and, having shipped
our kegs and etceteras, stood over again, our inten-
tion being to make the coast about nightfall. At
first we had a spanking breeze, which ran us into a
heavy fog, where we lost it, when about two-thirds
across. We, however, kept slowly closing the land,
my aged preceptor having so much experience in
the navigation of those parts, that he could almost
fetch to a hair's-breadth. Well, I was at the helm,
steering the course which was to take us up to the
Needles, when the fog began to lift, with a shift of
wind, and I distinctly made out the south end of
the island some miles off, and saw we could just get
in. This somewhat cheered me up, for I was anxious
to get the boat well in without rousing the old man,
who, tired out with anxious watching on the previous
night, was asleep below. The Fates, however, were
against me ; for, as the fog drifted more and more
to seaward, I saw a cutter, undoubtedly a revenue
cruiser, haul her wind, and stand on a course parallel
to om-selves, though a long way to leeward; and, so
far as I could judge, she would not nearly fetch the
Needles without standing oflF shore and tacking ; so

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

there was still a good chance for us. But soon my
hopes were doomed to disappointment, for, with a
puff and a whiz, a shot from her nine-pounder came
splashing across our bows. The sound had not
reached us a second ere the old man sprung on deck,
alive at once to the difficulties of the case. A glance
around showed him the position, and, roughly-
pushing me from the tiller, he bade me go below
and not show myself till I was told to : but I would
as lieve have gone to the bottom of the sea as out of
sight of the fun ; so I laid myself down on the deck,
with just my head looking over the little gunwale
which surrounded our craft. Scarce another minute
ere a second messenger came ploughing up the
water ahead. ' The next will be at us,' said the
old smuggler, ' but I don't care a curse so long as
he shoots clear of spars and rigging.' I well remem-
ber the half-complacent, half-calculating smile with
which the old fellow glanced at the cruiser and then
at the Needles, which were slightly on our lee bow.
A third puff soon came from the bows of the cutter,
and, before I had time to duck my head well down,
with the fond belief that the gunwale would keep
out shot, the iron smashed through our deck forward,
sending a shower of splinters into the air, and
plunged into the sea to windward of us. 'My lad,'
exclaimed the old man, * go below, or worse may
happen.' I, however, vowed stoutly I would see it
out ; so he desisted from pressing me further.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

*' The breozo had now freshened considerably,
and we were bowling along briskly, holding our own
with the cutter, which was closing the shore fast,
and would soon be obliged to go on the other tack ;
and, directly we rounded the point, we were bound
to lose sight of her, and would be in safety ; for
anywhere along the shore wo could drop our kegs
overboard, and pick them up at a more favourable
time ; evening was also fast closing in, so we had
every chance in our favour. The cutter was firing
at intervals, some shot grazing us, some going wide.
Fortunately, no more damage had been done us.
At length, however, a shot striking the quarter sent
a large splinter from a bollard, which struck the old
man, and felled him like an ox. I rushed from my
place to the tiller, in an agony of fear lest he should
have been killed ; but, staggering to his feet, he
wildly waved me away, and steered the boat into
her course again, she having luffed up in the wind.
My old friend, speaking thickly and fast, now gave
me to understand that, if anything more was to
happen to him, I was to drop the kegs in a small
bay, for which we were bound, and where very
likely a boat would come off to my assistance, and
then keep on for Portsmouth harbour, as if nothing
had happened. The land had now shut out our enemy,
and night given us the protection of its veil, when,
from loss of blood and of the excitement which
had supported him, my companion sunk into a

SC^.NES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

swoon. I took tho lichn, and, with tho help of
darkness, carried out his iustructions to tho letter.
Entering Portsmouth about midnight, I did not
answer the hail of the watch, fearful lest they
should detain me on seeing the evidences of our
having been fired at, but crept up amongst a lot
of other craft, and thus eluded the guard-boat which
followed. The old smuggler weathered his broken
head a^ right, but never tried on any adventures of
that kind again. As he had already saved a good
round sum, he thought it was best not to tempt the
fickle dame any more. I remained at the work
some years longer, but, having got mixed up in one
or ^ two rather shady affairs, I emigrated to the
States, with the assistance of my father. Well, I
landed at New York went westward, took to farm-
ing, but found that the steady, plodding work
necessary to inake it pay well was not suited to my
taste. Hearing of the gold mines, I started away
across the plains, got a good claim, and went to
work hard. Ah, those were wild days — plenty of
money, and no need, apparently, to look out for the
future. We miners, after a ' haul,' would go on the
' burst ' to some large town, San Francisco being
the favourite, and squander in a week the gold
which had taken months to accumulate. I have
known a miner, standing at a ' bar,' take out a
handful of twenty-dollar pieces, and fling them at
the large mirror behind the counter, telling the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SIIOUES.

bar-kocpcr to pick * them up as payment for it.
Incidents of that kind were common enough then.

" I might at times have returned to England with
a comfortable fortune. I have always been a lucky
man in the actual mining part of the business, and,
after a while, began to sober down, and have some-
times had sixteen and seventeen thousand dollars ;
but speculation was my ruin, and, what between
Mining Companies, Banks, and other bubbles, my
money vanished as fast as ever. At length I tired
of my continued rise and fall, and, gold being found
at Carriboo, I made tracks for that land of promise,
determining to drop speculation. I was lucky
enough, but, as I am growing old, I thought it
wise to invest in a farm ; so I bought one some
miles from this, and have worked on it for several
years, till now it is in good order, and will keep me
in my old age. I expect I shall some day get the
old fit on again, and go roving and mining, though
I hear there is little money being made now, except
by companies; but, anyway, I shall always have
the consolation of knowing there is a harbour of
refuge under my lee. It is high time for drinks all
round; so say, gentlemen, what wall you take?"

With these words, our communicative friend
finished his story, tossed off his drink, said adieu,
and, mounting his strong little horse, started at
full gallop) on his road.

-^\

CHAPTER VI.

" The hunter turned away from the scene
Where the home ot his fathers once had been,
And heard bj the distant tind mcasnied stroke
That the woodman hewed down the giant oa^t ;
And burning thoughts came o'er his mind
Of the white man's faith and love unkind."

An arm of the sea disconnects the district of Saanich
from the main part of the island, foniiing it into a
peninsula. This inlet runs nearly north and south,
and Jias two entrances, one to the northward, the
other to the east. Down and across this inlet we
had to continue our journey in a canoe, having
completed a bargain with an Indian, through the
assistance of an interpreter and the Indian's wife.
En passant^ I would remark that, when engaged in
pecuniary or bartering transactions with Indians, it is
always advantageous to have their squaws prrisent.

The inlet gradually widened as wo proceeded.
The scene before us was calm and beautiful, miles
of unbroken forest covering the surrounding hills
down to where their bases were washed by the
waters, over which wo gently glided, impelled by
flail and paddle. Occasionally a curl of blue smoke

SCENES OX PACIFIC SHOliES.

ascended from amongst the trees bordering the
beach, where some small Indian village had been
built, or fisherman had taken up his abode ; these
were the only signs of human life. There, hauled
up on the beach close to the wigwams, or anchored
near to the broken waters of a reef, is the never-
failing accompaniment of the coast-Indian — his
canoe. In it he spends most of his life, and by
it entirely supports himself and family ; constantly
performing voyages in such tempestuous weather
that it appears incredible that such a fragile bark
can survive it, and spearing and skilfully catching
monstrous fish, a contact with which would inevit-
ably upset his frail tenement. Evening's soft gloom
was descending over mountain and bay, forest and
stream, as our canoe grated on the shingly beach of
Cowichin.

A district and also a river bear the name of
Cowichin, and near the mouth of the latter a power-
ful and warlike tribe, not many years age, built
their lodges. These have now, in what ap* ars to
be the natural order of things, given W£/, to be
replaced by the lodge of the white man ; a small
village and occasionally a few hovels being the only
remaining habitations of what was once a nimierous
tribe. It is a fertile and productive district, and
well settled.

That night the " John Bull " inn was our abode,
br.t anybody accastomed to the comforts generally

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHOllES.

comprised under the term inn, when confined to the
old country, would be very much surprised at the
accommodation afforded us. We had salmon for
supper, for good salmon can always be obtained
along the coast, when in season, from the Indians.
After washing this down with potations of colonial
beer, which we fortunately obtained at the " bar,"
we had our pipes and a glass of grog; then, on
asking the landlord for om' beds, ho told us we
should find it all right upstairs ; so, ascending a
steep narrow staircase, we came to a kind of loft,
through which a cooling current of air was whistling
from the chinks of the logs which composed our
dormitory. We looked round for our beds ; but,
alas ! no comfort-bringing pillows and sheets met
our gaze. A few rough boards were elevated above
the floor, and on these we were contented to stretch
ourselves, two on each, rolled up in our blankets,
with our knapsacks for pillows. We were up betimes
and out for a swim, the house being built on a
beach; had breakfast, and started in a canoe up
the river, on our way to Somenos Lake, where wo
purposed spending our leave, having heard there
was good shooting in the vicinity, and fishing in
the lake.

Good nature and a willingness to assist strangers
is always a prominent feature iii newly-settled
countries ; and, as we were loading ourselves witli
our heavy camp-gear, etc., preparatory to a long

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

tramp, we experierxccd the good results of this trait ;
for a settler, who was riding past, dismounted, and,
loading his horse with our traps, insisted on walking
with us all the distance, taking him a long way out
of his own road. We found an old log hut on the
shores of the lake, and in it we established our
head-quarters.

Nearly all the country between Cowichin and
Somenos Lake is settled, or has been so ; a few of
the farms not turning out well, their owners have
tried elsewhere. On the opjxjsite side of the lake
to where we were located is the farm of ]\Ir. Green ;
ho was at one time in the employmen* of the
Colonial Government as a civil engineer, and saw
a great deal of both British Columbia and Van-
couver's Island, but at length quitted the theodolite
for the plough. He was very attentive and civil
to us, sending a can of milk every morning across
in a canoe. During our stay he raised a " bee,"
for the purpose of building a cow-house, with a hay-
loft over it. " Raising a bee " means collecting all
the neighbours from miles around, who assemble on
a certain day to build a house, barn, or whatever
object the " bee " is raised for. I went with one of
my companions to assist at Mr. Green's, as I had
often heard of these gatherings, and was anxious to
see one for myself. The men had been at work
some little time when we arrived, and had already
raised some six or seven feet of the bam. It was

■ 8

) i

4 i

' I ;

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

perfectly astonishing to see how quickly the good-
natured builders run up a substantial building of
rough logs, calculated to last at least lialf a century.
These logs are prepared previously to the assembling
of the *' bee ; " having all the bark stripped off, and
being cut to the required length, they are placed
according to their size, so as t j cause no delay. The
bam at Green's was built in the form of a square,
no windows or doorway being cared for till after
the walls were finished, when they were cut out.
The ends of the logs are dovetailed into one
another. This is done by the corner-men, who
have the hardest work, and require to be well
skilled in the use of the axe. Four logs are rolled
up at a time, one placed along each of the sides ;
the axes then go to work in each corner, dovetailing
and trimming off the ends. The corner-men remain
at work the whole time, rising higher and higher as
each succeeding log is placed. All the work is done
by eye — no plumb-line or square is necessary — yet
the structure grows as perpendicular and square as
any brick building where every precaution is taken.
In the middle of the day we all partook of a good
substantial lunch of ham, potatoes, home-made
bread and cakes, and in the evening se])arated to
our different habitations.

Each day of oui* stay we went out after game,
two going in one direction, and two in another.
One, who was chef de cuisine for the day, was left

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

behind at the old hut, his business being to wash-
up, cut firewood, and prepare dinner for the others
when they returned in the evening. I will not
enter into a tedious description of each day, suffice
it to say, that the fortunes of the chase were variable,
and not altogether as successful as we should have
wished.

Our days of rough and pleasant life on the shores
of Lake Somenos soon came to a termination, and
we reluctantly packed up and prepared to start back.
An Indian and his canoe were hired to take our
traps back to Cowichin, and save us their carriage
over a long and tedious road. I accompanied him,
while the others walked to the mouth of the Cowi-
chin River. The first few miles we had very hard
work, as we had to force the canoe down a narrow
stream, which connects Lake Somenos with the
Cowichin River, and which was completely overhung
with willows and thick creepers. Through these we
had to make our way, and the obstruction was
often so great that it required all our strength,
shoving and pulling the canoe by the overhanging^
branches, to get along. However, when once in
the main river, I was quite recompensed for past
troubles. Tlie river — although wide and shallow —
is rapid, and swept us down at such a rate that the
Indian had all his work cut out to steer us, for there
was no necessity to use the paddles. Past solitary
wigwams and Indian villages, past wild forest and

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

settler's clearing, past hill and swamp, wo rushed
rapidly on. Occasionally we came to Indian fishing-
weirs, running across the river at its most rapid
portions, and it required all the dexterity of my
skilful conductor to shoot us through the little open-
ings left on each side. We also passed several
canoes returning from fishing, laboriously poling
themselves up against the rapid current, and taking
hours to do the distance we had done in thirty
minutes. We soon arrived at our destination, which
was the farm of two brothers, wlio had kindly
offered us the hospitalities of their house. My com-
panions arrived shortly after, and we spent a most
pleasant and agreeable evening with these two
gentlemen, who were naturally glad of a little
society different to what is generally met with in
the backwoods. .

The next morning we again took boat and crossed
the bay to our old quarters, the " John Bull " inn.
We here awaited the arrival of the steamer which
was to convey us on to Victoria, but she, like many
other things in this colony, was throo hours behind
her time. During the time we were awaiting the
arrival of the steamer, Harris, the landlord of the
inn, told us some incidents of his life, which I will
give the reader the benefit of, as they struck mo as
being rather interesting.

When young, he served as a lifeguardsman, du-
ring parts of the reign of George IV. and William

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

TV. ; lio, however, bought his discharge, and, strange
as the metamorphosis may appear, was, not many-
years after, the captain of a vessel, which, from his
account of it, appears to have been a sort of half-
privateer, half-buccaneer ; he plied his calling in the
Gulf of Mexico. He told us of fabulous sums he
made, but, for some reason which I forget, he forsook
the sea and again took to the military profession,
becoming, through some of those strange vicissitudes
of life which men of his stamp often pass through, a
captain of militia and justice of the peace in Mosquito.
This part of the storj'- I can vouch for, so far as
seeing his commissions for both offices justifies mo

in doing.

More changes having come " o'er the

spirit of his dream," he is now what we found him.
Instead of dispensing justice, he breaks the laws by
selling whisky to the Indians, which is a money-
making, tliough villanous, trade, and one punish-
able witli a heavy fine by the laws of Vancouver's
Island. Old Harris was not long since " had up,"
I believe, for this offence, being about eighty years
of age at the time.

Through the hunting expedlt'ons .vliich I have
mentioned, and several other sh')n«r trios which we
made during our stay, I picked up a. great deal of
useful information. The time of the year was bad
for sport, and frequently, when we had got within
distance of our game, the cnormou.^ ferns, growing
from sixtoeight feethigli, prevented lis getting a shot.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHOKES.

I will now describe what I consider the most
necessary articles to take with one when going
on a shooting expedition through a comparatively
wild country. A stout suit of Scotch tweed is the
best and most comfortable for ordinary wear ; besides
a suit of flannel for a change and to sleep in. These
will be found sufficient clothing, whether you are
going for a week or a month. When the nights are cold,
both a blanket and a rug will be required to sleep
in, but in mild w^eather either will be found suffi-
cient. A frying-pan, a camp-kettle, and a tin platter
and cup for each person aro indispensable, also a small
American axe. For pr'^^'isions, of course, a great
deal depends on the kind of country in which you
intend to camp, and the likelihood of game ; but, if
it is a good country, some lard for frying, and a
good stock of hard biscuits, and a little flour, and some
meat for immediate use, will always repay the
trouble of its carriage. You will discover this if
you find game scarce. A small wooden barrel, to
hold two or three bottles of whisky or brandy, should
also be provided. The romance of sleeping under
the starry expanse of an unclouded heaven is very
likely to be dispelled in a disagreeable manner,
except in very mild weather, by colds, rheumatic
pains, etc., unless one is an old hand at it, and can
stand getting wet through. N^tujre is much more
indulgent in this respect to the man who spends
mos<^ of his life on the open praiiies or in the forest ;

ffir

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

such a one will never fear rheumatism, and colds do
not come within the catalogue of his complaints ; it
is the effeminate man of society, whom Nature knows
not, and whom she treats sharply, that must pro-
vide for himself a tent or build a hut of the
fir-tree.

Not very long after our arrival at Esquimalt, the
Governor of the Island gave his annual ball on the
Queen's birthday, and invitations were sent to all
the officers of the men-of-war in the harbour. I took
advantage of the invitation, principally to see what
the rank, youth, and beauty of Victoria and its
environs were like, and I must candidly chronicle
that my first impressions of Victorian society were
anything but favourable. To judge from appeiir-
ances, many of the fair guests were unearthed a^id
brought to light only for that one especial evening
during the year, for the invitations of the governor
of a small colony generally includes everybody of
any respectability in it. The male portion of the
assembly was formed principally of officials and
naval officers, and, with the young ladies, the amount
of gold lace worn appeared to cany the day. This re-
minds me of a story concerning one of these said
young ladies, who wis, I believe, born and certainly
brought up in the colony. Being at a dance where,
as is usual in Vancouver's Island, the naval blue was
rendered conspicuous by the number of its wearers,
a midshipman was introduced and claimed her

SCENES ON PACIFIC SIIOUES.

hand for a dance. She gave it, but they had not long
mingled "'mid the mazy thnmg" when she ex-
claimed, " What would my Ma say, if she knew I
was dancing with a midshipman ? " The middy,
possibly thinking a little rudeness in retaliation was
justifiable in such a case, undauntedly asked, "And
what would my Ma say, if she knew I was dancing
with a squaw ? " ■

Victoria, which is the capital of Vancouver's
Island and British Columbia, since the union of
the two colonies, I fear, has seen its best days, and
is on the road to insignificance and poverty, unless
some piece of good fortune visits it to effect its
rescue. It first sprung into notability in 1858,
when, gold having been discovered in apparently
great quantities up the Fraser lliver, a rush was
made for the new diggings. People passed through
Victoria on their way from California and all parts
of the globe, and owing partly to this and its being
the terminus of the lines of steamers, Victoria
became important, and the sea-port and commercial
town of the mines. Stores and gambling saloons
were run up, wharves constructed, and the to^^^^
soon presented all the characteristics of that wild,
reckless, and, I may also say, villanous hot-bed, a
mining community. ]3ut the tide of prosperity
which had flowed so rapidly was soon discovered
to have also as rapid an ebb. The mines were not
gjijfficiently productive to remunerate for the expense

ill,yijiyiij,«i|j|iijiiiii«|

SCENES ON PACIFIC SIIOliES.

».^

of working and carriage of the gold, and the dis-
appointed gold-seekers had to retrace their steps,
and their attendant parasites endeavour to find
more profitable fields for their schemes.

Since that time the fortunes of Victoria have
frequently risen and again fallen, according as
mines have been discovered, or reported to have
been, which Interested people thought profitable,
or led others to believe so. Tims every year
or two an excitement springs up for the hour,
bringing a few hundred more eager than wary
speculators from California or elsewhere. But
it quickly subsides, leaving the Victorians, who,
while it lasts, brighten up once more, and
congratulate each other on the good times which
are coming for the colony, to again ponder gloomily
over their blighted hopes. In 1862 all the crowds
had vanished, but the excitement caused by the
mines did serious damage to the colony from an
agricultural point of view. Many men who had
previously been steadily plodding on towards inde-
pendoTice were led away into the whirl of specula-
tion, and their neglected farms were again allowed
to relapse into a wilderness. Many colonists are
still holding on, like Mr. MIcawber, "waiting for
something to turn up," unable to resume their old
occupation of farming, and still dreaming of making
their fortunes by some more speedy method. How-
ever, the majority of farmers, many of whom have

SCENES ON PACIFIC SH0I1E8.

come out since the gold excitement, arc recovering
from the depressing effects of the reaction conse-
quent on the rush, and are steadily building up their
future independence.

During our stay at Esquimalt a vessel arrived
from England with some forty girls on board,
brought to the Colony as domestic servants. They
were in great request, and readily got situations.
When returning from Cowichin in the steamer
I met a farmer on his way to Victoria, where he
was in hopes of getting a wife from among the new
arrivals. I heard afterwards that he was unsuccessful
in his wooings. He made overtures to many of the
damsels, but none seemed to care for a good and
comfortable home when it had attached to it a
rather unattractive husband. His last addresses
were paid to a girl whom the governor had hired
as a maid-servant. My persevering, but unfortu-
nate, acquaintance had not, I believe, seen her untlJ
going to the hall door. He rang the bell, and .she
appeared in answer to it. Without very much intro-
duction to the subject, he boldly asked her to come
away with him at once, and enter the holy state of
matrimony. The girl, not accustomed to Colonial
courtships, was naturally much overcome, and began
to cry, refusing however, to leave her situation. He
in vain urged Iiis inducements, but, she remaining
firm, he had to return to Cowichin, a dispirited and
disappointed, though, perhaps, a wiser man.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

After some months' stay at Vancouver's Island,
during part of which we paid a round of visits
to Nanaimo, the Fraser River, and the bone of
contention, the island of San Juan, we left the North
for other parts of the station, San Francisco being
our first port of call.

CHAPTER VTI.

" There was u sound of revelry by night."

The country surrounding San Francisco is of a very
nn varied nature, every hill being of the same smooth,
undulating appearance as its neighbour, and no
timber or brushwood is visible from tlie anchorage,
if we except the town and subui'bs of Oaklands, on
the opposite side of the water ; where, on an un-
usually clear day, we can distinguish the dim wave
of the miniature tree: with which its streets are
lined. No, one sadly misses here tlio pleasant
woi^land or pastoral scenes which smround nearly
every town in the old country, or which arc within
easy reach of them. The valley, with its variegated
fields of corn or pasture — its hedgerows and lanes —
its sparkling rivulet and clusters of venerable trees —
its whitewashed cottages, peeping out from their
gardens — and the spire of a church rising amidst
the yews, is a picture not to be seen in the neigh-
bourhood of San Francisco. Its inhabitants have to
be content with much less interesting scenery, and
with little variety, in its immediate neighbom-hood.
" Will you come for a drivv to Cliflf House?" was

f " ^f^"W.t:nrryzf»^

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

an offer constantly made to us by our friends on
shore. It is the only drive or ride that San
Francisco possesses ; and on the road the good folk
of the city show off their traps and endeavour to
outvie each otiier in the possession of the fastest
team. The Cliff House is a large hotel, built on a
bold pramontory on the south side of the entrance
to the harbour, and is about six miles from the
town. The balcony of the hotel overhangs the
cliff, and right under one's feet the ocean comes
rolling and tumbling in, in one mass of seething foam.
There are several large rocks parted from the parent
cliff, and on these (piantities of sea-lions disport
themselves, taking no notice whatever of the people
in the balcony overhead, though they are not a
hunflred yards distant. It is altogether a charming
view on a fine day, for on the right the golden
gates show out well, the deep blue waters of the
Pacific stretching away till they aln;ost become
blended with the sky in the distant horizon^ dotted
here and there mth the snowy canvas of a coasting
craft, or messenger from some other clime.

It is also a beautiful sight when (like fair Melrose)
it is visited by the i)ale moonlight, for then distant
objects are but dimly seen, and assume fantastic
and ghostly shapes, while nearer ones are bathed in
that misty, soft light which is so attractive ; the sea
h surging and moaning in the half liglit down
lelow, and, mingling with the melancholy sound of

^.*

SCENES ON PACIFIC SIIOllES.

its waves, comes the plaintive cry of the sea-lion
from his rocky home.

About a mile on from the Cliff House is situated
the Ocean-side House, to which one gets by a plea-
sant drive along the hard sands, with the surf wash-
ing the wheels of the carriage, and heavy rollers
breaking in close proximity. A different road to
the direct one to Cliff House leads back from it to
the city. Both these hotels have large, commodious
rooms for dancing, etc., and parties frequently drive
out after dinner and make use of them. I accom-
panied a party of friends one night for a drive out
and dance. We numbered altogether fourteen, and
were at first going in a six-in-hand drag, but the
gentleman who invited us having come to the con-
clusion that smaller traps would be preferable, as
they were more sociable, determined to dismiss
the drag and order other vehicles.

I give an idea of the rate people here charge. He
had to give the man who brought the drag, for
waiting five minutes, the sum of ^10 (^2). At
length we got "fixed" all right in two pair and
two single-horse traps, and about 10.30 p.m. started
away at a good pace.

The Americans cultivate a trotting speed in their
horses in preference to galloping, and the trotting-
matches of the United States are famous everywhere.
The distance from San Francisco to the Cliff House
(six miles) has, I believe on one or two occasions,

*Hii»i<il'Wt»W.^if<»?',<?»W^^?5B'^

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

been done in about twenty-two minutes. Though
our norses were hardly up to that speed, still they
were what would be considered in England very
fast goers, and the rapid drive by moonlight was
very exhilarating. Wo stopped a few minutes at
the Cliff House, but determined to go on to the
Ocean-side House, as being quieter and more
select. A messmate and myself had brought some
bandsmen from the ship, and soon after our arrival
we commenced dancing in the lar^e room of tho
hotel. A good supper was served, and we enjoyed
ourscl\res so thoroughly that we did not start back
for the city V I day was breaking. All felt that
we quite agreed with Tom Moore as to the best way
of lengthening our days being to steal a few hours
from the night. After a delightful drive back in the
frcHh morning air, we got to bed about six a.m.,
having regularly " made a night of it."

A pleasant stay of eight weeks at San Francisco
closed with a farewell ball, given on the night pre-
vious to our departure, by the leading citizens, in
honour of our admiral and his officers. Everything
that could be done to render the ball as complimen-
tary as possible was carried into effect by the good
taste of the committee of management. The en-
velopes, containing the cards of invitation, bore the
American and English flags entwined, with the
ship's name in the centre. The ball was held in a
spacious room called the Pacific Hall ; at one end

ilk

■'\

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

was a gallery with seats arranged for those who
preferred looking on to dancing, so chaperones and
wall-flowers did not encumber the space intended
for dancers. There were two bands, one placed in
the gallery, to play operatic selections between the
dances, the other at the further end of the room,
almost hid by a semi-circle of moss and roses, which
was also a great ornament to the hall. On the
arrival of the admiral and the officei's, the bands
played " God Save the Queen," and repeated the
compliment at our departure. The toilets and
supper were perfection, and all the arrangements
conducted on a magnificent scale. Everything that
tended to show that we carried with us the kind
wishes and friendship of our entertainers was said
and done.

We did not break up till late in Iho morning, and
I preferred accepting the offer of a bed at the house
of a friend to going on board at that hour. But
whether it was from the amount of physical exer-
tion I had gone through, or from the number of
glasses in which I had pledged my friends and
drank to future meetings, or whether from tlie com-
bination of both, I know not ; however, I did not
get on board till the anchor was being weighed, and
deservedly received a '* rubbing down " from the
" stern, cold man with nought of sympathy," whose
duty it is to administer these verbal chastisements
to erring subordinates.

iW!!l!IW"W!S«W»WiW^-

CHAPTER VIII.

" Te Bay they all have passed away,
That noble race and brave,
That their light canoe has vanished
Pro. . off the crested wave.
That in the forest where they roamed
There rings no huntsman's shout ;
But their names are on your waters,
And yc may not wash them out."

As we gaze on the San Francisco of to-day, and
mentally compare it with what it was some five-and-
twenty years ago, we are filled with wonder and
admiration. A few Roman Catholic missions had
been established through the country, but the site
of what is now the finest city of Western America
was then in a most primitive condition. A few
settlers had fixed their dwellings, not amounting in
all to more than a dozen houses, close to the water ;
but these few settlers were the pioneers of one of
the mightiest achievements of civilization. As each
succeeding gold mine was discovered in California,
and mother earth gave birth to more and more of
the precious metal, it became necessary that a sea-
port should be used. The long, laborious journey
across the plains of Central America was too tedious

p 2

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

for the eager fortune hunters, whose goal was the
treasure-yielding land of the West, and the route
was too dangerous and precarious to trust to for the
transmission of the proceeds of their toil, so lines of
steamers were put on from the Eastern States to
Aspinwall, and from Panama to the Golden City.
The railway was constructed across the Isthmus of
Panama, and San Francisco became the acknow-
ledged city and harbour of the future. From that
time it became golden, not only in name, but in
reality. As year succeeded year, it continued
spreading its streets far back Irom the edge of the
bay, and its ample storehousefi and spacious wharves
are now built on acres of land reclaimed from the
On landing, one is surprised at the fine stores.

sea.

large markets, and handsome buildings which pro-
sent themselves on every hand. Conmiodious and
substantial public offices, luxurious club.s, theatres,
and opera-houses now stand where, little more than
a quarter of a century back, the Indian built his
lowly wigwam.

Thus in our own day may we contemplate the
wondrous changes wrought by all-conquering man.
Till yesterday California was unknown. Its ex-
haustless treasures, the riches of its mountains and
valleys, its fertile plains, forests, and waters were
but as the visions of a dream to the civilized world,
and as a sealed book to the occupants of the country.
But where are they now? — these dwellers in the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

land for centuries, whose code of honour and laws
of hospitality shamed the hollow show of civiliza-
tion — where are they now ? Gone, like leaves
before the autumn gale. For, like some mighty lire
sweeping through a forest, utterly withering up and
demolishing every root and branch, the onward
march of the white man is the fatal destroyer, from
which the Indian cannot hope to escape, and, ex-
cept in some remote counties in California, it may
be almost said the red man is less often seen than
the grizzly bear.

The poor savage of America has indeed little left
him in the hunting grounds of his ancestors. Before
the white man, lauding on the western coast, he has
rapidly been driven to the mountain ranges of tho
interior, where he meets his longer hunted, though,
perhaps, braver and nobler, brother of the East, also
retreating before the grasping hand of the invader
of his birthright. No cheering prospect is left them
in this world ; bereft of homestead, hunting grounds,
and the roving life they love, they are pent up in
some Indian reservation, or amidst the wild fast-
nesses of the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Moun-
tains, quickly passing off the face of the land.
They are at war with all men, and all men's hands
are turned against them. The "brave" of the
battle-field, the sagacious advisor at the council fire,
the persevering, wily jmrsuer on the wki' trail, in
fact, the romantic, heroic Indian most of us have

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

read of and admired, is now a thing of the past.
The unfortunate remnant of that noble race, who
have lived to see the downfall of their tribes and
the utter departure of all their ancient glory, may
well gaze on the setting sun from summits of the
mighty mountains of their forefathers, and read their
fate in his departing rays.

But I must stop my pen-and-ink soliloquy, and go
on with my few crude impressions of modem San
Francisco. On first acquaintance with the country,
a stranger accustomed to the moderate prices of the
old world and the uses of copper coinage is forcibly
struck with the high pricus charged for everything ;
no " browns" are in use, and the lowest silver coin
(now almost obsolete) is worth twopence halfjpenny.
The agricultural labourer gets from two to two and
a half dollars (eight to ten shillings) per day, and a
skilled mechanic, of course, very much higher pay.
But lodging, clothing, and food are all so expensive
that a labourer here has very nearly as much trou-
ble to make both ends meet comfortably as he has
on the less imposing scale of wages given at home.
It is no exaggeration to say that in England a shil-
ling goes as far as a dollar out here. When travelling
by a river steam-boat, I have had to pay four and
twopence, or one dollar, for a bottle of beer. I ordered
it without knowing the price, and avoided such ex-
pensive luxuries afterwards. To take a retrograde
look at prices, Captain L , of the Pacific S.S.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

Co., told mo that on his first landing at San Fran-
cisco, I think in the year 1847, ho paid for his
breakfast the sum of nine dollars (one pound seven-
teen)! This expensive meal consisted of two eggs,
a cup of coffee, and some bread and butter.

The hotels of San Francisco arc a source of sur-
prise and admiration to all visitors. Their numbo**
size, and flourishing condition appear unaccountablw
to an Englishman, while their comfoii;, cleanliness,
and good living please him. With a population, I
believe, of only 150,000, it keeps up many first-class
hotels of enormous size. Amongst them are the Grand
Hotel, the Occidental, the Cosmopolitan, the Lick
House ; and, amongst the less fashionable ones, the
liuss House, What Cheer House, besides very many
smaller ones, and boarding houses. The reason why
hotels in America receive so much more support
than they do in the old country is owing to the
excessive wages required by domestic servants,
the high rate of house-rent and the large expense of
furnishing ; so that many families, and I think I may
say almost all bachelors, find it the most economi-
cal to live in one of these monster hotels or at a
boarding house. The charge at the good hotels for
board and lodging is from two to three dollars a day.
San Francisco is of too rapid a growth and too
young in years to have a proper elite or well defined
society, but, of course, like other places, it has
its " upper ten," though it is not io be asked " who

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

tli<^y are? " — they must be taken as they come. And
so it must be in every rapidly-rising community,
where the man who cleans one's boots, or leaves the
butcher's meat to-day, may to-morrow, by some lucky
hit in real estate or other speculation (all Califor-
nians speculate more or less), become a rich man.

It is a strange thing that few men who start for
America in early life, with the intention of gaining
comfort and independence for their latter years, return
to England when their object is attained ; although
at the commencement of their career the hope of
doing so is frequently the loadstone and guiding star
of their existence, and the thought bears then man-
fully through many a weary struggle. I do not
think that their love for their native land diminishes
much, I do not think they believe America to be a
happier country or nearly so well governed as their
own, but the great difficulty is for a man to tear
himself away from the every-day associations and
customs of the best part of a life-time. I speak
more of men who may be considered as belonging
to the shopkeeper or upper labouring classes in the
old country. When they rise a little in the world,
and are able to "guess" about their "real estate
lots," they find themselves eligible for the society of
those with whom they at first considered it an
honour to associate, but afterwards come to look
upon as a right. It is to a great extent this feeling
which prevents many from risking their gained posi-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

tion by returning to their native towns, where they
know they can never succeed in banishing the re-
collection of what they once were. This money-
making-society's equality possesses the real charm.

There is also, possibly, a more neighbo .^rly , free
and easy style of acquaintance kept up in American
cities. It is the usual custom, if time permits, to
ask a friend to take a drink, and it is never con-
sidered the correct thing to refuse unless for some
special reason. I have hoard of cases, and I believe
they were not uncommon, which occurred some
years back in San Francisco, of men being shot dead
for refusing to drink when asked at a bar, for it was
at that time considered a direct insult to the inviter.

An American gentleman, who was speaking to me
of a visit he had recently made to England with the
possible intention of remaining there, gave one or
two of the reasons why he did not do so. He said
he always felt lonely and strange on going out into
the streets ; there were no familiar faces to meet,
no old cronies to chat with on the events of the day,
and, what he seemed to consider the most import-
ant of all, he sighingly said, '' No one ever asked
me to take a drink." He had near relations in
England, but ones he had not seen for many long
years, and who were, therefore, all but strangers to
him, so he thought it best to return to the land
where he had made his money and his friends.

San Francisco certainly is one of the fastest and

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

most go-a-head places on tho face of the globe. It
is nothing there to meet the man who shaved one in
the morning for a quarter of a dollar driving his
pair in the evening on the Cliff House Road, and
the probabilities are that he offers to race for half a
dozen of champagne; or to see a chief detective
officer sitting side by side in a trap with some noted
gambler or swindler, who, if one chances to meet
him at a bar on the roadside, will most likely ask,-
"Well, cap' en, what will you take to drink ?" and
would feel himself grossly insulted if anyone con-
sidered himself too good to accept tho offer.

CHAPTER IX.

" Was man ordain'd the alave of man to toil P
Tok'd with thf; brutes and fettered to the soilP
Weigh'd in a tyrant's balance with his gold P
Kg ! Nature stamped us in a heavenly mould."

The reaction of u dull soa life, after a stay of
several weeks at a pleasant, lively place like San
Francisco, is very depressing. The little amuse-
ments generally resorted to on board ship to
while away time during a voyage appear very
slow, and one feels more inclined to seek consola-
tion in a pipe, and ponder over bygone plea-
sures. This state of mind, however, soon passes
away, and we begin to enter once more into the
life around us, and to speculate on the manner of
country wo are bound for, instead of wasting time
in vain regrets. Looking at life at sea, when
divested of the false colouring with which many
people see fit to embellish it, one becomes aware of
a perfect blank in existence. It is keeping body
and soul together by eating, drinking, and sleeping,
but it is not living. A man is dead to all intents
and purposes for the time. Kingdoms may be
overthrown, empires rise or fall, republics be esta-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

blished ; he is as little conscious of the changes as
he would be were he beneath the sea instead of
sailing over it. He is exiled, and cut off from home
and friends ; and so a sailor goes through life,
alternately being buried to the world and restored
to it again. One thing, however, there is to be
said in favour of this chequered career, which is,
that, when he does return to life, he has always a
powerful zest for its '^njoyments. That is a very
true saying of Dr. Johnson'H — " A ship is a floating
prison, with the additional chance of being
drowned.''

After a quick passage from San Francisco, we
arrived at Panama, at the time Sir Charles Bright
was there with his expedition, for the purpose of
laying the ylioro end of the Aspinwall and Jaaiaica
submarine telegrapli. The good people of Panama
were just about giving a ball to him, to show the
high esteem they held him in for his many valuable
services to telegraphy. We received invitations,
and also a request for our band, which was, of
course, gladly complied with. The ball was held
in the Town-hall, or Coui't-house, where the scales
of Justice are balanced by the dingy alcaldes of
the place, wlio, I am afraid, look on dollars as tes-
timony of weight, and, therefore, to be taken as
evidence. In the lower story was the guard-room
and lock-up, or cvery-day jjrison for ordinary
criminals, who were enabled to raise the .spirits of

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

the guests as they passed up the stairs, by grinning
at them in a ghastly manner through tlicir prison
bars. The ball-room was almost ;r illy devoid of
ornament, and very rightly too, in the hot weather
of Panama ; but the verandah had designs in gas-
jets about it, and the pillarC/ were enwreathed in
green-stuff, which produced quite a bowery appear-
p.Qoe. The fairest — I cannot say fair — portion of
the guests were arrayed in high morning dresses,
of many gay and lively colours, some strangely
contrasting with the dark olive complexions of the
wearers. I will honestly confess, however, that the
grapes were sour to me that evening, for not only
were there some ten gentlemen to one lady, but the
majon'ty cf the channers only spoke Spanish,
and, lij%vever p>vucally the cadences of their
jilvery voices fell on the ear, they fell upon our
understandings in a most urantelligible manner.
The heat of the room was excessive, so
cigars, iced drinks, and the verandah were more
in vogiic amongst naval officers than the ball-
room.

After a few days at Panama, the ship moved to
anchorage off the Island of Tobago, which I have
before mentioned, for the puqwse of watering, and
gi^^ng leave to the men ; unfortunately, the latter
was productive of fatal consequences. A number of
the men, composed chiefly of the younger seamen,
called ordinaries, who aro in a state of transition

'r^/'iw^.'jyT^^r^,'^ ■

^■H^

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

from boyhood to manhood, molested and insulted
the natives, committing one or two robberies of
spirits, etc. ; this h)d to the natives mustering in
force, and dri\ ing those ordinary seamen (though
superior in numbers) dowii to the beach. There
was a great deal of stone throwing, and the Alcalde
of the village, whilst endeavouring to quell the dis-
turbance, was struck on the head. Although he
received immediate medical assistance from the
ship, he died a few hours aftcrwa-ds. Tho whole
afiiiir was very much to the discredit of our men,
who, though numerically and physically tho
stronger, and also the aggressors, ran away in a
most cowardly manner directly they met with any •
opposition. After this affair, several perfectly
inofFensive and respectable men belonging to the
ship were attacked by the natives, as they were
returning quietly from walks in the country, though
none were injured severely.

These occurrences necessitated our remaining
several days longer at Tobago than had been
intended, as an investigation by the civil authorities
was instituted. During this time we hud a
christening on board. A child of Mr. Wilson's,
the obliging manager of the Boston Ice House
Company, had been recently born, ami its mother,
a New Vork liidy, was glad of the opportunity
which our stay presented of obtaining the services
of a clergyman of the Episcopal (Jhurch. Tho

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

christening was made the occasion for a largo
gathering of the friends of the family. A steamer,
belonging to Mr. Wilson's father-in-law, was used
to bring the party on board. I chanced to bo
sleeping on shore the night previous to the visit,
and was asked to join them in the trip across, and
breakfast on board the et'iamer. "VVe had half a
mile to pull out to get on board, and then a ten-
mile pasHuge to Tobago. There wore preparations
for a most wumptuouH breakfist being made, troops
of servants buntling about with turkeys, cases of
champagne , and pyramids of ice. I, for one, was
longing for the time to commence, as it was past
Tiorm ; but, unfortunately, all the ladies, and many
of the geiiticuien, became horribly sea-sick — wliich
was very annoying for a sailor with a good appetite
— so t)w breakfast hour was deferred till such time
as we should be lying peacetully at anchor under
lee of the Island of Tobago. After breakfast was
over, the flag-sln'p's boats came to take the party to
the larger ship, where the operation of christening
was proceeded with. Our parson, unused, as 1
suppose all naval parsons must bo, to the duty,
nearly choked the unfortunate infant by biling
several handfuls of water into its mouth, eyes, and
nose, thereby making its mamma very wrath. We
finished up with a dance, for there were some five
and twenty ladies on board, who would otherwise
have been very much disappointed ; amongst

ill

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

'^'■

tbem many darked-eycd senoritas, natives of
Panama, with whom dancing consisted of only the
mechanical action, no exclian«^e of ideas taking
place, except when rme could button-hole a gentle-
man who was fitted to act as interpreter, and
through him make complimentary speeches, smiling,
smirking, and bowing during the time of their
translation, at the end of which the senorita would
smile and bow in return.

Towards evening the party returned to their
own steamer. On their woy home they steamed
round us, fired a gun, and dipped their ensign,
while, as they dc))arted, cheer after cheer came
across the water, to show theii* ap})reciation of our
hospitality.

After a few days further wail ing wo were enabled
to make a start for Payta, a port in Peru, where wo
hoped to get a last mail from Engliuid before setting
out on a long cruise for the southern part of the
station.

Payta is certainly one of the most forsaken and
unin nting looking places I have ever set eyes on. It
is built on a low shore between the beach and a line
of rough, broken sand hills. If one could imagine
a village, built in the very earliest days of village
building, with low one-storied houses, composed of
wicker-work and nmd i)laster, and roofed with reeds
and sticks, heated in a large fui'iiace for a number
of years, and then set down on a small plain of

KCKNE8 ON PACIl'If SHOlMvS.

of
the

:ing
tlo-

and

sand, with dirty, yellow-look in <if liills for a back-
ground, ho can form an idea of tlio uj)pcaranco of
Puyta ; tlioii^^h, of coui\se, tho few Kuropeaus have
much better dwcMini'-s. There is lothln"- u:recn, or
fresh, or pleasln;^- to be seen in the neighbourhood ;
there is no fresh water for twenty miles, and all that
distance it has to bo convoyed on donkeys. So no
great inducenienls were oft'ered for leaving the ship,
unless for a trip to the interior, or after alligators,
numbers of which can be shot at a river to the north-
ward to J'uyta. Three of our officer'; [)aid it a visit,
and were successl'ul in slujiotiug some half-dozen, and
a ([uuntity of }»igeons.

Two iine, clean, and fast-looking merchant ships
were at anclior with us in the bay, and i have a
word or two to say, which I think will be int<'n-.r-
ing, concerning their line i4" conmicrce. Of lat(^
years a i)rosperous trade lias sprung up between
China, and Peru, and Chili, which promises fairly
to eclipse the old Africiiii siavt-nude in its enor-
mous returns and the impuiut\ with which it is
carried on. Now, by the laws of tho Celeatial
Empire, and l)y virtue < ■ i>. -led by the tumft

pot( nt brother of the siiii ;uid moon, no one of his
pig-tailed subjects is allowed to emigrate, or, at
least, only with special permission. ButtJn
of our friend, John Cliinamun, are in grent ictjuisi-
tion in many lands \ ^ are high and labour

scarce, and iiis couutry ijt immumm with tiue asmj)-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

ping young" fellows, whom it is a pity to see wasting
tlieir lives in idleness and want, when, if they only
knew it, they might bo tilling the ground and
reaping the harvest in some more blessed land, and
so tunnii;;- tlie rioli gifts of Providence to account.
Seeing these things, some wise philanthropists put
their heads together, and hit upon a plan by which
the labour of Chinamen was to bo imported into
countries in need of it ; thu£i benefiting different
peoples and nations, and — putting dolhirs into their
own pockets.

The following is 'dw course generally pursued, as
sketched to me by the captain of a merchant shij) :
JMacao is the port from whence the coolies are
usunlly shipped, for that place is in the hands of
tlio Portuguese, who are only too happy to have the
chance of turning a penny; besides, it is a but«inc8s all
the more easily carried on by avoiding the interference
of the Chinese officials, who would naturally exi>oct
something for themselves. Now, there is a law in
<. hina by which if a Chinaman owes another a
certain sum of money he becomes his creditor's
property, bodily at least, if unable to pay the debt,
until he has worked a sufficient equivalent in labour
to liquidate the claim, when he is again free. It is
on this law that the whole of the r -jlie trade hinges.
The two great vices of Chinamen are gambling and
opium smoking. If enabled by nny means to gratify
these degrading tastes to the full ext^Qt of their

mmmmm

.*?-j^r-"

SCJiiNEii ON PACIFIC SH0KK8.

inclination, they bocomo perfectly oblivious to all
else in life, sacrilicing their comfort, health, and
frequently their lives, on the altars of their idols.
A cargo of coolies is required by some enterprising
merchaTit. Due notice is given, and the nmchinory
set to work. Natives, in the eni})loy of the
Portuguese, or ships' agent, at Macao, a})read tliem-
selves through the neighbouring country and
villages, and frerpiont the opium hoiisoH, cock fights,
and gambling liclls ; hero they attach tliemselvcrt to
the most likely men for their nurjiose — and they
have a largo number to choose from — to whom, when
their money is spent and wasted, they advance
small sums, always taking caro to have logp.l i cknow-
It'dgmonts, till sufficient is knt to jdaco the insatiable
borrower in their power, and render him their slave
by the law. Th(» "runnc^ra," as they are called,
bring their gangs to ]\f acao, when they have collected
a sufficient number, in rciidiness for the ship. The
coolies, as they may now be cuIIcmI, here have their
position explained to them. They are told of a
prosperous and healthy country, a land overflowing
with milk and honc^y (or, rather, opium and fighting-
cocks), where they can go and work th*Mnselves free
of their creditors, where they will get ^l'50a-week,
enormous wages for a Chinaman : everything is
painted to them cnuhnir <le rosn. All that is n quired
of them is to bind themselves by c<mtract for eight
years, at the end of which time they will again be free

a 2

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHOKEH.

men and able to return to China to their friends and
home, with tlieir fortunes made ; also, wlieu tliey
have si^^ned the agreement and shipped on board,
tliey -will receive ^75 and two good suits of clotlies.
The unsus})ecting pig-tail eagerly grus[)s at the
offer; in it ha sees redemption from his present
state of nicer destitution and want; visions of a
bright future shine on his cloudy brain ; ho would
never be the possessor of so much wealth as he
thinks he will acquire if he remained in China for
three men's lives, instead of ono opium smoker's
short one, and lastly, and more immediately, his
good suits of clothes are very few and far between.
Things are done in a ])erfectly fair and above-board
manner. The coolies an; taken on board the ship,
and one by one are brought into the cabin, where
the captain, the agent, and the ''runners" receive
them. John Chinaman's eyes begin to glisten as he
sees a table covered with piles of shining, tempting-
looking dollars, lie has never dreamt of, much less
seen, such wealth. The agent beckons him, and ho
signs or marks his deed «»f agreement for so numy
years, under the above stipulations. *' Now here
are your $75," says the agent. John utters an
exclamation of ecstacy, and rushes towards the in-
viting heap. " But stay a minute," says Mr. Agent,
"this man (pointing to the 'runner') claims $40
which he has lent you, and for which ho has your
acknowledt;menls." John's face lalls as he sees his

■M

SCKXKS ()\ PACIFIC SIIOUKS.

dollars paid away, but ho still feels pretty contontod
at the j)rospect of gettin<^ the renuiinder. *' Now,
what nice suits of clothes you have j?ot," continues
his tormentor; **you cannot expect to have them
for nothing,-' and ho sweeps tho remaining $35 into
Ills pockot. And now John sets up his dismal wail
of lamentation, and will not ho comlorted for the
loss of so many dollarA within his grasp. But ho is
booked and done for, and must only go and work
out his stipulated period of service. Nothing in tho
transactions can bo termed illegal, all is down in
black and M'hite, and tho laws of tho country, and
against tho slavo trade, strictly respected.

What is most to bo feared is a nnitiny amongst
tho coolies during tlu^ passage, atid against this
every pn^caution is taken. Tho ships are well and
comfortably fitted up, ventilation being thoroughly
looked to — very dHlerent from tho old African
slavers — iron gratings aro fitted over every hatch-
way, and iron partitions put up between decks, so
as to allow only a certain number of tho coolies to
bo togi'ther in one place. A largo iron cage is maxle
to go over tho waist of tho ship which continos
thorn to that part when they aro allowed up for
their regular airings, a certain number only coming
up at a time. A broad bridge runs foro and aft
from tho poop to tho forecastle, where a watcli can
be kept, and from which tho coolies can bo brought
to submission if necessary. One means is some-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

times very eflFoctively resorted to when the coolies
become insubordinate or mutinous ; they invariably
turn their faces upwards towards the men on the
bridy^o, vociferating and yelling, when a few hand-
fuls of snuff and pepper sprinkled over them doubles
tlioni all up, and sets them a coughing and crying,
and they soon (juiet down again. The crew of the
coolie-ship is double the usual number — all picked
men and well armed. 1 do not intend to say that
all the ships engaged in this traffic are so well pre-
pared and fitted up as the class I have described ; if
they were, the mutinies, burnings, and sometimes
total loss of coolie ships at sea, no one living to tell
the tale, would not be so frequent.

The coolie costs the shippers to get him safely to
the port of destination, including the expenses of
runners, of the crew, provisions, time fitting the ship
up, etc.. some $160 per head. On the arrival of the
shlj) at the market, some $350 and $400 are willingly
paid by the owners of estates, plantations, or works
for each Chinaman, which leaves a clear profit of
over $200 per head ; by no means a bad specula-
ti<m, if it is well conducted and all goes smoothly.
The two shi})s lying at Payta with us had been
very 8U(!(!eHsrul. One of them had only lost sixty
coolies out of 8omt5 seven hundred or eight hundred,
during tlio piissago from China, and the other had,
1 believe, lost none at all. Anotlior shipload was
expected sliortly, the three belojiging to the same

SCENES ON PACIFIC 8H0UES.

speculators. So, if all continues to go well, these
little trips will bo the means of putting nearly one
hundred thousand pounds into the pockets of the
benevoler '/ philanthropists aforesaid.

Hugo rafts are used for loading and unloadinj^
ships at Payta, as, owing to the shallowness of the
water, cargo-boats drawing much could not bo go't,
near the beach. For two days these rafts were
employed taking coolies on shore, and, as every
square inch of the conveyance was covered, tliey
became nearly submerged, and presented the strange
appearance of some hundreds of Chinamen moving
across the water without any apparent means of
support. A large building was used for housing
the coolies on shore ; here they were strictly con-
fined, not one being allowed ouside, except once
a-day, when the whole were formed into solemn
procession — four deep, with guards at intervals —
and taken out for a constitutional airing along the
beach, Chinese music, in the shape of drums and
cymbals, heading the column, and making a discord
which even a Highlander's ear would have shrunk
from. The poor devils did not appear particularly
happy, and if any lagged behind, or got out of
place, which some often did in a sleepy sort of
manner, a gentle reminder over the head from tlie
stick of one of the guards soon brought them back
from any dream of the Celestial Empire in which
they might have been indulging.

V'^

■v^

^^1>

KS*^. -T-

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

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145
IS!

150

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1.8

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Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

SCENES ON TACIFIC SHORES.

There is one remark I would make in favour of
Payta, and that is touching its wonderful climate.
Situated within a few degrees of the line, on the
borders of a sandy desert, it enjoys a climate
which is denied to many towns and districts in
higher latitudes. Its water is cold, and at night a
covering is required, while during the day it never
appears too warm to carry on ordinary occupations.
All this is to be attributed to the antarctic current,
which, after its passage through warmer regions,
still strikes with much of its original coldness against
this favoured coast.

From Payta our course lay for Conception Bay,
in the southern part of Chili. During this voyage
I saw a whaler's boats at work among a school of
whales. It is a sight few sailors even — not engaged
in whaling — ever witness, and one of the most in-
teresting and exciting spectacles I have ever seen.

After a tolerably quick passage, we anchored off
the town of Tome, which is the seaport of Concep-
tion, a town much larger in size and greater in im-
portance, and the seat of the Provincial Govern-
ment. The smTOunding country, at first sight,
presents a very unattractive appearance, especially
in summer, as then the hills are barren of every-
thing except a species of low bush, which patches
them here and there ; but, if we land and ascend
these bleak-looking ranges, the valleys below, run-
ning into the interior, present a much more inviting

-I r-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

aspect. Green fields, lined with stately poplars,
blossoming gardens trim and well-kept enclosures,
with their rows of refreshing vegetables ready for
market, these, with the house of the farmer, nestling
amongst shady evergreens, are before us ; while, like
a huge serpent, a river or stream meanders from side
to side of the valley, the origin and support of the
verdure which renders the picture so charming.

On the arrival of the ship at Conception Bay, I
received my promotion, and, being thus released
from my arduous duties, I started for several days,
with some brother officers, for some shooting near
the town of Conception, which is well worth a visit
in itself. Our object was, as I say, to have a shot
at wild fowl or anything we could come across fit
for a bag, for, though it was not the shooting season
in Chili, it was the time of year when in the old
country we naturally expect shooting; and a long
sea voyage gives a greater zest for a good walk over
wild country, gun in hand. Our unsportsmanlike
shooting was, however, not very productive, about
five-and-twenty brace of duck, snipe, pigeons, and
partridge constituting our bag.

The plains of Walpen, where we went, are situated
some eight miles from Conception, and, to judge
from appearances and report, there must be as good
snipe and duck shooting in the season as the fondest
sportsman need desire. Conception presents the
usual appearance of Chili towns, straggling houses

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

with large gardens and quantities of fruit trees. It
possesses a very pretty, well-kept plaza, with beds
of flowers within the outer line of trees, and a space
in the centre with a fountain and seats.

I travelled during this trip, for the first time, with
five horses abreast in a coach. It is the usual way
in Chili, though a great part of the outside horses'
drawing power is lost ; however, over a steep, hilly
road, with abrupt turnings, the corners can be
" rounded " much more easily and safely with this
kind of team than any other.

WW^ -"'"W

ds
ce

es'

iiy

bis

CHAPTER X.

" There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar (?)."

I WILL now pass on to the historical island of Juan
Fernandez, known to almost every English boy,
through Defoe's famous story of " Robinson Crusoe."
We sailed for it from Conception Bay, en route for
Valparaiso.

Alexander Selkirk was landed on it, from a man-
of-war (of those days), in English Bay, totally desti-
tute of any means of supporting himseh" beyond
what nature had provided on the island ; he, how-
ever, managed to support life for a miserabl||four
years and a half without ever seeing or speaking to
a living soul. A fresh little stream sparkles down
the centre of the valley where he was landed, and,
with the help of wild goats' meat, fish, &c., he
subsisted.

The cave, or rather large opening in the rock,
whore Selkirk lived, still shows, by its black and
charred roof, and an appearance of being hollowed
out underneath, the uses to which it has been put.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

As stated in the tablet erected to liis memoiy, ho
was taken off the island by a privateer at the end
of the above period. He was a great friend of
Defoe's, and the narrative of his life and sufferings
on the island gave Defoe a foundation for the most
interesting book of its kind ever written.

This island, some years back, was used as a con-
vict settlement by the Chilian Government, who
took possession of it on discovering that a consider-
able trade in sandal-wood had been carried on from
it by a party of settlers without paying the taxes
due to the Chilian Republic, to whom the island
nominally belonged. The Government caused all
the sandal- wood trees to be wantonly destroyed — a
most narrow-minded policy — and, when tliis was
apparently accomplished, they offered liberation to
any convict who should succeed in discovering
another. A second mode of effecting liberation
offered to the convicts was, I believe, to ascond the
highest mountain in the island — called the " Anvil,"
the summit of which is broad and flat-looking.
Its sides, in some places, present sheer precijoices of
hundreds of feet in height, whilst its base is covered
with thick, stunted, and almost impenetrable forest.
No ascent was ever made tliat I could hear of, and
several lives were lost in the attempt. These con-
victs were shamefully treated : confined in damp
caves cut out of the side of a hill, they had to pass
their lives on this lonely island, far from all civilisa-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

tlon or sympathy, without regular food or clothing.
The caves can still be seen, seven in number, sad
witnesses of the inhuman manner in which these
men were treated.

The island of Juan Fernandez presents tlie most
striking appearance of wild and abruptly precipitous
mountain scenery I ever remember to have seen.
Though small in actual circumference, from the
water's edge it rises, with the exception of Cumber-
land and English bays, in bold and massive moun-
tains, which, towards the interior, shoot up into
lofty peaks or inaccessible table-like summits. The
slopes of thetio mountains, running down to the
valleys, are covered with a species of wild oat,
which gives luxuriant pasturage to the many flocks
of wild goats which abound on the island, rendering
their flesh unusually palatable. Pulling along
under the gigantic cliffs, hundreds of feet in height,
one constantly sees a herd of these extraordinarily
sure-footed animals, springing from one projecting
rock to another upon the face of the cliff, gaining a
greater height, scared by the strange sound of the
human voice echoing through their lonely haunts —
though puny man is, in this case, harmless. At
length they become no larger than flies, and the
head grows dizzy as the eye endeavours to follow
their gambols along the brink of the overhanging
precipice.

Between two of the most lofty peaks is the spot

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

K"-/^

from where Alexander Selkirk kept his look-oUt.
The view it commands is magnificent. Spread out
benieath and around one are valley, cliff, mountain,
glen, and forest, in the hundreds of different shapes
and moulds in which nature has thought tit to
fantastically cast the surface of this little island.
One cannot help trying to picture to oneself the soli-
tary man, as morning after morning he d earlly
plodded up the rugged path he had worn to his
look-out, and, as he reached the spot, turning his
weary eye to scan the broad, placid ocean which
spread its cheerless face before him; or how,
hoping against hope, he longingly gazed on the
distant horizon, thinking that, as the heavy li6urs
dragged on, some messenger from the far-off world
might appear in sight, and rescue him from despair-
ing solitude. The following short history is in-
scribed on a tablet : —

"In memory of Alexander Selkirk, mariner, a
native of Largo, In the county of Fife, Scotland,
who lived on this island in complete solitude for
four years and four months. He was landed from
the 'Cinque Ports' galley, 96 tons, 16 guns, a.d.
1704, and was taken off in the ' Duke ' privateer,
12th February, 1 709. He died lieutenant of H.M.S.
' Weymouth,' a.d. 1723, aged 47 years. This tablet
Is erected near Selkirk's look-out by Commodore
Powell and the officers of H.M.S. ' Topaz,' a.d.
1868."

.;,.#'^

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

Strange to say, nearly two centuries ago Juan
Fernandez was the abode of a former Eobinson
Cruse ^, about whom little is heard now-a-days. I
will, however, make an extract from Dampier, his
historian, who published between the years 1697
and 1709, so few of my readers are likely to have
read him for themselves : —

"March 22nd, 1684.— We came in sight of the
island, Juan Fernandez, and the next day got in
and anchored in a bay at the south end of the island,
in twentv-five fathoms of water, not two cables'
length from the shore. We presently got out our
canoe, and went ashore to see for a Moskito Indian,
whom we left here when we were chased hence by
three Spanish ships, in the year 1681, a little before
we went to Arrica ; Captain WfitHn being then our
commander, after Captain Sharpe was turned out.

" This Indian lived here alone above two years,
and although he was several times sought after by
the Spaniards, who knew he was left on the island,
yet they could never find him. He was in the
woods hunting for goats when Captain Watlin drew
oflf his men, and the ship was under sail before he
came back to shore. He had with him his gun and
a knife, with a small horn of powder, and a few
shot ; which, being spent, he contrived a way, by
notching his knife, to saw the barrel of his gun into
small pieces, wherewith he made harpoons, lances,
hooks, and a long knife ; heating the pieces first in

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

tlie fire, wliicli he struck with his gun-flint and a
piece of the barrel of his gun, wliich he hardened,
liaving learnt to do that amongst tlie English. The
hot pieces of iron he would hammer out and bend
as he pleased with stones, and saw them with his

jagged knife.

or grind tliem to

cage

by Ion

labour, and harden them to a good temper, as there
was occasion.

''All this may seem strange to those who are not
acquainted with the sagacity of the Indians, but it
is no more than these Moskito men are accustomed
to in their own country, where they make their own
fishing and striking instruments without either forge
or anvil, though they spend a great deal of time
about them."

Such is the interesting account given by an old
buccaneer, who in after life was an officer of the
Royal Navy.

The inhabitants of the island are not numerous,
numbering some five and twenty in all : their
princijjal business is trading with passing whalers,
who make the island generally a place of call ; in
vegetables, wood, fresh meat, and water. They
also have large quantities of seal kins for barter,
capturing the seals on a small island called Santa
Rosa, which is off the south-west extremity of Juan
Fernandez. The people live in a very simple style,
^principally on fish and goats' meat ; they dry a
large quantity of the former for sale. There is a

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

old
the

little row of cabins built in a sheltered spot, a
necessary precaution to protect the frail dwellings
from the heavy storms which, at times, bursting
over the island, come rushing down the narrow
valleys with terrific force. Opposite each of these
cabins is its garden, and all appeared to be in a
flourishing condition. This produce must be tho-
roughly appreciated by the sailors of the whaling
ships, who are often four or five months at sea
without the chance of tasting anything much
greener than mouldy cheese.

We spent our Christmas here. As it is the custom
to give most of the men leave on that day, it is
fortunate if a quiet spot can be chosen where public-
houses and drinking bars — the sailor's paradise — do
not abound, as indeed they do in. every seaport with
a town. These pitfalls and snares, ^o carefully laid
for " poor Jack," cause many a seaman to break his
leave and lose his good character ; and, the down-
ward road once begun, by unreflectingly indulging
in an extra glass or two, frequently leads in a short
time to imprisonment or flogging.

Our next port was Valparaiso, the most important
commercial town in Chili. I hardly expected to see
such a quantity of shipping as was lying in the bay;
the busy work going on amongst them with cargo
boats, and the number of daily arrivals and
departures, spoke well for the trade of the
place.

_. , /"'';;,^,_ H

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

The town is backed by a range of hills, and lies
between their base and the shore. The English
portion, in the suburbs of the town, is more ele-
vated, being built on the slopes of the hills some
distance up.

The English residents here did not show much
inclination for entertainment ; rather the reverse,
we thought — although comparisons are so odious —
to their American cousins at San Francisco. There is,
however, a good cricket club, a pastime one is always
sure to find supported and practised wherever there
is plenty of young English blood, as is the case at
Valparaiso, where nearly all the large commercial
houses employ English clerks. The principal thing
to be done, as far as I could see, was to ride about
the neighbouring country, an amusement the resi-
dents appear to indulge in a good deal ; but one that
must, necessarily, become very monotonous. Some
years ago a very good pack of hounds was imported
by the English residents — for the country abounds
in foxes — but they have deteriorated sadly of late,
through want of support and enough new blood. It
was quite pitiable to see the poor mangy, listless
brutes mooning about, having lost nearly all their
former spirit. The huntsman told me that the
dogs' energy and pluck leave them more and more
every year, whilst their power of scent suffers exces-
sively from the dry, barren, dusty nature of the
country. A few fresh couples of dogs are occa-

' 7fif^\Tf v*> " ',' r ■ f^ T--^"' -T r\i7

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

sionally got from England, I believe, which just
keep the pack going.

Valparaiso is connected by roil with Santiago,
the capital of Chili, and to the lattui lace I deter-
mined, in company with a brother ofliicer, to pay a
visit.

We slept on shore the night before starting, as
being most convenient, the train lep- mg at an early
hour. It was fortunate we did so, as we laboured
under the impression that our train took its depar-
ture from a small station situated in the interior of
the town, whereas it was from the regular one, or
dep6t, on its outskirts. Using bribes, threats, and
entreaties to our driver, on discovering our mistake,
to flog his wretched horses on faster, we endeavoured
to reach the proper station in time, but, as it was
five minutes after the hour the train ought to
have started when we got there, the doors were shut
and admission refused. We were in despair, for the
next train did not leave for seven hours, and took
four hours longer than the express. But what is
this ? a ray of hope still ! — we see a door standing
open to one side on the station, evidently giving
admittance to its precinc*. , though not in the legiti-
mate way for passengers. But to it, and through
it, we rushed just in time to see the train, some
little way ofi", begin to glide with a shrill whistle on
its way. There was no good giving up this chance
without a struggle, so, turning on full steam, we sped

2 H

"'^af'

100

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES,

away in chase, and succeeded in just catching the
guard's van, the door of which was fortunately open ;
into it we threw our bags and bundled in after them
ourselves, much to the astonishment of the guard,
who commenced with many gesticulations to rave at
us in Spanish (Russian or Arabic would have been
as intelligible to us). Luckily, the train was now
going at full speed, so he could not put us out, and,
having pacified him with a cigar, we waited patiently
for our arrival at the first station to get tickets and
change into a carriage.

As we got more towards the interior of the country,
evidences of greater cultivation than is to be seen in
the immediate neighbourhood of Valparaiso became
apparent, the land being thoroughly irrigated by
canals fed by the Aconcagua River, which, as it
nears the sea, in consequence of this drain on it,
becomes very much smaller than when it first
appears from amongst the Cordilleras. The farm-
ing, so far as I could judge, is carried on in a very
primitive style, and side by side with one of the
foremost efforts of civilisation, the railway, may be
seen the rude plough centuries old, made simply of
wood, and only turning up the ground to the depth
of some three inches, followed by a lazy-looking
peon, who indolently guides the course of his oxen,
looking as if nothing could rouse him into any great
exertion ; and not far off may also be seen an uninvit-
ing shed, with only three sides, run up with branches

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

101

tlie

and grass, where lives the aforesaid peon with his wife
and family, besides innumerable dogs and pigs. As
we get on, the fields are well enclosed w^th walls,
built of adobes (large blocks of hardened earth, some
four feet in length by two and a halfj, roofed over,
the eaves projecting some nine inches each side, to
protect them from the heavy rains. There are also
long straight lines of waving poplars, planted in
many places along the divisions of the fields or sides
of the roads ; they add a most picturesque appear-
ance to the country, and relieve it of the flat, un-
varied look these large plains must otherwise possess.

Soon after leaving a station called Llai Llai, which
is a sort of half-way house where the trains stop to
enable the passengers to breakfast, etc., the ascent
to Santiago commences; it is very gradual, not
nearly so steep apparently as the Bhore Ghaut
incline near Bombay, but leads along the brink of
some very ugly-looking precipices, and has some
very sharp turnings in ticklish places.

Before reaching Santiago we pass over one vast
level plain ; for miles and miles it stretches away,
with occasionally a clump of stunted trees, the tops
of which gradually rise above the horizon like the
mastheads of an approaching ship at sea.

At last the train approaches our destination. We
glide in amongst long streets, between rows of
stately poplars and bubbling streams, and are finally
deposited at the Santiago railway station.

CHAPTER XI.

" Hark ! as the smouldering piles with thunder fall,
A thousand shrieks for hopeless mercy call !
Earth shook — red meteors flash'd along the sky,
And conscious Nature shudder'd at the cry !"

We were astonished, as we drove to our hotel
(ingles), at the width and length of the Alemeda ;
it is close on three miles long, I believe, and is lined
with double rows of trees on each side ; at intervals
are statues, bandstands, etc., and between the rows
of trees on either hand is a rippling stream con-
stantly running, which thus keeps the trees verdant
and blooming during the hottest weather, affording
a most pleasant and refreshing shade to the walks
beneath them.

As we drove along we passed the princely resi-
dence of a Mr. Maggs, tho great contractor of this
country. It is a handsome structure, and the
grounds arc most tastefully laid out. Turning off
to the left, some distance further on, we got into the
principal business streets of the city, and at length
arrived at our hotel, where, as is often the case,
English was only professed to be spoken ; at least, no
sufficiently-accomplished linguist to enlighten us

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

103

produced himself on our arrival, though we certainly
did before the termination of our viait come across
an individual who performed the duty of interpreter
to the extent of some broken English.

However, having engaged our rooms and de-
posited om- traps, we sallied forth for a view of the
city. We noticed that the shops were larger and
apparently better stocked than at Valparaiso ; hand-
some buildings and showy warerooras were devoted
to the sale of goods, all bespeaking a good demand.
We were wandering on in the usual imbecile style
of Englishmen wlio go sightseeing, but cannot speak
a word of the language of the country, or make their
wants known, when, being anxious to inquire the
way to an hotel where our Admiral and his suite
were stopping, we looked about for some charitable
Samaritan who was likely to be able to speak our
native tongue ; we presently espied a florid, fat,
good-natured-looking unmistakable son of Britain,
slowly pounding his way towards us, on one leg of
flesh and one of wood. He had all the appearance
of being the right man in the wrong place, for,
except that the good city of Santiago was the last
place to see such a character, he looked for all the
world like some ancient defender of Britannia's
wooden walls, retired from public life on the pension
allowed by a grateful country. Him we accosted
with confidence, and found we were not wrong in
our first supposition; but he proved to be, like

104

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

ourselves, but a visitor to the city. He asked us to
accompany him to his brother's in the Bulness
Arcade, where, he said, we should receive every
information. After accompanying him some little
way, we stopped in front of a shop devoted to the
sale of fancy goods — babies' dolls, caps, etc., etc., —
the enterprising proprietor of which proved to be
the brother of the gentleman with the wooden leg,
our acquaintance with whom had now almost ripened
into friendsh"') ; and, rejoicing in the euphonious
name of Jones, he proved to be most kind and
assiduous in his attentions, and, after giving us the
directions we were in need of, expressed a hope that
we would join in a little soiree that was to take place
at his house that night. Naturally very glad to
meet our countrymen in these regions, and to have
an opportunity of learning something about the
town and its inhabitants from residents, we cor-
dially accepted his invitation, and, accordingly, after
dinner at our hotel, betook ourselves to the upstairs'
room of Mr. Jones's fancy goods establishment.
Here we found some other gentlemen assembled,
and, after the usual stimulants had been produced
and partaken of, the 'armony of the evening com-
menced. Mrs. Jones graced the festive scene by
her presence, and warbled forth one or two very
pretty little songs.

Amongst the guests were two brothers named
Law, who were both dentists by profession; the

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

105

elder had, however, retired some time previously,
both from his profession and from Santiago, in
favour of his brother. He had practised for about
eleven years, during which period he had laid by
a considerable sum of money. On leaving Santiago
he purchased a merchant ship, called the " Great
Pacific," and for some time previous to our meeting
had commanded and sailed her himself. A rather
peculiar transition, from dentist to merchant cap-
tain ! At the time of our visit, his vessel was on her
way from Valparaiso to New York, under 'charge of
a captain he employed for the trip ; fi om there he was
going to take a cargo to England, and then fit her
up to run in the coolie trade from Macao to Peru,
the profitable nature of which traffic he fully detailed
to me, — and which the reader will have found no-
ticed elsewhere. Some days later, when I had known
him a little longer, and had on different occasions
chatted with him on the subject, he flattered me in
a most unexpected manner by offering me the com-
mand of his ship (one of the largest merchant ships
which had ever been in the Pacific) and a consider-
able share in the profits of the transaction. This
kind ofi'er I was compelled to " decline with thanks."
I was astonished to learn what a money-making
business dentistry is in a country like Chili, though
it is scarcely surprising when every one here appears
to early ruin their masticators by an inordinate
aliection for sweets. The first evening I met the

106

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

Laws, the younger one showed me a note for ^100
he had that day received for stopping two teeth, and
for one row of false teeth he was generally paid I
believe |500 or £100. During the eleven years the
elder brother was at Santiago, there was, if I recol-
lect aright, but one other dentist in the town ; and
Law used to clear some £3,000 a year. But many
more of the brotherhood have since pitched their
tents here, though there is still work for all.

We went for a drive to the mineral baths of Apo-
quindo, where, on a Sunday afternoon, a great many
of the Santiago folk resort. On our way we passed
a lordly monastery with massive belfries and arched
gateway. Far-spreading fertile vineyards and every
sign of prosperity and affluence generally surround
the dwellings of these holy men, who, resigning the
world, the flesh, and " him as shall be nameless be-
twixt you and me," devote themselves to the saving
of other souls from perdition, and by thus exhibiting
an example of total self-denial, they light the way
and guide the anxious wanderer back to the narrow
pathway of virtue ; — at least some would have us so
believe. But the visitors to Roman Catholic countries
can tell another tale ; for when he views their abodes
and hears of the life of sensual gratification and
luxury whic^ they lead, ho can only wonder at and
pity the ignorance and bigotry of the poor benighted
creatures upon whose superstitious natures these
priests tlirive. The Englishman who may thus

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

107

chance to wander, and see for himself the temporal
burden and spiritual thraldom which oppress the
poor in the countries of which I am speaking, may
well feel thankful, and ought to raise a grateful heart
in praise, for the blessings which were afforded to his
own more favoured land when the light of the Re-
formation dispelled the darkness of Popery. We
dined at the baths, and started in the evening for
our drive back, which promised to be pleasant and
cool, the heat, dust, and discomfort attendant on
a midday drive having passed away. A beautiful
sunset illumined the west. The towering peaks of
the Andes and their smaller oif-shoots showed their
catlines cleav^v against the evening sky, the glorious
red of the setting sun tinging the snow-tipped sum-
mits with a rich crimson ; the green fields of the
valleys surrounded by lines of graceful poplars, the
white walls of monasteries and farm-houses with
their little clusteis of buildings around them, and
the blue smoke curling upwards in the calm atmo-
sphere, all formed a charming picture of peace and
contentment. Would that the internal reality were
on a par with the external appearance, in all these
pleasant views !

WTien returning from spending the evening at the
house of an Englishman, we visited the spot on which
the Oampana church once stood, —that church, the
burning of which filled every feeling person with
compassion and horror. All the ruins have now been

108

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

removed, and no building is allowed on the large
square. It is a desolate, barren space in the midst
of a populous city. The moon was shining brightly
down, all around was calm and silent, as we stood
listening to our companions, who, in low tones, suit-
able to the narrative and the scene of the catastrophe,
told us of friends they themselves had lost, of the
youth and beauty which had here been charred to
cinders, of the whole families swept off the face of
the earth, by the one fell swoop of the destroying
angel ; in some cases not a living relative being left to
claim the property, — " the place thereof knew them
no more ; " — of the fearful pictures of mortal
agony which were visible through the partially
opened door of the church. But to give some
short account of the dreadful tragedy will perhaps
be more coherent.

It was some holy day or particular service — I
forget what exactly; and in Chili, as is also the
case, I am afraid, in our own country, the ladies are
the principal church-goers. The church was, then,
filled — crowded, I believe — by all that was fervent
and young and beautiful in the city of Santiago, it
being the largest and most popular church in the
place. To illuminate the building, and prepare it
specially for this solemn service, every exertion was
made. It was not considered that the ordinary
lighting would be sufficient, so a number of extra
lamps were suspended from a single wire extending

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

109

from one side to the other : to this, I believe, is to be
attributed the subsequent conflagration.

The church was crowded, as I before said, to
excess, the ladies being dressed in quantities of
light muslin (crinolines were then the fashion) and
decked with all the accessories used to make the
female dress captivating, whic!i it is considered as
necessary to do when attending masses in Chili as
when going to service in our own country. It
appears that in the middle of the service the wire
broke, and the contents of the lamps covered all
beneath. The fire spread with fearful rapidity, and
a most heartrending panic ensued. There were
nearly — it is supposed there may have been more
than — three thousand people in the building, few of
whom got out before the tremendous pressure,
caused by the rush of the frantic crowds inside,
almost closed the folding-doors, which, as if to
favour the devouring element, opened inwards ; but
through the small opening left, the eager mass,
with all the energy of despair, endeavoured, of
course fruitlessly, to escape. Some clambered along
over the platform of tightly-wedged heads and
shoulders, and, in so doing, had their clothes
stripped off, the people below trying to hold them
back, or draw themselves up to them. Some children
were, I heard, thrown out. One man on horseback,
outside, threw hib lasso in, and, having succeeded in
securing it round the body of some person, drew him

110

SCENES ON PACIFin SHORES.

out by main force. This he did several times success-
fully, but at length the lasso settled round the neck
of some victim and the head was drawn off.

But the most disgusting and revolting circum-
stance of all, if reports are to be implicitly believed,
was the conduct of the priests. Not one of the
holy men was lost. Retreating immediately into
the sacristy, they closed and secured its door, thus
shutting off the only other means of escape besides
the principal entrance. A Miss Armstrong was the
last to effect her escape by this means, and it was
only through the strength given her by her despe-
rate situation that f^lie was successful in forcing the
door as the priests were shutting it, and at the
expense of all her clothing. What motive could
have prompted the wanton cruelty I am unable to
conceive ; that such cruelty actually occurred there
can be little doubt. All the vestments and furni-
ture, down even to some worthless matting, were
saved out of the sacristy, and yet the priests, in
pure selfishness, or dread of being at any loss — it is
hard to suggest a reason — sacrificed hundreds of
their fellow beings to an awful death. The great
bell after some time fell down, red hot, burying
several people under it. Naturally, when the be-
haviour of the priests became generally known,
popular feeling ran high against them, and many
men were for exercising a little beneficial lynch-
law ; but, strange to say, the women all took their

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

Ill

part, and, despite their hcartlessness, defended, and,
in all probability, saved them.

The burning of the cathedral occurred on tlie 8th
December, 1863, and about a month before our visit
another large building was destroyed on the same
day, 8th December, and which was very nearly
causing as great a loss of human life. Carlotta
Patti was singing ; and when a star of any magni-
tude does shine in their firmament the Chilians
attend in full force. Such was the case this evening,
and some two thousand five hundred people had
only left the opera-house half an hour when the
flames burst forth, and entirely consumed the
edifice.

The Chilians are not, as a rule, handsome, though
occasionally faces are seen which retain to per-
fection all the attributes of the romantic Spanish
type of beauty. They almost all possess, however,
an exquisite carriage and grace in all their move-
ments, which are in themselves a charm to the
stranger. , , i > v

My affairs being settled, and my commission
having arrived — which had been a fortnight delayed,
owing to the breaking down of a mail steamer — a
brother officer and myself availed ourselves of the
opportunity of joining two other gentlemen, who
were about to cross over the Cordilleras de los
Andes into the Argentine Republic. There are
several different passes over the Andes, but, as our

112

SCENKS ON PACIFIC SHORES.

time was limited, we chose the most direct, though,
perhaps, not the most picturesque, by Uspallata.
Our journey was to be performed first by train to
Llai Llai, then by diligence to Santa Rosa de los
Andes, and on mule back to Mendoza, after which
we had the option of proceeding on horseback or by
diligence across the Pampas to Rosario. We cal-
culated the expenses of the trip woi ' 1 be about
equal to, if not under, the cost oi le ordinary
passage to England in the mail steamer, via the
Straits of Magellan.

Well, it is the last day of my stay in Valparaiso.
I had been living on shore for some time. My
traps are packed with only necessary clothing for
the cross-country journey, my heavier luggage
going round the Cape to meet me the other side.
*' My boat is on the shore, and my bark is on the
sea," or, in other words, I am all ready for a start ;
but, before I do so, I must go and pay a farewell
visit to my old ship, say a last good-bye to many,
but only a long good-bye, I hope, to others of my
old messmates. " Parting is such sweet sorrow,'' it
has been said, and so, to smooth down the rough
edge, and render our parting on this occasion as
long as possible, I invited some dozen old mess-
mates on shore to pass the evening with me, and
finish with a supper. We kept up our festivities
to such a late hour, and sang so much about " Auld
Lang Syne,'' and being all "jolly good fellows,''

SCENES ON PACTFIC SHORES.

113

llata.
lin to
Le los
svhich
or by
^e cal-
about
linary
fid the

laraiso.
3. My
ling for
[Uggage
3r side.
I on the
a start ;
farewell
D many,
i of my

TOW,'' it

e rough
jasion as
d mess-
me, and
estivities
t " Auld
fellows,"

that the manager of the hotel at last turned my
friends out, and assured me ho would not have sup-
lied supper for ^500 if he had known there was
going to be sutfh an affectionate farewell. We were
called at six o'clock next morning, and I must con-
fess I found my head very heavy, and my eyes
still hot and watery, from the effects of my grief
at parting overnight, but I dressed hastily, and,
swallowing an apology for breakfast, we started to
catch the seven o'clock train, seated comfortably
in which we commenced our journey homewards,
ai d I —

" With aching temples, on my hand reclin'd,
Muse on the last farewell I leave behind."

■^

CHAPTER XII.

" Where Andes, giant of the Western star,
With meteor standard to the winds unfurl'd,
Looks from his throne of clouds o'er half the world."

Our tickets were taken for Llai Llai, where we
arrived about ten o'clock, but found ourselves unable
to proceed to Santa Rosa at once, no coach being
obtainable. At length we got one large enough to
contain the whole of our party, in number six — for
two friends were accompanying us to Santa Rosa to
see us off — cutting out the American minister (to
Santiago) and his party, who were also waiting for
means of conveyance to Santa Rosa. Our route from
Llai Llai wound up the side of a steep hill, and, as
we rose above the plain, we obtained a splendid
view of tho great fertile valley below. The harvest
was being gathered in in some parts, and the pro-
cess of threshing going on, which is accomplished
by galloping a troop of mares round and round in
a carral — the ancient method of treading out the
corn.

The m-^r^s here, as in most countries of South
America, are only used for this purpose, or some

^BWfP'SW!^

SCENES ON PACIFIL SHORES.

115

a."

ire we
unable
[i being
ough to
dx — for
Rosa to
ister (to
ting for
ite from

and, as
splendid

harvest
the pro-
nplished
ound in

out the

3f South
or some

other light work — never being put to saddle or
draught except in extreme cases. The village of
Llai Llai itself, like most I panish built towns, looked
very much better from a distance tl an from a close
inspection. Its streets, cutv' ng each other at right
angles, looked neat and orderly ; and, except just
round the station, the houses only appeared at in-
tervals, half hid amidst large gardens, which, with
their quantities of fruit trees and vineyards, looked
temptingly cool and inviting. The whole valley
forms a la/'ge amphitheatre, enclosed on the left by
the rajjges of the Andes, whose summits were hid in
clouds or caipped with snow, while on the right
their lesser offspring completed the circle. The hill
we were ascending divided two valleys, and, as we
crossed its ridge, an equally fertile and well culti-
vated country as that we had just lost sight of met
our view. At the upper end of the valley we now
descended into lay Santa Rosa, our resting place for
the night. For nearly ten miles our road was lined
plmost continuously with poplars, which made it
shady and tolerably cool, and the drive would have
been very pleasant but for clouds of dust in which
we were constantly enveloped. We changed horses
twice during the afternoon, and travelled about
thirty miles. We v/ere not at all sorry when at length
we trotted into the town of Santa Rosa, and alighted
at our hotel, situated on one side of its pretty little
plaza. Santa Rosa de los Andes is the Chilian termi-

I 2

116

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

nus of the line of route between Chili and the Argen-
tine Republic, via the Uspallata Pass, and it is, there-
fore, of considerable importance. The large droves
of cattle which are driven annually across from the
East are put into grazing grounds in its vicinity to
recruit them after their long and tedious journey
over the Andes, during which they get scarcely any
feeding wiiatever. It is also the great mule station
— mules forming its principal source of wealth. All
traffic by the Pass is done on them, troops of as
many as two and three hundred going across at a
time. Their wonderful powers of endurance on
hardly any food, coupled with their capability to
carry heavy loads over broken and unsafe ground —
where they pick tL eir steps with extraordinary pre-
cision and certain y — render them the only beasts
of burden fit for this journey. Here we engaged
ours, four for ourselves to rido, three for our luggage,
three the vacqueanos rode, two spare ones, and a
bell-mare which was led by the guide, and is alwaj^^s
necessary for a troop of mules to keep them from
straying, as they will follow the sound of the bell
when no other means of persuasion would answer.

Somewhat later on the evening of our arrival the
American minister and his party put in an appear-
ance. He was also going across to Mendoza, and
was taking a photographer, as it was his intention
to spend some three weeks amongst the mountains
taking views.

.>?SlS(t

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

117

We had a delay of twenty-four hours at Santa
Rosa, the cause of which I will shortly explain.
One of our party, being duly impressed with
the importance of our undertaking, had had a
box packed with many of the good things of this
life — potted meats, etc. — and, above all, some
bottles of champagne, which we were to drink
on the top of the Cumbre, as the point of
highest elevation we should attain is called, and
which is situated on the line of division between
the two Republics. Unfortunately, however, this
gentleman's servant had forgotten to send the
box to the station in time for our train, owing,
I believe, to the bewilderment of his faculties
consequent on having got " drunk exceedingly "
the night before to drown his sorrow on losing his
master. A telegram had been sent from Llai Llai
to forward the missing box at once, but in spite of
our day's waiting we had to make up our minds to
start without it, for we heard nothing more con-
cerning it. The night before we left we had a bowl
of punch brewed from Kinahan's LL, which I
had brought from the flag-ship with me. One of
the American minister's party (a general, of
course) came over to our rooms and joined in
our conviviality, so we, of course, sung Sherman's
" Dashing Yankee Boys," etc., and toasted both
countries, though afterwards we degenerated into
a discussion on the relative value of English and

118

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

American heavy guns, which, however, ended very
amicably.

We were off next morning, and the owner of our
mules rode the first stage, to see us safely on our
way. Our little train made quite an imposing
appearance, being thirteen in number, and we, with
our ponchos floating in the breeze, and broad
Panama hats slouched over our faces, which gave
us a very brigandish look, brought up the rear. The
first stages of our march led us up the valley through
which the Aconcagua flows on issuing from amongst
the Andes. Side by side with the turbulent river lay
our road, crossing it at times, according to the nature
of the country, and gradually ascending as we went
onwards. The valley was fertile and cultivated
where we passed during the early part of the day,
but as we progressed it narrowed and became more
and more barren, till at length we found ourselves
travelling a mere gorge, at the bottom of which the
river tumbled and foamed, at times over a level bed,
again dashing in a small cataract over a ridge of
rocks, but in all cases rushing on with great velocity.
The sides of the gorge were at times precipitous, at
others sloping downwards, and were covered with a
stunted growth of trees ; but we were as yet only
amongst the smaller mountains. About noon we
came to the last guard-house, a small building, where
some troops were stationed to levy custom duties.
We halted at a little distance from it and unloaded

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

119

the mules for rest, lighted a fire, and ate the first
meal of our own cooking on the journey. This
halting place was some fifteen miles fi:'om Santa

Kosa, and Don (I forget what), from whom we

hired the mules, jiarted with us, his last words of
advice and warning being to be sure and keep
always close to the baggage mules, on account of
robbers, as last year a party of three merchants and
tliree peons had been attacked, and four of them
killed. Having sufficiently rested, our arrieros pro-
ceeded to load the mules, and it was a source of
great surprise to me, the expeditious and clever
way they fastened on the heavy packs with long
strips of hide, which they passed under and over
and round about in a most perplexing, though
skilful, manner. A mule has a cloth tied over its
head during the operation of packing, which is the
only way to make it stay quiet.

We were now on the road again, and had started
in good earnest; the vacqutano, or guide, went
merrily on a .ead, leading the bell-mare, and
whistling or humming tunes to himself; our spare
mules came next, then the baggage mules, with
the troopero driving +hem, then our worthy selves,
four in number, all with revolvers, and two with
guns at saddle-bow, ready to do and die, if need be,
in defence of our property ; and, lastly, our mozo, or
boy, told ofi" expressly to look after our creature
comforts. Our party consisted of a Mr. W ;,

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SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

going home, like myself, on promotion from the

flag-ship; Mr. B-

a paymaster, also going

home, on promotion from H.M.S. " Nemesis " ; Mr.

M , a Valparaiso merchant; and, lastly, the

'umble writer. We were all in capital spirits, and
jogged pleasantly on, looking forward to dangers
and adventures which never occurred, and antici-
pating, as much as possible, the pie- sures and pains
of our undertaking. After first leaving our halting
place, our road took us across the river, back some
little distance along its opposite bank, and then,
leaving the valley we had been travelling since
morning, over the slope of a mountain into another
ravine, through which the Rio de la Biscacho flows.
This river is a tributary of the Aconcagua, and
the spot where they unite forms a very pretty
meeting of waters. This gorge was in places
very picturesque, spreading out at intervals of a
few miles into little plains, which were covered
with trees, and at times, through defiles in the
mountains, we could catch glimpses of the snow-clad
ranges, amongst which we had not yet arrived.
We did about fourteen miles that afternoon, and,
coming to a hut, rudely built of branches and
earth, we halted for the night. We had a good fire,
and, opening our bag of provisions, proceeded to
culinary operations at orce. We had beef, mutton,
onions, and potatoes bundled indiscriminately up
together. I tried my hand as cook, and went in for

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

121

the

an Irish stew, which was rather too salt, but was
pronounced otherwise very good ; after it we had a
glass of grog, a smoke, and then rolled ourselves up
for the night in our rugs, with our pistols and money
under our heads. An early start was necessary in
the morning, as a long day's ride was before us. It
was still dark when we were awakened by the men
loading the mules with the heavy part of the luggage ;
so, arousing ourselves, we rolled our rugs, etc., up,
and, performing our toilet at a brook, we were ready
for the saddle. We got away about 5*30, our route
continuing to follow the course of the river, and
ascending considerably. The river ran very rapidly
here indeed, but its muddy appearance — caused by
the debris washed down from the mountain sides
by the melting snow — prevented its looking so
picturesque as it would have done had it been clear
and sparkling. At times we were some hundred
feet above the river, with, perhaps, a precipice,
going sheer down to the foaming, dashing torrent
beneath ; at others, we were almost on its level,
according as the ground afforded the safest path-
way. The mountains became much grander as we
got more amongst them. Often great boulders
stood out from the cliffs, in gigantic masses, with,
perhaps, a cleft in the centre, through which some
small stream came tumbling down in a silvery thread.
What struck me as being peculiar, and what cer-
tainly rendered the scenery more varied and pleasing,

122

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

was the absence of any regular range in this portion
of the Andes. Every few miles or less we nassed a
gorge or ravine, separating huge mountu o, and
through which a stream, large or small, generally
became tributary to the main artery we were follow-
ing. These valleys always looked green and plea-
sant by the edge of the water.

" A ride of five hours brought us to the place
where I am now writing (i.e., my notes). It is one
of the most charming spots possible to imagine.
The valley which we have been following for
the last ibrty-five miles (for one was but a connec-
tion of the other) ends here, and forms a regular
little amphitheatre, suiTOunde'^. by lofty and massive
mountains, several, I believe, over 15,000 feet above
where we now are. Some of the summits are clad
in snow, which looks so soft and beautiful against
the clear blue sky, that it makes one long to sink
into it and rest awhile, it is so like a bed of down.
The river is here lost in a number of smaller
streams, fed principally by the snow. They are of
icy coldness, and I can hardly keep my hand in for
twenty seconds ; they only left the snow-fields a very
short time ago. A savoury mess of mutton, onions,
and potatoes is stewing on the fire for breakfast,
and before it is ready I am going to have a bathe
in one of the streams, which will be pretty cold, I
expect." After breakfast we began the regular
ascent. Up to this we calculated we had ascended

'■■'yyumfl^;

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

123

some five or six thousand feet by a gradual rise, but
the valley having terminated among the higher
ranges, we had nothing to do but go at it in real
earnest. Soon after leaving our pleasant little
resting place, we crossed over a small range of hills,
then over some level ground to the foot of another
ascent, up that, and again over more irregular
ground. We were now getting up close to the
snow regions, and in many crevices and shady
valleys, on a level with us, the snow was lying.
Some three miles to the left of the track, and on the
other side of a steep and apparently impassable line
of small hills, we saw a beautiful little lake, lying
imbedded among»t the mountains. It is called the
Laguna de los Altos.

At length we came to the foot of a high, steep
mountain, which presented to us some three thou-
sand feet of precipice, to all appearances. I could
not at first make out how we were to overcome this
obstacle, but, as we got nearer, I perceived a path-
way winding zig-zag up the face of it, worn into the
shingle of which it was composed. The ascent
was terribly steep and laborious. The baggage
mules could only go on for half a minute or so, and
were then compelled to stop for two or three to take
breath. At times, the leading part of our line was
right above — overhanging, as it were — the latter
part, and if one of the mules had lost its footing it
would have rolled right down on top of the others.

124

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

However, after some hour and a half of real hard
work, we reached the crest of this mountain safely,
and found ourselves on a rough, irregular, table-
land, which lay between us and the highest ridge
we had to cross. When starting, early that morning,
it was warm weather, and apparently likely to
remain so, and I had only thin shirt and a light
suit on, but now that we had ascended this great
distance, and were exposed to the bleak cold winds
which blew over the neighbouring snow-fields,
together with the great rarity of the air, I suffered
most intensely from the bitter cold, and it was
impossible to get my warmer clothing out, as there
was no time to lose, for we still had a considerable
distance to go before we rested. Though this pre-
vented my enjoying to any great extent the magni-
ficent scenery which we beheld, it did not prevent
my observing and mentally noting it, though, per-
haps, more imperfectly even than usual.

While we were ascending, our thoughts and eyes
were too much fixed on the bleak hill-side up which
we were toiling to find time to pay any attention
to the views behind us, which became more and
more varied and enlarged as our altitude increased ;
but, halting at the apex of the mountain, which was
like a huge wedge, undoubtedly one of the finest,
most magnificent, and, to Europeans at least, the
rarest of landscapes lay spread out before us on all
sides. Behind us, in the direction from which we

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

125

had come, lay Chili. Winding away, till lost in
the distance, was the long valley that we had been
travelling for many hours, the gloom cast by the
mountains rendering it impossible to see to the
bottom of it, or distinguish the rivers ; mountain
after mountain succeeded each other in countless
numbers as we turned towards the coast. The
contrast between their dazzling summits and the
darkening and dimly perceptible valleys and
ravines below was most striking. For miles and
miles this varied panorama spread alternately light
and shade, brilliant white reflecting the evening
sun and gloomy depths which the eye could not
pierce. Before us lay the Argentine Republic, per-
haps the most enticing picture of the two. From
our very feet the mountain sloped rapidly down-
wards, across which slope the path was occasionally
to be seen winding to the valley some five thousand
feet below. The other side of this valley, right
opposite to us, rising up abruptly, was a mountain
of great height and grandeur ; it looked quite close,
so transparent was the air, and I thought I could
feel the cold of its icy clothing, as if I were within
a yard or two of some giant iceberg. Sweeping
round its base, a broad valley extended to the right
and left ; it was brightly green, and along its centre
ran a river, though only dimly to be seen, as the
shades of evening were already closing round the
lesser elevations. I now felt a severe headache

■m.

126

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

11!

and dizziness, from the rarity of the atmosphere
at fomi;een thousand feet, and the lowness of the
temperature, so I was very anxious to descend as
quickly as possible to the shelter and warmth of the
valley. By the time we had accomplished the
descent it was nearly dark, and we had still some
miles to go to arrive at a place where we hoped to
find some wood to make our camp fire. We were all
very weary and knocked up with the long day's ride
and sudden changes of temperature through which
we had passed, and I for one longed to roll myself
up and enjoy nature's sweet restorer. Pres<^ntly it
got pitv ^" dark where we were journeying, and one
had to trust ox^ . ' " to his sure-footed mule to pick
its way through the rough and broken ground. But
gazing upwards, the summit of the large mountain I
have before mentioned was to be seen, crimsoned by
the setting sun, Rhiiiii g like a great beacon above its
lesser neighbours Tired and hungry, we at length
arrived at a kind of beehive-shaped building, with
an entrance some ten feet up. Two or three of
these have been built at intervals by the Govern-
ment to afford shelter to travellers. The entrance
is placed high, I believe, to keep out wild beasts, or
prevent mules being brought in. Having clambered
up to examine the interior, we found a circular
room of some ten or. twelve feet in diameter, iuto
which we got our bedding and traps. But, alas !
we were disappointed about the wood, and a few

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

127

amifuls of brambles was all that was obtainable.
With these, however, we essayed to heat a little
water, which, having got about lukewarm, we
mixed some cocoa in, and, with some meat in
an uncooked state, were content to satisfy tlio
cravings of our appetites, and return to our dormi-
tory anr" sleep the sleep of exhaustion. We had
been fifteen hours on the road this day and passed
over the most tedious and difficult part of the
journey. How our mules were able to stand the
fatigue is, to me, beyond understanding ; the bag-
gage ones were, of course, the heaviest laden,
and to ^ ^ok at them as they toiled up a mountain
side, am.agst loose rolling shingle, one would
think they could hardly last another hundred yards,
for they swayed from side to side, and trembled
with each fresh exertion, tottering and stumbling,
but never coming down.

There was one peculiar characteristic of our route
which this day's journey brought particularly to my
notice, that is, the extraordinary number of bones
and carcases of dead cattle which one meets at almost
every turn. Very soon after leaving Santa Rosa we
had begun to meet them, but this day, as we passed
the foot of several precipices and steep inclines, we
saw great quantities in every stage of decomposition.
It is a most lucrative business driving cattle across
from the Eastern side to Chili, and it is by this pass
they generally cross the Andes, but some ten to

128

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

fifteen per cent, are lost, though, to judge jfrom
what I saw, I should have thought more. When
they come to a turn in the track at the top of a pre-
cipice, which not unfrequently occurs, or when the
pathway is very narrow and insecure, the leading
ones, not seeing which way to turn, or unable to
help themselves, are pushed over by the hinder
ones pressing on, and so go headlong down. The
gauchos have neither the inclination nor the time to
look after them, if by any chance they are not
killed ; and so one which is only a little stunned or
bruised may often lie there till it dies of starvation
and thirst.

^..M

CHAPTER XIII.

" Far in the West there lies a desert land, where the mountains ■
Lift, through perpetual snows, their lofty and luminous summits.',

The next day we hr 1 to start nearly a3 hungry as
we arrived the previous night, but, fortunately, we
had not a very long ride before breakfast, which we
were to get at the famous Puente del Incas. Unlike
the mountains through which we had passed in
Chili, we now travelled along the foot of the con-
tinuous range which forms a great natural bulwark
between the two Republics.

I was much struck with the number and varieties
of beautiful flowers with which the smaller hills and
undulating ground in the valley were covered. I
gathered some eight or ten of different brilliant
colours and kinds, which I hoped to bring home with
me, to leam the names ; but later on our servant,
finding a bunch of withered, dried weeds (I suppose
he considered them) amongst the baggage, and, un-
aware of the value I attached to them, threw them

away.

The Puente del Incus is interesting, on account of
its niineral springs, which ere powerfully impreg-

130

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

nated with sulphur. It derives its name from its
having been a favourite resort of the old kings of
Chili, the healing properties of its waters, then as
now, being held in high estimation, far and wide.
The vacqueanos and gauchos invariably have a bath
as they pass here (the only ore in which hf' ir.^.
dulge during the journey, I fancy). Weak- dv r-
mined not to let the opportunity pass ; so, while our
Irish stew was cooking, we took our towels and went
for a bathe. We found there are several different
springs, one of which supplied two baths, the upper
one of which was a natural basin, worn perfectly
smooth by the action of the water, the rock being
turned yellow by the mineral substances it contained.
It was situated in a little cave, the tops and sides of
which were formed of stalactites, which hung in
beautiful festoons, and would have m?de it a charm-
ing grotto in which to undress, only the continual
dropping from the roof rather damped our admira-
tion of it for this latter purpose. This upper bath
was large enough to hold three of us comfortably ;
the water wns at a temperature, as near as we could
guess, of about 90"^, and for all the world like soda-
water bubbling up to tha surface, and covering on^
all over with little globules of air. The smell of '.r
sulphur was at first very disagreeable, but we soon
got accustomed to it. We thoroughly enjoyed the
water, for the atmosphere wn toieriLiy cold; and,
after some hour and a half's reveUii^ iii its warmth,

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

131

we dressed, and proceeded to discuss the aforemen-
tioned Irish stew, which, being the first regular meal
we had had for four and twenty hours, we thoroughly-
appreciated.

Still continuing along the course o^ the valley,
that afternoon's ride brought us to the Puente del
Vacas (the Bridge of Cows), and the first signs of
civilisation we had met since entering the Argentine
Republic. It is a regular little oasis in the midst of
a vast sterile tract of country. The owner, a man
from San Juan, has very cleverly constructed a
canal, by means of which he irrigates some fifteen
acres or so of pasturage, and for which he charges
so much per head a night to the passing trains of
mules.

We here found ourselves in the lap of luxury — ^we
actually had a table-cloth for dinner, and soup-plates,
out of which we took our caswela with spoons, be-
sides several bottles of country wine, which, although
none of the best, was a treat to our thirsty throats.
We slept also on a floor, which was not more than a
couple of inches deep in dust.

Yes ; I think nothing could equal the annoyance
and discomfort we continually suflfered from dust
during nearly the whole of this journey, except at
the highest elevations — the wind always blowing,
and the dust always rising, literally impregnated us
and our belongings with the subtlest particles. Dust
in our eyes, throats, and noses ; dust in our stews,

K 2 .

132

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

our grog, our bread ; dust before us, behind us, and
around us ; and on no day did we suffer more than
the day we left the Puente del Vacas and started for
I'^pallata. We started about 6.30 a.m., and had a
jov. of some twenty leagues before us. It would
not bo oo much on a good road, or over country like
the Pampas, with a fast horse; but over ^^e broken,
irregular ground — often round shingle — ^which we
had to travel on mule-back, and attendant on our
baggage, I consider that ride was almost equal in
fatigue and annoyance to double the distance under
favourable circumstances.

For the first thirty or forty miles our road lay
partly through a defile and partly along the broad
bed of a river course, which at times widened to a
mile, and at others contracted to a fourth of that
width. During the early part of the day we passed
over the worst piece of road in the journey. It led
us, in one place, regularly along the brow of a pre-
cipice — the least slip would have sent us over. Our
troopero made us dismount, as he said it was not
safe to ride the mules ; the men also dismounted,
and drove the mules on before, we following. A
great number of cattle are annually lost at this point,
I believe. We soon afterwards got into the dry bed
of the river I mentioned above, and along this we
had the most dismal, dreary, melancholy ride I ever
recAcmber in my life. Not a vestige of vegetation
was to bo seen anywhere ; brown, rugged mountains

'i,**

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

133

begirt our way ; while along the valley and down
the neighbouring gorges a perfect gale of wind was
blowing, which raised clouds of dust from the dry
sandy soil ; and, as the sun poured his fierce heat
down upon us, parching our throats and blistering
our faces, we suffered considerably. We rode on
steadily for eight hours, with only the cup of choco-
late we had had before starting in the morning to
support us ; but at last, coming to a little mountain
stream, which rushed down a ravine from the now
distant snow hills, we determined to break our fe-st
— and such a breakfast as it was, composed of charque
and onions pounded together, and full of dust. Two
of us had a bathe in the cold water, which was deli-
ciously refi:eshing while it lasted ; but, during the
process of drying, the dust and heat reduced us to
nearly our former state. One of our party, Mr.
W , nearly gave in at this period. He had suf-
fered the most severely from the heat, but after a few
mouthfuls of the wretched provender provided and a
little brandy, he came to again.

We continued along the same valley for some
three hours more, and from the number of skeletons,
dead horses, cattle, and mules which we met, we
christened it the " Valley of Death." One curious
object I noticed — a dead ox, with a large hole in its
body ; just visible at this hole was the head of a fox,
also dead, and grinning out at us in a most life-like
though ghastly manner.

134

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

At last, turning over a low range of hills on the
left, we bade good-bye to the melancholy road we
had been plodding. Soon after we had the evening's
cool and refreshing shade to be thankftil for, and we
pushed on more rapidly and pleasantly. The moon
also lent its aid to light up the neighbouring country,
which, as we proceeded, showed a growth of stunted
trees, besides other signs of vegetation. Some ten
miles on we could distinguish the hills, through
which is the Pass of Uspallata ; and a little on the
near side of them was the hamlet of that name,
where we were to pass the night. Our poor mules
seemed to know that they were approaching the end
of their day's journey, and often broke into a brisk
trot. Soon we got amongst irrigated enclosures;
these signs of cultivation, the distant glow of fires,
the barking of dogs and lowing of cattle, and at
length the sound of human voices, apprised us also
that we had come near to our night's rest.

At Uspallata several roads meet, it being the
Eastern Terminus of the traffic across the mountains,
corresponding to Santa Rosa on the west. Although
it is literally amongst the Andes, roads branch oflF to
different parts of the Argentine Republic, the two
principal ones leading to Mendoza and San Juan. It
is the last stage of a two days' journey from each of
these places.

Quantities of cattle and mules were resting or
feeding in the many enclosures in the neighbourhood

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

135

of the house ; large piles of goods lay about the
partio, or yard, whilst their owners and the troo-
peros and gauchos belonging to the herds of cattle
were preparing themselves in various ways for
passing the night comfortably. Some had fires lit
outside the large yard in front of the house ; sur-
rounding these were groups of swarthy men, in the
picturesque dress of the gaucho, which looks all the
better for being a little dimly seen. Again, inside
the partio were more fires, each with recumbent or
standing forms around, while the mule packs of each
party were piled up in a little circle, forming a
partial barricade round the owner's fire. The moon
was shining over all, lighting up the hill sides, and
pouring in bright streams through the poplars sur-
rounding the house.

Now supper, and then to our rugs. The following
twenty -four hours we had thirty leagues to get over,
as we wanted to accomplish the distance to Mendoza
within the six days from Santa Rosa. So an early
start in the morning, first drinking a couple of jugs
of milk and eating some biscuits, obtained at the
house. .:

About an hour after leaving we found the country
change again for the worse, irrigation and vegetation
ceased, and barren, treeless plains stretched away
for miles on our left, whilst on the right were equally
uninviting looking hills; amongst them, however,
our pathway soon led us.

136

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

What strange object is this, which, rearing its
head over some intervening rocks, would — ^were all
the surrounding objects changed into big square
buildings and dingy smoky piles — ^make one think
. himself in the " Black Country ? " A tall chimney,
and its attendant smelting house ; for here we come
upon the remains — or, rather, all the buildings,
nearly completed — of the Mina de para Meio. One
shaft I noticed oank to some depth, but the specula-
tion was abandoned, owing to its natural difficulties
and the want of capital to overcome them, though
very large sums were spent fruitlessly ; and there
remain shaft and chimney, storehouse and miner's
cottage, alike deserted, not a sign of living man
amongst them, thousands of feet above the level of
the sea, objects only of derision to the passer-by,
and a proof of the difficulties weak man meets with
in endeavouring to rob the strongholds of nature of
her precious stores.

Passing on from these preliminaries to mining,
we presently emerged from amongst the hills on to
a large plateau, covered with a dry, scant herbage.
We were now on the look-out for juanackos, as they
are constantly to be met with along these slopes
of the Andes. Our vacqueano stops soon after
getting out on the open, and, holding up his hand
as a signal for caution, indicates he is in sight of
game. Kiding slowly up to where he stands, he
shows us the tall and graceful head of a juanacko,

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

137

■ws^ohing us with curiosity. To unpack my gun,
put it together, and start round the foot of a shel-
tering incline, was the work of little more than a
minute ; but I was unsuccessful in getting a shot,
as one of our party, moving in its direction, sent it
off at once. Later on we had a most exciting chase
— two of us and the troopero very nearly succeeded,
after some hard galloping, in surrounding two. Un-
fortunately, my companion's montero (kind of saddle)
slipping under his mule, he was unseated at a critical
time, and our quarry got away. But the chase was
a pleasure in itself — a wild hunt up hill and down
dale, going with safety at great speed on our mules,
down steep inclines, where a horse could hardly be
ridden.

About midday we got our first glimpse of the dis-
tant Pampas, some seven thousand feet below us ;
they looked exactly like the sea on a hazy day,
stretching away in one great unbroken flat to the
horizon; immediately before us were intervening
ranges of mountains, over the summits of which we
were looking. , ,

We now commenced the last descent, our path
winding through wooded hills, and often along the
beds of watercourses. The slopes of the mountains
on this side are much less abrupt than on the other,
and have more soil and vegetation. A long day's
march, without anything to eat from the time of start-
ing, brought us, at about seven p.m., to a wretched

138

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

little shanty, where we were, however, able to obtain
a roast of kid's flesh, and some water and pasturage
for our mules. We got a little sleep for some three
hours, and then in the saddle again, about eleven
p.m., to finish the remaining fifteen leagues. A bright
moon fortunately shone over our path, and we felt
the benefit of it fully in descending the last part of
the decline, which was very rough and stony.

By sunrise wo had reached the commencement of
the Pampas, those mighty plains which extend from
the Andes to the coast, and from the Parana to
Patagonia, with hardly an elevation on them, for the
low ranges about Cordoba and San Louis cannot be
considered anything in comparison to their extent.
We passed through a desert that possesses no one
interesting feature — except perhaps to the naturalist
— consisting of a dry, sandy soil, with a scant growth
of thorny dwarf brush- wood ; no water, no grass, no
trees, and this belt of useless country extends for
many miles along the foot of the Andes, lying
between them and the more fertile portion of the
Pampas.

Onward we wearily plodded, longing for some
appearance above the dreary waste to herald our
approach to Mendoza. At length we are relieved
by the sight of dim lines of poplars which intercept
the horizon and speak to us of hotels, cooling baths,
and all the luxuries of civilisation, over which they
preside as shade-giving sentinels, and so awakening

SCENES ON PACITIC SHORES.

139

renewed energies within us. The sun's morning
rays shining right in our faces, after an almost sleep-
less night, became an annoyance, while inward moni-
tors reminded us that we had had but one meal —
not counting the bread and milk the previous morn-
ing — during the last thirty-six hours. So as we
approached the trees we felt that our privations
and discomforts would soon terminate for good. But
alas ! how fallacious are all human expectations —
how doomed to disappointment are earth-bom hopes !
Amongst these trees where we fondly hoped to obtain
breakfast, and all the comforts of an hotel, were no
such things ; so we naturally felt more dejected and
dispirited than before. We certainly got into a
good road when we arrived at the deceptive spot,
but only an occasional house met our view, surrounded
by its garden. About another ten miles in the hot
sun served to render us tolerably uncomfortable,
before we drew up at the custom house of Mendoza
to have our luggage passed ; close to it smiled the
wished-for entrance to the Hotel de Paris

•y.'

,.r^****

."*<*

.**-

CHAPTER XrV.

" i JQ Earthquake's Bpoil is sepulchred below."

I Will, commence my few remarks about Mendoza
with a description of a little man through ^ m
agency I became acquainted with the town an .o
circumstances of the dreadful earthquake which at
one time caused it to be so famous. My friend— as I
may call him — rejoices, if he still lives, in the name of
Brown. He is a Jew, was born in Poland, and brought
up, as nearly as I remember, partly in Russia and
partly in England. He speaks several languages, is
devotedly attached to England, and proud of being,
as he considers he is, an Englishman. In business he
follows the ancient and honourable profession of a
barber. The great object of his life, and, in fact,
the only pleasure he allows himself, as he told me
one morning while cutting my hair, is to make him-
self agreeable to English gentlemen who travel this
route (which is a rare occurrence) and enjoy their
society during their stay at Mendoza. He says he
cannot work whilst they are there, as he gets too
excited, and feels himself above his business. The
last time, previous to our visit, " he had pleasure,'

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

141

as ho expresses himself, was some two years ago,
when the famous traveller, Caj)tain Burton, and a
party came across.

After a welcome night's rest, I started early in
the morning, accompanied by my little friend, the
barber, to visit the remains of the old town. Never
could one, T think, walk through scenes so speak-
ingly sad — scenes which so completely tell their
own tales of death and destruction. Confused
masses of ruin piled in every shape and form ; here
the half of a street laid level with the ground ; there
a wall and chimney left standing. Now we are
amongst the ruins of the principal church, where
hundreds were crushed beneath great solid masses
of masonry, seven or eight feet thick, which came
toppling down; we pass under a graceful arch,
which once led into the sacristy ; a grisly, grinning
line of human skulls meets us, which have been
thrown in here.

*' What can that man want to dig there for?
Surely he is not going to plant among these old mud
walls ?" " No, he digs where he thinks he is most
likely to find some human remains, for the sake of
any jewellery or money, and thus gains a liveli-
hood." " But are not the remains of the victims
protected from pillage ? I asked. *' Well, no ;
few of the living care to spend money on the dead ;
so they are left to the mercy of anyone who likes
to dig for the sake of what they can find." A

142

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

nice state of things in a Christian country, I thought
to myself, as we wawiered on through grass-gi^own
streets, over broken walls and desolate hearths, on
every hand seeing human bones, hair, and rags,
lying about. One of the diggers showed us some
small pieces of money he had that morning found.

What was, perhaps, the most melancholy picture
of all was the deserted plaza, where once all the
business and bustle of a city of nineteen thousand
inhabitants were carried on. It is still surrounded
by its lines of green trees, but how uncared for and
straggling they look. In the centre is the broken
fountain ; the ground surrounding it is turned into
a swamp, through the water running from its
proper channel. Desolation and ruin Ptamp the
forsaken spot.

"Tia now the raven's bleak abode;

• * • * •

And there the fox securely feeds ;
And there the pois'nous adder breeds,
Conceal'd in ruins, moss, and weeds ;
While, ever and anon, there fall
Hugo heaps of hoary, moulder'd walL"

It is sad to think of the thoii.sands cut off in their
prime, and in the glow of youth ; though one
relieving thought suggests itself, hundreds were at
divine service. It was the Semana Santa, or Holy-
week, and at the time of the earthquake service
was going on at the churches — those not attending
being principally indoors. First comes a prelimi-

SCENES OH PACIFIC SHORES.

143

nary motion of the earth, terror speaks terror from
face to face, and a fearful moment intervenes, then
comes the great wave, and twelve thousand hitman
beings are immured beneath tumbling walls and
crumbling masonry. Like at the fire at Santiago,
whole families were lost sight of. I was told of a
large merchant's house, in connection with Valpa-
raiso, which was passing through a state of bank-
ruptcy at the time. Its debts were paid in full,
and accounts cleared, by its principals and employes
being called on to pay the great debt of nature. It
is a strange feeling, to know, as one walks along
over masses of masonry or the heav^'' roof of some
church, that a ghastly multitude is sleeping below,
whose death and burial came on them with light-
ning swiftness ; for this great charnel house
remains as nature left it, except what the exer-
tions of the enterprising gentlemen of the pick and
shovel are able to accomplish.

At intervals, towards the outskirts of the ruins,
are the old gardens, flourish' g in rank neglect ;
the vine, the peach, and the pear mingling in rich
confusion. We went to the cabin of a poor woman
who had taken up her abode amongst tlie old ruins,
and had a very good fruit garden, for the purpose
of enjojring a ?ool repast. Her husband was an
Englishman, who had deserted her, leaving her
without any means of supporting their family, so our
little offering for the fruit we had was acceptable.

144

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

The new town of Mendoza is beautifully laid out,
extensive gardens surrounding all the good houses,
and plenty of room given between the streets.
Like most of the Chilian towns, it has a good-sized
stream of water running down each side of the
principal street, which keeps the lines of trees with
which it is lined fresh. This custom of having
watercourses along the thoroughfares appears to be
peculiar to towns west of the Andes, and those close
to them on the eastern side. There is at present, I
believe, a population of about seven thousand in
Mendoza, and prior to the earthquake it was com-
puted to be nineteen thousand, so the remnant does
not appear to have increased or diminished. Our
hotel was tolerably comfortable, considering the
out-of-the-way town and country we were in ;
though the landlord troubled himself little about the
wants of his guests, being a well-to-do man, and
not caring much, I fancy, whether the hotel was
carried on or not. Ho has been a large speculator
in the wines grown in the Mendoza district. He
has now some ^100,000 worth of wines in store
at the hotel, to which he has paid great attention,
manipulating and maturing them. He was offered,
about the time of our visit, |2,500 for 1,000 bottles
of his best wine, and refused it. He says that if
men who thoroughly understand the business came
out to this country from Europe with capital, it
could be made one of the best wine-growing coun-

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

145

tries in the world, and its wines would compete with
any in the market.

The country around Mendoza is at present a
great grass country, where the cattle for Chili are
got into condition, preparatory to their long jour-
ney, without any pasturage, over the Andes.

At Uspallata we had heard from two travellers,
one of whom was a wealthy San Juan merchant, who

was acquainted with Mr. M of Valparaiso — a

member of our party — stories of a large band of
gauchos and Indians who had been committing
many depredations in the surrounding country.
There were said to be some forty of the former, well
armed, and one hundred c the latter. These
accounts we heard confirmed at Mendoza ; but also
that there were troops out after the brigands, and
that they had shifted the field of their exploits fur-
ther north to the San Juan province. All this was
not very assuring, for these bands moved long dis-
tances very rapidly, and especially as, not long
before, four Englishmen had been attacked at Rio
Cuatro, who were travelling by diligence, as we
were also about to do. However, we were all well
armed ; four double-barrelled guns and five revolvers
promised us security against any moderate number

of gauchos and Indians.

We were obliged to pay a very high price for a

diligence to take us on to Villa Nueva ; we endoa

voured to get up competition between two or three

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

proprietors, but unsuccessfully ; so we at length en-
gaged one from the Messageria, which, I believe, is
the largest company. We had to pay 270 dols. for
a distance of about 510 miles, which the reader will
not consider a high price, when he has seen the dif-
ficulty there is in obtaining horses along the route.

Our bill is paid, we have the yapa (or stirrup-cup)
with the landlord, our luggage is piled up behind a
large and roomy coach, which we have all to our-
selves, revolvers are handy, and a couple of guns
ready overhead, the others under the seat, and we
are off at a merry pace, speeding pleasantly along
with our five horses at full galop, and our five pos-
tilions (earh horse carries one), dressed in red
shirts and slouch hats, bobbing up and down, like
so many peas in a pan, the capitano, or first whip,
sporting a black coat. Our conductor, a most
respectay** nnd hearty old gentleman, sits in firont,
surrounded by small articles of luggage, amongst
which are a couple of jars of Mendoza wine — our
supply for the road.

Near Mendoza the country is very fertile, and
streams run in all directions. The snow regions of
the Andes form their reservoirs, so this neighbour-
hood is unaffected by drou<^ht, that dreaded visitant
in most grazing countries.

At noon on the 25th January, we left Mendoza,
our road to Villa Nueva taking us over Pampas,
following the whole way deeply-cut wheel tracks.

•«fH

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

147

We passed on through pasture lands for the first
fifteen leagues, seeing a house now and then, — ^in all,
a well-to-do looking district. At the end of that
distance we arrived at a place called Ramblon, where
we dined and passed the night, rolled up in the old
fashion, under the verandah of a house. Next day
we were up betimes and started at 5.30. We now
found ourselves passing into a more barren and de-
serted looking district, seeing few signs of inhabit-
ants except at the village of La Pas, where there is
a small garrison, it being a fi:'ontier town. It was
attacked at the time of the last great raid of Indians
which occurred some two years before, when, as is
often the case in these parts, the garrison all deserted
to the Indians, becoming brigands and plunderers,
as the easier and pleasanter life of the two. During
the inroad every animal worth the trouble of driving
was taken away and many of the male inhabitants
murdered. Last year a terrific hailstorm occurred
in the neighbourhood, at a place called the Finca
de Santa Rosa ; the stones are said to have been as
large as a man's hand, destroying many vineyards
and causing much loss.

There is little to speak of during this journey, the
country over which we travelled being flat, unin-
teresting, and for many leagues destitute of all signs
of vegetation, except a stunted brush- wood which
seems to thrive wherever there is no soil, water, or
other apparent necessary to vegetable existence.

L 2

148

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

Tlie night ef the second day we passed at the
Rancho Totoras, having travelled thirty-five leagues
since the morning. We changed horses about every
three leagues ; and, as a rule, enough for two more
changes were sent on from the Posados (or posting-
house), as they are only at long intervals, so we con-
stantly travelled in company with our next team.
On this, the second day, we had to go through
twenty leagues of country, destitute of water or any
support for horses ; so consequently there was no
Posado. Thirty horses were therefore driven on before
us and halted at difierent spots, to be ready for us to
change. Frequently the ground was so soft that the
wheels sank over a foot deep in the sand, and even
with the diligence emptied and the postilions dis-
mounted, flogging on their horses, it was often with
diflSculty that the clumsy old vehicle was got along.
^' The third night we passed at San Louis, which is
the capital of the province of that name. It is a
poor and unimportant little town, and obliged to get
all its stores, wines, &c., sent from Mendoza. The
town is much the same as all others built bv the
Spanish-Indian race ; high adobe walls enclosing
fertile gardens, but everything besides them dusty,
dirty, and baked-looking.

We slep+t ibis nir:,ht in a dark and miserable room
belonging to th'e building, which glories in the name
of hotel. Our diligence brought us to it, as it is heia
thoy change horses and regularly stop the night.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

149

• Next morning for some leagues our road took us
through the Sierra de San Louis, winding round the
foot of hills and avoiding ascents as much as possible.
There are a number of low ranges without any par-
ticular attraction ; however, they break the monoto-
nous level of the Pampas. This day we passed from
the dried-up, miserable countiy through which we
had been travelling into the green portion of the
Pampas. Plains of fine rich pasturage stretched
away as far as the eye could reach, seldom with even
a gentle undulation. Occasionally we saw deer,
disturbed by the diligence, rapidly disappearing
towards the far off horizon. It is next to an impos-
sibility to get within a shot of them on these level
plains, where there is no cover whatever, and the
only way of capturing them i-. by riding them d«>wn
on horseback. This, although dreadftJly severe on
the horse, is often done by settlers and gauchos.

To-day we crossed the Rio Quinto, which is the
only river of good water for many leagueF. It was
quite cheering to see trees and thickets once more,
and all th a vegetation which in this climate only
grows near water. Nun»I/ers of birds were con-
gregated in its neigh' ourhood, and pigeons were
cooing in the trees. As I was going after these to
try and get some f 3r our pot. a large South American
nartridge got up, which was the first of these birds
I ever shot. They are larger than our own, and
very numerous over the Pampas.

150

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

This day's travelling was one of the pleasantest
we had. We were often going at full gallop over
smooth grass lands, our postilions shouting, joking,
and laughing, plying their heavy leather thongs
with might and main, and the old diligence, bump-
ing and jumping from side to side, rolled merrily on.
However, through having had heavy, bad roads
during the early part of thf day, before arriving at
the Rio Quinto, we only did eighteen leagues, —
six short of our proper day's journey, — so we camped
on the open Pampas. It is perfectly delicious,
sleeping out in the fresh, balmy air of the open
camp ; tl atmosphere was clear and dry, and the
sky presented an almost Italian brilliancy. So we
slumbered peacefully, our men huddled together
round the coach, and ourselves some little way off,
some package or a rug on bunches of grass forming
our pillows. The morning air was very chilly,
though ; so we were up and off at five o'clock, in
order to make up to some extent our short journey
of the previous day.

About 7.30 we arrived at Morro, a pretty village,
where we ought to have passed the night. It was
quite strange to see this prosperous, pleasant-looking
little town in the middle of a great wilderness. It is a
regular stopping-place of the diligences. On again,
after breakfast, getting into the province of Cordoba,
after crossing the Rio de la Cruz. That night we
stopped at a small house where we obtained some

SCENES ON PACIFIC SUOEES.

151

mutton, a great help to our larder. During the
evening a large number of men, with women mounted
behind them, arrived. They were seeing one of their
partya short way on some journey she was making,
and had come here to pass the night in festivities.
They had first a good supper of roast meat, washed
down by aguadiente, and then having obtained
the services of one of our postilions to play the
guitar, they commenced dancing. It was a very
measured, stately kind of performance. Sometimes
a species of quadrille, during which they glided
about in a most unbending manner ; again they
would break into a sort of old-fashioned waltz,
to a pretty, and occasionally pkintive, air. The
whole of their actions and behaviour being most
ceremonious, formal, and courteous, almost giving
a stranger the idea that they had Revei met before.
These gaities were kept up to an early hour in the
morning ; but long before their finish I had sunk
to sleep, stretched out on the grass, at some distance
from the house.

We started at 4.30, and arrived at Rio Quarto
about eleven o'clock, where w " found l table cPhote
breakfast being served in a small hotel, sapported
principally by the officers of the troops stationed
here. We met three young Englishmen who were
doing a walking trip through part of the country,
having just come from Cordoba. They were ftdl of
strange rumours which professed to be the latest

152

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

news from Europe, and as we ought to have had
three weeks' later news than when we left Valparaiso,
we hardly knew whether to believe the reports of
Gladstone's Government being out of office, England
at war with Prussia, and several other stories which
we afterwards learnt were equally absurd. We did
hope somewhat earlier in the journey to have reached
Villa Maria (or Nueva) on this afternoon, but we
now gave up all hopes of doing so, determining,
however, to push on as far as we could.

CHAPTER XV.

"Olouds bnrst; skies flash; oh, dreadftil hour!
More fiercely pours the storm ! "

That evening's drive made me acquainted vrith a
scene, the like of which residents in England, I do
not think, have ever witnessed ; for in this country-
no warfare of the elements ever equals that fearful
letting loose of them, as it were, which so often
occurs in less favoured climes. The storm I am
about to speak of was an unusually fierce one, as
may be supposed when the reader is informed that
it was the forerunner of the first rain that had fallen
for many months in the part of the country we were
travelling in.

The afternoon was rather hot and sultry ; as it
advanced, heavy dark clouds began to appear above
the horizon right before us. As evening drew on
they rose heavier and heavier in a great black arch,
which spread a gloom before it and caused the
Pampas and all objects on them to look hazy and
indistinct, totally obliterating the horizon beneath
it, and giving one an uncomfortable, disagreeable
feeling. Darker gi*ew the great mass of clouds as it

i»

154

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

overspread the heavens till premature night set
in. Occasional flashes played about the clouds,
lighting up for a moment the plains, and at times
showing us the forms of terrified cattle and horses
belonging to the estancia over which we were
driving. Our road, as I before said, led us right for
the thickest of the storm, and soon we found it
almost impossible to see the forms of our postilions,
who were urging their firightened horses on as
rapidly as was consistent with safety, for the road
was in deep ruts, worn into the soft grass land, and
not easy to distinguish in the pitchy darkness which
now enveloped us. The lightning soon became so
dazzlingly brilliant as to blind one for some seconds
after each flash, though there was no thunder as yet
to be heard ; there was scarcely a breath of wind,
and this extreme quiet, only disturbed by the wild
cries of our riders and the jumbling of the diligence,
under these peculiar circumstances served to render
the scene more impressive, and instil into one a
peculiar feeling of awe.

I was by no means sorry, — in fact, I must confess
I was greatly relieved, — when a bright flash lit
up a ghostly-looking, square, white tower, close
to which we could distinguish a low house, the
dwelling, as we afterwards learnt, of Mr. Sclater,
the managing partner of the large estancia over
which we had been driving since leaving Rio
Quarto.

SCENES ON r\CiFIC SHOEES.

155

Mr. S. met us -with a most cordial vvelcome to
the shelter and board of his dwelling, of which we
were only too glad to avail ourselves, for though
there was no rain falling yet, and if one had shut
his eyes, there was nothing unusual to be felt ; still
it was that kind of night that an only moderately
brave individual would prefer sitting in a cozy
room by candle-light, and chatting to his opposite
neighbour, to standing face to face with visible con-
flict going on amongst the elements.

Some few mijiutes after our arrival, however, we
began to hear the thunder in the distance ; it grew
closer and closer, till within an hour deafening
peals shook the air about us, and a heavy downfall
of welcome rain commenced. ,^I say welcome,
because it put Mr. S. in great spirits. He told us
that this was the first rain they had had for ten
months, and was the termination of one of the
longest droughts on record in the Argentine.

While our asado (or roast) was preparing, we stood
for a short time in the verandah, watching the
wild night outside, for we took a friendly interest
in the storm now we were in comfortable quarters.
We could now enjoy the brilliancy of the lightning,
and gaze admiringly at all the changes in the clouds,
as dense masses of them passing over carried this
much needed restorative to the thirsty soil.

Mr. S. was heartily glad to have our companion-
ship, as most meu are who seldom see one of their

iHPIPU-l i.t.WJfllfffl^fl'-

156

SCENES ON K'CIFIC SHORES.

own rank in life, or meet anyone capable of ex-
changing two ideas beyond those purely local.
After a bottle or two of very good wine, which he
produced in our honour, we settled down to our
grog, smoking, and a chat.

Mr. S. has suffered much from the inroads of the
Indians, who, entering the Argentine on the south,
cross a belt of uninhabitable country of great extent,
commit many depredations on the settlers, and then
retreat before any force sufficiently strong to en-
counter them has been collected together. The
worst and most daring of these inroads occurred
some two years before the time of which I am speak-
ing. Mr. S. told me many things in connection
with it, and I will give a short portion of his
story :

" Previously to the time when the Indians made
their great raid, I had always treated them as kindly
and hospitably as I could. Parties of them, at that
time, constantly travelled by this road on various
errands to Rosario, and sometimes their chiefs were
invited to a conference at Buenos Ayres. Now,
at any time they wanted to halt here, to feed or
pass the night, I used to send them firewood and
what mare's meat they wanted to eat; so in
time they came to look on mo as a friend, and
sometimes said in a half-joking way, that when they
were in tliis part of tho country driving off cattle,
they would . espect mine ; but as they had never up

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

157

to that time made any marauding excursion, I
thought, despite the entire absence of humour in
their composition, they merely said it as a joke.
But I was soon undeceived ; for one day a number
of peones and country people, with what few goods
they had been able to collect, came galloping into
my potero (enclosure), crying out, "Loslndios!
Los Indies ! " and telling a dreadful story of robbery
and rapine. I hardly knew whether to believe it
really was the Indians or only some party of gau-
chos, who often, when in want, steal from and ill-
treat the poor people. However, towards evening
a large body of Indians were seen advancing from
the southward. Among them were many gauchos
and some troops ; the latter had in some cases, when
the Indians approached the frontier forts, deserted,
or murdered their officers, and gone over en masse to
the enemy. These Christians (as they are termed,
to distinguish them from the Indians), were respon-
sible for all the cruelty and bloodshed during the
mcui'sion ; the sole object of the Indians being plun-
der, and having no hatred or spite to gratify, they
would have driven away horses and cattle, and left
human beings unmolested, but it was otherwise with
these Christians !

The evening they arrived on my estancia they
were driving a lot of stock before them. They soon
surrounded the buildings und sent parties to the
neighbouring country to drive in more cattle. The

if.'

ti^

M---

158

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

only benefit I derived from my former kindness, was
in their not molesting my servants or their wives,
or taking anything from the house ; but my cattle
and horses shared the common fate. Oflf this estan-
cia they drove about sixteen hundred horses and
eleven hundred head of cattle, leaving me only such
as they could not conveniently go after, and such as
were weak or thin, and did not appear equal to the
journey across the tract of desert which lies between
this and the Indians' country.

"It was after this visit of theirs that I had that fort
built as a protection for myself and my people,
against any further attacks."

It was this fort that I had first seen lighted up by
a flash of lightning on our arrival that evening. It
was a simple square substantial building, with a door
high up, and would I believe aflFord perfect protec-
tion, as the Indians are very much afraid of ]6re-arms,
when used from behind any covering.

Mr. S told us his estancia contained forty-
eight square leagues of country; not a bad-sized
property.

When we started next morning, the rain was
steadily coming down, but the old diligence was
fortunately water-proof, and our men were the only
ones that sufiered from wet ; but they seemed as
cheerful and jolly as ever, although their clothing
clung dripping to them.

The country seemed to have already somewhat

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

159

•r

18
IS

18
Lt

benefited by the much wanted rain ; its dried, parched-
up look had vanished, and a greenish tint could be
distinguished. It also changed considerably in its
character : first bushes, then small trees, appeared,
and finally we found ourselves travelling through a
pretty park-like district.

We stopped at a native house to cook some break-
fast ; and in the afternoon arrived at Villa Maria,
having taken seven, instead of six, days to do the
510 miles ; but this was principally owing to the
great drought that tlioro had been, which, in some
cases caused us long delays, horses having to be sent
for to a considerable distance, the usual supplies of
water having failed.

We heard at Villa Maria that two diligence loads
of passengers for Mendoza had been detained for a
fortnight on account of the bands of gauchos and
Indians. The Messageria company refusing to allow
their diligences to start, and prefering to pay the
hotel expenses of all the passengers, while they were
waiting. These two diligences we had met in the
Pampas, a day or two previously.

The first train starting for Rosario, after our arri-
val, was at twelve o'clock the next day ; so dming
the interval, wo put up at an hotel in connection
with the railway station. A table d^hote was spread
on tables on the platform of the station, and the em-
ployes of the railway sat down with us. A capital
table was kept, fresh fish, sent up from Rosario, bein,

-^^

El ? I

160

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

an especial treat to us ; a good light claret was put
on as free table-wine, and the charge made was very
moderate.

We were not sorry to be once more in a civilized
conveyance, as we moved away from Villa Maria
station in the train, chatting over mishaps and an-
noyances now passed and done with, and rather
looking forward to the comforts and little luxuries
of cities, which Englishmen know so well how to
appreciate.

And now, having arrived at the bona fide haunts of
man once more, having shaken the dust of the desert
off our feet, dressed decently and prepared for again
entering a civilised portion of the world, I would
wish to say a word or twc» about my short sojourn
in the wilderness,, far from every anxiety beyond
providing for the animal necessaries of life.

To ask if I really enjoyed the journey — which I
have been endeavouring shortly to describe — as a
whole, would, I fear, extract an answer in the nega-
tive ; but, at the same time, I must record that I did
enjoy some portions of it very much, and had we
had plenty of time at our disposal, and all the party
been sportsmen, we might have enjoyed it still more :
for to have wandered at wUl through valleys and
ravines amid the Andes, enjoying their wildly beau-
tiful scenery, camping in favourable spots and trust-
ing to our guns to keep the pot boiling, would have
thoroughly recompensed us for the trouble of getting

iX*%

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

161

I?-

tliere, and to an artist or photographer would have
afforded opportunities of taking or sketching views,
which, of their kind, are not to be equalled in the
world. But in musing on what might have been,
I am forgetting my intention of speaking of what
was. The scenery which we did see was splendid ;
and the very fact of being amongst those majestic
mountains — thousands of feet above the sea — far
away from any trace of civilisation, gave elasticity
tc jhe spirits and mind, which, although it cannot
come under the category of positive enjoyment,
was certainly pleasurable feeling. Also travelling
where few of one's countrymen have travelled, where
all is novel, and constant changes occurring in the
route, one is compensated to a great extent for long
marches and uncomfortable " board and lodging.''
So, on the whole, I would advise an enquirer — if any
such be — to go the trip once, but I think — like my-
self — he would decline doing so again, unless with
some time at his disposal, and an inclination to go
in for the digressions from the regular journey,
which I have mentioned.

But revenons a nos montons. The land on both
sides of the railway, to the extent of, I believe, three
leagues, has been granted by charter to the company,
and of course they offer many inducements to emi-
grants or settlers in search of land, to come on to
their property. We constantly passed horses, cattle,
and other signs that the country was occupied.

! ii

162

8CE1\<£S ON PACIFIC SHORES.

The railway stations, as a rule, have a few houses in
their neighbourhood, used by the employes of the
company or as stores, but we rarely saw the dwelling
of an estanciero ; though at times they themselves
were to be seen in riding-boots and the rough dress
of the camp, and revolvers in belt.

Some time before arriving at Rosario night closed
in, and we saw a very pretty sight, though one
common enough on the Pampas. Smoke had been
drifting along tl. e horizon during the twilight, and,
as we advanced, we came in sight of its origin — a
low, bright line of fire, which was sweeping over the
country, feeding on the tall, dry grass. It did not
bum very high, but the overhanging canopy of
dense smoke, with the bright lino imdemeath, had
a very pleasing effect.

Like a sheet of liquid silver the broad Parana
now came in sight, shewing our proximity to
Rosario. The moon was shining brightly on its
placid surface, and it looked most invitingly cool
and tempting after our long and monotonous journey
over hot and dusty plains. When we arrived at the
station we were besieged by a host of applicants for
employment in transferring our persons and luggage
to an hotel. Our stay at Rosario was short, and I
had not time to notice anything worth recording
about the town. There is plenty of business trans-
acted here, as it is the centre of all the up-country
trade. We left Rosario on the day succeediuj^ our

at
re

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

163

arrival, in one of the river steamboats which ply
between it and Buenos Ayres, calling at several
intermediate towns.

I have travelled in palanquins in India and China,
have been jolted in a primitive Japanese convey-
ance (the name of which I forget), I have enjoyed
the spicy breezes of Ceylon while travelling beneath
the shade of her forest trees, I have galloped over
a Persian desert and seen the weary caravan rest-
ing, the camels glad of even a sandy bed ; during
my career I have visited most countries in the
world, and "progressed" by all the ordinary, and
some of extraordinary, means of conveyance em-
ployed in them, and have ploughed the " briny" in
yachts, merchantmen, and men-of-war, but before
all these, for a pleasant way of getting over the
distance, give me a clean, comfortable steamer,
speeding along a picturesque river. There is a
charm in the ever-changing landscape never long
enough before you to get tired of it ; in the cool
breeze on the calmest and sunniest day, in the gentle
ripple of the water from the bows. In the very fact
of being free from dust and dirt, from tired horses
and the dozen little annoyances incidental to motion
when the motive power depends on flesh and blood,
from heavy roads and drunken coachmen, from
robbers, wild beasts, and railway collisions, whilst,
above all, no unpleasant unheaving of the internals
reminds the landsman that ^le is afloat.

■N.

104

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

The Parana opposite to Rosario is some thirty
miles in width, but filled up, to a great extent, with
a number of islands ; over some of these were many
horses and cattle grazing, and flocks of wild ducks
were constantly disturbed from their reedy shores
by the noise of the steamer. The right bank of the
river was high with some low-lying land immediately
along the shore. We passed some towns prettily
built on the summit and slope of the bank. San
Nicholas was especially noticeable through its pic-
turesque and English-like appearance.

On awaking next morning we foimd ourselves
moored alongside a wharf, some way up a small
tributary of the Rio de la Plata, or River Plate, as
it is commonly called. Landing with our goods
and chattels, we found a train ready to convey us to
the environs of Buenos Ayres.

T
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9 to

CHAPTER XVI.

'• Enough ! it boots not on the past to dwell, — •
Fair scenes of other lands a long farewell."

The Capital of the great Argentine Republic,
Buenos Ayres, is not a particularly interesting
city for a visit of more than a day or two, and I
was not sorry when the day of our departure
arrived.

I was kindly made a visiting member of two
clubs, which was a great boon, as time would other-
wise have hung heavily on my hands. I visited the
lions of the place, rode out to one of the salederos,
or great slaughter-houses, where they were killing
and skinning lean and miserable cattle by the hun-
dred, and rapidly slicing oflp the little meat that
was on them, which was then hung up in long strips
to dry, preparatory for exportation to the Brazils,
for the use of the slaves and for home consumption
among the poorer classes. These slaughter-houses,
from which Buenos Ayres and neighbouring estates
derive so much wealth, are certainly a most revolting
sight to the stranger.

The peones, with their sleeves rolled up, wading

16C

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

about in pools of blood and smeared all over with it,
wielding their huge knives in such an artistic way
that it would be enough to frighten timid persons
out of their five senses, if not previously prepared
for the spectacle, and then shouldering masses of
the still almost quivering flesh, and carrying it to
the drying-sheds. Others, equally sanguinary look-
ing, wheel away the hides and refuse, while channels
flowing with blood run at the side of the slaughter-
ing shed. The stench also arising from such whole-
sale massacres, added to these sights, makes one care
little for a second visit. The fact is, I think I saw
pretty well all tuat was to be seen, but will not
delay to give descriptions, as I want to press on
with my readers over the many miles we have to
travel before reaching home, where I wish to leave
him safe and comfortable at the end of this chapter.

Yellow fever had just began to make its unwel-
come presence felt at Buenos Ayres at the time of
our arrival. The little cloud had appeared in the
horizon — the faint murmur of the coming storm was
heard. These few cases were the commencement
of that dreadful scourge which was destined in so
short a time to make so many hearths and homes
desolate, sweep off its thousands, stop all mercantile
life in the city, and change the busy voice of its
inhabitants to a prolonged wail of terror and distress.

Previously to the period I am writing of, but few
deaths had occurred, and they had been hushed up

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

107

and made as little of by the authorities as possible ;
but the time had now come when they were com-
pelled to acknowledge the stem fact thnt the dread
enemy had established his position in tlieir midst.

When the official announcement became known,
intimation arrived from other j-orts on the river that
ships and vessels from the infected city must undergo
quarantine. It had been our intention to have gone
to Monte Video and proceeded thence to England
in one of the Pacific Steam Company's ships, as
being most convenient for us in its sailing, and also
as it was the steamer which was conveying our
heavy luggage round the Cape from Valparaiso, but
quarantine being established changed our decision ;
for the discomforts and horrors of a few days even
in quarantine at Monte Video were painted to us in
most striking colours ; and though they may have
been a little exaggerated, we had no wish to test the
accuracy of the account. So we determined to bide
our time until the sailing of the next Royal Mail
Company's steamer from the roadstead of Buenos
Ayres.

On the day of sailing a small steamer conveyed
us from the whaif to the mail steamer, which soon
after weighed and proceeded for Monte Video, at
which port we found ourselves next morning. Here,
of course, communication with the shore was stopped,
so far as landing for us was concerned. Our prin-
cipal occupation during the day being to watch the

168

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

cargo-boats as they came off from the shore. As
soon as they were alongside, the men in them got
into smaller boats and lay off, while the sailors from
the steamer went down to sling the bales and get
the cargo on board. At last the disagi-eeable,
though necessary, delay is finished; mails and a
few fresh passengers arc on board, we let go our
moorings, steam away down the broad estuary of
the Rio de la Plata, soon losing sight of the white
walls of Monte Video, and feel ourselves homeward
bound in real earnest at last.

Lengthy descriptions of passengers on board ship,
and records of their doings, have been so frequently
and ably given, and what is written of one pas-
senger-ship is applicable in so inany ways to another,
that I do not intend, novice as I am in mail steamer
travelling, to attempt to tread the well-worn path
and depict again the numberless scenes comically
entertaining which are so constantly occurring. So
I will only present to the reader, who has had
sufficient powers of endurance to accompany me so
far, a slight sketch of my fellow citizens for the time
being of that little floating town, " The Douro."

Our company was composed of what I suppose
are the usual elements to be found on board mail
steamers from the Plate, unsuccessful votaries at the
shrine of the fickle goddess in the great territory we
were leaving l)chind us, and others on whom she
had richly showered her favours; but these last

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

169

boro a very small proportion to the former. Some
Brazilians, among whom was Seiior Paranhos, who
had just been recalled from the Argentine to form a
ministry in the Brazils — the ministry to which, if I
am not mistaken, the slaves of that vast empire owe
their emancipation. He was an intellectual-looking
man, of most polished and agreeable manners, and
looked to me much more like ** a fine old English
gentleman " than a Brazilian. We had one woman
following a husband absconding from his creditors,
and another who was leaving a husband behind.
There was also a gentleman who had been through
the Crimean war in our army, and afterwards gone
out to Paraguay in the service of Lopez ; he remained
faithful to him through good and bad fortune, and
for some time before the culmination of that madly
daring attempt of a puny republic to uphold what
she considered her rights against the Brazils and
her allies, he had occupied the position of director-
general of hospitals to Lopezes army — an empty title
enough, some may now say. With this gentleman I
became as intimate as one well could in a month's
voyage, and many an hojir we sat together enjoying
our cigars in the cool hfgtit air in the tropics, while
he entertained me with tales of siege and battle, of
disasters and retreats, narrating many stirring inci-
dents of the part he had taken in them ; for, though
nominally in the civil branch, he constantly assumed
executive command as occasion required.

170

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

There was another gentleman, a doctor also, who
had formerly been in Lopez's service, whose name
might harb been seen Foon after our arrival in
England riguring in the reports of the law courts of
Scotland, in connection, I believe, with the will of
Lopez, and in which stakes of considerable value
were at issue. Witnesses of his were among the
passengers, and a legal gentleman who had been
collecting evidence on his behalf in Paraguay.
There was a young man who had been sent out by
a London house to visit El Gran Chaco, and see
about foimding a colony there. He was now on his
way home to take out a number of families. Since
his retium to South America with these emigrants, I
have seen an ac«^ount of his murder by the Indians
in a raid on the colony he was founder of. There
were, of course, many others interestin-^ at the time
or otherwise who have almost all pa6i;"<^d from my
memory.

A newspaper was started, as is often done amongst
passengers who have little to occupy them, as a
safety-valve for the exhuberant genius of the writing,
and a supposed source of amusement for the non-
writing public ; but, I fear, there were mort articles
than readers, and I think it died a natural death
after its first publication. The worthy Scot, whom
I before mentioned as the legal gentleman, undertook
the editorship, and it was not through wai.t of zeal
on his part that the "Douro Herald" ceased to exist.

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

171

What a magnificent harbour is that of Rio do
Janeiro, both ibr accommodation and scenery, from
a nautical and artistic point of view. Steaming in
through its narrow e> rinco, a lon^, winding slioet
of water lies before one ; ranges of hills on the loft,
studded with pretty suburban villas, which peep
out coyly from the midst of gardens and shrubborios;
further on, on the same hand, the spires and towers
of the city rise. We steamed up the harbour and
went alongside a wharf at a coaling island. The
" Douro " was no sooner moored than many of us
made a rush for the boats which were crowding
alongside to convey us to the mainland, and started
off to pay a visit to the capital of the fertile and
wealthy Brazils.

The Carnival was in full swing, and I must can
dWi'r confess that, though new to me, it proved
anything but entertaining, and I never wish to
soe such a spectacle of idiotic buffoonery again.
Some of the decorations and drosses were pretty
enougli, but the antics and conduct of the actors in
the various performances and displays in the streets
were, to my taste, simply disgusting. The amuse-
ments and entertainments of the higher classes of
the inhabitants I had, of course, no opportunity of
observing.

The feather-flower shops at Rio are well worth a
visit ; the gardens, and many pretty spots in the
neighbourhood, also repay the traveller who has a

172

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

few days to spare for going. But a fairer and
happier land to myself and companions lay before
us, and we felt no ro«yrct at not having the time to
extend our ramVjIes verv far inland, or when the
screw again commenced its monotonous revolutions,
much as ti:ere is to admire and interest in the lovely
Brazils.

Onward we glide over the glassy sea, rapidly
shortening our distance from Bahia. Arrived there,
many of us laid in a stock of its gigantic oranget- ;
some pine-apples and bananas also wore not for-
gotten for those at home.

From the Brazils wo had a largo addition to our
number of passengers, and no very pleasant one
either, as the majority of them were Portuguese, by
ro means desirable companions on board ship.

At last wo are fairly in for our run across the
Atlantic, and the interest in the daily distance run
increases greatly. Fair winds are more devoutly
wished for, and head winds more fervently abuHod.
As the nightH lengthen and get colder, and the land
of prf)mi8e gets stepJily though almost imper-
ceptibly nearer, one gradually begins to realize that
we shall soon be at home once more. Awaking
more and more from that dreamy, misty state one
generally getH into about places and peo})le still
distant, but among whom he expects soon to be,
one thinks more and more of the old home — ^of the
one hitrtii above all others, around which ^

SCENES ON PACIFIC SHORES.

173

gathered the families, faces, and voices ho hoj)es
to see and hear again ere long — ho anticii)ates, in
imagination, the kindly, loving welcome, which
makes him feel each time he cxpcriencoH it, that
wherever his lot mav call him, or whatever the
amount of pleasure or happiness he may have been
fortunate enough to meet with elsewhere, that there
still is no place like home.

"We experienced strong head winds nearly the
whole way to St. Vincent, where wc stopped to
coal, proceeding from thence to Lisbon. Hero I
shoii Id have liked to hav o had a run on shore, and
visited the town which was well-known to mo in
bygone days, when wintering up tho ** Muddy
Tagus " in Her Majesty's Channel Squadrt)n ; but
the inexorable quarantine kept us prisoners, and we
went very little further in than Belem Castle.

The land we are bound for is now in sight. We
approach it lapidly, and are soon steaming up
Southampton Waters. A small steamer brings us
news of what has bet'u lately happening, and takes
tho ready passengers on shore. And the eager
longings felt to be off to those wo left behind us
when last outward bound, are about to be gratified
at last.

W H. * L. OslUngrldgv, 117 tn 120, Aldorviita Streiit, London, B.O.