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THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 

SCENES AND INCIDENTS 
 
 DOMESTIC 
 
 AND 
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL 
 
 WITH 
 
 gketct)e0 in Natural ^istorg, 
 
 AND 
 
 POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 THOMAS WARDLE, CHESNUT STREET. 
 
KING AND EAIRD, PRINTERS, 9 GEORGE STREET 
 
G.I70 
 £>4 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PERSONAL NARRATIVES AND ADVENTURES,— 
 
 Life of Christopher Columbus, ...... Page 9 
 
 The Pelew Islanders, 62 
 
 Ascent of Mont Blanc, ....... 102 
 
 Narrative of the Picard Family, 113 
 
 Incident in the Escape of Prince Charles, . . 133 
 
 Shipwreck of the Blendenhall, 162 
 
 Lavallette's Escape from Prison, 197 
 
 SingularPreservationofaParty of Shipwrecked Seamen, 203 
 
 Adventures of Two Brothers during the American War, 253 
 
 Adventure of Lewis Wetzel, 289 
 
 Adventure on the Adige, 315 
 
 Byron's Narrative, 327 
 
 SCENES AND INCIDENTS OF FOREIGN TRAVEL,— 
 
 The Inundation at Pesth, 30 
 
 Visit to a Silver Mine, 37 
 
 Bear Hunting in Sweden, 48 
 
 The City of Petra, 130 
 
 The Pampas of South America, 149 
 
 Hunting Wild Elephants, 155 
 
 Hunting the Giraffe, 159 
 
 Algiers, 171 
 
 The Camp of Abd-el-Kader, 175 
 
 Misadventures of a Caravan, 183 
 
 The Ruins of Copan, 186 
 
 Visit to the Volcano of Masaya, 189 
 
 Overflow of the Dranse, 215 
 
 Pass of the Gemmi, 220 
 
 Dangers of Missionaries in South Africa, . . . 227 
 
 Missionary Station in Greenland, 230 
 
 Moravian Settlement in South Africa, .... 232 
 Description of a Whale-Chase, 24g 
 
 W363520 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 A Lisbon Bull-Fight, ....... Page 277 
 
 Lion Hunting in India, 284 
 
 A Buffalo Hunt, . 300 
 
 Ringing the Wild Horse, 308 
 
 Crocodile Pits of Egypt, 320 
 
 Earthquake at Zante, 323 
 
 SKETCHES IN NATURAL HISTORY,— 
 
 Ants — their Characteristics and Economy, ... 52 
 
 Rambles of a Naturalist, 91 
 
 The Prairie Wolves, 144 
 
 The Rattlesnake, 194 
 
 The Starling, 242 
 
 Eagles in the Hebrides, 295 
 
 POETICAL SELECTIONS,— 
 
 Helvellyn, 45 
 
 Burns, 47 
 
 Industry, 61 
 
 Loss in Delays, 62 
 
 Hymn to the Setting Sun, 89 
 
 An Evening Walk in Bengal, 99 
 
 The Ocean, 127 
 
 Unknown Isles, 129 
 
 Loch Katrine, 143 
 
 The Murdered Traveller 153 
 
 The Orphan Boy's Tale, 169 
 
 The Destruction of Sennacherib, .... 181 
 
 Stirling Castle, 182 
 
 The Course of Life, 201 
 
 The Iceberg, 213 
 
 Waterloo, 224 
 
 Night, 240 
 
 The Indian's Tale, 271 
 
 Ode on Visiting Flodden, 274 
 
 Rosabelle, 282 
 
 The Everlasting Rose, 313 
 
THE RECREATION. 
 
 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 This celebrated navigator was born in the city of 
 Genoa, about the year 1436. His parents were persons 
 of humble station, but honest and industrious ; his father 
 following the occupation of a wool-comber in that city. 
 Christopher was the eldest of four children, — a sister 
 and two brothers, the names of the latter being Bar- 
 tholomew and Diego. As his parents were poor, they 
 could not afford him an extensive education. However, 
 he made up in ardour what he wanted in opportunity. 
 He was sent to Pavia, then a great seat of learning in 
 Lombardy ; but the short time that he remained there 
 was barely sufficient to give him the rudiments of the 
 necessary sciences; his attention having been princi- 
 pally directed to those necessary to fit him for a mari- 
 time life. And it was at this period that he first evinced 
 that strong inclination for the sea, which forms a strik- 
 ing feature in the early character of great navigators. 
 
 He began his nautical career at an early age. He is 
 supposed to have been principally engaged in the Medi- 
 terranean, sometimes in voyages of commerce, some- 
 times in warlike contests between the Italian states, at 
 other times in expeditions against the infidels. Hear- 
 2 
 
10 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 ing that great encouragement was given in Portugal to 
 enterprising navigators, Columbus determined to go to 
 Lisbon, and arrived there about the year 1470. 
 
 Columbus had not long been in Lisbon when he 
 married Donna Felipa, the daughter of Bartolomeo 
 Monis de Palestrello, who had been one of the most 
 distinguished of the sea-captains employed by Prince 
 Henry in exploring the coast of Africa. The advantages 
 which resulted to him from this alliance were peculiarly 
 great; from his wife's mother, he obtained possession 
 of all the charts and manuscripts of her deceased 
 husband, together with all such information concerning 
 his voyages as she herself could supply. Columbus 
 thus became acquainted with the plans of the Portu- 
 guese ; and the knowledge which he acquired contributed 
 not a little to stimulate his passion for maritime enter- 
 prise. He made occasional voyages to the coast of 
 Guinea, employing the intervals of his time in the con- 
 struction of maps and charts. The income he derived 
 from this source was small ; yet a portion of it was set 
 apart for the education of his younger brothers, and the 
 support of his aged father at Genoa. He resided, too, 
 for some time at the island of Porto Santo, which had 
 been colonized and governed by his wife's father ; and 
 there his son Diego was born. 
 
 All this while the active and energetic mind of Co- 
 lumbus was engaged in his favourite pursuit; and as 
 early as the year 1474, the theory to which we owe 
 the discovery of America, had become fixed in his mind. 
 The ruling passion of the age was a thirst for maritime 
 discovery; and the grand object of navigators was the 
 finding of a route by sea to India, — the land of gold 
 and precious stones. To attain it, they strove to sail 
 towards the east ; and their frequent expeditions along 
 the coast of Africa were undertaken in the hope, event- 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 11 
 
 ually gratified, of rounding its southern extremity, and 
 thus penetrating in the required direction. Columbus 
 conceived the happy idea, that, as the earth was a 
 globe, India might be reached by sailing to the west- 
 ward. 
 
 He consulted the opinions of old authors and travel- 
 lers. He also made inquiry with respect to all the in- 
 dications of land. One navigator, when four hundred 
 leagues west from Cape St. Vincent, had taken from 
 the water a piece of carved wood, which evidently had 
 not been wrought with an iron instrument. As the 
 winds had drifted it from the west, it might have come 
 from some unknown land in that direction. Pedro 
 Correa, his brother-in-law, told him that after a course 
 of westerly winds, immense reeds were seen on the 
 island of Porto Santo. Also pine-trees were wafted to 
 the shores of the Azores ; and, on one occasion, the 
 dead bodies of two men were cast upon the Island of 
 Flores, whose features differed from those of any known 
 race of people. 
 
 Upon grounds such as these, Columbus firmly believed 
 in the practicability of finding land by sailing west. 
 He communicated his views to Paolo Tuscanelli of 
 Florence, one of the most learned cosmographers of the 
 time; the applause which the latter bestowed upon the 
 design, together with the facts and arguments with 
 which he supported its practicability, fixed it still more 
 firmly in the mind of Columbus. 
 
 The accomplishment of his grand enterprise required 
 means far beyond those of Columbus; indeed, he re- 
 garded it as fitting to be undertaken only by a sove- 
 reign state. It is said that his first application was 
 made to his native republic, but he was unsuccessful 
 in this as well as in his application to King John of 
 Portugal. From the latter part of the year 1484, when 
 
12 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 Columbus departed with his son from Lisbon, there 
 occurs an interval of more than a year, during which 
 our traces of his history are very slight. It is agreed 
 that he at this time visited his aged father, and made 
 such arrangements for his comfort as his poor means 
 afforded. Having thus performed the duties of a pious 
 son, he determined to repair to the court of Spain. 
 
 At what time, or in what manner, Columbus entered 
 Spain is unknown. Our first notice of him in that 
 kingdom, represents him as travelling on foot, accom- 
 panied by his youthful son, to visit a brother-in-law in 
 the town of Huelva, and stopping on the way at the 
 gate of the convent of Santa Maria de Rabida, near the 
 sea-port of Palos de Moguer in Andalusia, to beg a lit- 
 tle bread and water for his child. While his request 
 was being complied with, the guardian or superior of 
 the convent, Friar Juan Peres de Marchena, passing 
 by, was struck with his appearance ; and entering into 
 conversation with him, at once felt a lively interest in 
 his views. He accordingly detained Columbus as a 
 guest, and sent for a learned friend, Garcia Fernandez, 
 the physician of Palos, to discuss the great project. 
 It excited the admiration of both ; several conferences 
 ensued; additional evidence of its practicability was 
 obtained from experienced mariners of Palos; and 
 eventually it was arranged that Columbus should seek 
 the Spanish court, and there lay open his proposals. 
 
 The sovereigns of Spain at that time were Ferdi- 
 nand II., King of Arragon, and Isabella, Queen of Cas- 
 tile, by whose marriage the power of the Christians in 
 that country had become consolidated, and the dominion 
 of the Moors confined within narrow limits. The whole 
 force of the united crowns was now directed towards 
 the final expulsion of the infidels through the conquest 
 of Granada, the last of the Moorish kingdoms in Spain ; 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 13 
 
 and everywhere the country resounded with the note of 
 preparation for the approaching campaign. Such a 
 juncture was unfavourable to a full and candid consider- 
 ation of the proposals of Columbus, which, even in 
 ordinary times, would have had to encounter severe 
 obstacles, in the cold and suspicious temperament of 
 King Ferdinand, in the apathy which the nation had 
 evinced for maritime discovery, and their bigotry, 
 which had a darker shade than that of the age in 
 general . 
 
 On arriving at Cordova, where the court at that time 
 was residing, he found it difficult to obtain a hearing. 
 This he at length accomplished ; but it was long before 
 he could make a sufficient impression on Ferdinand or 
 his queen in order to second his views. She referred 
 his suit to a body of learned professors, who laughed at 
 his project, which they declared to be irreligious and 
 impious. Indeed, his plan was generally ridiculed by 
 those to whom he spoke concerning it, but the earnest 
 sincerity with which he advanced his opinion gradually 
 gained him friends. Alonzo de Quintanilla, comptroller 
 of the finances, and other personages of importance 
 about the court, became his patrons, and warmly sup- 
 ported his project. It would be painful to detail the 
 many delays and disappointments that he underwent. 
 After a period of six years, and when on the point of 
 leaving Spain, he at length obtained a favourable hear- 
 ing from the sovereigns. 
 
 But an early obstacle arose in what was deemed the 
 exorbitant nature of his demands ; his principal stipu- 
 lation being, that he should be appointed admiral and 
 viceroy in all the lands which he should discover, and 
 receive one-tenth of all gains arising therefrom. When 
 it was objected that in case of failure he would lose 
 nothing, he offered to advance one-eighth of the sum 
 
14 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 required for the execution of his enterprise, on condi- 
 tion that he should be entitled to one-eighth of the 
 profits. He made no stipulation for any reward or 
 emolument whatever in the event of failure. 
 
 His terms were at last agreed to ; but there were 
 still difficulties before commencing the voyage that 
 required all the perseverance of Columbus to overcome. 
 
 It happened that the authorities of the seaport of 
 Palos had been condemned, on account of misconduct, 
 to serve the crown for one year with two armed ships, 
 of the kind called caravels ; the penalty was now en- 
 forced, an order being issued on the 30th April, com- 
 manding the authorities of the place to have the vessels 
 ready within ten days. Columbus availed himself of 
 the permission contained in the last article ; and, through 
 the aid of the Pinzon family of Palos, was enabled to 
 contribute a thiid vessel. The authorities and inhabi- 
 tants of the Andalusian coast were enjoined to facilitate 
 to the utmost the operations of Columbus, and strictly 
 forbidden, under severe penalties, to throw any impedi- 
 ment in his way. Columbus himself quitted the court 
 at Granada on the 12th of May, after having received 
 from Isabella a strong mark of her kindness, in confer- 
 ring upon his son Diego the distinguished honour of 
 being page to Prince Juan, the heir-apparent. 
 
 But in spite of repeated and imperative mandates, no 
 ships were forthcoming; owners refused to furnish them, 
 seamen refused to serve, and weeks elapsed without 
 any progress being made. At length Martin Alonzo 
 Pinzon, who has been already mentioned as an early 
 supporter of the enterprise, and as a sea-captain of 
 wealth and influence in Palos, came forward with his 
 brother Vincente Yanez Pinzon, and offering to furnish 
 two vessels, and to sail themselves in the expedition, 
 induced many to embark, and succeeded in getting the 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 15 
 
 vessels ready for sea within a month. The third vessel call- 
 ed the Pinta, was pressed into the service with its crew. 
 
 The month of August had arrived before the three 
 vessels were ready for sea; and after all the difficulty 
 which had been experienced in fitting them out, this 
 slender armament was neither befitting the dignity of 
 the nation by which it was equipped, nor adequate to 
 the important service for which it was destined. 
 
 Two of them were caravels, or vessels of small size, 
 generally compared to the coasting craft of modern 
 times; they were only partially decked, being quite 
 open in the middle. Columbus embarked in the largest 
 of the three, which was completely decked ; he named 
 it the Santa Maria. Martin Alonzo Pinzon was the 
 captain of the second, called the Pinta; and his young- 
 est brother, Francisco Martin, the pilot; while the other 
 caravel, called the Nina, was commanded by the second 
 brother, Vincente Yanez Pinzon. Three other pilots 
 were engaged in the expedition, with some official func- 
 tionaries, a few private adventurers, a physician, and a 
 surgeon, and ninety seamen, who made altogether one 
 hundred and twenty persons. 
 
 On the morning of the 3d August 1492, being Friday, 
 Columbus set sail from Palos with his small squadron, 
 on that memorable voyage, which ended in the dis- 
 covery of the New World. He shaped his course for 
 the Canary Islands, it being his intention thence to 
 steer due west. As a guide by which to sail, he had 
 the map sent him by Paolo Toscanelli of Florence. 
 
 Although Columbus engaged in this perilous enter- 
 prise, in the full belief that he should succeed in carry- 
 ing it to a glorious termination, yet the greater part of 
 his followers were animated by feelings of a very dif- 
 ferent kind. We have spoken of the difficulty of man- 
 ning the vessels, in consequence of the horror excited 
 
16 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 among the mariners of Palos at the nature of the ex- 
 pedition; when the hour of parting arrived, and those 
 who were engaged for the dreaded service came to take 
 leave of their friends, their aversion to it was naturally 
 increased. The little squadron sailed from the shores 
 of Spain amid the lamentations of all who beheld its 
 departure ; and although the prayer was general for the 
 prosperous issue of the voyage, there were few who 
 ventured to expect it. This general distaste to the en- 
 terprise was a source of much uneasiness to Columbus, 
 and on the third day of the voyage an incident occurred 
 which increased his apprehensions. The Pinta made 
 signals of distress, her rudder being broken and unhung. 
 It was suspected that this injury had been purposely 
 contrived by the owners of the caravel, in order that, 
 being thus disabled, she might be left behind. As soon 
 as this damage had been repaired, other defects were 
 discovered in the same vessel; and Columbus deter- 
 mined, when he reached the Canaries, to replace her, if 
 he could, by another. But in a search of three weeks 
 he was unable to do so ; and thus he was obliged to 
 render the Pinta serviceable by such repairs as could 
 be executed there. During his stay, he received intel- 
 ligence of three Portuguese caravels which had been 
 hovering off Ferro, with the design, it was said, of in- 
 tercepting him. He therefore hurried his departure, and 
 made sail from the Canaries on the 6th of September. 
 . For three days there was a profound calm, which kept 
 the squadron in sight of land; but on Sunday, the 9th, 
 a breeze sprung up, which carried them far out into the 
 wide Atlantic, and before the day closed there was 
 nothing to be seen but water all around them. 
 
 The voyage of discovery had now fairly commenced, 
 and the difficulties of his situation at once forced them- 
 selves upon Columbus. In losing sight of land, the 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 17 
 
 sailors lost the last remnant of their courage ; many of 
 them, dejected and dismayed before, now began to beat 
 their breasts and to shed tears, and to burst forth into 
 loud lamentations. Columbus endeavoured to console 
 them by holding out assurances of success, and promis- 
 ing a speedy acquisition of vast wealth in those magni- 
 ficent regions to which he was conducting them. 
 
 To provide for the contingency of the ships being 
 separated by a storm, or other accident, he gave orders 
 to the commanders of the Pinta and the Nina, that in 
 such case they should continue sailing westward 700 
 leagues, and then look out for land. Yet, though he 
 confidently expected to find it at that distance, he knew 
 that disappointment was possible ; and, as the clamours 
 of the seamen would naturally increase the further they 
 advanced, he had recourse to the stratagem of keeping 
 two reckonings, — one of them correct for his own use, 
 the other incorrect, for the general information, and 
 showing a smaller progress than was really made. « On 
 the 11th of September, when they were 150 leagues to 
 the westward of Ferro, they found a part of the mast of 
 a ship floating on the waves ; in this melancholy object 
 the terrified crews beheld an indication of the wretched 
 fate that awaited themselves. 
 
 Steadily continuing its course to the westward, in the 
 latitude of the Canary Islands, the little squadron at 
 length got within the sphere of the trade-wind, which 
 blows invariably from east to west, between the tropics 
 and a few degrees beyond them : their progress was 
 rapid, and so uniformly easy, that for many days it was 
 not necessary to shift a sail. Columbus was particularly 
 struck with the bland and temperate serenity of the 
 weather; in his Journal, he compares the mornings to 
 those of April in Andalusia, observing that, to complete 
 the illusion, the song of the nightingale alone was 
 wanting. 
 
18 
 
 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 When they had sailed 360 leagues west of the Ca- 
 naries, they found themselves among large floating 
 patches of marine herbs and weeds, some yellow and 
 decayed, others green, and with the appearance of having 
 been recently detached from the rocks on which they 
 had grown. These were all drifting from the west ; 
 and off one of them a live crab was taken. Tunny-fish 
 played about the ships ; and one of them was killed by 
 the crew of the Nina. On the 18th of September, Mar- 
 tin Alonzo Pinzon, who always kept ahead, the Pinta 
 being a fast sailer, lay-to till Columbus came up, and 
 told him that he had seen a multitude of birds in the 
 west, and that he had discovered certain indications of 
 land towards the north. He was anxious therefore to 
 alter his course; but Columbus bade him. keep steadily 
 on, for not much more than half of the estimated dis- 
 tance to the Asiatic continent had been yet accomplished, 
 and he was unwilling to turn aside from the great object 
 of his search, merely for the sake of discovering, as he 
 thought, a little sooner, some of the intervening islands. 
 On the 19th, two pelicans flew on board the ships, and 
 Columbus himself began to think that land could not be 
 far off; bat, on sounding with a line of 200 fathoms, no 
 bottom was found. 
 
 The sailors became very uneasy as these successive 
 indications of land proved delusive. They were igno- 
 rant of the exact distance which they had advanced, 
 but they knew that they had far surpassed the bounds 
 of former enterprise. The steadiness with which the 
 wind had blown from the east became a source of alarm 
 to them ; for they supposed that it would always blow 
 in the same direction, and prevent their return to Spain. 
 Fortunately some light breezes sprang up from the south- 
 west on the 20th; — "much this contrary wind was 
 needful to me," says Columbus, u for my people were 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 19 
 
 gTeatly alarmed with thinking that winds for returning 
 to Spain did not blow in these seas." At the same 
 time they were visited by some small singing-birds, 
 which they looked upon as sure harbingers of land. On 
 the next day they fell in with so large a quantity of 
 weeds, that the surface of the sea for some distance re- 
 sembled a vast meadow, and the progress of the vessels 
 was at times seriously retarded. These thick fields of 
 weeds are often observed in this part of the ocean. The 
 crews became again alarmed ; they thought that the sea 
 was getting shallow, that rocks and shoals lay hidden 
 beneath its surface, or that some large tract of land had 
 sunk in that place. Columbus strove to reassure them 
 by sounding continually with a deep-sea line, and show- 
 ing that it gave no bottom. A fresh ground of alarm 
 was then discovered by their anxious eyes, in the 
 extreme calmness of the weather ; for three days the 
 smoothness of the water was unruffled, and the affrighted 
 seamen shuddered at the prospect of remaining stationary 
 in the midst of an unfrequented ocean, far out of reach 
 of land. The reasoning of Columbus had little effect in 
 dispelling their terror ; but fortunately, on the 25th , 
 being Sunday, a heavy swell, without wind, came on, 
 and the astonishment which it excited diverted their 
 fears. 
 
 The impatience of the crews had, however, now 
 reached a height which threatened the most serious con- 
 sequences. The men gathered in groups, and, taking 
 confidence from union, became louder in their discon- 
 tent. There were even some who had the villany to 
 propose, that, if Columbus refused to turn back, they 
 should throw him into the sea, and give out, on their 
 arrival in Spain, that he had fallen overboard while 
 contemplating the stars and the signs of the heavens 
 with his astronomical instruments. 
 
20 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 Columbus was fully sensible of his critical situation, 
 but he still maintained a cheerful countenance, some- 
 times using- all the arts of insinuation to sooth his men, 
 at others striving to work upon their ambition or ava- 
 rice, and at others assuming a tone of authority, and 
 threatening the most refractory with the vengeance of 
 their sovereign. 
 
 On the evening of the 25th of September, while Co- 
 lumbus was engaged with his pilot and some experienced 
 mariners studying a chart, he was aroused by the voice 
 of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, shouting from the stern of 
 the Pinta, " Land ! land ! senor, I claim the reward" 
 (for the Spanish government had promised a pension of 
 thirty crowns to the first discoverer of land in the ex- 
 pedition). A dark mass was pointed out in the south- 
 west, having the appearance of land, distant about 
 twenty-five leagues ; and all who gazed upon it agreed 
 that it was land. Columbus threw himself upon his 
 knees, and returned thanks to God ; and the crews 
 joined in singing the Gloria in excelsis. All night the 
 ships stood towards the south-west ; and at day-break 
 all eyes were turned in that direction, but the land had 
 vanished, and they found that they had been cheated by 
 one of those evening clouds which in tropical skies 
 assume such singular appearances about sunset, and so 
 often delude the mariner into a belief that they are 
 land. Columbus resumed his western course, and for 
 several days the attention of the crews was diverted by 
 the continued signs of land. The eagerness of the 
 seamen to obtain the pension of thirty crowns led them 
 to cry out upon trivial indications ; accordingly, to pre- 
 vent the continual disappointments which ensued, 
 Columbus declared, that any one giving notice of land 
 which should not be actually found in three days after- 
 wards, should lose all claim to the pension. 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 21 
 
 On the 1st of October, Columbus found that he had 
 sailed 707 leagues since leaving the Canaries, though 
 the reckoning which he showed the crew gave only 584 
 leagues. On the 7th, having advanced 750 leagues, or 
 the distance at which he had calculated upon finding 
 the island of Cipango, and the indications of land in 
 the south-west being strong, he yielded to the solicita- 
 tions of Pinzon, and altered his course towards that point. 
 For three days the crews lived in hourly expectation of 
 finding land ; fresh and green herbage floated past the 
 ships ; multitudes of small singing-birds came flying 
 about them, and then darting off towards the south-west, 
 in which direction also a pelican, a heron, and a duck, 
 were seen moving. All these signs convinced Colum- 
 bus that now indeed he was really in the vicinity of 
 land. Accordingly, on the same evening, being that of 
 the 11th of October, after the performance of the usual 
 religious service, he called together his crew, bade them 
 return thanks to God for having preserved them through- 
 out so long a voyage, and conducted them, by so easy 
 a navigation, to the object of their anxious search. He 
 told them, that in all probability they would discover 
 land before morning, and recommended them therefore 
 to keep a careful look-out during the night, promising, 
 at the same time, to him who should first descry it, a 
 doublet of velvet, in addition to the pension already 
 offered by the sovereigns. 
 
 The ships sailed on in their course throughout the 
 evening, the Pinta as usual taking the lead, and the 
 greatest anxiety pervading the minds of all on board 
 them. Columbus mounted the lofty poop of his vessel, 
 and from that elevated station kept up a close watch. 
 Suddenly, about two hours before midnight, he saw a 
 light in the distance, and calling to Pedro Gutierrez, a 
 gentleman of the king's bed-chamber, made him observe 
 
22 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 it likewise. Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, the armourer, 
 was called next, but before he came, the light disap- 
 peared ; it was, however, seen for a moment twice after- 
 wards, and its appearance increased the confidence of 
 Columbus. At two in the morning, a gun from the 
 Pinta — the preconcerted signal — announced the disco- 
 very of land, which soon afteijvards was clearly seen 
 at the distance of two leagues. It had been first descried 
 by Rodriguez Bermejo, a mariner of Seville; but the 
 reward was afterwards adjudged to Columbus, who had 
 so long before observed the light. The ships now lay- 
 to for the rest of the night, waiting, in all the anguish 
 of suspense, until the return of day should reveal to their 
 impatient eyes the unknow r n country w r hich they had 
 at last reached through so many trying circumstances. 
 
 When day broke on the memorable morning of Fri- 
 day the 12th of October, 1492, Columbus and his 
 enraptured followers beheld before them an island of 
 some extent, whose flat and verdant fields, well covered 
 w T ith trees, and watered by many rivulets, gave promise 
 of a delightful country. They soon perceived that they 
 themselves were the objects of equally anxious regard ; 
 for they saw the naked inhabitants of the island crowd- 
 ing from all parts to its shores, and gazing towards the 
 ships in evident astonishment. Columbus ordered the 
 boats to be manned. He entered his own, armed and 
 habited in a rich dress, and proceeded towards the land, 
 with the royal standard unfurled ; he was followed by 
 Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vincente Yanez Pinzon, 
 commanders of the Pinta and the Nina, in their respec- 
 tive boats. If the distant view of the island had created 
 favourable impressions of its beauty and fertility, a near 
 approach confirmed them ; everywhere it showed the 
 marks of a lovely and exuberant vegetation. , 
 
 On landing, Columbus fell upon his knees, kissed the 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 23 
 
 earth, and returned thanks to God for having brought 
 his voyage to so happy an issue ; his followers then did 
 the same. Rising, he drew his sword, and giving the 
 island the name of San Salvador, took solemn possession 
 of it in the name of the Spanish sovereigns, with the 
 requisite forms and ceremonies. He then proceeded to 
 assume his titles of admiral and viceroy, calling upon 
 all present to take an oath of obedience to him ; and 
 from this time forward he always subscribed himself 
 El Almiranle, or " the admiral." 
 
 We have spoken of the astonishment which the 
 Spaniards could discern from their ships, in the gestures 
 of the people gazing at them from the shore ; this aston- 
 ishment was much increased by the apparently spon- 
 taneous movements of those vast machines, which, with 
 their sails, seemed to the simple natives, huge monsters 
 with wings. When the boats approached, they fled from 
 the shore to the woods ; but quickly returning, they 
 gazed in silent admiration on the Spaniards during the 
 ceremony of taking possession. They were struck with 
 the dresses of their new visiters, the whiteness of their 
 skins, their beards, their arms, and armour; and the 
 quiet demeanour of the Spaniards inspiring them with 
 confidence, they advanced close to the objects of their 
 curiosity, and inspected them with minuteness. 
 
 The island was called by the natives Guanahani. It 
 is one of the group known as the Lucayos, or Bahama 
 Islands, and is generally identified with that which at 
 the present day bears the name of San Salvador, being 
 thus supposed to have retained ever since its discovery 
 the name which Columbus then gave to it. 
 
 The astonishment of the Spaniards at the scene which 
 they beheld, was scarcely inferior to that which the na- 
 tives had evinced. The climate was delightful ; the soil 
 of the island was evidently rich, and its products differed 
 
24 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 entirely from those to which the strangers were accus- 
 tomed in Europe ; they quickly perceived, however, that 
 it displayed but few marks of cultivation. In like man- 
 ner, the inhabitants exhibited scarcely any traces of 
 civilization. They were entirely naked, and painted 
 with a variety of colours and devices so as to have a 
 wild and fantastic appearance. Their natural com- 
 plexion was of a tawny or copper hue, and they were 
 entirely destitute of beards. Their features, though 
 disfigured by paint, were agreeable. They appeared to 
 be simple and artless people, and of gentle and friendly 
 dispositions. Their only arms were lances, hardened at 
 the end by fire, or pointed with a flint or a bone of a fish. 
 
 In the morning Columbus sailed along the coast of 
 the island towards the north-west, and in his voyage 
 discovered other islands, to which he gave names. The 
 largest he fell in with was Cuba, which is nearly as 
 large as Great Britain. At Cuba he expected to find a 
 great trade, abundance of gold and spices, large ships, 
 and rich merchants. But in these conjectures he was 
 entirely mistaken. On the 5th of December he dis- 
 covered and landed upon another large island, which he 
 called Hispaniola, now named St. Domingo or Hayti. 
 There he planted a fort and made it the seat of a colony. 
 From this period may be dated the misfortunes of Co- 
 lumbus. That great man now lost control over his 
 wicked and rapacious companions, who seemed desirous 
 of plundering the newly discovered islands, and after- 
 wards of sailing home to be the first to make known the 
 discoveries that had been made. Pinzon, the commander 
 of the Pinta, took the lead in these dastardly proceed- 
 ings, for which he afterwards expressed the deepest 
 regret. 
 
 After cruising about for some time, and endeavouring 
 to enter into friendly alliances with native chiefs in the 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 25 
 
 islands, he set sail with his vessels on his return to 
 Spain. His homeward voyage was exceedingly stormy ; 
 and after braving the most imminent dangers, they came 
 in sight of land near Lisbon on the 4th of March 1493. 
 Having paid his respects, in passing, to the Portuguese 
 monarch, he proceeded without loss of time towards 
 the coast of Spain, and, on the 15th of March, he 
 entered and anchored in the harbour of Palos. 
 
 Seven months and twelve days before, he had quitted 
 the same harbour amid the tears and lamentations of 
 those who beheld his departure ; for, as we have said, it 
 was the general belief that all who engaged in the enter- 
 prise were doomed to destruction. Now, therefore, a 
 natural anxiety seized the people when they heard that 
 one of the adventurous squadron was approaching their 
 town ; and there was an eagerness not only among them 
 all generally to learn the results of the voyage, but 
 among most of them individually, to gather tidings of 
 some relation or friend who had embarked in it. As 
 soon as its glorious termination became known, there 
 was an universal effusion of unbounded joy. The bells 
 were rung, guns were fired ; and when the admiral 
 landed, the people accompanied him in procession to the 
 chief church, to return thanks to God. They hailed his 
 presence with the loudest acclamations, and testified 
 their admiration of so extraordinary a man, by paying 
 him such honours as were usually reserved for royalty. 
 
 The evening of this memorable day brought with it 
 an accession of joy, by removing the last trace of anxiety 
 from the minds of the people; for, before its close, the 
 lost Pinta, with Martin Alonzo Pinzon and her crew, 
 sailed into the harbour of Palos. 
 
 When Columbus reached Palos, the Spanish court 
 was at Barcelona ; he wrote directly to inform the sove- 
 reigns of his arrival, and awaited their reply at Seville. 
 3 
 
26 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 Ferdinand and Isabella were astonished and delighted at 
 the issue of the enterprise ; they addressed him in the 
 most flattering terms, and desired him to repair imme- 
 diately to court, that from his own mouth they might 
 receive a full detail of his extraordinary services and 
 discoveries, and also that he might concert measures for 
 a second and more extensive voyage. During his jour- 
 ney to Barcelona, the people crowded from the adjacent 
 country towards him wherever he passed, following him 
 with admiration and applause. His entrance into the 
 city was conducted by order of Ferdinand and Isabella, 
 with pomp suitable to the great event which added such 
 distinguishing lustre to their reign. The people whom 
 he brought along with him from the countries which he 
 had discovered marched first, and by their singular com- 
 plexion, the wild peculiarity of their features, and un- 
 couth finery, appeared like men of another species ; next 
 to them were carried the ornaments of gold, fashioned 
 by the rude art of the natives, the grains of gold found 
 in the mountains, and dust of the same metal gathered 
 in the rivers. After these, appeared the various com- 
 modities of the newly discovered countries, together with 
 their curious productions. C olumbus himself closed the 
 procession, and attracted the eyes of all the spectators, 
 who gazed with admiration on the extraordinary man 
 whose superior sagacity and fortitude had conducted 
 their countrymen by a route concealed from past ages, 
 to the knowledge of a new world. 
 
 Ferdinand and Isabella received him clad in their 
 royal robes, and seated upon their throne, which they 
 had ordered to be placed in public under a magnificent 
 canopy ; Prince Juan, the heir-apparent, sat behind 
 them, and around them stood the principal nobility of 
 Spain. When he approached, the sovereigns stood up, 
 and, raising him as he kneeled to kiss their hands, 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 27 
 
 commanded him to take his seat upon a chair prepared 
 for him, and to give a circumstantial account of his 
 voyage. He delivered it with a gravity and composure 
 suitable to the disposition of the Spanish nation, as 
 well as to the dignity of the audience in which he 
 spoke. 
 
 After he had finished his address, the whole assembly 
 fell upon their knees, while an anthem was chaunted by 
 the choir of the royal chapel. With songs of praise, 
 the glory was given to God for the discovery of a new 
 world. Columbus and his adventures were for many 
 days the wonder and delight of the people and the 
 court. The sovereigns admitted the admiral to their 
 audience at all hours, and loaded him with every mark 
 of favour and distinction. Men of the highest rank 
 were proud of the honour of his company. 
 
 All matters were soon prepared for the second voyage 
 to the Western World. On the dawn of the 25th of 
 September 1 193, the Bay of Cadiz was crowded with 
 the departing fleet of Columbus. There were three 
 large* ships and fourteen caravels waiting for the signal 
 to sail. All on board were breathing hope and joy. 
 Instead of the gloomy despondency that overshadowed 
 the leave-taking at Palos, there was now animation and 
 cheerfulness. The whole fleet was under weigh before 
 the rising of the sun. 
 
 During this second voyage Columbus extended his 
 discoveries, though without reaping any solid advan- 
 tage to himself. He found the fort which he had 
 planted entirely destroyed, and the men whom he had 
 left slain; their avaricious and quarrelsome disposi- 
 tions having led to their extirpation by the enraged 
 natives. A new colony, under better auspices, was 
 however settled, and the payment of a tribute by the 
 natives enforced. In the mean time, the disaffected 
 
28 LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 and worthless among his companions carried ground- 
 less complaints against him to the court of Spain, and 
 he returned to obtain reparation of the injurious impu- 
 tations. On appearing before his sovereigns he was 
 soothed by some trifling apologies, and dispatched on 
 a third voyage in May 1498, and in this expedition he 
 landed on the coast of Paria in South America. He 
 found the lately discovered island distracted with the 
 horrors of civil discord. The vices of the settlers he 
 had left had produced misery and despair, and the un- 
 fortunate Columbus was loudly accused of being the 
 cause of the universal ruin. His enemies in Spain 
 had likewise the influence to induce the sovereigns to 
 dispatch a commissioner to Hispaniola, to inquire into 
 the truth of the charges against Columbus, and to 
 supersede his administration. The consequence of 
 this harsh procedure was, that Columbus, with his 
 brothers Diego and Bartholomew, after being treated 
 with the utmost indignity, were sent to Spain in 
 chains. 
 
 The rumour was no sooner circulated at CadizT and 
 Seville, that Columbus and his brothers had arrived 
 loaded with chains and condemned to death, than it 
 gave rise to an immediate expression of public indigna- 
 tion. The excitement was strong and universal ; and 
 messengers were immediately dispatched to convey 
 the intelligence to Ferdinand and Isabella. The so- 
 vereigns were moved by this exhibition of popular 
 feeling, and were offended that their name and au- 
 thority should have been used to sanction such dis- 
 honourable violence. They gave orders for the imme- 
 diate liberation of the prisoners, and for their being 
 escorted to Granada with the respect and honour they 
 deserved. He was not, however, restored to his com- 
 mand at Hispaniola, nor was it till many months after- 
 
LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 29 
 
 wards that he was placed at the head of an expedition 
 to open a new passage to the East Indies. On the 
 9th of May 1502, Columbus again set sail from Cadiz 
 on a fourth voyage of discovery. During this voyage 
 he touched at some parts of the South American con- 
 tinent, and also at some of the formerly discovered 
 islands, but he failed in making any important dis- 
 coveries, in consequence of the bad state of his vessels, 
 which were old and unfit for sailing. With a squad- 
 ron reduced to a single vessel he now returned to Spain, 
 where he heard with regret of the death of his patron- 
 ess Isabella. This was a sad blow to his expectations 
 of redress and remuneration. In her justice, humanity, 
 and favour, his only reliance had been placed ; and, 
 till the bitter tidings of her dissolution reached him, he 
 had fondly cherished the hope of still obtaining through 
 her agency the restoration of all his rights. None now 
 remained to redress his wrongs or to reward him for his 
 services and sufferings, but Ferdinand, who, jealous 
 and ungrateful, had so long opposed and injured him. 
 To him Columbus wrote many letters, and employed 
 his brother Bartholomew and others to support them 
 with personal applications, but his efforts were fruit- 
 less, and no attention was paid to his requests. Dis- 
 gusted and mortified by the base conduct of Ferdinand, 
 and exhausted with the. hardships which he had suf- 
 fered, and oppressed with infirmities, Columbus ended 
 his life at Valladolid on the 20th of May 1506. He 
 died with a composure of mind suitable to the mag- 
 nanimity which distinguished his character, and with 
 sentiments of piety becoming that supreme respect for 
 religion which he manifested in every occurrence of 
 his life. 
 
30 THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 
 
 THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 
 
 The following account of this awful calamity is extracted from Miss 
 Pardoe's "City of the Magyar;" a work containing much inter- 
 esting information respecting the Institutions of Hungary, and of 
 the warlike and independent people (Magyars) who compose the 
 bulk of the inhabitants of that country. 
 
 The city of Pesth is built along the left bank of the 
 Danube, from which its riverward line is only separated 
 by a quay of a few toises in width, and in many places 
 the houses advance even yet nearer to the lip of the 
 stream. The soil occupied by the town, and the whole 
 stretch of country for miles about it, is one waste of 
 light deep sand ; while the houses are (or perhaps, I 
 should rather say, were) nearly all built over cellars, 
 magazines, stables, and drains. 
 
 At the beginning of January 1838, the Danube had 
 already attained an unusual and somewhat alarming 
 height, and the water flooded all the drains and sub- 
 terraneans in its immediate neighbourhood, whence it 
 was obliged to be drawn off; after which the debou- 
 chures of all these underground inlets were carefully 
 closed. 
 
 The Danube was entirely frozen over and firmly 
 closed between the 5th and 6th of January; and a con- 
 tinuance of snow and extreme cold so severely operated 
 upon it, that the ice gradually increased to upwards of 
 three feet in thickness. During the 8th and 9th of 
 March the stupendous mass began to yield, but after 
 flooding the lower part of Buda, it again settled. It 
 was considered, however, to wear so menacing an ap- 
 pearance, that a dyke six feet high was flung up the 
 whole length of the city between the houses and the 
 
THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 31 
 
 river ; when the authorities and inhabitants of Pesth, 
 satisfied with this precaution, and the stoppage of the 
 drains where they communicated with the Danube, and 
 remembering that, during the inundation of 1775, the 
 water had never risen to the height of their newly- 
 erected barrier, abandoned themselves to the hope and 
 belief that before the river had attained the level of the 
 dyke, the ice would break up, and be carried away by 
 the strength of the current. Some few individuals 
 there were, nevertheless, who looked upon the frost- 
 chained giant with more anxious forebodings. 
 
 Late in the afternoon of the 13th, the river appeared 
 to become more threatening in its appearance, and it 
 was considered necessary to use every precaution which 
 might prevent its flooding the quays. Immediate or- 
 ders were given to this effect, and the scene was de- 
 scribed to me by an eye-witness as fearfully dramatic. 
 In every direction were to be seen labourers toiling to 
 fortify the dyke, and adding such other means of defence 
 as the impulse of the moment suggested ; but still no 
 serious apprehensions were entertained, for it was be- 
 lieved that this was the last effort of the mighty river 
 to free itself from its frozen load, and that, the feat 
 accomplished, all peril would be past. And thus men 
 moved about chatting, and speculating, and even jest- 
 ing; excited into false, but nevertheless loud, spirits; 
 giving advice when it was neither sought nor followed, 
 and seeming rather to be actors in a wild dream than a 
 peril-teeming reality. The greetings of acquaintance 
 were heard among the crowd, the ribald jests of the 
 thoughtless, and now and then even the laughter of 
 women, who tried to trifle away their fears when they 
 were chidden for them ; but at eight in the evening the 
 heavy peal of the alarm-bell boomed out, and doubt, 
 and hope, and jest, were at an end. 
 
32 THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 
 
 When its iron tongue first broke upon the air, the 
 scene along the river bank was most extraordinary. 
 Workmen and soldiers, lighted by torch-bearers, were 
 still actively employed in strengthening the defences of 
 the dyke; crowds of people from all quarters of the city 
 thronged the quay, and impeded the passage of the wag- 
 gons which were moving to and fro laden with sand, to 
 fill the breaches ; strong men were carrying timber to 
 different points to increase the resistance of the tempo- 
 rary breakwater ; and it is calculated that not less than 
 sixty thousand persons must have been collected on the 
 shore ; when about ten o'clock the swollen river sud- 
 denly made a new and mightier effort than any which 
 had preceded it, and burst the dyke in several places ; 
 and the wild waters, laden with jagged ice, rushed on- 
 ward with resistless violence, driving before them the 
 cowering crowd, who fled appalled and breathless before 
 the swift pursuit of this strange and terrific enemy. 
 
 Down fell the night, as if to aggravate the terrors of 
 the hour; and men hurried on they knew not whither, 
 pursued by a danger against which the bravest could 
 not contend. There was no laughter now upon the 
 air ! The shrieks of women, and the groans of men ; 
 mothers screaming for their children, and children wail- 
 ing for their mothers : the quick sharp sound of flying 
 footsteps upon the frozen earth ; and over all the rush- 
 ing, dashing, headlong voice of the emancipated waters, 
 made up the frightful diapason. 
 
 By an hour past midnight, several quarters of the 
 city were flooded to the height of twenty-seven feet, 
 and in several streets large boats might be seen mov- 
 ing from house to house ; while at each extremity of 
 the suburbs the ice-laden river poured like a torrent upon 
 the town ; and in those suburbs themselves the poor 
 inhabitants had barely time to escape with life, leaving 
 
THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 33 
 
 their little possessions to the fury of the treacherous 
 element to which they had so long fearlessly trusted. 
 
 On the morning of the 14th, whole streets, under- 
 mined by the body of pent-up water which filled the 
 subterraneans beneath them, fell with successive and 
 deafening crashes, burying alike men and animals amid 
 their ruins ; and perhaps this was the most awful mo- 
 ment to a spectator of all that fatal time. 
 
 I remember being told by the Archduchess Palatine, 
 when she was one day conversing with me on the sub- 
 ject of this frightful inundation, that, as she stood at 
 one of the windows of the Palace of Buda, and looked 
 down upon the suffering city, seeing whole ranges of 
 buildings sink and disappear in the watery waste about 
 them, she felt her brain reel and her heart sicken, as a 
 vague feeling grew upon her that the whole town would 
 be ere long swept away! 
 
 From the 14th to the 15th, the water continued sul- 
 lenly and steadily to increase, spreading wider and 
 wider, sapping and overthrowing dwellings, and drown- 
 ing their panic stricken inhabitants. But the day of 
 horror — the acme of misery — was the 15th itself. Pesth 
 will probably never number in her annals so dark a day 
 again. 
 
 Thousands of men, women, and children, homeless, 
 houseless, hopeless beings, clinging to life when they 
 had lost nearly all that made life a blessing — parents, 
 and children, and sisters, the young, helpless in their 
 first weakness, and the old, trembling in their last — 
 the strong man, whose weapon was stricken from his 
 hand by a Power against which the strongest contends 
 in vain — the philosopher, who in all his abstraction 
 had found no preparative for so hideous a death as this 
 — the mother, whose hope had withered as her babe 
 died upon her bosom, and who clung to life rather from 
 
34 THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 
 
 instinct than from volition — the fond, the beautiful, the 
 delicately nurtured — all were huddled together during 
 that fearful day upon the narrow spaces scattered over 
 the town and suburbs which the waters had not yet 
 reached. And as it wore by, every half hour added to 
 the devastation around them ; houses and buildings 
 which had survived the first shock, seemed to have been 
 preserved only to add to the horrors of that day ; many 
 of them fell and perished from roof to base ; others be- 
 came rent by the heavy dashing of the waters, and 
 through the yawning apertures the wasting tide poured 
 in, and ruined all it touched ; while to add to the con- 
 fusion, in some quarters of the city the heavy barges 
 which had been procured to remove the sufferers from 
 their threatened houses, broke loose, and went driving 
 onward through the streets on the crest of the foaming 
 waters. 
 
 Many individuals declared that they felt the shock of 
 an earthquake on the night of the 13th, an assertion 
 which added to the terror of the people : but this fact 
 has never been verified, and it is probable that the im- 
 pression was originated by explosions of the fixed air 
 which was pent up in the subterraneans, and which, as 
 the impetuosity of the water broke in, rushed out at 
 the other extremity of the drains with a sound like 
 thunder. 
 
 To attempt a description of the horrors of the 15th, 
 would be a vain as well as an ungrateful task ; but 
 nothing tended so utterly to bring them to a climax as 
 the fall of the extensive Derra Palace in the New Mar- 
 ket-place. In vain did men murmur to each other that 
 the building had been defective in its construction, and 
 unsound in its foundation; their misery was deeper 
 than the cheat which they sought to put upon them- 
 selves ; and from that moment those who yet enjoyed 
 
THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 35 
 
 the shelter of a roof looked on their temporary asylum 
 with suspicion, and a general fear grew among the 
 multitude that the whole city was crumbling about them. 
 
 Horror accumulated upon horror : the young and the 
 fragile, unaccustomed to exposure, in drenched and 
 clinging garments, to the bleak wind of that chilly sea- 
 son, began to droop and sicken. Even amid the terrors 
 which surrounded them, fathers of families, who sat 
 silently among their quailing children, remembered that 
 they had suddenly become beggars ; and they glanced 
 from their wretched offspring to the leaping and foaming 
 waters about them, and listened to the crash of the 
 falling houses which burst at intervals upon their ears, 
 till they began to smile vaguely and fearfully, and to 
 muse the wild musings of madness. 
 
 It having been found necessary to extricate all who 
 had lingered in the suburbs from their frail and falling 
 houses, a number of boats were busily plying in every 
 direction, and as there was no time to waste on forms or 
 convenience, the terrified people were rapidly put on 
 board and carried off to places of comparative safety. 
 By eleven o'clock at night, throughout the whole city 
 there was not a foot of dry ground, save in the New- 
 Market-Platz, the Joseph-Platz, the Franciscan-Platz, 
 and the courts of the Lutheran Church, the County-Hall, 
 and the Invalid Hospital, and these were crowded both 
 by men and horses, while many families of the highest 
 rank were huddled together in the rude wooden booths 
 erected in the Market-place, or sat in their carriages for 
 days and nights, exposed like the rest of the population 
 to the sufferings of cold and damp. 
 
 While yet the fury of the element was at its greatest 
 height, and all was want, and anguish, and desolation 
 throughout the city — while thousands of wretched 
 beings were still without food or shelter — the Archduke 
 
36 THE INUNDATION AT PESTH. 
 
 Palatine sent his eldest son, the young Prince Stephen, 
 to speak peace and comfort to the miserable citizens ; 
 and despite the danger of the mission, the high-hearted 
 youth accepted it without hesitation. 
 
 Nor was it a light duty which this noble scion of the 
 House of Hapsburg received as a boon at the hands of 
 his imperial father ; for the river was pouring down 
 angrily, laden with masses of ice driven onward by the 
 current, and threatening ruin to the unwary bark with 
 which they might chance to come in contact. There 
 were no attentive menials awaiting his disembarkation 
 on the opposite shore, with ready services and obsequi- 
 ous words. He went to meet misery, famine, and mad- 
 ness ; but as he stood erect in the boat, he cast not one 
 look behind to the safe asylum which he had left — he 
 waved his arm encouragingly towards the sinking city — 
 he urged on his panting and trembling boatmen — and 
 after a weary and perilous passage, his little bark began 
 to thread the streets of Pesth. 
 
 No sooner had his appearance brought comfort to the 
 sufferers — for there must have been comfort in the 
 conviction that abandonment was not superadded to 
 misery — than he vigorously applied himself to the task 
 of mitigating the wretchedness by which he was sur- 
 rounded. With his own hands, he distributed the 
 bread with which his boat was laden; he had a kind 
 and a hopeful word for all ; and it is certain that the 
 exertions and sympathy of the Palatinate family on the 
 occasion of this dreadful calamity, will be as durably 
 impressed upon the hearts of the inhabitants of Pesth, 
 as though they had been graven upon marble. 
 
 Pesth has since been partly rebuilt in a style of great 
 beauty, and on a plan more secure than formerly, and 
 is now one of the most attractive places of residence 
 in Europe. 
 
VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 37 
 
 VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 
 
 Miss Pa.ri>oe, in the course of her tour, visited the celebrated sil- 
 ver mine of Bacherstollen, at Schemnitz, of which she gives the 
 following vivid account. She was accompanied by M. de Svaiczer, 
 the supreme count of the mines of the district. 
 
 Our first object was, of course, a descent into the 
 subterranean wonders of which M. de Svaiczer was 
 the guardian ; and the entrance nearest to the city 
 being by the mouth of the extensive mine called 
 Bacherstollen, it was at once decided that we should 
 visit it on the morrow ; and, meanwhile, we learned 
 that there existed a communication throughout the 
 whole chain extending for nearly fifty English miles ; 
 the mine of Bacherstollen alone occupying a surface of 
 about one thousand square fathoms ; its depth being 
 two hundred, and the average number of miners em- 
 ployed in it from three hundred and fifty to four hun- 
 dred. 
 
 By six o'clock the following morning we were all 
 astir ; and armed with a change of clothes for me, we 
 sallied forth to the accountant's office, where we were 
 to be furnished with mining dresses for the gentlemen, 
 and our guides with lamps for our underground journey. 
 There we were joined by a young Milanese count, a 
 student at the university ; and although three hand- 
 somer men will be rarely seen together than the com- 
 panions of my intended expedition, yet when they came 
 forth in their leathern aprons, black caps, and coarse 
 jackets with padded sleeves, all encrusted with yellow 
 clay, I began to fancy that I must have suddenly 
 fallen among banditti ; nor was the conceit diminished 
 when the miners, who were to accompany us, joined 
 
38 VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 
 
 the party, with their smoking lamps in their hands, 
 and, if possible, ten times wilder and filthier-looking 
 than the gentlemen. 
 
 Away we went, however ; and ere we had taken a 
 hundred steps, we were in utter darkness. A low door 
 had been passed, a narrow gallery had been traversed, 
 a few stairs had been descended, and we were as tho- 
 roughly cut off from the rest of the world, as far as our 
 outward perceptions were concerned, as though we had 
 never held fellowship with them. We were moving 
 along a passage, not blasted, but hewn in the rock, 
 dripping with moisture, and occasionally so low as to 
 compel us to bend our heads in order to pass ; while 
 beneath our feet rushed along a stream of water which 
 had overflowed the channel prepared for it, and flooded 
 the solitary plank upon which we walked. 
 
 But this circumstance, although producing discom- 
 fort for the first few moments, was of little ultimate 
 consequence, for the large drops that exuded from the 
 roof and sides of the gallery, and continually fell upon 
 us as we passed, soon placed us beyond the reach of 
 annoyance from wet feet, by reducing us to one mass 
 of moisture. 
 
 So far all had been easy : we had only to move on in 
 Indian file, every alternate person carrying a lamp, to 
 avoid striking our heads against the protruding masses 
 of rock, and endeavouring not to slide off the plank into 
 the channel beneath, and thus make ourselves still more 
 wet and dirty than we were. But this comparative 
 luxury was soon to end, for ere long we arrived at the 
 ladders which conduct from one hemisphere to another, 
 and by which the miners ascend or descend to their 
 work. Then began the real labour of our undertaking. 
 Each ladder was based on a small platform, where a 
 square hole sawn away in the planks made an outlet to 
 
VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 39 
 
 arrive at the next ; and as these had been constructed 
 solely for the use of the workmen, it was by no means 
 easy to secure a firm footing upon all of them, particu- 
 larly as the water was trickling down in every direc- 
 tion, and our hands stuck to the rails, which were 
 encrusted with soil. 
 
 When we arrived, heated and panting, at the bottom 
 of the first hemisphere, the chief miner led the way 
 through an exhausted gallery, whence the ore had been 
 long since removed, and which yawned dark, and cold, 
 and silent, like the entrance to the world of graves. 
 The half-dozen lamps which were raised to show us the 
 opening, barely sufficed to light the chasm for fifty feet. 
 The distance defied their feeble power ; but the jagged 
 and fantastic outline of the walls, partly blasted, and 
 partly hewn away where the practised hammers of the 
 workmen had followed up a vein of ore, seemed to my 
 excited fancy to take strange and living shapes as the 
 heavy smoke of the lamps curled over them — bats and 
 serpents clung to the ceiling — phantoms of men and 
 beasts supported the walls — and in the midst moved 
 along a train of wizard beings, neither men nor demons. 
 
 To the right of this gallery opened another vast 
 cavern, cumbered with large masses of rock, but of 
 which we could see the whole extent. This was what 
 is technically called in t^ie mines a " false blast," 
 where, after having made an opening, the miners ascer- 
 tained that the ore had taken another direction, and that 
 this was mere rock, which it was useless to work fur- 
 ther. Hence we passed through another gallery similar 
 to the first, except that it had been produced by blasting, 
 and that the various nature of the rock had rendered 
 it necessary to line it in many spots with stout timber. 
 
 The sight of these precautions gave me an uncom- 
 fortable feeling, for their very necessity implied a cer- 
 
40 VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 
 
 tain degree of danger ; and although cowardice is not 
 my besetting sin, I confess that I should not like to oc- 
 cupy quite so capacious a grave as the mine of Bacher- 
 stollen. 
 
 Another set of ladders, as steep and as sticky as the 
 last, admitted us to the second hemisphere; and on 
 reaching it we came almost immediately upon a gallery 
 in which the ore had been followed up, until the vein 
 had become exhausted. In order to enter it, we clam- 
 bered over the large masses of stone which had been 
 severed from the rock by blasting ; and when we were 
 fairly gathered together in this gloomy cavern, for such 
 it really was, and when our guides raised their lamps, 
 and moved them rapidly along the roof and sides of the 
 chasm, it was beautiful to see the bright particles of 
 silver flash back the light, and to follow the sinuous 
 course of the precious metal, which was so clearly de- 
 fined by these glittering fragments. 
 
 Many large lumps of rock were also strewn beneath 
 our feet, which appeared to pave the earth with stars, 
 but they had not been considered sufficiently full of ore 
 to render them worthy of being transported from the 
 surface. These exhausted galleries are gradually re- 
 filled with soil and stone in the process of mining, as 
 the rubbish removed from every new excavation is flung 
 into them ; by no means a disagreeable reflection, I 
 should imagine, to the inhabitants of Schemnitz, whose 
 dwellings stand immediately above a portion of the 
 Bacherstollen. 
 
 It was curious enough when on one occasion we came 
 upon an immense iron pipe cutting through the side of 
 the gallery along which we were passing, to see M. de 
 Csapoj stop before it, and announce that it was that of 
 the town-pump, in the centre of a square which we had 
 traversed in the morning ; and a little farther on, that 
 
VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 41 
 
 we were standing under the house of the supreme count, 
 with whom, on our return to the surface of the earth, 
 we were to dine. 
 
 Shortly after passing this point, I perceived that a 
 very earnest discussion was taking place among my con- 
 ductors ; nor was I long in discovering, from the fre- 
 quent and hesitating glances which the chief miner 
 turned upon me, that I was its subject. As a matter 
 of course, under these circumstances, I begged to be 
 made a party in the consultation, when I ascertained 
 that some doubt had arisen whether I should be per- 
 mitted to descend lower, as I had now arrived at as 
 great a depth as any lady had yet attempted ; but I had 
 no inclination to stop short so soon in my undertaking, 
 and when I found that I was the first Englishwoman 
 who had ever entered the Bacherstollen, I pleaded my 
 privilege accordingly ; but it appeared that they feared 
 the displeasure of M. de Svaiczer, as the miners be- 
 neath us were employed in blasting the rock in every 
 direction. 
 
 As it was, however, quite impossible that I should 
 consent to leave the mine without witnessing this the 
 grandest exhibition which it could offer, I only insisted 
 the more strongly on the assurance which I had received 
 from himself, that every thing should be done that I 
 desired ; and satisfied, when rid of the responsibility, 
 the miner once more led the way to the ladders, and 
 we commenced our third descent — the only variation 
 being produced by an intense feeling of heat, increasing 
 as we got lower, and a suffocating smell of sulphur, 
 the natural effects of the work which was going on, 
 two hundred explosions having already taken place since 
 sunrise. The result of the blasting, as regarded the 
 ore, had not yet been fully ascertained, but there was 
 4 
 
42 VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 
 
 every reason to believe that it had been very satisfac- 
 tory. 
 
 When we arrived at the bottom, the sensation was 
 all but suffocating ; the dense vapours seemed to fold. 
 themselves about our wet garments, and in a few se^ 
 conds we were enveloped in a steam which produced 
 intense perspiration, and a faint sickness that compelled 
 us to disburden ourselves of all the wraps by which we 
 had sought protection against the damps above. 
 
 For a time we all stood still, quite unable to pene- 
 trate farther ; and even those of the party who were 
 accustomed to encounter the confined air of the galle- 
 ries, were glad of a moment's rest; for the explosions 
 had followed each other with such rapidity, that the 
 atmosphere had as yet had no time to relieve itself of 
 the sulphurous vapour with which it was burdened, and 
 which created an exudation from the rock, that brought 
 the water down upon us in large tepid drops in all direc- 
 tions. 
 
 We spent upwards of an hour in strolling through 
 this section of the mine, in order to give time to the 
 workmen for completing a bore on which they were 
 labouring, to enable me to witness a blast — our con- 
 ductor obligingly putting more hands to the work to 
 expedite its completion; and during this hour we only 
 encountered three miners, although nearly three hundred 
 were at the moment employed in that particular hemis- 
 phere — a fact which will give you a better idea of this 
 subterranean wilderness than any attempt to describe 
 its extent. 
 
 There was something almost infernal in the picture 
 which presented itself, when we at length returned to 
 the spot where the next blast was to take place. A 
 vast chasm of dark rock was terminated by a wooden 
 platform, on which stood the workmen, armed with 
 
VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 43 
 
 heavy iron crow-bars, whose every blow against the 
 living stone gave back a sound like thunder. One small 
 lamp, suspended by a hook to a projecting fragment, 
 served to light them to their labour ; and it was painful 
 to see their bare and sinewy arms wield the ponderous 
 instrument, which at each stroke sent a quiver through- 
 out their whole frame. I ascended this platform, which 
 was raised about six feet from the rock-cumbered floor 
 of the gallery, in order to see the process of stopping 
 the bore, and thence I had a fall view of the frightful 
 scene presented by the vault. 
 
 At length the bore was completed, and a small can- 
 vass bag of gunpowder was inserted into the hollow, 
 nothing remaining to be done but to aid the fire by 
 which it was to be exploded. This is applied in a sub- 
 stance which it requires some seconds to penetrate, in 
 order to give the workmen time to retreat to a place of 
 safety. We, of course, declined to remain for this lat- 
 ter ceremony ; and made our way, before the insertion 
 of the inflammable matter, to the spot which had been 
 already decided on as that whence we might safely 
 await the explosion — a large opening* situate behind an 
 abrupt projection, where an exhausted gallery termi- 
 nated, and where no mass of rock could reach us in 
 its fall — and we had scarcely crowded together in our 
 retreat, ere we were followed by the workmen at the 
 top of their speed, who, after having secured the aper- 
 ture which it had cost them so many hours of labour to 
 effect, had rushed to the same spot for safety from the 
 effects of their own toil. 
 
 There we remained for full three minutes in silence, 
 listening to the quick panting of these our new asso- 
 ciates, ere the mighty rock, riven asunder by the agency 
 and cupidity of man, yielded to a power against which, 
 after centuries of existence, it yet lacked the power to 
 
44 VISIT TO A SILVER MINE. 
 
 contend, and with gigantic throes gave up the hidden 
 treasures it had so long concealed. 
 
 I need not explain that this last explosion had by no 
 means improved the nature of the atmosphere, and we 
 were accordingly not slow in preparing to depart. But 
 my entreaties to descend yet lower proved abortive ; 
 not an individual of the party would listen to me ; and 
 I found myself compelled to obey, from sheer incapa- 
 city to persist ; and I knew, moreover, that I must hus- 
 band my powers of persuasion in order to induce my 
 companions to permit me to ascend by the chain, an 
 operation so formidable that it had never yet been con- 
 templated by one of my own sex. 
 
 To me, the ascent by tiers of six and thirty ladders 
 appeared infinitely more distressing than any process 
 where violent bodily exertion was rendered unnecessary 
 by machinery ; and I consequently felt no inclination 
 to retreat when I was requested to look up and down 
 the shaft, near the centre of which I stood, and to exa- 
 mine the chain by which I was to be drawn up, and the 
 leathern strap upon which I was to be seated. 
 
 There could be no positive danger where both were 
 solid ; and it was perfectly clear, that if barrels of ore 
 could be drawn up by the same means, my weight, and 
 that of the miner who was to ascend with me, must be 
 very inconsiderable in comparison. I therefore only 
 requested that the apparatus might be got ready ; and, 
 amid the wondering murmur of the men who steadied 
 the chain, took my seat upon the sling, and having been 
 raised about six feet above the mouth of the trap, hung 
 suspended until my companion followed my example. 
 
 We then commenced our ascent ; and although the 
 sensation was very peculiar, it did not strike me that 
 it was one calculated to create terror. All was dark 
 above, and, save the lamp which was attached to the 
 
HELLVELLYN. 4d 
 
 arm of my companion, all was dark below ; consequent- 
 ly there was nothing in the aspect of the shaft to shake 
 the nerves. The only inconvenience arose from the 
 occasional twisting of the chain, which, from its great 
 length (nearly six hundred feet), occasionally swung us 
 suddenly round, and then righted itself with a jerk, 
 when we had to guard our knees from contact with the 
 timbers which lined the sides of the pit; but save this 
 temporary drawback, the motion was rather agreeable, 
 and, wet and weary as I was, I should have preferred 
 ascending thus half a dozen times, to braving the fatigue 
 of the ladders. 
 
 It is impossible to imagine what scarecrows we were 
 when the light of day once more shone upon us, nor 
 how oppressive the heat of the sun appeared when we 
 emerged from the mouth of the mine : as for me, I 
 could scarcely move under the weight of my clinging 
 garments, and did not recover from my exhaustion until 
 I had plunged in a tepid bath ; by whose beneficial effects 
 I was, after an hour's repose, enabled to prepare for M. 
 Svaiczer's dinner. 
 
 HELLVELLYN. 
 
 In the spring of 1805, a young gentleman of rank and talents, and of 
 a most amiable disposition, perished by losing his way on the 
 mountain Hellvellyn. His remains were not discovered till three 
 months afterwards, when they were found guarded by a faithful 
 dog, his constant attendant during frequent solitary rambles 
 through the wilds of Cumberland and Westmoreland. 
 
 I climb'd the dark brow of the mighty Hellvellyn, 
 Lakes and mountains beneath me gleam'd misty and 
 wide ; 
 
 All was still, save by fits when the eagle was yelling, 
 And starting around me the echoes replied. 
 
46 
 
 HELLVELLYN. 
 
 On the right, Striden-edge round the Red-tarn was 
 
 bending, 
 And Catchedicam its left verge was defending, 
 One huge nameless rock in the front was ascending, 
 
 When I marked the sad spot where the wanderer 
 had died. 
 Dark green was that spot 'mid the brown mountain 
 heather, 
 
 Where the Pilgrim of Nature lay stretch'd in decay, 
 Like the corpse of an outcast abandon'd to weather, 
 
 Till the mountain winds wasted the tenantless clay. 
 Nor yet quite deserted, though lonely extended, 
 For, faithful in death, his mute favourite attended, 
 The much loved remains of her master defended, 
 
 And chased the hill fox and the raven away. 
 
 How long didst thou think that his silence was slumber] 
 When the wind waved his garment how oft didst 
 thou start 1 
 How many long days and long weeks didst thou number, 
 
 Ere he faded before thee, the friend of thy heart 1 
 
 And, Oh, was it meet that — no requiem read o'er him, 
 
 No mother to weep, and no friend to deplore him, 
 
 And thou, little guardian, alone stretched before him — 
 
 Unhonoured the Pilgrim from life should depart % 
 
 When a Prince to the fate of the Peasant has yielded, 
 The tapestry waves dark round the dim-lighted hall ; 
 
 With scutcheons of silver the coffin is shielded, 
 And pages stand mute by the canopied pall : 
 
 Through the courts, at deep midnight, the torches are 
 gleaming ; 
 
 In the proudly-arched chambers the banners are beaming. 
 
 Far ad own the long aisle sacred music is streaming, 
 Lamenting a chief of the people should fall. 
 
BURNS. 47 
 
 But meeter for thee, gentle lover of nature, 
 
 To lay down thy head like the meek mountain lamb, 
 When, wilder'd, he drops from some cliff huge in sta- 
 ture, 
 And draws his last sigh by the side of his dam. 
 And more stately thy couch by this desert lake lying, 
 Thy obsequies sung by the grey plover flying, 
 With one faithful friend but to witness thy dying 
 In the arms of Hellvellyn and Catchedicam. 
 
 Scott. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 — When He breathes his master lay 
 Of Alloway's witch-haunted wall, 
 
 All passions in our frame of clay 
 Come thronging at his call. 
 
 All ask the cottage of his birth, 
 
 Gaze on the scenes he loved and sung ; 
 
 And gather feelings, not of earth, 
 His fields and streams among. 
 
 They linger by the Doon's low trees, 
 And pastoral Nith, and wooded Ayr, 
 
 And round thy sculptures, Dumfries ! — 
 The Poet's tomb is there. 
 
 But what to them the sculptor's art, 
 
 His funeral columns, wreaths, and urus 1 
 
 Wear they not, graven on the heart, 
 The name of Robert Burns? 
 
 Halleck. 
 
48 
 
 BEAR HUNTING IN SWEDEN. 
 
 We are Indebted to Lloyd's "Field Sports of the North of Europe" 
 for the following exciting details, respecting the chase of the Scan- 
 dinavian bear, rather a rough antagonist to encounter in his native 
 forests. A party of five, including the author, started off" to the 
 scene of action, but were for some time unsuccessful in meeting 
 with the grisly denizen of the woods. 
 
 After resting for about half an hour, we again re- 
 sumed the search for the bears, which we continued 
 until near three o'clock, when it was beginning to get 
 dusk. At this time I was to the right of the line, which 
 was proceeding in a westerly direction ; when, in the 
 distance to the northward, and in a part of the forest 
 we had not yet beaten, I heard my old dog Paijas giving 
 tongue ; this he did in such a manner, that I had more 
 than a suspicion he had found what we had so long 
 been in search of. I now lost not a moment, but, leav- 
 ing the people, ran as fast as the broken nature of the 
 ground would permit, towards the spot where the dog 
 was challenging, which might be at one hundred and 
 fifty to two hundred paces distance. This was in a 
 rather thick part of the forest, and in a clump of pines, 
 around the foot of which, though at some paces distant 
 — for he probably remembered the rough treatment he 
 had received upon a former occasion — Paijas still kept 
 furiously baying. Though the dog had found the 
 bears, I did not at the first moment observe the en- 
 trance to their den, which was an excavation in the 
 face of a little rising, situated between and partly formed 
 by the roots of the surrounding trees. But on discover- 
 ing it, I at once sprang on to the top of the hillock; 
 and though at that time immediately over the den, the 
 bears still remained quiet. On my hallooing, they felt 
 
BEAR HUNTING IN SWEDEN. 
 
 49 
 
 so little inclination to leave their quarters, that the old 
 bear simply contented herself with partially projecting 
 her snout. At this, from its being the only point ex- 
 posed to my view, I levelled my rifle, which was then 
 pointed in a perpendicular direction. On reflection, 
 however, I refrained from firing, as I considered that, 
 though I might have smashed the forepart of her head 
 to pieces, there was little chance of my killing her out- 
 right. Instead, therefore, of firing whilst in that situa- 
 tion, I stepped (and it certainly was not " the most 
 prudent step" a man ever took), with my left foot in 
 advance, directly over her, to the opposite side of the 
 hole, when wheeling about on the instant, and having 
 then a full view of her head, from which the muzzle 
 of my gun was hardly two feet distant, and my left foot 
 still less, for it was partially in the entrance to the den 
 itself, I sent a bullet through her skull. I now called 
 loudly to the people, none of whom, nor even the other 
 dogs, which had been questing to some birds in another 
 part of the forest, had as yet come up — for I was rather 
 apprehensive the cubs might attempt to make their 
 escape. To prevent this, I stood for a while over the 
 den, in readiness to give them a warm reception with the 
 butt-end of my rifle. But three or four minutes elapsed 
 before Jan Finne, who was to the left of our line, Svens- 
 son, and the peasants, made their appearance ; for, 
 strange to say, though Paijas had been in Jan Finne's 
 possession for several years, he either did not recognise 
 his challenge, or he had not a suspicion it was to the 
 bears ; and, in consequence, neither he nor the people 
 moved from where I had left them until they heard 
 my shot. My apprehensions as to the cubs attempt- 
 ing to escape were, however, groundless, for they still 
 continued quiet ; at first, indeed we could see nothing 
 of them ; for the old bear, as is usual with those ani- 
 
50 BEAR HUNTING IN SWEDEN. 
 
 mals when they have young, was lying in the front 
 of the den, and we, therefore, almost began to think 
 we had hit upon a bear distinct from those of which 
 we were in search. But on the people introducing a 
 stake, and moving the old bear a little to the side, one 
 of the cubs, and subsequently a second, and a third, ex- 
 hibited themselves, all of which I despatched, either with 
 my own, or with Jan Finne's rifle. The work of death 
 being at length completed, we drew the bears out of their 
 den. This, however, was of such small dimensions, that 
 it was the admiration of us all how they could have 
 stowed themselves away in it. Bears usually prepare 
 their winter-quarters during the autumnal months, and 
 some time previously to taking possession of them ; but 
 the animals, of which I am now speaking, having been 
 disturbed from their original lair at a time when the 
 ground was hard frozen, and when it was, of course, 
 much more difficult to imbed themselves in the earth, 
 probably accounted for the small size of the excavation 
 in which we found them. The old bear had attained 
 her full growth ; the cubs were nearly a year old, and 
 of about the size of large dogs. The whole of them 
 were in tolerably good condition. 
 
 The following singular adventure happened to one of Mr. Lloyd's 
 attendants, named Elg. He had been a bear-hunter all his life; and, 
 what was surprising, had never been wounded by any of these ani- 
 mals, though, in the encounter about to be related, he incurred some 
 danger. 
 
 It was in the setting-in of the winter, and when the 
 ground was but slightly covered with snow, that Elg 
 and another peasant started off in company for a very 
 wild range of country to the southward of Brunberg, in 
 the hopes that they might fall in with and ring the track 
 of a bear ; this being, as I have said, the most proper 
 
BEAR HUNTING IN SWEDEN. 51 
 
 season for that purpose. But their search proved un- 
 successful; and after the lapse of four or five days, 
 during which they had either bivouacked on the ground 
 or quartered at Satserwells, their provision being ex- 
 hausted, they separated for their respective houses. In 
 the afternoon of the same day, and when Elg was alone 
 in a very wild part of the country, covered with much 
 fallen timber and immense fragments of stone, he sud- 
 denly came upon the track of a bear ; the next minute, 
 and within a short distance from where he stood, he 
 discovered in a cleft of a great mass of rocks, the den 
 of the animal. As he had no confidence, however, in 
 the lock of his rifle, he did not care to go immediately 
 up to the den ; he therefore mounted a pretty high stone, 
 immediately overlooking it, at about fifteen paces dis- 
 tant. From this position he discovered the bear lying 
 fast asleep near the entrance of the den ; and as he got 
 sight of her ear, under which is one of the most fatal 
 places, he lost no time in levelling and discharging his 
 rifle. For a moment after he had fired the bear lay still, 
 and, in consequence, Elg almost imagined she (for it 
 was a female) was killed ; had he thought otherwise, 
 he would have had ample time to get out of her way ; 
 but presently the beast raised herself up, when, fixing 
 her eyes steadily upon him, and uttering at the same 
 time a terrific growl, she dashed at him (to use his own 
 expression) " with the rapidity of a bullet out of a gun," 
 and was close upon him in almost the twinkling of an 
 eye. Very fortunately for Elg the stone on which he 
 was standing was situate in a declivity, the after part 
 of it being some five or six feet from the ground ; down 
 this, in his hurry to escape, he tumbled all but head- 
 long. It was well he did so, for the bear, followed by 
 two of her cubs, which were more than half as large as 
 lur-w If, almost at the same instant made her spring, and 
 
52 ANTS. 
 
 passed clean and far over him. In this situation Elg 
 lay for a short while, frightened, as he said, almost out 
 of his senses ; when rinding all quiet, and supposing, 
 as was the case, that the bears, from not seeing him, 
 had taken themselves off to another part of the forest, 
 he ventured to get up, and to reconnoitre the den ; he 
 then discovered that, besides the three which had made 
 a leaping-bar of his person, a fourth had taken an op- 
 posite direction. Though all four bears for this time 
 made their escape, yet, in the course of eight or ten suc- 
 cessive weeks, Elg, with the assistance of several other 
 peasants, managed to kill the whole of them. On 
 taking the skin from the old bear, which he described 
 to have been of a very large size, he found the ball 
 which he had fired at her flattened out, and set fast on 
 the back of her skull. By this it would appear that he 
 had mistaken the position in which she was lying, so 
 that, instead of aiming at the root of her ear, as he 
 imagined was the case, he had fired at her lengthwise. 
 Had his ball, however, been of any moderate size, this 
 would not have been of much consequence ; for if his 
 gun was properly loaded, I take it that, at so short a 
 distance, her head would have been split in pieces. 
 
 ANTS.— THEIR CHARACTERISTICS AND ECONOMY. 
 
 There are many different varieties and species of ants, 
 generally taking their names from their colour and pecu- 
 liar habits — as the brown ant, the mason ant, the white 
 ant, the carpenter ant, &c. ; they also differ in size, the 
 largest and the most extraordinary in character being 
 found in Africa and other warm climates. The princi- 
 pal feature in the character of ants is their living in 
 societies or communities. In this respect they resemble 
 
ANTS. 53 
 
 bees, who cannot live alone like spiders, and many 
 other insects. In examining the communities of the 
 white ant, it is found that they each consist of at least 
 four different descriptions of inhabitants, each of which 
 has its own peculiar duties to perform. The most nu- 
 merous class is that of workers, who build and repair 
 the nests or houses, forage for provisions, and attend on 
 the eggs and the young. These workers are neither 
 male nor female, but rather incline to the character of 
 females. The next class are soldiers, who are distinctly 
 of neither sex. They are much larger than the workers, 
 and are furnished with a pair of claws or mandibles, 
 like two sharp little awls, projected from the head, and 
 capable of inflicting a deadly wound. These soldiers 
 do not work ; and if they wanted the assistance of the 
 workers, which supply them with food, they would 
 soon starve. Their duty is to fight on all occasions 
 that the community is in danger of attack ; to go out 
 on warlike expeditions ; to stand as sentinels at the 
 doors of the houses ; in short, they are the guardians 
 of the other classes who cannot fight for themselves. 
 The other classes are the males and the females ; but 
 it is said that there is only one mother in the whole 
 community, and that, like the queen bee, she is treated 
 with a vast deal of respect and attention. As soon 
 as she lays the eggs, the workers carry them off to 
 nurseries, where they are hatched. It is observed by 
 naturalists, that in these ant-communities no part of 
 the population exerts any authority over the rest. The 
 soldiers do not tyrannize over the workers, nor show 
 any insolence in their gait over those who furnish the 
 food and lodgings ; neither do the workers presume 
 upon their utility as labourers ; while the queen ant is 
 quite passive among the rest. By the most unerring 
 instinct, each of these little creatures knows its own 
 
54 ANTS. 
 
 duties, and performs them. The only idlers are the 
 males ; and as they will not work, they are generally 
 left to starve soon after they are hatched. We are 
 told that nothing can exceed the affection of ants to- 
 wards their common mother the queen. In whatever 
 apartment in the nest she chooses to be present, a gene- 
 ral gladness prevails, expressed by acts of joy and ex- 
 ultation. The ants have a peculiar way of skipping, 
 leaping, and standing upon their hind legs, and pranc- 
 ing with the others. These frolics they make use of, 
 both to congratulate each other when they meet, and to 
 show their regard for the queen. Some of them gently 
 walk over her ; others dance round her ; and all en- 
 deavour to exert their loyalty and attachment. She is 
 generally encircled with a cluster of attendants, who, 
 if you separate them from her, soon collect themselves 
 into a body, and enclose her in the midst. She is 
 never for a moment left without attendants in her 
 apartment ; and when she dies, her faithful children 
 crowd around her, licking her body continually, either 
 in token of lasting affection, or from the hope of bring- 
 ing her again to life. 
 
 Ants, according to their natures, build their nests or 
 houses on the ground, under turfs or stones, or on a 
 tree; or erect huge structures above the surface of the 
 earth, composed of particles of sand and dust, which 
 they carry in their mouths to the required spot. In 
 these ant-houses, there are different sized rooms, piled 
 story above story, communicating with long galleries 
 or passages, the ceilings being supported by pillars or 
 thin walls, as may be necessary to support the weight 
 above. It is told of the brown ant, which is an ex- 
 ceedingly industrious insect, that it forms its nest of 
 stories, four or five lines in height. The partitions are 
 not more than half a line in thickness ; and the sub- 
 
ANTS. 55 
 
 stance of which they are composed is so finely grained, 
 that the inner walls present one smooth unbroken sur- 
 face. These stories are not horizontal ; they lie in a 
 sloping direction. They are also ranged on no regular 
 plan, but are suited to circumstances. It has been 
 noticed that ants are incessant in their labours. They 
 do not seem to require sleep, and work as well during 
 the night, or in darkness, as in the light of day. In 
 working at the building or repairing of their houses, 
 they use their antennae — that is, a small projecting 
 point from their head, which serves the purpose of a 
 hand for feeling or touching any thing. After placing 
 the particles of earth in their proper position, they 
 press them lightly down with their fore-feet, which 
 thus answer the purpose of a hammer. As there are 
 thousands engaged at once in these occupations, the 
 labour is not severe upon any individual ; while the 
 walls and stories are raised with amazing quickness. 
 Dampier, a celebrated English navigator, in speaking 
 of the yellow ant of South America, says, they construct 
 their nests of green leaves upon trees, placed on the 
 trunk between the limbs, and that some of these nests 
 are as big as a hogshead. In the dry season, when 
 they leave their nests, they swarm all over the wood- 
 lands. They go out light, but bring home heavy loads 
 of leaves on their backs. Other sorts of ants excavate 
 nests for their abode in the branches of trees, and this 
 they do with no small ingenuity. Some exercise the 
 art of mining or boring wood to a wonderful extent. 
 They will penetrate beneath the foundation of houses — 
 which in warm climates are often composed principally 
 of wood — and cut their way so far as to render every 
 beam, rafter, and deal in the house a mere shell ; so that 
 the houses so affected sometimes tumble down on the 
 inhabitants. Most of these foreign ants are exceedingly 
 
56 ANTS. 
 
 voracious; they are called by naturalists the scavengers 
 of creation ; for they clear the fields and woods of all 
 fallen timber, which would choke vegetation, as well 
 as the dead bodies of every animal that fall in their 
 way. They also destroy noxious and loathsome insects, 
 such as beetles and cockroaches, by which means they 
 are really useful to man. In some parts of Asia and 
 Africa, the nests of ants have been seen to rise as high 
 as six feet from the ground, and, if meddled with by 
 passers by, the soldier ants sally out in myriads to at- 
 tack their enemy, which they instantly put to flight. 
 
 We are farther informed by naturalists, that some 
 descriptions of ants are remarkable for the wars which 
 they wage against each other. Here is Huber's ac- 
 count of these destructive enterprises : — " If," says 
 he, " we are desirous of beholding regular armies wage 
 war in all its forms, we must visit the forests in which 
 the wood-ant establishes its dominion over every insect 
 within the neighbourhood of the colony. We shall 
 theie see populous rival cities, and regular military 
 roads diverging from the ant-hill like so many rays 
 from a centre, frequented by an immense number of 
 combatants of the same species, for they are naturally 
 enemies, and jealous of any encroachment upon the 
 territory which surrounds their capitals. I have wit- 
 nessed in these forests the inhabitants of two large 
 ant-hills engaged in spirited combat ; two empires 
 could not have brought into the field a more numerous 
 or more determined body of combatants. The rival 
 cities were situate about a hundred paces from each 
 other, and alike in extent of population: what occa- 
 sioned their discord I cannot pretend to say. 
 
 " Let us figure to ourselves this prodigious crowd of 
 insects covering the ground lying between these two 
 ant-hills, and occupying a space of two feet in breadth. 
 
Both armies met at half-way from their respective habi- 
 tations, and there the battle commenced. Thousands 
 of ants took their station upon the highest ground, and 
 fought in pairs, keeping firm hold of their antagonists 
 by their mandibles: a considerable number were en- 
 gaged in the attack, and leading away prisoners. The 
 latter made several ineffectual attempts at escape, as if 
 aware that, upon their arrival at the camp, they would 
 experience a cruel death. The scene of warfare occu- 
 pied a space of about three feet square : a penetrating 
 odour exhaled from all sides ; numbers of dead ants were 
 seen covered with venom. The ants, composing groups 
 and chains, laid hold of each other's legs and pincers, 
 and dragged their antagonists on the ground. These 
 groups formed successively. The fight usually com- 
 menced between two ants, who seized each other by 
 the mandibles, and raised themselves upon their hind- 
 legs, to allow of their bringing their abdomen forward, 
 and spurting the venom upon their adversary. They 
 were often so closely wedged together that they fell 
 upon their sides, and fought a long time in that situa- 
 tion in the dust, till a third came to decide the contest. 
 It more commonly happened that both ants received as- 
 sistance at the same time, when the whole four, keep- 
 ing firm hold of a foot or antennae, made ineffectual 
 attempts to win the battle. In this way they some- 
 times formed groups of six, eight, or ten, firmly locked 
 together, the group being only broken when several 
 warriors from the same republic advanced at the same 
 time, and compelled the enchained insects to let go 
 their hold, and then the single combats were renewed. 
 On the approach of night each party retired gradually 
 to their own city. 
 
 " Next morning, before dawn, the combatants re- 
 turned to the field of battle, the groups again formed, 
 5 
 
the carnage recommenced with greater fury than on the 
 preceding evening, and the scene of combat occupied 
 a space of six feet in length by two in breadth. The 
 event remained for a long time doubtful ; but about 
 mid-day the contending armies had removed to the dis- 
 tance of a dozen feet from one of the cities, whence I 
 conclude some ground had been gained. The ants 
 fought so desperately, that they did not even perceive 
 my presence ; for though I remained close to the com- 
 batants, not one of them attempted to climb my legs, 
 seeming to be wholly absorbed in the object of finding 
 an enemy to wrestle with. During this furious warfare, 
 the common operations of the two colonies were not 
 suspended, for the paths, which led to a distance in the 
 forest, were as much thronged as in time of peace, and, 
 all around the ant-hill, order and tranquillity prevailed. 
 On that side alone where the battle raged were seen 
 crowds of the colonists running to and fro, some to 
 join the army, and some to escort the prisoners. This 
 war terminated without any disastrous results to the 
 two republics. In fact, it appeared that its duration 
 was shortened by long continued rains, which com- 
 pelled each of the belligerents to keep within their 
 walls, and the warriors ceased to frequent the road 
 which led to the camp of the enemy." 
 
 Another remarkable characteristic of some descrip* 
 tions of ants, is their expeditions to capture slaves. A 
 colony wants workers, and a plan is followed of steal- 
 ing away the unhatched working ants of other commu- 
 nities. Huber thus describes these predatory incur- 
 sions: — "On the 17th of June, 1804, whilst walking 
 in the environs of Geneva, between four and five in the 
 evening, I observed, close at my feet, traversing the 
 road, a column of legionary ants. They moved with 
 considerable rapidity, and occupied a space of from 
 
eight to ten inches in length, by three or four in breadth. 
 Quitting the road in a few minutes, they passed a thick 
 hedge, and entered a meadow, where I followed them, 
 and observed them winding along the grass without 
 straggling, their column remaining unbroken in spite 
 of the obstructions in their way. They soon approached 
 a nest inhabited by a colony of those called negro-ants, 
 the dome of which rose above the grass, at a distance 
 of twenty feet from the hedge. Some of the negroes 
 were guarding the entrance, but, on the discovery of 
 an approaching army darted forth upon the advancing 
 legion. The alarm instantly spread into the interior, 
 whence their companions rushed forth in multitudes to 
 defend their homes. The legionaries, the bulk of whose 
 army lay only at the distance of two paces, quickened 
 their march ; and when they arrived at the hill, the 
 whole battalion fell furiously upon the negroes, who, 
 after an obstinate, though brief conflict, fled to their sub- 
 terranean galleries. The legionaries now ascended the 
 dome, collected in crowds on the summit, and taking 
 possession of the principal avenues, left some of their 
 companions to excavate other openings in the exterior 
 walls. They soon effected this, and through the breach 
 the remainder of the army made their entrance, but in 
 about three or four minutes afterwards issued forth again, 
 each carrying off a pupa or a grub, with which booty 
 they retraced their route, in a straggling, irregular march, 
 very different from the close orderly array they had be- 
 fore exhibited." 
 
 The negro-ants, from their pacific disposition, seem 
 generally to be the victims of these hostile excursions, 
 though Huber found that other and more courageous 
 ants were similarly attacked. He also remarked that 
 the invaders never carried off old ants, probably from the 
 difficulty of taming them down to the condition of slaves. 
 
60 ANTS. 
 
 They take only those in an imperfectly developed state, 
 hefore any attachment has been formed to their native 
 place or their kindred, and, coming into existence in the 
 dwellings of those who carried them into captivity, they 
 naturally look upon it as their home. Developed in the 
 enemy's encampment, they afterwards become house- 
 stewards and auxiliaries to the tribe with which they 
 are associated. Brought up in a strange nation, not only 
 do they live socially with their captors, but bestow the 
 greatest care on their eggs and their young, going in 
 search of provisions for them, building their habitation, 
 and fulfilling other duties, apparently not once suspect- 
 ing that they live with those very insects which kid- 
 napped them in their helpless and unconscious infancy. 
 Their servitude is, moreover, no source of misery to the 
 slaves themselves. They are naturally fond of work- 
 ing, and their condition is not different from what it 
 would have been had they never been captured. 
 
 Such are a few of the characteristics of ants, whose 
 general economy, and unremitting labours, ought to fur- 
 nish you with a subject of agreeable and profitable me- 
 ditation. In this little creature, wiiich is usually not 
 half the size of a common pea, you see the most extra- 
 ordinary instances of instinctive intelligence, rivalling 
 in some measure the boasted wisdom of mankind. You 
 will now, therefore, judge whether Solomon had not 
 reason to remind us of our duties, by the admonition, 
 M Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and 
 be wise." — Chambers's Journal, 
 
61 
 
 INDUSTRY. 
 
 Nature expects mankind should share 
 The duties of the public care. 
 Who's born for sloth ] To some we find 
 The ploughshare's annual toil assigned ; 
 Some at the sounding anvil glow ; 
 Some the swift sliding shuttle throw ; 
 Some studious of the wind and tide, 
 From pole to pole our commerce guide ; 
 Some, taught by industry, impart 
 With hands and feet the works of art ; 
 W T hile some, of genius more refined, 
 With head and tongue assist mankind. 
 Thus, from each other's useful aid, 
 By turns are obligations paid : 
 The monarch, when his table's spread, 
 Is to the clown obliged for bread, 
 And, when in all his glory drest, 
 Owes to the loom his royal vest. 
 Do not the mason's toil and care 
 Protect him from the inclement air 1 
 Does not the cutler's art supply 
 The ornament that girds his thigh 1 
 All these, in duty to the throne, 
 Their common obligations own. 
 'Tis he (his own and people's cause) 
 Protects their properties and laws. 
 Thus they their honest toil employ, 
 And with content the fruits enjoy, 
 In every rank, or great or small, 
 'Tis industry supports us all. 
 
 Gay. 
 
63 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 LOSS IN DELAYS. 
 
 Shun delays, they breed remorse, 
 Take thy time, while time is lent thee ; 
 
 Creeping snails have weakest force, 
 Fly their fault, lest thou repent thee. 
 
 Good is best when soonest wrought, 
 
 Lingering labour comes to nought. 
 
 Hoist up sail while gale doth last, 
 Tide and wind stay no man's pleasure ; 
 
 Seek not time when time is past, 
 Sober speed is wisdom's leisure : 
 
 After-wits are dearly bought, 
 
 Let thy fore-wit guide thy thought. 
 
 Time wears all his locks before, 
 Take thou hold upon his forehead ; 
 
 When he flies he turns no more, 
 And behind his scalp is naked : 
 
 Works adjourned have many stays, 
 
 Long demurs breed new delays. 
 
 Southwell. 
 
 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 The vicissitudes and perils of a sailor's life ever ex- 
 cite our warmest sympathies, and we feel confident that 
 no apology need be offered for presenting the reader with 
 the following narrative, which exhibits the adventures 
 of a body of British seamen who were cast upon the 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 63 
 
 Pelew Islands, then an unknown group, situated to 
 the south of the Carolinas. The simple and humane 
 character of the natives, the kindness with which they 
 received the shipwrecked mariners, add deeply to the 
 interest of the narrative. 
 
 The Antelope, commanded by Captain Wilson, in 
 the service of the East India Company, of about 300 
 tons burden, sailed from Macao, in China, on her home- 
 ward passage, on the 20th of July, 1783. She had on 
 board a crew of fifty persons, of whom sixteen were 
 Chinese. Till the 9th of August they had very stormy 
 unsettled weather, but on that day it cleared up, and 
 they fondly hoped that distress and danger were now 
 fairly passed ; little foreseeing the heavy misfortunes 
 which were so quickly to overtake them. 
 
 Early on Sunday morning, 10th October, a strong 
 breeze sprung up, attended with much rain, thunder, 
 and lightning. Captain Wilson had gone to bed about 
 twelve, leaving Mr. Benger, the chief mate, to command 
 on deck. While the seamen were busy in reefing the 
 sails the man on watch exclaimed, Breakers, Scarcely 
 had he pronounced the word, when the ship struck. It 
 is not easy to express the consternation which ensued ; 
 all who were in bed below came immediately on deck, 
 inquiring the cause of this sudden shock and confusion : 
 too soon they learned their dismal situation ; the breakers 
 appeared alongside, with the rocks through them ; in 
 less than an hour the ship bulged, and filled with water 
 up to the lower deck hatchways. During this tremen- 
 dous interval, the seamen eagerly thronged round the 
 captain, and besought him to direct them what to do, 
 and his orders would be implicitly obeyed. 
 
 Captain Wilson's first orders were, to secure the gun- 
 powder and small arms, and to get on deck the bread 
 and such other provisions as were liable to be spoiled by 
 
64 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 the water, covering them with tarpaulins, &c, to pro- 
 tect them from the rain. The ship threatened to over- 
 set ; to prevent which they cut away the mizzen-mast, 
 the main and fore top-masts, and lowered the fore and 
 main yards, to ease and preserve her as long as possible. 
 The boats were then hoisted out, and filled with provi- 
 sions ; two men, with a compass, some small arms, and 
 ammunition, being put into each, with directions to keep 
 them under the lee of the ship, and be ready to receive 
 their shipmates, in case the vessel should part by the 
 violence of the wind and waves. 
 
 Every thing being now done that prudence could dic- 
 tate in so awful a situation, the officers and people 
 assembled on the quarter-deck, that part being highest 
 out of the water, and best sheltered from the rain and 
 sea by the quarter-boards ; here they waited for day- 
 light, in hopes of seeing land, which as yet they had not 
 been able to discern. 
 
 The dawn discovered to their view a small island, at 
 the distance of about three or four leagues to the south- 
 ward ; and as the day-light increased, they saw more 
 islands to the eastward. Their apprehensions were now 
 on account of the natives, to whose dispositions they 
 were perfect strangers ; however, after manning the 
 boats, and loading them in the best manner they were 
 able for the general good, they dispatched the crews to 
 the small island, under the direction of Mr. Benger, 
 who was earnestly requested to establish, if possible, a 
 friendly intercourse with the natives, if any were found, 
 and carefully to avoid all disagreement with them, unless 
 caused by the most urgent necessity. As soon as the 
 boats were gone, those who were left in the ship began 
 to get the booms over board, and to make a raft for their 
 security, in case the Antelope should go to pieces, 
 which was hourly expected. 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 65 
 
 In the afternoon they hailed with inexpressible joy 
 the return of the boats, with the welcome news that 
 there was no appearance of inhabitants on the island; 
 that they had found a secure harbour, well sheltered from 
 the weather, and also some fresh water. They had 
 landed the stores, and left them under charge of five of 
 the men. This good account revived the crew, and they 
 proceeded in completing their raft with fresh vigour. 
 
 Having finished the raft, they loaded it, as well as the 
 jolly-boat, with as many stores and provisions as they 
 could contain, consistently with the safety of the people. 
 The stoutest of the hands were put on board the pinnace, 
 which took the raft in tow, and moved slowly on till 
 they had cleared the reef; while the jolly-boat proceeded 
 alone to the shore. Those on board the pinnace and 
 raft were exposed to much danger in crossing the reef; 
 indeed, the swell of the waves was such, that they re- 
 peatedly lost sight of each other, and those on the raft 
 were obliged to tie themselves to the planks to prevent 
 their being washed off. At last, with much exertion, 
 they reached the shore, where they found their com- 
 panions, who had erected a tent for their reception, and 
 cleared a spot of ground for the stores. It need scarcely 
 be added that they shook hands together with great cor- 
 diality. They kindled a fire in the cove, by which they 
 dried their clothes and warmed themselves ; and having 
 supped on cheese, biscuit, and water, they set a watch, 
 and slept on the ground by turns. 
 
 Next day they endeavoured to bring off from the ship 
 such articles as might be useful to them, but as the 
 weather was very stormy they did not prove very suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 In the morning it blew exceedingly strong, so that the 
 boats could not go off to the wreck ; the men, therefore, 
 employed themselves in drying their provisions, and 
 
66 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 forming better tents, from the materials which they had 
 brought from the ship the day before. About eight 
 o'clock in the morning, the people being employed as 
 above, and in clearing the ground from the wood wilich 
 was behind the tents, Captain Wilson, with Tom Rose, 
 a Malay, whom they had taken on board at Macao, 
 being on the beach collecting the fresh water which drop- 
 ped from the rocks, saw two canoes with men in them 
 coming round the point into the bay. This gave such 
 alarm that the people all ran to their arms ; however, as 
 there were but few of the natives, Captain Wilson 
 desired them to keep out of sight until they should per- 
 ceive what reception he met with, but to be prepared for 
 the worst. They soon perceived that the natives had 
 seen the captain and Tom Rose, for they conversed 
 together, and kept their eyes stedfastly fixed on that 
 part of the shore where the English were. The natives 
 advanced very cautiously toward the captain, and when 
 they came near enough to be heard, he directed Rose to 
 speak to them in the Malay language, which they at 
 first did not seem to understand, but they stopped their 
 canoes, and soon after one of them asked in the Malay 
 tongue who our people were, and whether they were 
 friends or enemies 1 Rose was directed to reply, that 
 they were unfortunate Englishmen who had lost their 
 ship on the reef, but had saved their lives, and that they 
 were friends. On this they seemed to confer together 
 for a short time, and then stepped out of the canoes into 
 the water, and went toward the shore. Captain Wil- 
 son instantly waded into the water to meet them, and 
 embracing them in the most friendly manner, led them 
 to the shore, and presented them to his officers and un- 
 fortunate companions. They were eight in number, 
 two of whom, it was afterwards known, were brothers 
 to the Rupack, or King of the neighbouring islands, and 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 67 
 
 one was a Malay, who had been shipwrecked in a ves- 
 sel belonging to a Chinese, resident on the island of 
 Ternate, one of the same group of islands. 
 
 How truly fortunate for the poor mariners that they 
 had one on board who could speak the Malay tongue ! 
 It was by a singular and no less fortunate accident that 
 a tempest should have thrown a Malay on this spot, who 
 had, as a stranger, been noticed and favoured by the 
 king ; and having been near a year on the island pre- 
 vious to the loss of the Antelope, was become acquainted 
 with the language of the country. By this extraordi- 
 nary event, both the English and the inhabitants of 
 Pelew had each an interpreter who could converse freely 
 together in the Malay tongue. After breakfast Captain 
 Wilson introduced the natives to several of his officers, 
 and acquainted them with our mode of welcoming, by 
 shaking hands, a custom which they never afterwards 
 omitted on meeting any of the English. 
 
 The natives were of a moderate size, but admirably 
 proportioned, and very muscular ; their hair was long and 
 black, rolled up in a peculiarly neat manner close to their 
 heads. They were perfectly naked, and their skin of a 
 deep copper colour, only their thighs appeared much 
 darker, from being tattooed very closely. They used 
 cocoa-oil, rubbing it on their skins, which gave them a 
 shining appearance, and great softness. It was evident 
 the natives had never before seen a white man, and their 
 natural surprise at seeing them may be conceived. The 
 appearance of clothes was quite new ; they began strok- 
 ing the waistcoats and coat-sleeves, at a loss to deter- 
 mine whether the man and his dress were not of the 
 same substance. They were conducted round the cove; 
 and as they were now enabled to support a mutual con- 
 versation, by means of Tom Rose on the part of the 
 English, and the Malay on that of the natives, they had 
 
b» THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 an opportunity of examining and explaining the dif- 
 ferent appearances that occasioned mutual surprise. — 
 Nothing afforded them greater surprise than the sight 
 of two dogs belonging to the ship, which, immediately 
 on their approach, set up a loud bark, to the great 
 delight of the natives, who answered them in a shout 
 almost as violent ; the cause of this joy and surprise 
 was explained to be, that, except a few grey rats, there 
 were no quadrupeds on the island. 
 
 At Captain Wilson's request, Mr. Matthias Wilson, 
 his brother, willingly agreed to go in one of the canoes 
 to the king, in order that the latter might see what sort 
 of beings white men were. He was directed to relate 
 to him their misfortune, and to solicit his friendship and 
 protection, and permission to build a vessel to carry 
 them to their own counry. He also took a present to 
 the king, consisting of blue cloth, tea, sugar-candy, and 
 some other articles. Four of the natives, among whom 
 was Raa Kook, the elder of the king's brothers, remained, 
 of their own accord, until the canoe returned with Mr. 
 Wilson. 
 
 During the absence of Matthias Wilson, they had an 
 opportunity of getting more intimately acquainted with 
 Raa Kook, whom they found a most amiable character 
 indeed. Observing a piece of polished bone around his 
 wrist, they took occasion to inquire the meaning of it. 
 He informed them it was a mark of great distinction, 
 conferred only on the blood royal and principal officers 
 of state ; and that he enjoyed it as being the king's 
 brother, and commander-in-chief of the forces both by 
 sea and land. Raa Kook's friendship was therefore^ 
 cultivated with all imaginable assiduity, and he in return 
 showed himself attached to them by a most attentive 
 politeness ; he imitated them in all their actions, and on 
 every occasion showed them how high an opinion he 
 had formed of them. 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 69 
 
 On the morning 1 of the 24th two canoes arrived, in 
 which were Arra Kooker, the king's other brother, and 
 one of the king's sons. They informed Captain Wil- 
 son that his brother was on his way back. The king 
 offered them a hearty welcome to his territories ; he also 
 desired them to build a vessel in any part of the island 
 they inclined, and he and his subjects would willingly 
 afford them every assistance in their power. Raa Kook 
 then took his nephew and introduced him particularly to 
 the captain and his officers ; after which he conducted 
 him round the cove, explained every thing according to 
 the information he himself had just received, and seemed 
 mightily pleased with his friend's astonishment. 
 
 The people were highly entertained with Arra Kooker, 
 who proved to be a most facetious and entertaining 
 person, possessing uncommon talents for mimickry and 
 humour; he described, by many diverting- signs, the 
 terror of Matthias Wilson while at Pelew; indeed, he had 
 been under very great apprehension, but they were all 
 revived with his appearance, and the account he gave 
 them of his embassy in nearly the following words : — 
 " On the approach of the canoe in which I went to 
 the island where the king lives, a vast concourse of the 
 natives ran out of their houses to see me come on shore. 
 The king's brother took me by the hand, and led me 
 up to the town, where a mat was spread for me on a 
 square pavement, and I was directed to sit down on it. 
 In a little time the king appeared, and being pointed 
 out to me by his brother, I rose and made my obeisance 
 after the manner of Eastern nations, by lifting my hands 
 to my head and bending my body forward, but he did 
 not seem to pay any attention to it. I then offered 
 him the presents which my brother had sent by me, and 
 he received them in a very gracious manner. His 
 brother now talked a great deal to him, the purport of 
 
70 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 which, as I conceived, was to acquaint him with our 
 disaster and our number ; after which the king ate some 
 of the sugar-candy, seemed to relish it, distributed a 
 little of it to several of his chiefs, and then directed all 
 the things to be carried to his own house. This being 
 done, he ordered refreshments to be brought for me. 
 A great crowd of the natives had by this time surround- 
 ed me, who were curious and eager to examine my 
 clothes and person. Taking off my hat by accident, 
 all who were present seemed struck with astonishment, 
 which I perceiving, unbuttoned my waistcoat, and took 
 my shoes from my feet, in order that they might see 
 they were no part of my body; being of opinion, that, 
 at first sight of me, they entertained a notion that my 
 clothes constituted a part of my person, for, when, un- 
 deceived in this, they came nearer to me, stroked me, 
 and put their hands into my bosom to feel my skin. 
 
 " As it began to be dark, the king, his brother, my- 
 self, and several others, retired into a large house, where 
 supper was brought in, consisting of yams boiled whole, 
 and others boiled and beaten together, as we sometimes 
 do potatoes. After supper I was conducted to another 
 house, at some distance from the first, by a female. 
 Here I found at least forty or fifty men and women, and 
 signs were made for me to sit or lie down on a mat, 
 which seemed spread on purpose for me to sleep on ; 
 and after all the company had satisfied their curiosity 
 by viewing me very accurately, they went to sleep, and 
 I laid myself down on the mat, and rested my head on 
 a log, which these people use as a pillow, and drew 
 another mat, which also seemed laid for the purpose, 
 over me. I was unable even to slumber, but lay per- 
 fectly still ; and some considerable time after, when all 
 was quiet, about eight men rose and made two great 
 fires at each end of the house, which was not divided 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 71 
 
 by partitions, but formed one large habitation. This 
 operation, I confess, alarmed me very much, indeed ! 
 I thought of nothing less than that they were going to 
 roast me, and that they had only laid themselves down 
 that I might drop asleep, when they might dispatch me 
 in that situation. However, as there was no possibility 
 of escaping, I collected all my fortitude, and recom- 
 mended myself to the Supreme Disposer of all events. 
 I lay still, expecting every moment to meet my fate ; 
 but, to my great surprise, after sitting a while to warm 
 themselves, they all retired again to their mats, and 
 stirred no more till daylight. I then got up and walked 
 about, surrounded by great numbers of men, women, 
 and children, and in a little time was joined by the 
 king's brother, who took me to several houses, in every 
 one of which I was entertained with yams, cocoa-nuts, 
 and sweetmeats. I spent the remainder of the day in 
 walking about the island, and observing its produce, 
 which consisted chiefly of yams and cocoa-nuts : the 
 former they cultivate with great care, in large planta- 
 tions, which are all in swampy watered ground like the 
 rice in India." 
 
 The favourable account which Mr. Wilson brought, 
 joined to the message the king had sent to the captain 
 by his brother and son, put all our people into great 
 spirits, so that they applied to their several avocations 
 with redoubled vigour, and particularly to getting every 
 thing they could from the wreck. 
 
 At day-break a number of canoes were seen approach- 
 ing the harbour, and our people were informed that the 
 king was coming. When they had come in as far as 
 the tide would permit, Captain Wilson went out to meet 
 him, being carried through the shallow water by two 
 of his own men ; upon entering the canoe, Captain 
 Wilson embraced the king, informing him, through the 
 
72 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 interpreters, that he and his friends were Englishmen, 
 who had lost their ship ; but having saved their lives 
 by landing on his territory, supplicated his permission 
 to build a vessel to convey themselves back to their 
 own country. The king replied, in the most courteous 
 manner, that he was welcome to build, either at the 
 place he then was, or at his own island. Captain Wil- 
 son then made him a present of a scarlet coat ; and 
 after some discourse he made signs to go on shore. 
 The men again took the captain up as before, whilst the 
 king stepped into the water and waded to land. 
 
 The king was perfectly naked, nor had he any bone 
 on his wrist, or any ornament of distinction. He bore 
 a hatchet on his shoulder, the head of which was made 
 of iron, a circumstance which much surprised our peo- 
 ple, as all the other hatchets they had seen were of 
 shell ; the handle being formed in a sharp angle, struck 
 close to the shoulder, lying before and behind, and 
 wanted no tying to keep it steady in walking. The 
 king, on landing, looked about with the same kind of 
 caution as his brothers, and those who came with them 
 had before done on their first visit. Raa Kook met him 
 on the shore, and as he declined going into the tents, 
 the English spread a sail for him to sit on, which he 
 did, and clearly took and understood it as a mark of 
 respect, the chief minister placing himself opposite to 
 him at the extremity of the canvass, whilst his two 
 brothers, Raa Kook and Arra Kooker, sat on each side, 
 at the extent also of the sail, forming, when thus ar- 
 ranged, a square. The principal chiefs and officers of 
 state who accompanied him seated themselves near, and 
 behind these chiefs the large retinue of his own people 
 which filled his train, being about three hundred, 
 formed a circle, not standing, but squatting, in a posi- 
 tion ready to rise up in an instant. Some tea was 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 73 
 
 made, and offered him ; he drank one cup, but did not 
 seem to relish it. After sitting a little while, he was 
 presented with a remnant of scarlet cloth and half a 
 piece of long cloth, and also had some ribands of dif- 
 ferent colours given to him to distribute among his 
 attendants, which he did immediately, and they on 
 receiving them rolled them up very handily, for they 
 had all been unrolled before to dry. During the time 
 that they were rolling up the ribands, our people ob- 
 served, by the gestures and looks of the natives, that 
 each chief fixed his attention upon some particular 
 person. This at the time alarmed them, apprehending 
 that the individual each chief had particularly noticed, 
 was singled out as his devoted prisoner ; but they soon 
 afterwards found the meaning to be quite contrary, and 
 that the individual so selected was to be that chief's 
 particular friend or guest. Captain Wilson then in- 
 troduced his chief mate to the king, as the first officer 
 under him ; the rest of the officers were next intro- 
 duced, and Mr. Sharp, the surgeon, was pointed out 
 as the gentleman who cured the diseases which any of 
 his people were afflicted with, at which the king 
 seemed wonderfully surprised, and kept his eyes fixed 
 on him. Lastly, all the private men were introduced 
 in their turns. 
 
 During the time that this business was transacting, 
 Raa Kook was conversing with the king upon every 
 thing he had seen and observed during his stay with 
 our people ; this his countenance and gestures fully 
 demonstrated, and they plainly noticed his description 
 of their fire-arms and exercise, which the king seemed 
 eagerly to attend to, and then expressed a wish to see 
 them himself; which Captain Wilson said should be 
 done immediately. 
 
 He ordered every man to be under arms, and drawn 
 6 
 
74 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 up on the beach (the tide then being low) before the 
 king", who was placed with all his retinue just above 
 the flow of the water, and that they should be exer- 
 cised by the chief mate, that he might not absent him- 
 self from the king ; they without loss of time prepared 
 themselves, marched on the shore in the king's pre- 
 sence, and fired three volleys in different positions. 
 The surprise of the natives, their hooting, hallooing, 
 jumping, and chattering, produced a noise almost equal 
 to the report of the muskets. 
 
 The king then spent some time in going through the 
 tents, examining with great attention the various arti- 
 cles that came under his notice. After which he de- 
 parted, apparently highly pleased with his visit. 
 
 The king's son and Raa Kook staid with the Eng- 
 lish, having five canoes and about twenty people 
 remaining with them. They slept in two tents by 
 themselves, our people lying in the tent where their 
 arms and stores were, two tents having been erected 
 for the accommodation of the king and his retinue. In 
 the tent intended for the king, was Raa Kook, the 
 king's son, and several chiefs; Captain Wilson re- 
 mained with them after the guard was set and sentinels 
 placed, to show them respect, as well as to testify the 
 confidence he placed in them. Soon after which the 
 following circumstance happened, which occasioned 
 much alarm. 
 
 After the guard was set, and the sentinels placed, our 
 people were going to rest, when, on a sudden, the na- 
 tives began a song, the shrillness and manner of which 
 made them think it was their war-cry, or the signal for 
 the king and his party from the back of the island to 
 come upon them. The English instantly took to their 
 arms. But they were soon relieved from every anxiety, 
 by finding that the natives were only tuning their 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 75 
 
 voices, in order to begin a song ; which, as soon as 
 they had in their manner properly pitched, Raa Kook 
 gave out a line or stave, which was taken up by an- 
 other rupack, seated at a little distance, who sang a 
 verse, accompanied by the rest of the natives present, 
 except himself and the prince. The last line they sung 
 twice over, which was taken up by the natives in the 
 next tent, in chorus. Raa Kook then gave out another 
 line, which was sung in the same manner; and this 
 continued for ten or twelve verses. Their song ended, 
 they requested to hear some English songs, which was 
 readily complied with. This put an agreeable end to 
 every apprehension, as the English were now convinced 
 their sole intent was to amuse them. 
 
 The next day they were visited by the king, who, 
 after much apparent reluctance, made a request of Cap- 
 tain Wilson to permit four or five of his men to go to 
 war with their muskets, against one of the neighbouring 
 islands that had done him an injury. Captain Wilson 
 instantly replied, that the English were his own people, 
 and that the enemies of the king were their enemies. 
 The king said he should want the men in five days, by 
 which time his own people would be prepared for battle, 
 and that he would take them down to Pelew with him 
 next day. 
 
 The king came in the forenoon of the following day, 
 and every one of the English expressed a readiness to 
 go. At length five young men, who requested their 
 comrades with particular earnestness to be the first upon 
 the list, were appointed, — they also took with them Tom 
 Rose as their interpreter. Their companions gave them 
 three cheers as they moved from the shore. 
 
 As they would now be free from any interruption from 
 the natives for some days, they formed the plan of their 
 intended vessel, each taking one department, in order to 
 
76 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 facilitate their operations ; and all arrangements being 
 made, they set vigorously to work. 
 
 During the following week, our people went almost 
 every day to the wreck, and recovered a variety of pro- 
 visions and stores. It was judged expedient to form a 
 barricade in front of the tents towards the sea, which 
 was assisted by a double row of strong posts, interlaced 
 with branches of trees, and filled up with logs of wood, 
 stones and sand, on which they mounted a six pounder 
 and two large swivels. Notwithstanding the heat of 
 the weather also, they continued to make progress in 
 building the vessel. 
 
 After an absence of nine days, they welcomed with 
 great joy the return of their five companions, who had 
 gone to assist the king in his warlike expedition. They 
 reported that they had been successful in their attack, 
 having put the enemy to flight, and that the king was 
 highly pleased with his triumph. He charged them to 
 carry an invitation to Captain Wilson, to visit Pelew, 
 the island where the king resided. However, this Cap- 
 tain Wilson declined for the present, as he was very 
 busy superintending the construction of the vessel ; but 
 he sent Mr. Benger, the first mate, Mr. M. Wilson, and 
 Tom Rose, to compliment the king upon his victory. 
 They were received with the most perfect friendship and 
 hospitality. 
 
 In the afternoon of Saturday, Mr. Cummin was sent 
 in the jolly-boat, to try for the passage through the reef 
 which was thought to have been discovered the day 
 before from the look-out above the tents. Captain Wil- 
 son took up some men, and cleared still more the spot 
 intended for an observatory. The jolly-boat returned, 
 after having been without the reef through a narrow 
 passage, in which they found at low water three feet 
 and a half of water, and, as it rose eight or nine feet 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 77 
 
 upon a spring-tide, it was judged there must be at those 
 times twelve feet of water, which would be almost 
 double the draught of the schooner when finished. This 
 was an information which revived every one's hopes, 
 and made all our people look forward with fresh spirits. 
 
 The captain having fixed this day for visiting the 
 king at Pelew, as soon as all had breakfasted, he read 
 prayers in the tent. After prayers were ended, Captain 
 Wilson took leave of his people, taking with him Mr. 
 Sharp, Mr. Devis, and his son Mr. Henry Wilson. 
 They went in the jolly-boat, the general accompanying 
 him in his canoe. 
 
 As Pelew came in sight, the jolly-boat hoisted Eng- 
 lish colours, and fired three muskets, which were 
 answered as they approached nearer the shore, by a 
 white flag stuck on a pole; this was conceived to have 
 been suggested by the Malay, and proved to be some 
 of the white cloth that had been given to the king. Raa 
 Kook having quitted his canoe, came into the jolly-boat ; 
 and our people, on landing, fired three muskets more, 
 after having hoisted their colours, and fixed them in the 
 ground opposite a house close to the water-side, at the 
 end of the causeway where they came on shore ; to 
 which house our people were conducted by Raa Kook, 
 to wait the king's coming, he having despatched a mes- 
 senger to notify the captain's arrival. 
 
 Before the king appeared, some of the natives weie 
 sent down with refreshments. These were all placed 
 in a kind of order, preparatory to the king's coming. 
 On his arrival, Captain Wilson rose and embraced him, 
 as he had done at their first interview. Abba Thulle 
 sat down by him, and they were then served with the 
 before-mentioned provisions, by a man who seemed to 
 act as butler, and gave to each a portion, by the king's 
 directions. After this entertainment was over, Captain 
 
78 
 
 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 Wilson offered him the presents he had brought, which 
 consisted of some iron hoops, some necklaces made of 
 gold and silver lace, tied with a ribbon at each end ; 
 to which he meant to have added a few files, but one of 
 the natives purloined them from the person who had 
 them in charge. 
 
 The king came down without any state, and seemed 
 only attended by those whom curiosity to see the Eng- 
 lish had brought together. The house, and every part 
 about it, was thronged with the natives, to see the 
 captain, who had dressed himself in the Company's 
 uniform. 
 
 After the repast was ended, the king conducted them 
 to various parts of the town. They were first shown the 
 house in which they were to sleep during their stay at 
 Pelew, and afterwards introduced to the queen, who had 
 expressed a great desire to see them. 
 
 The general now told them he wished to conduct 
 them to his own house, which was a little distant from 
 the first square, where the king had alloted their habi- 
 tation. At the house of this chief they were received 
 quite in a family way, without any form. They were 
 obliged just to taste of what was set before them, 
 though their appetites had been sufficiently taken away 
 by partaking of so many entertainments before. Raa 
 Kook's wife brought them in a broiled pigeon, which 
 they, out of compliment, eat a bit of, for the honour 
 done them. In this domestic scene, Raa Kook appeared 
 in a new and amiable light. It was a situation which 
 placed to their view that benevolent heart of his they 
 had themselves before frequently noticed. Here he was 
 surrounded by several of his children, two of whom 
 were very young, and seemed almost of the same age. 
 They were climbing up his knees and caressing him, 
 whilst he seemed to enjoy great pleasure in rolling and 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 79 
 
 tossing them about, and playing with them, handing 
 them to our people, that they might also notice and 
 play with them. 
 
 Whilst the attention of Captain Wilson and his com- 
 panions had been engaged by this interesting scene, 
 the night had crept fast on them, and it being now quite 
 dark, they requested leave to retire. 
 
 Next day they returned to their own island, highly 
 gratified with what they had seen, and the cordiality 
 with which they had been received. All hands were 
 now kept busily employed at the schooner, which was 
 now rapidly advancing. The seamen also continued to 
 send frequently to the wreck, from whence they brought 
 a variety of articles very useful to them. That hunger 
 is an excellent sauce, has often been experienced, but 
 never more fully than at present ; they discovered about 
 twenty bags of rice in the wreck, which, having been 
 so long under water, would not now boil to a grain, but 
 a jelly; yet they considered it as very savoury food. 
 
 In the afternoon of Monday, the 8th of September, 
 the king paid our people a visit, attended by his two 
 brothers, the chief minister, and several of his other 
 chiefs, and brought them some fine fish, that his canoes 
 had caught in nets, which they make very nicely. 
 
 The little island of Oroolong having been rendered 
 far more commodious to the English by the many ne- 
 cessary establishments they had made since the king 
 had paid them his former visit, there was, of course, a 
 good deal of additional novelty for him to attend to. 
 After he had pointed out to his tacklebys, or artificers, 
 to notice with particular attention everything about the 
 barricade, he strolled inquisitively round the cove with 
 his company. The noise of the forge which our people 
 had set up, and which was then at work, soon drew his 
 attention that way. It happened that the boatswain 
 
80 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 was at that instant beating out a piece of hot iron upon 
 a pig of the same metal, which he had made his anvil. 
 This was a circumstance so entirely new, and a dis- 
 covery so interesting to them, that they all stood ab- 
 sorbed in admiration. They could not be persuaded to 
 keep at a distance, but would get so close to the anvil 
 as to receive occasionally a hot spark on their naked 
 bodies ; nor did this deter them from catching with their 
 hands the luminous particles that flew from under the 
 stroke of the hammer. Every thing, under such cir- 
 cumstances as the present, naturally excited wonder. 
 When the iron was beaten on the anvil till the redness 
 was gone off, and it was become too cold to be mal- 
 leable, they could not comprehend why it was again 
 put into the forge. The throwing water on the fire to 
 make it burn brisker, was also a new source of surprise; 
 and it was with much difficulty they could be drawn 
 away from a scene so new and interesting to them. 
 However, the noise of the neighbouring cooper, who 
 was repairing the water-casks for sea-store, was attract- 
 ing enough to allure them to his hut. The agility with 
 which they saw this man work, the whirling of the 
 casks, the knocking down of the hoops, the sound from 
 within, and the quickness with which they perceived a 
 defective cask was brought round and perfect, seemed 
 altogether to impose- on their minds a kind of magic 
 influence. They stood and stared at one another, with 
 looks equally expressive of astonishment and pleasure. 
 
 The king after this took leave with much good hu- 
 mour, and, accompanied by all his retinue, returned to 
 Pelew. 
 
 The vessel was now considerably advanced, when an 
 unlucky accident had nearly balked their high-raised 
 expectations. One night the tide rose to a very uncom- 
 mon height, and had nearly washed away the blocks 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 81 
 
 from under her. At this time they were very short of 
 hands. Besides those at Pelew, three were very sick, 
 so that the repairing the accident, and raising a strong 
 bank to defend from any similar tide, took up several 
 days. The weather was at this time so stormy and 
 disagreeable, that on some of the days they could not 
 leave the tents to work. The jolly-boat was despatch- 
 ed to Pelew for provisions, and in three days returned 
 with the agreeable news, that the English were safely 
 returned to Pelew, from the second expedition to Ar- 
 tingall, which had been very successful; but Abba 
 Thulle would not yet part with them, as he was anxious 
 to show them his gratitude by entertaining them in the 
 best manner he could. They now also brought with 
 them the ship's coppers, which some of the natives had 
 carried ofT on their first trip to the wreck ; and which, 
 coming to Raa Kook's knowledge, he had ordered them 
 to be returned, as he would by no means suffer anything 
 to be kept that belonged to the English. 
 
 By the 2Gth of October the vessel was beamed, and 
 the outside caulking was completed. A consultation 
 was held respecting the safest method of launching 
 her, which was agreed to be by lajnng ways, rather 
 than by large rollers, as proposed by some. They had 
 neither pitch nor rosin; but this want, necessity, the 
 mother of invention, taught them to supply, by burning 
 coral stone into lime ; then, sifting it thoroughly, they 
 mixed it up with grease, and found in it an excellent 
 substitute. 
 
 Agreeably to a previous promise he had made to the 
 king, Captain Wilson despatched the jolly-boat to Pe- 
 lew on the morning of the Gth of November, under the 
 direction of Mr. Sharp and Mr. Matthias Wilson, who 
 carried along with them all the iron and tools they 
 could spare. They were desired to inform Abba Thulle, 
 
O* THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 that until the vessel was completely finished, they could 
 not spare him the muskets, nor any more tools, but, in 
 the mean time, they hoped to have the pleasure of a 
 visit from him, as they expected to be ready to sail in 
 a few days. They were also desired to express, in the 
 warmest manner, the high sense the English entertain- 
 ed of the unbounded kindness they had received, which 
 they were determined publicly to declare on their return 
 in Britain. While Captain Wilson was talking with 
 his ambassadors about his message, Madan Blanchard 
 entered the apartment in quest of some tools he wanted ; 
 and immediately took the opportunity of desiring Tom 
 Rose, who was to be of the party, to inform the king 
 that he was determined to stay behind and reside at 
 Pelew: and, upon the captain ridiculing his message, 
 he solemnly declared his resolution not to embark. Many 
 attempts were made to convince him of the impropriety 
 of such a step, but all in vain. Meantime, the captain 
 ordered that this circumstance should not be mentioned 
 at present, and the boat departed. By Captain Wil- 
 son's desire, Blanchard's companions used every argu- 
 ment in their power to divert him from a scheme so very 
 imprudent in every point of view; but he informed 
 them that his mind was resolved. The idea of desert- 
 ing his comrades suggested itself on his return from 
 the first expedition against Artingall, and he then men- 
 tioned it; at the same time adding, that he would 
 cheerfully join in their daily labours, with the same 
 diligence and perseverance as any of them, but that he 
 resolved to end his days at Pelew, without again 
 encountering the elements. 
 
 Next day the boat returned from Pelew, having in 
 company the king, his young favourite daughter, Raa 
 Kook, and several chiefs of distinction. They had been 
 impeded by a storm. The Englishmen in the pinnace 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 83 
 
 fell in with the Pelew company in their canoes during 
 the storm, and accompanied them to the island of Pe- 
 thoull, where they spent the night together. The ladies 
 who were of the party expressed not a little disappoint- 
 ment in being obliged to halt a night by the way, as 
 they were very impatient to see the launch at Oroolong. 
 They supped together very cheerfully, when there was 
 again opportunity of remarking, that no one presumed 
 to eat till the monarch pronounced the word Munga, 
 that is, Eat, upon which a signal is given to the attend- 
 ants without, when all begin to eat together. Each 
 one's share was portioned out on a plantain leaf, which 
 served for a plate ; though on great occasions they use a 
 sort of dish made of tortoise-shell, and others of earthen- 
 ware and wood. They cut their meat with a knife 
 made of split bamboo, with which they carve very 
 tolerably. Mr. Sharp and Mr. Wilson now presented 
 the king with the iron tools, which were very gracious- 
 ly received. They explained the method of using them, 
 to which Raa Kook paid particular attention. 
 
 The order in which the company sat during this 
 night's entertainment is worthy of notice. The house 
 in which they all were, was one large apartment ; 
 torches were lighted and suck in betwixt the boards 
 of the floor in a line, through the centre of the room ; 
 and the company sat in rows with their backs to the 
 light. 
 
 When ready to retire to rest, the servants brought in 
 the mats, and fires being .lighted to defend from the 
 musquitoes, the torches were extinguished, and all was 
 silence. 
 
 Next morning proved calm, and they set sail ; the 
 king and his daughter, Raa Kook, and another chief, 
 went with the English in the pinnace. A sudden squall 
 arising nearly overset most of the canoes ; but the pin- 
 
84 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 nace sailed very easily, to the great satisfaction of Abba 
 Thulle, who was mightily pleased to hear that Captain 
 Wilson proposed leaving her with him. 
 
 We come now to contemplate a scene peculiarly 
 interesting. On the morning of Sunday the 9th of 
 November, the English proceeded before daybreak to 
 make ready for the launch. It need scarcely be men- 
 tioned, that uncommon pains had been taken to put 
 every thing in the most favourable train for getting her 
 afloat. About seven the king and attendants were de- 
 sired to be present, and in a little time the vessel was 
 happily launched, to the general joy of every spectator. 
 Never was there a more affectingly happy scene. Every 
 eye seemed to sparkle with a lustre borrowed for the 
 occasion. Every countenance looked animated with 
 joy and heartfelt satisfaction; but few could utter their 
 feelings; looks of congratulation were exchanged, while 
 every one shook his neighbour's hands with the warm- 
 est fervour. 
 
 After breakfast, the happiest meal they had made 
 since the loss of the Antelope, the English proceeded 
 to carry every thing on board with all possible expedi- 
 tion, and in the afternoon, the flood tide coming in, the 
 ship was hauled into the basin, where they had four or 
 five fathoms of water; and in the course of the day 
 they got on board all the provisions and stores, except 
 such only as were to be given in presents to the king; 
 and in the morning they took on board their anchors, 
 cables, and other necessaries, making bitts, and fitting 
 a rail across the stern of the vessel. 
 
 Abba Thulle, being now at the watering-place, sent 
 for Captain Wilson to attend him ; on whose arrival it 
 was intimated to him, that the rupacks had determined 
 to invest him with the Order of the Bone, and to create 
 him a rupack of the first rank ; an honour which Cap- 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 85 
 
 tain Wilson said he considered very flattering, and would 
 receive with much joy. 
 
 Monday the 10th, the old dwellings at the cove were 
 cleared, and all the necessaries carried on board. The 
 wondering natives so thronged the vessel, that the 
 English were obliged to complain to Raa Kook, who 
 received orders from the king, that none but rupacks 
 should go on board ; but that the multitude might ob- 
 serve her at some little distance in their canoes. As 
 soon as the sails were bent, they took her to the west 
 side of the island, and moored her in six fathoms water. 
 An immense concourse of natives followed in their 
 canoes, hallooing and shouting in a most joyous manner. 
 The king's two brothers accompanied them, and re- 
 peatedly called to their people to be minute in observing 
 the management of the ship ; as if, at some period, 
 they expected to have one of their own. The captain 
 then went on shore to the king, who was waiting for 
 him at Oroolong. Abba Thulle now resumed the sub- 
 ject of sending two of his people to England. He told 
 the captain, by means of the interpreter, that he had the 
 happiness of being much respected by all his subjects, 
 as being superior, not only in rank, but understanding. 
 Yet, after living with the English, he had often felt his 
 own insignificance, in seeing the meanest among them 
 display an ingenuity, and exercise talents, of which he 
 had no conception. He had therefore resolved to part 
 with his youngest son, Lee Boo, who should, in com- 
 pany with one of the Malays, be intrusted to Captain 
 Wilson's care, that he might be instructed in such 
 sciences as would tend, on his return, to advance the 
 prosperity of the people, and reflect honour on the royal 
 family. He described the youth as sensible, of a mild, 
 pliable disposition, and a stranger to every kind of vice. 
 He was under the care of an old man who lived at some 
 
86 
 
 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 distance, but had orders to be at Oroolong in the morn- 
 ing. Captain Wilson replied, that this mark of his 
 regard and esteem affected him deeply, and he should 
 ever think of his confidence with pride. He assured 
 Abba Thulle, that any person belonging to Pelew would 
 meet with attention from him ; but the son of the man 
 to whom he had been so much indebted, he held him- 
 self engaged by every tie, to treat with the same ten- 
 derness as his own son. 
 
 The weather and wind appearing favourable, the cap- 
 tain informed Abba Thulle, that they intended sailing 
 next day. Prince Lee Boo arrived in the evening from 
 Pelew, under the care of his elder brother, when Abba 
 Thulle presented him to the captain, and then to the 
 officers. The young prince accosted them in so easy 
 and polite a manner, and had so much good humour 
 and sensibility in his aspect, that every one was pre- 
 possessed in his favour. 
 
 Wednesday morning early, an English jack was 
 hoisted at the mast-head of the Oroolong, and a swivel 
 fired as a signal for sailing ; which being explained to 
 the king, he ordered all the provisions on board which 
 he had brought for their voyage. A great number of 
 canoes surrounded the vessel, loaded with presents, so 
 that it was with difficulty they could avoid being over- 
 stocked. When just ready for sea, a boat was sent on 
 shore for the captain, who then took Blanchard and the 
 men of the boat into a temporary hut that had been 
 erected, and making them kneel, offered up thanksgiv- 
 ings to that Power who had supported their spirits 
 through so many hazards and toils, and had at last 
 opened to them the door of deliverance. 
 
 The vessel now proceeded towards the reef, laden 
 with Abba Thulle's bounty to a degree of superfluity, 
 yet surrounded by great numbers of the natives in their 
 
THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 87 
 
 canoes, who had every man brought his present, for 
 their good friends the Englees, entreating that they 
 might be accepted. The king now came alongside, 
 gave Lee Boo his blessing, which the youth received 
 with great respect and tenderness. He next embraced 
 the captain, in much apparent distress, and then cor- 
 dially shook hands with all the officers, crying, " You 
 are happy because you are going home, and I am happy 
 because you are happy ; but still very unhappy myself 
 to see you going away." Once more renewing his as- 
 surances of regard and good will, he left the vessel, and 
 went into his canoe. The natives, who were to return 
 with the king, all looked up to the vessel eagerly, but 
 with looks more expressive than language; and the 
 English might say, with truth, that they had left a 
 whole people in tears. So deeply were they themselves 
 impressed with the scene, that it was with much diffi- 
 culty they summoned resolution enough to give three 
 cheers at their final departure ; and their eyes followed 
 to catch the latest look. Raa Kook remained, with a 
 few of his attendants, to see them out of danger beyond 
 the reef; but was so deeply dejected, that the vessel 
 had gone a great way before he thought of summoning 
 his canoes to return. As he had been their first friend, 
 the captain gave him a brace of pistols, and a cartouch- 
 box with cartridges ; and the moment of separation 
 being now come, he appeared so much affected that it 
 was some time before he could speak. Pointing to his 
 heart, he said it was there he felt the pain of bidding 
 them adieu. He spoke a few words to Lee Boo ; but, 
 unable to proceed, precipitately went into the boat, and 
 giving them a last expressive glance, instantly dropped 
 astern. 
 
 After a favourable voyage, they reached Macao, oh 
 
88 THE PELEW ISLANDERS. 
 
 the 30th November. Here they had to part, as they 
 could only obtain passages to England in separate ves- 
 sels ; and it is pleasant to know that, after all the dan- 
 gers and anxieties they had undergone, they all reached 
 England in safety. 
 
 Having thus presented a brief but faithful picture of 
 the adventures of our countrymen in their shipwreck on 
 the Pelew Islands, a few words respecting the fate of 
 Lee Boo are all that our space permits us to give. The 
 surprise he manifested when he first entered an English 
 house cannot be easily described. The rooms, the fur- 
 niture, and ornaments, all severally crowded so many 
 new objects on his mind at once, that he was perfectly 
 lost in astonishment. Captain Wilson took him to his 
 own house, and ever treated him as his adopted son. 
 After he had been settled a little time, he was sent 
 every day to an academy to be instructed in reading and 
 writing, which he was himself eager to attain, and most 
 assiduous in learning. His whole deportment whilst 
 there was so engaging, that it not only gained him the 
 esteem of his tutor, but also the affection of his young 
 companions ; and, indeed, he was so courteous and plea- 
 sant to all, that he became a general favourite wherever 
 he went. The world of wonders that surrounded him, 
 did not make him forget his friends and companions in 
 Pelew. In fact, everything that he saw brought them 
 to his memory. If he visited a garden, he attentively 
 observed the plants and fruit-trees, and asked many 
 questions about them, saying, when he returned home 
 he would take seeds of such as would live and flourish 
 in Pelew. He talked frequently of the things he should 
 persuade the king to alter or adopt ; and appeared, in 
 viewing most objects, to consider how far they might be 
 rendered useful to his own country. But all the hopes 
 
HYMN TO THE SETTING SUN. 89 
 
 of his friends were blasted. While advancing rapidly 
 in his studies, he was attacked with the smallpox, and 
 after a few days' illness fell a prey to the disease. 
 
 About five years after the death of Lee Boo, the East 
 India Company fitted out two small vessels, which they 
 despatched to Pelew, to inform the king of the death of 
 his son. When the vessels reached Pelew, they were 
 cordially welcomed by the natives. They found Abba 
 Thulle still alive, but Blanchard, Raa Kook, and Arra 
 Kooker, and many of the old warriors who had been 
 the particular friends of the crew of the Antelope, had 
 fallen in battle. 
 
 HYMN TO THE SETTING SUN. 
 (Supposed to be sung by the Northern Peasantry. )|j 
 
 Slow, slow, mighty wanderer, sink to thy rest, 
 
 Thy course of beneficence done ; 
 As glorious go down to the ocean's warm breast 
 As when thy bright race was begun. 
 For all thou hast done, 
 Since thy rising, O Sun ! 
 May thou and thy Maker be blest. 
 Thou hast scattered the night from thy broad golden way, 
 Thou hast given us thy light through a long happy day, 
 Thou hast roused up the birds, thou hast wakened the 
 
 flowers, 
 To chant on thy path, and to perfume the hours. 
 Then slow, mighty wanderer, sink to thy rest, 
 And rise again beautiful, blessing and blest. 
 
 Slow, slow, mighty wanderer, sink to thy rest, 
 Yet pause but a moment to shed 
 
 7 
 
90 HYMN TO THE SETTING SUN. 
 
 One warm look of love on the earth's dewy breast, 
 Ere the starr'd curtain fall round thy bed ? 
 And to promise the time, 
 When, awaking sublime, 
 Thou shalt rush all refreshed from thy rest. 
 Warm hopes drop like dews from thy life-giving hand, 
 Teaching hearts closed in darkness like flowers to ex- 
 pand ; 
 Dreams wake into joys when first touched by thy light; 
 As glow the dim waves of the sea at thy sight. 
 Then slow, mighty wanderer, sink to thy rest, 
 And rise again beautiful, blessing and blest. 
 
 Slow, slow, mighty wanderer, sink to thy rest, 
 
 Prolonging the sweet evening hour ; 
 Then robe again soon in the morn's golden vest, 
 To go forth in thy beauty and power. 
 Yet pause on thy way, 
 To the full height of day, 
 For thy rising and setting are blest. 
 When thou com'st after darkness to gladden our eyes, 
 Or departest in glory, in glory to rise, 
 May hope and may prayer still be woke by thy rays, 
 And thy going be mark'd with thanksgiving and praise. 
 Then slow, mighty wanderer, sink to thy rest, 
 And rise again beautiful, blessing and blest. 
 
 G. P. R. James. 
 
RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 91 
 
 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
 
 The succeeding sketches are extracted from a work named "Ram- 
 bles of a Naturalist," by Dr. Godman, an American naturalist of 
 great and deserved reputation. They exhibit a freshness of de- 
 scription and an enthusiastic love of the study of nature that can- 
 not fail to charm and engage the attention of the reader. 
 
 One of my favourite walks was through Turner's-lane 
 near Philadelphia, which is about a quarter of a mile 
 long, and not much wider than an ordinary street, being 
 closely fenced in on both sides ; yet my reader may feel 
 surprised when informed that I found ample employ- 
 ment for all my leisure, during six weeks, within and 
 about its precincts. On entering the lane from the 
 Ridge Road, I observed a gentle elevation of the turf 
 beneath the lower rails of the fence, which appeared to 
 be uninterruptedly continuous ; and when I had cut 
 through the verdant roof with my knife, it proved to be 
 a regularly arched gallery or subterranean road, along 
 which the inhabitants could securely travel at all hours 
 without fear of discovery. The sides and bottom of 
 this arched way were smooth and clean, as if much 
 used : and the raised superior portion had long" been 
 firmly consolidated by the grass roots intermixed with 
 tenacious clay. At irregular and frequently distant in- 
 tervals, a side-path diverged into the fields, and by its 
 superficial situation, irregularity, and frequent openings, 
 showed that its purpose was temporary, or had been 
 only opened for the sake of procuring food. Occasion- 
 ally I found a little gallery diverging from the main 
 route beneath the fence, towards the road, and finally 
 opening on the grass, as if the inmate had come out in 
 the morning to breathe the early air, or to drink of the 
 
02 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
 
 crystal dew which daily gemmed the close-cropped 
 verdure. How I longed to detect the animal which 
 tenanted these galleries, in the performance of his la- 
 bours ! Farther on, upon the top of a high bank, which 
 prevented the pathway from continuing near the fence, 
 appeared another evidence of the industry of my yet un- 
 known miner. Half a dozen hillocks of loose, almost 
 pulverized earth, were thrown up at irregular distances, 
 communicating with the main gallery by side-passages. 
 Opening one of these carefully, it appeared to differ little 
 from the common gallery in size; but it was very difficult 
 to ascertain where the loose earth came from, nor have I 
 ever been able to tell, since I never witnessed the for- 
 mation of these hillocks, and conjectures are forbidden 
 where nothing but observation is requisite to the decision. 
 My farther progress was now interrupted by a delightful 
 brook, which sparkled across the road over a clear, 
 sandy bed ; and here my little galleries turned into the 
 field, coursing along at a moderate distance from the 
 stream. I crept through the fence into the meadow on 
 the west side, intending to discover, if possible, the 
 animal whose works had first fixed my attention ; but 
 as I approached the bank of the rivulet, something 
 suddenly retreated towards the grass, seeming to vanish 
 almost unaccountably from sight. Very carefully ex- 
 amining the point at which it disappeared, I found the 
 entrance of another gallery or burrow, but of very dif- 
 ferent construction from that first observed. This new 
 one was formed in the grass, near and among whose 
 roots and lower stems a small but regular covered way 
 was practised. Endless, however, would have been 
 the attempt to follow this, as it opened in various direc- 
 tions, and ran irregularly into the field, and towards the 
 brook, by a great variety of passages. 
 
 Tired of my unavailing pursuit, I now returned to the 
 
RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 93 
 
 little brook, and, seating myself on a stone, remained 
 for some time unconsciously gazing on the fluid which 
 gushed along in unsullied brightness over its pebbly 
 bed. Opposite to my seat was an irregular hole in the 
 bed of the stream, into which, in an idle mood, I pushed 
 a small pebble with the end of my stick. What was 
 my surprise, in a few seconds afterwards, to observe the 
 water in this hole in motion, and the pebble I had 
 pushed into it gently approaching the surface ! Such 
 was the fact ; the hole was the dwelling of a stout little 
 crayfish or fresh-water lobster, who did not choose to 
 be incommoded by the pebble, though doubtless he at- 
 tributed its sudden arrival to the usual accidents of the 
 stream, and not to my thoughtless movements. He had 
 thrust his broad lobster-like claws under the stone, and 
 then drawn them near to his mouth, thus making a kind 
 of shelf; and as he reached the edge of the hole, he 
 suddenly extended his claws, and rejected the incum- 
 brance from the lower side, or down stream. Delighted 
 to have found a living object with whose habits I was 
 unacquainted, I should have repeated my experiment, 
 but the crayfish presently returned with what might be 
 called an armful of rubbish, and threw it over the side 
 of his cell, and down the stream as before. 
 
 Under the end of a stone lying in the bed of the stream, 
 something was floating in the pure current, which at 
 first seemed like the tail of a fish ; and being desirous 
 to obtain a better view, I gently raised the stone on its 
 edge, and was rewarded by a very beautiful sight. The 
 object first observed was the tail of a beautiful sala- 
 mander, whose sides were of a pale straw-colour, 
 flecked with circlets of the richest crimson. Its long 
 lizard-like body seemed to be semi-transparent, and its 
 slender limbs appeared like mere productions of the 
 skin. Not far distant, and near where the upper end of 
 
94 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
 
 the stone had been, lay crouched, as if asleep, one of 
 the most beautiful coloured frogs I had ever beheld. Its 
 body was slender compared with most frogs, and its 
 skin covered with stripes of bright reddish-brown and 
 greyish-green, in such a manner, as to recall the beau- 
 tiful markings of the tiger's hide. It was now past 
 twelve o'clock; I began to retrace my steps towards the 
 city ; and, without any particular object, moved along 
 the little galleries examined in the morning. I had 
 advanced but a short distance, when I found the last 
 place where I had broken open the gallery was repaired. 
 The earth was perfectly fresh, and I had lost the chance 
 of discovering the miner while watching my new 
 acquaintances in the stream. Hurrying onward, the 
 same circumstances uniformly presented ; the injuries 
 were all efficiently repaired, and had evidently been 
 very recently completed. Here was one point gained ; 
 it was ascertained that these galleries were still inha- 
 bited, and I hoped soon to become acquainted with the 
 inmates. But at this time it appeared fruitless to delay 
 longer, and I returned home filled with anticipations of 
 pleasure from the success of my future researches. 
 
 On the day following my first-related excursion, I 
 started early in the morning. No particular change 
 was discoverable in the works of my little miner, ex- 
 cept that all the places which had been a second time 
 broken down were again repaired, showing that the ani- 
 mal had passed between the times of my visit; and it 
 may not be uninteresting to observe how the repair was 
 effected. It appeared, when the animal arrived at the 
 spot broken open or exposed to the air, that it changed 
 its direction sufficiently downwards to raise enough of 
 earth from the lower surface to fill up the opening ; this, 
 of course, slightly altered the direction of the gallery at 
 this point, and though the earth thrown up was quite 
 
RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 95 
 
 pulverulent, it was so nicely arched as to retain its 
 place, and soon became consolidated. Having broken 
 open a gallery where the turf was very close and the 
 soil tenacious, I was pleased to find the direction of the 
 chamber somewhat changed. On digging farther with 
 my clasp-knife, I found a very beautiful cell excavated 
 in very tough clay, deeper than the common level of 
 the gallery, and towards one side. This little lodging- 
 room would probably have held a small melon, and was 
 nicely arched all round. It was perfectly clear, and 
 quite smooth, as if much used. To examine it fully, I 
 was obliged to open it completely. (The next day it 
 was replaced by another, placed a little farther to one 
 side, exactly of the same kind ; it was replaced a second 
 time, but when broken up a third time it was left in 
 ruins.) As twelve o'clock approached, my solicitude to 
 discover the little miner increased to a considerable 
 degree ; previous observation led me to believe that 
 about that time his presence was to be expected. I had 
 trodden down the gallery for some inches in a con- 
 venient place, and stood close by in vigilant expectation. 
 My wishes were speedily gratified. In a short time, the 
 flattened gallery began at one end to be raised to its 
 former convexity, and the animal rapidly advanced. 
 With a beating heart, I thrust the knife-blade down by 
 the side of the rising earth, and quickly turned it over 
 to one side, throwing my prize fairly into the sunshine. 
 For an instant he seemed motionless from surprise, when 
 I caught and imprisoned him in my hat. It would be 
 vain for me to attempt a description of my pleasure in 
 having thus succeeded, small as was my conquest. I 
 was delighted with the beauty of my captive's fur; 
 with the admirable adaptation of his diggers or broad 
 rose-tinted hands ; the wonderful strength of his fore 
 limbs, and the peculiar suitableness of his head and 
 
96 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
 
 neck to the kind of life the Author of nature had 
 designed him for. 
 
 My next visit to my old hunting-ground, the lane and 
 brook, happened on a day in the first hay-harvest, when 
 the verdant sward of the meadows was rapidly sinking 
 before the keen-edged scythes swung by vigorous 
 mowers. This unexpected circumstance afforded me 
 considerable pleasure, for it promised me a freer scope 
 to my wanderings, and might also enable me to ascertain 
 various particulars concerning which my curiosity had 
 long been awakened. Nor was this promise unattended 
 by fruition of my wishes. The reader may recollect 
 that, in my first walk, a neat burrow in the grass above 
 ground, was observed, without my knowing its author. 
 The advance of the mowers explained this satisfactorily ; 
 for in cutting the long grass, they exposed several nests 
 of field-mice, which, by means of these grass-covered 
 alleys, passed to the stream in search of food or drink, 
 unseen by their enemies the hawks and owls. The 
 numbers of these little creatures were truly surprising ; 
 their fecundity is so great, and their food so abundant, 
 that were they not preyed upon by many other animals, 
 and destroyed in great numbers by man, they would 
 become exceedingly troublesome. There are various 
 species of them, all bearing a very considerable resem- 
 blance to each other, and having, to an incidental 
 observer, much of the appearance of the domestic mouse. 
 Slight attention, however, is requisite to perceive very 
 striking differences ; and the discrimination of these 
 will prove a source of considerable gratification to the 
 inquirer. The nests are very nicely made, and look 
 much like a bird's, being lined with soft materials, and 
 usually placed in some snug little hollow, or at the 
 root of a strong tuft of grass. Upon the grass-roots and 
 seeds these nibblers principally feed ; and, where very 
 
RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 97 
 
 abundant, the effects of their hunger may be seen in the 
 brown and withered aspect of the grass they have injured 
 at the root. But, under ordinary circumstances, the 
 hawks, owls, domestic cat, weasels, crows, &c, keep 
 them in such limits as prevent them doing essential 
 damage. — 
 
 I had just observed another and a smaller grassy 
 covered way, where the mowers had passed along, 
 when my attention was called towards a wagon at a 
 short distance, which was receiving its load. Shouts 
 and laughter, accompanied by general running and 
 scrambling of the people, indicated that some rare 
 sport was going forward. When I approached, I found 
 that the object of chase was a jumping-mouse, whose 
 actions it was truly delightful to witness. When not 
 closely pressed by its pursuers, it ran with some ra- 
 pidity in the usual manner, as if seeking concealment. 
 But in a moment it would vault into the air, and skim 
 along for ten or twelve feet, looking more like a bird 
 than a little quadruped. After continuing this for some 
 time, and nearly exhausting its pursuers with running 
 and falling over each other, the frightened creature was 
 accidentally struck down by one of the workmen during 
 one of its beautiful leaps, and killed. As the hunters 
 saw nothing worthy of attention in the dead body of 
 the animal, they very willingly resigned it to me ; and 
 with great satisfaction I retreated to a willow shade, to 
 read what nature had written in its form for my in- 
 struction. The general appearance was mouselike, but 
 the length and slenderness of the body, the shortness 
 of its fore limbs, and the disproportionate length of its 
 hind limbs, together with the peculiarity of its tail, all 
 indicated its adaptation to the peculiar kind of action I 
 had just witnessed. A sight of this little creature 
 vaulting 01 bounding through the air strongly reminded 
 
98 
 
 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
 
 me of what I had read of the great kangaroo of New 
 Holland ; and I could not help regarding our little 
 jumper as in some respects a sort of miniature resem- 
 blance of that curious animal. It was not evident, 
 however, that the jumping-mouse derived the aid from 
 its tail, which so powerfully assists the kangaroo. 
 Though long and sufficiently stout in proportion, it had 
 none of the robust muscularity which, in the New Hol- 
 land animal, impels the lower part of the body imme- 
 diately upward. In this mouse, the leap is principally, 
 if not entirely, effected by a sudden and violent exten- 
 sion of the long hind limbs, the muscles of which are 
 strong and admirably suited to their object. We have 
 heard that these little animals feed on the roots, &c. of 
 the green herbage, and that they are every season to be 
 found in the meadows. It may, perhaps, puzzle some 
 to imagine how they subsist through the severities of 
 winter, when vegetation is at rest, and the earth gene- 
 rally frozen. Here we find another occasion to admire 
 the all-perfect designs of the Author of nature, who 
 has endowed a great number of animals with the faculty 
 of retiring into the earth, and passing whole months in 
 a state of repose so complete as to allow all the func- 
 tions of the body to be suspended, until the returning 
 warmth of the spring calls them forth to renewed ac- 
 tivity and enjoyment. The jumping-mouse, when the 
 chill weather begins to draw nigh, digs down about six 
 or eight inches into the soil, and there forms a little 
 globular cell, as much larger than its own body as will 
 allow a sufficient covering of fine grass to be intro- 
 duced. This being obtained, he contrives to coil up his 
 body and limbs in the centre of the soft dry grass, so 
 as to form a complete ball ; and so compact is this, 
 that, when taken out, with the torpid animal, it may 
 be rolled across a floor without injury. In this snug 
 
AN EVENING WALK IN BENGAL. 99 
 
 cell, which is soon filled up and closed externally, the 
 jumping-mouse securely abides through all the frosts 
 and storms of winter, needing neither food nor fuel, 
 being utterly quiescent, and apparently dead, though 
 susceptible at any time of reanimation by being very 
 gradually stimulated by light and heat. 
 
 AN EVENING WALK IN BENGAL. 
 
 ' The evening was so fine that I continued to walk up and down, 
 till Abdullah besought me not to take so much exercise, saying it 
 was that which had turned my hair so gray since my arrival in 
 India." 
 
 Our task is done ! o'er Gunga's breast, 
 
 The sun is sinking down to rest; 
 
 And, moored beneath the tamarind bough, 
 
 Our bark has found its harbour now ; 
 
 With furled sail, and painted side, 
 
 Behold the tiny frigate ride. 
 
 Upon her deck, 'mid charcoal gleams, 
 
 The Moslem's savoury supper steams ; 
 
 While, all apart, beneath the wood, 
 
 The Hindoo cooks his simpler food. 
 
 Come, walk with me the jungle through ; — 
 
 If yonder hunter tell us true, 
 
 Far off, in desert dank and rude, 
 
 The tiger holds his solitude ; 
 
 (Nor taught by recent harm to shun 
 
 The thunders of the English gun); 
 
 A dreadful guest, but rarely seen, 
 
 Returns to scare the village green. — 
 
 Come boldly on! no venom'd snake J 
 
 Can shelter in so cool a brake ; 
 
100 AN EVENING WALK IN BENGAL. 
 
 Child of the sun ! he loves to lie 
 
 'Mid nature's embers, parch'd and dry, 
 
 Where o'er some tower, in ruin laid, 
 
 The peepul spreads its haunted shade, 
 
 Or round a tomb his scales to wreath, 
 
 Fit warder in the gate of death ! 
 
 Come on ! Yet pause ! behold us now 
 
 Beneath the bamboo's arched bough ; 
 
 Where, gemming oft that sacred gloom, 
 
 Grows the geranium's* scarlet bloom ; 
 
 And winds our path through many a bower 
 
 Of fragrant tree and giant flower : — 
 
 The ceiba'sf crimson pomp display'd 
 
 O'er the broad plantain's humbler shade, 
 
 And dusk anana's prickly blade ; 
 
 While, o'er the brake so wild and fair, 
 
 The betel waves his crest in air. 
 
 With pendent train and rustling wings, 
 
 Aloft the gorgeous peacock springs ; 
 
 And he, the bird of hundred dyes, 
 
 Whose plumes the dames of Ava prize. — 
 
 So rich a shade, so green a sod, 
 
 Our English fairies never trod ; 
 
 Yet, who in Indian bower has stood, 
 
 But thought on England's '« good greenwood;" 
 
 And bless'd, beneath the palmy shade, 
 
 Her hazel and her hawthorn glade ; 
 
 And breath'd a prayer (how oft in vain!) 
 
 To gaze upon her oaks again. 
 
 A truce to thought ! the jackal's cry 
 Resounds like silvan revelry ; 
 
 * A shrub whose deep scarlet flowers very much resemble the ge- 
 ranium, and thence called the Indian geranium. 
 
 | The ceiba is the wild cotton-tree. A canoe, made from a single 
 trunk of this tree, has been known to contain a hundred persons. 
 
AN EVENING WALK IN BENGAL. 101 
 
 And, through the trees, yon failing ray 
 
 Will scantly serve to guide our way. 
 
 Yet, mark ! as fade the upper skies, 
 
 Each thicket opes ten thousand eyes : — 
 
 Before, beside us, and above, 
 
 The fire-fly lights his lamp of love, 
 
 Retreating, chasing, sinking, soaring, 
 
 The darkness of the copse exploring; 
 
 While, to this cooler air confest, 
 
 The broad dhatura bares her breast, 
 
 Of fragrant scent, and virgin white, 
 
 A pearl around the locks of night ! 
 
 Still as we pass, in soften'd hum, 
 
 Along the breezy alleys come 
 
 The village song, — the horn, — the drum. — 
 
 Still as we pass, from bush and brier, 
 
 The shrill cigala strikes his lyre ; 
 
 And, what is she whose liquid strain 
 
 Thrills through yon copse of sugar-cane 1 
 
 I know the soul entrancing swell ! 
 
 It is — it must be — Philomel ! 
 
 Enough ! enough ! the rustling trees 
 Announce a shower upon the breeze. — 
 The flashes of the summer sky 
 Assume a deeper, ruddier dye ; 
 Yon lamp that trembles on the stream 
 From forth our cabin sheds its beam ; 
 And we must early sleep, to find, 
 Betimes, the morning's healthy wind. 
 But, oh ! with thankful hearts confess 
 Even here there may be happiness ; 
 And He, the bounteous Sire, — has given 
 His peace on earth — his hope in heaven. 
 
 Heber. 
 
102 
 
 ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 
 
 The ascent to the summit of Mont Blanc has always been reckoned 
 among the boldest enterprises of a traveller. Many attempts 
 have been made, but very few have proved successful. In Au- 
 gust, 1827, the ascent was performed by Mr. John Auldjo, who 
 published a very animated account of his perilous journey. We 
 select a few extracts fitted to give some idea of the many hair- 
 breath escapes that he and his party made when passing the 
 fearful chasms that impeded their progress. The weather being 
 favourable, the author set out from Chamounix, accompanied by 
 eight guides, four of whom had been previously up to the top of 
 Mont Blanc. They were also accompanied by some persons ; but 
 having mounted to a considerable height, the latter took leave, 
 whilst they connected themselves together by ropes and proceeded 
 on their perilous way. 
 
 " We were surrounded by ice piled up in mountains, 
 crevices presenting themselves at every step, and 
 masses half sunk in some deep gulf; the remainder, 
 raised above us, seemed to put insurmountable bar- 
 riers to our proceeding ; yet some part was found 
 where steps could be cut out with the hatchet; and 
 we passed over these bridges, often grasping the ice 
 with one hand, while the other, bearing the pole, 
 balanced the body, hanging over some abyss, into 
 which the eye penetrated, and searched in vaim for 
 the extremity. Sometimes we were obliged to climb 
 up from one crag of ice to another, sometimes to 
 scramble along a ledge on our hands and knees, often 
 descending into a deep chasm on the one side, and 
 scaling the slippery precipice on the other. 
 
 " A large mass of ice now opposed our progress : we 
 passed it by climbing up its glassy sides. After wind- 
 ing some time among chasms and enormous towers, we 
 arrived at the edge of another crevice, over which we 
 could see but one bridge, that not of ice, but of snow 
 
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 103 
 
 only, and so thin that it was deemed impossible to trust 
 to it. A plan was resorted to, which enabled us to pass 
 over in safety : our batons were placed on it, and in 
 doing- so the centre gave way, and fell into the gulf; 
 however, enough remained on each side to form sup- 
 ports for the ends of these poles, and nine of them 
 made a narrow bridge, requiring great percaution and 
 steadiness to traverse. Other crevices were passed 
 over on bridges of snow, too weak to allow of walking 
 on, or too extended to admit this application of the 
 poles. A strong guide managed to creep over, and a 
 rope being tied round the waist of a second, who lay on 
 his back, he was in that position pulled across by the 
 first. In this manner the whole party were drawn 
 singly over the crevice." 
 
 Rather more than half-way up the mountain, two sharp pinnacles 
 of rock, called the Grand and Petit Mulets, rise above the snow and 
 ice. The Grand Mulet usually affords shelter to the adventurers 
 during the first night of their journey, if not also during the second 
 —for the ascent and descent together more frequently require three 
 than two days. When the party approached the Grand Mulet, they 
 found it nearly inaccessible, in consequence of a tremendous fissure 
 immediately below it. In front was a solid wall of ice of prodigious 
 height, to which there was only one perilous approach by means of 
 a promontory projecting from the site on which the party stood. 
 Coutet the chief guide cut steps in the wall with his hatchet, and 
 thus enabled the party to climb over it. After ascending the wall, 
 Mr. Auldjo's route lay for some distance along the top, which was 
 very narrow, and inclined in each direction towards unfathomable 
 gulfs. 
 
 " Taking my steps with the greatest caution, I could 
 not prevent myself from slipping ; as the space became 
 wider I became less cautious, and while looking over 
 the edge into the upper crevice, my feet slid from under 
 me : I came down on my face, and glided rapidly to- 
 wards the lower one : I cried out, but the guides who 
 
104 ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 
 
 held the ropes attached to me did not stop me, though 
 they stood firm. I had got to the extent of the rope, 
 my feet hanging over the low crevice, one hand grasp- 
 ing firmly the pole, the other my hat. The guides 
 called to me to be cool and not afraid ; a pretty time 
 to be cool, hanging over an abyss, and in momentary 
 expectation of falling into it ! They made no attempt 
 to pull me up for some moments, but then, desiring me 
 to raise myself, they drew in the rope until I was close 
 to them and in safety. The reason for this procedure 
 is obvious. Had they attempted, on the bad and un- 
 certain footing in which they stood, to check me at the 
 first gliding, they might have lost their own balance, and 
 oar destruction would have followed ; but by fixing 
 themselves firmly in the cut step, and securing them- 
 selves with their batons, they were enabled to support 
 me with certainty when the rope had gone its length. 
 This also gave me time to recover, that I might assist 
 them in placing myself out of danger." 
 
 The place appropriated for the repose of the travellers during the 
 night, is a ledge near the top of the Grand Mulet, where it is just 
 possible, by laying the batons against the rock, to form a kind of tent 
 sufficient to cover the party during their sleep. Between the Grand 
 Mulet and the base of the summit expressly termed Mont Blanc, the 
 way zigzags along a vast ascending hollow, broken by three plains 
 of ice, the last of which is called the Grand Plateau. 
 
 " At last we attained the Grand Plateau, the largest 
 of the plains of ice on the mountain. The view from 
 this situation is very fine ; the mountains around, all 
 rising directly from the plain, have a most striking 
 appearance ; some large crevices intersect it, and others 
 extend immediately under Mont Blanc, where the guides 
 were lost in 1820. There is also a great accumulation 
 of broken ice and snow from avalanches, on the part 
 close to Mont Blanc and the Dome. 
 
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 105 
 
 " The sun was shining on some parts of the Plateau, 
 but far from us. As we felt the cold bitterly we agreed 
 to stop at the commencement of the plain, in a crevice 
 of from fifteen to twenty feet in width. In it we found 
 a bridge, which on examination, was considered strong 
 enough to bear the whole party at once, and being down 
 in the chasm, it would shelter us from the north wind, 
 which had blown strongly the whole morning, and now 
 cut us most acutely on our elevated situation. We 
 therefore chose this bridge to breakfast upon. It was 
 past seven, and we had been walking for more than four 
 hours and a half, without any rest but the wearying and 
 tedious halting which I have described. It was with 
 pleasure that I found all anxious to stop in this com- 
 fortable crevice ; comfortable compared with our previous 
 exposure to the wind, but still very cold. 
 
 " While breakfast was preparing, I could not resist 
 the temptation of wandering along the edge of the cre- 
 vice on the Plateau side. The depth of it was immense. 
 The deep bluish-green layers of ice, now varying into 
 others more or less so, and sometimes nearly white, 
 were shown to great advantage, with thousands of long 
 clear icicles hanging from all the little breaks in the 
 strata. Immediately to the right of our bridge, I found 
 that the opposite side of the crevice formed an obtuse 
 angle, from which a wall of ice passed along the side 
 of the hill which we had last ascended. The side I was 
 standing on joined an immense wall or precipice, which 
 crossed the remainder of the space between the angle 
 thus formed and the Mont Blanc du Tacul, forming a 
 barrier to that part of the Plateau. Under our bridge I 
 could see, and the manner in which it hung suspended, 
 with all the guides sitting on it, was a beautiful and 
 curious sight. It thrilled through my body, my blood 
 curdled at the thought, that in one moment, without a 
 8 
 
106 ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 
 
 chance of escaping", they might be all precipitated into 
 eternity. Yet no such idea ever entered the imagina- 
 tion of the thoughtless but brave guides, who sat singing, 
 laughing, and eating as hearty a meal as if each was 
 safely at home by his own fireside, either unconscious 
 or regardless of the danger of their present situation. 
 
 " The time allotted for our repast was agreeably 
 passed, not one of the party regretting his having en- 
 gaged in this expedition, and all desirous of proceeding ; 
 therefore the meal was no sooner finished than we pre- 
 pared to depart, leaving most of the provisions and all 
 the knapsacks which we had brought there but one. 
 This contained bottles of negus, a mixture of vinegar, 
 wine, and water, boiled with spices and a great deal of 
 sugar (a capital beverage for such an expedition), 
 lemonade, and one chicken, in case any of us should 
 feel disposed to eat on the summit. 
 
 " We traversed the Plateau, winding towards the left, 
 or Mont Blanc du Tacul, leaving the old route which 
 led right across the plain, and ascended the steep masses 
 of snow and ice which hang on this side of Mont Blanc, 
 so delicately and dangerously poised, that the slightest 
 noise or concussion of the air, even that proceeding from 
 speaking, moves them from their situation, and they 
 fall, rushing down the declivities with overwhelming 
 velocity, widening as they proceed, till at last they ex- 
 tend from one side of the mountain to the other, and 
 cover the plain below with debris. It was one of those 
 avalanches, or slips of snow, w T hich, in this very spot 
 involved and buried under its mass, in the deep crevice, 
 the three unfortunate men who were lost in the expedi- 
 tion formed by Du Hamel. 
 
 "At last the sun shone forth with animating heat, 
 and w r elcome was it to us, for our pace was too steady 
 and slow to give us an opportunity of keeping ourselves 
 
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 107 
 
 warm by exercise. Cold and shivering as we were, 
 we could hardly bear the fatigue we httd now to en- 
 counter, or undertake to pass the dangerous point which 
 we found in the direction of our march, and which must 
 be got over, though it was some consolation that it was 
 known to be the last trial we were to undergo, after it 
 there being only two enemies to contend with — the rari- 
 fied air, or the fatigue arising from climbing the almost 
 perpendicular ascent which leads directly to the summit. 
 
 " The approach to this last danger was from the Pla- 
 teau descending into a broken crevice, and thence as- 
 cending a cliff of snow exceedingly steep, which brought 
 us to a wall of ice some feet in height; having scaled 
 which, we found a declivity of snow, inclining towards 
 a precipice, at an angle of 70°. Along the edge of this 
 precipice we had to walk for some minutes, and then in 
 zigzag to ascend the hill until we came to a plain. 
 This was a difficult thing to accomplish, and to keep a 
 footing in the awkward position in which we were 
 obliged to move, supporting ourselves with the right 
 hand buried in the snow, which was beginning to soften, 
 to keep our bodies up ; then the steps being cut, and soon 
 worn by those who trod in them first, made it a hazardous 
 enterprise to move forward ; and to retreat was impos- 
 sible. No accident did occur, and I thought it quite 
 miraculous. 
 
 " Our success now was quite certain, and we con- 
 gratulated each other on this happy circumstance, which 
 inspired each member of the party with fresh animation 
 and spirit. 
 
 11 While engaged in passing this last difficulty, our 
 attention was arrested by a loud noise or hissing sound, 
 which the guides knew to proceed from some vast body 
 of ice and snow falling in avalanche. It lasted some 
 
108 ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 
 
 moments, and finished by a report which must have 
 been caused by Jhe precipitation of some immense mass 
 upon a rock or plain. In an instant the stillness which 
 had been disturbed resumed its reign. A great ava- 
 lanche had fallen. The guides decided that it was upon 
 the Italian side of the mountain, but were mistaken, as 
 was afterwards discovered. 
 
 44 A plain of snow which presented no difficulty allow- 
 ed us to proceed with great comfort and to quicken our 
 pace. For some minutes we passed along the base of 
 the rocks called Rochers Rouges, and came to an ascent 
 of snow leading to their summit. It was here that I 
 first felt any effect from the rarity of the air ; for soon 
 after I began to ascend there was an oppression on the 
 chest, a difficulty of breathing, a quickness of pulsation 
 soon followed, with a great inclination to thirst, and a 
 fulness in the veins of the head ; but still I experienced 
 no headache, nor was there the slightest symptom of 
 haemorrhage. Most of the guides were affected in the 
 same way. 
 
 "At nine o'clock we were on the last point of the 
 Rochers Rouges, and came again into the old line of 
 ascent, which we had quitted, on the Grand Plateau, the 
 first deviation from which had been made by Messrs. 
 Hames and Fellows on the 25th July last. These gen- 
 tlemen pursued the route which I followed. 
 
 44 1 felt a little exhausted, and was greatly disap- 
 pointed of finding that the lemonade, the best thing that 
 could be used for refreshing our weakened powers, had 
 been lost by the breaking of the bottles. I was obliged 
 to proceed without relief, being afraid to attack the 
 negus, for the guides must have shared it, and we might 
 find the want of it when we had got higher up, and 
 when the increase of fatigue, and the rarity of air, would 
 
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 109 
 
 render it more necessary to us than at present, every 
 few paces that we ascended the oppression and suffer- 
 ing becoming greater. 
 
 " We crossed a plain of snow, which rose gently from 
 the Rochers Rouges ; at the end of it was the only cre- 
 vice we had met for some time. It was deep and wide. 
 One bridge was tried, but it gave way ; a little further 
 another was found, over which we managed to pass, by 
 placing the batons on it, and being drawn over on our 
 backs. Two or three managed to cross on another, using 
 great care, and joined us; but when we had proceeded 
 up the acclivity before us some little distance, we were 
 surprised by a shrill scream; on turning we beheld 
 Coutet, the principal guide, up to his neck in the snow 
 covering the crevice. He had wandered from the party, 
 and coming to the crack, sought and found the place 
 where the guides had walked across, and attempted to 
 follow their course; but not taking the proper care to 
 choose their footsteps, had got about eighteen inches on 
 one side of them, and the consequence was, that when 
 in the centre, he sunk up to his shoulders, saving him- 
 self from inevitable destruction only by stretching out 
 his arms, his baton by mere chance coming obliquely on 
 the bridge, otherwise he would have slipped through, 
 and all attempts to have saved or raised him out of the 
 crevice would have been impossible. The perilous situ- 
 ation he was in was appalling ; all ran down to him, and 
 he was drawn out, but had nearly lost his presence of 
 mind, so greatly had he been terrified. However, he 
 soon recovered, and acknowledged his want of precau- 
 tion, which had very nearly destroyed the pleasure of 
 the undertaking, when we were so near its happy con- 
 clusion. 
 
 u The ascent from this point was very steep, and the 
 difficulty of surmounting it was greatly increased ; for 
 
110 ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 
 
 those effects of the rarity of th$ atmosphere which we 
 had felt previously, now became exceedingly oppressive. 
 The new symptoms I now experienced were violent pal- 
 pitation of the heart, a general lassitude of the frame, 
 and a very distressing sensation of pain in the knees 
 and muscles of the thigh, causing weakness of the legs, 
 and rendering it scarcely possible to move them. We 
 had to climb about one hour to get to the summit; but 
 this part of the undertaking required a most extraordi- 
 nary exertion, and severe labour it was. At length I 
 found myself upon the summit. I hastened to the 
 highest point (towards Chamounix) ; and taking my 
 glass, observed that the party on the Breven had no- 
 ticed the accomplishment of our undertaking, and were 
 rewarding us by waving their hats and handkerchiefs, 
 which salutation we returned. 
 
 " The most peculiar sensation which all have felt 
 who have gained this great height, arises from the aw- 
 ful stillness which reigns, almost unbroken even by the 
 voice of those speaking to one another, for its feeble 
 sound can hardly be heard. Nothing I ever beheld could 
 exceed the singular and splendid appearance which the 
 sun and sky presented. The blue colour of the one had 
 increased to such a depth as to be almost black, while 
 the sun's disc had become excessively small, and of a 
 perfect and brilliant white. I also experienced the sen- 
 sation of lightness of body, of which Captain Sherwell 
 has given a description in the following words: — 'It 
 appeared as if I could have passed the blade of a knife 
 under the sole of my shoes, or between them and the 
 ice on which I stood.' " 
 
 Mr. Auldjo began the descent at noon, with the view of getting 
 back to Chamounix that night. When this gentleman and his party 
 had regained a particular part of the Plateau, they discovered that, 
 by a slight variation in their ascending route, they had escaped a slip 
 
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. Ill 
 
 of snow which had been precipitated down the usual track at the 
 moment when they must have been upon it, so that the whole might 
 consider their lives as saved by a mere accident. In crossing the 
 Plateau, Mr. Auldjo and his party suffered greatly from burning heat, 
 and also from the toilsomenesa of the march, the snow being at this 
 period of the day melted to such a degree as to take them up to the 
 knees at every step. The precipitous intervals between the various 
 plateaux were descended by sliding — a method not without its peiils, 
 as an individual, in attempting it, is liable to overshoot his point, and 
 glide into chasms from which he might never again ascend. As they 
 proceeded, the materials of a thunder-storm gathered in the sky, and 
 a thick sleet began to fall. Some time after passing the Grand Mulct, 
 perplexed by the storm, they lost their way, and soon found them- 
 selves wandering amidst numberless crevices, where progress was 
 not less difficult than dangerous. 
 
 " The storm recommenced with greater violence than 
 before; the hailstones, large and sharp, driven with 
 force by the wind, inflicted great pain on the face; we 
 were exposed to it, standing on a narrow ledge, over- 
 hanging an abyss. Here we awaited for a short time 
 the return of two guides, sent to explore the crevices 
 and banks around us, in an endeavour to discover the 
 route of our ascent, but with very little hope of success ; 
 indeed, it was greatly feared that we should have to 
 remain where we were for that night. The storm, in- 
 creasing every instant, compelled us to seek some place 
 in the glacier in which we could obtain shelter; fol- 
 lowing the footmarks of the guides who had gone for- 
 ward, we succeeded in finding a recess, formed by the 
 projection of a part of the glacier over a narrow ledge 
 in the side of a crevice. We could form no idea of the 
 depth of the chasm, but its width appeared to be about 
 twenty feet, and its opposite side rose considerably above 
 us. Along this ledge we moved with great care, and 
 had just space to stand in a bending posture, and in a 
 row. Wet through, and suffering excruciating torture 
 from the cold, our position was both painful and danger- 
 
112 ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 
 
 ous. The tempest raged with the most awful fury ; the 
 gusts of wind sweeping through the chasm with tre- 
 mendous violence, the pelting showers of hail, accom- 
 panied by most vivid lightning, and peals of thunder, 
 alternating with a perfect calm, were enough to appal 
 the bravest of the party 
 
 " We waited for some time in this situation, when, in 
 one of those moments of calm, we heard the loud halloo 
 of one of the exploring guides, who was returning to us, 
 and called to us to advance, for they had found the 
 angle which we had so much difficulty in climbing up 
 the day before. We soon joined him and his companion, 
 who conducted us to it. Nearly deprived of the use of 
 my limbs, from the excessive cold and wet state of my 
 apparel, I could scarcely walk ; my fingers were nearly 
 frozen, and my hands so stiffened and senseless, that I 
 could not hold my baton, or keep myself from falling. " 
 
 It was in this state that Mr. Auldjo was brought to a wall of ice 
 which he had to descend for a certain way, in order to get upon a 
 point on the opposite side of the chasm. 
 
 " Being incapable of making any exertion, I was 
 lowered down to the guides, who were already on the 
 ledge beneath the wall. At the very moment I was 
 rocking in the air, a flash of lightning penetrated into 
 the abyss, and showed all the horrors of my situation ; 
 while the crash of the thunder seemed to tear the gla- 
 cier down upon me. I was drawn on to the neck of ice, 
 and set down until the other guides had descended. 
 The hearts of two or three failed, and they declared that 
 we must all perish ; the others, though conscious of our 
 awfully dangerous position, endeavoured to raise the 
 courage and keep up the spirits of the depressed. All 
 suffered dreadfully from the cold, but, with a solicitude 
 for which I shall ever feel deeply grateful, they still at- 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 113 
 
 tended to me in the kindest manner. They desired me 
 to stand up, and, forming a circle, in the centre of which 
 I stood, closed round me. In a few minutes, the warmth 
 of their bodies extended itself to mine, and I felt much 
 relieved ; they then took off their coats, covering me 
 with them, and each in turn put my hands into his 
 bosom, while another lay on my feet. In ten minutes I 
 was in a state to proceed." 
 
 At no late hour in the evening, Mr. Auldjo returned to Chamounix, 
 from which he had been only thirty- seven hours absent. He was 
 met and congratulated by a great number of strangers and natives 
 who had felt an interest in his undertaking, and to all of whom he 
 declared that the magnificence of what he had seen much more than 
 compensated for the pain of what he had felt. 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 The colony of Senegal, on the coast of Africa, was 
 captured from the French by the English in the year 
 1809, but was ceded to its former masters at the peace 
 of 1815, when the French government fitted out an ex- 
 pedition, consisting of the governor and other functiona- 
 ries, to take possession of the restored settlement. The 
 vessels dispatched for this purpose (May 1816) were 
 the Medusa frigate, the Loire store-ship, the Argus brig, 
 and the Echo corvette. On board of the Medusa, there 
 was a family of the name of Picard, whose story, from 
 the sufferings which they endured, has excited no small 
 degree of sympathy. Monsieur Picard, the father, was^ 
 an aged man, and a lawyer by profession, who had 
 sought for, and with difficulty obtained, the situation of 
 
114 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 resident attorney at Senegal, where he had formerly 
 been for several years. He was accompanied by his 
 eldest daughter, Mademoiselle, and her sister Catherine, 
 both children by a first marriage, and his wife and 
 younger daughters; the whole composing a happy 
 group, but ill calculated to endure the horrors which 
 overtook the luckless expedition. 
 
 During several days the voyage was delightful. All 
 the ships of the expedition kept together; but at length 
 the breeze became changeable, and they all disappeared 
 from each other. The Peak of Teneriffe was passed 
 by the Medusa on the 28th of June, and soon the shores 
 of Sahara came in sight. Off this low part of the 
 coast of Africa lies the Arguin Bank, a sandy reef, 
 dangerous to mariners, and which the ignorant and 
 headstrong captain of the Medusa, notwithstanding all 
 the hints on the subject, persisted in disregarding. In 
 the mean while, the wind, blowing with great violence, 
 impelled the vessel nearer and nearer to the danger 
 which menaced it. A species of stupor overpowered 
 the minds of those on board, and a mournful silence 
 prevailed. The colour of the water entirely changed ; 
 a circumstance remarked even by the ladies. About 
 three in the afternoon of the 2d of July, being in 19° 
 30' north latitude, a universal cry was heard upon deck. 
 All declared they saw the sand rolling among the ripples 
 of the sea. The captain in an instant ordered to sound. 
 The line gave eighteen fathoms, but on a second sound- 
 ing it gave only six. He at last saw his error, and 
 hesitated no longer on changing the route, but it was 
 too late. A strong concussion told that the frigate had 
 struck. Terror and consternation were instantly de- 
 picted in every face ; the crew stood motionless, and 
 the passengers were in utter despair. The account of 
 the miserable shipwreck which ensued is already well 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 115 
 
 known. Not only the worst possible management was 
 displayed, but an absolute want of humanity and 
 bravery. The governor and other exalted functionaries 
 attempted to leave the crew and humbler passengers to 
 their fate, but were prevented by the soldiers : at 
 length a raft was formed and covered with passengers, 
 nearly all of whom perished either by one another's 
 knives, by hunger, or by drowning ; several boats were 
 also filled, but only two were properly provisioned ; 
 and, in short, out of four hundred persons who were 
 on board, onty a few reached Senegal in the provision- 
 ed boats, and two small parties were able to effect a 
 landing, which was not till the fourth day after the 
 abandonment of the wreck, and when hunger overcame 
 the fear of the natives. 
 
 Among the persons who reached the shore, were the 
 Picards, in a state approaching to utter destitution. 
 44 Doubtless, we experienced great joy at having es- 
 caped the fury of the flood (says Mademoiselle, the 
 eldest daughter, in her narrative, which we quote in an 
 abridged form), but how much was it lessened by the 
 feelings of our horrible situation ! Without water, 
 without provisions, and the majority of us nearly naked, 
 was it to be wondered at that we should be seized with 
 terror, on thinking on the obstacles which we had to 
 surmount, the fatigues, the privations, the pains, and 
 the sufferings, we had to endure, with the dangers we 
 had to encounter in the immense and frightful desert 
 we had to traverse before we could arrive at our des- 
 tination. About seven in the morning, a caravan was 
 formed to penetrate into the interior, for the purpose of 
 finding some fresh water. We did accordingly find 
 some at a little distance from the sea, by digging among 
 the sand. Every one instantly flocked round the little 
 wells, which furnished enough to quench our thirst. 
 
116 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 This brackish water was found to be delicious, although 
 it had a sulphureous taste; its colour was that of whey. 
 As all our clothes were wet and in tatters, and as we 
 had nothing to change them, some generous officers 
 offered theirs. My stepmother, my cousin, and my 
 sister, were dressed in them ; for myself, I prefened 
 keeping my own. We remained nearly an hour beside 
 our beneficent fountain, then took the route for Senegal ; 
 that is, a southerly direction, for we did not know ex- 
 actly where that country lay. It was agreed that the 
 females and children should walk before the caravan, 
 that they might not be left behind. The sailors volun- 
 tarily carried the youngest on their shoulders, and every 
 one took the route along the coast. Notwithstanding 
 it was nearly seven o'clock, the sand was quite burning, 
 and we suffered severely, walking without encountering 
 any thing but shells, which wounded our feet. 
 
 "On the morning of the 9 th, we saw an antelope on 
 the top of a little hill, which instantly disappeared be- 
 fore we had time to shoot it. The desert seemed to our 
 view one immense plain of sand, on which was seen 
 not one blade of verdure. However, we still found 
 water by digging in the sand. In the forenoon, two 
 officers of marine complained that our family incommo- 
 ded the progress of the caravan. It is true the females 
 and the children could not walk so quickly as the men. 
 We walked as fast as it was possible for us ; neverthe- 
 less, we often fell behind, which obliged them to halt 
 till we came up. These officers, joined with other in- 
 dividuals, considered among themselves whether they 
 would wait for us, or abandon us in the desert. I will 
 be bold to say, however, that but few were of the latter 
 opinion. My father being informed of what was plot- 
 ting against us, stepped up to the chiefs of the conspi- 
 racy, and reproached them in the bitterest terms for 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 117 
 
 their selfishness and brutality. The dispute waxed hot. 
 Those who were desirous of leaving us drew their 
 swords, and my father put his hand upon a poniard, 
 with which he had provided himself on quitting the 
 frigate. At this scene, we threw ourselves in between 
 them, conjuring him rather to remain in the desert with 
 his family, than seek the assistance of those who were, 
 perhaps, less humane than the Moors themselves. Seve- 
 ral people took our part, particularly M. Begnere, cap- 
 tain of infantry, who quieted the dispute by saying to 
 his soldiers, * My friends, you are Frenchmen, and I 
 have the honour to be your commander ; let us never 
 abandon an unfortunate family in the desert, so long 
 as we are able to be of use to them.' This brief but 
 energetic speech caused those to blush who wished to 
 leave us. All then joined with the old captain, saying 
 they would not leave us on condition we would walk 
 quicker. M. Begnere and his soldiers replied, they did 
 not wish to impose conditions on those to whom they 
 were desirous of doing a favour; and the unfortunate 
 family of Picard were again on the road with the whole 
 caravan. 
 
 " About noon, hunger was felt so powerfully among 
 us, that it was agreed upon to go to the small hills of 
 sand which were near the coast, to see if any herbs 
 could be found fit for eating ; but we only got poison- 
 ous plants, among which were various kinds of euphor- 
 bium. Convolvuli of a bright green carpeted the downs ; 
 but on tasting their leaves, we found them as bitter as 
 gall. The caravan rested in this place, whilst several 
 officers went farther into the interior. They came back 
 in about an hour, loaded with wild purslain, which they 
 distributed to each of us. Every one instantly devoured 
 his bunch of herbage, without leaving the smallest 
 branch; but as our hunger was far from being satisfied 
 
118 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 with this small allowance, the soldiers and sailors be- 
 took themselves to look for more. They soon brought 
 back a sufficient quantity, which was equally distri- 
 buted, and devoured upon the spot, so delicious had 
 hunger made that food to us. For myself, I declare I 
 never ate any thing with so much appetite in all my 
 life. Water was also found in this place, but it was of 
 an abominable taste. After this truly frugal repast, we 
 continued our route. The heat was insupportable in 
 the last degree. The sands on which we trode were 
 burning; nevertheless, several of us walked on these 
 scorching coals without shoes; and the females had no- 
 thing but their hair for a cap. When we reached the 
 sea-shore, we all ran and lay down among the waves. 
 After remaining there some time, we took our route 
 along the wet beach. On our journey we met with 
 several large crabs, which were of considerable service 
 to us. Every now and then we endeavoured to slake 
 our thirst by sucking their crooked claws. About nine 
 at night we halted between two pretty high sand-hills. 
 After a short talk concerning our misfortunes, all seemed 
 desirous of passing the night in this place, notwith- 
 standing we heard on every side the roaring of leo- 
 pards. 
 
 " Our situation had been thus perilous during the 
 night ; nevertheless, at break of day we had the satis- 
 faction of finding none missing. About sunrise we held 
 a little to the east, to get farther into the interior to find 
 fresh water, and lost much time in a vain search. The 
 country which we now traversed was a little less arid 
 than that which we had passed the preceding day. The 
 hills, the valleys, and a vast plain of sand, were 
 strewed with mimosa or sensitive plants, presenting to 
 our sight a scene we had never before seen in the desert. 
 The country is bounded as it were by a chain of moun- 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 119 
 
 tains, or high downs of sand, in the direction of north 
 and south, without the slightest trace of cultivation. 
 
 " Towards ten in the morning, some of our companions 
 were desirous of making observations in the interior, 
 and they did not go in vain. They instantly returned, 
 and told us they had seen two Arab tents upon a slight 
 rising ground. . We instantly directed our steps thither. 
 We had to pass great downs of sand very slippery, and 
 arrived in a large plain, streaked here and there with 
 verdure ; but the turf was so hard and piercing, that we 
 could scarcely walk over it without wounding our feet. 
 Our presence in these frightful solitudes put to flight 
 three or four Moorish shepherds, w T ho herded a small 
 flock of sheep and goats in an oasis. At last we arrived 
 at the tents after which we were searching, and found in 
 them three Mooresses and two little children, who did 
 not seem in the least frightened by our visit. A negro 
 servant, belonging to an officer of marine, interpreted 
 between us and the good women, who, when they had 
 heard of our misfortunes, offered us millet and water for 
 payment. We bought a little of that grain at the rate 
 of thirty pence a handful : the water was got for three 
 francs a glass ; it was very good, and none grudged the 
 money it cost. As a glass of water, with a handful of 
 millet, was but a poor dinner for famished people, my 
 father bought two kids, which they would not give him 
 under twenty piastres. We immediately killed them, 
 and our Mooresses boiled them in a large kettle." 
 
 Resuming their march, the party fell in with several 
 friendly Moors or Arabs, who conducted them to their 
 encampment. " We found a Moor in the camp who 
 had previously known my father in Senegal, and who 
 spoke a little French. We were all struck with astonish- 
 ment at the unexpected meeting. My father recollected 
 having employed long ago a young goldsmith at Sen- 
 
1210 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 egal, and, discovering the Moor Amet to be the same 
 person, shook him by the hand. After that good fellow 
 had been made acquainted with our shipwreck, and to 
 what extremities our unfortunate family had been 
 reduced, he could not refrain from tears. Amet was 
 not satisfied with deploring our hard fate ; he was 
 desirous of proving that he was generous and humane, 
 and instantly distributed among us a large quantity of 
 milk and water free of any charge. He also raised for 
 our family a large tent of the skins of camels, cattle, 
 and sheep, because his religion would not allow him to 
 lodge with Christians under the same roof. The place 
 appeared very dark, and the obscurity made us uneasy. 
 Amet and our conductors lighted a large fire to quiet us ; 
 and at last bidding us good night, and retiring to his 
 tent, said, * Sleep in peace ; the God of the Christians 
 is also the God of the Mussulmen.' " 
 
 Next day the band of wayfarers, assisted by asses 
 which they had hired from the Moors, regained the sea- 
 shore, still pursuing the route for Senegal, and they had 
 the satisfaction of perceiving a ship out at sea, to which 
 they made signals. " The vessel having approached 
 sufficiently near the coast, the Moors who were with 
 us threw themselves into the sea, and swam to it. In 
 about half an hour we saw these friendly assistants 
 returning, making float before them three small barrels. 
 Arrived on shore, one of them gave a letter to the leader 
 of our party from the commander of the ship, which 
 was the Argus, a vessel sent to seek after the raft, and 
 to give us provisions. This letter announced a small 
 barrel of biscuit, a tierce of wine, a half tierce of brandy, 
 and a Dutch cheese. Oh, fortunate event ! We were 
 very desirous of testifying our gratitude to the generous 
 commander of the brig, but he instantly set out and left 
 us. We staved the barrels which held our small stock 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 121 
 
 of provisions, and made a distribution. Each of us had 
 a biscuit, about a glass of wine, a half glass of brandy, 
 and a small morsel of cheese. Each drank his allow- 
 ance of wine at one gulp; the brandy was not even 
 despised by the ladies. I however preferred quantity 
 to quality, and exchanged my ration of brandy for one of 
 wine. To describe our joy, whilst taking this repast, 
 is impossible. Exposed to the fierce rays of a vertical 
 sun, exhausted by a long train of suffering, deprived for 
 a long while of the use of any kind of spirituous liquors, 
 when our portions of water, wine and brandy, mingled 
 in our stomachs, we became like insane people. Life, 
 which had lately been a great burden, now became 
 precious to us. Foreheads, lowering and sulky, began 
 to unwrinkle ; enemies became most brotherly ; the 
 avaricious endeavoured to forget their selfishness and 
 cupidity ; the children smiled for the first time since our 
 ship wreck ; in a word, every one seemed to be born 
 again from a condition melancholy and dejected. 
 
 " About six in the evening, my father finding him- 
 self extremely fatigued, wished to rest himself. We 
 allowed the caravan to move on, whilst my stepmother 
 and myself remained near him, and the rest of the 
 family followed with their asses. We all three soon 
 fell asleep. When we awoke, we were astonished at 
 not seeing our companions. The sun was sinking in 
 the west. We saw several Moors approaching us, 
 mounted on camels; and my father reproached himself 
 for having slept so long. Their appearance gave us 
 great uneasiness, and we wished much to escape from 
 them, but my stepmother and myself fell quite exhausted. 
 The Moors with long beards, having come quite close 
 to us, one of them alighted, and addressed us in the 
 following words : i Be comforted, ladies : under the 
 •ostume of an Arab, you see an Englishman who it 
 9 
 
122 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 desirous of serving you. Having- heard at Senegal that 
 Frenchmen were thrown ashore on these deserts, I 
 thought my presence might be of some service to them, 
 as I was acquainted with several of the princes of this 
 arid country.' These noble words from the mouth of 
 a man we had at first taken to be a Moor, instantly 
 quieted our fears. Recovering from our fright, we rose 
 and expressed to the philanthropic Englishman the 
 gratitude we felt. Mr. Carnet, the name of the generous 
 Briton, told us that our caravan, which he had met, 
 waited for us at about the distance of two leagues. He 
 then gave us some biscuit, which we ate ; and we then 
 set off together to join our companions. Mr. Carnet 
 wished us to mount his camels, but my stepmother and 
 myself, being unable to persuade ourselves we could sit 
 •securely on their hairy haunches, continued to walk on 
 the moist sand; whilst my father, Mr. Carnet, and the 
 Moors who accompanied him, proceeded on the camels. 
 We soon reached a little river, of which we wished to 
 drink, but found it as salt as the sea. Mr. Carnet 
 desired us to have patience, and we should find some 
 at the place where our caravan waited. We forded that 
 river knee-deep. At last, having walked about an hour, 
 we rejoined our companions, who had found several 
 wells of fresh water. It was resolved to pass the night 
 in this place, which seemed less arid than any we saw 
 near us. The soldiers being requested to go and seek 
 wood to light a fire, for the purpose of frightening the 
 ferocious beasts which were heard roaring around us, 
 refused ; but Mr. Carnet assured us that the Moors who 
 were with him knew well how to keep all such intruders 
 from our camp. 
 
 " We passed a very good night, and at four in the 
 morning continued our route along the shore. Mr. Carnet 
 left us to endeavour to procure some provisions. At 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 123 
 
 noon, the heat became so violent, that even the Moors 
 themselves bore it with difficulty. We then deter- 
 mined on finding some shade behind the high mounds 
 of sand which appeared in the interior ; but how were 
 we to reach them 1 The sands could not be hotter. We 
 had been obliged to leave our asses on the shore, for 
 they would neither advance nor recede. The greater 
 part of us had neither shoes nor hats ; notwithstand- 
 ing, we were obliged to go forward almost a long 
 league to find a little shade. Whether from want of 
 air, or the heat of the ground on which we seated our- 
 selves, we were nearly suffocated. I thought my last 
 hour was come. Already my eyes saw nothing but a 
 dark cloud, when a person of the name of Borner, who 
 was to have been a smith at Senegal, gave me a boot 
 containing some muddy water, which he had had the 
 precaution to keep. I seized the elastic vase, and has- 
 tened to swallow the liquid in large draughts. One of 
 my companions, equally tormented with thirst, envious 
 of the pleasure I seemed to feel, and which I felt effec- 
 tually, drew the foot from the boot, and seized it in his 
 turn, but it availed him nothing. The water which re- 
 mained was so disgusting, that he could not drink it, 
 and spilled it on the ground. Captain Begnere, who 
 was present, judging, by the water that fell, how loath- 
 some must that have been which I had drunk, offered 
 me some crumbs of biscuit, which he had kept most 
 carefully in his pocket. I chewed that mixture of bread, 
 dust, and tobacco, but I could not swallow it, and gave 
 it all masticated to one of my younger brothers, who 
 had fallen from inanition. 
 
 " We were about to quit this furnace, when we saw 
 our generous Englishman approaching, who brought us 
 provisions. At this sight I felt my strength revive, 
 and ceased to desire death, which I had before called 
 
124 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 on to release me from my sufferings. Several Moors 
 accompanied Mr. Garnet, and every one was loaded. 
 On their arrival we had water, with rice and dried fish 
 in abundance. Every one drank his allowance of wa- 
 ter, but had not ability to eat, although the rice was 
 excellent. We were all anxious to return to the sea, 
 that we might bathe ourselves, and the caravan put 
 itself on the road to the breakers of Sahara. After an 
 hour's march of great suffering, we regained the shore, 
 as well as our asses, who were lying in the water. We 
 rushed among the waves, and after a bath of half an 
 hour, we reposed ourselves upon the beach." 
 
 There was still another day's painful travelling be- 
 fore reaching the banks of the river Senegal, where 
 boats were expected to be ready to convey the party to 
 the town of St. Louis, the place of their destination. 
 " During the day we hastened our march ; and for the 
 first time since our shipwreck, a smiling picture pre- 
 sented itself to our view. The trees always green, 
 with which that noble river is shaded, the humming- 
 birds, the red-birds, the paroquets, the promerops, and 
 others, who flitted among their long yielding branches, 
 caused in us emotions difficult to express. We could 
 not satiate our eyes gazing on the beauties of this place, 
 verdure being so enchanting to the sight, especially 
 after having travelled through the desert. Before reach- 
 ing the river, we had to descend a little hill covered 
 with thorny bushes. It was four o'clock in the after- 
 noon before the boats of the government arrived, and 
 we all embarked. Biscuit and wine were found in each 
 of them, and all were refreshed. After sailing for an 
 hour down the stream, we came in sight of St. Louis, 
 a town miserable in appearance, but delightful to our 
 vision after so much suffering. At six in the evening 
 we arrived at the fort, where the late English governor 
 
NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 125 
 
 and others, including our generous friend Mr. Garnet, 
 were met to receive us. My father presented us to the 
 governor, who had alighted. He appeared to be sen- 
 sibly affected with our misfortunes : the females and 
 children chiefly excited his commiseration ; and the na- 
 tive inhabitants and Europeans tenderly shook the hands 
 of the unfortunate people ; the negro slaves even seemed 
 to deplore our disastrous fate. 
 
 " The governor placed the most sickly of our com- 
 panions in an hospital ; various inhabitants of the 
 colony received others into their houses ; M. Artigue 
 obligingly took charge of oui family. Arriving at his 
 house, we there found his wife, two ladies, and an 
 English lady, who begged to be allowed to assist us. 
 Taking my sister Caroline and myself, she conducted 
 us to her house, and presented us to her husband, who 
 received us in the most affable manner ; after which she 
 led us to her dressing-room, where we were combed, 
 cleaned, and dressed by the domestic negresses, and 
 were most obligingly furnished with linen from her own 
 wardrobe, the whiteness of which was strongly con- 
 trasted with our sable countenances. In the midst of 
 my misfortunes my soul preserved all its strength; but 
 this sudden change of situation affected me so much, 
 that I thought my intellectual faculties were forsaking 
 me. When I had a little recovered from my faintness, 
 our generous hostess conducted us to the saloon, where 
 we found her husband and several English officers sit- 
 ting at table. These gentlemen invited us to partake 
 of their repast, but we took nothing but tea and some 
 pastry. Among these English was a young French- 
 man, who, speaking sufficiently well their language, 
 served to interpret between us. Inviting us to r 
 to them the story of our shipwreck and all our mis- 
 fortunes, which we did in few words, they were asto- 
 
126 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE PICARD FAMILY. 
 
 nished how females and children had been able to en- 
 dure so much fatigue and misery. As they saw we had 
 need of repose, they all retired, and our worthy Eng- 
 lishwoman put us to bed, where we were not long be- 
 fore we fell into a profound sleep." 
 
 Monsieur Picard and his family were now settled ; 
 but nothing but a series of misfortunes attended him, 
 the first of which was the death of his wife and seve- 
 ral of the children, who fell victims to the malignant 
 distempers of the country. The legal business which 
 he expected to form, entirely failed, from the poverty of 
 the people, and bad state of affairs of the colony. Poor 
 Picard, broken down with disasters and family afflic- 
 tions, after a manful struggle as an attorney, a trader, and 
 a cultivator of cotton, at length sank under the com- 
 plicated calamities which pressed upon him. He died, 
 in an almost destitute condition, of a broken heart. 
 " This last blow (says the narrator) plunged me into a 
 gloomy melancholy. I was indifferent to every thing. 
 I had seen, in three months, nearly all my relations 
 die. A young orphan (Alphonso Fleury), our cousin, 
 aged five years, to whom my father was tutor, and 
 whom he had always considered as his own child, my 
 sister Caroline, and myself, were all that remained of 
 the Picard Family, who, on setting out for Africa, con- 
 sisted of nine. We, too, had nearly followed our dear 
 parents to the grave. Our friends, however, by their 
 great care and attention, got us by degrees to recover 
 our composure, and chased from our thoughts the cruel 
 recollection which afflicted us. We recovered our tran- 
 quillity, and dai^ed at last to cherish the hope of seeing 
 more fortunate days. That hope was not delusive. A 
 worthy friend of my father, Monsieur Dard, who had 
 promised to act as a guardian to his orphan children, 
 proved himself a more than friendly benefactor. After 
 
THE OCEAN. 127 
 
 gathering together the wrecks of our wretched family, 
 he tenderly offered himself as my husband, and I need 
 not say that he was worthy of my sincerest attachment. 
 I gave my hand where already was my esteem. My 
 sister Caroline afterwards married a gentleman belong- 
 ing to the colony. 
 
 " Leaving Senegal with my husband and the young 
 Alphonso, in November 1820, in a month thereafter we 
 landed safely on the shores of our dear France, which 
 we resolved should henceforth be our home. The place 
 where we settled was that of my husband's nativity, at 
 a short distance from Dijon, and here I have had the 
 happiness of finding new relations, whose tender friend- 
 ship consoles me in part for the loss of those of whom 
 cruel death deprived me in Africa." 
 
 THE OCEAN. 
 
 Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean — roll ! 
 Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain ; 
 Man marks the earth with ruin — his control 
 Stops with the shore ; — upon the watery plain 
 The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain 
 A shadow of man's ravage, save his own, 
 When, for a moment, like a drop of rain, 
 He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, 
 Without a grave, unknell'd, uncoffin'd, and unknown. 
 
 His steps are not upon thy paths, — thy fields 
 Are not a spoil for him, — thou dost arise 
 And shake him from thee ; the vile strength he wields 
 For earth's destruction thou dost all despise, 
 Spurning him from thy bosom to the skies, 
 
128 THE OCEAN. 
 
 And send'st him, shivering in thy playful spray 
 And howling, to his gods, where haply lies 
 His petty hope in some near port or bay, 
 And dashest him again to earth : — there let him lay. 
 
 The armaments which thunderstrike the walls 
 Of rock-built cities, bidding nations quake, 
 And monarchs tremble in their capitals, 
 The oak leviathans, whose huge ribs make 
 Their clay creator the vain title take 
 Of lord of thee, and arbiter of war ; 
 These are thy toys, and, as the snowy flake, 
 They melt into thy yeast of waves, which mar 
 Alike the Armada's pride, or spoils of Trafalgar. 
 
 Thy shores are empires, changed in all save thee — 
 Assyria, Greece, Rome, Carthage, what are they 1 
 Thy waters wasted them while they were free, 
 And many a tyrant since ; their shores obey 
 The stranger, slave, or savage ; their decay 
 Has dried up realms to deserts : — not so thou, 
 Unchangeable save to thy wild waves' play — 
 Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow — 
 Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now. 
 
 Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form 
 Glasses itself in tempests ; in all time, 
 Calm or convulsed — in breeze, or gale, or storm, 
 Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime 
 Dark-heaving ; boundless, endless, and sublime — 
 The image of eternity — the throne 
 Of the invisible ; ever from out thy slime 
 The monsters of the deep are made ; each zone 
 Obeys thee ; thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone. 
 
 Byron. 
 

 
 129 
 
 UNKNOWN ISLES. 
 
 Oh ! many are the beauteous isles 
 
 Unknown to human eye, 
 That, sleeping 'mid the Ocean-smiles, 
 
 In happy silence lie. 
 The Ship may pass them in the night, 
 Nor the sailors know what a lovely sight 
 
 Is resting on the Main ; 
 Some wandering ship who hath lost her way, 
 And never, or by night or day, 
 
 Shall pass these isles again. 
 There, groves that bloom in endless spring 
 Are rustling to the radiant wing 
 Of birds in various plumage bright 
 As rainbow-hues, or dawning light. 
 Soft-falling showers of blossoms fair 
 Float ever on the fragrant air, 
 
 Like showers of vernal snow, 
 And from the fruit-tree, spreading tall, 
 The richly ripen'd clusters fall, 
 
 Oft as sea-breezes blow. 
 The sun and clouds alone possess 
 The joy of all that loveliness; 
 And sweetly to each other smile 
 The livelong day — sun, cloud, and isle, 
 How silent lies each shelter'd bay ! 
 No other visiters have they 
 
 To their shores of silvery sand, 
 Than the waves that, mumuring in their glee, 
 
 All hurrying in a joyful band 
 Come dancing from the sea. 
 
 Wilson. 
 
130 
 
 THE CITY OF PETRA. 
 
 A short description of the principal features of this extraordinary 
 remnant of the early world— the principal city of the land ofEdom 
 — whose antiquity is supposed to go back to the time of Esau, may 
 be interesting to a considerable portion of our young readers. It 
 is extracted from Stephens's Incidents of Travel. 
 
 This ancient and extraordinary city is situated within 
 a natural amphitheatre, of two or three miles in circum- 
 ference, encompassed on all sides by rugged mountains, 
 500 or 600 feet in height. The whole of this area is 
 now a waste of ruins, dwelling-houses, palaces, temples, 
 and triumphal arches, all prostrate together in undis- 
 tinguishable confusion. The sides of the mountains are 
 cut smooth in a perpendicular direction, and filled with 
 long and continued ranges of dwelling-houses, temples, 
 and tombs, excavated with vast labour out of the solid 
 rock; and while their summits present nature in her 
 wildest and most savage form, their bases are adorned 
 with all the beauty of architecture and art, with columns, 
 and porticoes, and pediments, and ranges of corridors, 
 enduring as the mountains out of which they are hewn, 
 and fresh, as if the work of a generation scarcely yet 
 gone by. 
 
 Nothing can be finer than the immense rocky ram- 
 part which incloses the city. Strong firm and immove- 
 able as nature itself, it seems to deride the walls of 
 cities and the puny fortifications of skilful engineers. 
 The only access is by clambering over this wall of stone, 
 practicable only in one place, or by an entrance the 
 most extraordinary that nature, in her wildest freaks, 
 has ever framed. The loftiest portals ever raised by 
 the hands of man, the proudest monuments of architec- 
 tural skill and daring, sink into insignificance by the 
 
THE CITY OF PETRA. 131 
 
 comparison. It is, perhaps, the most wonderful object 
 in the world, except the ruins of the city to which it 
 
 forms the entrance For about two miles this 
 
 mountainous passage lies between high and precipitous 
 ranges of rocks, from 500 to 1000 feet in height, stand- 
 ing as if torn asunder by some great convulsion, and 
 barely wide enough for two horsemen to pass abreast. 
 A swelling stream rushes between them ; the summits 
 are wild and broken, in some places overhanging the 
 opposite sides, casting the darkness of night upon the 
 narrow defile ; then receding and forming an opening 
 above, through which a strong ray of light is thrown 
 down, and illuminates with the blaze of day the fright- 
 ful chasm below. Wild fig-trees, oleanders, and ivy, 
 were growing out of the rocky sides of the cliffs, hun- 
 dreds of feet above our heads ; the eagle was screaming 
 above us ; all along were the open doors of tombs, form- 
 ing the great Necropolis of the city ; and at the extreme 
 end was a large open space, with a powerful body of 
 light thrown down upon it, and exhibiting in one full 
 view the facade of a beautiful temple, hewn out of the 
 rock, with rows of Corinthian columns and ornaments, 
 standing out fair and clear, as if but yesterday from the 
 
 hands of the sculptor Neither the Coliseum 
 
 at Rome, grand and interesting as it is, nor the ruins 
 of the Acropolis at Athens, nor the pyramids, nor the 
 mighty temples of the Nile, are so often present to my 
 memory. The whole temple, its columns, ornaments, 
 porticoes, and poiches, are cut out from, and form part 
 of, the solid rock ; and this rock, at the foot of which the 
 temple stands like a mere print, towers several hundred 
 feet above, its face cut smooth to the very summit, and 
 the top remaining wild and misshapen as nature made it. 
 The whole area before the temple is perhaps an acre in 
 extent, inclosed on all sides except at the narrow en- 
 
132 THE CITY OF PETRA 
 
 trance, and an opening to the left of the temple, which 
 leads into the area of the city, by a pass through per- 
 pendicular rocks, 500 or 600 feet in height. 
 
 A short description of a temple and the theatre will give an idea 
 of the various edifices of which this wonderful city is composed. 
 
 Ascending several broad steps, we entered under a 
 colonnade of four Corinthian columns, about thirty-five 
 feet high, into a large chamber of some fifty feet square, 
 and twenty-five feet high. The outside of the temple is 
 richly ornamented, but the interior is perfectly plain, 
 there being no ornament of any kind upon the walls or 
 ceiling ; on each of the three sides is a small chamber 
 for the reception of the dead. 
 
 In the bosom of the mountain, hewn out of the solid 
 rock, is a large theatre, circular in form, the pillars in 
 front fallen, and containing thirty-three rows of seats, 
 capable of containing more than 3000 persons. Above 
 the corridor was a range of doors opening to chambers 
 in the rocks, the seats of the princes and wealthiest in- 
 habitants of Petra, and not unlike a row of private 
 boxes in a modern theatre. The whole theatre is at 
 this day in such a state of preservation, that if the ten- 
 ants of the tombs around could once more rise into life, 
 they might take their old places on its seats, and listen 
 to the declamation of their favourite player. 
 
133 
 
 INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 
 
 The following extract from Chambers's "History of the Rebellion in 
 1745," giving a full account of this singular incident, will be read 
 with interest— heightened when we recollect that thirty thousand 
 pounds had been offered for the capture of Prince Charles; a bribe 
 which these seven outlaws had the virtue to resist. 
 
 It must be premised that, towards the close of July 
 (1746), after more than three months of incredible hard- 
 ship, Charles found himself amongst the hills between 
 Glenmorriston and Strathglass in Inverness-shire. He 
 was attended by two or three faithful adherents, to 
 whom he had recently confided himself, the principal 
 being Macdonald of Glenaladale, who had been a major 
 in his army. Late in the evening of the 28th, they 
 reached the highest, and consequently safest point 
 amongst the hills, where, though drenched with rain, 
 the prince could get no better lodging than a small 
 chink in a rock, which gave him scarcely room to 
 Btretch himself, and where he had no fire, no food, and 
 not the slightest comfort of any kind but a pipe of 
 tobacco. At this time, a great quantity of troops were 
 quartered at Fort Augustus, in the centre of the county, 
 and large parties daily scoured the glens, to lay waste 
 the property of the disaffected, and use their best endea- 
 vours to capture the prince. The Duke of Cumberland 
 had given them the significant order, with a view to 
 the stability of his father's dynasty, " to make no pri- 
 soners." 
 
 Charles had scarcely at any former period been in 
 greater danger than now, and at no former time were 
 his personal sufferings so great. It chanced that, a day 
 or two before, there had been added to his party a Glen- 
 garry man, w r ho had fled from the soldiery for his life, 
 
134 INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 
 
 after they had put his father to death. This particular 
 act of cruelty, by sending the Glengarry man in the 
 way of the prince, had an effect very different from what 
 the soldiery could have contemplated, for it was the 
 means of his being introduced to the seven Glenmorris- 
 ton men, who protected him effectually for the ensuing 
 three weeks. At three in the morning of the 29th, the 
 Glengarry man went with Glenaladale's brother to find 
 out these men, and to negotiate for their receiving the 
 distressed party under their care, but without the name 
 of the prince being mentioned. It was also Charles's 
 wish by their means to make inquiry respecting a 
 French vessel which he understood had come to Pollew, 
 on the west coast of Ross-shire, in order to carry him off. 
 Some hours afterwards, by appointment, the party, in- 
 cluding the prince, met the two messengers on the top of 
 a neighbouring hill, to learn what success had attended 
 the mission. The men had been found, and had agreed 
 to take charge of the distressed party, the chief man of 
 whom they understood to be Glenaladale. The party 
 was to repair to a cave called Coiraghoth, in the braes 
 of Glenmorriston, where the men undertook to meet them 
 before a particular hour. Charles accordingly set out 
 for this place, attended by Glenaladale, the brother of 
 that gentleman, a son of Macdonald of Borodale, the 
 Glengarry man, and two boys. 
 
 The men who had promised to entertain the party 
 were only in a modified sense " robbers." They had 
 been out in the rebellion, and had consequently seen 
 their little possessions in Glenmorriston become a prey 
 to the spoiler. About seventy of their fellow-dalesmen 
 who had been induced to obey an order of the Duke of 
 Cumberland, for surrendering their arms at Inverness, 
 had been seized and thrust on ship-board, to be deported 
 to the colonies. These men, determined not to be dealt 
 
INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 135 
 
 with after the same manner, had entered into an asso- 
 ciation of offence and defence against the duke and his 
 army, binding themselves by solemn oath never to yield, 
 to fight on any particular emergency to the last drop of 
 their blood, and never till the day of their death to give 
 up their arms. At first they were seven in number, 
 namely, Patrick Grant, a farmer, commonly called Black 
 Peter of Craskie; John Macdonell, alias Campbell; 
 Alexander Macdonell; Alexander, Donald, and Hugh 
 Chisholm, brothers; and Gregor Macgregor. After- 
 wards, in the course of their inarches with the prince, 
 an eighth, Hugh Macmillan, joined them, and took their 
 oath. They lived at this time a wild life amongst the 
 mountains, supplying themselves with necessaries chief- 
 ly by bold attacks upon the military parties, from whom 
 they often retrieved cattle and other spoil. 
 
 It was into the hands of such men that the fugitive 
 prince was now to pass. At the appointed time, he and 
 his friends approached the cave of Coiraghoth, where 
 only three of the men at this time were, namely, the 
 two Macdonells, and Alexander Chisholm. Glenaladale 
 went forward to converse with them, and hinted that he 
 had young Clanranald in his company. They professed 
 that they would be very glad to see young Clanranald, 
 and take all possible care of him. They were then 
 brought out to meet the party ; but they had no sooner 
 set eyes upon the person who was to pass for young 
 Clanranald, than they knew him to be the prince. He 
 was received by them with the greatest demonstrations 
 of fidelity and kindness, and conducted to their cave, 
 where, at Charles's request, they took an oath, adminis- 
 tered by Glenaladale, in the dreadful terms then custo- 
 mary amongst the Highlanders. This oath they kept 
 so well, that not one of them spoke of the prince having 
 been in their company till a twelvemonth after he had 
 
136 INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 
 
 sailed to France. Charles proposed that he and Glen- 
 aladale should take a like oath of fidelity to the men — 
 namely, that, if danger should come, they should stand 
 by one another to the last drop of their blood ; but the 
 men refused to take this pledge from the prince and 
 Glenaladale. 
 
 Charles now broke a fast of about forty-eight hours, 
 by a refreshment of mutton, butter, and cheese, with 
 some whiskey. Next day, the other four, who had been 
 absent in search of provisions, returned with a dead 
 deer and a live ox. These men also knew the prince 
 at first sight, and took the same oath as the rest. They 
 killed the ox in his presence. They still wanted bread, 
 and only had a little salt ; but fresh water was supplied 
 to them in abundance by a spring which glided through 
 the cave. 
 
 When the four men had taken the oath, Charles told 
 the whole seven that they were the first privy council 
 he had had sworn to him since the battle of Culloden, 
 and that he should never forget them or theirs, " if ever 
 he came to his own." Hereupon one of them hinted to 
 him, that a priest who used to come amongst them in 
 Glenmorriston, frequently had told them that King 
 Charles II., after his restoration, was not very mindful 
 of his friends. Their guest said he was heartily sorry 
 for that, and hoped he should act differently — for this 
 he gave them his word, the word of a prince. 
 
 Three days of repose and good nourishment in Coir- 
 aghoth recruited the prince considerably, and, being 
 afraid to stay too long in any one place, he and his 
 attendants shifted their quarters (August 2) to another 
 and equally romantic cave about two miles off, named 
 Coirskreaoch. Here, after taking some food, and 
 planting sentries at proper points of outlook, they mad© 
 up a bed of heath for the prince in a small recess resem- 
 
INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 137 
 
 bling a closet opening from the cave. He remained in 
 this cave four days ; when, hearing that one Camp- 
 bell, a captain of militia, and factor to the Earl of 
 Seaforth [a nobleman who had taken the government 
 side], was encamped within four miles of him, he 
 thought proper to remove. On the evening of the 6th, 
 he and his attendants set out in a northerly direction, 
 and by break of day on the 7th they had passed the 
 height of the country, and come in upon Strathglass. In 
 the evening, two of the men who had been left as scouts, 
 brought intelligence that they need be in no apprehen- 
 sion from the factor Campbell for that night; and they 
 then repaired to a neighbouring sheiling, or hut, where, 
 after kindling a fire, and taking some refreshment, they 
 prepared a bed for the prince, composed of sods, with 
 the grass uppermost, on which he slept soundly the 
 whole night. 
 
 He remained in this place two days. During that 
 time, he dispatched a messenger to Pollew, to make 
 inquiry respecting some French vessels which were 
 said to have arrived there in order to carry him away 
 from Scotland. That he might be ready to take advan- 
 tage of these vessels, if it should be found that they had 
 not sailed, he resolved to draw somewhat nearer to the 
 west coast. His messenger, before setting out, had 
 been appointed to bring him intelligence to a particular 
 place, judged convenient for the purpose. Early in the 
 morning of the 9th, he and his friends and attendants, 
 about a dozen persons in all, set out to the northward by 
 an unfrequented moor-road, and came that night to a 
 sheiling, where they halted for a few hours. At two 
 o'clock in the morning of the 10th, they once more 
 addressed themselves to their journey, and at noon came 
 to Glencannich, where they passed the remainder of the 
 day in a wood, and at night repaired to a neighbouring 
 10 
 
138 INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 
 
 hamlet. At two o'clock in the morning, they left this 
 village, and climbed a hill called Peinachyrine, on the 
 north side of Glencannich, where they passed the day, 
 and sent off two of their party to obtain a fresh supply 
 of provisions. This place, which is about forty High- 
 land miles from Pollew, is the most northerly point 
 which the prince reached on the mainland. At night 
 they repaired to a sheiling, in which they remained 
 two days, waiting for the return of the messenger. At 
 the end of that time, the man rejoined them, with 
 intelligence that the only vessel which had ever touched 
 at Pollew had sailed again, leaving a couple of men, 
 who had set out for Locheil's country in quest of the 
 prince. Anxious to know if these men had any dis- 
 patches for him, he resolved to return towards Locheil's 
 country, in order, if possible, to meet them. 
 
 They set out at night, and recrossing the water of 
 Cannich, arrived about two in the morning at a place 
 called Fassanacoil in Strathglass. Here it was thought 
 proper to tarry, until scouts should bring back intelli- 
 gence of the state of the country to the south, and if 
 the search for him was over in that quarter, and the 
 troops returned to Fort Augustus. While the scouts 
 were absent, the party remained in a dense wood, com- 
 pletely concealed from the neighbouring people. They 
 were supplied with provisions by one John Chisholm, 
 a farmer who had been in the insurgent army, but to 
 whom they did not at first confide the secret of the 
 prince being of the party. Charles having at length 
 expressed a wish to see Chisholm, Patrick Grant and 
 another were dispatched to bring him. They desired 
 him to come along with them, to see " a friend whom 
 they knew he would like well to see." Apprehending 
 from this that they had a person of some consequence 
 with them, he said he had a bottle of wine which a 
 
INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 139 
 
 priest had left with him, and he should be glad to take 
 it along with him. " What ! John," said Grant, " have 
 you had a bottle of wine all this time, and not given it to 
 us before ?" On coming into the presence of the prince, 
 John knew him at first sight. Patrick Grant, according 
 to his own simple recital, put the bottle of wine into 
 the prince's hands, and requested him to drink to him, 
 " for," said he, " I do not remember that your Royal 
 Highness has drunk to me since you came among our 
 hands." " Accordingly, the prince put the bottle of 
 wine to his mouth, and drank a health to Patrick Grant 
 and all his friends. John Chisholm having received a 
 good payment for any provisions he had furnished, and 
 finding that they had been purchased for the use of his 
 prince, immediately offered to return the whole price, 
 and pressed the thing much ; but the prince would not 
 hear of it at all, and ordered him to keep the money." 
 Chisholm took the same oath as the Glenmorriston men. 
 In due time, the spies returned with intelligence that 
 the troops had returned to their camp at Fort Augustus, 
 and that there was consequently a prospect of the prince 
 being able to execute his design of crossing the (*reat 
 Glen, and joining Locheil, in Badenoch. They there- 
 fore set out at six in the morning of the 17th, and, 
 travelling by an unfrequented road, at ten in the fore- 
 noon reached the braes of Glenmorriston. Having 
 passed the day on the top of a hill, they set out at 
 night, but had not travelled above a mile, when they 
 learned that a strong military party had been sent to 
 the braes of Glengarry, in quest of the prince. Upon 
 this it was resolved to proceed no farther, until the 
 motions of the enemy should be farther known ; and 
 they repaired to a neighbouring sheiling, where they 
 passed the remainder of the night. In the morning of 
 the 18th, three men were sent off towards Loch Arkaig, 
 
140 INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 
 
 in Locheil's country, two of whom were to seek out, 
 and, if possible, form an appointment for the prince with 
 Cameron of Clunes, while the other was to turn at 
 Glengarry, and bring back intelligence of the movements 
 of the party said to be in that district, so that Charles 
 might perhaps be able to proceed even while the meet- 
 ing with Clunes was in the way of being arranged. 
 
 We have here a remarkable anecdote of the prince ; 
 which may be best related in the language in which Mr. 
 Forbes has reported it from the mouth of Patrick Grant. 
 When returned to Glenmorriston Braes, " The prince 
 was pretty positive to proceed forwards sooner than the 
 Glenmorriston men thought it safe for him, and they 
 would by no means allow him to go, till they should 
 think it safe for him so to do. In a word, the kind con- 
 tention ran so high, that they threatened to turn their 
 backs upon him, and to leave him, if he did not listen 
 to their counsel, as they knew the country best, and 
 what dangers might happen to him in it; and imme- 
 diately insisted upon his taking some little refresh- 
 ment and rest, and staying there as long as they 
 judged it safe for him. But the prince refused to eat 
 or to drink, because they would not do as he desired. 
 Upon this, they plainly told him, that if he did not eat 
 and drink heartily, he could not well hold out with the 
 fatigues he was obliged to undergo in his present situa- 
 tion ; that if he should happen to turn faintish by ab- 
 staining from meat and drink too long, and then danger 
 should come nigh them, he would not be in a condition 
 either to get away from it, or to act his part in any 
 shape so well as he would wish to do; and therefore 
 they urged him more than ever (as being absolutely 
 necessary for him) to take some refreshment and rest, 
 which accordingly he did. The prince said, « I find 
 kings and princes must be ruled by their privy council, 
 
INCIDENT IN THE ESCAI>E OF PRINCE CHARLES. 141 
 
 but I believe there is not in all the world a more abso- 
 lute privy council than what I have at present,' &c 
 They added, they had rather tie him than comply with 
 him, so well did they know his clanger. The prince 
 was at last obliged to yield the point, as he found them 
 positive to the last degree, and as they assured him, if 
 he complied with their requests in behalf of his safety, 
 the enemy should not get within two miles of him 
 without being discovered. This was the only time 
 (said Patrick Grant), that we ever differed with the 
 prince in any one thing, and we were very sorry for 
 it." 
 
 While the party rested at this place, Patrick Grant 
 and Alexander Chisholm went out to forage for provi- 
 sions, and in the course of their walk, met the Laird of 
 Glenmorriston (Grant), who had been in the prince's 
 army, and had had his house burnt and his lands pil- 
 laged in consequence. Glenmorriston asked them where 
 they now lived, as they were seldom seen — what tbey 
 were doing — and how did they obtain the means of 
 subsistence. " What is become," said he, " of the 
 prince 1 I have heard that he has passed the braes of 
 Knoydart." Even to this gentleman, whom habit had 
 trained them to regard with the greatest respect, they 
 would not disclose any of their secrets, merely remark- 
 ing that, as the enemy were plundering the country, it 
 were a pity not to share in the spoil ; and that they ac- 
 cordingly did so, and made a shift to live upon it. On 
 their return to the prince, they informed him of this in- 
 terview, and said that, if his royal highness pleased, 
 they would bring Glenmorriston to see him, he being 
 a faithful and trusty friend. The prince said, " he was 
 so well pleased with his present guard, that he wanted 
 none other; and that he had experienced poor folks 
 
142 INCIDENT IN THE ESCAPE OF PRINCE CHARLES. 
 
 to be as faithful and firm, as any men, rich or high, 
 could be." 
 
 On the 19th, the man who was to bring intelligence 
 from Glengarry came back, reporting that that district 
 was clear of troops. The prince, therefore, with his 
 party, now ten in number, set out in the afternoon, 
 under the benefit of a fog, and passing through Glen- 
 morriston and the minor vale of Glenluing, arrived late 
 at night on the braes of Glengarry. When they came 
 to the Garry water, it was found breast-deep with the 
 rain; nevertheless, they crossed it in safety, and as- 
 cending the hill for about a mile, tarried there for the 
 remainder of the night, in the open air, notwithstanding 
 that it rained heavily. Early in the morning, the heavy 
 rain still continuing, they advanced six highland miles 
 across hills and moors, and about ten in the forenoon 
 came to the hill above Auchnasaul, where the two mes- 
 sengers had been appointed to meet them on their re- 
 turn from Cameron of Clunes. They passed the day in 
 a most inconvenient habitation, it raining as heavy 
 within as without. Towards the afternoon, after they 
 had begun to despair of the return of their messengers, 
 and were deliberating what should be done, the two 
 men came in, bringing a message from Clunes to Glen- 
 aladale, to the effect that he could not wait upon him 
 immediately, but had directed that the party should 
 lodge for that night in a certain wood two miles off, 
 where he would meet them in the morning. 
 
 Two of the men, Patrick Grant and Alexander Mac- 
 donell, were now dispatched to reconnoitre their pro- 
 posed lodging-place, and finding it suitable, they quick- 
 ly returned to bring forward the party. Their provisions 
 were now reduced to half a peck of meal, and they had 
 starvation staring them in the face. By the greatest 
 good fortune, Patrick shot a large hart, at the place 
 
LOCH KATRINE. 143 
 
 where they were to pass the night ; so that when the 
 prince and the rest arrived, they had one of the finest 
 meals they had as yet enjoyed. 
 
 Charles now fell under the care of other friends, and 
 some days after dismissed all the Glenmorriston men 
 except one, Patrick Grant, whom he kept for some time 
 longer, and carried along with him, but only till he had 
 got his purse replenished, so as to be able to send his 
 preservers a pecuniary acknowledgment of their ser- 
 
 LOCH KATRINE. 
 
 One burnished sheet of living gold 
 Loch Katrine lay beneath him roll'd 
 In all her length far winding lay, 
 With promontory, creek, and bay, 
 And islands that, empurpled bright, 
 Floated amid the livelier light, 
 And mountains, that like giants stand 
 To sentinel enchanted land. 
 
144 
 
 STORIES OF THE PRAIRIE WOLVES. 
 
 The following particulars respecting that terror of travellers, the 
 wolf, are extracted from Judge Hall's " Notes on Western States." 
 The wolf resembles the dog in shape, but is generally larger and 
 more muscular, as well as more savage in its appearance. Its 
 leading peculiarity is ferocity of disposition, accompanied with a 
 certain degree of meanness and cowardliness, which is foreign to 
 the dog in all its varieties. Wolves were at one time plentiful in 
 Britain and Ireland, but it is long since they were extirpated. 
 They still abound in the northern parts of Europe, particularly in 
 Russia, and are numerous in some parts of France, where they 
 commit dreadful devastations. They are likewise common in 
 North America. 
 
 Wolves are very numerous in every part of the 
 western country. There are two kinds — the common or 
 black wolf, and the prairie wolf. The former is a large 
 fierce animal, and very destructive to sheep, pigs, calves, 
 poultry, and even young colts. They hunt in large 
 packs; and, after using every stratagem to circumvent 
 their prey, attack it with remarkable ferocity. Like 
 the Indian, they always endeavour to surprise their vic- 
 tim, and strike the mortal blow without exposing them- 
 selves to danger. They seldom attack man, except 
 when asleep or wounded. The largest animals, when 
 wounded, entangled, or otherwise disabled, become their 
 prey; but in general they only attack such as are in- 
 capable of resistance. They have been known to lie in 
 wait upon the bank of a stream which the buffaloes 
 were in the habit of crossing, and when one of those 
 unwieldy animals was so unfortunate as to sink in the 
 mire, spring suddenly upon it, and worry it to death, 
 while thus disabled from resistance. Their most com- 
 
STORIES OF THE PRAIRIE WOLVES. 145 
 
 mon prey is the deer, which they hunt regularly; but 
 all defenceless animals are alike acceptable to their 
 ravenous appetites. When tempted by hunger, they 
 approach the farm-houses in the night, and snatch their 
 prey from under the very eye of the farmer ; and when 
 the latter is absent with his dogs, the wolf is sometimes 
 seen by the females lurking about in mid-day, as if aware 
 of the unprotected state of the family. 
 
 Of the few instances of their attacking human beings 
 of which we have heard, the following may serve to 
 give some idea of their habits. In very early times, a 
 negro man was passing, in the night, in the lower part 
 of Kentucky, from one settlement to another. The dis- 
 tance was several miles, and the country over which he 
 travelled entirely unsettled. In the morning his carcass 
 was found entirely stripped of flesh. Near it lay his 
 axe, covered with blood, and all around the bushes were 
 beaten down, the ground trodden, and the number of 
 foot-marks so great, as to show that the unfortunate vic- 
 tim had fought long and manfully. On pursuing his 
 track, it appeared that the wolves had pursued him for 
 a considerable distance, — he had often turned upon them 
 and driven them back. Several times they had attacked 
 him, and been repelled, as appeared by the blood and 
 tracks. He had killed some of them before the final 
 onset, and in the last conflict had destroyed several. 
 His axe was his only weapon. 
 
 On another occasion, many years ago, a negro man 
 was going through the woods, with no companion but 
 his fiddle, when he discovered that a pack of wolves 
 were on his track. They pursued very cautiously, but 
 a few of them would sometimes dash up, and growl, as 
 if impatient for their prey, and then fall back again. 
 As he had several miles to go, he became much alarmed. 
 He sometimes stopped, shouted, drove back his pursuers, 
 
146 STORIES OF THE PRAIRIE WOLVES. 
 
 and then proceeded. The animals became more and more 
 audacious, and would probably have attacked him, had 
 he not arrived at a deserted cabin which stood by the 
 way-side. Into this he rushed for shelter, and without 
 waiting to shut the door, climbed up, and seated him- 
 self on the rafters. The wolves dashed in after him, 
 and becoming quite furious, howled and leaped, and 
 endeavoured, with every expression of rage, to get to 
 him. The moon was now shining brightly, and Cuff 
 being able to see his enemies, and satisfied of his own 
 safety, began to act on the offensive. Finding the cabin 
 fall of them, he crawled down to the top of the door, 
 which he shut and fastened ; then removing some of the 
 loose boards from the roof, scattered them with a tre- 
 mendous clatter upon such of his foes as remained out- 
 side, who soon scampered off, while those in the house 
 began to crouch with fear. He had now a large num- 
 ber of prisoners to stand guard over until morning; and 
 drawing forth his fiddle, he very good-naturedly played 
 for them all night, very much, as he supposed, to their 
 edification and amusement; for, like all genuine lovers 
 of music, he imagined that it had power to soften the 
 heart even of a wolf. On the ensuing day, some of the 
 neighbours assembled and destroyed the captives, with 
 great rejoicings. 
 
 Many years ago, a Frenchman, with his son, was 
 hunting in a part of Missouri, distant about forty miles 
 from St. Louis. Having wounded a large bear, the 
 animal took refuge in a cave, the aperture leading into 
 which was so small as barely to admit its passage. The 
 hunter, leaving his son without, instantly prepared to 
 follow, and with some difficulty drew his body through 
 the narrow entrance. Having reached the interior of 
 the cave, he discharged his piece with so true an aim, 
 as to inflict a mortal wound upon the bear. The latter 
 
STORIES OF THE PRAIRIE WOLVES. 147 
 
 rushed forward, and passing the man, attempted to 
 escape from the cave ; but on reaching the narrowest 
 part of the passage, through which it had entered with 
 some difficulty, the strength of the animal failed, and it 
 expired. The entrance to the cave was now completely 
 closed with the carcass of the animal. The boy on the 
 outside heard his father scream for assistance, and at- 
 tempted to drag out the bear, but found his strength 
 insufficient. After many unavailing efforts, he became 
 much terrified, and mounted his father's horse with the 
 determination of seeking assistance. There was no road 
 through the wilderness, but the sagacious horse, taking 
 the direction to St. Louis, carried the alarmed youth to 
 that place, where a party was soon raised and dispatched 
 to the relief of the hunter. But they searched in vain 
 for the place of his captivity. From some cause not 
 now recollected, the trace of the horse was obliterated, 
 and the boy, in his agitation, had so far forgotten the 
 land-marks as to be totally unable to lead them to the 
 spot. They returned after a weary and unsuccessful 
 search ; the hunter was heard of no more, and no doubt 
 remained of his having perished miserably in the cave. 
 Some years afterwards, the aperture of the cavern was 
 discovered in a spot so hidden and so difficult of access 
 as to have escaped the notice of those who had passed 
 near it. Near the mouth was found the skeleton of the 
 bear, and within the cave that of the Frenchman, with 
 his gun and equipments, all apparently in the same 
 condition as when he died. That he should have per- 
 ished of hunger, from mere inability to effect his escape 
 by removing the body of the bear, seems improbable, 
 because, supposing him to have been unable by main 
 strength to effect this object, it would have cost him 
 but little labour to have cut up and removed the animal 
 by piecemeal. It is most likely either that he was 
 
148 STORIES OF THE PRAIRIE WOLVES. 
 
 suffocated, or that he had received some injury which 
 disabled him from exertion. The cave bears a name 
 which commemorates the event. 
 
 The other circumstance to which we allude occurred 
 in Monroe county, in Illinois. There are in many parts 
 of this country singular depressions or basins, which 
 the inhabitants call sink-holes. They are sometimes 
 very deep, circular at the top, with steep sides meeting 
 in a point at the bottom, precisely in the shape of a 
 funnel. At the bottom of one of these, a party of hunt- 
 ers discovered the den of a she-wolf, and ascertained 
 that it contained a litter of whelps. For the purpose of 
 destroying the latter, they assembled at the place. On 
 examining the entrance to the den, it was found to be 
 perpendicular, and so narrow as to render it impossible 
 or very difficult for a man to enter ; and, as a notion 
 prevails among the hunters that the female wolf only 
 visits her young at night, it was proposed to send in 
 a boy to destroy the whelps. A fine courageous boy, 
 armed with a knife, was accordingly thrust into the 
 cavern, where, to his surprise, he found himself in the 
 company of the she-wolf, whose glistening eyeballs, 
 white teeth, and surly voice, sufficiently announced her 
 presence. The boy retreated towards the entrance, and 
 called to his friends, to inform them that the old wolf 
 was there. The men told him that he was mistaken, 
 that the old wolf never staid with her young in daylight, 
 and advised him to go boldly up to the bed and destroy 
 the litter. The boy, thinking that the darkness of the 
 cave might have deceived him, returned, advanced bold- 
 ly, and laid his hand upon the she-wolf, who sprang 
 upon him, and bit him very severely, before he coulcl 
 effect his retreat, and would probably have killed him 
 had he not defended himself with resolution. One or 
 two of the men now succeeded in effecting an entrance; 
 the wolf was shot, and her offspring destroyed. 
 
149 
 
 THE PAMPAS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Captain (now Sir Francis) Head took charge of an association, the 
 object of which was to work the gold and silver mines of La Plata, 
 in South America. He made several rapid journeys across the 
 Pampas or Great Plains for the purpose of examining various 
 mines, that he might report a circumstantial account of each to 
 the parties concerned in the speculation. In the course of his 
 journeys he made a few rough notes, as he calls them, and these 
 will be found full of lively pictures of scenery, customs, and man- 
 ners. 
 
 The great plain, or Pampas, on the east of the Cor- 
 dillera, is about nine hundred miles in breadth, and the 
 part which I have visited, though under the same lati- 
 tude, is divided into regions of different climate and 
 produce. On leaving Buenos Ayres, the first of these 
 regions is covered for one hundred and eighty miles 
 with clover and thistles ; the second region, which ex- 
 tends for four hundred and fifty miles, produces long 
 grass ; and the third region, which reaches the base of 
 the Cordillera, is a grove of low trees and shrubs. The 
 second and third of these regions have nearly the same 
 appearance throughout the year, for the trees and shrubs 
 are evergreens, and the immense plain of grass only 
 changes its colour from green to brown ; but the first 
 region varies with the four seasons of the year in a 
 most extraordinary manner. In winter, the leaves of 
 the thistles are large and luxuriant, and the whole sur- 
 face of the country has the rough appearance of a tur- 
 nip-field. The clover in this season is extremely rich 
 and strong ; and the sight of the wild cattle grazing in 
 full liberty on such pasture is very beautiful. In spring, 
 the clover has vanished, the leaves of the thistles have 
 extended along the ground, and the country still looks 
 
150 THE PAMPAS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 like a rough crop of turnips. In less than a month, the 
 change is most extraordinary ; the whole region becomes 
 a luxuriant wood of enormous thistles, which have sud- 
 denly shot up to a height of ten or eleven feet, and are 
 all in full bloom. The road or path is hemmed in on 
 both sides ; the view is completely obstructed ; no tan 
 animal is to be seen ; and the stems of the thistles are 
 so close to each other and so strong, that independent 
 of the prickles with which they are armed, they form 
 an impenetrable barrier. The sudden growth of these 
 plants is quite astonishing; and though it would be an 
 unusual misfortune in military history, yet it is really 
 possible that an invading army unacquainted with this 
 country, might be imprisoned by these thistles before 
 they had time to escape from them. The summer is 
 not over, before the scene undergoes another rapid 
 change. The thistles suddenly lose their sap and ver- 
 dure, their heads droop, the leaves shrink and fade, the 
 stems become black and dead, and they remain rattling 
 with the breeze one against another, until the violence 
 of 4he pampero or hurricane levels them with the ground, 
 where they rapidly decompose and disappear, — the clo- 
 ver rushes up, and the scene is again verdant. 
 
 Although a few individuals are either scattered along 
 the path which traverses these vast plains, or are living 
 together in small groups, yet the general state of the 
 country is the same as it has been since the first year 
 of its creation. The whole country bears the noble 
 stamp of an imnipotent Creator ; and it is impossible 
 for any one to ride through it, without feelings which 
 it is very pleasing to entertain ; for although, in all 
 countries, " the heavens declare the glory of God, and 
 the firmament showeth his handiwork," yet the surface 
 of populous countries affords generally the insipid pro- 
 duce of man's labour. It is an easy error to consider 
 
THE PAMPAS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 151 
 
 that he who has tilled the ground, and has sown the 
 seed, is the author of his crop ; and therefore, those 
 who are accustomed to see the confused produce which, 
 in populous and cultivated countries, is the effect of 
 leaving ground to itself, are at first surprised in the 
 Pampas to observe the regularity and beauty of the vege- 
 table world, when left to the wise arrangements of na- 
 ture. The vast region of grass in the Pampas for four 
 hundred and fifty miles, is without a weed, and the re- 
 gion of wood is equally extraordinary. The trees are 
 not crowded, but in their growth such beautiful order is 
 observed, that one may gallop between them in every 
 direction. The young trees are rising up, others are 
 flourishing in full vigour, and it is for some time that 
 one looks in vain for those which, in the great system 
 of succession must necessarily, somewhere or other, be 
 sinking towards decay. They are at last discovered ; 
 but their fate is not allowed to disfigure the general 
 cheerfulness of the scene, and they are seen enjoying 
 what may literally be termed a green old age. The 
 extremities of their branches break off as they die : and 
 when nothing is left but the hollow trunk, it is still 
 covered with twigs and leaves, and at last is gradually 
 concealed from view by the young shoots which, born 
 under the shelter of its branches, now rise rapidly 
 above it, and conceal its decay. A few places are met 
 with which have been burnt by accident, and the black 
 desolate spot, covered with the charred trunks of trees, 
 resembles a scene in the human world of pestilence or 
 war. But the fire is scarcely extinct when the sur- 
 rounding trees all seem to spread their branches towards 
 each other, and young shrubs are seen rising out of the 
 ground, while the sapless trunks are evidently moulder- 
 ing into dust. 
 The rivers all preserve their course, and the whole 
 
152 THE PAMPAS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 country is in such beautiful order, that if cities and 
 millions of inhabitant could suddenly be planted at 
 proper intervals and situations, the people would have 
 nothing to do but to drive out their cattle and graze, and 
 without any previous preparation, to plough whatever 
 quantity of ground their wants might require. 
 
 The travelling across these wild and extensive regions is of an 
 extraordinary kind. The author says, — 
 
 It is scarcely possible to conceive a wilder sight than 
 our carriage and covered cart, as I often saw them,* 
 galloping over the trackless plain, and preceded or fol- 
 lowed by a troop of from thirty to seventy wild horses, 
 all loose and galloping, driven by a Gaucho and his son, 
 and sometimes by a couple of children. The picture 
 seems to correspond with the danger which positively 
 exists in passing through uninhabited regions, which 
 are so often invaded by the merciless Indians. 
 
 In crossing the Pampas, it is absolutely necessary to 
 be armed, as there are many robbers or salteadores, par- 
 ticularly in the desolate province of Santa Fe. The object 
 of these people is, of course, money, and I therefore 
 always rode so badly dressed, and so well armed, that 
 although I once passed through them with no one but a 
 child as a postillion, they thought it not worth their 
 while to attack me. I always carried two brace of de- 
 tonating pistols in a belt, and a short detonating double- 
 barrelled gun in my hand. I made it a rule never to 
 
 * I was one day observing them, instead of looking before me, 
 when my horse fell in a biscachero, and rolled over upon my arm. 
 It was so crushed, that it made me very faint ; but before I could get 
 into my saddle, the carriages were almost out of sight ; and while 
 the sky was still looking green from the pain I was enduring, I was 
 obliged to ride after them; and I believe I had seven miles to gallop, 
 as hard a3 my horse could go, before I could overtake the carriage to 
 give up my horse. 
 
THE MURDERED TRAVELLER. 153 
 
 be an instant without my arms, and to cock both barrels 
 of my gun whenever I met any Gauchos. With respect 
 to the Indians, a person riding can use no precaution, 
 but must just run the guantlet, and take his chance, 
 which, if calculated, is a good one. If he fall in with 
 them, he may be tortured and killed ; but it is very 
 improbable that he should happen to find them on the 
 road ; however, they are so cunning and ride so quick, 
 and the country is so uninhabited, that it is impossible 
 to gain any information about them : besides this, the 
 people are so alarmed, and there are so many constant 
 reports concerning them, that it becomes useless to 
 attend to any, and I believe it is just as safe to ride 
 towards the spot at which one hears they are as to turn 
 back. The greatest danger in riding alone across the 
 Pampas, is the constant falls which the horses get in 
 the holes of the biscachos. I calculated, that upon an 
 average, my horse fell with me in a gallop once in 
 every three hundred miles ; and although from the 
 ground being very soft, I was never seriously hurt, yet 
 previous to starting, one cannot help feeling what a 
 forlorn situation it would be to break a limb, or dislo- 
 cate a joint, so many hundred miles from any sort of 
 assistance. 
 
 THE MURDERED TRAVELLER. 
 
 When Spring, to woods and wastes around, 
 
 Brought bloom and joy again, 
 The murdered traveller's bones were found, 
 
 Far down a narrow glen. 
 11 
 
154 THE MURDERED TRAVELLER. 
 
 The fragrant birch, above him hung 
 
 Her tassels in the sky ; 
 And many a vernal blossom sprung, 
 
 And nodded, careless, by. 
 
 The red-bird warbled, as he wrought 
 
 His hanging nest o'erhead, 
 And, fearless, near the fatal spot, 
 
 Her young the partridge led. 
 
 But there was weeping far away, 
 
 And gentle eyes, for him, 
 With watching many an anxious day 
 
 Grew sorrowful and dim. 
 
 They little knew, who loved him so, 
 
 The fearful death he met, 
 When shouting o'er the desert snow, 
 
 Unarm'd, and hard bes*et; 
 
 Nor how, when round the frosty pole, 
 
 The northern dawn was red, 
 The mountain wolf and wild- cat stole 
 
 To banquet on the dead ; 
 
 Nor how, when strangers found his bones, 
 
 They dressed the hasty bier, 
 And marked his grave with nameless stone, 
 
 Unmoistened by a tear. 
 
 But long they looked, and feared, and wept, 
 
 Within his distant home ; 
 And dreamed, and started as they slept, 
 
 For joy that he was come. 
 
SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 155 
 
 So long they looked — but never spied 
 
 His welcome step again, 
 Nor knew the fearful death he died 
 
 Far down that narrow glen. 
 
 Brvant. 
 
 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
 
 We present our readers with the succeeding extracts from Captain 
 Harris's Field-Sports of Southern Africa. The gallant Captain 
 seems to have been a sportsman of more than usual keenness; 
 for, not content with the wild sports of Western India, he deter- 
 mined to visit Southern Africa, in order to take the field against 
 elephants and lions, as well as the more unusual kind of game — 
 rhinoceroses, hippopotami, and giraffes. It would seem that the 
 Captain's passion for field-sports showed itself early. He tells 
 us, that his first essay was made at the age of six, when he dis- 
 charged an enormous blunderbuss, known by the name of "Betsy/' 
 at a flock of sparrows perched on the corner of a neighbour's pig- 
 sty, with considerable effect; but, as he says that he underwent 
 severe corporal chastisement, consequent on the complaint of the 
 proprietor, we rather think that the inmates of the sty suffered 
 nearly as mutjh as the sparrows. Our limits will not permit us to 
 relate more of his juvenile exploits. We add the following speci- 
 mens, recommending our readers to consult the work itself; for 
 the whole of it will be read with great pleasure and profit. 
 
 HUNTING WILD ELEPHANTS. 
 
 Leaving the wagons to proceed to a spot agreed 
 upon, we again took the field about ten o'clock, and 
 pursued the track indefatigably for eight miles, over a 
 country presenting every variety of feature. At one 
 time, we crossed bare stony ridges, at another threaded 
 the intricacies of forests ; now struggled through high 
 fields of waving grass, and again emerged into open 
 downs. At length we arrived amongst extensive 
 
156 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
 
 groups of grassy hillocks, covered with loose stones, 
 interspersed with streams and occasional patches of 
 forest, in which the recent ravages of elephants were 
 surprising. Here, to our inexpressible gratification, 
 we descried a large herd of those long-sought animals, 
 lazily browsing at the head of a distant valley, our 
 attention having been first directed to it by the strong 
 effluvia with which the wind was impregnated. Never 
 having before seen the noble elephant in his native 
 jungles, we gazed on the sight before us with intense 
 and indescribable interest. Our feelings on the occa- 
 sion even extended to our followers. As for Andries, 
 he became so agitated that he could scarcely articulate. 
 With open eyes and quivering lips, he at length stut- 
 tered forth, " Dar stand di olephant." Mohanycon 
 and Lingap were immediately dispatched to drive the 
 herd back into the valley, up which we rode slowly and 
 without noise, against the wind ; and, arriving within 
 one hundred and fifty yards unperceived, we made our 
 horses fast, and took up a commanding position in an 
 old stone kraal. The shouting of the savages, who 
 now appeared on the height rattling their shields, caused 
 the huge animals to move unsuspiciously towards us, 
 and even within ten yards of our ambush. The group 
 consisted of nine, all females, with large tusks. We 
 selected the finest, and, with perfect deliberation, fired 
 a volley of five balls into her. She stumbled ; but, 
 recovering herself, uttered a shrill note of lamentation, 
 when the whole party threw their trunks above their 
 heads, and instantly clambered up the adjacent hill 
 with incredible celerity, their huge fan-like ears flap- 
 ping in the ratio of their speed. We instantly mounted 
 our horses, and the sharp loose stones not suiting the 
 feet of the wounded lady, soon closed with her. 
 Streaming with blood and infuriated with rage, she 
 
SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 157 
 
 turned upon us with uplifted trunk, and it was not until 
 after repeated discharges, that a ball took effect in her 
 brain, and threw her lifeless on the earth, which re- 
 sounded with her fall. 
 
 Turning our attention from the exciting scene I have 
 described, we found that a second valley had opened 
 upon us, surrounded by bare stony hills, and traversed 
 by a thinly wooded ravine. Here a grand and magni- 
 ficent panorama was before us. The whole face of the 
 landscape was actually covered with wild elephants. 
 There could not have been fewer than three hundred 
 within the scope of our vision ; every height and green 
 knoll was dotted over with groups of them ; whilst the 
 bottom of the glen exhibited a dense and sable living 
 mass ; their colossal forms being at one moment par- 
 tially concealed by the trees which they were disfigur- 
 ing with giant strength, and, at others, seen majestic- 
 ally emerging into the open glades, bearing in their 
 trunks the branches of trees with which they indolently 
 protected themselves from the flies. The background 
 was filled by a limited peep of the blue mountainous 
 range which here assumed a remarkably precipitous 
 character, and completed a picture at once soul-stirring 
 and sublime. 
 
 Our approach being still against the wind, was unob- 
 served, and created little alarm until the herd that we 
 had left behind suddenly showed itself, recklessly thun- 
 dering down the side of the hill to join the main body, 
 and passing so close to us that we could not refrain 
 from firing a broardside into one of them, which how- 
 ever bravely withstood it. We secured our horses 
 to the summit of a stony ridge, and then stationing 
 ourselves at an opportune place on a ledge overlooking 
 the woody defile, sent Andries to manoeuvre, so that as 
 many of the elephants as possible should pass before us 
 
158 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
 
 in order of review, that we might ascertain, by a close 
 inspection, whether there was not a male amongst them. 
 Toiling sluggishly along, they occasionally halted 
 beneath an umbrageous tree within fifteen yards of us, 
 lazily fanning themselves with their ample ears, blow- 
 ing away the flies with their trunks, and uttering the 
 feeble peculiar cry familiar to Indians. 
 
 They all proved to be ladies, and most of them 
 mothers, followed by their little old-fashioned calves, 
 each trudging close to the heels of her dam, and 
 mimicking all her actions. Thus situated, we might 
 have killed any number we pleased, their heads being 
 frequently turned towards us in such a position, and so 
 close, that a single ball in the brain would have sufficed 
 for each; but, whilst w r e were yet hesitating, a bullet 
 suddenly whizzed past Richardson's ear and put the 
 whole herd to immediate flight. We had barely time to 
 recede behind a tree before a party of about twenty with 
 several little ones in their wake, were upon us, striding 
 at their utmost speed, and trumpeting loudly with 
 uplifted heads. I rested my rifle against the trees, and 
 firing behind the shoulder of the leader, she dropped 
 instantly. Another large detachment appearing close 
 behind us at the same moment, we were compelled to 
 retreat, dodging from tree to tree, stumbling amongst 
 sharp stones, and even coming upon fresh parties of the 
 enemy. 
 
SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 159 
 
 HUNTING THE GIRAFFE. 
 
 To the sportsman, the most thrilling passage in my 
 adventures is now to be recounted. In my own breast 
 it awakens a renewal of past impressions more lively 
 than any written description can render intelligible, and 
 far abler pens than mine, dipped in more glowing tints, 
 would still fall short of the reality, and leave much to 
 be supplied by the imagination. Three hundred gigantic 
 elephants, browsing in majestic tranquillity amidst 
 the wild magnificence of an African landscape, and a 
 wide-stretching plain, darkened, as far as the eye can 
 reach, with a moving phalanx of gnoos, and quaggas, 
 whose numbers literally baffle computation, are sights 
 but rarely to be witnessed ; but who amongst our bro- 
 ther Nimrods shall hear of riding familiarly by the 
 side of a troop of colossal giraffes, and not feel his 
 spirit stirred within him 1 He that would behold so 
 marvellous a sight must dive, as we did, into pathless 
 wilds traversed only by the brute creation, into wide 
 wastes where the grim lion prowls, monarch of all he 
 surveys, and where the gaunt hyena and wild dog fear- 
 lessly pursue their prey. 
 
 Many days had now elapsed since we had even seen 
 the camel-leopard, and then only in small numbers, and 
 under most unfavourable circumstances ; the blood 
 coursed through my veins like quicksilver, therefore, 
 as, on the morning of the 19th, from the back of Brislar, 
 my most trusty steed, with a firm-wooded plain before 
 me, I counted thirty-two of these animals industriously 
 stretching their peacock necks to crop the tiny leaves 
 which fluttered over their heads in a mimosa grove that 
 beautified the scenery. They were within a hundred 
 
160 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
 
 yards of me, but, having- previously determined to try 
 the boarding system, I reserved my fire. Although I 
 had taken the field expressly to look for giraffes, and 
 had put four Hottentots on horseback, all, excepting 
 Piet, had as usual slipped off unperceived in pursuit of 
 a troop of koodoos. Our stealthy approach was soon 
 opposed by an ill-tempered rhinoceros, which, with her 
 ugly calf, stood directly in the path, and the twinkling 
 of her bright little eyes, accompanied by a restless 
 rolling of the body, giving earnest of her intention to 
 charge. I directed Piet to salute her with a broadside, 
 at the same moment putting spurs to my horse. At the 
 report of the gun, and the sudden clattering of hoofs, 
 away bounded the giraffes in grotesque confusion, clear- 
 ing the ground by a succession of frog-like hops, and 
 soon leaving me far in the rear. Twice were their 
 towering forms concealed from view by a park of trees, 
 which we entered almost at the same instant; and 
 twice, on emerging from the labyrinth, did I perceive 
 them tilting over an eminence immeasurably in advance. 
 A white turban that I wore round my hunting-cap, 
 being dragged off by a projecting bough, was instantly 
 charged by three rhinoceroses ; and, looking over my 
 shoulder, I could see them long afterwards, fagging 
 themselves to overtake me. In the course of five minutes 
 the fugitives arrived at a small river, the treacherous 
 sands of which receiving their long legs, their flight 
 was greatly retarded, and, after floundering to the oppo- 
 site side, and scrambling to the top of the bank, I 
 perceived that their race was run. Patting the streaming 
 neck of my good steed, I urged him again to his utmost, 
 and instantly found myself by the side of the herd. 
 The stately bull being readily distinguishable from the 
 rest by his dark chestnut robe and superior stature, I 
 applied the muzzle of my rifle behind his dappled 
 
SPORTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. 161 
 
 shoulder, with the right hand, and drew both triggers, 
 but he still continued to shuffle along ; and being afraid 
 of losing him, should I dismount among the extensive 
 mimosa groves with which the landscape was now 
 obscured, I sat in my saddle, loading and firing behind 
 the elbow, and then placing myself across his path, 
 until the tears trickling from his full brilliant eyes, his 
 lofty frame began to totter, as, at the seventeenth dis- 
 charge from the deadly grooved bore, bowing his graceful 
 head from the skies, his proud form was prostrate in 
 the dust. Never shall I forget the tingling excitement 
 of that moment ! Alone, in the wild wood, I hurried 
 with bursting exultation, and, unsaddling my steed, 
 sank beside the noble prize I had won. 
 
 When I leisurely contemplated the massive frame 
 before me, seeming as though it had been cast in a 
 mould of brass, and protected by a hide of an inch and 
 an half in thickness, it was no longer matter of astonish- 
 ment that a bullet discharged from a distance of eighty 
 or ninety yards should have been attended with little 
 effect upon such amazing strength. The extreme 
 height from the crown of the elegantly-moulded head to 
 the hoof of this magnificent animal was eighteen feet. 
 Two hours were passed in completing a drawing ; and 
 Piet still not making his appearance, I cut off the tail, 
 which exceeded five feet in length, and was measurelessly 
 the most estimable trophy I had gained. But proceed- 
 ing to saddle my horse, which I had left quietly grazing 
 by the side of a running brook, my chagrin may be 
 conceived when I discovered that he had taken advan- 
 tage of my occupation to free himself from his halter 
 and abscond. Being ten miles from the wagons, and 
 in a perfectly strange country, I felt convinced that the 
 only chance of recovering my pet was by following the 
 trail, whilst doing which with infinite difficulty, the 
 
162 SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 
 
 ground scarcely deigning to receive a foot-print, I had 
 the satisfaction of meeting Piet and Mohanycon, who 
 had fortunately seen and recaptured the truant. Return- 
 ing to the giraffe, we all feasted heartily upon the flesh, 
 which, although highly scented at this season with the 
 rank mokaala blossoms, was far from despicable; and, 
 after losing our way in consequence of the twin-like 
 resemblance of two scarped hills, we regained the 
 wagons after sunset. 
 
 SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 
 
 In the year 1821, the Blendenhall, free trader, bound 
 from England for Bombay, partly laden with broad- 
 cloths, was prosecuting her voyage with every prospect 
 of a successful issue. While thus pursuing her way 
 through the Atlantic, she was unfortunately driven from 
 her course, by adverse winds and currents, more to the 
 southward and westward than was required, and it be- 
 came desirable to reach the island of Tristan d'Acunha, 
 in order to ascertain and rectify the reckoning. This 
 island, which is called after the Portuguese admiral who 
 first discovered it, is one of a group of three, the others 
 being the Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands, situated 
 many hundreds of miles from any land, and in a south- 
 westerly direction from the Cape of Good Hope. The 
 shores are rugged and precipitous in the extreme, and 
 form, perhaps, the most dangerous coast upon which any 
 vessel could be driven. 
 
 It was while steering to reach this group of islands, 
 that, one morning, a passenger on board the Blenden- 
 
SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 163 
 
 hall, who chanced to be upon deck earlier than usual, 
 observed great quantities of sea-weed occasionally float- 
 ing- alongside. This excited some alarm, and a man was 
 immediately sent aloft to keep a good look-out. The 
 weather was then extremely hazy, though moderate ; the 
 weeds continued ; all were on the alert; they shortened 
 sail, and the boatswain piped for breakfast. In less than 
 ten minutes, " Breakers ahead !" startled every soul, 
 and in a moment all were on deck. " Breakers star- 
 board ! breakers larboard ! breakers all around !" was 
 the ominous cry a moment afterwards, and all was con- 
 fusion. The words were scarcely uttered, when, and 
 before the helm was up, the ill-fated ship struck, and 
 after a few tremendous shocks against the sunken reef,, 
 she parted about mid-ship. Ropes and stays were cut 
 away — all rushed forward, as if instinctively, and had 
 barely reached the forecastle, when the stern and quar- 
 ter broke asunder with a violent crash, and sunk to rise 
 no more. Two of the seamen miserably perished — the 
 rest, including officers, passengers, and crew, held on 
 about the head and bows — the struggle was for life ! 
 
 At this moment the Inaccessible Island, which till 
 then had been veiled in clouds and thick mist, appeared 
 frowning above the haze. The wreck was more than 
 two miles from the frightful shore. The base of the 
 island was still buried in impenetrable gloom. In this 
 perilous extremity, one was for cutting away the anchor, 
 which had been got up to the cat-head in time of need ; 
 another was for cutting down the fore-mast (the fore- 
 top-mast being already by the board.) The fog totally 
 disappeared, and the black rocky island stood in all its 
 rugged deformity before their eyes. Suddenly the sun 
 broke out in full splendour, as if to expose more clearly 
 to the view of the sufferers their dreadful predicament. 
 Despair was in every bosom — death, arrayed in all its 
 
164 SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 
 
 terrors, seemed to hover over the wreck, f But exertion 
 was required, and every thing that human energy could 
 devise was effected. The wreck, on which all eagerly 
 clung, was fortunately drifted by the tide and wind be- 
 tween ledges of sunken rocks and thundering breakers, 
 until, after the lapse of six hours, it entered the only 
 spot on the island where a landing was possibly prac- 
 ticable, for all the other parts of the coast consisted of 
 perpendicular cliffs of granite, rising from amidst the 
 deafening surf to the height of twenty, forty, and sixty 
 feet. As the shore was neared, a raft was prepared, and 
 on this a few paddled for the cove. At last the wreck 
 drove right in: ropes were instantly thrown out, and 
 the crew and passengers (except two who had been 
 crushed in the wreck,) including three ladies and a fe- 
 male attendant, were snatched from the watery grave, 
 which a few short hours before had appeared inevitable, 
 and safely landed on the beach. Evening had now set 
 in, and every effort was made to secure whatever could 
 be saved from the wreck. Bales of cloth, cases of wine, 
 a few boxes of cheese, some hams, the carcass of a milch 
 cow that had been washed on shore, buckets, tubs, butts, 
 a seaman's chest (containing a tinder-box, and needles 
 and thread,) with a number of elegant mahogany turned 
 bed-posts, and part of an investment for the Indian mar- 
 ket, were got on shore. The rain poured down in tor- 
 rents — all hands were busily at work to procure shelter 
 from the weather; and with the bed-posts and broad- 
 cloths, and part of the foresail, as many tents were soon 
 pitched as there were individuals in the island. 
 
 Drenched with the sea and with the rain, hungry, 
 cold, and comfortless, thousands of miles from their 
 native land, almost beyond expectation of human suc- 
 cour, hope nearly annihilated, the shipwrecked voyagers 
 retired to their tents. In the morning the wreck had 
 
SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 165 
 
 gone to pieces ; and planks, and spars, and whatever 
 had floated in, were eagerly dragged on shore. No 
 sooner was the unfortunate ship broken up, than deem- 
 ing themselves freed from the bonds of authority, many 
 began to secure whatever came to land ; and the captain, 
 officers, passengers, and crew, were now reduced to the 
 same level, and obliged to take their turn to fetch water, 
 and explore the island for food. The work of exploring 
 was soon over; there was not a bird, nor a quadruped, 
 nor a single tree to be seen ! All was barren and deso- 
 late. The low parts were scattered over with stones 
 and sand, and a few stunted reeds, ferns, and other 
 plants. The top of the mountain was found to consist 
 of a fragment of original table-land, very marshy, and 
 full of deep sloughs, intersected with small rills of water, 
 pure and pellucid as crystal, and a profusion of wild 
 parsley and celery. The prospect was one dreary scene 
 of destitution, without a single ray of hope to relieve the 
 misery of the desponding crew. After some days, the 
 dead cow, hams, and cheese, were consumed ; and from 
 one end of the island to the other, not a morsel of food 
 could be seen. Even the celery began to fail. A few 
 bottles of wine, which, for security had been secreted 
 under ground, only remained. Famine now began to 
 threaten. Every stone near the sea was examined for 
 shell-fish, but in vain. 
 
 In this dreadful extremity, and while the half-famished 
 seamen were at night squatting in sullen dejection round 
 their fires, a large flock of sea-birds, allured by the 
 flames, rushed into the midst of them, and were greedily 
 laid hold of as fast as they could be seized. For several 
 nights in succession, similar flocks came in ; and by mul- 
 tiplying their fires, a considerable supply was secured. 
 These visits, however, ceased at length, and the wretched 
 party were exposed again to the most severe privation. 
 
166 SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 
 
 When their stock of wild fowl had been exhausted for 
 more than two days, each began to fear they were now 
 approaching that sad point of necessity, when, between 
 death and casting lots who should be sacrificed to serve 
 for food to the rest, no alternative remains. While hor- 
 ror at the bare contemplation of an extremity so repul- 
 sive occupied the thoughts of all, the horizon was 
 observed to be suddenly obscured, and presently clouds 
 of penguins alighted on the island. The low grounds 
 were actually covered ; and before the evening was 
 dark, the sand could not be seen for the number of 
 eggs, which, like a sheet of snow, layCon the surface of 
 the earth. The penguins continued on the island four 
 or five days, when, as if by signal, the whole took their 
 flight, and were never seen again. A few were killed, 
 but the flesh was so extremely rank and nauseous that 
 it could not be eaten. The eggs were collected and 
 dressed in all manner of ways, and supplied abundance 
 of food for upwards of three weeks. At the expiration 
 of that period, famine once more seemed inevitable ; the 
 third morning began to dawn upon the unfortunate com- 
 pany after their stock of eggs were exhausted; they had 
 now been without food for more than forty hours, and 
 were fainting and dejected ; when, as though this deso- 
 late rock were really a land of miracles, a man came 
 running up to the encampment with the unexpected 
 and joyful tidings that " millions of sea-cows had come 
 on shore." The crew climbed over the ledge of rocks 
 that flanked their tents, and the sight of a shoal of 
 manatees immediately beneath them gladdened their 
 hearts. These came in with the flood, and were left in 
 the puddles between the broken rocks of the cove. This 
 supply continued for two or three weeks. The flesh 
 was mere blubber, and quite unfit for food, for not a 
 man could retain it on his stomach ; but the liver was 
 
SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 167 
 
 excellent, and on this they subsisted. In the mean 
 time, the carpenter with his gang had constructed a 
 boat, and four of the men had adventured in her for 
 Tristan d'Acunha, in hopes of ultimately extricating 
 their fellow-sufferers from their perilous situation. Un- 
 fortunately the boat was lost — whether carried away by 
 the violence of the currents that set in between the 
 islands, or dashed to pieces against the breakers, was 
 never known, for no vestige of the boat or the crew was 
 ever seen. Before the manatees, however, began to 
 quit the shore, a second boat was launched; and in this 
 an officer and some seamen made a second attempt, and 
 happily succeeded in effecting a landing, after much 
 labour, on the island, where they were received with 
 much cordiality and humanity by Governor Glass — a 
 personage whom it will be necessary to describe. 
 
 Tristan d'Acunha is believed to have been uninhabit- 
 ed until 1811, when three Americans took up their resi- 
 dence upon it, for the purpose of cultivating vegetables, 
 «md selling the produce, particularly potatoes, to vessels 
 which might touch there on their way to India, the 
 Cape, or other parts in the Southern Ocean. These 
 Americans remained its only inhabitants till 1816, when, 
 on Bonaparte being sent to St. Helena, the British 
 government deemed it expedient to garrison the island, 
 and setit the Falmouth man-of-war with a colony of forty 
 persons, which arrived in the month of August. At 
 this time the chief of the American settlers was dead, 
 and two only survived ; but what finally became of these 
 we are not informed. The British garrison was soon 
 given up, the colony abandoned, and all returned to the 
 Cape of Good Hope, except a person named Glass, a 
 Scotchman, who had been corporal of artillery, and his 
 wife, a Cape Creole. One or two other families after- 
 wards joined them, and thus the foundation of a nation 
 
16S SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 
 
 on a small scale was formed ; Mr. Glass, with the title 
 and character of governor, like a second Robinson Cru- 
 soe, being the undisputed chief and lawgiver of the whole. 
 On being visited in 1824 by Mr. Augustus Earle, the 
 little colony was found to be on the increase, a con- 
 siderable number of children having been born since 
 the period of settlement. The different families inha- 
 bited a small village, consisting of cottages covered 
 with thatch made of the long grass of the island, and 
 exhibiting an air of comfort, cleanliness, and plenty, 
 truly English. 
 
 It was to this island that the boat's crew of the 
 Blendenhall had bent their course, and its principal in- 
 habitant, Governor Glass, showed them every mark of 
 attention, not only on the score of humanity, but because 
 they were fellow- subjects of the same power — for, be 
 it known, Glass did not lay claim to independent mon- 
 archy, but always prayed publicly for King George, as 
 his lawful sovereign. On learning the situation of the 
 crew on Inaccessible Island, he instantly launched his 
 boat, and unawed by considerations of personal danger, 
 hastened, at the risk of his life, to deliver his ship- 
 wrecked countrymen from the calamities they had so 
 long endured. He made repeated trips, surmounted all 
 difficulties, and fortunately succeeded in safely landing 
 them on his own island, after they had been exposed 
 for nearly three months to the horrors of a situation 
 almost unparalleled in the recorded sufferings of sea- 
 faring men. 
 
 After being hospitably treated by Glass and his com- 
 pany for three months, the survivors obtained a passage 
 to the Cape, all, except a young sailor named White, 
 who had formed an attachment to one of the servant 
 girls on board, and who, in all the miseries which had 
 been endured, had been her constant protector and com- 
 
THE ORPHAN BOY'S TATiE. 169 
 
 panion; whilst gratitude on her part prevented her 
 wishing to leave him. Both chose to remain, and were 
 forthwith adopted as free citizens of the little commu- 
 nity. 
 
 THE ORPHAN BOY'S TALE. 
 
 Stay, lady — stay, for mercy's sake, 
 And hear a helpless orphan's tale; 
 
 Ah, sure my looks must pity wake — 
 'Tis want that makes my cheeks so pale ! 
 
 Yet I was once my mother's pride, 
 And my brave father's hope and joy; 
 
 But in the Nile's proud fight he died, 
 And I am now an orphan boy ! 
 
 Poor foolish child ! how pleased was I, 
 When news of Nelson's victory came, 
 
 Along the crowded streets to fly, 
 And see the lighted windows flame ! 
 
 To force me home my mother sought ; 
 
 She could not bear to see my joy : 
 For with my father's life 'twas bought, 
 
 And made me a poor orphan boy ! 
 
 The people's shouts were long and loud — 
 My mother, shudd'ring, closed her ears : 
 
 " Rejoice, rejoice !" still cried the crowd — 
 My mother answered with her tears. 
 12 
 
170 THE ORPHAN BOY's TALE. 
 
 " Oh ! why do tears steal down your cheek," 
 Cried I, " while others shout with joy !" 
 
 She kiss'd me, and in accents weak, 
 She calPd me her poor orphan boy. 
 
 "What is an orphan boy]" I said; 
 
 When suddenly she gasp'd for breath, 
 And her eyes closed — I shriek' d for aid : 
 
 But, ah, her eyes were closed in death ! 
 
 My hardships since I will not tell ; 
 
 But now, no more a parent's joy, 
 Ah, lady, I have learnt too well 
 
 What 'tis to be an orphan boy ! 
 
 Oh, were I by your bounty fed ! — 
 Nay, gentle lady, do not chide ; 
 
 Trust me, I mean to earn my bread — 
 The sailor's orphan boy has pride. 
 
 Lady, you weep ! — What is 't you say 1 
 You'll give me clothing, food, employ ! 
 
 Look down, dear parents — look, and see 
 Your happy, happy, orphan boy ! 
 
 Southey. 
 
171 
 
 ALGIERS. 
 
 It is well known that the French are at present making strenuous 
 exertions to establish themselves in Algiers, a province on the 
 northern coast of Africa, lying beyond the Straits 'of Gibraltar. 
 The following brief history of this country, extracted from a re- 
 cent periodical, will explain what has brought the French there, 
 as well as prove a useful introduction to the article which fol- 
 lows. 
 
 In the beginning of the sixteenth century, a Turk- 
 ish sailor, who had acquired some reputation for skill 
 and bravery, was entrusted with the command of a 
 Turkish privateer, fitted out by speculators in Con- 
 stantinople, with the intention of cruising in the 
 Archipelago against merchant vessels belonging to 
 nations at war with the Porte. As soon as he got out 
 of the Dardanelles, the captain persuaded his men to 
 sail with him to the coast of Africa. He arrived in 
 1504, in the harbour of Tunis, and was well received 
 by the reigning bey — for all the Moorish states along 
 the coast of Africa were under apprehensions from the 
 power of Spain. The Turkish captain made the har- 
 bour of Tunis his head-quarters, from whence he sailed 
 to cruise on the Mediterranean ; and in a short time he 
 had a large fleet, and had spread his fame far and wide. 
 By an European corruption of a familiar appellation 
 given to him by his sailors, he became known as the 
 corsair Barbarossa — a word of terror to all merchant- 
 men on the Mediterranean. After many contests, Bar- 
 barossa established himself in Algiers, from whence he 
 began to extend his conquests over the Arabs of the 
 country. The Spaniards had some settlements on the 
 coast of Africa ; and, alarmed at the successes of Bar- 
 
172 ALGIERS. 
 
 barossa, they applied to Charles V., who sent over 
 troops to attack him. Barbarossa, who had only about 
 1500 men to cope with 10,000, retreated to Algiers; 
 but in his flight, hearing the cries of his men, he bravely 
 turned back to fight the Spaniards, and died covered 
 with wounds. 
 
 The brother of Barbarossa had charge of Algiers, 
 and on the news of his death, the Turks of the town 
 elected him as his brother's successor. This Barba- 
 rossa the Second proved himself in no way inferior in 
 courage and energy to his predecessor. Finding him- 
 self insecure in his possession of Algiers, he offered 
 the sovereignty of the town and country to Selim I., 
 the Turkish sultan, on condition of being made viceroy 
 or pacha, and of receiving the assistance of a body of 
 troops. The offer was accepted ; and Barbarossa being 
 made pacha, Algiers became subject to the Turkish 
 authority — continued really so, as long as the " Sub- 
 lime Porte" retained its energy and vigour, and nomi- 
 nally acknowledged the Turkish rule, even while acting 
 independently of it. 
 
 Barbarossa was made grand admiral of the Turkish 
 fleet, and left the command of Algiers to a friend, a 
 native of Sardinia, who had become a Mohammedan 
 and a corsair. From that period Algiers became a nest 
 of pirates, the terror and pest of the Mediterranean. 
 They seized the vessels of all nations that did not agree 
 to pay them tribute ; and landing suddenly on the 
 shores of Italy and France, used to plunder the villages, 
 and carry off the inhabitants into slavery. The ex- 
 ample of the Algerine pirates was imitated by others 
 of the Barbary states ; the town of Salle, in Morocco, 
 became at one time as notorious as Algiers ; and both on 
 the Atlantic and the Mediterranean the Barbary pirates 
 were an object of fear to merchantmen. 
 
ALGIERS. 173 
 
 Algiers was repeatedly attacked by European powers, 
 whose commerce had suffered from its privateers : but 
 though at times checked by warlike demonstrations, 
 bribed by the payment of money, or compelled to enter 
 into treaties, good faith was seldom kept ; for the in- 
 ducements of plunder and slaves were too powerful for 
 professional pirates. During the piesent century, while 
 Europe was occupied by the more important concerns of 
 a continental war, the Algerines became intolerable. 
 The United States gave them a check in 1815; in 1816, 
 Lord Exmouth went to Africa, to conclude a convention 
 for the release of the numerous Christian slaves in the 
 Barbary states : but he had scarcely returned to Eng- 
 land, when the bad faith of the Algerines was mani- 
 fested, by their violation of the treaty. Upon this, 
 Lord Exmouth was sent out with a British fleet; and 
 no answer being returned to his flag of truce, he bom- 
 barded Algiers, and reduced the town and fortifications 
 to a heap of ruins. Thus humbled, the dey of Algiers 
 was glad to submit to the terms imposed, the total abo- 
 lition of Christian slavery, &e. In a year or two, how- 
 ever, the Algerines began to resume their old practices, 
 until a gross insult having been offered to the French 
 consul, for which no satisfaction was given, a large 
 armament was fitted out by France, for the express pur- 
 pose of taking possession of Algiers, and finally rooting 
 out this nest of piracy, which had literally " troubled 
 the nations" for three centuries. The French arma- 
 ment arrived in June, 1830, under the command of 
 General Bourmont ; Algiers surrendered ; the dey, the 
 " last of his race," abdicated, and retired to Europe ; 
 while the French took possession of the town, in which 
 they found about two millions sterling in precious me- 
 tals and stores. 
 
 The French have now had possession of Algiers for 
 
174 ALGIERS. 
 
 ten years ; and though they have wasted much blood 
 and treasure in various attempts to extend their con- 
 quests, they can hardly be said to have possession of 
 anything more than the town of Algiers, the town of 
 Constantina, (the ancient capital of Numidia), and a 
 few points on the coast, maintained with great difficulty. 
 The nature of the country, and the character of the 
 population, offer great obstacles to their success. The 
 line of coast is extensive, but it is comparatively a 
 mountainous strip — the Atlas chain running through 
 the whole territory of Algiers, or, as the French call it, 
 Algeria. Behind the strip of coast lies the great de- 
 sert of Sahara, a vast extent of drifting sand, the 
 borders of which may be reached in about sixty or 
 eighty miles from the sea. The natives are either the 
 descendants of the original inhabitants, or of the Arabs 
 who have conquered the country ; but they are all of 
 nomadic habits, haughty, fierce, and ignorant, scarcely 
 ever acknowledged the Turkish dominion, and appear 
 heartily to hate that of the French. One of the most 
 active of the opponents of the French is Abd-el-Kader, 
 a young chief, who has baffled and thwarted them year 
 after year. It is impossible to read the French accounts 
 of their own proceedings, without being impressed with 
 the idea that this African Arab is a man of great energy 
 and ability. He has had to raise supplies ; he has had 
 to keep different tribes and races in a united state, to 
 sustain their enthusiasm, and encourage them under 
 their disasters : yet for ten years this man, who, as 
 compared with the French, must be termed a semi- 
 barbarian, and the commander of barbarians, has con- 
 trived to give ample employment to French military 
 skill, science, and courage. 
 
175 
 
 THE CAMP OF ABD-EL-KADER. 
 
 The following description of the camp of this Arab chieftain will be 
 read with interest. It is extracted from M. De France's " Narra- 
 tive of a Five Months' Captivity among the Arabs," a work evi- 
 dently founded on fact, but, like all French books of this class, in- 
 debted greatly to the imagination. The writer, a French naval 
 officer, was stationed, with his vessel, in 1836, at Arzew, a sea- 
 port between Algiers and Oran. Having landed with a party to 
 procure water from a spring, a number of Arabs darted on them, 
 and succeeded in carrying him off. His captors, who at first were 
 disposed to kill him, decided on carrying him to the camp of Abd- 
 el-Kader, where he arrived after a fatiguing march. 
 
 The camp of Abd-el-Kader was situated in a wood 
 of fig-trees, upon trie road itself from Moustaganem to 
 Mascarra : the wheel-ruts are still perfectly distinguish- 
 able which the cannons of the French had made at the 
 time of their last passage. As soon as we arrived at the 
 first tent, my guides made me dismount, and we were 
 immediately surrounded by thousands of Arabs — men, 
 women, and children, who began to make the air re- 
 sound with their confused clamours. I distinguished, 
 from time to time, • Son of a dog ! — dog of a Chris- 
 tian ! — cut off his head V the whole accompanied with 
 blows and the customary spitting. However the Chaous* 
 came to my assistance. They drove away these savages 
 with blows of their sticks, and succeeded, with great 
 difficulty, in rescuing me from their hands, and con- 
 ducting me to the tent of Abd-el-Kader, by making a 
 rampart for me with their bodies. 
 
 * Chaous are the executioners. They have the rank of officers, 
 and eat with Abd-el-Kader. They are richly clad, and generally 
 carry superb yataghans and magnificent pistols, ornamented with 
 pearls and coral, suspended to a gilded belt. They have always a 
 stick (baton) in their hand, of which they make constant use, for 
 they have more blows to give than heads to cut off. 
 
176 THE CAMP OF ABD-EL-KADER. 
 
 This brutal reception was not such as to reassure me. 
 Moreover, I experienced a certain dread in entering the 
 tent ; but Abd-el-Kader, without doubt perceiving my 
 fear by the paleness of my countenance, made me a sign, 
 with a smile, to be seated, and said to me, " As long as 
 you remain near me, you have neither to dread bad 
 treatment nor insults." Emboldened by this kind recep- 
 tion, I asked him for water. I had not drunk since the 
 preceding evening — thanks to the horsemen of my 
 escort. Abd-el-Kader had me immediately conducted 
 to the tent which served as a magazine for provisions, 
 where they gave me a melon, some grapes, some white 
 bread, and some water. I experienced at this moment 
 sensations and feelings I had never expected to feel 
 again. The kind reception of Abd-el-Kader, the assur- 
 ance he had hastened to give me, altogether raised my 
 sunken courage, and re-awakened in my spirit smiling 
 and flattering hopes. The melon was excellent, and 
 the water fresh. I devoured the melon, and emptied a 
 pitcher of water. 
 
 My repast being finished, I was reconducted to the 
 tent of Abd-el-Kader. This tent is the most magnificent 
 of the whole camp. It is thirty feet long, and eleven 
 feet high. It is furnished in the interior with cloth of 
 various colours, upon which (in the midst of arabesque 
 and crescents, yellow, red, blue, green) hang weepers, 
 similar in their form to those which decorate, with us, 
 the mortuary cloths. A woollen curtain (haick) divides 
 it into two unequal parts ; in the hinder part, which is 
 the smallest, is a mattress, destined for the siesta, or 
 sleep, of the sultan. A small door, which opens to the 
 back, serves as a passage for those in waiting in tne 
 tent, and to the slaves more particularly attached to the 
 person of Abd-el-Kader. Ben- About and Ben-Faka, of 
 whom we shall soon speak, have the charge of watching 
 
THE CAMP OF ABD-EL-KADER. 177 
 
 over him when he goes out by this door, and to present 
 water to him for his ablutions. During the day the two 
 curtains, which close at night the front of the tent, rest 
 attached to two long rods : the interior is thus open to 
 all eyes, and accessible to all comers. 
 
 In one of the corners, on the ground, are rolled four 
 flags, which four horsemen always carry before Abd-el- 
 Kader when he is on a march. They are of silk; the 
 first, the banner of the cavalry, is red ; the second, the 
 banner of the infantry, has a yellow stripe between two 
 horizontal blue stripes; the third, two horizontal stripes 
 — the one green, the other white ; the fourth is half 
 yellow, half red. On Friday, the day of rest for the 
 Arabs, they are exposed before the tent of the sultan. 
 
 Thirty negro slaves, who form the body-guard of 
 Abd-el-Kader, surround his tent. They are never re- 
 lieved, and have no other bed than the earth. A great 
 number of chaous are always in attendance at the en- 
 trance, waiting the orders of their master. 
 
 In the interior is an elevated stool, covered with red 
 silk, of which Abd-el-Kader makes use in mounting his 
 horse. There is also a small mattress, covered with a 
 carpet, upon which are two cushions of red silk. A 
 chest is placed at each end of the mattress, two other 
 chests form the back, and a carpet covers the whole. 
 All this forms the sofa of Abd-el-Kader. The boxes 
 inclose his money and his clothes. A carpet, upon 
 which strangers seat themselves, is spread upon the 
 ground. 
 
 I have now mentioned all the furniture and all the 
 ornaments of the tent of Abd-el-Kader. I must describe 
 the life, the character, the manners, the habits of this 
 man, so badly known even to this day. After all I had 
 heard said of him, I expected to see a barbarian, always 
 
178 THE CAMP OF ABD-EL-KADER. 
 
 ready to cut off heads, a tiger thirsty for blood : my 
 expectation was much deceived. 
 
 Abd-el-Kader is twenty-eight years of age. He is 
 little, being not more than five feet high ; his face long, 
 and of excessive paleness ; his large black eyes are mild 
 and caressing ; his mouth small and graceful ; his nose 
 aquiline. His beard is thin, but very black. He wears 
 a small moustache, which gives his features, naturally 
 fine and benevolent, a martial air, which becomes him 
 exceedingly. The ensemble of his physiogomy is sweet 
 and agreeable. Mons. Bravais has told me that an Arab 
 chief, whose name I have forgotten, being one day on 
 board the " Loiret," in the captain's state-room, ex- 
 claimed, on seeing the portrait of a woman, Isabeau de 
 Baviere, whom the engraver had taken to personify 
 Europe, " There is Abd-el-Kader !" Abd-el-Kader has 
 beautiful small hands and feet, and displays some co- 
 quetry in keeping them in order. He is always wash- 
 ing them. While conversing, squatted upon his cushions, 
 he holds his toes in his fingers ; or, if this posture fa- 
 tigues him, he begins to pare, to clear the bottom of the 
 nails with a knife and scissors, of which the mother-of- 
 pearl handle is delicately worked, and which he has 
 constantly in his hands. 
 
 The father of Abd-el-Kader, who has been dead two 
 years, was a maraboot, named Mahidin, who, by his 
 good fortune, his intelligence, his reputation for holi- 
 ness, had obtained a great repute among the Arabs, and 
 a great moral influence over the tribes. He had per- 
 formed the journey to Mecca twice; he had twice pros- 
 trated himself before the tomb of the Prophet. His son 
 accompunied him on his second trip ; he was then eight 
 years of age. His youth did not prevent his seeing, 
 observing, and profiting; he already knew how to write 
 and read Arabic, and had also learned Italian. On their 
 
THE CAMP OF ABD-EL-KADER. 179 
 
 return from this pious expedition, Mahidin guided the 
 youthful intelligence of his son in the difficult study of 
 the Koran, at the same time that he instructed him in 
 the practical part of business. 
 
 The taking of Algiers occurred. As soon as we had 
 concluded a peace with the Arabs, Abd-el-Kader labour- 
 ed to excite the tribes, to nourish and envenom their 
 resentments, to exalt their religious fanaticism, and, 
 above all, to become their chief. The intelligence, the 
 activity, the bravery, the address, the craft of the young 
 maraboot soon distinguished him among the tribes. The 
 Arabs recognised the superiority that natural advantages 
 assured him over them ; they became accustomed by 
 degrees to consider him their chief: to-day, he is their 
 sultan. He is the only man capable of maintaining the 
 Arabs against our attacks. If the tribes should lose him, 
 discouraged as they already are, and tired of the war, 
 they would soon place themselves under our rule. 
 
 When I was introduced the second time into the tent 
 of the sultan, he was seated upon some pillows ; his 
 secretaries and some maraboots, squatted down in a 
 circle, were near him. His smiling and gracious coun- 
 tenance formed a pleasing contrast with their stern and 
 savage faces. The chief secretary first drew my atten- 
 tion. His physiognomy was perfectly Tartuffian — he is 
 a rogue ; he always urged Abd-el-Kader to demand a 
 large sum of money for my ransom. 
 
 The sultan ordered me, with a smile full of kindness, 
 to be seated. 
 
 He conversed with me a long time on the generals 
 who had commanded in Africa, and he inquired, with a 
 great deal of interest and curiosity, what had become of 
 them. At the name of General Trezel he became vio- 
 lently angry, and exclaimed, " He is the author of all 
 
180 
 
 THE CAMP OF ABD-EL-KADER. 
 
 our evils ! He is the man who, by breaking the peace, 
 has caused so many disasters !" 
 
 I understood him to make allusion to the battle of 
 Tafna, where General Bugeaud retrieved the check we 
 had received at Macta, which had cost us five hundred 
 men. 
 
 "How many horsemen," said I to him, "did you 
 lose at Tafna I" 
 
 " How many "?" replied he with anger, " how many 1 
 What have you to do with that 1 The Arab has not 
 been killed like the French at Macta. You have not 
 retrieved the great victory I gained over you. Five 
 hundred of our men never returned from Tafna." I 
 took care not to add any observation. There was a 
 moment's silence, after which he smiled and said, 
 " have you need of anything else to-day?" 
 
 M I am quite naked — have me clad." 
 
 Abd-el-Kader immediately gave orders for them to 
 dress me. I retired, on a sign to that effect, and they 
 conducted me to the magazine of provisions. There 
 they supplied me with a cap, a very light haick, a shirt, 
 and slippers. They restored me my trousers, and I 
 put them on, although in rags, for there were none to 
 be found in the magazine. 
 
 After undergoing hardships and sufferings of no ordinary kind, he 
 at last got exchanged along with some others of his companions in 
 misfortune. 
 
181 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB. 
 
 The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, 
 And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; 
 And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, 
 When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. 
 
 Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, 
 That host with their banners at sunset were seen; 
 Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, 
 That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 
 
 For the angel of death spread his wings on the blast, 
 And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed ; 
 And the eyes of the sleepers wax'd deadly and chill, 
 And their hearts but once heav'd and for ever grew still. 
 
 And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, 
 But through it there roll'd not the breath of his pride: 
 And the foam of his gasping lay white on his turf, 
 And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. 
 
 And there lay the rider distorted and pale, 
 With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail ; 
 And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, 
 The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. 
 
 And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, 
 And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; 
 And the might of the Gentile unsmote by the sword, 
 Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord. 
 
 Byron. 
 
182 
 
 STIRLING CASTLE— THE NIGHT BEFORE 
 BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 couched in battle's prompt array 
 
 Each army on their weapons lay. 
 
 It was on a night of lovely June, 
 High rode in cloudless blue the moon, 
 
 Demayet smil'd beneath her ray ; 
 Old Stirling's towers arise in light, 
 And, twin'd in links of silver bright, 
 
 Her winding river lay ! 
 Ah, gentle planet! other sight 
 Shall greet the next returning night, 
 Of broken arms, and banners tore, 
 And marshes dark with human gore, 
 And piles of slaughter'd men and horse, 
 And Forth that floats the frequent corse 
 And many a wounded wretch to plain, 
 Beneath thy silver light in vain. 
 
 Scott. 
 
183 
 
 SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 Mb. Stephens's Travels in Central America, just published, is re- 
 plete with much interesting information and stirring adventure. 
 It would be impossible to give any detailed outline of his work, 
 for it embraces a journey of three thousand miles. We therefore 
 select a few extracts, feeling assured that the perusal of these will 
 induce our readers to take the earliest opportunity of consulting 
 the book itself. 
 
 MISADVENTURES OF A CARAVAN. 
 
 Crossing the Mico Mountain is no joke. In a few minutes after 
 leaving Yzabal, the caravan to which Mr. Stephens's party joined 
 itself, consisting of "nearly a hundred mules and twenty or thirty 
 muleteers," was fetlock deep in mud ; then came great puddles 
 and holes, and roots, rising two or three feet above the ground, 
 which crossed the path in every direction; next, a stream which 
 broke rapidly over a stony bed. 
 
 The whole caravan was moving up the bed of the 
 stream ; the water was darkened by the shade of the 
 overhanging trees ; the muleteers, without shirts and 
 with their loose trowsers rolled up to the thighs and 
 down from the waistband, were scattered among the 
 mules. ^One was chasing a stray beast ; a second dart- 
 ing at one whose load was slipping ofT; a third lifting 
 up one that had fallen; another, with his foot braced 
 against a mule's side, straining at the girth; all shout- 
 ing, cursing, and lashing ; the whole a mass of inex- 
 tricable confusion, and presenting a scene almost ter- 
 rific. We held up to let them pass, and, crossing the 
 stream, rode a short distance on level road, but over 
 fetlock deep in mud ; and, cutting off a bend, fell into 
 the stream ourselves in the middle of the caravan. 
 The branches of the trees met over our heads, and the 
 bed of the stream was so broken and stony that the 
 
184 SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 mules constantly stumbled and fell. Leaving this, 
 and continuing on a road the same as before, in an hour 
 we reached the foot of the mountain. The ascent be- 
 gan precipitously, and by an extraordinary passage. It 
 was a narrow gully, worn by the tracks of mules and 
 the washing of mountain-torrents so deep that the 
 sides were higher than our heads, and so narrow that 
 we could barely pass through without touching. Our 
 whole caravan moved singly through these muddy de- 
 files, the muleteers scattered among them, and on the 
 bank above, extricating the mules as they stuck fast, 
 raising them as they fell, arranging their cargoes, curs- 
 ing, shouting, and lashing them on. If one stopped, 
 all behind were blocked up, unable to turn. Any sud- 
 den start pressed us against the sides of the gulley ; 
 and there was no small danger of getting a leg crushed. 
 Emerging from this defile, we came again among deep 
 mudholes and projecting roots of trees, with the addi- 
 tional difficulty of a steep ascent. The trees, too, 
 were larger, and their roots higher and extending far- 
 ther; and, above all, the mahogany-tree threw out its 
 giant roots high at the trunk, and tapering, not round, 
 like the roots of other trees, but straight, with sharp 
 edges, traversing rocks and the roots of other trees. 
 It was the last of the rainy season ; the heavy rains, 
 from which we had suffered at sea, had deluged the 
 mountain, and it was in the worst state to be passable ; 
 for sometimes it is not passable at all. For the last 
 few days there had been no rain; but we had hardly 
 congratulated ourselves upon our good fortune in hav- 
 ing a clear day, when the forest became darker, and 
 the rain poured. The woods were of impenetrable 
 thickness ; and there was no view except that of the 
 detestable path before us. For five long hours we were 
 dragged through mudholes, squeezed in gulley s, knocked 
 
SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 185 
 
 against trees, and tumbled over roots ; every step re- 
 quired care and great physical exertion; and withal, I 
 felt that our inglorious epitaph might be, " Tossed 
 over the head of a mule, brained by the trunk of a 
 mahogany-tree, and buried in the mud of the Mico 
 Mountain." We attempted to walk ; but the rocks 
 and roots were so slippery, the mudholes so deep, and 
 the ascents and descents so steep, that it was impossi- 
 ble to continue. 
 
 We were toiling on toward the top of the mountain, 
 when, at a sudden turn, we met a solitary traveller. 
 He was a tall, dark-complexioned man, with a broad- 
 brimmed Panama hat rolled up at the sides, a striped 
 woollen Guatimala jacket, with fringe at the bottom; 
 plaid pantaloons, leather spatterdashes, spurs, and 
 sword. He was mounted on a noble mule, with a high- 
 peaked saddle, and the butts of a pair of horseman's 
 pistols peeped out of the holsters. His face was co- 
 vered with sweat and mud, his breast and legs were 
 spattered, and his right side was a complete incrusta- 
 tion; altogether, his appearance was fearful. It seemed 
 strange to meet any one on such a road ; and, to our 
 surprise, he accosted us in English. He had set out 
 with muleteers and Indians, but had lost them in some 
 of the windings of the wood, and was seeking his 
 way alone.. He had crossed the mountain twice be- 
 fore, but had never known it so bad. He had been 
 thrown twice ; once his mule rolled over him, and 
 nearly crushed him, and she was now so frightened, 
 that he could hardly urge her along. He dismounted, 
 and the trembling beast and his own exhausted state 
 confirmed all that he had said. He asked us for brandy, 
 wine, or water, — anything to revive him, — but, unfor- 
 tunately, our stores were ahead, and for him to go back 
 one step was out of the question. Imagine our sur- 
 13 
 
186 SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 prise when, with his feet buried in the mud, he told us 
 that he had been two years in Guatimala negotiating 
 for a bank charter. But neither of us had time to lose ; 
 and parting, though with some reluctance, almost as 
 abruptly as we had met, we continued our ascent. At 
 one o'clock, to our inexpressible satisfaction, we reached 
 the top of the mountain. 
 
 THE RUINS OF COPAN. 
 
 Elaborate details and illustrations of the ruined cities of Copanand 
 Palenque occupy a prominent place in the volumes before us. 
 These memorials of an unknown race form not the least interest- 
 ing portion of the work; and Mr. Stephens states, that although 
 he visited eight ruined cities, there are traditions floating about 
 the country of ruins yet more extensive. 
 
 The stream was wide, and in some places deep, 
 rapid, and with a broken and stony bottom. Fording 
 it, we rode along the bank by a footpath encumbered 
 with undergrowth, which Jose opened by cutting away 
 the branches, until we came to the foot of the wall, 
 where we again dismounted and tied our mules. The 
 wall was of cut stone, well laid, and in a good state of 
 % preservation. We ascended by large stone steps, in 
 some places perfect, and in others thrown down by 
 trees which had grown up between the crevices, and 
 reached a terrace, the form of which it was impossible 
 to make out, from the density of the forest in which it 
 was enveloped. Our guide cleared a way with his 
 machete, and we passed, as it lay half buried in 
 the earth, a large fragment of stone elaborately sculp- 
 tured, and came to the angle of a structure with 
 
SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 187 
 
 steps on the sides, in form and appearance, so far as 
 the trees would enable us to make it out, like the 
 sides of a pyramid. Diverging from the base, and 
 working our way through the thick woods, we came 
 upon a square stone column, about fourteen feet high 
 and three feet on each side, sculptured in very bold re- 
 lief, and on all four of the sides, from the base to the 
 top. The front was the figure of a man, curiously and 
 richly dressed ; and the face, evidently a portrait, so- 
 lemn, stem, and well fitted to excite terror. The back 
 was of a different design, unlike any thing we had 
 ever seen before ; and the sides were covered with 
 hieroglyphics. This our guide called an " idol," and 
 before it, at a distance of three feet, was a large block 
 of stone, also sculptured with figures and emblematical 
 devices, which he called an altar. The sight of this 
 unexpected monument put at rest, at once and for ever, 
 in our minds, all uncertainty in regard to the character 
 of American antiquities, and gave us the assurance that 
 the objects we were in search of were interesting, not 
 only as the remains of an unknown people, but as 
 works of art, proving, like newly-discovered historical 
 records, that the people who once occupied the conti- 
 nent of America were not savages. With an interest 
 perhaps stronger than we had ever felt in wandering 
 among the ruins of Egypt, we followed our guide, who, 
 sometimes missing his way, with a constant and vigor- 
 ous use of his machete, conducted us through the thick 
 forest, among half-buried fragments, to fourteen monu- 
 ments of the same character and appearance, some 
 with more elegant designs, and some in workmanship 
 equal to the finest monuments of the Egyptians ; one 
 displaced from its pedestal by enormous roots ; another 
 locked in the close embrace of branches of trees, and 
 almost lifted out of the earth; another hurled to the 
 
188 SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 ground, and bound down by huge vines and creepers ; 
 and one standing, with its altar before it, seeming to 
 shade and shroud it as a sacred thing. In the solemn 
 stillness of the woods, it seemed a divinity mourning 
 over a fallen people. The only sounds that disturbed 
 the quiet of this buried city were the noise of monkeys 
 moving among the tops of the trees, and the cracking 
 of dry branches broken by their weight. They moved 
 over our heads in long and swift processions, forty or 
 fifty at a time ; some with little ones wound in their 
 long arms, walking out to the end of boughs, and 
 holding on with their hind feet or a curl of the tail, 
 sprang to a branch of the next tree, and with a noise 
 like a current of wind, passed on into the depths of the 
 forest. It was the first time we had seen these mockers 
 of humanity ; and, with the strange monuments around 
 us, they seemed like wandering spirits of the departed 
 race, guarding the ruins of their former habitations. 
 We returned to the base of the pyramidal structure, 
 and ascended by regular stone-steps, in some places 
 forced apart by bushes and saplings, and in others 
 thrown down by the growth of large trees, while some 
 remained entire. In parts, they were ornamented with 
 sculptured figures and rows of death's heads. Climb- 
 ing over the ruined top, we reached a terrace over- 
 grown with trees, and, crossing it, descended by stone 
 steps into an area so covered with trees, that at first we 
 could not make out its form, but which, on clearing the 
 way with the machete, we ascertained to be a square, 
 and with steps on all the sides almost as perfect as 
 those of the Roman amphitheatre. The steps were 
 ornamented with sculpture; and on the south side, 
 about half-way up, forced out of its place by roots, was 
 a colossal head, evidently a portrait. We ascended 
 these steps, and reached a broad terrace a hundred feet 
 
SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 189 
 
 high, overlooking the river, and supported by the wall 
 which we had seen from the opposite bank. The whole 
 terrace was covered with trees ; and, even at this height 
 from the ground, were two gigantic caibas, or wild 
 cotton trees of India, above twenty feet in circumfer- 
 ence, extending their half naked roots fifty or a hun- 
 dred feet around, binding down the ruins, and shading 
 them with their wide-spreading branches. 
 
 There were no associations connected with the place ; 
 none of those stirring recollections which hallow Rome, 
 Athens, and 
 
 " The world's great mistress on the Egyptian plain ;" 
 
 but architecture, sculpture, and painting — all the arts 
 which embellish life — had flourished in this overgrown 
 forest ; orators, warriors, and statesmen, — beauty, am 
 bition, and glory, had lived and passed away, and none 
 knew that such things had been, or could tell of their 
 past existence. All was mystery, — dark, impenetrable 
 mystery, — and every circumstance increased it. In 
 Egypt, the colossal skeletons of gigantic temples stand 
 in the unwatered sands in all the nakedness of desola- 
 tion; here an immense forest shrouded the ruins, hiding 
 them from sight, heightening the impression and moral 
 effect, and giving an intensity and almost wildness to 
 the interest. 
 
 VISIT TO THE VOLCANO OF MASAYA. 
 
 I resolved to give one day to the volcano of Masaya 
 For this purpose, I sent a courier ahead to procure me 
 a guide up the volcano, and did not get off till eleven 
 o'clock. At a short distance from the city, we met a 
 
190 SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 little negro on horseback, dressed in the black suit that 
 nature made him, with two large plantain leaves for a 
 saddle. At the distance of two leagues we came in sight 
 of the volcano, and at four o'clock, after a hot ride, en- 
 tered the town, one of the oldest and largest in Nicara- 
 gua; and, though completely inland, containing, with 
 its suburbs, a population of twenty thousand. We rode 
 to the house of Don Sabino Satroon, who lay, with his 
 mouth open, snoring in a hammock; but his wife, a 
 pretty young half-blood, received me cordially, and, 
 with a proper regard for the infirmities of an old hus- 
 band and for me, did not wake him up. All at once, 
 he shut his mouth and opened his eyes, and gave me a 
 cordial welcome. Don Sabino was a Colombian, who 
 had been banished for ten years, as he said, for service 
 rendered his country; and, having found his way to 
 Masaya, had married this pretty young half-blood, and 
 set up as doctor. Inside the door, behind a little stack 
 of rice, sausages, and chocolate, was a formidable array 
 of jars and bottles, exhibiting as many colours and as 
 puzzling labels as an apothecary's shop at home. I had 
 time to take a short walk round the town ; and turning 
 down the wood, at the distance of half a mile, came to 
 the brink of a precipice more than one hundred feet 
 high, at the foot of which, and a short distance beyond, 
 was the lake of Masaya. The descent was almost per- 
 pendicular ; in one place by a rough ladder, and then by 
 steps cut in the rock. I was obliged to stop, while 
 fifteen or twenty women, most of them young girls, 
 passed. Their water-jars were made of the shell of a 
 large gourd, round, with fanciful figures scratched on 
 them, and painted or glazed, supported on the back by 
 a strap across the forehead, and secured by fine net- 
 work. Below, they were chattering gaily ; but by the 
 time they reached the place where I stood, they were 
 
SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 191 
 
 silent, their movements very slow, their breathing hard, 
 and faces covered with profuse perspiration. This was 
 a great part of the daily labour of the women of the 
 place ; and in this way they procured enough for do- 
 mestic use, but every horse, mule, or cow, was obliged 
 to go by a circuitous road of more than a league for 
 water. 
 
 In the mean time my guide arrived, who, to my great 
 satisfaction, was no less a personage than the alcalde 
 himself. The arrangements were soon made, and I was 
 to join him the next morning at his house in Nindiri. 
 I gave my mules and Nicolas a day's rest, and started 
 on Don Sabino's horse, with a boy to act as guide and 
 to carry a pair of alforgas with provisions. In half an 
 hour, I reached Nindiri, having met more people than 
 on my whole route from San Jose to Nicaragua. The 
 alcalde was ready, and in company with an assistant 
 who carried a pair of alforgas with provisions and a 
 calabash of water, all mounted, we set out. At the dis- 
 tance of half a league, we left the main road, and turned 
 off on a small path in the woods on the left. We 
 emerged from this into an open field covered with lava, 
 extending to the base of the volcano in front, and on 
 each side as far as I could see, black, several feet deep, 
 and in some places lying in high ridges. A faint track 
 was beaten by cattle over this plain of lava. In front 
 were two volcanoes, from both of which streams of lava 
 had run down the sides into the plain That directly in 
 front of my guide was the volcano of Masaya. In that on 
 the right, and farthest from us, the crater was broken, 
 and the great chasm inside was visible. This, he said, 
 was called Ventuo (a name I never heard before), and 
 that it never was accessible. Riding toward that in 
 front, and crossing the field of lava, we reached the foot 
 of the volcano. Here the grass was high, but the ground 
 
192 SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
 
 was rough and uneven, being covered with decomposed 
 lava. We ascended on horseback until it became too 
 steep for our horses to carry us, and then dismounted 
 and tied them to a bush, and continued on foot. I was 
 already uneasy as to my guides' knowledge of localities, 
 and soon found that they were unwilling or unable to 
 endure much fatigue. Before we were half-way up, 
 they disencumbered themselves of the water-jar and pro- 
 visions, and yet they lagged behind. The alcalde was 
 a man about forty, who rode his horse; and being a 
 man of consequence in the town, I could not order him 
 to go faster. His associate was some ten years older, 
 and physically incapable ; and seeing that they did not 
 know any particular path, I left them and went on alone. 
 At eleven o'clock, or three hours from the village of 
 Nindiri, I reached the high point at which we were aim- 
 ing, and from this point I expected to look down into 
 the crater of the volcano ; but there was no crater, and 
 the whole surface was covered with gigantic masses of 
 lava, and overgrown with bushes and shrub trees. I 
 waited till my guides came up, who told me that this 
 was the volcano of Masaya, and that there was nothing 
 more to see. The alcalde insisted that, two years before, 
 he had ascended with the cura, since deceased, and a 
 party of villagers, and they all stopped at this place. I 
 was discouraged and dissatisfied. Directly opposite 
 rose a high peak, which I thought, from its position, 
 must command a view of the crater of the other volcano. 
 I attempted to reach it by passing round the circum- 
 ference of the mountain, but was obstructed by an im- 
 mense chasm, and, returning, struck directly across. I 
 had no idea what I was attempting. The whole was 
 covered with lava lying in ridges and irregular masses, 
 the surface varying at every step, and overgrown with 
 trees and bushes. After an hour of the hardest work I 
 
SCENES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 193 
 
 ever had in my life, I reached the point at which I 
 aimed, and to my astonishment, instead of seeing the 
 crater of the distant volcano, I was on the brink of 
 another. 
 
 The crater was about a mile and a half in circum- 
 ference, five or six hundred feet deep, with sides slightly 
 sloping, and so regular in its proportions that it seemed 
 an artificial excavation. The bottom was level, both 
 sides and bottom covered with grass, and it seemed an 
 immense conical green basin. There were none of the 
 fearful marks of a volcanic eruption ; nothing to terrify 
 or suggest the idea of el inferno ,• but, on the contrary, 
 it was a scene of singular and quiet beauty. I de- 
 scended to the side of the crater, and walked along the 
 edge, looking down into the area. Toward the other 
 end was a group of arboletos, or little trees, and in one 
 place no grass grew, and the ground was black and 
 loamy, like mud drying up. I felt curious to know 
 what was below ; but the sides of the crater were per- 
 pendicular. Entirely alone, and with an hour's very 
 hard work between me and my guides, I hesitated about 
 making any attempt to descend, but I disliked to return 
 without. In one place, and near the black earth, the 
 side was broken, and there were some bushes and scrub- 
 trees. I planted my gun against a stone, tied my 
 handkerchief around it as a signal of my whereabout, 
 and very soon was below the level of the ground. Let- 
 ting myself down by the aid of roots, bushes, and pro- 
 jecting stones, I descended to a scrub-tree which grew 
 out of the side, about half-way from the bottom, and 
 below this it was a naked and perpendicular wall. It 
 was impossible to go any farther. I was even obliged 
 to keep on the upper side of the tree, and here I was 
 more anxious than ever to reach the bottom, -hut it was 
 of no use. Hanging mid-way, impressed with the soli 
 
194 THE RATTLESNAKE. 
 
 tude and the extraordinary features of a scene upon 
 which so few human eyes have ever rested, and the 
 power of the great Architect who has scattered his won- 
 derful works over the whole face of the earth, I could 
 not but reflect what a waste of the bounties of Provi- 
 dence in this favoured but miserable land. 
 
 Meanwhile, though anxious to be at the bottom, I 
 was casting my eyes wistfully to the top. The turning 
 of an angle, breaking of a branch, rolling of a stone, 
 or a failure of strength, might put me where I should 
 have been as hard to find as the government of Central 
 America. I commenced climbing up, slowly and with 
 care, and in due time hauled myself out in safety. 
 
 THE RATTLESNAKE. 
 
 A writer in th'e Philosophical Journal presented, a few years ago, 
 the following anecdotes of this remarkable creature :— 
 
 Rattlesnakes have the power of laying down their 
 fangs along their jaw-bones when at rest, and of raising 
 them at will, as sharks also do, and some other fishes. 
 It is only when inflicting- a defensive wound that their 
 fangs are used. At this time the snake, either coiled or 
 in any other position, has the power of darting about 
 two-thirds of its body towards its object ; and with its 
 mouth open to its utmost stretch, all its fangs being- 
 erect, it strikes so violent a blow whilst it bites, that I 
 have been assured by some Osage chiefs, that on such 
 occasions they felt, when struck, as if about to be 
 thrown off their centre of gravity. The fangs make 
 their way into flesh, or, indeed, into tough leather, with 
 perfect ease, and instantaneously. The wound is gen- 
 erally mortal, if proper remedies be not at once resorted 
 
THE RATTLESNAKE. 195 
 
 to. Among the native Americans, cutting out the 
 wounded part, and searing, or, as it is termed in the 
 country, searing it with fire, is considered the most 
 effectual ; but even this requires great promptitude to 
 afford a chance of safely. The quantity of venom in- 
 fused is more or less, as the animal may have been 
 more or less irritated. If made to bite themselves, 
 their own flesh affords no antidote, for they die in ex- 
 cruciating torments. The venom of a rattlesnake, while 
 the animal is striking an object, will be sometimes 
 ejected to a considerable distance. I have seen one 
 confined in a wire cage, when much enraged, strike 
 against the bars so furiously that the poison was sent 
 several feet towards me. 
 
 To give you an idea of the long time this poison 
 retains its property, I shall relate a curious but well- 
 authenticated series of facts, which took place in a 
 central district of the state of Pennsylvania, about 
 twenty years ago. A farmer was so slightly bit through 
 the boot by a rattlesnake, as he was walking to view 
 his ripening corn-fields, that the pain felt was thought 
 by him to have been from the scratch of a thorn, not 
 having seen or heard the reptile. Upon his return 
 home, he felt, on a sudden, violently sick at the 
 stomach, vomited with great pain, and died in a few 
 hours. Twelve months after this, the eldest son, who 
 had taken his father's boots, put them on, and went to 
 church at some distance. On his going to bed that 
 night, whilst drawing off his boots, he felt slightly 
 scratched in the leg, but merely mentioned it to his 
 wife, and rubbed the place with his hand. In a few 
 hours, however, he was awakened by violent pains, 
 complained of general giddiness, fainted frequently, 
 and expired before any succour could by applied with 
 success; the cause of his illness also being quite a 
 
196 
 
 THE RATTLESNAKE. 
 
 mystery. In the course of time his effects were sold, 
 and a second brother, through filial affection, purchased 
 the boots, and, if I remember rightly, put them on 
 about two years after. As he drew them off, he felt a 
 scratch, and complained of it, when the widowed sister 
 being present, recollected that the same pain had been 
 felt by her husband on the like occasion. The youth 
 went to bed, suffered and died in the same way that 
 his father and brother had done before him. These 
 repeated and singular deaths being rumoured in the 
 country, a medical gentleman called upon the friends 
 of the deceased to inquire into the particulars, and at 
 once pronounced their deaths to have been occasioned 
 by venom. The boots that had been the cause of com- 
 plaint were brought to him, when he cut one of them 
 open with care, and discovered the extreme point of the 
 fang of a rattlesnake issuing from the leather, and 
 assured the people that this had done all the mischief. 
 To prove this satisfactorily, he scratched with it the 
 nose of a dog, and the dog died in a few hours from the 
 poisonous effect it was still able to convey. In con- 
 firmation of these facts, I have been told by native 
 Americans that arrows dipt in rattlesnake venom would 
 carry death for ages after. 
 
 Perhaps one of the most wonderful faculties pos- 
 sessed by this and many other species of snakes, is that 
 of being able to live, without any food whatever, for 
 years; and it is quite as remarkable, that, during the 
 lapse of this astonishing fast, their appearance and 
 condition scarcely exhibit their being in any want. 
 Their movements, the power of rattling, and that of 
 inflicting mortal wounds, are perfectly kept up. One 
 which I confined in a cage for three years, had fre- 
 quently rats, young rabbits, and birds of various kinds 
 put in, sometimes alive, and at other times dead, with- 
 
lavallette's escape from prison. 197 
 
 out their ever being touched, not even a movement 
 would be made by the snake to approach them; while, 
 on the contrary, the live quadrupeds and birds showed 
 great symptoms of fear, and threw themselves violently 
 in all directions about the cage to effect their escape 
 from an enemy well known to them. The operation of 
 throwing off its skin annually, was, however, aban- 
 doned, after the first spring of confinement ; and as the 
 animal was small, and I did not consider it as arrived 
 at its middle age, I measured its length with accuracy, 
 and discovered that during the whole time of its 
 imprisonment it did not grow in the least. To what 
 extent this power of abstinence is ever used when the 
 animal is at liberty, I am unable to tell ; but I have 
 thought that the animal's possessing it so eminently 
 went a great way towards proving that it had not that 
 of fascination, as it would be very unnatural for an 
 animal so gifted to lie and suffer, while the single 
 glance of a magnetic eye could bring down a bird at 
 once from the top of any tree into its mouth. 
 
 LAVALLETTE'S ESCAPE FROM PRISON. 
 
 Count Lavallette in early life was an attached 
 friend of the Bourbon dynasty, but the exciting events 
 of the revolution having opened up to him the pros- 
 pect of an ambitious career, he became one of the most 
 intrepid soldiers and supporters of the French republic. 
 During the latter years of the reign of Napoleon he 
 held the chief place in the Post Office establishment, 
 from which he retired on the introduction of the Bour- 
 bons. He was now accused for having been an accom- 
 plice in the conspiracy which brought on the events 
 
198 lavallette's escape from prison. 
 
 which terminated in the battle of Waterloo, and, after 
 two days' discussion, was condemned to death. Im- 
 mured in prison, he endeavoured to avert his fate by a 
 writ of error, but this, along w T ith a petition for pardon 
 presented by Madame Lavallette, was refused. The 
 day of his execution approached, the unfortunate man 
 had no hope left; the turnkeys themselves trembled. 
 On the eve of that last day, the Countess Lavallette 
 entered his prison. She had put on a pelisse of me- 
 rino, richly lined with fur, which she was accustomed 
 to wear when she left a ball-room : in her reticule she 
 had a black silk gown. Coming up to her husband, 
 she assured him, with a firm voice, that all was lost, 
 and he had nothing more to hope than in a well com- 
 bined escape. She showed him the woman's attire, 
 and proposed to him to disguise himself. Every pre- 
 caution had been taken to secure his escape. A sedan 
 chair would receive him on his coming out of prison ; 
 a cabriolet waited for him on the Quay des Orferres — 
 a devoted friend, a safe retreat, would answer any fur- 
 ther objections. M. Lavallette listened to her without 
 approving of so hazardous a plan — he was resigned 
 to his fate, and refused to fly from it. " I know how 
 to act my part in a tragedy," said he, " but spare me 
 the burlesque farce. I shall be apprehended in this 
 ridiculous disguise, and they will, perhaps, expose me 
 to the mockery of the mob ! On the other hand, if I 
 escape, you will remain a prey to the insolence of pri- 
 son valets, and to the persecution of my enemies." 
 " If you die, I die; save your life to save mine !" The 
 prisoner yielded to her urgent entreaties. " Now put 
 on the disguise," she added ; " it is time to go : no 
 farewell — no tears — your hours are counted !" And 
 when the toilet was finished, " Adieu," she said ; " do 
 not forget to stoop w 7 hen you pass under the wickets, 
 
LAVALLETTE 'S ESCAPE FROM PRISON. 199 
 
 for fear the feathers of your bonnet should stick fast." 
 She then pulled the bell, and rushed behind a screen. 
 The door opened — he passed, followed by an old ser- 
 vant of his wife, and leaning on his daughter's arm. 
 When they arrived at the sedan chair, the chairmen 
 were not there. The soldiers of the guard-house had 
 assembled to see Madame Lavallette, and looked on 
 without moving ! This was a fearful \moment. The 
 men arrived at last; the chair went off. A few minutes 
 later, a cabriolet, drawn by a swift horse, rolled over 
 the stones of the Pont Michel. This took place on 
 the 23d of December; M. Lavallette remained con- 
 cealed in Paris until the 10th of January. A singular 
 favour of fortune gave him as a Tetreat the very roof 
 under which lived one of his political enemies, equally 
 powerful by his name, his station, and his wealth. 
 From the garret floor which Lavallette inhabited, he 
 heard persons crying in the streets the police ordinance 
 which prescribed search after his person. The barriers 
 were shut; the delivery of passports suspended; ex- 
 presses, bearing the description of his person, were 
 flying about on every side. In the chambers, in the 
 court circles, the utmost consternation prevailed among 
 those who were convinced that all was lost if M. La- 
 vallette was not retaken. Paris, however, rejoiced, 
 while the police, falsely accused of connivance, burned 
 with impatience to damp the public joy, and answer, 
 by a feat worthy of its zeal, the complaints of the 
 gilded drawing-rooms, and the reproaches that re-echoed 
 from the tribune. In the midst of all these dangers 
 Count Lavallette lived, protected by a family to whom 
 he was personally unknown, but whose courageous 
 friendship helped him to bear the agonies of his con- 
 cealment. His days passed on between agreeable con- 
 versation and diversified reading; a double-barrelled 
 
200 lavallette's escape from prison. 
 
 pistol, hid under his pillow, like a talisman, secured to 
 him some nightly rest. This lasted seventeen days. 
 Finally, on the 9th of January 1816, at eight o'clock 
 in the morning, he went on foot with a friend to Cap- 
 tain Hutchinson's lodgings, and next day, at the very 
 hour when a gibbet was being put up on the Place de 
 Greve for his execution in effigy, he set off, dressed in 
 English regimentals, with Sir Robert Wilson, crossed 
 the barriers in an open cabriolet, and proceeded to 
 Mons. During this journey, M. Lavallette, who did 
 not know one word of English, was forced to keep a 
 handkerchief to his face, as if he had been suffering 
 from a violent toothache, that he might not be under 
 the necessity of speaking to the numerous English 
 officers that stopped his guide on the road. Once, at 
 Compiegne, having entered a public room in an inn, a 
 travelling clerk of a trading house told him the whole 
 history of his escape from prison, accompanied by the 
 most ridiculous circumstances ; and adding between 
 every sentence the words, " You may believe me, foi 
 I was in Paris at the time." Another time, near the 
 frontiers, a captain of gendarmerie asked for their pass- 
 ports, and took them with him. M. Lavallette travelled 
 under the name of Colonel Lossack. The captain came 
 back a long while afterwards, saying that there was no 
 colonel of that name in the English army. Sir Robert 
 replied that he was talking nonsense ; that they were 
 fools for staying so long; and, making a sign to the 
 postillions, they set off at full speed. At Mons his 
 generous guide was to leave him. M. Lavallette, deeply 
 affected, pressed his hands while expressing his grati- 
 tude. Lavallette crossed a part of Germany, and soon 
 entered upon the hospitable soil of Bavaria. The king 
 received him with great zeal, and protected him against 
 the French ministry, who insisted on his being deli- 
 
THE COURSE OF LIFE. 201 
 
 vered up to them. The Duchess of St. Leu offered 
 him her house, and Prince Eugene lavished on him all 
 the consolations of friendship. In 1822, Lavallette 
 was restored to his native country, by letters of pardon 
 granted by Louis XVIII. 
 
 THE COURSE OF LIFE. 
 
 (Translated from a beautiful Spanish poem by Jorge Manrique, on 
 the death of his father, quoted in the Edinburgh Review.) 
 
 O ! let the soul its slumber break, 
 •Arouse its senses and awake, 
 
 To see how soon 
 Life, with its glories, glides away, 
 And the stern footstep of decay 
 
 Comes stealing on. 
 
 How pleasure, like the passing wind, 
 Blows by, and leaves us nought behind 
 
 But grief at last ; 
 How still our present happiness 
 Seems, to the wayward fancy, less 
 Than what is past. 
 
 Our lives like hasting streams must be, 
 That into one engulfing sea 
 
 Are doomed to fall : s 
 The Sea of Death, whose waves roll on, 
 O'er king and kingdom, crown and throne, 
 
 And swallow all. 
 14 
 
202 THE COURSE OF LIFE. 
 
 Alike the river's lordly tide, 
 Alike the humble riv'lets glide 
 
 To that sad wave ; 
 Death levels poverty and pride, 
 And rich and poor sleep side by side 
 
 Within the grave. 
 
 Our birth is but a starting place, 
 Life is the running of the race, 
 
 And death the goal : 
 There all our steps at last are brought, 
 That path alone, of all unsought, 
 
 Is found of all. 
 
 Where are the strength that mock decay, 
 The step that rose so light and gay, 
 
 The heart's blithe tone'? — 
 The strength is gone, the step is slow, 
 And joy grows weariness and woe 
 
 When age comes on. 
 
 Say, then, how poor and little worth 
 Are all those glittering toys of earth 
 
 That lure us here ; 
 Dreams of a sleep that death must break, 
 Alas ! befoie it bids us wake, 
 
 Ye disappear. 
 
203 
 
 SINGULAR PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SHIP- 
 WRECKED SEAMEN. 
 
 There appeared in the newspapers of 1823, a roost interesting and 
 affecting account of the wreck and loss of a small English trading 
 vessel in the Indian Ocean, with a narrative of the preservation 
 of the crew on some obscure islets lying out of the usual track of 
 navigation, at the distance of six or seven hundred miles south- 
 east from the Cape of Good Hope. The account presented was in 
 substance as follows. 
 
 On the 9th of May 1820, the Princess of Wales 
 smack, of 75 tons burden, commanded by Mr. T. Beck- 
 with, sailed from the Thames for Prince Edward's Island 
 in the Indian Ocean, with a crew of fifteen men, for the 
 the purpose of catching seals and other cetaceous ani- 
 mals for the sake of their skins. The voyage was every 
 way prosperous ; the vessel arrived at its destination, 
 where the seal-catching commenced on the 1st Novem- 
 ber, and remained till the subsequent March 1821. 
 Having, as it would appear, exhausted the objects of 
 pursuit in this quarter, the vessel proceeded farther to 
 some desert islands, called the Crozettes, situated 47 
 degrees south latitude, and 47 degrees east longitude. 
 This proved a fatal adventure. On the 17th of March, 
 on reaching the Crozettes, a party of eight seamen was 
 dispatched in a boat to one of the islands, there to re- 
 main some time seal-catching, while the vessel proceeded 
 to another island to land a party for the same purpose. 
 In the course of the day, after reaching the second island, 
 a heavy swell began to set in towards the shore, and the 
 captain, in order to gain an offing, was obliged to slip 
 the cable, and endeavour to stand out to sea. Such, 
 however, was the strength of the current and the un- 
 manageableness of the vessel, that the most serious 
 
204 PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 
 
 apprehensions were entertained for its safety/ In this 
 condition the crew continued in hourly expectation of 
 striking on outlying reefs until midnight, when, to settle 
 all doubts on the subject, the unfortunate bark struck 
 with tremendous force. 
 
 The striking of a vessel, whether on sand-banks or 
 rocks, particularly the latter, is ordinarily the signal of 
 destruction. On the present occasion, the crew instantly 
 expected such a catastrophe, and proposed to get out 
 the boat and try to gain the island ; but the captain, 
 who knew its desolate condition, and believed they 
 could only linger out a few days there in dreadful want, 
 opposed the proposition, and he chose rather to close 
 his sufferings by a speedy death as the less horrible 
 alternative. The crew, however, considered that there 
 was still hope, and, under the circumstances, assuming 
 the right of acting for themselves, they got the boat out 
 over the gunwale, and threw into her a few things 
 which they were able hastily to collect. Still, how- 
 ever, they refused to leave their captain to perish, and, 
 after some entreaty, they prevailed upon him to commit 
 himself to the boat with them. The night was dark, 
 rainy, and boisterous, and the sea dashed over the rocks 
 by which they were surrounded. They found the shore 
 to be much nearer than they expected, but could not 
 land, as it was bounded by a perpendicular rock. After 
 rowing about for nearly four hours, they came into a 
 sort of cove, where they got on shore in safety, but the 
 boat was swamped. How they escaped the rocks in 
 that darkness and heavy sea, was afterwards matter of 
 astonishment to them. They hauled up the boat, turned 
 it over, and got under it. 
 
 When the day broke, they perceived the vessel lying 
 on her beam-ends, with a large hole in her lower planks, 
 which proved that from the instant she first struck she 
 
PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 205 
 
 could not afterwards have lived. The sea was washing 
 over her, and it was evident that she must soon go to 
 pieces. They were unable to launch the boat to save 
 any thing from the wreck. Amongst the articles put 
 into the boat was a tinder-box, and with a few materials 
 which they picked up on shore they made a fire, and 
 caught a few birds which they dressed. 
 
 On the next day they succeeded in launching the 
 boat, and proceeded in her to a cove at about five miles 
 distant, which was nearer the vessel. They succeeded 
 in reaching her, and getting out the captain's and the 
 mate's chests, landing them, and in picking up a number 
 of planks. The next day they picked up a try-sail, and 
 some casks of bread which were spoilt, but a gale 
 coming on, prevented them from putting out in the boat 
 to visit the wreck, as it blew furiously. The next day 
 they saw, to their distress, that nothing was left of her 
 but the masts, which had become entangled by the rig- 
 ging among the rocks, and these soon disappeared. 
 They then hauled the boat up, to live, or rather to sleep, 
 under her, and this was their only shelter for three 
 weeks, during which time they subsisted chiefly on birds 
 and the tongues and hearts of sea-elephants. They had 
 got some of their hunting implements on shore, and 
 were able to kill this animal with ease, whenever they 
 caught it, and its great importance to them will appear 
 in the course of the narrative. The weather was so 
 rainy and inclement, that, until the end of three weeks, 
 they were unable to begin to erect any commodious 
 shelter. At the expiration of that time they collected 
 all the timber they could find, for the island did not 
 produce a shrub. With a part of these materials, and 
 some stones, at the end of a few weeks they completed 
 a house or shed. They covered the top with sea-ele- 
 phants' skins to keep out the rain, and the weather, at 
 
206 PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 
 
 the sides, by means of turf. They made their beds of 
 a soft dry grass, with which the island abounded, and 
 over this they had coverlets of sea-elephants' skins, and 
 on the whole they made their shelter tolerable. Know- 
 ing that it was useless to repine, they soon organized a 
 settled course of life in their little community. Their 
 chief occupation consisted in foraging for the means of 
 subsistence within the limits of the island. Seals and 
 sea-elephants were the game which they principally 
 depended upon, and these they daily went in quest of. 
 The sea-elephant was their grand main-stay, for it 
 yielded not only some parts fit for food, but a large 
 quantity of blubber, which being mixed with dry grass, 
 made excellent fuel. They likewise hunted a species 
 of sea-fowl which settled on the island to burrow and 
 lay eggs in the sand, and which they seized without 
 any difficulty. In the mornings they ro,se about eight 
 o'clock and breakfasted on these birds, after which they 
 went out to hunt, leaving one or two behind to cook 
 dinner. This dinner consisted generally of a sort of 
 soup composed of sea-elephants' flippers, heart, and 
 tongue, chopped in pieces. They could find no vege- 
 tables on the island, which produced nothing but grass, 
 excepting a plant like a cabbage that was extremely 
 bitter, and this they made use of occasionally to flavour 
 their soup. Great inconveniences were at first sus- 
 tained for want of proper eating utensils, as there was 
 only the large kettle in which their soup was made. 
 They managed, however, to make some wooden spoons 
 for themselves. They next cut down an old cask, and 
 with it made a kind of soup tureen, out of which they 
 all ate together. 
 
 Their last improvement was to manufacture a sort of 
 wooden trencher for themselves, when they ate compa- 
 ratively in a superior style of comfort. In the soup 
 

 PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 207 
 
 they sometimes put elephant-skin, which had the 
 appearance of tripe, but in taste and substance it is 
 described as of a more " leathery" nature. After 
 dinner some of them went out again to hunt for " grub," 
 some remaining at home, the swiftest runners being 
 chosen to hunt the seal. At "tea-time," or dusk, they 
 returned, and partook of a mess composed of penguins' 
 eggs boiled in water. Now and then they killed the 
 albatross, which is rather a strong bird, and roasted it; 
 but as young ones were highly esteemed, and as the 
 mariners daily began to lose their hope of being 
 delivered, they were afraid to kill the old birds lest 
 they should quit the island, and in this fear they per- 
 mitted them to live as " stand-bys." For the same 
 reason they spared the penguins, which supplied them 
 plentifully with eggs. The young seals were con- 
 sidered as the greatest luxury, but they, as well as the 
 old ones, were but too scarce, and their skins were in 
 high request for clothes ; for, at the end of a few months, 
 from their mode of life, their clothes gave way, and, 
 indeed, the climate was so cold and wet that they were 
 not fit to withstand the inclemency of the weather. The 
 men set to work and made themselves clothes of the 
 seal-skin, some using the hair inwards. They made a 
 needle out of a nail. For shoes they made themselves 
 a sort of socks or buskins of the same material, and 
 they constructed various kinds of caps, which, as their 
 beards were pretty long, by no means tended to improve 
 their physiognomy. 
 
 We now turn to the history of the party of eight men 
 who had gone ashore on the first island in the group, 
 and from which they expected to be taken up in the 
 course of a week. During the week, for which they 
 possessed a sufficiency of provisions, they pursued their 
 occupation of hunting the seals, on the low sandy shores 
 
208 PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 
 
 and inlets, and gathered a large quantity of the skins of 
 these animals to carry with them on their return. At 
 the end of the week, however, the smack did not make 
 its appearance, which perplexed them not a little ; but 
 their distress may be conceived when they found por- 
 tions of the wreck driven ashore by the waves, giving 
 too certain evidence of' the destruction of their vessel, 
 and, as they feared, of the loss of their comrades. For 
 six weeks they continued to watch the horizon, with a 
 lingering hope that a sail would present itself to their 
 anxious gaze, but nothing of the kind appeared, and the 
 party then removed to another quarter of the island 
 more productive of animals for subsistence. At the 
 spot selected, the eight seamen staid during the winter, 
 living on seals and sea-elephants, which they also 
 cooked by means of the bluBber. When winter had 
 passed away, provisions were found to be scarce, and 
 there was a necessity for seeking new quarters. As the 
 small boat was left to them, they proposed to sail to 
 the island lying at the distance of ten miles where the 
 smack had been wrecked, and, putting this design in 
 execution, they landed, as it happened, close by the 
 spot where their wrecked shipmates had built their 
 house, and there they met, to the great joy of both 
 parties. The fishing party added to the comforts of the 
 establishment, by bringing with them their kettle, fry- 
 ing-pan, and some other implements, which were 
 highly acceptable. There was now a more numerous 
 party to be provided for on the island, and consequently 
 additional exertions were necessary for procuring food. 
 Hunting the seal, the sea-elephant, and various birds, 
 was kept up at all times when the weather permitted ; 
 and when storms of rain, snow, and wind, swept across 
 the island, and rendered it impossible for them to move 
 out with safety, they remained shut up in their rude 
 
PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 209 
 
 dwelling, in which their only mental solacement con- 
 sisted in reading a Bible that had been fortunately 
 spared among the materials of the wreck. Influenced 
 by pious and rational sentiments, they formed a peaceful 
 and orderly community, such as is seldom witnessed 
 in similar cases of extreme personal inconvenience and 
 privation. During their sojourn on the island, there 
 were no parties amongst them; no quarrelling, and 
 none assumed command, but obedience of the best 
 kind existed — namely, that produced by a conviction of 
 the utility and propriety of the thing proposed, and a 
 mutual desire to be serviceable. They all gave their 
 utmost exertions to the execution of whatever was sug- 
 gested by the most experienced, or received the sanction 
 of the majority. 
 
 After they had been together for about three weeks, 
 and the prospect of deliverance from the dreary solitude 
 getting every day more remote, it was proposed to con- 
 struct a vessel with the timber of the wreck, and the 
 materials of which the house was built. There were 
 the remains of a hut built on the other island by some 
 Americans who visited it some years before, when seals 
 were more plentiful. With these, and what had been 
 saved from the wreck, the carpenter reported that a 
 vessel might be built, and they set to work upon that 
 object immediately. The sails were to be made of seal- 
 skins sewed together, and a party, consisting of eleven, 
 went to the first island for the purpose of collecting and 
 preparing them, and digging up the timber which had 
 been used for the house. The collection and prepara- 
 tion of the skins took three weeks, and in a week more 
 they collected all the timber for the building of the 
 vessel. From the state of their provisions it was found 
 convenient that five of their number should return and 
 stay at the other island, as there were not provisions 
 
210 PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 
 
 sufficient for the subsistence of all at the island where 
 the house was built. This party, therefore, having 
 received a proportionate share of the utensils, namely, 
 one kettle, and the bottom of an old one, which was used 
 as a frying-pan, they set off. Those who remained, in 
 order that they might apply the timber used in con- 
 structing the old house to the building of their vessel, 
 set to work to build a new habitation, which they formed 
 chiefly of stones and turf. This house appears to have 
 been an improvement on the first, inasmuch as it had 
 the luxury of three chimneys, which, however, either 
 would not draw, or were insufficient, as the inmates 
 were obliged to cut a hole in the gable end to let out the 
 smoke. At this time they used the elephants' bones, 
 with the blubber as fuel, the fumes from which were by 
 no means agreeable. Having finished this, they shifted 
 their things into it, tore down the first, and then cleared 
 the place where it stood for the purpose of building the 
 vessel upon it. They laid the keel, made from the top- 
 mast of the wreck, to erect a vessel whose keel should 
 be twenty-nine feet, and built like a lugger, and of about 
 four feet and a half high. It was calculated that she 
 would be about twelve tons burden. They worked at 
 it with assiduity, animated by the hope of delivering 
 themselves. Their history of their various expedients 
 to supply the place of regular tools and materials, though 
 unintelligible to the general reader, would be highly 
 interesting to nautical men. At the end of five months 
 they had completed her with her seal-skin sails, and 
 they set off to the other island to fetch the other five 
 men, that they might assist in the launch. 
 ^ Nearly two years had passed since they were wrecked 
 — a time which, as marked by their privations and 
 anxieties, appeared as long as their lives. The five men 
 who were on this first island were dispersed in search 
 
PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 211 
 
 of food, and the larger party were obliged to go in pur- 
 suit of them. On the next day after their arrival, a gale 
 sprang up, and their boat was driven about seventy 
 yards from where she was made fast, and her stern 
 knocked to pieces. This was a fearful disaster, which 
 threw the party into dismay, yet, out of evil, good 
 sometimes comes. The day being fine, an old man, one 
 of the sailors, was sent to a mountainous point to try if 
 he could discover their comrades, and he had not been 
 long gone ere he returned in a bewildered breathless 
 state. When able to speak, he informed them that he 
 had seen a vessel standing in towards the shore. This 
 none of them would believe, and all said it must be a 
 bird sitting on the water, an object which had often de- 
 ceived their hopes. The man, however, was convinced 
 that he was not mistaken, and asked who would go with 
 him to see the vessel, when one offered to go with him, 
 and ascertain the fact; and a tinder-box was given to 
 them that they might, if it were true, make a fire to show 
 those on board that there were human beings on the island. 
 To their indescribable joy, these two men, on getting to 
 the place where she was first discovered, saw a schooner 
 standing along shore, and, from the carcass of a sea-ele- 
 phant, just killed, and other traces, perceived that the 
 crew must have been on shore. They then sought and 
 killed one of those animals, and with its blubber they 
 soon made a fire on the promontory, that evidently 
 caught the attention of the schooner, as a boat was seen 
 to proceed from her towards the shore. The men ran 
 down eagerly to meet her, but when the boat got near 
 the shore, the crew evidently hesitated, on seeing the 
 two men, whose appearance must certainly have been 
 of a dubious nature. They were naked with the excep- 
 tion of their rough brown fur jackets, as they had thrown 
 off their skin trousers, which were exceedingly thick 
 
212 PRESERVATION OF A PARTY OF SEAMEN. 
 
 and heavy, for the convenience of running. They, how- 
 ever, hailed the crew in a manner which proved them 
 to be civilized beings, and they were taken on board. 
 The vessel turned out to be an American schooner, 
 which had come for the purpose of sealing and trading 
 in those seas. The captain received them kindly, and 
 gave them shirts and trousers. It was sunset when 
 they were taken on board, and the next day the captain 
 and the remaining party were fetched. They proceeded 
 in search of the other party, who descried the vessel 
 with a degree of joy equal to that of the first man who 
 saw it, and on the boat approaching the shore, hailed it 
 with three cheers, which were returned by their com- 
 rades on board. Those on shore were so overjoyed that 
 they did not wait for her coming to the shore, but rushed 
 into the water to haul her up. They were all taken on 
 board. They assisted the schooner in loading, and after 
 taking all their things on board, she sailed for her des- 
 tination, the Isle of France. 
 
 Although thus rescued from a desert island, the mis- 
 fortunes of the party were not terminated. On the way 
 to the Isle of France, the mate of the smack had a dis- 
 agreement with the American captain, and he and his 
 companions, three excepted, were at their own desire 
 put ashore on the island of St. Paul, where there are 
 plenty of wild pigs and provisions such as the mariners 
 had been lately used to, and which island is in the 
 track of the vessels trading in the direction of the Mau- 
 ritius. Here they intended to wait till picked up by a 
 vessel in passing, of which they had no apprehensions. 
 Of their fate no further account is given, though there is 
 little doubt that they soon after reached England by 
 some trading vessel. The three men that preferred 
 going on with the American schooner, were landed at 
 the Isle of France, whence they found their way to the 
 
THE ICEBERG. 213 
 
 Cape of Good Hope, and from that they returned to 
 London in the Lord Exmouth, in a most destitute con- 
 dition, but in good health, notwithstanding the straits 
 and miseries they had undergone. 
 
 THE ICEBERG. 
 
 'Twas night — our anchored vessel slept 
 
 Out on the glassy sea ; 
 And still as heaven the waters kept, 
 
 And golden bright — as he, 
 The setting sun, went sinking slow 
 
 Beneath the eternal wave ; 
 And the ocean seemed a pall to throw 
 
 Over the monarch's grave. 
 
 There was no motion of the air 
 
 To raise the sleeper's tress, 
 And no wave-building winds were there, 
 
 On ocean's loveliness ; 
 But ocean mingled with the sky 
 
 With such an equal hue, 
 That vainly strove the 'wildered eye 
 
 To part their gold and blue. 
 
 And ne'er a ripple of the sea 
 
 Came on our steady gaze, 
 Save when some timorous fish stole out 
 
 To bathe in the woven blaze, — 
 When, floating in the light that played 
 
 All over the resting main, 
 He would sink beneath the wave, and dart 
 
 To his deep, blue home again. 
 
214 THE ICEBERG. 
 
 Yet, while we gazed, that sunny eve, 
 
 Across the twinkling deep, 
 A form came ploughing the golden wave, 
 
 And rending its holy sleep ; 
 It blushed bright red, while growing on 
 
 Our fixed, half fearful gaze ; 
 But it wandered down, with its glow of light, 
 
 And its robe of sunny rays. 
 
 It seemed like molten silver, thrown 
 
 Together in floating flame ; 
 And as we looked, we named it, then, 
 
 The font whence all colours came : 
 There were rainbows furled with a careless grace, 
 
 And the brightest red that glows ; 
 The purple amethyst there had place, 
 
 And the hues of a full-blown rose. 
 
 And the vivid green, as the sun-lit grass 
 
 Where the pleasant rain hath been ; 
 And the ideal hues, that, thought-like, pass 
 
 Through the minds of fanciful men; 
 They beamed full clear — and that form moved on, 
 
 Like one from a burning grave ; 
 And we dared not think it a real thing, 
 
 But for the rustling wave. 
 
 The sun just lingered in our view, 
 
 From the burning edge of ocean, 
 When by our bark that bright one passed 
 
 With a deep, disturbing motion: 
 The far down waters shrank away, 
 
 With a gurgling rush upheaving, 
 And the lifted waves grew pale and sad, 
 
 Their mother's bosom leaving. 
 
OVERFLOW OF THE DRANSE. 215 
 
 Yet, as it passed our bending stem, 
 
 In its throne-like glory going, 
 It crushed on a hidden rock and turned 
 
 Like an empire's overthrowing. 
 The uptorn waves rolled hoar, — and huge, 
 
 The far-thrown undulations 
 Swelled out in the sun's last lingering smile, 
 
 And fell like battling nations. 
 
 J. O. Rockwell. 
 
 OVERFLOW OF THE DRANSE. 
 
 A new work by Captain Basil Hall has just appeared, under the sin- 
 gular but appropriate name of "Patchwork." It consists of snatches 
 of recollection of all kinds of things, but more particularly of foreign 
 travel and adventure, written in that lively and agreeable style 
 which has made his previous writings so popular. The work may 
 be said to open with a description of the bursting of the pent-up 
 waters of the Dranse, and of the deplorable catastrophe which 
 thereupon ensued. The particulars have been a hundred times 
 recorded, but never more truly or pleasantly. 
 
 I shall never forget the scene of desolation caused 
 by the great debacle at Martigny. More than two- 
 and- twenty years have elapsed since I looked over the 
 melancholy waste — and though I have become tolerably 
 familiar with the operation of seas and floods in other 
 regions in the interval, I must own that it was only in 
 an Alpine valley that I ever witnessed the full power of 
 moving water, and thence learned duly to respect it as 
 an agent in the geological history of the earth's surface. 
 The Val de Bagnes is a steep, narrow, rugged, valley, 
 or more properly rocky glen, running for about thirty or 
 forty miles in a direction nearly east and west among 
 
216 OVERFLOW OF THE DRANSE. 
 
 those mountains lying on the the south side of Valais, 
 and forming a part of the great Alpine ridge which 
 divides Switzerland from Piedmont. This ridge is 
 elevated to that height which secures for it a coating 
 of eternal snow, and consequently it sends down on all 
 sides, wherever the slope and form of the ground are 
 suitable, those well-known huge frozen masses called 
 glaciers. 
 
 Near a place called St. Branchier the Val de Bagnes 
 takes a rectangular turn, and after passing in its new 
 course for two or three miles amongst the hills, opens 
 into the great valley of the Rhone at Martigny. The 
 river Dranse, which has its origin in the two glaciers of 
 Chermontane and Mont Durand, lying at the very top 
 of the glen, flows along the Val de Bagnes, till at Mar- 
 tigny it meets the Rhone, of which it is one of the prin- 
 cipal feeders. The banks of this river, or, to speak more 
 properly, of this mountain- torrent, are at most places 
 precipitous. But the ground, occasionally becoming less 
 steep, admits of the formation of soil, and this, even if 
 it be too steep for the purposes of agriculture, is richly 
 clad with the larch, a tree which loves to root itself in 
 such commanding positions. Thus, wherever it is pos- 
 sible for the foot of a man to plant itself, little villages 
 start up, enriched by gardens, and decked by the church 
 steeple, which never fails to meet the eye in a Swiss 
 community, however small, or however poor, or, I may 
 add, however exposed it may occasionally be to the 
 ravages of such a debacle as swept out the poor valley 
 of the Dranse in 1818. 
 
 For several years previous to the time I am speaking 
 of (1818), the Dranse had been occasionally, but not 
 seriously, obstructed by blocks of ice and avalanches of 
 snow from the slowly-advancing glacier. These, in pro- 
 cess of time, became so frequent and so extensive, that 
 
OVERFLOW OF THE DRANSE. 217 
 
 they began to resist the melting power of the summer; and 
 eventually the glacier itself, having joined company 
 with the enormous pile of fragments it had sent before 
 it, pushed itself directly across the narrow valley, so as 
 to rest its snout or base on the foot of the opposite 
 mountain, called Mauvoisin, on the left bank of the 
 Dranse, while its upper part lay several hundred feet 
 above the bed of the stream, on the other side. This 
 was the state of affairs in April 1818, and there would 
 have been no harm in it had the barrier been of rocky 
 materials, as frequently happens in the Alpine valleys. 
 As it was, the danger became greater and greater every 
 moment; and the experienced Swiss, now fully awa- 
 kened to their danger, saw that unless they adopted some 
 very prompt and energetic measures, the weight of the 
 accumulated waters would, ere long, become too great 
 for the strength of the dam of ice, and the whole reser- 
 voir would be dashed at once down the ravine, to the 
 destruction of all the villages, fields, bridges, and mills. 
 An able engineer, of the name of Venetz, who lived 
 in the Valais, not far from Martigny, at once perceived 
 that although the evil might not, perhaps, be entirely 
 averted, it might be essentially lessened. He saw 
 clearly that it was impossible to diminish the present 
 magnitude of the lake formed by the glacier of Getroz, 
 but he thought it might be prevented from rising above 
 a certain level, if a gallery, or tunnel, could be cut 
 through the barrier of ice at such a height above the 
 level of the lake as would enable the work to be finished 
 before the water should rise to that point. This required 
 not only a very nice calculation, but a degree of vigour 
 and activity in the execution which it might be dim- 
 cult to match in any other country. The drift or gallery 
 which M. Venetz proposed to bore through the glacier, 
 for the purpose of acting as a waste weir to the lake, 
 15 
 
218 OVERFLOW OF THE DRANSE. 
 
 was made to slope downwards, in such a way that when 
 the water rose to its upper end it should flow so rapidly 
 through that it might act like a saw, and hy cutting 
 down the ice of the glacier, permit the lake gradually to 
 descend, till it was nearly emptied, and the mass of 
 water be prevented from becoming an overmatch for the 
 retaining wall of ice and snow as it was certain to prove, 
 sooner or later, if things were left alone. 
 
 This bold manoeuvre so far succeeded, that, in the course of a few- 
 days, the depth of the lake was depressed forty-five feet ; but after 
 the force of the water had eroded the whole of the ice, it attacked 
 the soft and friable materials on which the barrier rested, making a 
 passage for itself between the glacier and the rocky bed of the moun- 
 tain. When the water rushed out through this outlet, the ice gave 
 way with a tremendous crash, and the entire mass from above was 
 precipitated into the valley beneath, carrying with it man and his 
 works, and spreading ruin and desolation over the whole tract. The 
 narrative thus goes on : — 
 
 I arrived at Martignay on the 5th of August, just 
 seven weeks after the catastrophe above described. 
 Many of the houses had been swept away, and all the 
 remaining habitations gave token of having been in- 
 vaded by the flood, which, even at the lower extremity 
 of the town, where the valley is widest, had risen to the 
 height of ten feet, as we could remark by the traces 
 left on the walls. Higher up the torrent had been much 
 deeper ; and the inhabitants pointed out to us the man- 
 ner in which a considerable district of houses had been 
 saved from destruction by the intervention of the vil- 
 lage church, a compact stone building placed — perhaps 
 not accidentally — with one of its corners directed to- 
 wards the adjacent gorge, out of which the overcharged 
 torrent of the Dranse burst with such violence on the 
 16th of June. Had the side or end of the church faced 
 the stream, it is supposed that not only it must have 
 
OVERFLOW OF THE DRANSE. 219 
 
 given way, but, in its train, all that quarter of the vil- 
 lage would have been overwhelmed. The strong nature 
 of the angle of the church, however, seems to have 
 divided the waters; and as the valley at this point 
 begins to spread itself out, the stream readily obeyed 
 the new direction given to it, and flowed to the right 
 and left. With some difficulty we made our way into 
 the church, which was nearly half full of sand, mud, 
 and stones, brought there by the flood. The pulpit just 
 peeped above the mass of rubbish, but the altar was no 
 longer visible, being quite buried under the mud. This 
 very substantial building, indeed, had acted its part so 
 firmly in the hour of need, that the old man who acted 
 as our guide, patted the wall familiarly with his hand, 
 saying, " The church was, and is, after all, our chief 
 reliance in the hour of danger !" something figurative, 
 perhaps, mingling with the poetical sentiment. All the 
 hedges, garden-walls, and other boundary lines and 
 land-marks of every description, were of course oblite- 
 rated, under one uniform mass of detritus which had 
 levelled all distinctions in a truly sweeping and demo- 
 cratic confusion. In every house, without exception, 
 there lay a stratum of alluvial matter several feet in 
 thickness, so deposited that passages were obliged to be 
 cut through it, along the streets, as we see roads cut in 
 the snow after a storm. On that side of every building 
 which faced up the valley, and consequently against 
 which the stream was directed, there had been collected 
 a pile of large stones under all, then a layer of trees, 
 with their tattered branches lying one way, and their 
 roots the other. Next came a net work of timber-beams, 
 of houses, broken doors, fragments of mill-wheels, shafts 
 of carts, handles of ploughs, and all the wreck and ruin 
 of the numerous villages which the debacle had first 
 torn to pieces, and then swept down the valley in one 
 
220 PASS OF THE GEMMI. 
 
 undistinguishable mass. The lower part of the bark had 
 been completely stripped off all the trees still standing, 
 each one being charged on the side next the torrent with 
 a singlar accumulation of rubbish, consisting chiefly of 
 uprooted trees, and those wooden portions of the build- 
 ings which were bolted together. I ought to mention, 
 also, that from every house, and behind every tree, cir- 
 cumstanced as I have described, there extended down 
 the valley a long tail or train of diluvial rubbish, de- 
 posited in the swirl, or, as a sailor would say, in the 
 eddy, under the lee of these obstacles. All over the 
 plain, large boulders or erratic blocks lay thickly strewed. 
 No one, till he sees it, can form any just conception what 
 the power of moving water is, especially when confined 
 between two precipitous banks, accumulated to the 
 height of fifty or sixty feet, and flowing along a bed of 
 such steepness, that even in ordinary states of supply 
 the stream acquires the character of a foaming torrent. 
 I well remember, even at the distance of twenty-two 
 years, the awe and wonder with which I looked at one 
 of the masses of rock pointed out to me, which the 
 stream in question had evidently projected fairly out of 
 the gorge into the plain. It measured twenty-seven 
 paces round, twelve feet in height, and twelve across in 
 one direction, which I fixed upon as about the average. 
 It was of a rude pyramidical shape. Further up the glen, 
 I came to many rocks, which, though much larger than 
 the one I mentioned, bore indubitable marks of having 
 been in motion. 
 
 A scene not often visited by ordinary travellers is the 
 PASS OF THE GEMMI. 
 
 Next morning at half-past five we commenced our 
 preparations for ascending the pass of the Gemmi, un- 
 questionably one of the most curious artificial roads in 
 
PASS OF THE GEMMI. 221 
 
 Switzerland. The fine weather, which had favoured us 
 so much during our tour of Mont Blanc, seemed so com- 
 pletely gone that the people of the hotel endeavoured to 
 dissuade us from attempting the Gemmi pass in such 
 weather. But we were resolved to proceed, and away 
 we went. Unfortunately for me, I could not. walk a 
 single step, having hurt my foot when scrambling the 
 day before along the scene of the great debacle, extend- 
 ing from St. Branchier to Martigny. In this dilemma, 
 the landlord declared that I might ride up the pass, and 
 be carried down again in a chair on men's shoulders. I 
 agreed to anything rather than miss the sight, and after 
 a hearty breakfast proceeded. We soon reached the 
 base of the mountain, but though the clouds cleared 
 away from time to time, we could see nothing in the 
 least degree like a pass or road of any kind. No valley 
 or ravine appeared to afford an opening through the 
 mountain, the face of which, on approaching still nearer, 
 we discovered to be not merely steep but actually per- 
 pendicular, and in some places even overhanging, in 
 cliffs of six and seven hundred feet high ! At the foot 
 of this sheer precipice there lay, as usual, in such places, 
 a sloping talus, as it is called, of fragments of the rock 
 detached from the upper strata. We had to make our 
 way up this bank along a road much steeper than any- 
 thing we had yet encountered. But this was nothing 
 at all to what we came to on reaching the abrupt face 
 of the cliff, where, to our great surprise, we found the 
 road — even now scarcely visible — actually cut into the 
 perpendicular wall of the mountain, and leading by a 
 series of zigzags up to the very top. As these open 
 galleries are excavated in the living rock only to the 
 depth of five or six feet, — and as in many places no 
 parapet has been left on the outer side, while the plane 
 of the road instead of sloping inwards, rather inclines 
 
222 PASS OF THE GEMMI. 
 
 outwards — it is not in the imagination to conceive any- 
 thing more terrific. Even to a person on foot, it must 
 require him to possess no small steadiness to retain his 
 composure ; but if mounted, he must have a head well 
 practised in going aloft not to feel very uneasy. I found 
 my early nautical habits barely sufficient to keep me 
 from becoming giddy, as the mule — the perversest 
 brute in Switzerland — insisted upon pacing along the 
 outer edge of the precipice, instead of hugging the inner 
 wall, as I wished it to do. In actual fear of my neck, 
 I got off several times ; but my foot had been so badly- 
 chafed in the Val de Bagnes, I could not get along, and 
 was obliged to remount and take my chance, my only 
 consolation being to recall as many stories as I could 
 muster of the proverbial sure-footedness of the Swiss 
 mules. We had ascended but a little way before we 
 entered the clouds, which hung low on the mountains. 
 But this obscurity — for we lost sight of the abyss below 
 and the cliffs above — added considerably to the feeling 
 of danger, to say nothing of the discomfort of a drizzling 
 rain. By-and-by the rain became sleet, and before we 
 reached the top it turned to snow. As the thermometer 
 stood only a few degrees below the freezing point, the 
 cold might have been tolerable had it been calm, but it 
 blew so fiercely, that the chill pierced us to the very 
 bone. This, no doubt, was partly owing to the actual 
 severity of the weather, but partly to the contrast be- 
 tween the temperature we now experienced, and that in 
 which we had been basking for the preceding fortnight. 
 At the top of the mountain, all Nature lay before us 
 bare and bleak. The cold, black, dripping, unpicturesque 
 rocks, showed themselves every now and then as the 
 clouds flew past. Here and there the ground was 
 dusted with the cutting snow, blown, in our faces as we 
 passed on to the gloomy lake of Daube, the waters of 
 
PASS OF THE GEMMI. 223 
 
 which — not less black than ink — lashed themselves 
 into a dirty foam against, the base of some dreary cliffs, 
 of which the tops were covered with glaciers. It must 
 certainly have been to some such hopeless spot as this, 
 on the top of the Caucasus, that the magician in the 
 Arabian Nights carried his victims ; and right glad we 
 were when our despotic guide, for once fairly beaten 
 back, made the signal to put about. But if going up 
 the Gemmi on the back of a mule be a nervous affair, 
 the operation of coming down is so much worse, that to 
 the last day of my life I shall remember the awkward- 
 ness of such a predicament. As I could not have 
 walked ten paces to save my life, I was obliged to risk 
 my neck by allowing myself to be perched in an arm- 
 chair, and hoisted on the shoulders, not of four, but of 
 two men, in a manner contrary to all the laws of stable 
 equilibrium, for the soles of my feet came on a level 
 with their necks. Nevertheless, though loaded with 
 this ill-arranged top-weight, the fellows trudged down 
 the path at a quick, careless, swinging sort of pace, 
 keeping time to the " Ranz des Vaches," which one or 
 other of the bearers sung all the way from the top to the 
 bottom of the pass. The light-hearted peasants, singing 
 and laughing as they trudged along, swung me round 
 over their heads, as we turned the horrid corners, in 
 such a manner as to show me the fearful abyss below, 
 into which the least slip, or one false step, or the giving 
 way of the slightest particle of the edge of the road, 
 would have tumbled us all headlong! I had no time to 
 study the picturesque of the prospect which gradually 
 reopened upon us, in proportion as we left the dense 
 clouds of the upper districts of this singular pass : in- 
 deed I could think of nothing but a most unfortunately 
 ominous expression used by the landlord the evening 
 before, when he and I were discussing together the 
 various modes of making the excursion. As I could 
 
224 WATERLOO. 
 
 not walk, and still less relished the notion of being car- 
 ried on men's shoulders, I had asked if I could not ride 
 down as well as up the pass, for that nothing, it was 
 said, could be more uncomfortable than being elevated 
 to such an unsteady position in such a place. " Ilfaut 
 avouer, monsieur" said he, " que cette maniere de voy- 
 ager n'est pas agreable — mats on y risque moins /" The 
 words " risque moins" rung in my ears : and as the im- 
 plied insecurity of the expression stared me in the face 
 at the terrible turnings of the road, I tried the experi- 
 ment of shutting my eyes ; but almost before I was 
 aware of it, this made me so giddy and sea-sick, that I 
 had nearly lost the equilibrium which my bearers were 
 very urgent in requiring me to maintain, for my own 
 safety as well as theirs, and I was obliged during the 
 rest of the descent to face the peril as well as I might. 
 
 WATERLOO. 
 
 There was a sound of revelry by night, 
 And Belgium's capital had gathered then 
 Her beauty and her chivalry, and bright 
 The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men. 
 A thousand hearts beat happily; and when 
 Music arose with its voluptuous swell, 
 Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again, 
 And all went merry as a marriage bell ; 
 But, hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell. 
 
 Did ye not hear if? — No; 'twas but the wind, 
 
 Or the car rattling o'er the stony street; 
 
 On with the dance! let joy be unconfined; 
 
 No sleep till morn, when youth and pleasure meet, 
 
 To chase the glowing hours with flying feet — 
 
WATERLOO. 225 
 
 But, hark ! that heavy sound breaks in once more, 
 As if the clouds its echo could repeat; 
 And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before ! 
 Arm ! arm ! it is — it is — the cannon's opening roar! 
 
 Within a windowed niche of that high hall 
 Sat Brunswick's fated chieftain ; he did hear 
 That sound the first amidst the festival, 
 And caught its tone with death's prophetic ear; 
 And when they smiled because he deemed it near, 
 His heart more truly knew that peal too well, 
 Which stretched his father on a bloody bier, 
 And roused the vengeance blood alone could quell ; 
 He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell. 
 
 Ah ! then and there was hurrying to and fro, 
 And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress, 
 And cheeks all pale, which but an hour ago 
 Blushed at the praise of their own loveliness; 
 And there were sudden partings, such as press 
 The life from out young hearts and choking sighs 
 Which ne'er might be repeated; who could guess 
 If ever more should meet those mutual eyes, 
 Since upon night so sweet, such awful morn could rise * 
 
 And there was mounting in hot haste; the steed, 
 The mustering squadron, and the clattering car, 
 Went pouring forward with impetuous speed, 
 And swiftly forming in the ranks of war; 
 And the deep thunder peal on peal afar, 
 And near the beat of the alarming drum 
 Roused up the soldier ere the morning star ; 
 While thronged the citizens wilh terror dumb, 
 Or whispering with white lips — u The foe ! They come! 
 They come !" 
 
226 WATERLOO. 
 
 And wild and high the "Cameron's gathering" rose! 
 The war-note of Lochiel, which Albyn's hills 
 Have heard, and heard, too, have her Saxon foes : — 
 How in the noon of night that pibroch thrills, 
 Savage and shrill , but with the breath which fills 
 Their mountain pipe, so fill the mountaineers 
 With the fierce native daring which instils 
 The stirring memory of a thousand years, 
 And Evan's, Donald's fame rings in each clansman's 
 ears. 
 
 And Ardennes waves above them her green leaves, 
 Dewy with Nature's tear-drops, as they pass, 
 Grieving, if aught inanimate e'er grieves, 
 Over the unreturning brave, — alas ! 
 Ere evening to be trodden like the grass 
 Which now beneath them, but above shall grow 
 In its next verdure, when this fiery mass 
 Of living valour, rolling on the foe, 
 And burning with high hope, shall moulder cold and 
 low ! 
 
 Last noon beheld them full of lusty life, 
 Last eve in beauty's circle proudly gay, 
 The midnight brought the signal sound of strife 
 The morn, the marshalling in arms, — the day, 
 Battle's magnificently stern array ! 
 The thunder clouds close o'er it, which, when rent, 
 The earth is covered thick with other clay, 
 Which her own clay shall cover, heaped and pent, 
 Rider and horse, — friend, foe, — in one red burial blent. 
 
 Byron. 
 
227 
 
 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 Under this head, we place a few incidents of Missionary Enterprise . 
 The difficulties and dangers of the Missionary's life, as exhibited 
 in these, cannot fail powerfully to excite the sympathy of our 
 readers. 
 
 DANGERS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 In August, 1811, the members of the missionary sta- 
 tion of Bavian's Kloof were involved in deep distress by 
 a most affecting accident. The neighbourhood having 
 been much infested by wolves, which committed great 
 havoc among the cattle, a day was appointed to hunt and 
 destroy them, agreeably to the usual practice of the 
 country. The brethren Bonatz and Schmitt, with about 
 thirty Hottentots, accordingly set out in the morning 
 with loaded guns. When about an hour's ride from the 
 settlement, they discovered and wounded a w 7 olf, but 
 the animal made its escape among the bushes. They 
 pursued it for some time, but not being able to detect 
 its hiding-place, the two missionaries resolved to return 
 home. They had already left the Hottentots a small 
 distance, when the latter cried that they had discovered 
 the wolf in a thicket near at hand. Schmitt immedi- 
 ately rode back to their assistance, but Bonatz remained 
 behind, as he had not his gun with him. When they 
 were in the thicket, the dog started the animal. Those 
 within did not see what it was ; but those without ex- 
 claimed it was a tiger, and ran off, leaving the missionary 
 and one of the Hottentots in the middle of the bushes, 
 and perfectly at a loss by what side to escape, lest they 
 should come directly upon it. They therefore proceeded 
 slowly, with their guns pointed, designing to shoot the 
 
228 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 animal the moment it made its appearance. On a sudden 
 the tiger sprung upon the Hottentot, pulled him down, 
 and began to bite his face. The distance of the place 
 from whence the animal made his spring to that on which 
 the Hottentot stood, was fully twenty feet, and over 
 bushes from six to eight feet high, so that, had it not 
 been for the horror of the scene, it would have been very 
 amusing to behold the enraged animal ftying like a bird 
 through the air, with open jaw and lashing tail, and 
 screaming with the greatest violence. Schmitt, who 
 was close at hand, prepared to shoot the tiger ; but the 
 motions of the Hottentot and the animal in rolling about, 
 and struggling together were so rapid, that he was afraid 
 to fire lest he should injure him whom he wished to 
 save. Immediately, however, the tiger let go the Hot- 
 tentot and made a spring at the missionary. His gun 
 being of no use at such close quarters, he threw it down, 
 and in order to shield his face held up his arm, which 
 the animal instantly siezed close to the elbow with his 
 jaws. Schmitt, however, was still able, with the same 
 hand, to lay hold of one of the tiger's fore-feet, while 
 with the other paw the animal continued striking his 
 breast and tearing his clothes. Happily both fell in the 
 struggle in such a position, that the missionary's knee 
 rested on the pit of the tiger's stomach. He, at the 
 same time, grasped the animal's throat with his right 
 hand, and kept him down with all his might. His face 
 now lay directly over the tiger, whose open mouth, from 
 the pressure of the wind-pipe, sent forth the most hideous, 
 hoarse, convulsive groans, while his starting eyes seemed 
 to flash with fire. As his strength was fast failing, 
 Schmitt called to his companions to come to his assist- 
 ance ; while, on the other hand, the rage and agony of 
 the tiger supplied it with extraordinary energy. On 
 hearing his cries, tne Hottentots ran to his assistance, 
 
MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 229 
 
 and one of them snatching up the loaded gun which lay 
 on the ground, shot the tiger through the heart. His 
 death was instantaneous. Had the spark of life not 
 been completely extinguished, his dying struggles might 
 have proved fatal to seme of his assailants. About three 
 o'clock in the afternoon they arrived at Gruenekloof with 
 the poor missionary, who, though severely wounded, 
 was still alive. As the case, however, was of an extra- 
 ordinary nature, his friends were much at a loss how to 
 treat him ; and before it was possible to obtain medical 
 advice from the Cape, the inflammation had spread to 
 an alarming extent. Every hour, indeed, he grew worse. 
 He had seven or eight wounds from the elbow to the 
 wrist; in some places they penetrated to the very bone; 
 and as the teeth and claws of a tiger are shaped like 
 those of a cat, they had of course lacerated the parts. 
 His brethren, after several days, procured a medical man 
 from the Cape, who bled him very freely, and kindly pro- 
 mised not to leave him until he was out of danger. By 
 degrees the inflammation abated, symptoms of a favour- 
 able nature began to appear; and to the astonishment of 
 all his friends, Schmitt at length recovered, though he 
 did not enjoy the same degree of health as before. 
 
 The Hottentot, though severely wounded, did not suf- 
 fer so much bodily pain as the missionary. It was the 
 third instance in which he had encountered a tiger, and 
 this time he would in all probability have lost his life 
 had not Schmitt risked his own to save him. After the 
 tiger had thrown the Hottentot down, the missionary 
 might easily have made his escape, as well as his com- 
 panions, but he could not bear to see the poor man lose 
 his life, without endeavouring at least to rescue him. — 
 Methodist Magazine, 
 
230 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 MISSIONARY STATION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 In the course of a voyage made by the writer, the 
 ship came in contact with an iceberg and was severely 
 injured, and all hope in consequence of passing the 
 Atlantic with safety being done away, it was determined 
 by the captain to sail for Holsteinborg, a Danish settle- 
 ment on the eastern side of Davis's Straits. Here the 
 vessel was repaired ; and, during the necessary stay, 
 the writer became acquainted with the Rev. K. Kijer, 
 the missionary at that place, with whom, and his ex- 
 cellent family, he passed one of the most interesting 
 periods of his life. 
 
 The life of a missionary, even in a temperate zone, is 
 not without suffering and danger. What, therefore, 
 must it be in an inclement region like that of Green- 
 land, and at a station within the arctic circle 1 
 
 The Rev. K. Kijer is a Danish clergyman of the Lu- 
 theran church, whose friends reside at Skorup Horsens, 
 in Denmark. To become a missionary chaplain at 
 Holsteinborg, he left his native land in September 1819, 
 and soon began to feel the effects of a severe climate. 
 
 In 1825 this holy man started, in a small boat to visit 
 a distant settlement under his pastoral care. On one 
 of the lengthening days of April, a storm suddenly over- 
 took him and his companions, and they were cast on a 
 small, desert, and wretched island, where they were 
 compelled to remain for three days. During this time 
 the tempest was unabated, and it often threatened to 
 wash them off the half-deluged rock on which they had 
 been cast. The wind was so high that it was impos- 
 sible for them even to rear a tent to defend them from 
 the unrelenting fury of the storm ; wet, and cold by the 
 continual vehemence of a northern blast, with their little 
 
MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 231 
 
 stock of provisions exhausted, they grasped the icy rock, 
 to maintain, if possible, their situation during the drift- 
 ing gusts which appeared ready to bury them in the 
 foaming billows. At length they were compelled to 
 satisfy the cravings of hunger by gathering and eating 
 the scanty herbage which here and there grew in the 
 crevices of the rocks. On the morning of the fourth 
 day the tempest abated a little, and, prompted by hun- 
 ger, they launched their shattered boat, with scarcely 
 strength enough to row to the not far distant shore. At 
 length he arrived at the station he set out for, 120 miles 
 from home, where, having set things in order, and ex- 
 horted that part of his flock, he returned to Holsteinborg. 
 
 Captain Sir John Ross's account of Holsteinborg is 
 truly interesting, and, confirming all the author has 
 stated, he has ventured to insert it. It is as follows : — 
 
 " We found the governor, named Kail, a person of 
 very prepossessing manners and appearance. He seemed 
 about thirty years of age, and had been resident during 
 six with the charge of this district. The clergyman, 
 named Kijer, seemed to be about the same age, with the 
 manners and language of a well-educated and intelli- 
 gent man. He had been resident during the same time, 
 with a wife and small family. 
 
 " We landed under a salute ; an honour which I did 
 not expect, but which we afterwards returned, of course, 
 as soon as an opportunity occurred. We were received 
 by Mrs. Kijer, who was in waiting to conduct us to their 
 hospitable mansion; and in both Commander Ross was 
 delighted to recognize two old acquaintances, having 
 known them during a former voyage at the Whale- 
 islands. Fortunately, knowing the Danish myself, I 
 was enabled to converse with this lady also, as her know- 
 ledge did not, like her husband's, extend to the English 
 language. We were treated with what we might call 
 
232 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 an elegant repast of venison and other things, and served 
 by Esquimaux in their native costume, but far surpass- 
 ing in cleanliness those with whom we had been in 
 communication on former occasions ; and, moreover, de- 
 corated with a profusion of beads, and their hair bound 
 with pink handkerchiefs. 
 
 " After dinner we inspected the settlement, which 
 consisted of the governor's and clergyman's houses, a 
 church, two store-houses, a bake-house, and about forty 
 Esquimaux huts. The two houses were built of wood, 
 having a ground story, containing a commodious dining- 
 room, a good bed-room, a small parlour, and a kitchen, 
 the governor's having an extra room adjoining, for the 
 accommodation of his two boats' crews and two pilots. 
 The apartments were low, and having cross beams, and 
 the ceiling resembling the fore-cabin of a fifty-gun ship ; 
 the upper story containing only bed-rooms for servants, 
 being a species of attic. To the church there is a small 
 steeple, somewhat surmounting the building, the inside 
 being neat and plain, with an organ at one extremity, 
 and the altar at the other, though the former was not 
 seen, as it had been sent home to be repaired. 
 
 " The church is capable of containing 200 persons, 
 and is well attended ; the sermon and prayers being in 
 the Esquimaux and Danish language, on the alternate 
 Sundays. I need not say that the Danish form is Lu- 
 theran ; nor need I repeat the praise so well deserved 
 and so often bestowed on the Danish government, for 
 their attention to the spiritual welfare of the Green- 
 landers ; and as little need I notice the well-known suc- 
 cess which has attended the labours of the worthy cler- 
 gymen who have undertaken this office under such a 
 banishment, and such privations. The store-house at 
 the landing-place is the receptacle of all heavy articles; 
 and at the other higher up some of the people reside. 
 
MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 233 
 
 There is no view of the sea from the town, the harbour 
 alone being visible. It is defended from the east by high 
 rocks, and also from the west by others, so as to be well 
 sheltered ; while it is covered from the south, though at 
 a greater distance, by a huge mountain called the Old 
 Woman's Hood, and has also a prospect of a range of 
 loftier hills fronting the harbour. It is thus a really in- 
 teresting and almost romantic spot, nevertheless scarcely 
 endurable as a residence, during even a tolerable portion 
 of the year, such as it chanced to be at our visit. From 
 an eminence a little way beyond it, we obtained a fine 
 view of the sea and its countless islands ; forming an 
 interesting maritime landscape, out of the power of our 
 pencils at least, if not of better ones than ours. And 
 from the same point we could discern our own floating 
 home, lying snug in her little cove." — Introduction to a 
 Poem, " The Greenland Minstrel" 
 
 A MORAVIAN SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 The valley of the White River lies at the bottom of 
 the Zureberg mountains, which rise on this side to an 
 elevation of about 2500 feet above the level of the ad- 
 jacent country. The declivities of the mountain, and 
 the whole of the subsidiary hills which encompass this 
 glen, are covered with the clustering forest-jungle which 
 I have described ; but the banks of the stream are com- 
 paratively level and open, and covered with luxuriant 
 pastures of sweet grass. The whole length of the vale 
 may be altogether, probably, about ten or twelve miles, 
 from the spot where the little river abruptly emerges 
 from the recesses of the mountains to where it joins the 
 Sunday river. The scenery of the upper part of the 
 16 
 
234 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 dell is very picturesque. Accompanying the course of 
 the stream, as it meanders through the meadows, you 
 have, on the right, lofty hills covered with woods of 
 evergreens, and broken by kloofs, or subsidiary dells, 
 filled with large forest-timber. On the left the hills are 
 lower, but also covered with copsewood, and in many 
 places diversified by rocks and cliffs of deep red and 
 other lively colours. The valley, winding among those 
 woody heights, spreads out occasionally to a consider- 
 able breadth ; and then again the converging hills ap- 
 pear to close it in entirely with huge masses of rock 
 and forest. At every turn the outline of the hill varies, 
 presenting new points of picturesque scenery ; while, 
 scattered through the meadows, or bending over the 
 river margin, appear little clumps of evergreens, wil- 
 lows, and acacias ; and sometimes groves of lofty forest 
 trees (chiefly yellow wood, or Cape cedar) enrich the 
 vale with a stately beauty not always met with in South 
 African landscape. This combination of the wild, the 
 grand, and the beautiful is heightened in its effect by 
 the exotic appearance of the vegetation : the lofty can- 
 delabra-shaped euphorbias towering above the copses of 
 evergreens ; the aloes clustering along the summits or 
 fronts of the weather-stained rocks ; the speckboom, 
 with its light green leaves and lilac blossoms; the more 
 elegantly-shaped mimosa, with its yellow-tufted flowers ; 
 the baboon's ladder, wild-vine, and other parasitical 
 plants and creepers, that climb among the crags, and 
 festoon in grotesque exuberance the branches of the 
 loftiest trees, intermingled with jasmines and superb 
 geraniums ; — these, and a thousand other shrubs and 
 flowers, of which only a few are known to our green- 
 houses, adorn even the precipitous rocks, and fill up the 
 interstices of the forest. 
 
 The meadows, too, or savannahs along the river 
 
MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 235 
 
 banks, are richly embellished, at least in the spring 
 and early summer, with the large purple flowers of a 
 species of amarillis, which has a very splendid appear- 
 ance. At the time of my visit, which was the autumn 
 of the southern hemisphere, the vale was thickly over- 
 spread with a small, white, delicate flower, somewhat 
 resembling the snow-drop. The river itself, like the 
 River of Baboons, is but a large mountain torrent, 
 bursting down, after heavy rains, in floods which sweep 
 over a great part of the level meads above described, 
 and which fling up, in their violence, immense quanti- 
 ties of large rolled stones and gravel, through which the 
 stream, when diminished by the summer heats, filtrates 
 silently and unperceived. The current, however, even 
 in the greatest droughts, is never entirely interrupted, 
 though sometimes invisible, but always fills the large 
 pools, or natural tanks, which spread out like little 
 lakelets along its channel, and which its temporary 
 floods serve to sweep and purify. 
 
 The Moravian settlement of Enon was situate near 
 the centre of the valley of the White river, and in the 
 midst of the scenery which I have attempted to describe. 
 It stood upon a level spot of alluvial soil, near the mar- 
 gin of one of the deep lagoons formed by the river, and 
 which the brethren have named the Leguan's Tank, 
 from its being frequented by numbers of the large am- 
 phibious lizard called the leguan, or guana. It was also, 
 I observed, well stocked with a species of carp common 
 to many of the South African streams. 
 
 The village was laid out in the form of a long street, 
 at the upper end of which was to be erected the church, 
 school-room, work-shops, and dwelling-houses of the 
 missionaries. A small part only of these buildings had 
 as yet been completed ; for the good brethren and their 
 Hottentot disciples had returned but a few months be- 
 
236 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 fore to reoccupy this station, after having been driven 
 out of it by the CafFres in the war of 1819. 
 
 The number of Hottentots at this institution was 
 then about 200. Their dwellings were, with a few 
 exceptions, small wattled cabins of a very simple con- 
 struction. 
 
 The extent of cultivation here was much inferior to 
 what I afterwards witnessed at the elder Moravian set- 
 tlement of Genadendal, where the whole village is en- 
 veloped in a forest of fruit-trees ; but, considering the 
 short period that had elapsed since the inhabitants had 
 returned to their labours, as much had been accomplished 
 as could reasonably be expected. The appearance of 
 the whole place was neat, orderly, and demure. There 
 was no hurried bustle, no noisy activity, even in the 
 missionary workshops, though industry plied there its 
 regular and cheerful task; but a sort of pleasing pas- 
 toral quiet seemed to reign throughout the settlement, 
 and brood over the secluded valley. 
 
 There were at this time three missionaries at Enon, 
 besides another brother who was absent on a journey, 
 all of them natives of Germany. The eldest of these, 
 who was also the superintendent of the institution, was 
 the venerable brother Schmitt, who, after spending his 
 earlier years as a missionary on the desolate coast of 
 Labrador, had been sent to Southern Africa. Mrs. 
 Schmitt, an Englishwoman, and at this period the only 
 white woman in the settlement, appeared to be a person 
 exceedingly well adapted for the station she occupied. 
 The two younger brethren were plain mechanics. 
 
 Regularity is one of the most striking characteristics 
 of the Moravian system ; and a love of order, even to 
 excess, pervades every part of their economy. In 
 order to give some idea of this, I shall mention the 
 daily routine at this place, which is, I believe, precisely 
 
MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 237 
 
 similar to that established at their other institutions in 
 this country. 
 
 At six o'clock in the morning, the missionaries and 
 their families are summoned together, by the ringing 
 of a large bell, suspended in front of the mission-house. 
 The matin hymn is then sung, and a text of Scripture 
 read, for all to meditate upon during the day ; and after 
 drinking a single cup of coffee, they separate to pursue 
 their respective occupations. At eight o'clock the bell 
 reassembles them to a substantial breakfast, consisting 
 of fish, fruit, eggs, and cold meat ; each person com- 
 monly drinking a single glass of wine. This meal, as 
 well as the others, is preceded and followed by a short 
 hymn, by way of grace, in which all the company join. 
 As soon as breakfast is over, they retire to their sepa- 
 rate apartments, for meditation or devotion, till nine 
 o'clock, when the active labours of the day are again 
 resumed, and continued till noon. At twelve o'clock 
 precisely the bell is again rung; labour is intermitted ; 
 the school is dismissed ; and the brethren and their 
 families assemble in the dining hall to the mid-day 
 meal. The dishes are sometimes numerous (especially, 
 I presume, when they have visitors), but the greater 
 part consist of fruit and vegetables of their own culti- 
 vation, variously dressed. I did not observe that any 
 of the brethren drank more than a single glass of wine, 
 and that generally mixed with water. The meal is 
 enlivened with cheerful conversation, and is closed with 
 the customary little hymn of thanksgiving. All then 
 rise and retire, to occupy or amuse themselves as each 
 may be inclined. Most of the missionaries, after din- 
 ner, take a short nap, a practice generally prevalent 
 throughout the Cape colony, except among the English. 
 At two o'clock a cup of tea or coffee is drank, and all 
 proceed again with alacrity to their various occupations, 
 
238 MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 
 
 which are prosecuted till six. This latter hour concludes 
 the labours of the day ; the sound of the hammer is 
 stilled, and the brethren assemble once more at the eve- 
 ning meal, which consists of light viands, and is soon 
 over. After supper they adjourn to the church, where 
 a portion of Scripture is briefly explained, or a homily 
 delivered, either to the whole Hottentot congregation, 
 or to one of the several sections in which the people 
 are classed, agreeably to the progress they may have 
 attained in knowledge and piety. All then retire to 
 rest, with an appearance of cheerful satisfaction, such 
 as may be naturally imagined to result from the habitual 
 practice of industry and temperance, unembittered by 
 worldly cares, and hallowed by the consciousness of 
 having devoted their mental and bodily faculties to the 
 glory of God and the good of men. 
 
 Though the Moravians find it impracticable or inex- 
 pedient to follow up in their missionary settlements some 
 of the peculiar and rather monastic regulations, which 
 are observed in their European establishments, such as 
 separating the married and the unmarried, the youth of 
 different sexes, &c, still their precision and formality in 
 classification are very remarkable. Among other pecu- 
 liarities of this description, I may refer to the singular 
 arrangement of their burial-grounds, which are divided 
 and sub-divided by walks, crossing at right angles, into 
 several compartments. One of these plots thus marked 
 off is appropriated for the sepulture of the married 
 missionary brethren and sisters; a second for the un- 
 married brothers ; a third for the unmarried sisters ; a 
 fourth and fifth for baptized and married natives, male 
 and female ; a sixth and seventh for the unmarried and 
 unbaptized natives, and so on. This certainly is car- 
 rying classification to a most fanciful pitch, especially 
 that of mere mortal dust and ashes ! Passing over this, 
 
MISSIONARY ANECDOTES. 239 
 
 however, there is unquestionably something very touch- 
 ing, as well as tasteful and picturesque, in the appear- 
 ance of a Moravian burial-ground in South Africa. 
 Situate at some little distance from the village, yet not 
 far from the house of worship, cut out in the centre of 
 a grove of evergreens, and kept as neat as a pleasure- 
 garden, the burial-ground of Enon formed a pleasing 
 contrast to the solitary graves heaped with a few loose 
 stones, or the neglected and dilapidated churchyards 
 usually met with in the colony. The funeral service, 
 too, of the Moravians is very solemn and impressive. 
 And still more solemn must be the yearly celebration 
 of their service on Easter morn, when the whole popu- 
 lation of the settlement is congregated in the burial- 
 ground, to listen to an appropriate discouise from the 
 most venerable of their pastors, accompanied by an 
 affecting commemoration of such of their friends and 
 relatives as may have died within the year, and fol- 
 lowed by hymns and anthems sung by their united 
 voices amidst the ashes of their kindred. 
 
 The missionaries at this place, like their German 
 countrymen in general, appeared to have a fine taste 
 for music ; and the voices of the Hottentots being pe- 
 culiarly mellow, there was nothing vulgar or discordant 
 in their singing, but, on the contrary, a sweet, solemn, 
 and pathetic harmony. Nothing, indeed, can well be 
 conceived more exquisitely affecting than the rich 
 though simple melody of one of these missionary 
 hymns when sung by an African congregation in the 
 bosom of their native woods, where only a few years 
 ago no voice was heard save the howling of wild 
 beasts, or the yell of savage hordes. — Pringle's Jfrican 
 Sketches, 
 
240 
 
 NIGHT. 
 
 Night is the time for rest : 
 
 How sweet, when labours close, 
 
 To gather round an aching breast 
 The curtain of repose ; 
 
 Stretch the tired limbs, and lay the head 
 
 Upon our own delightful bed. 
 
 Night is the time for dreams, 
 
 The gay romance of life ; 
 When truth that is, and truth that seems, 
 
 Blend in fantastic strife. 
 Ah ! visions less beguiling far 
 Than waking dreams by day-light are. 
 
 Night is the time for toil, 
 
 To plough the classic field ; 
 Intent to find the buried spoil 
 
 Its wealthy furrows yield : 
 Till all is ours that sages taught, 
 That poets sang, or heroes wrought. 
 
 Night is the time to weep — 
 
 To wet with unseen tears 
 Those graves of memory, where sleep 
 
 The joys of other years; 
 Hopes that were angels in their birth, 
 But finished young like things on earth ! 
 
 Night is the time to watch 
 
 On ocean's dark expanse, 
 To hail the Pleiades, or catch 
 
 The full moon's earliest glance, 
 
241 
 
 That brings into the home-sick mind 
 All we have loved and left behind. 
 
 Night is the time for care, 
 
 Brooding on hours misspent ; 
 To see the spectre of despair 
 
 Come to our lonely tent; 
 Like Brutus, 'midst his slumb'ring host, 
 Startled by Caesar's stalwart ghost. 
 
 Night is the time to muse — 
 
 Then from the eye the soul 
 Takes flight, and with expanding views, 
 
 Beyond the starry pole 
 Descries, athwart th' abyss of night, 
 The dawn of uncreated light ! 
 
 Night is the time to pray — 
 
 Our Saviour oft withdrew 
 To desert mountains far away ; 
 
 So will his followers do ; 
 Steal through the throng to haunts untrod, 
 And hold communion with their God. 
 
 Night is the time for death ; 
 
 When all around is peace, 
 Calmly to yield the weary breath, 
 
 From sin and suffering cease ; 
 Think of heaven's bliss, and give the sign 
 To parting friends — such death be mine ! 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
242 
 
 THE STARLING. 
 
 The Starling, although closely resembling the thrush 
 and blackbird in some respects, differs from them es- 
 sentially in others ; and as its beak, on examination, 
 will be found to be without a notch at its extremity, it 
 may be decidedly placed amongst the conirostral tribe. 
 
 Of some birds it is difficult, from their retired habits, 
 to give any clear and accurate account. Not so of our 
 friend the starling. When it suits his purpose, he 
 comes fearlessly under our observation, and invites us 
 to learn his history. For many and many a year have 
 we watched him from month to month, with the excep- 
 tion of a certain season, when, for reasons best known 
 to himself, he altogether disappears, and leaves us to 
 wonder what has become of him. 
 
 Close before the window of our scene of observa- 
 tion, a well-mown short-grassed lawn is spread before 
 him — it is his dining-room ; there, in the spring, he is 
 allowed to revel, but seldom molested, on the plentiful 
 supply of worms which he collects pretty much in the 
 same manner as the thrush. Close at hand, within 
 half a stone's throw, stands an ivy-mantled parish 
 church, with its massy gray tower, from the turreted 
 pinnacle of which rises a tall flag-staff, crowned by its 
 weathercock ; under the eaves, and within the hollows 
 and chinks of the masonry of this tower, are his nursery 
 establishments. On the battlements, and projecting 
 grotesque tracery of its gothic ornaments, he retires to 
 enjoy himself, looking down on the rural world below ; 
 while, at other times, a still more elevated party will 
 crowd together on the letters of the weathercock, or, 
 accustomed to its motion, sociably twitter away their 
 
THE STARLING. 243 
 
 chattering song, as the vane creaks slowly round with 
 every change of wind. 
 
 We will give a journal of our starlings' lives. At 
 the close of January one or two unconnected birds, 
 now and then make their appearance on this weather- 
 cock ; at first but for a few minutes, as if, without an 
 assignable reason, they had merely touched upon it as 
 an inviting resting-place, in their unsettled course. In 
 February, if the weather happens to be mild, the num- 
 ber of idlers may possibly now and then increase ; but 
 still the visit seems to be but the mere passing call of 
 a few strangers, without a leading object. In March, 
 however, about the first or second week, according to 
 the state of the weather, things begin to assume a 
 more bustling and serious appearance. Hitherto but 
 one or two, or at most three or four, may have dropped 
 in, as if to say, Here we are, the winter is past and 
 gone, a happier season is at hand. But now the flights 
 increase, the three and the four are multiplied to four- 
 teen or sixteen, and the song becomes a little chorus, 
 more loud and more joyous than before ; and occasion- 
 ally, though at first with some circumspection and 
 hesitation, one or two of the boldest will let themselves 
 gently fall from their airy height, and glide down upon 
 the lawn, as if to inquire into the state of their future 
 larder ; for they scarcely take time to taste the hidden 
 treasures below the sod, but looking suspiciously about, 
 are on the wing in a moment, if an inmate approaches 
 the window, or a door is heard to shut or open. 
 
 About the latter end of the second week, affairs begin 
 to be placed upon a more regular footing; the parties 
 on or about the battlements and weathercock, seem as 
 if they had determined upon a permanent establishment. 
 From early dawn till about ten, there they remain carol- 
 ing away their communications ; at that hour, however, 
 
244 THE STARLING. 
 
 off they go, and till four or five o'clock, are seen no 
 more, throughout the greater part of the day ; being 
 absent in the fields, where they may be seen chattering 
 in company with the inhabitants of a neighbouring 
 rookery, or a noisy set of jackdaws, who have, for time 
 out of mind, been the undisputed tenants of a certain 
 portion of an ancient beech-wood, at no great distance. 
 About the third week, the plot begins to thicken still 
 more. The field, the lawn, and the weathercock, are 
 no longer the only objects of interest. Detachments 
 may be now seen, prowling busily over the roof, cau- 
 tiously creeping in and out, from under the projecting 
 eaves, and by the end of the month, the regular estab- 
 lishment, amounting to about thirty, has assembled, 
 and the grand work of the year fairly commences. 
 From this time all is bustle ; straws and nest furniture 
 are seen flying through the air in beaks, contriving, 
 nevertheless, to announce their comings and goings by 
 particular harsh or low muttering cries, according as 
 they think they are watched or not. They are cunning 
 birds, and discover in an instant, whether a passer by 
 has an eye to their movements, and perfectly aware 
 whether he is following his own business or theirs. If 
 he steps onwards, without troubling himself about them, 
 they go in and out with perfect unconcern; but if a 
 glance of curiosity or observation is directed to their 
 motions, they are all upon the alert ; the bearer of a tuft 
 to the nest wheels to the right about, and perching on 
 the naked upper twig of a small beech-tree, or the pro- 
 jecting point of a gable end, sits there, uttering a par- 
 ticular note, which seems to give, as well as words could 
 do, intimation to a mate to be on its guard, as a spy is 
 at hand. If the weather is tolerably favourable, every- 
 thing goes on smoothly and regularly; but (and we 
 have, in the journal of our Starlings' proceedings, many 
 
THE STARLING. 245 
 
 instances on record) should a severe and sudden change 
 occur, a violent storm of snow, or continuance of chill- 
 ing winds, all operations are suspended ; not only the 
 eaves, and half-built nests, but even the tower itself, 
 battlements, weathercock, and all, are deserted till a 
 return of fine weather, when the starlings, too, return, 
 and the work again proceeds. At length, the nests are 
 built, the eggs laid, and the young ones hatched Then 
 a new scene of noise and activity and bustle commences, 
 increasing, of course, as the nestlings become older and 
 more voracious. Then it is that the lawn becomes a 
 favourite resort ; hitherto, a few idlers may have hopped 
 and picked up a stray worm or two, but now the search 
 is a matter of serious occupation. 
 
 Down they come, the sober coloured hen and the 
 cock, with the sun glittering on his spangled feathers, 
 with claws and beaks as busily employed, as if their 
 very existence depended upon it. All, however, in good 
 social harmony, never quarrelling with the shy and less 
 instructive thrush or blackbird ; or with the lively wag- 
 tails, contenting themselves with the lighter fare of the 
 myriads of minute flies and beetles, hovering over the 
 fresh mown turf. 
 
 The noise and bustle go on incessantly, till the young 
 are fledged, when for a day or two they may be seen 
 fluttering about the building, or taking short flights. 
 At length, their strength being matured, old and young 
 collect on the tower, and then wheel away over the 
 neighbouring fields, as if practising for future and more 
 important evolutions. But still the evening finds them 
 roosting near the place of their birth. At last, how- 
 ever, a day comes when all is hushed. No hungry 
 guests are feasting on the lawn, no clamorous throats 
 are calling aloud for food, no twitterings are heard from 
 
246 THE STARLING. 
 
 bough or battlement, not even a straggler is to be seen 
 on the pinnacle of the weathercock. 
 
 The joyous assembly is broken up. The starlings 
 are gone, and till the autumn, with scarcely an excep- 
 tion, we shall see them no more. Then, about the third 
 week in September, again on their favourite perch, the 
 weathercock, one, or two, or three, may chance to ap- 
 pear towards evening, not with the merry note of spring, 
 but uttering that monotonous, plaintive, long-drawn, 
 whistling cry, as cheerless as the cheerless season, for 
 which they seem to bid us prepare. That these, and 
 the few other stragglers, occasionally occupying the 
 same post, are our spring friends, is most probable; for 
 a lame starling was observed, for eight years, to return 
 to the same nest, and every observation we have made 
 tends to prove that this is a general instinctive custom 
 of, we believe, every bird whatever. 
 
 Having thus given some report of our starlings, for 
 the greater part of the year, we will endeavour to fol- 
 low the main body for the remaining months as yet 
 unaccounted for. 
 
 As winter approaches, they follow the example of 
 some other birds, such as larks, buntings, &c, and con- 
 gregate in larger quantities. Not far from the church 
 we have mentioned, there is a considerable sheet of 
 water, occupying nearly thirty acres ; flanked and fea- 
 thered, on the eastern side, by the old beech wood, 
 already spoken of as the abiding place of the jackdaws. 
 Its western margin is bounded by an artificial dam, 
 which, as the water is upon a much higher level, com- 
 mands an extensive view over a flat rich country, the 
 horizon terminated by the faint outline of the first range 
 of Welsh mountains. This dam, on the finer evenings 
 of November, w T as once the favourite resort of many 
 
THE STARLING. 247 
 
 persons, who found an additional attraction in watching 
 the gradual assemblage of the starlings. About an 
 hour before sunset, little flocks, by twenties or fifties, 
 kept gradually dropping in, their numbers increasing as 
 daylight waned, till one vast flight was formed amount- 
 ing to thousands, and at times we might almost say to 
 millions. Nothing could be more interesting or beauti- 
 ful, than to witness their graceful evolutions. 
 
 At first they might be seen advancing high in the air, 
 like a dark cloud, which, in an instant, as if by magic, 
 became almost invisible, the whole body, by some mys- 
 terious watchword, or signal, changing their course, and 
 presenting their wings to view edgeways, instead of 
 exposing, as before, their full expanded spread. Again, 
 in another moment, the cloud might be seen descend- 
 ing in a graceful sweep, so as almost to brush the earth 
 as they glanced along. Then once more they were 
 seen spiring in wide circles on high ; till at length, 
 with one simultaneous rush, down they glide, with a 
 roaring noise of wing, till the vast mass buried itself 
 unseen, but not unheard, amidst a bed of reeds, pro- 
 jecting from the bank adjacent to the wood. For no 
 sooner were they perched, than every throat seemed to 
 open itself, forming one incessant confusion of tongues. 
 
 If nothing disturbed them, there they would most 
 likely remain ; but if a stone was thrown, a shout raised, 
 or more especially, if a gun was fired, up again would 
 rise the mass, with one unbroken rushing sound, as if 
 the whole body were possessed but of one wing, to bear 
 them in their upward flight. In the fens of Cambridge- 
 shire and Lincolnshire, whose reeds are of considerable 
 value for various purposes, the mischief they occasion 
 is often very considerable, by bearing down and break- 
 ing them, as many as can find a grasping hold, clinging 
 to the same slender stem, which, of course, bends, and 
 
248 A WHALE-CHASE. 
 
 plunges them in the water, from whence they rise to 
 join some other neighbours, whose reed is still able to 
 bear their weight. This perpetual jostling and breaking 
 down, is the probable cause of the incessant clatter, 
 which continues for a considerable time ; indeed, till all 
 have procured dry beds, and a firm footing. — Stanley^s 
 History of Birds. 
 
 A WHALE-CHASE. 
 
 No species of fishery can compare in intensity of interest with the 
 Whale Fishery. The magnitude of the object of the chase, the 
 perilous character of the seas which it peculiarly frequents, are 
 features which prominently distinguish the profession of the 
 whale-fisher from all similar pursuits, and which invest the details 
 of its history with the strong character inseparable from pictures 
 of stirring exertion, privation, and danger. In the previous vol- 
 ume of the Recreation, we presented some particulars respecting 
 whale-fishing as pursued in the South Seas : On the present 
 occasion, we offer the following animated description of a Whale- 
 Chase, extracted from Captain Scoresby's Voyages, to give the 
 reader an idea of the difficulties and dangers that attend the Arctic 
 Whale-Fishing. 
 
 On the 25th of June, 1812, one of the harpooners 
 belonging to the Resolution of Whitby, under my com- 
 mand, struck a whale by the edge of a small floe of ice. 
 Assistance being promptly afforded, a second boat's 
 lines were attached to those of the fast boat, in a few 
 minutes after the harpoon was discharged. The re- 
 mainder of the boats proceeded at some distance, in the 
 direction the fish seemed to have taken. In about a 
 quarter of an hour, the fast boat, to my surprise, again 
 made a signal for lines. As the ship was then within 
 five minutes' sail, we instantly steered towards the boat, 
 with the view of affording assistance by means of a 
 
A WHALE-CHASE. 249 
 
 spare boat we still retained on board. Before we 
 reached the place, however, we observed four oars dis- 
 played in signal order, which, by their number, indi- 
 cated a most urgent necessity for assistance. Two of 
 three men were at the same time seen seated close by 
 the stern, which was considerably elevated, for the pur- 
 pose of keeping it down, while the bow of the boat, by 
 the force of the line, was drawn down to the level of 
 the sea, and the harpooner, by the friction of the line 
 round the bollard, was enveloped in smoky obscurity. 
 At length, when the ship was scarcely a hundred yards 
 distant, we perceived preparations for quitting the boat. 
 The sailors' pea-jackets were cast upon the adjoining 
 ice ; the oars were thrown down ; the crew leaped over- 
 board ; the bow of the boat was buried in the water ; 
 the stern rose perpendicular, and then majestically dis- 
 appeared. The harpooner having caused the end of the 
 line to be fastened to the iron ring at the boat's stern, 
 was the means of its loss;* and a tongue of the ice, on 
 which w r as a depth of several feet of water, kept the 
 boat, by the pressure of the line against it, at such a 
 considerable distance as prevented the crew from leap- 
 ing upon the floe. Some of them were, therefore, put to 
 the necessity of swimming for their preservation ; but 
 all of them succeeded in scrambling upon the ice, and 
 were taken on board of the ship a few minutes after- 
 wards. 
 
 I may here observe, that it is an uucommon circum- 
 stance for a fish to require more than two boats' lines 
 in such a situation. None of our harpooners, therefore, 
 
 * "Giving a whale the hoat," as the voluntary sacrifice of a boat 
 is termed, is a scheme not unfrequo ntly practised by the fisher when 
 in want of line. By submitting to this risk he expects to gain the 
 fish, and still has the chance of recovering his boat and its materials. 
 It is only practised in open ice or at fields 
 17 
 
250 A WHALE-CHASE. 
 
 had any scruple in leaving the fast-boat, never suspect- 
 ing, after it had received the assistance of one boat with 
 six lines or upwards, that it would need any more. 
 
 Several ships being about us, there was a possibility 
 that some person might attack and make a prize of the 
 whale, when it had so far escaped us that we no longer 
 retained any hold of it. We therefore set all the sail 
 the ship could safely sustain, and worked through several 
 narrow and intricate channels in the ice, in the direction 
 I observed the fish had retreated. After a little time, it 
 was descried by the people in the boats, at a considerable 
 distance to the eastward ; a general chase immediately 
 commenced, and within the space of an hour, three har- 
 poons were struck. We now imagined the fish was 
 secure, but our expectations were premature. The 
 whale resolutely pushed beneath a large floe that had 
 been recently broken to pieces by the swell, and soon 
 drew all the lines out of the second fast-boat; the offi- 
 cer of which, not being able to get any assistance, tied 
 the end of his line to a hummock of ice and broke it. 
 Soon afterwards, the other two boats, still fast, were 
 dragged against the broken floe, when one of the har- 
 poons drew out. The lines of only one boat, therefore, 
 remained fast to the fish ; and this, with six or eight 
 lines out, was dragged forward into the shattered floe 
 with astonishing force. Pieces of ice, each of which 
 was sufficiently large to have answered the purpose of 
 a mooring for a ship, were wheeled about by the strength 
 of the whale : and such was the tension and elasticity 
 of the line, that whenever it slipped clear of any mass 
 of ice, after turning it round, into the space between 
 any two adjoining pieces, the boat and its crew flew 
 forward through the crack, with the velocity of an arrow, 
 and never failed to launch several feet upon the first 
 mass of ice that it encountered. 
 
A WHALE-CHASE. 251 
 
 While we scoured the sea around the broken floe with 
 the ship, and while the ice was attempted in vain by the 
 boats, the whale continued to press forward in an east- 
 erly direction towards the sea. At length, when four- 
 teen lines (about 1680 fathoms) were drawn from the 
 fourth fast-boat, a slight entanglement of the line broke 
 it at the stem. The fish then again made its escape, 
 taking along with it a boat and twenty-eight lines. The 
 united length of the lines was 6720 yards, or upwards 
 of three and a half English miles ; value, with the boat, 
 above 150/. sterling. 
 
 The obstruction of the sunken boat to the progress of 
 the fish must have been immense ; and that of the lines 
 likewise considerable, the weight of lines alone being 
 thirty-five hundredweight. 
 
 So long as the fourth fast-boat, through the medium 
 of its lines, retained its hold of the fish, we searched the 
 adjoining sea with the ship in vain; but in a short time 
 after the line was divided, we got sight of the object 
 of pursuit, at the distance of nearly two miles to the 
 eastward of the ice and boats, in the open sea. One 
 boat only with lines, and two empty boats, were re- 
 served by the ship. Having, however, fortunately, fine 
 weather, and a fresh breeze of wind, .we immediately 
 gave chase under all sail ; though it must be confessed, 
 with the insignificant force by us, the distance of the 
 fish, and the rapidity of its flight considered, we had 
 but very small hopes of success. At length, after pur- 
 suing it five or six miles, being at least nine miles from 
 the place where it was struck, we came up with it, 
 and it seemed inclined to rest after its extraordinary 
 exertions. The two dismantled or empty boats having 
 been furnished with two lines each (a very inadequate 
 supply), they, together with one in a good state of 
 equipment, now made an attack upon the whale. One 
 
252 A WHALE-CHASE. 
 
 of the harpooners made a blunder ; the fish saw the 
 boat, took the alarm, and again fled. I now supposed 
 it would be seen no more ; nevertheless, we chased 
 nearly a mile in the direction I imagined it had taken, 
 and placed the boats, to the best of my judgment, in 
 the most advantageous situations. In this case, we 
 were extremely fortunate. The fish rose near one of the 
 boats, and was immediately harpooned. In a few 
 minutes, two more harpoons entered its back, and lances 
 were plied against it with vigour and success. Ex- 
 hausted by its amazing exertions to escape, it yielded 
 itself at length to its fate, received the piercing wounds 
 of the lances without resistance, and finally died with- 
 out a struggle. Thus terminated with success an attack 
 upon a whale, which exhibited the most uncommon de- 
 termination to escape from its pursuers, seconded by 
 the most amazing strength, of any individual whose 
 capture I ever witnessed. After all, it may seem sur- 
 prising that it was not a particularly large individual ; 
 the largest lamina of whalebone only measuring nine 
 feet six inches, while those affording twelve feet bone 
 are not uncommon.* The quantity of line withdrawn 
 from the different boats engaged in the capture was sin- 
 gularly great. It amounted, altogether, to 10,440 yards, 
 or nearly six English miles. Of these, thirteen new 
 lines were lost, together with the sunken boat; the 
 harpoon connecting them to the fish having dropt out 
 before the whale was killed. 
 
 * It has been frequently observed, that whales of this size are the 
 most active of the species ; and that those of very large growth are 
 in general captured with less trouble. 
 
253 
 
 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS DURING THE 
 AMERICAN WAR. 
 
 During the War of Independence, many deeds of 
 cruelty were perpetrated on the borders of the United 
 States adjoining Canada. Sir John Johnson succeeded 
 to extensive possessions in the Mohawk valley, a dis- 
 trict in the state of New York, through which the Mo- 
 hawk flows. When the war fairly broke out, he natu- 
 rally took the British side ; and the United States' 
 Congress deemed it advisable to send a force to drive 
 him from his property. This was accordingly done ; 
 Sir John fled into Canada, and his extensive posses- 
 sions were confiscated. 
 
 On Sunday, the 21st of May 1780, about four years 
 after his flight, he entered the north part of Johnstown 
 at the head of five hundred men, composed of Europeans 
 and Indians. He had penetrated the country by way 
 of Lake Champlain to Crown Point, and thence through 
 the woods to the Sacondaga river ; and having marched 
 during the night, he had surrounded the village before 
 the inhabitants were conscious of approaching danger. 
 Among the inhabitants were a family of Dutch descent, 
 of the name of Sammons, of considerable wealth and 
 respectability, but who, at an early period, had rendered 
 themselves obnoxious to Sir John by the bold and de- 
 cided manner in which they had taken part with the 
 Revolutionary party. These were now all made prison- 
 ers, along with others. While they were halting the 
 next day, the elder Sammons applied to Sir John for 
 an interview, which was granted in presence of his 
 principal officers. On inquiring what he wanted, Mr. 
 Sammons replied, that he wished to be released. The 
 
254 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 baronet hesitated ; but the old man pressed his suit, and 
 reminded Sir John of former scenes, and of the efforts 
 of friendship which he himself had made in his behalf. 
 The appeal was effectual, and the old gentleman was 
 set at liberty. The two sons, Jacob and Frederick, 
 were carried into captivity, and suffered a protracted 
 and severe imprisonment, of which, and of the suffering 
 they endured when making their escape, we present our 
 readers with the following interesting details, extracted 
 and abridged from Stone's " Life of Brant." 
 
 " Governor Clinton was at Kingston at the time of 
 the invasion. Hastening to Albany on the first rumour 
 of the intelligence, he collected such militia and other 
 forces as he could obtain, and moved to Lake George 
 with a view to intercept Sir John. It was supposed that 
 the course of the enemy might possibly lie in the direc- 
 tion of Oswegatchie, and for the purpose of striking him 
 upon such a march, Colonel Van Shaick, with eight 
 hundred men, followed him by the way of Johnstown. 
 Descending Lake George to Ticonderoga, the Governor 
 was joined by a body of militia from the New Hamp- 
 shire grants. But all was of no use ; the invaders 
 escaped — taking to their batteaux, probably, at Crown 
 Point, whence they proceeded down the lake to St. 
 John's. The captives were thence transferred to the 
 fortress of Chamblee. 
 
 " The prisoners at this fortress numbered about forty. 
 On the day after their arrival, Jacob Sammons, having 
 taken an accurate survey of the garrison and the faci- 
 lities of escape, conceived the project of inducing his 
 fellow-prisoners to rise upon the guards and obtain their 
 freedom. The garrison was weak in number, and the 
 sentinels less vigilant than is usual among good soldiers. 
 The prison-doors were opened once a-day, when the 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 255 
 
 prisoners were visited by the proper officer, with four or 
 five soldiers. Sammons had observed where the arms 
 of the guards were stacked in the yard, and his plan 
 was, that some of the prisoners should arrest and disarm 
 the visiting guard on the opening of the door, while the 
 residue were to rush forth, seize the arms, and fight 
 their way out. The proposition was acceded to by his 
 brother Frederick and one other man named Van Sluyck, 
 but was considered too daring by the great body of the 
 prisoners to be undertaken. It was therefore abandoned, 
 and the brothers sought afterward only for a chance of 
 escaping by themselves. Within three days, the desired 
 opportunity occurred, viz. on the 13th of June. The 
 prisoners were supplied with an allowance of spruce 
 beer, for which two of their number were detached daily, 
 to bring the cask from the brew-house, under a guard of 
 five men, with fixed bayonets. Having reason to sup- 
 pose that the arms of the guards, though charged, were 
 not primed, the brothers so contrived matters as to be 
 taken together to the brewery on the day mentioned, 
 with an understanding that, at a given point, they were 
 to dart from the guard and run for their lives — believ- 
 ing that the confusion of the moment, and the conse- 
 quent delay of priming their muskets by the guards, 
 would enable them to escape beyond the ordinary range 
 of musket shot. The project was boldly executed. At 
 the concerted moment, the brothers sprang from their 
 conductors, and stretched across the plain with great 
 fleetness. The alarm was given, and the whole garrison 
 was soon after them in hot pursuit. Unfortunately for 
 Jacob, he fell into a ditch and sprained his ancle. Per- 
 ceiving the accident, Frederick turned to his assistance, 
 but the other generously admonished him to secure his 
 own flight if possible, and leave him to the chances of 
 war. Recovering from his fall, and regardless of the 
 
256 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 accident, Jacob sprang forward again with as much ex- 
 pedition as possible ; but finding that his lameness im- 
 peded his progress, he plunged into a thick clump of 
 shrubs and trees, and was fortunate enough to hide him- 
 self between two logs before the pursuers came up. 
 Twenty or thirty shots had previously been fired upon 
 them, but without effect. In consequence of the smoke 
 of their fire, probably, the guards had not observed 
 Jacob when he threw himself into the thicket, and sup- 
 posing that, like his brother, he had passed round it, 
 they followed on, until they were fairly distanced by 
 Frederick, of whom they lost sight and trace. They 
 returned in about half an hour, halting by the bushes 
 in which the other fugitive was sheltered, and so near 
 that he could distinctly hear their conversation. The 
 officer in command was Captain Steele. On calling 
 his men together, some were swearing, and others 
 laughing, at the race and the speed of the i long-legged 
 Dutchmen,' as they called the flying prisoners. The 
 pursuit being abandoned, the guards returned to the 
 fort. 
 
 " The brothers had agreed, in case of separation, to 
 meet at a certain spot at 10 o'clock that night. Of 
 course, Jacob lay ensconced in the bushes until night 
 had dropped her sable curtains, and until he supposed 
 the hour had arrived, when he sallied forth, according to 
 the antecedent understanding. But time did not move 
 as rapidly on that evening as he supposed. He waited 
 upon the spot designated, and called aloud for Frederick, 
 until he despaired of meeting him, and prudence for- 
 bade his remaining any longer. It subsequently 
 appeared that he was too early on the ground, and 
 that Frederick made good his appointment. 
 
 " Following the bank of the Sorel, Jacob passed 
 Fort St. John's soon after daybreak on the morning of 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 257 
 
 the 14th. His purpose was to swim the river at that 
 place, and pursue his course homeward through the 
 wilderness on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain ; 
 but just as he was preparing to enter the water, he 
 descried a boat approaching from below, filled with 
 officers and soldiers of the enemy. They were already 
 within twenty rods. Concealing himself again in the 
 woods, he resumed his journey after their departure, 
 but had not proceeded more than two or three miles 
 before he came upon a party of several hundred men 
 engaged in getting out timber for the public works at 
 the fort. To avoid these he was obliged to describe a 
 wide circuit, in the course of which, at about 12 o'clock, 
 he came to a small clearing. Within the enclosure 
 was a house, and in the field were a man and a boy 
 engaged in hoeing potatoes. They were at that moment 
 called to dinner, and supposing them to be French, who 
 he had heard were rather friendly to the American cause 
 than otherwise — incited also by hunger and fatigue — 
 he made bold to present himself, trusting that he might 
 be invited to partake of their hospitality. But, instead 
 of a friend, he found an enemy. On making known his 
 character, he was roughly received. i It is by such 
 villains as you are,' replied the forester, 'that I was 
 obliged to fly from Lake Champlain.' The rebels, he 
 added, had robbed him of all he possessed, and he 
 would now deliver his self-invited guest to the guard, 
 which, he said, was not more than a quarter of a mile 
 distant. Sammons promptly answered him that ' that 
 was more than he could do.' The refugee then said he 
 would go for the guard himself; to which Sammons 
 replied that he might act as he pleased, but that all the 
 men in Canada should not make him again a prisoner. 
 M The man thereupon returned with his son to the 
 
258 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 potato-field, and resumed his work ; while his more 
 compassionate wife gave him a bowl of bread and 
 milk, which he ate sitting on the threshold of the door, 
 to guard against surprise. While in the house, he saw 
 a musket, powder-horn, and bullet-pouch, hanging 
 against the wall, of which he determined, if possible, 
 to possess himself, that he might be able to procure 
 food during the long and solitary march before him. 
 On retiring, therefore, he travelled only far enough into 
 the woods for concealment, — returning to the wood- 
 man's house in the evening, for the purpose of obtain* 
 ing the musket and ammunition. But he was again 
 beset by imminent peril. Very soon after he entered 
 the house the sound of approaching voices was heard, 
 and he took to the rude chamber for security, where he 
 lay flat upon the irregular floor, and, looking through 
 the interstices, saw eleven soldiers enter, who, it soon 
 appeared, came for milk. His situation was now ex- 
 ceedingly critical. The churlish proprietor might inform 
 against him, or a single movement might betray him. 
 But neither circumstance occuired. The unwelcome 
 visitors departed in due time, and the family all retired 
 to bed, excepting the wife, who, as Jacob descended 
 from the chamber, refreshed him with another bowl of 
 bread and milk. The good woman now earnestly en- 
 treated her guest to surrender himself and join the ranks 
 of the king, assuring him that his majesty must cer- 
 tainly conquer in the end, in which case the rebels 
 would lose all their property, and many of them be 
 hanged into the bargain. But to such a proposition he 
 of course would not listen. Finding all her efforts to 
 convert a whig into a tory fruitless, she then told him, 
 that if he would secrete himself two days longer in 
 the woods she would furnish him with some provisions, 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 259 
 
 for a supply of which her husband was going- to the 
 fort next day, and she would likewise endeavour to pro- 
 vide him with a pair of shoes. 
 
 " Disinclined to linger so long in the country of the 
 enemy and in the neighbourhood of a British post, how- 
 ever, he took his departure forthwith. But such had 
 been the kindness of the good woman, that he had it 
 not in his heart to seize upon her husband's arms, and 
 he left this wild scene of rustic hospitality without 
 supplies or the means of procuring them. Arriving 
 once more at the water's edge, at the lower end of Lake 
 Champlain, he came upon a hut, within which, on cau- 
 tiously approaching it for reconnoisance, he discovered 
 a party of soldiers all sound asleep. Their canoe was 
 moored by the shore, into which he sprang, and paddled 
 himself up the lake under the most encouraging pros- 
 pect of a speedy and comparatively easy voyage to its 
 head, whence his return home would be unattended 
 with either difficulty or danger. But his pleasing an- 
 ticipations were extinguished on the night following, as 
 he approached the Isle aux Nois, where he descried a 
 fortification, and the glitter of bayonets bristling in the 
 air as the moonbeams played upon the burnished arms 
 of the sentinels, who were pacing their tedious rounds. 
 The lake beirg very narrow at this point, and perceiv- 
 ing that both sides were fortified, he thought the attempt 
 to shoot his canoe through between them rather too 
 hazardous an experiment. His only course, therefore, 
 was to run ashore, and resume his travels on foot. 
 Nor on landing was his case in any respect enviable. 
 Without shoes, without food, and without the means of 
 obtaining either, a long journey before him through a 
 deep and trackless wilderness, it may be well imagined 
 that his mind was not cheered by the most agreeable 
 anticipations. But without pausing to indulge unne- 
 
260 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 cessarily his ' thick-coming fancies,' he commenced his 
 solitary journey, directing his course along the eastern 
 lake shore toward Albany. During the first four days 
 of his progress, he subsisted entirely upon the hark of 
 the birch, chewing the twigs as he went. On the fourth 
 day, while resting by a brook, he heard a rippling of 
 the water, caused by the fish as they were stemming its 
 current. He succeeded in catching a few of these, but 
 having no means of striking a fire, after devouring one 
 of them raw, the others were thrown away. 
 
 " His feet were by this time cruelly cut, bruised, and 
 torn by thorns, briers, and stones ; and while he could 
 scarcely proceed by reason of their soreness, hunger and 
 fatigue united to retard his cheerless march. On the 
 fifth day his miseries were augmented by the hungry 
 swarms of musquitoes, which settled upon him in clouds 
 while traversing a swamp. On the same day, he fell 
 upon the nest of a black duck — the duck sitting quietly 
 upon her eggs until he came up and caught her. The 
 bird was no sooner deprived of her life and her feathers 
 than he devoured the whole, including the head and feet. 
 The eggs were nine in number, which Sammons took 
 with him ; but on opening one, he found a little half- 
 made duckling, already alive. Against such food his 
 stomach revolted, and he was obliged to throw the eggs 
 away. 
 
 " On the tenth day he came to a small lake. His 
 feet were now in such a horrible state, that he could 
 scarcely crawl along. Finding a mitigation of pain by 
 bathing them in water, he plunged his feet into the 
 lake, and lay down upon its margin. For a time, it 
 seemed as though he could never rise upon his feet 
 again. Worn down by hunger and fatigue — bruised in 
 body and wounded in spirit — in a lone wilderness, 
 with no eye to pity, and no human arm to protect — he 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 261 
 
 felt as though he must remain in that spot until it 
 should please God in his goodness to quench the dim 
 spark of life that remained. Still he was comforted, 
 in some measure, by the thought that he was in the 
 hands of a Being without whose knowledge not a spar- 
 row falls to the ground. 
 
 *« Refreshed, at length, though to a trifling degree, 
 he resumed his weary way, when, on raising his right 
 leg over the trunk of a fallen tree, he was bitten in the 
 calf by a rattlesnake ! Quick as a flash, wdth his pocket- 
 knife he made an incision in his leg, removing the 
 wounded flesh to a greater depth than the fangs of the 
 serpent had penetrated. His next business was to kill 
 the venomous reptile and dress it for eating, thus ap- 
 propriating the enemy that had sought to take his life 
 to its prolongation. His first meal was made from the 
 heart and fat of the serpent. Feeling somewhat strength- 
 ened by the repast, and finding, moreover, that he could 
 not travel farther in his present condition, he deter- 
 mined to remain where he was for a few days, and by 
 repose, and feeding upon the body of the snake, recruit 
 his strength. Discovering, also, a dry fungus upon 
 the trunk of a maple tree, he succeeded in striking a 
 fire, by which his comforts were essentially increased. 
 Still he was obliged to creep upon his hands and knees 
 to gather fuel, and on the third day he was yet in such 
 a state of exhaustion as to be utterly unable to pro- 
 ceed. Supposing that death was inevitable and very 
 near, he crawled to the foot of a tree, upon the bark of 
 which he commenced inscribing his name, in the ex- 
 pectation that he should leave his bones there, and in 
 the hope that, in some way, by the aid of the inscrip- 
 tion, his family might ultimately be apprised of his 
 fate. While engaged in this sad work, a cloud of 
 painful thoughts crowded upon his mind ; the tears in- 
 
262 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 voluntarily stole down his cheeks, and before he had 
 completed the melancholy task he fell asleep. 
 
 " On the fourth day of his residence at this place he 
 began to gain strength, and as a part of the serpent 
 yet remained, he determined upon another effort to re- 
 sume his journey. But he could not do so without 
 devising some substitute for shoes. For this purpose 
 he cut up his hat and waistcoat, binding them upon 
 his feet, and thus he hobbled along. On the following 
 night, while lying in the woods, he became strongly 
 impressed with a belief that he was not far distant 
 from a human habitation. He had seen no indications 
 of proximity to the abode of man ; but he was, never- 
 theless, so confident of the fact that he wept for joy. 
 Buoyed up and strengthened by this impression, he re- 
 sumed his journey on the following morning ; and in 
 the afternoon, it being the 28th of June, he reached a 
 house in the town of Pittsford, in the New Hampshire 
 grants, now forming the state of Vermont. He re- 
 mained there for several days, both to recruit his health, 
 and, if possible, to gain intelligence of his brother. 
 But no tidings came ; and as he knew Frederick to be 
 a capital woodsman, he of course concluded that sick- 
 ness, death, or recapture, must have interrupted his 
 journey. Procuring a conveyance at Pittsford, Jacob 
 travelled to Albany, and thence to Schenectady, where 
 he had the happiness of finding his wife and family." 
 
 " Not less interesting, nor marked by fewer vicissi- 
 tudes, were the adventures of Frederick Sammons. 
 The flight from the fort at Chamblee was made just be- 
 fore sunset, which accounts for the chase having been 
 abandoned so soon. On entering the edge of the 
 woods, Frederick encountered a party of Indians re- 
 turning to the fort from fatigue duty. Perceiving that 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 263 
 
 he was a fugitive, they fired, and called cut, ' We 
 have got him V In this opinion, however, they were 
 mistaken ; for although he had run close upon them 
 before perceiving them, yet being, like Asahel of old, 
 swift cf foot, by turning a short corner and increasing 
 his speed, in ten minutes he was entirely clear of the 
 party. He then sat down to rest, the blood gushing 
 from his nose in consequence of the extent to which his 
 physical powers had been taxed. At the time ap- 
 pointed, he also had repaired to the point which, at his 
 separation from Jacob, had been agreed upon as the 
 place of meeting. The moon shone brightly, and he 
 called loud and often for his brother — so loud, indeed, 
 that the guard was turned out in consequence. His 
 anxiety was very great for his brother's safety ; but, in 
 ignorance of his situation, he was obliged to attend to 
 his own. He determined, however, to approach the 
 fort — as near to it, at least, as he could venture ; and 
 in the event of meeting any one, disguise his own cha- 
 racter by inquiring whether the rebels had been taken. 
 But a flash from the sentinel's musket, the report, and 
 the noise of a second pursuit, ccmpelled him to change 
 the direction of his march, and proceed again with all 
 possible speed. It had been determined by the bro- 
 thers to cross the Sorel, and return to the east side of 
 the river and lake ; but there was a misunderstanding 
 between them as to the point of crossing the river, — 
 whether above or below the fort. Hence their failure 
 of meeting. Frederick repaired to what he supposed 
 to be the designated place of crossing, below the fort, 
 where he lingered for his brother until near morning. 
 At length, having found a boat, he crossed over to the 
 eastern shore, and landed just at the cock-crowing. He 
 proceeded directly to the barn where he supposed chan- 
 ticleer had raised his voice, but found not a fowl on 
 
264 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 the premises. The sheep looked too poor by the dim 
 twilight to serve his purpose of food ; but a bullock 
 presenting a more favourable appearance, Frederick 
 succeeded in cutting the unsuspecting animal's throat, 
 and severing one of the hind quarters from the carcass, 
 he shouldered and marched off with it directly into the 
 forest. Having proceeded to a safe and convenient dis- 
 tance, he stopped to dress his beef, cutting off what 
 he supposed would be sufficient for the journey, and 
 forming a knapsack from the skin, by the aid of bark 
 peeled from the moose-wood. 
 
 M Resuming his journey, he arrived at the house of a 
 French family, within the distance of five or six miles. 
 Here he made bold to enter, for the purpose of procur- 
 ing bread and salt, and in the hope also of obtaining a 
 gun and ammunition. But he could neither obtain pro- 
 visions, nor make the people understand a word he 
 uttered. He found means, however, to prepare some 
 tinder, with which he re-entered the woods, and hast- 
 ened forward in a southern direction, until he had as- 
 certained, by the firing of the evening guns, that he 
 had passed St. John's. Halting for the night, he struck 
 a light ; and having kindled a fire, occupied himself 
 until morning in drying and smoking his beef, cutting 
 it into slices for that purpose. His knapsack of raw 
 hide was cured by the same process. Thus prepared, 
 he proceeded onward without interruption or adventure 
 until the third day, when he killed a fawn, and secured 
 the venison. He crossed the Winooski, or Onion 
 river, on the next day , and having discovered a man's 
 name carved upon a tree, together with the distance 
 from the lake (Champlain), eight miles, he bent his 
 course for its shores, where he found a canoe with pad- 
 dles. There was now a prospect of lessening the fa- 
 tigue of his journey; but his canoe had scarce begun 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 265 
 
 to dance upon the waters ere it parted asunder, and he 
 was compelled to hasten ashore, and continue his march 
 by land. 
 
 " At the close of the seventh day, and when, as he sup- 
 posed, he was within two days' travel of a settlement, 
 he kindled his fire, and lay down to rest in fine health 
 and spirits. But ere the dawn of day, he awoke with 
 racking pains, which proved to be an attack of pleurisy. 
 A drenching rain came on, continuing three days, during 
 which time he lay helpless, in dreadful agony, without 
 fire, or shelter, or sustenance of any kind. On the fourth 
 day, his pain having abated, he attempted to eat a mor- 
 sel ; but his provisions had become too offensive to be 
 swallowed. His thirst being intense, he fortunately dis- 
 covered a pond of water near by, to which he crawled. 
 It was a stagnant pool, swarming with frogs : another 
 providential circumstance, inasmuch as the latter served 
 him for food. Too weak, however, to strike a light, he 
 was compelled to devour them raw, and without dress- 
 ing of any kind. Unable to proceed, he lay in this 
 wretched condition fourteen days. Supposing that he 
 should die there, he succeeded in hanging his hat upon 
 a pole, with a few papers, in order that, if discovered, 
 his fate might be known. He was lying upon a high 
 bluff, in full view of the lake, and at no great distance 
 therefrom. The hat thus elevated served as a signal, 
 which saved his life. A vessel sailing past descried 
 the hat, and sent a boat ashore to ascertain the cause. 
 The boatmen discovered the body of a man, yet living, 
 but senseless and speechless, and transferred him to the 
 vessel. By the aid of medical attendance, he was slowly 
 restored to his reason, and having informed the captain 
 who he was, had the rather uncomfortable satisfaction 
 of learning that he was on board of an enemy's ship, 
 and at that moment lying at Crown Point. Here he 
 18 
 
266 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 remained sixteen days, in the course of which time he 
 had the gratification to hear, from a party of tories com- 
 ing from the settlements, that his brother Jacob had ar- 
 rived safely at Schenectady, and joined his family. He 
 was also apprised of Jacob's sufferings, and of the bite 
 of the serpent, which took place near Otter Creek, close 
 by the place where he had himself been so long sick. 
 The brothers were therefore near together at the time of 
 the greatest peril and endurance of both. 
 
 " Frederick's recovery was very slow. Before he was 
 able to walk, he was taken to St. John's, and thence, 
 partly on a wheelbarrow, and partly in a calash, carried 
 back to his old quarters at Chamblee — experiencing 
 much rough usage by the way. On arriving at the for- 
 tress, the guards saluted him by the title of ' Captain 
 Lightfoot,' and there was great joy at his recapture. It 
 was now about the 1st of August. As soon as his health 
 was sufficiently recovered to bear it, he was heavily 
 ironed, and kept in close confinement at that place until 
 October 1781 — fourteen months — without once behold- 
 ing the light of the sun. Between St. John's and 
 Chamblee he had been met by a British officer with 
 whom he was acquainted, and by whom he was in- 
 formed that severe treatment would be his portion. 
 Compassionating his situation, however, the officer 
 slipped a guinea and a couple of dollars into his hands, 
 and they moved on. 
 
 " No other prisoners were in irons at Chamblee, and 
 all but Sammons were taken upon the parade ground 
 twice a-week, for the benefit of fresh air. The irons 
 were so heavy and so tight as to wear into the flesh of 
 his legs ; and so incensed was Captain Steele, the offi- 
 cer of the 3 2d regiment, yet commanding the garrison 
 at Chamblee, at the escape of his prisoner, that he would 
 not allow the surgeon to remove the irons to dress the 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 267 
 
 wounds of which they were the cause, until a peremp- 
 tory order was procured for that purpose from General 
 St. Keger, who was then at St. John's. The humanity 
 of the surgeon prompted this application of his own 
 accord. Even then, however, Steele would only allow 
 the leg-bolts to be knocked off — still keeping on the 
 hand -cuffs. The dressing of his legs was a severe 
 operation. The iron had eaten to the bone, and the 
 gangrened flesh was of course to be removed. One of 
 the legs ultimately healed up, but the other never got 
 entirely well. 
 
 " In the month of November 1781, the prisoners were 
 transferred from Chamblee to an island in the St. Law- 
 rence, called at that time Prison Island — situated in 
 the rapids some distance above Montreal. Sammons 
 was compelled to travel in his hand-cuffs, but the other 
 prisoners were not thus encumbered. There were about 
 two hundred prisoners on the island, all of whom were 
 very closely guarded. In the spring of 1782, Sammons 
 organized a conspiracy with nine of his fellow-prisoners, 
 to make their escape, by seizing a provision- boat, and 
 had well nigh effected their object. Being discovered, 
 however, their purpose was defeated, and Sammons, as 
 the ringleader, once more placed in irons; but at the 
 end of five weeks the irons were removed, and he was 
 allowed to return to his hut. 
 
 "Impatient of such protracted captivity, Frederick 
 was still bent on escape, for which purpose he induced 
 a fellow-prisoner, by the name of M'Mullen, to join him 
 in the daring exploit of seeking an opportunity to plunge 
 into the river, and taking their chance of swimming to 
 the shore. A favourable moment for attempting the 
 bold adventure was afforded on the 17th of August. 
 The prisoners having, to the number of fifty, been al- 
 lowed to walk to the foot of the island, but around the 
 
268 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS 
 
 whole of which a chain of sentinels was extended, Sam- 
 mons and M'Mullen, without having conferred with any 
 one else, watching an opportunity when the nearest sen- 
 tinel turned his back upon them, quietly glided down 
 beneath a shelving rock, and plunged into the stream — 
 each holding up and waving a hand in token of farewell 
 to their fellow-prisoners, as the surge swept them rapidly 
 down the stream. The sentinel was distant about six 
 rods when they threw themselves into the river, and did 
 not discover their escape until they were beyond the 
 reach of any molestation he could offer them. Three- 
 quarters of a mile below the island, the rapids were such 
 as to heave the river into swells too large for boats to 
 encounter. This was a frightful part of their voyage ; 
 both, however, were expert swimmers, and by diving as 
 they approached each successive surge, both succeeded 
 in making the perilous passage — the distance of this 
 rapid being about 150 rods. As they plunged succes- 
 sively into these rapids, they had little expectation of 
 meeting each other again in this world ; but a protect- 
 ing Providence ordered it otherwise, and they emerged 
 from the frightful billows quite near together. ' I am 
 glad to see you,' said Sammons to his friend ; ' I feared 
 we should not meet again.' ' We have had a merry 
 ride of it,' replied the other; 'but we could not have 
 stood it much longer.' 
 
 " The adventurous fellows attempted to land about 
 two miles below the island, but the current was so vio- 
 lent as to baffle their purpose, and they were driven two 
 miles farther, where they happily succeeded in reaching 
 the land, at a place on the north side of the St. Lawrence, 
 called by the Canadians ' The Devil's Point.' A clus- 
 ter of houses stood near the river, into some of which it 
 was necessary the fugitives should go to procure provi- 
 sions. They had preserved each a knife and tinder-box 
 
DURING THE AMERICAN WAR. 269 
 
 in their waistcoat pockets, and one of the first objects, 
 after arming themselves with substantial clubs, was to 
 procure a supply of tinder. This was effected by boldly 
 entering a house, and rummaging an old lady's work-bas- 
 ket. The good woman, frightened at the appearance of 
 the visitors, ran out and alarmed the village, the inha- 
 bitants of which were French. In the mean time they 
 searched the house for provisions, fire-arms, and ammu- 
 nition, but found none of the latter, and only a single 
 loaf of bread. They also plundered the house of a 
 blanket, blanket-coat, and a few other articles of cloth- 
 ing. By this time the people began to collect in such 
 numbers, that a precipitate retreat was deemed advisable. 
 M'Mullen, being seized by two Canadians, was only 
 released from their grasp, by the well-directed blows of 
 Frederick's club. They both then commenced running 
 for the woods, when Sammons, encumbered with his lug- 
 gage, unluckily fell, and the loaf rolled away from him. 
 The peasants now rushed upon them, and their only 
 course was to give battle, which they prepared to do in 
 earnest; whereupon, seeing their resolution, the pursuers 
 retreated almost as rapidly as they had advanced. This 
 demonstration gave the fugitives time to collect and 
 arrange their plunder, and commence their travels anew. 
 Taking to the woods, they found a resting-place, where 
 they halted until nightfall. They then sallied forth 
 once more in search of provisions, with which it was 
 necessary to provide themselves before crossing to the 
 south side of the river, where at that day there were no 
 settlements. The cattle fled at their approach ; but they 
 at length came upon a calf in a farmyard, which they 
 captured, and appropriating to their own use and beboaf 
 a canoe moored in the river, they embarked with their 
 prize, to cross over to the southern shore. But, alas ! 
 when in the middle of the stream their paddle broke, 
 
270 ADVENTURES OF TWO BROTHERS. 
 
 and they were in a measure left to the mercy of the flood, 
 which was hurrying them onward, as they very well 
 knew, towards the rapids or falls of the Cedars. There 
 was an island above the rapids, from the brink of which 
 a tree had fallen into the river. Fortunately, the canoe 
 was swept by the current into the branches of this tree- 
 top, among which it became entangled. While strug- 
 gling in this predicament the canoe was upset; being 
 near the shore, however, the navigators got to land with- 
 out losing their calf. Striking a fire they now dressed 
 their veal, and on the following morning, by towing their 
 canoe along shore round to the south edge of the island, 
 succeeded in crossing to their own side of the river. 
 They then plunged directly into the unbroken forest, 
 extending from the St. Lawrence to the Sacondaga, 
 and, after a journey of twelve days of excessive hard- 
 ship, emerged from the woods within six miles of the 
 point for which, without chart or compass, Sammons had 
 laid his course. Their provisions lasted but a few days, 
 and their only subsequent food consisted of roots and 
 herbs. The whole journey was made almost in a state 
 of nudity, both being destitute of pantaloons. Having 
 worn out their hats upon their feet, the last three days 
 they were compelled to travel barefooted. Long before 
 their journey was ended, therefore, their feet were 
 dreadfully lacerated and swollen. On arriving at Sche- 
 nectady, the inhabitants were alarmed at their wild and 
 savage appearance — half naked, with lengthened beards 
 and matted hair. The people at length gathered round 
 them with strange curiosity ; but when they made them- 
 selves known, a lady named Ellis rushed through the 
 crowd to grasp the hand of Frederick, and was so 
 much affected at his altered appearance that she fainted 
 and fell. The welcome fugitives were forthwith sup- 
 plied with whatever of food and raiment was necessary; 
 
the Indian's tale. *271 
 
 and young Sammons learned that his father and family 
 had removed back to Marbletown, in the county of Ul- 
 ster, whence he had previously emigrated to Johnstown." 
 
 THE INDIAN'S TALE. 
 
 It was generally believed by the first settlers of New England, that 
 a mortal pestilence had, a short time previous to their arrival, in a 
 great measure depopulated some of the finest portions of the coun- 
 try on the seaboard. The Indians themselves corroborated this 
 opinion, and gave the English a terrific description of the ravages 
 of the unseen Destroyer. 
 
 The war-god did not wake to strife 
 
 The strong men of our forest-land; 
 No red hand grasped the battle-knife 
 
 At Areouski's high command : — 
 We held no war-dance by the dim 
 
 And red light of the creeping flame ; 
 Nor warrior-yell, nor battle-hymn, 
 
 Upon the midnight breezes came. 
 
 There was no portent in the sky, 
 
 No shadow on the round bright sun ; 
 With light, and mirth, and melody, 
 
 The long, fair summer days came on. 
 We were a happy people then, 
 
 Rejoicing in our hunter mood ; 
 No foot-prints of the pale-faced men 
 
 Had marred our forest solitude. 
 
 The land was ours — this glorious land — 
 With all its wealth of wood and streams — 
 
 Our warriors strong of heart and hand — 
 Our daughters beautiful as dreams. 
 
272 the Indian's tale. 
 
 When wearied, at the thirsty noon, 
 
 We knelt us where the spring- gushed up, 
 
 To taste our Father's blessed boon — 
 Unlike the white man's poison cup. 
 
 There came unto my father's hut 
 
 A wan, weak creature of distress ; 
 The red man's door is never shut 
 
 Against the lone and shelterless ; 
 And when he knelt before his feet, 
 
 My father led the stranger in ; 
 He gave him of his hunter-meat — 
 
 Alas ! it was a deadly sin ! 
 
 The stranger's voice was not like ours — 
 
 His face at first was sadly pale, 
 Anon 'twas like the yellow flowers, 
 
 Which tremble in the meadow gale. 
 And when he laid him down to die, 
 
 And murmured of his father land, 
 My mother wiped his tearful eye, 
 
 My father held his burning hand ! 
 
 He died at last — the funeral yell 
 
 Rang upward from his burial sod, 
 And the old Powwah knelt to tell 
 
 The tidings to the white man's God ! 
 The next day came — my father's brow 
 
 Grew heavy with a fearful pain ; 
 He did not take his hunting bow — 
 
 He never sought the woods again ! 
 
 He died even as the white man died — 
 My mother she was smitten too — 
 
 My sisters vanished from my side, 
 Like diamonds from the sun-lit dew. 
 
the Indian's tale. 273 
 
 And then we heard the Powwahs say, 
 
 That God had sent his angel forth, 
 To sweep our ancient tribes away, 
 
 And poison and unpeople earth. 
 
 And it was so — from day to day 
 
 The spirit of the plague went on, 
 And those at morning blithe and gay, 
 
 Were dying at the set of sun. — 
 They died — our free, bold hunters died — 
 
 The living might not give them graves — 
 Save when, along the water-side, 
 
 They cast them to the hurrying waves. 
 
 The carrion-crow, the ravenous beast, 
 
 Turned loathing from the ghastly dead ; — 
 Well might they shun the funeral feast 
 
 By that destroying angel spread ! 
 One after one, the red men fell ; 
 
 Our gallant war-tribe passed away — 
 And I alone am left to tell 
 
 The story of its swift decay. 
 
 Alone — alone — a withered leaf — 
 
 Yet clinging to its naked bough; 
 The pale race scorn the aged chief, 
 
 And I will join my fathers now. 
 The spirits of my people bend 
 
 At midnight from the solemn west, 
 To me their kindly arms extend — 
 
 They call me to their home of rest ! 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
274 
 
 ODE ON VISITING FLODDEN. 
 
 Green Flodden ! on thy blood-stain'd head 
 Descend no rain nor vernal dew ; 
 
 But still, thou charnel of the dead, 
 
 May whitening bones thy surface strew ! 
 
 Soon as I tread thy rush-clad vale, 
 
 Wild fancy feels the clasping mail ; 
 The rancour of a thousand years 
 
 Glows in my breast ; again I burn 
 
 To see the banner'd pomp of war return, 
 And mark, beneath the moon, the silver light of spears. 
 
 Lo ! bursting from their common tomb, 
 
 The spirits of the ancient dead 
 Dimly streak the parted gloom 
 
 With awful faces ; ghastly red ; 
 As once, around their martial king, 
 They closed the death-devoted ring, 
 With dauntless hearts, unknown to yield ; 
 In slow procession round the pile 
 Of heaving corses, moves each shadowy file, 
 And chants, in solemn strain, the dirge of Flodden 
 
 Field. 
 
 What youth, of graceful form and mien, 
 
 Foremost leads the spectred brave, 
 While o'er his mantle's folds of green 
 
 His amber locks redundant wave 1 
 When slow returns the fated day, 
 That view'd their chieftain's long array. 
 
ODE ON VISITING FLODDEN. 275 
 
 While, to the harp's deep plaintive string, 
 
 The virgins raise the funeral strain, 
 
 From Ord's black mountain to the northern main, 
 And mourn the emerald hue which paints the vest of 
 spring. 
 
 Alas ! that Scottish maid should sing 
 The combat where her lover fell ! 
 
 That Scottish bard should wake the string, 
 The triumph of our foes to tell ! 
 
 Yet Teviot's sons, with high disdain, 
 
 Have kindled at the thrilling strain, 
 That mourn'd their martial fathers' bier ; 
 
 And at the sacred font, the priest 
 
 Through ages left the master-hand unblest, 
 To urge, with keener aim, the blood-encrusted spear. 
 
 Red Flodden ! when thy plaintive strain, 
 
 In early youth rose soft and sweet, 
 My life-blood, through each throbbing vein, 
 
 With wild tumultuous passion beat ; 
 And oft, in fancied might, I trode 
 The spear-strewn path to Fame's abode, 
 
 Encircled with a sanguine flood; 
 
 And thought I heard the mingling hum, 
 
 When, croaking hoarse, the biids of carrion come 
 
 Afar, on rustling wing, to feast on English blood. 
 
 Rude Border Chiefs, of mighty name, 
 
 And iron soul, who sternly tore 
 The blossoms from the tree of Fame, 
 
 And purpled deep their tints with gore, 
 Rush from brown ruins, scar'd with age, 
 That frown o'er haunted Hermitage ; 
 
276 ODE ON VISITING FLODDEN. 
 
 Where, long by spells mysterious bound, 
 They pace their round, with lifeless smile, 
 And shake, with restless foot, the guilty pile, 
 
 Till sink the mouldering towers beneath the burden'd 
 ground. 
 
 Shades of the dead ! on Alfer's plain 
 
 Who scorned with backward step to move, 
 But struggling 'mid the hills of slain, 
 Against the Sacred Standard strove ; 
 Amid the lanes of war I trace 
 Each broad claymore and ponderous mace : 
 
 Where'er the surge of arms is tost, 
 Your glittering spears, in close array, 
 Sweep, like the spider's filmy web, away 
 
 The flower of Norman pride, and England's victor host. 
 
 But distant fleets each warrior ghost, 
 
 With surly sounds that murmur far ; 
 Such sounds were heard when Syria's host 
 
 Roll'd from the walls of proud Samar. 
 Around my solitary head, 
 Gleam the blue lightnings of the dead, 
 While murmur low the shadowy band — 
 " Lament no more the warrior's doom ! 
 Blood, blood alone, should dew the hero's tomb, 
 Who falls, 'mid circling spears, to save his native land." 
 
 Levden. 
 
277 
 
 A LISBON BULL-FIGHT. 
 
 A description of the ordinary butchery of horses and 
 bulls in a common Spanish bull-ring would be irksome 
 and inexcusable, after the pictures in prose and verse 
 which every one has read and remembered : but I do 
 not at present recollect to have seen any minute account 
 of a Lisbon bull-fight; as ludicrous a mixture of the 
 comical and tragic as can well be conceived. 
 
 The ring where the sports are exhibited is in a hexa- 
 gonal or octagonal building of wood, open to the sky. 
 Rough seats on every side, and above the benches on 
 the western or shady side are boxes for the queen and 
 her attendants. Soldiers with bayonets kept order and 
 put down disturbances, of which there were several. 
 The seats slowly filled to the number of two thousand, 
 and when all were overdone with impatience, the swish 
 of rockets, and the crack of maroons, announced the 
 bedizened functionary who presided over the revels of 
 the day ; his cock-hatted and silk-stockinged lacqueys 
 ushered him into his box, and, after a short delay, one 
 of the silken horsemen who was to fight the bull gal- 
 loped in from the opposite side. The dusty circus in 
 which the contest took place had been sprinkled with 
 water by half a dozen gaily dressed blackamoors. In 
 striking contrast to these, a light Spanish stripling, 
 active, wary, and energetic, stood in the midst of the 
 arena, prepared with a scarlet scarf, and a handful of 
 arrow-headed darts, to receive the first bull. 
 
 The Lisbon bull-fight differs from those of Spain in 
 almost every particular, but especially in the weapons 
 used in the ring. The only weapon in the bull-fight 
 which I am describing was a small arrow of deal, three 
 
278 A LISBON BULL-FIGHT. 
 
 feet in length, like a barbed yard measure. This the 
 bull-fighter holds by the end, and as the bull rushes at 
 him, eyes shut, he very coolly steps a few inches on 
 one side of the direct course of the bull, and plunges 
 one (or, when dexterous, two) of these darts into the 
 most fleshy part of the animal's neck. The horsemen 
 make use of a similar dart, but of three or four times 
 the length. 
 
 The young Spaniard held several of these darts in his 
 hand, when the side door was opened, and out there 
 came, slowly and circumspectly at first, as if the light 
 might have dazzled him, such a noble, high-bred black 
 bull, with short horns, curly mane, straight back, and 
 soft kind eyes, as strongly enlisted one's sympathies 
 on his side, and made me secretly wish that the fine 
 young animal might overpower his nimble tormentor, 
 and throw him in the dust. The bull stood three 
 seconds in the ring, snorted, gave a low expressive 
 moan, bowed down his head, shut his eyes, and made 
 one rapid bound at the Spaniard, who nimbly avoided 
 him, and the bull glanced by with a gasp and a groan, 
 at the torture of the two barbed arrows which the youth 
 had plunged in his neck as the animal flew past him. 
 The bull turned again in an instant, reared on his hind 
 legs for one moment, as if to free himself, by a des- 
 perate effort, from the long darts that rattled in his neck, 
 gave a passionate whine, and once more dashed at his 
 enemy with the rapidity of light. But again the Span- 
 iard turned aside, at the moment when it seemed that 
 he must have bitten the dust, and another pair of the 
 light wooden darts were streaming with blood in the 
 grizzly neck of the tortured animal. 
 
 The man had now no more darts left. He had 
 dropped his scarf, and I really was rejoiced to find that 
 there was now to be a fair race between him and the 
 
A LISBON BULL-FIGHT. 279 
 
 generous looking brute, for the sheltered alley which 
 encircled the ring. The Spaniard run as if (which w r as 
 really the case) his life depended on whether he should 
 gain the shelter or not. At first, it seemed as if he 
 had a fair chance of escape ; but the bull gained upon 
 him, overtook him, and, as he had his hand upon the 
 circle to vault into the alley, pitched the rascal into the 
 crowded rows of the opposite benches, amidst the clear 
 vivas of hundreds of the spectators. This is, indeed, an 
 exciting exhibition, thought I ; and I gasped for breath 
 w r hen the lucky Spaniard had recovered his footing, 
 amidst jeers and jests of his neighbours in the gallery. 
 
 Twisting proudly his small moustache, though some- 
 what daunted at the fierceness of the animal, he strode 
 round the alley for a moment's breathing. The bull 
 (which had not done with him yet) followed him, and 
 made several attempts to get out of the ring, so enraged 
 was he at his adversary's escape ; but the youth tapped 
 him familiarly on the nose ; other bull-fighters attracted 
 him ; the shaw T ls and scarfs which they left on his horns 
 as they bolted into the alley, and at length, rattling the 
 wooden darts, which clustered in his thick fleshy neck 
 to the number of fifteen or twenty, he roared deep, and 
 galloped round the circle in unequivocal fury. 
 
 More contests and hairbreadth escapes succeeded, 
 until a luckless Portuguese, as heavy, awkward, and 
 uncollected, as the Spaniard was elastic, graceful, and 
 cool, standing stupified with indecision, was borne down 
 with a dull thump (which sounds in my ears at this 
 moment), and was carried out for dead. 
 
 The horses and riders were hooked and rolled in the 
 dust, tumbled, tossed over, and alarmed, without fatal 
 effects. Bull after bull, with greater or less determi- 
 nation and courage, came in, roared, groaned, and went 
 out again, after a sufficiency of barbed arrows had been 
 
280 A LISBON BULL-FIGHT. 
 
 lodged in their necks. One furious beast, at a single 
 bound, sprung, in the eagerness of pursuit, over the 
 fighters' alley into the spectators' seats, and produced as 
 much discomposure and amusement as the proverbial 
 bull in a china shop. 
 
 There was a short pause, and sundry cries of 
 " Sambo" from the gallery, when the riders' door 
 again flew open, and instead of the silken horseman 
 and his prancing grey, six glossy negroes rolled in an 
 empty barrel to the centre of the ring. This was set 
 on end, a negro was tossed inside, armed with half a 
 dozen darts ; another negro, with a pair of barbs, was 
 put by his side, the doors opened, and in walked another 
 astonished bull.^ At first, the animal merely looked at 
 Sambo with what seemed an expression of contempt, 
 and slowly took a walk round the ring to look at the 
 spectators. They execrated his want of alacrity, and 
 violently called upon Sambo to endanger his life for 
 their amusement. The hootings and execrations were 
 not lost on the bewildered animal, who, in a few 
 seconds, looked gravely at the tub and its grotesque 
 contents, and then snorted and galloped at it. The out- 
 side negro was soon dislodged; but before he could be 
 tossed and gored, he threw himself on the ground, 
 stretched out to his full length, with his broad nose 
 deep in the dust, his hands flat beside him, his limbs 
 motionless and rigid like the dead, and lay there appa- 
 rently with a mind as careless as if a good-tempered 
 Newfoundland dog had been caressing him. The bull 
 soon moved away, and the negro first crept on his legs, 
 and then sneaked rapidly off to the sheltered alley, 
 followed in a sort of half-earnest way by the good- 
 humoured animal, who capered after him like a goat. 
 
 The single-handed contest between Sambo in the tub 
 and his horned enemy then began. The black grinned 
 
A LISBON BULL-FIGHT. 281 
 
 over the edge of the barrel, shook his feathers, and the 
 bull, after a few moments' steady perusal of the negro's 
 absurdities, made a headlong rush, and rolled man and 
 barrel down the ring. A scream of laughter shook the 
 entire building. 
 
 The bull, not knowing what to make of the tub and 
 the African, kept trundling them about the ring with 
 the greatest humour. Sambo, every now and then, in 
 the intervals of rotation, peeped round the barrel's edge, 
 shook his feathers, and saluted the bull on the nose, 
 drawing blood at each push. The bull, finding his mis- 
 take, made an excited gesture with his head and tail, 
 bounded round in front of the barrel to draw the fellow 
 out, or, if not to unkennel him, at any rate to prick and 
 goad him in his puncheon ; and, finally, struck the tub 
 a violent blow with his horns. But as the mouth nar- 
 rowed (after the manner of barrels) to a size just suffi- 
 cient to admit the body of the negro, all that the bull 
 could do was to get in one horn at a time ; and as this 
 was quite insufficient to put poor Sambo in a complete 
 dilemma, he managed to keep such a succession of petty 
 annoyances as ended in the complete overthrow of the 
 animal's equanimity. The bull, foiled in all his efforts 
 to dislodge the negro, looked into the barrel's mouth 
 with absolute dismay, — stamped and whimpered with 
 vexed bewilderment, like an impetuous spoiled child, — 
 snuffed the ground, — threw up a bushel of dust, — and 
 then impatiently smashed the tub with his strong fore 
 head : the odds were heavily against Sambo. But 
 there was no one near to help him ; his five companions 
 sat silently on the wooden ring, grinning and showing 
 then teeth. The bull made another rush at the barrel, 
 rolled it backwards and forwards like an empty pun- 
 cheon on a brewer's dray, and then pursued it, with 
 something between fear and rage, in a tortuous course 
 19 
 
282 ROSABELLE. 
 
 along the ring. The black cried for help ; and the 
 five gaudy negroes were at length shamed into the circus 
 by hoots and loud jests. The moment they entered it, 
 the bull, attracted by their gay dresses, fiercely rushed 
 at the whole group, and instantly dispersed it. Three 
 fell flat on their faces, with outstretched arms and legs ; 
 the other two straddled off to the alley in awkward 
 haste, and, in place of the light vault of the graceful 
 Spaniard, clambered up the fence like bears up a pole. 
 None were hurt. Those who hid their faces in the dust 
 were merely snuffed at and smelled by the bull ; and 
 before the snuffing and smelling were over, the others 
 had retreated in safety. At length, by some means or 
 other (it is difficult to say what), they all six had hold 
 of his horns and tail, and dragged him about where- 
 ever they pleased. Having removed him, preparations 
 were made for other diversions. 
 
 Buller's Travels. 
 
 ROSABELLE. 
 
 u Moor, moor the barge, ye gallant crew ! 
 
 And, gentle ladye, deign to stay ! 
 Rest thee in Castle Ravensheuch, 
 
 Nor tempt the stormy firth to-day. 
 
 M The blackening wave is edged with white ; 
 
 To inch and rock the sea-mews fly; 
 The fishers have heard the water-sprite 
 
 Whose scream forebodes that wreck is nigh. 
 
ROSABELLE. 283 
 
 u Last night the gifted seer did view 
 A wet shroud swathed round ladye gay ; 
 
 Then stay thee, Fair, in Ravensheuch ; 
 Why cross the gloomy firth to-day V 
 
 " 'Tis not because Lord Lindesay's heir 
 
 To-night at Roslin leads the ball ; 
 But that my ladye-mother there 
 
 Sits lonely in her castle-hall. 
 
 " 'Tis not because the ring they ride 
 (And Lindesay at the ring rides well) ; 
 
 Bat that my sire the wine will chide, 
 If 'tis not filled by Rosabelle." 
 
 O'er Roslin, all that dreary night, 
 
 A wond'rous blaze was seen to gleam ; 
 
 'Twas broader than the watch-fire's light, 
 And redder than the bright moon-beam. 
 
 It glared on Roslin's castled rock, 
 It ruddied all the copse-wood glen ; 
 
 'Twas seen from Dryden's groves of oak, 
 And seen from cavern'd Hawthornden. 
 
 Seem'd all on fire that chapel proud, 
 Where Roslin's chiefs uncoffin'd lie ; 
 
 Each baron, for a sable shroud, 
 Sheathed in his iron panoply. 
 
 Seemed all on fire, within, around, 
 
 Deep sacristy and altar's pale ; 
 Shone every pillar foliage bound, 
 
 And glimmer'd all the dead men's mail. 
 
284 LION HUNTING IN INDIA. 
 
 Blazed battlement and pinnet high, 
 
 Blazed every rose-curved buttress fair, — 
 
 So still they blaze, when fate is nigh 
 The lordly line of high St. Clair. 
 
 There are twenty of Roslin's barons bold, 
 Lie buried within that proud chapelle ; 
 
 Each one the holy vault doth hold — 
 But the sea holds lovely Rosabelle ! 
 
 And each St. Clair was buried there, 
 
 With candle, with book, and with knell ; 
 
 But the sea-waves rung, the wild winds sung, 
 The dirge of lovely Rosabelle. 
 
 Scott. 
 
 LION HUNTING IN INDIA. 
 (From " Essays on Natural History,' 5 by Charles Waterton.) 
 
 In the month of July, 1831, two fine lions made their 
 appearance in a jungle some twenty miles distant from 
 the cantonment of Raj cote, in the East Indies, where 
 Captain Woodhouse, and his two friends, Lieutenants 
 Delamain and Lang, were stationed. An elephant was 
 dispatched to the place in the evening on which the in- 
 formation arrived ; and on the morrow, at the break of 
 day, the three gentlemen set off on horseback, full of 
 glee, and elated with the hope of a speedy engage- 
 ment. On arriving at the edge of the jungle, people 
 were ordered to ascend the neighbouring trees, that 
 they might be able to trace the route of the lions, in 
 
• LION HUNTING IN INDIA. 285 
 
 case they left the cover. After beating about in the 
 jungle for some time, the hunters started the two lordly 
 strangers. The officers fired immediately, and one of 
 the lions fell to rise no more. His companion broke 
 cover, and made off across the country. The officers 
 now pursued him on horseback as fast as the nature of 
 the ground would allow, until they learned from the 
 men who were stationed in the trees, and who held up 
 flags by way of signal, that the lion had gone back 
 into the thicket. Upon this the three officers returned 
 to the edge of the jungle, and having dismounted from 
 their horses, they got upon the elephant, Captain 
 Woodhouse placing himself in the hindermost seat. 
 They now proceeded towards the heart of the jungle, 
 in the expectation of rousing the royal fugitive a 
 second time. They found him standing under a high 
 bush, with his face directly towards them. The lion 
 allowed them to approach within range of his spring, 
 and then he made a sudden dart at the elephant, clung 
 on his trunk with a tremendous roar, and wounded him 
 just above the eye. While be was in the act of doing 
 this, the two lieutenants fired at him, but without suc- 
 cess. The elephant now shook him off; but the fierce 
 and sudden attack on the part of the lion seemed to 
 have thrown him into the greatest consternation. This 
 was the first time he had ever come in contact with so 
 formidable an animal : and much exertion was used 
 before his riders succeeded in urging him on again in 
 quest of the lion. At last he became somewhat more 
 tractable; but as he was advancing through the jungle, 
 all of a sudden the lion, which had lain concealed in 
 the high grass, made at him with redoubled fury. The 
 officers now lost all hopes of keeping their elephant in 
 order. He turned round abruptly, and was going away 
 quite ungovernable, when the lion again sprang at him, 
 
286 LION HUNTING IN INDIA. 
 
 seized his hinder parts with his teeth, and hung on 
 him till the affrighted animal managed to shake him off 
 by incessant kicking. 
 
 The lion retreated farther into the thicket, Captain 
 Woodhouse in the mean time firing a random shot at 
 him, which proved of no avail, as the jolting of the ele- 
 phant and the uproar of the moment prevented him from 
 taking a steady aim. No exertions on the part of the 
 officers could now force the terrified elephant to face 
 his fierce foe, and they found themselves reduced to the 
 necessity of dismounting. Determined, however, to 
 come to still closer quarters with the formidable king 
 of quadrupeds, Captain Woodhouse took the desperate 
 resolution to proceed on foot in quest of him, and, after 
 searching about for some time, he observed the lion in- 
 distinctly through the bushes, and discharged his rifle 
 at him, but he was pretty well convinced that he had 
 not hit him, for he saw the lion retire with the utmost 
 composure into the thicker parts of the brake. The two 
 lieutenants, who had remained at the outside of the 
 jungle, joined their companion on hearing the report of 
 his gun. 
 
 The weather was intolerably sultry. After vainly 
 spending a considerable time in creeping through the 
 grass and bushes, with the hope of discovering the place 
 of the lion's retreat, they concluded that he had passed 
 through the jungle, and gone off in an opposite direction. 
 Resolving not to let their game escape, the lieutenants 
 returned to the elephant, and immediately proceeded 
 round the jungle, expecting to discover the route which 
 they conjectured the lion had taken. Captain Wood- 
 house, however, remained in the thicket; and as he could 
 discern the print of the animal's foot on the ground, he 
 boldly resolved to follow up the track at all hazards. 
 The Indian game-finder, who continued with his com- 
 
LION HUNTING IN INDIA. 287 
 
 mander, at last espied the lion in the cover, and pointed 
 him out to the captain, who fired, but, unfortunately, 
 missed his mark. There was now no alternative left 
 but to retreat and load his rifle. Having retired to a 
 distance, he was joined by Lieutenant Delamain, who 
 had dismounted from his elephant on hearing the report 
 of the gun. This unexpected meeting increased the cap- 
 tain's hopes of ultimate success. He lost no time in 
 pointing out to the lieutenant the place where he would 
 probably find the lion, and said he would be up with 
 him in a moment or two. 
 
 Lieutenant Delamain, on going eight or ten paces 
 down a sheep-track, got a sight of the lion, and instantly 
 discharged his rifle at him. This irritated the mighty 
 lord of the woods, and he rushed towards him, breaking 
 through the bushes (to use the captain's own words) 
 " in most magnificent style." Captain Woodhouse now 
 found himself placed in an awkward situation. He 
 was aware that if he retraced his steps, in order to put 
 himself in a better position for attack, he would just get 
 to the point from which the lieutenant fired, and to 
 which the lion was making; wherefore he instantly re- 
 solved to stand still in the hope that the lion would pass 
 by, at a distance of four yards or so, without perceiving 
 him, as the intervening cover was thick and strong. In 
 this, however, he was most unfortunately deceived ; for 
 the enraged lion saw him in passing, and flew at him 
 with a dreadful roar. In an instant, as if it had been 
 done by a stroke of lightning, the rifle was broken and 
 thrown out of the captain's hand, his left arm at the same 
 moment torn by the claws, and his right by the teeth, of 
 his desperate antagonist. While those two brave and 
 sturdy combatants, " whose courage none could stain," 
 were yet standing in mortal conflict, Lieutenant Dela- 
 main ran up and discharged his piece full at the lion. 
 
233 LION HUNTING IN INDIA. 
 
 This caused the lion and the captain to come to the 
 ground together, while Lieutenant Delarnain hastened 
 out of the jungle to reload his gun. The lion now began 
 to crunch the captain's arm ; but as the brave fellow, 
 notwithstanding the pain which this horrid process 
 caused, had the cool determined resolution to lie still, 
 the lordly savage let the arm drop out of his mouth, and 
 quietly placed himself in a couching position, with both 
 his paws upon the thigh of his fallen foe. While things 
 were in this untoward situation, the captain unthink- 
 ingly raised his hand to support his head, which had 
 got placed ill at ease in the fall. No sooner, however, 
 had he moved it, than the lion seized the lacerated arm 
 a second time, crunched it as before, and fractured the 
 bone still higher up. This additional memento mori from 
 the lion was not lost upon Captain Woodhouse; it im- 
 mediately put him in mind that he had committed an act 
 of imprudence in stirring. The motionless state in 
 which he persevered after this broad hint, showed that 
 he learned to profit by the painful lesson. 
 
 He now lay bleeding and disabled under the foot of a 
 mighty and irritated enemy. Death was close upon 
 him, armed with every terror calculated to appal the 
 heart of a prostrate and defenceless man. Just as this 
 world, with all its flitting honours, was on the point of 
 vanishing for ever, he heard two faint reports of a gun, 
 which he thought sounded from a distance; but he was 
 totally at a loss to account for them. He learned, after 
 the affair was over, that the reports were caused by his 
 friend at the outside of the jungle, who had flashed off 
 some powder in order to be quite sure that the nipples 
 of his rifle were clean. 
 
 The two lieutenants were now hastening to his assist- 
 ance, and he heard the welcome sound of feet approach- 
 ing ; but, unfortunately, they were in a wrong direction, 
 
ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 289 
 
 as the lion was betwixt them and him. Aware that if 
 his friends fired, the balls would hit him after they had 
 passed through the body of the lion, Captain Wood- 
 house quietly pronounced, in a low and subdued tone, 
 " To the other side ! to the other side !" Hearing the 
 voice, they looked in the direction from whence it pro- 
 ceeded, and to their horror saw their brave comrade in 
 his utmost need. Having made a circuit, they cautiously 
 came up on the other side, and Lieutenant Delamain, 
 whose coolness in encounters with wild beasts had 
 always been conspicuous, from a distance of about a 
 dozen yards, fired at the lion over the person of a pros- 
 trate warrior. 
 
 The lion merely quivered ; his head dropped upon the 
 ground, and in an instant he lay dead on his side, close 
 to his intended victim. 
 
 ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 
 
 Amongst the heroes of American border warfare, 
 Lewis Wetzel held no inferior station. Inured to 
 hardships while yet in boyhood, and familiar with all 
 the varieties of forest adventure, from that of hunting 
 the beaver and the bear to that of the wily Indian, he 
 became one of the most celebrated marksmen of the 
 day. His form was erect, and of that height best 
 adapted to activity, being very muscular, and possessed 
 of great bodily strength. From constant exercise, he 
 could, without fatigue, bear prolonged and violent ex- 
 ertion, especially that of running and walking; and he 
 
290 ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 
 
 had, by practice, acquired the art of loading his rifle, 
 when running at full speed through the forest; and 
 wheeling on ihe instant, he could discharge it with 
 unerring aim, at the distance of eighty or one hundred 
 yards, into a mark not larger than a dollar. This art 
 he has been known more than once to practise with 
 fatal success on his savage foes.— 
 
 A marksman of superior skill was, in those days, es- 
 timated by the other borderers, much in the same way 
 that a knight templar, or a knight of the cross, who 
 excelled in the tournament or the charge, was valued 
 by his contemporaries in the days of chivalry. Chal- 
 lenges of skill often took place ; and marksmen, who 
 lived at the distance of fifty miles or more from each 
 other, frequently met by appointment, to try the accu- 
 racy of their aim, on bets of considerable amount. 
 Wetzel's fame had spread far and wide, as the most 
 expert and unerring shot of the day. It chanced that 
 a young man, a few years younger than Wetzel, who 
 lived on Dankard's Creek, a tributary of the Mononga- 
 hela river, which waters one of the earliest settlements 
 in that region, heard of his fame ; and as he also was 
 an expert woodsman and a first-rate shot — the best in 
 his settlement — he became very desirous of an oppor- 
 tunity for a trial of skill. So great was his desire, that 
 he one day shouldered his rifle, and whistling his faith- 
 ful dog to his side, started for the neighbourhood of 
 Wetzel, who at that time lived on Wheeling Creek, 
 distant about twenty miles from the settlement of 
 Dankard's Creek. When about half-way on his jour- 
 ney, a fine buck sprang up just before him. He levelled 
 his gun with his usual precision, but the deer, though 
 badly wounded, did not fall dead on his tracks. His 
 faithful dog soon seized him and brought him to the 
 ground ; but while in the act of doing this, another 
 
ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 291 
 
 dog" sprang from the forest upon the same deer, and his 
 master making his appearance at the same time from 
 behind a tree, with a loud voice claimed the buck as 
 his property, because he had been wounded by his shot 
 and seized by his dog. It so happened that they had 
 both fired at once at this deer, a fact which may very 
 well happen where two active men are hunting on the 
 same ground, although one may fire at the distance of 
 fifty yards, and the other at one hundred. The dogs 
 felt the same spirit of rivalry with their masters, and 
 quitting the deer, which was already dead, fell to wor- 
 rying and tearing each other. In separating the dogs, 
 the stranger hunter happened to strike that of the 
 young man. The old adage, " strike my dog, strike 
 myself," arose in full force, and without further cere- 
 mony, except a few angry words, he fell upon the hunter 
 and hurled him to the ground. This was no sooner done 
 than he found himself turned, and under his stronger 
 and more powerful antagonist. Discovering that he 
 was no match at this play, the young man appealed to 
 the trial by rifles, saying it was too much like dogs for 
 men, and hunters, to fight in this way. .The stranger 
 assented to the trial ; but told his antagonist, that be- 
 fore he put it fairly to the test, he had better witness 
 what he was able to do with the rifle, saying that he 
 was as much superior, he thought, with that weapon, 
 as he was in bodily strength. He bade him place a 
 mark the size or a shilling on the side of a huge pop- 
 lar that stood beside them, from which he would start 
 with his rifle unloaded, and running a hundred yards at 
 full speed, he would load it as he ran, and, wheeling, 
 would discharge it instantly to the centre of the mark. 
 The feat was no sooner proposed than performed ; the 
 ball entered the centre of the diminutive target; as- 
 tonished at his activity and skill, his antagonist in- 
 
292 ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 
 
 stantly inquired his name. Lewis Wetzel, at your 
 service, answered the stranger. The young hunter 
 seized him by the hand with all the ardour of youthful 
 admiration, and at once acknowledged his own inferi- 
 ority. So charmed was he with Wetzel's frankness, 
 skill, and fine personal appearance, that he insisted 
 upon his returning with him to the settlement on Dank- 
 ard's Creek, that he might exhibit his talents to his 
 own family, and to the hardy backwoodsmen his neigh- 
 bours. Nothing loath to such an exhibition, and 
 pleased w T ith the energy of his new acquaintance, Wet- 
 zel consented to accompany him ; shortening the way 
 with their mutual tales of hunting excursions and ha- 
 zardous contests with the common enemies of the 
 country. Amongst other things, Wetzel stated his 
 manner of distinguishing the footsteps of a white man 
 from those of an Indian, although covered with moc- 
 assins, and intermixed with the tracks of savages. He 
 had acquired this tact from closely examining the man- 
 ner of placing the feet, the Indian stepping with his 
 feet in parallel lines, and first bringing the toe to the 
 ground ; while the white man almost invariably places 
 his feet at an angle with the line of march. An op- 
 portunity they little expected soon gave room to put 
 his skill to the trial. On reaching the young man's 
 home, wmich they did that day, they found the dwelling 
 a smoking ruin, and all the family lying murdered and 
 scalped, except a young woman who had been brought 
 up in the family, and to whom the young man was ar- 
 dently attached. She had been taken away alive, as 
 was ascertained by examining the trail of the savages. 
 Wetzel soon discovered that the party consisted of three 
 Indians and a renegado white man, — a fact not uncom- 
 mon in those early days, when, for crime or the love of 
 
ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 293 
 
 revenge, the white outlaw fled to the savages, and was 
 adopted, on trial, into their tribe. 
 
 As it was past the middle of the day, and the nearest 
 assistance still at some considerable distance, and there 
 were only four to contend with, they decided on instant 
 pursuit. As the deed had very recently been done, they 
 hoped to overtake them in their camp that night, and 
 perhaps before they could cross the Ohio river, to which 
 the Indians always retreated after a successful incur- 
 sion, considering themselves in a manner safe when they 
 had crossed to its right bank, at that time occupied 
 wholly by the Indian tribes. 
 
 Ardent and unwearied was the pursuit by the youth- 
 ful huntsmen : the one, excited to recover his lost mis- 
 tress, the other to assist his new friend and to take re- 
 venge for the slaughter of his countrymen — slaughter 
 and revenge being the daily business of the borderers 
 at this period (1782-84). Wetzel followed the trail 
 with the unerring sagacity of a bloodhound ; and just 
 at dusk, traced the fugitives to a noted war-path, nearly 
 opposite to the mouth of Captina Creek, emptying into 
 the Ohio, which, much to their disappointment, they 
 found the Indians had crossed by forming a raft of logs 
 and brush, their usual manner when at a distance from 
 their villages. By examining carefully the appearances 
 on the opposite shore, they soon discovered the fire of 
 the Indian camp in a hollow way, a few rods from the 
 river. Lest the noise of constructing a raft should alarm 
 the Indians and give notice of the pursuit, the two hardy 
 adventurers determined to swim the stream a few rods 
 below. This they easily accomplished, being both of 
 them excellent swimmers •; fastening their clothes and 
 ammunition in a bundle on the tops of their heads, with 
 their rifles resting on their left hip, they reached the op- 
 posite shore in safety. After carefully examining their 
 
294 ADVENTURE OF LEWIS WETZEL. 
 
 arms, and putting every article of attack and defence in 
 its proper place, they crawled very cautiously to a posi- 
 tion which gave them a fair view of their enemies, who, 
 thinking themselves safe from pursuit, were carelessly 
 reposing around their fire, thoughtless of the fate that 
 awaited them. They instantly discovered the young 
 woman, apparently unhurt, but making much moaning 
 and lamentation, while the white man was trying to 
 pacify and console her with the promise of kind usage 
 and an adoption into the tribe. The young man, hardly 
 able to restrain his rage, was for firing and rushing in- 
 stantly upon them. Wetzel, more cautious, told him to 
 wait until daylight appeared, when they could make the 
 attack with a better chance of success, and of also kill- 
 ing the whole party ; but if they attacked in the dark, 
 a part of them would certainly escape. 
 
 As soon as daylight dawned, the Indians arose and 
 prepared to depart. The young man selecting the white 
 renegado, and Wetzel an Indian, they both fired at the 
 same time, each killing his man. The young man rushed 
 forward, knife in hand, to relieve the young woman ; 
 while W^etzel reloaded his gun, and pushed in pursuit 
 of the two surviving Indians, who had taken to the 
 woods until they could ascertain the number of their 
 enemies. Wetzel, as soon as he saw that he was dis- 
 covered, discharged his rifle at random, in order to draw 
 them from their covert. Hearing the report, and find- 
 ing themselves unhurt, the Indians rushed upon him 
 before he could again reload. This was as he wished ; 
 taking to his heels, Wetzel loaded as he ran, and, sud- 
 denly wheeling about, discharged his rifle through the 
 body of his nearest but unsuspecting enemy. The re- 
 maining Indian, seeing the fate of his companion, and 
 that his enemy's rifle was unloaded, rushed forward 
 with all energy, the prospect of prompt revenge being 
 
EAGLES IN THE HEBRIDES. 295 
 
 fairly before him. Wetzel led him on, dodging from 
 tree to tree, until his rifle was again ready, when, sud- 
 denly turning, he shot his remaining enemy, who fell 
 dead at his feet. Wetzel and his friend, with their 
 rescued captive, returned in safety to the settlement. 
 Like honest Joshua Fleeheart, after the peace of 1795, 
 Wetzel pushed for the frontiers on the Mississippi, 
 where he could trap the beaver, hunt the buffalo and 
 the deer, and occasionally shoot an Indian, the object 
 of his mortal hatred. He finally died, as he had always 
 lived, a free man of the forest, — Silliman's American 
 Journal. 
 
 EAGLES IN THE HEBRIDES. 
 
 When it has young, the eagle provides abundantly 
 for them ; and instances have been known in the He- 
 brides of people obtaining an additional supply in times 
 of scarcity, by climbing, or rather descending to its nest, 
 which is generally nearer the summit than the base of 
 the cliff. I have never heard an instance of its attacking 
 a person when robbing its nest, and only two of its hav- 
 ing made any attempt upon a human being. 
 
 A man, in the island of Lewis, having crept to the 
 edge of a shelf overhanging the nest of an eagle, was 
 waiting the arrival of the birds, for the purpose of shoot- 
 ing them, when one of them, sweeping silently along the 
 top of the cliff, struck him unawares with its wing. The 
 man, however, kept his hold. 
 
 Among some rugged crags at the lower end of Loch 
 Suainebhad, in the island, a pair of these annually rear 
 their young. A woman, who had been on the moors 
 looking after cattle, was descending a rude path near the 
 
296 EAGLES IX THE HEBRIDES. 
 
 crags, when two eagles attacked her with great fury. 
 She defended herself, however, and escaped without 
 material injury. 
 
 When in sight of a person watching near the nest, 
 they fly around him at a respectful distance, sailing with 
 outstretched wings, occasionally uttering a savage scream 
 of anger, and allowing their legs to dangle, with out- 
 spread talons, as if to intimidate him. I have observed 
 them thus occupied, when on the edge of a precipice five 
 hundred feet high, with a very steep slope above me, 
 bounded by rocks, and from which I could not have made 
 my escape, had the birds been resolute. 
 
 In the Hebrides, the raven is perpetually harassing 
 the eagle, which, from its superior agility, it can safely 
 do ; although I have never seen it venture to come into 
 actual contact with its powerful adversary. I have seen 
 eagles fighting in the air ; their motions were then beau- 
 tiful, and displayed considerable agility. When the 
 higher one approached the other, the latter threw itself 
 on its back, and received the foe with outstretched talons. 
 Their shrill screams resounded to a great distance. 
 
 The usual mode of destroying eagles in the Hebrides 
 is the following : — In a remote part, usually on an emi- 
 nence, the declivity of a mountain, or the margin of a 
 precipice in which eagles breed, a pit, about six feet 
 in length and three in breadth, is dug to the depth of 
 two or three feet. The turf removed from it is arranged 
 as a wall, so as to deepen the pit a foot or two more. 
 Some sticks are then laid across it, together with heath, 
 and the whole is covered over with fresh turf taken from 
 some distance. An opening is left at one end, large 
 enough to admit a person, and at the other is formed 
 an aperture six inches in diameter. The door is closed 
 by a bundle of heath ; and in this state the pit, or hut, 
 is left until all traces of labour are effaced from it by 
 
EAGLES IN THE HEBRIDES. 297 
 
 the weather, and the keen eye of the eagle, as he sails 
 over it, can distinguish nothing but a tuft of heath, simi- 
 lar to those around. A carcass is then procured ; a 
 sheep that has been found dead on the hills, or an old 
 and useless horse, that has been taken out and killed 
 for the purpose. It is placed at the distance of fif- 
 teen or twenty yards from the hut, so as to be visible 
 from within through the small aperture. The hunter 
 enters, spreads a layer of heath on the floor, closes the 
 door behind by pulling into it a bundle of heath, lays 
 him down on his side, places the muzzle of his gun in 
 the aperture, and prepares for a tedious watch. Hours 
 often pass, and yet nothing makes its appearance. A 
 raven appears, and frequently many in succession; but 
 as the hunter knows not how near the eagle may be, he 
 refrains from shooting, or even disturbing them. Some- 
 times a gull, of the large black-backed species, or a bur- 
 gomaster, or even a herring-gull, appears w T ith its un- 
 sullied plumage, walking anxiously about, but not daring 
 to attempt a participation of the feast so long as the 
 ravens remain unsatisfied. At length hurried noises are 
 heard from the carrion birds, which look around in an 
 anxious manner; the rushing, as of a current of air, 
 comes on the ear of the lier-in-wait, who brings his gun 
 to his shoulder ; and as the birds disperse, he sees the 
 eagle quietly seating itself on the carcass, gathering up 
 his large wings, and preparing to commence the ban- 
 quet. Now is the time — now or never. Forth rushes 
 the little shower of buck-shot, the terrified gulls and 
 ravens fly off screaming and croaking, and the author 
 of their panic, kicking out the bundle of heath from the 
 door of the hut, drags himself into open day, and runs 
 up to the carcass, on which is stretched the once formi- 
 dable skimmer of the clouds, now vainly struggling in 
 the agonies of death. 
 
 20 
 
298 EAGLES IN THE HEBRIDES. 
 
 But a more animating scene presents itself: — 
 
 " Why flames the far summit ? Why shoot to the blast 
 Yon embers like stars from the firmament cast ? 
 'Tis the fire-shower of ruin all dreadfully driven 
 From his eyrie—" 
 
 The farmer, breathing vengeance for the massacre per- 
 petrated upon the young lambs in spring, has assembled 
 his shepherds and cotters. They proceed — one carry- 
 ing a coil of rope, another a bundle of dry heath, and a 
 third a burning peat — toward the farther brow of the 
 mountain, where the fissured and shelved precipice 
 hangs over the foaming margin of the Atlantic. Far in 
 the west, in mist and melancholy grandeur, rises the 
 lone isle of St. Kilda. The great ocean is spread 
 around, its impetuous currents sweeping along the 
 rugged shores. Strings of gannets, cormorants, and 
 guillemots are seen winding around the promontories ; 
 while here and there, over the curling waves, is seen 
 hovering a solitary gull. They have reached the brink 
 of the cliffs, over which the more timid scarce dare ven- 
 ture to cast a glance ; for almost directly under their 
 feet is the unfathomable sea, heaving its heavy billows 
 some hundred feet from the place to which they cling. 
 The eagles are abroad, soaring at a cautious distance in 
 circles, uttering wild and harsh screams, and as they 
 sweep past displaying their powerful talons. One of 
 the men fastens the rope to his body, passing it under 
 his arm, and securing it to his breast by a firm knot. 
 The rest dig holes with their heels in the turf, and sit- 
 ting down in a row take firm hold of the cord. The 
 adventurer looks over the brink of the cliff, marks the 
 projecting shelf which overhangs the eagle's nest, and 
 is gradually lowered towards it, bearing in one hand the 
 bundle of heath, with a cord attached to it, and the peat 
 
EAGLES IN THE HEBRIDES. 299 
 
 burning in the middle, and with the other pushing him- 
 self from the angular projections of the rock. At 
 length he arrives on the shelf, and calls to those above 
 to slacken the rope, but keep a firm hold of it. Then 
 creeping forwards, and clinging to the unstable tufts of 
 indigenous grasses, he looks downwards, and ascertains 
 the precise position of the nest, in which are two eaglets 
 covered with white down, skeletons of fishes, birds, and 
 lambs lying heaped around them. Blowing the flame, 
 he kindles the bundle of combustibles, and rapidly 
 lowers it rightly into the nest. The young birds scream 
 and hiss, and throw themselves into strange attitudes 
 of defence. The heath smokes and crackles, and at 
 length blazes into full flame. Then the sticks, sea- 
 weeds, wool, and feathers of the nest catch fire ; and 
 the ascending column of smoke indicates to the rope- 
 men above that the deed is doing. Flames and fumes 
 conceal the young birds from the avenger's gaze, but he 
 stirs not until they have abated, and he sees the huge 
 eyrie with its contents reduced to ashes. 
 
 Birds have feelings as well as men, and those of the 
 eagle are doubtless acute ; for the old birds wheel and 
 scream along the face of the rock for many days in suc- 
 cession, and as by this time the summer is far advanced, 
 they form no new nest. — Quarterly Journal of Agri- 
 culture. 
 
300 
 
 SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 The following lively details are taken from Washington Irving's 
 "Tour in the Prairies." 
 
 A BUFFALO HUNT. 
 
 After proceeding for about two hours in a southerly- 
 direction, we emerged, towards mid-day, from the dreary 
 belt of the Cross Timber, and, to our infinite delight, 
 beheld the " Great Prairie" stretching to the right and 
 left before us. We could distinctly trace the meander- 
 ing course of the main Canadian and various smaller 
 streams, by the strips of green forest that bordered 
 them. The landscape was vast and beautiful. There 
 is always an expansion of feeling in looking upon these 
 boundless and fertile wastes ; but I was doubly con- 
 scious of it after emerging from our "close dungeon of 
 innumerous boughs." 
 
 From a rising ground Beattie pointed out to us the 
 place where he and his comrades had killed the buiTa- 
 los ; and we beheld several black objects moving in the 
 distance, which he said were part of the herd. The 
 captain determined to shape his course to a woody bot- 
 . torn about a mile distant, and to encamp there for a day 
 or two, by way of having a regular buffalo hunt, and 
 getting a supply of provisions. As the troops filed 
 along the slope of the hill towards the camping-ground, 
 Beattie proposed to my messmates and myself that we 
 should put ourselves under his guidance, promising to 
 take us where we should have plenty of sport. Leav- 
 ing the line of march, therefore, we diverged towards 
 the Prairies, traversing a small valley, and ascending a 
 gentle swell of land. As we reached the summit we 
 
SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 301 
 
 beheld a gang of wild horses about a mile off. Beattie 
 was immediately on the alert, and no longer thought of 
 buffalo-hunting. He was mounted on his powerful wild 
 horse, with a lariat coiled at the saddle-bow, and set off 
 in pursuit, while we remained on a rising ground watch- 
 ing the manoeuvres with great solicitude. Taking ad- 
 vantage of a strip of woodland, he stole quietly along, 
 so as to get close to them before he was perceived. The 
 moment they caught sight of him, a grand scamper took 
 place. We watched him skirting along the horizon, 
 like a privateer in full chase of a merchantman : at 
 length he passed over the brow of a ridge, and down 
 into a shallow valley ; in a few moments he was on the 
 opposite hill, and close upon one of the horses. He 
 was soon head and head, and appeared to be trying to 
 noose his prey : but they both disappeared again below 
 the hill, and we saw no more of them. It turned out, 
 afterwards, that he had noosed a powerful horse, but 
 could not hold him, and had lost his lariat in the attempt. 
 Whilst we were waiting for his return, we perceived 
 two buffalo bulls descending a slope towards a stream, 
 which wound through a ravine fringed with trees. The 
 young Count and myself endeavoured to get near them, 
 under covert of the trees. They discovered us while 
 we were yet 300 or 400 yards off, and turning about, 
 retreated up the rising ground. We urged our horses 
 across the ravine, and gave chase. The immense weight 
 of head and shoulders causes the buffalo to labour 
 heavily up hill, but it accelerates his descent. We had 
 the advantage, therefore, and gained rapidly upon the 
 fugitives, though it was difficult to get our horses to 
 approach them, their very scent inspiring them with 
 terror. The Count, who had a double-barrelled gun, 
 loaded with ball, fired, but missed. The bulls now 
 altered their course, and galloped down hill with head- 
 
302 SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 long rapidity. As they ran in different directions, we 
 each singled out one, and separated. I was provided 
 with a brace of veteran brass-barrelled pistols, which 
 I had borrowed at Fort Gibson, and which had evidently 
 seen some service. Pistols are very effective in buffalo- 
 hunting, as the hunter can ride up close to the animal, 
 and fire at it while at full speed, whereas the long 
 heavy rifles used on the frontier cannot be easily 
 managed, nor discharged with accurate aim from horse- 
 back. My object, therefore, was to get within pistol- 
 shot of the buffalo. This was no very easy matter. I 
 was well mounted, on a horse of excellent speed and 
 bottom, that seemed eager for the chase, and soon over- 
 took the game, but the moment he came nearly parallel 
 he would keep sheering off, with ears forked and pricked 
 forward, and every symptom of aversion and alarm. It 
 was no wonder. Of all animals, a buffalo, when close 
 pressed by the hunter, has an aspect the most diaboli- 
 cal. His two short black horns curve out of a huge 
 frontlet of shaggy hair ; his eyes glow like coals ; his 
 mouth is open, his tongue parched and drawn up into 
 a half-crescent ; his tail is erect, and the tufted end 
 whisking about in the air ; — he is a perfect picture of 
 mingled rage and terror. 
 
 It was with difficulty I urged my horse sufficiently 
 near, when, taking aim, to my chagrin both pistols 
 missed fire. Unfortunately, the locks of these veteran 
 weapons were so much worn, that in the gallop the 
 priming had been shaken out of the pans. At the snap- 
 ping of the last pistol I was close upon the buffalo, when, 
 in his despair, he turned round with a sudden snort, 
 and rushed upon me. My horse wheeled about, as if on 
 a pivot, made a convulsive spring, and, as I had been 
 leaning on one side with pistol extended, I came near 
 being thrown at the feet of the buffalo. Three bounds 
 
SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 303 
 
 of the horse carried us out of reach of the enemy, who, 
 having merely turned in desperate self-defence, quickly 
 resumed his flight. As soon as I could gather in my 
 panic-stricken horse, and prime my pistols afresh, I again 
 spurred in pursuit of the buffalo, who had slackened his 
 speed to take breath. On my approach, he again set 
 off at full speed, still heaving himself forward with a 
 heavy rolling gallop, dashing with headlong precipita- 
 tion through breaks and ravines ; while several deer 
 and wolves, startled from their coverts by his thunder- 
 ing career, ran helter-skelter to right and left across the 
 waste. 
 
 A gallop across the prairies in pursuit of game is by 
 no means so smooth a career as those may imagine who 
 have only the idea of an open level plain. It is true the 
 prairies of the hunting-grounds are not so much entan- 
 gled with flowering plants and long herbage as the lower 
 prairies, and are principally covered with short buffalo 
 grass ; but they are diversified by hill and dale, and, 
 where most level, are apt to be cut up by deep rifts and 
 ravines, made by torrents after rains, and which, yawn- 
 ing from an even surface, are almost like pitfalls in the 
 way of the hunter ; checking him suddenly when in full 
 career, or subjecting him to the risk of limb and life. 
 The plains, too, are beset by burrowing holes of small 
 animals, in which the horse is apt to sink to the fetlock, 
 and throw both himself and his rider. The late rain 
 had covered some parts of the prairie, where the ground 
 was hard, with a thin sheet of water, through which the 
 horse had to dash his way. In other parts, there were 
 innumerable shallow hollows, eight or ten feet in dia- 
 meter, made by the buffalos, who wallow in sand and 
 mud like swine. These, being filled with water, shone 
 like mirrors, so that the horse was continually leaping 
 over them, or springing on one side. We had reached, 
 
304 SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 too, a rough part of the prairie, very much broken and 
 cut up : the buffalo, who was running for life, took no 
 heed to his course, plunging down breakneck ravines, 
 where it was necessary to skirt the borders in search of 
 a safer descent. At length he came to where a winter 
 stream had torn a deep chasm across the whole prairie, 
 laying open jagged rocks, and forming a long glen bor- 
 dered by steep crumbling cliffs of mingled stone and 
 clay. Down one of these the buffalo flung himself, 
 half tumbling, half leaping, and then scuttled off along 
 the bottom ; while I, seeing all farther pursuit useless, 
 pulled up, and gazed quietly after him from the border 
 of the cleft, until he disappeared amidst the windings of 
 the ravine. 
 
 Nothing now remained but to turn my steed and re- 
 join my companions. Here, at first, was some difficulty. 
 The ardour of the chase had betrayed me into a long 
 heedless gallop : I now found myself in the midst of a 
 lonely waste, in which the prospect was bounded by 
 undulating swells of land, naked and uniform, where, 
 from the deficiency of land-marks and distinct features, 
 an inexperienced man may become bewildered, and lose 
 his way as readily as in the wastes of the ocean. The 
 day, too, was overcast, so that I could not guide myself 
 by the sun. My only mode was to retrace the track my 
 horse had made in coming, though this I would after all 
 lose sight of, where the ground was covered with parched 
 herbage. To one unaccustomed to it, there is some- 
 thing inexpressibly lonely in the solitude of a prairie : 
 the loneliness of a forest seems nothing to it. There 
 the view is shut in by trees, and the imagination is left 
 free to picture some livelier scene beyond; but here we 
 have an immense extent of landscape, without a sign of 
 human existence. We have the consciousness of being 
 far beyond the bounds of human habitation ; we feel as 
 
SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 305 
 
 if moving in the midst of a desert world. As my horse 
 lagged slowly back over the scenes of our late scamper, 
 and the delirium of the chase had passed away, I was 
 peculiarly sensible to these circumstances. The silence 
 of the waste was now and then broken by the cry of a 
 distant flock of pelicans, stalking like spectres about a 
 shallow pool, sometimes by the sinister croaking of a 
 raven in the air, while occasionally a scoundrel wolf 
 would scour off from before me, and having attained a 
 safe distance, would sit down and howl and whine, with 
 tones that gave a dreariness to the surrounding solitude. 
 After pursuing my way for some time, I descried a horse- 
 man on the edge of a distant hill, and soon recognised 
 him to be the Count. He had been equally unsuccess- 
 ful with myself. We were shortly afterwards rejoined 
 by our worthy comrade, the virtuoso, who, with specta- 
 cles on his nose, had made two or three ineffectual 
 shots from hoiseback. 
 
 We determined not to seek the camp until we had 
 made one more effort. Casting our eyes about the sur 
 rounding waste, we descried a herd of buffalos about 
 two miles distant, scattered apart, and quietly grazing 
 near a small strip of trees and bushes. It required but 
 little stretch of fancy to picture them so many cattle 
 grazing on the edge of a common, and that the grove 
 might shelter some lonely farm-house. 
 
 We now formed our plan to circumvent the herd, and, 
 by getting on the other side of them, to hunt them in 
 the direction where we knew our camp to be situated; 
 otherwise the pursuit might take us to such a distance, 
 as to render it impossible to find our way back before 
 nightfall. Taking a wide circuit, therefore, we moved 
 slowly and cautiously, pausing continually, when we 
 saw any of the herd desist from grazing. The wind 
 fortunately set from them, otherwise they might have 
 
306 SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 scented us and taken the alarm. In this way we suc- 
 ceeded in getting round the herd without disturbing it. 
 It consisted of about forty head, bulls, cows, and calves. 
 Separating to some distance from each other, we now 
 approached slowly in a parallel line, hoping, by de- 
 grees, to steal near without exciting attention. They 
 began, however, to move off quietly, stopping at every 
 step or two to gaze ; when suddenly a bull, that, unob- 
 served by us, had been taking his siesta under a clump 
 of trees to our left, roused himself from his lair, and 
 hastened to join his companions. We were still at a 
 considerable distance, but the game had taken the alarm. 
 We quickened our pace, they broke into a gallop, and 
 now commenced a full chase. 
 
 As the ground was level, they shouldered along with 
 great speed, following each other in a line, two or three 
 bulls bringing up the rear ; the last of whom, from his 
 enormous size and venerable frontlet and beard of sun- 
 burnt hair, looked like the patriarch of the herd, and 
 as if he might long have reigned the monarch of the 
 prairie. 
 
 There is a mixture of the awful and the comic in the 
 look of these huge animals, as they move their great 
 bulk forwards, with an up-and-down motion of the un- 
 wieldy head and shoulders, their tail cocked up like the 
 queue of Pantaloon in a pantomime, the end whisking 
 about in a fierce yet whimsical style, and their eyes 
 glaring venomously with an expression of fright and 
 fury. 
 
 For some time I kept parallel with the line, without 
 being able to force my horse within pistol shot, so 
 much had he been alarmed by the assault of the buffalo 
 in the preceding chase. At length I succeeded ; but 
 was again balked by my pistols missing fire. My com- 
 panions, whose horses were less fleet and more way- 
 
SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. , 307 
 
 worn, could not overtake the herd ; at length Mr. L., 
 who was in the rear of the line, and losing ground, 
 levelled his double-barrelled gun, and fired a long raking 
 shot. It struck a buffalo just above the loins, broke 
 his back bone, and brought him to the ground. He 
 stopped, and alighted to dispatch his prey, when, bor- 
 rowing his gun, which had yet a charge remaining in 
 it, I put my horse to his speed, again overtook the herd, 
 which was thundering along pursued by the Count. 
 "With my present weapon there was no need of urging 
 my horse to such close quarters ; galloping along pa- 
 rallel, therefore, I singled out a buffalo, and by a fortu- 
 nate shot brought it down on the spot. The ball had 
 struck a vital part : it could not move from the place 
 where it fell, but lay there struggling in mortal agony, 
 while the rest of the herd kept on their headlong career 
 across the prairie. 
 
 Dismounting, I now fettered my horse to prevent his 
 straying, and advanced to contemplate the victim. I am 
 nothing of a sportsman; I had been prompted to this 
 unwonted exploit by the magnitude of the game and 
 the excitement of an adventurous chase. Now that 
 the excitement was over, I could not but look with 
 commiseration upon the poor animal that lay struggling 
 and bleeding at my feet. His very size and importance, 
 which had before inspired me with eagerness, now in- 
 creased my compunction. It seemed as if I had inflicted 
 pain in proportion to the bulk of my victim, and as if 
 there were a hundred-fold greater waste of life than 
 there would have been in the destruction of an animal 
 of inferior size. 
 
 To add to these after-qualms of conscience, the poor 
 animal lingered in his agony. He had evidently re- 
 ceived a mortal wound, but death might be long in 
 coming. It would not do to leave him here to be torn 
 
308 , SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 piecemeal while alive, by the wolves that already 
 snuffed his blood, and were skulking and howling at a 
 distance, and waiting for my departure, and by the 
 ravens that were flapping about and croaking dismally 
 in the air. It became now an act of mercy to give him 
 his quietus, and put him out of his misery. I primed 
 one of the pistols, therefore, and advanced close up to 
 the buffalo. To inflict a wound thus in cold blood, I 
 found a totally different thing from firing in the heat of 
 the chase. Taking aim, however, just behind the fore- 
 shoulder, my pistol for once proved true : the ball must 
 have passed through the heart, for the animal gave one 
 convulsive throe, and expired. 
 
 While I stood meditating and moralizing over the 
 wreck I had so w r antonly produced, with my horse 
 grazing near me, I was rejoined by my fellow-sports- 
 man, the virtuoso, who, being a man of universal adroit- 
 ness, and withal more experience, and hardened in the 
 gentle art of "venerie," soon managed to carve out the 
 tongue of the buffalo, and delivered it to me to bear 
 back to the camp as a trophy. 
 
 RINGING THE WILD HORSE. 
 
 We left the buffalo camp about eight o'clock, and 
 had a toilsome and harassing march of two hours over 
 ridges of hills covered with a ragged meagre forest of 
 scrub oaks and broken by deep gullies. Among the 
 oaks, I observed many of the most diminutive size, 
 some not above a foot high, yet bearing abundance of 
 small acorns. The whole of the Cross Timbers, in 
 fact, abound with mast. There is a pine oak which 
 
SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 309 
 
 produces an acorn pleasant to the taste, and ripening 
 early in the season. 
 
 About 10 o'clock in the morning, we came to where 
 this line of rugged hills swept down into a valley 
 through which flowed the north fork of the Red River. 
 A beautiful meadow about half a mile wide, enamelled 
 with yellow autumnal flowers, stretched for two or 
 three miles along the foot of the hills, bordered on the 
 opposite side by the river, whose banks were fringed 
 with cotton-wood trees, the bright foliage of which re- 
 freshed and delighted the eye, after being wearied by 
 the contemplation of monotonous wastes of brown 
 forest. 
 
 The meadow was finely diversified by groves and 
 clumps of trees, so happily disposed, that they seemed 
 as if set out by the hand of art. As we cast our eyes 
 over this fresh and delightful valley, we beheld a troop 
 of wild horses quietly grazing on a green lawn about 
 a mile distant to our right, while to our left, at nearly 
 the same distance, were several buffalos, some feed- 
 ing, others reposing and ruminating among the high 
 rich herbage, under the shade of a clump of cotton- 
 wood trees. The whole had the appearance of a broad 
 beautiful tract of pasture-land, on the highly orna- 
 mented estate of some gentleman farmer, with his cattle 
 grazing about the lawns and meadows. 
 
 A council of war was now held, and it was determined 
 to profit by the present favourable opportunity, and try 
 our hand at the grand hunting manoeuvre, which is called 
 ringing the wild horse. This requires a large party of 
 horsemen well mounted. They extend themselves in 
 each direction singly, at certain distances apart, and 
 gradually form a ring of two or three miles in circum- 
 ference, so as to surround the game. This has to be 
 done with extreme care ; for the wild horse is the most 
 
310 SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 readily alarmed inhabitant of the prairie, and scents a 
 hunter at a great distance, if to windward. 
 
 The ring- being formed, two or three hunters ride 
 towards the horses, who start off in an opposite direction; 
 wherever they approach the bounds of the ring, however, 
 a huntsman presents himself and turns them from their 
 course. In this way they are checked and driven back 
 at every point, and kept galloping round and round this 
 magic circle, until, being completely tired down, it is 
 easy for the hunters to ride up beside them, and throw 
 their lariats over their heads. The prime horses of most 
 speed, courage, and bottom, however, are apt to break 
 through and escape ; so that, in general, it is the second- 
 rate horses that are taken. 
 
 Preparations were now made for a hunt of this kind. 
 The pack-horses were taken into the woods, and firmly 
 tied to trees, lest in a rush of the wild horses, they 
 should break away with them. Twenty-five men were 
 sent under the command of a lieutenant to steal along 
 the edge of the valley within the strip of woods that 
 skirted the hills. They were to station themselves about 
 fifty yards apart, within the edge of the woods, and not 
 to advance or show themselves until the horses dashed 
 in that direction. Twenty-five men were sent across the 
 valley to steal in like manner along the river bank that 
 bordered on the opposite side, and to station themselves 
 among the trees. A third party, of about the same 
 number, was to form a line stretching across the lower 
 part of the valley, so as to connect the two wings. 
 Beattie, and our other half-breed, Antoine, together with 
 the ever -officious Tonish, were to make a circuit through 
 the woods, so as to get to the upper part of the valley 
 in the rear of the horses, and to drive thern forward into 
 the kind of sack that we had formed; while the two wings 
 should join behind them and make a complete circle. 
 
SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 311 
 
 The flanking- parties were quietly extending them- 
 selves, out of sight, on each side of the valley, and the 
 residue were stretching themselves, like the links of a 
 chain, across it, when the wild horses gave signs that 
 they scented an enemy; snuffing the air, snorting, and 
 looking about. At length they pranced off slowly 
 toward the river, and disappeared behind a green bank. 
 Here, had the regulations of the chase been observed, 
 they would have been quietly checked and turned by the 
 advance of a hunter from among the trees : unluckily, 
 however, we had a widfire Jack-a-lantern little French- 
 man to deal with. Instead of keeping quietly up the 
 right side of the valley, to get above the horses, the 
 moment he saw them move towards the river, he broke 
 out of the covert of woods and dashed furiously across 
 the plain in pursuit of them ; being mounted on one of 
 the led horses belonging to the Count. This put an end 
 to all system. The half-breeds, and half a score of 
 rangers, joined in the chase. Away they all went over 
 the green bank ; in a moment or two the wild horses re- 
 appeared, and came thundering down the valley, with 
 Frenchman, half-breeds, and rangers galloping like mad, 
 and yelling like devils, behind them. It was in vain that 
 the line drawn across the valley attempted to check and 
 turn back the fugitives. They were too hotly pressed 
 by their pursuers. In their panic they dashed through 
 the line, and clattered down the plain. The whole troop 
 joined in the headlong chase; some of the rangers with- 
 out hats or caps, their hair flying about their eyes, 
 others w T ith handkerchiefs tied round their heads. The 
 buflfalos, that had been calmly ruminating among the 
 herbage, heaved up their huge forms, gazed for a moment 
 with astonishment at the tempest that came scouring 
 down the meadow, then turned and took a heavy rolling 
 flight. They were soon overtaken: the promiscuous 
 
312 SCENES IN THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 throng were pressed together by the contracting sides 
 of the valley, and away they went, pell-mell — hurry- 
 scurry — wild buffalo, wild horse, wild huntsman, with 
 clang and clatter, and whoop and halloo, that made the 
 forests ring. 
 
 At length the buffalos turned into a green brake on 
 the river bank ; while the horses dashed up a narrow 
 defile of the hills with their pursuers close at their heels. 
 Beattie passed several of these, having fixed his eye upon 
 a fine Pawnee horse that had his ears slit and saddle 
 mark on his back. He pressed him gallantly, but lost 
 him in the woods. Among the w T ild horses was a fine 
 black mare far gone with foal. In scrambling up the 
 defile she tripped and fell. A young ranger sprang from 
 his horse, and seized her by the mane and muzzle. 
 Another ranger dismounted and came to his assistance. 
 The mare struggled fiercely, kicking and biting and 
 striking with her fore feet ; but a noose was slipped 
 over her head, and her struggles were in vain. It was 
 some time, however, before she gave over rearing and 
 plunging and lashing out with her feet on every side. 
 The two rangers then led her along the valley by two 
 long lariats, which enabled them to keep at a sufficient 
 distance on each side to be out of the reach of her hoofs ; 
 and whenever she struck out in one direction she was 
 jerked to the other. In this way her spirit was gradually 
 subdued. 
 
 As to that little scaramouch, Tonish, who had marred 
 the whole scheme by his precipitancy, he had been more 
 successful than he deserved, having managed to catch a 
 beautiful cream-coloured colt, about seven months old, 
 that had not strength to keep up with his companions. 
 The mercurial little Frenchman was beside himself with 
 exultation. It was amusing to see him with his prize. 
 The colt would rear and kick and struggle to get free, 
 
THE EVERLASTING ROSE. 313 
 
 while Tonish would take him by the neck, wrestle with 
 him, jump on his back, and cut as many antics as a 
 monkey with a kitten. Nothing surprised me more, 
 however, than to witness how soon these poor animals 
 thus taken from the unbounded freedom of the prairie, 
 yielded to the dominion of man. In the course of two 
 or three days the mare and the two colts went with the 
 led horses and became quite docile. 
 
 THE EVERLASTING ROSE. 
 
 Hail to thy hues! thou lovely flower; 
 
 Still shed around thy soft perfume : 
 Still smile amid the wintry hour, 
 
 And boast, ev'n now, a spring-tide bloom. 
 
 Thine is, methinks, a pleasing dream, 
 
 Lone ling'rer in the icy vale, 
 Of smiles that hail'd the morning beam, 
 
 And sighs more sweet for evening's gale. 
 
 Still are thy green leaves whispering 
 Low sounds to Fancy's ear that tell 
 
 Of mornings, when the wild bee's wing 
 Shook dew-drops from thy sparkling cell. 
 
 In April's bower thy sweets are breath'd, 
 And June beholds thy blossoms fair; 
 
 In Autumn's chaplet thou art wreath'd, 
 And round December's forehead bare. 
 21 
 
314 ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 
 
 With thee the graceful lily vied, 
 As summer breezes wav'd her head, 
 
 And now the snow-drop at thy side 
 Meekly contrasts thy cheerful red. 
 
 'Tis thine to hear each varying voice, 
 That marks the seasons sad or gay ; 
 
 The summer thrush bids thee rejoice, 
 And wintry robin's dearer lay. 
 
 Sweet flower ! how happy dost thou seem 
 'Mid parching heat, 'mid nipping frost ; 
 
 While gath'ring beauty from each beam, 
 No hue, no grace of thine is lost ! 
 
 Thus Hope, 'mid life's severest days, 
 Still smiles, still triumphs o'er Despair ; 
 
 Alike she lives in Pleasure's rays, 
 And cold Affliction's winter air. 
 
 Charmer alike in lordly bower 
 And in the hermit's cell, she glows ; 
 
 The poet's and the lover's flower, 
 The bosom's Everlasting Rose ! 
 
 John Anster. 
 
 ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 
 
 Those of my readers who have walked on the banks 
 of the Adige, below Rovigo, will know, that, about a 
 league and a half from that town, there are one or two 
 islands in the midst of the channel, between which and 
 the shore the water is not more than a foot deep ; and 
 
ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 315 
 
 those who have never stirred from home have probably 
 heard that the Adige is extremely subject to violent 
 inundations, equally remarkable for the suddenness of 
 their rise and fall, owing to its mountainous origin and 
 short course. 
 
 On the evening of one of the last days of May, I 
 arrived opposite to one of these islands. The water was 
 as pure as crystal, gently flowing over a fine pebbly 
 channel ; the island, which might be about forty yards 
 from the shore upon which I stood, though more than 
 double that distance on the other side, was inviting from 
 its extreme greenness and from a profusion of hyacinths 
 upon one side ; a flower to which I am extremely par- 
 tial. Three or four trees also grew upon its edge, the 
 trunks inclining over the water, and with but few 
 branches. After a day's walk, nothing is more agree- 
 able than wading in a stream ; and as I had sufficient 
 time to spare, I resolved upon reaching the island. This 
 was soon accomplished ; I found the depth nowhere ex- 
 ceed two feet, and the island, when I reached it, as 
 agreeable as I had fancied it to be ; and having culled 
 a large bouquet, I lay down upon the hyacinth bank, 
 and gave myself up to those pleasant recollections of 
 home and past scenes which the fragrance of this flower 
 brought along with it. I had lain, I think, about a 
 quarter of an hour, entirely forgetful of time and place, 
 — a busy actor in scenes far removed by both, — when 
 my attention was slightly roused by a distant sound, 
 which I at first supposed to be thunder, a good deal 
 having been heard to the northward in the course of the 
 day ; and when it continued and grew louder, I still 
 supposed it was one of those prolonged peals which 
 are so frequent to the south of the Alps. Soon, how- 
 ever, the sound changed, and seemed like the sea ; and 
 as it became still louder, I started up in some alarm — 
 
316 ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 
 
 and what a sight met my eye ! At the distance of a few- 
 hundred yards, I saw a mountain of dark waters rush- 
 ing towards me with inconceivable velocity, like a 
 perpendicular wall, and now roaring louder than the 
 loudest thunder. Not a moment was to be lost; the 
 level of the island would be instantly covered, and to 
 gain the shore was impossible, for we cannot run through 
 water with the swiftness with which we pass over dry 
 ground. I instantly made for the largest of the trees, 
 and had gained an elevation of about ten feet above the 
 island, when the flood reached it. As it came nearer, 
 its power appeared resistless ; it seemed as if it would 
 sweep the island from its foundations, and I entertained 
 not a ray of hope that the trunk upon which I was seated 
 would escape the force of the torrent. It came, and the 
 tree remained firm — it covered the island and all its 
 vegetation in an instant; and I saw it rush beneath 
 me, bearing along with it the insignia of its power and 
 fury — huge branches and roots, fragments of bridges, 
 implements of household use, and dead animals. 
 
 As regarded myself, the first and immediate danger of 
 destruction was over ; but a moment's reflection — one 
 glance around me, showed that I had but small cause 
 for congratulation. Betwixt the island and the shore, a 
 torrent, that no human strength could withstand, rolled 
 impetuously on; and although not fifty yards over, it 
 would have been as impracticable an attempt to pass 
 it, as if its breadth had been as many leagues. The first 
 rush had left the tree unloosened, yet a second might 
 carry it away ; and the flood was still rising — almost 
 every moment I could perceive the distance betwixt me 
 and the water diminish ; and, indeed, I was not more 
 than four feet above its surface. I had only two grounds 
 of hope — the most languid, however, that ever was 
 called by the name — it was possible that some person 
 
ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 317 
 
 might see my situation from the shore before nightfall, 
 and bring others to my assistance ; and it was possible, 
 also, that the river might rise no higher, and speedily 
 subside. The first of these chances was one of very im- 
 probable occurrence, for this part of the country is but 
 thinly inhabited : the high road did not lie along the 
 river side, and the shore, for three or four hundred yards 
 from the channel of the river, was overflowed to the 
 depth of probably three or four feet; and, besides, it 
 was difficult to see in what way human aid could extri- 
 cate me : no boat could reach the island ; and if a rope 
 or cord could be thrown as far, it was extremely im- 
 probable that I should catch it, as it was impossible for 
 me to stir from the tree upon which I was seated; and 
 as to any likelihood of the water subsiding, there was 
 no appearance of it ; it was at all events impossible that 
 this could happen before nightfall. 
 
 In this dreadful and perilous situation, evening passed 
 away ; no one appeared, and the river still continued to 
 rise. The sky lowered and looked threatening ; the tor- 
 rent rushed by, darker and more impetuous, every few 
 moments reminding me, by the wrecks which it bore 
 along with it, of the frailty of the tenure by which I 
 held my existence. The shores on both sides were 
 changed into wide lakes; and the red sun went angrily 
 down over a waste of red waters. Night at length 
 closed in — and a dreadful night it was. Sometimes I 
 fancied the tree was loosening from its roots, and sloped 
 more over the water; sometimes I imagined the whole 
 island was swept away, and that I was sailing down the 
 torrent. I found that my mind occasionally wandered, 
 and I had the precaution to take out of my pocket a silk 
 handkerchief, which I tore in several strips, and, tying 
 them together, bound myself round the middle to a 
 pretty thick branch which supported my back; this, I 
 
318 ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 
 
 thought, might prevent me from falling, if giddiness 
 seized me, or momentary sleep should overtake me. — 
 During the night, many strange fancies came over me, 
 besides that very frequent one of supposing the island 
 sailing down the torrent. Sometimes I fancied I was 
 whirling round and round ; at other times, I thought 
 the torrent was flowing backward ; now and then, I 
 fancied I saw huge black bodies carried towards me 
 upon the surface, and I shrunk back: to avoid contact 
 with them ; at other times, I imagined something rose 
 out of the water beneath, and attempted to drag me 
 down; often I felt convinced I heard screams mingle 
 with the rushing torrent ; and once all sound seemed 
 entirely to cease, and I could have ventured almost to 
 descend, so certain I felt that the channel was dry ; 
 once or twice I dropped asleep for a moment, but al- 
 most instantly awoke with so violent a start, that if I 
 had not been fastened, I must have fallen from my 
 seat. 
 
 The night gradually wore away ; it was warm and 
 dry, so that I suffered no inconvenience from cold. I 
 became nearly satisfied of the stability of the trunk, 
 which was my only refuge; and although deliverance 
 was uncertain, at all events distant, I made up my 
 mind to endure as long as I could ; and thus I passed 
 the night, under a starless sky, and the dark flood roar- 
 ing beneath me. Before morning broke, I felt assured 
 that the waters had begun to subside; the noise, I 
 thought, was less ; I fancied I saw shrubs appear above 
 water on the island, and trees upon the shore assume 
 their usual appearance ; and with the first dawn of day, 
 I joyfully perceived that I had not been mistaken : the 
 flood had fallen at least three feet; and before sunrise, 
 the greater part of the island was left dry. Never did 
 criminal, reprieved upon the scaffold, shake off his 
 
ADVENTURE ON THE ADIGE. 319 
 
 bonds with more joy than I did mine that bound me to 
 fie tree. I crept down the trunk, which still hung 
 O^er the torrent, and stepped about knee*deep on the 
 island ; I then waded to the part which was dry, and 
 lay down, exhausted with the night's watching, and 
 aching with the position in which I had been obliged 
 to remain. 
 
 The water now continued to fall perceptibly every 
 moment; soon the island was entirely dry, and the in- 
 undation on shore had subsided into the natural chan- 
 nel ; but still the torrent was too strong and deep to 
 attempt a passage, especially weakened as I was by 
 the occurrences of the last twelve hours, and by the 
 want cf food. I had no certainty as to the hour, for I 
 had net of course remembered to wind up my watch 
 the evening before ; judging from the height of the sun, 
 however, the water had so much diminished before noon, 
 that in two or three hours more I might attempt to gain 
 the shore. About three in the afternoon I accordingly 
 entered the stream ; I found it then nowhere deeper 
 than four feet, and, with a little struggling and buffeting, 
 succeeded in gaining the bank, which I once thought I 
 should never have trodden more. The bunch of hya- 
 cinths, which I had not forgotten to bring from the 
 island, I still held in my hand. I have dried a few of 
 them, and kept them ever since ; never do I smell this 
 flower, as I walk through the woods or the fields, that 
 I do not experience in part the sensations I felt when 
 I lifted my head and saw the impetuous flood rushing 
 towards me; and, however dreadful a reality may be, 
 the recollection of it is not unmixed with pleasure. 1 
 often open the leaves where lie these withered hya- 
 cinths, and I cannot say that, when I look upon them, 
 I ever think they have been dearly purchased. 
 
 Conway's Solitary Walks through many Lands. 
 
320 
 
 THE CROCODILE PITS OF EGYPT. 
 
 While we were undressing and lighting our candles, 
 those who were to enter betook themselves to prayer, as 
 persons about to plunge into desperate peril. I again 
 descended before the others, and as the smell seemed 
 less disgusting than on the day before, did not in the 
 least doubt being able to withstand the malaria, or rae- 
 phitic vapour, whatever it might be. When the Arabs 
 had prayed, and stripped themselves nearly naked, we 
 took each a taper in our hands, and began to move for- 
 wards. The old man, his son, and two other Arabs, 
 led the way ; my servant and I followed ; and Monro 
 came close after me, with a guide, who was to show the 
 way back, if we should find it impossible to proceed. 
 Having reached the large chamber where we had wasted 
 so much time on the preceding day, the old guide turned 
 to the right, and crept forward through a small hole, the 
 mouth of which was concealed by a projecting rock. We 
 all followed in the order we had observed in entering, 
 and, after proceeding about twenty yards, arrived in the 
 large natural chamber described by Legh and Henniker, 
 the latter of whom advanced no farther. Continuing 
 to push forward, we entered a portion of the cavern of 
 a most hideous appearance; enormous rocks, huddled 
 together, forming the floor, where chasms of unknown 
 depth yawned between the dark masses, while prodi- 
 gious black stalactites, with shining spars of crystal glit- 
 tering between them, hung like dead snakes from the 
 roof, and composed a kind of fretwork round the sides. 
 Every thing wore the fuliginous appearance of a place 
 which had been the seat of some durable conflagration ; 
 black as night, covered with soot, oily, slippery, and ex- 
 
THE CROCODILE PITS OF EGYPT. 321 
 
 haling a stench unutterably disgusting. Bats without 
 number hung from the roof, or flew against our faces, 
 from the countless holes and narrow diverging passages 
 of the cavern ; some striking against the rocks and fall- 
 ing senseless to the ground, where we trode or pressed 
 upon them with our hands — for there was no time to 
 be nice in picking our way. At length, they began to 
 cling about my neck and bite my hands, and several 
 times extinguished my taper ; but this was merely dis- 
 agreeable. By degrees, however, the passage grew low 
 and narrow, so that it became necessary to creep for- 
 ward on hands and knees, with our heads very low, that 
 they might not strike against the rocks This position 
 I found extremely painful. The heat likewise appeared 
 to be insufferable, and the perspiration streamed from 
 our bodies like rain. My companions, according to the 
 advice of the principal guide, had stripped nearly to the 
 skin ; but, trusting to my capacity for enduring heat, I 
 had slighted his counsel, and now suffered the penalty 
 of my imprudence. Still, however, T continued in the 
 track of the guide ; but having advanced about three or 
 four hundred yards, I felt the blood rush to my head, 
 and experienced great sickness and faintness, accompa- 
 nied by an extraordinary oppression of the lungs, greatly 
 augmented by the odour of putrid corpses which issued 
 from the extremities of the cave, and appeared to in- 
 crease every moment. For this effect, I never could 
 fully account. In all the tombs, and caverns, and 
 mummy-pits which we had hitherto entered, I had 
 seemed to suffer less than any one, and could remain in 
 them whole hours without inconvenience ; but now the 
 case was different. In a short time, my head grew 
 dizzy, and the cavern seemed to reel and swim round. 
 Supposing I was about to faint, in which case recovery 
 would have been next to impossible, I requested Monro, 
 
322 THE CROCODILE PITS OF EGYPT. 
 
 who seemed to experience nothing- of the kind, to en- 
 deavour to pass me, which the narrowness of the passage 
 rendered nearly impracticable, and ordered the Arab in 
 the rear to lead the way back. Monro and Suleiman 
 proceeded. When I had regained that part of the pas- 
 sage where it was possible to stand upright, the fulness 
 and dizziness of the head abated, but my eyes seemed 
 to have grown dim, and I fancied we had lost our way. 
 The guide, who evidently shared my suspicion, paused, 
 and surveyed the various openings with terror, while 
 his trembling hands could scarcely hold the taper. The 
 cavern, in fact, appeared to have enlarged, the passages 
 to have grown more numerous, and the stench and black- 
 ness more infernal. I crept along with the utmost diffi- 
 culty, the bats flitting before or striking against me, 
 and looking with intense longing for the appearance of 
 light and the smell of fresh air. A draught of water 
 might perhaps have revived me, but the guides had 
 neglected to bring any into the cavern, and to this cir- 
 cumstance I probably owed my extreme disappointment, 
 and might have owed something worse. As the way 
 appeared so much longer than it had in entering, the 
 suspicion frequently recurred that we had missed it; but 
 at length I discovered a glimmering of light, and felt 
 the rushing in of the external air, which now seemed 
 perfumed, though on my first descending, I thought it 
 execrable. On arriving at the entrance, the Arab flung 
 himself with a groan upon the ground ; and I, completely 
 exhausted and overcome, sat below upon the rock in a 
 kind of dream, unable to climb the rocky ascent to the 
 plain. — J. A. St. John's Egypt and Mohammed Mi. 
 
323 
 
 EARTHQUAKE AT ZANTE IN 1820. 
 
 When the servant led me to my room, he left a large 
 brass lamp lighted, on a ponderous carved table on the 
 opposite side to that on which I slept. My bed, as is 
 usual in this island, was without a canopy, and open 
 above. As soon as I got into it, I lay for some time 
 gazing on the ceiling, with many pleasing ideas of per- 
 sons and things floating on my mind ; even the grotesque 
 figures were a source of amusement to me; and I re- 
 member falling into a delightful sleep while I was yet 
 making out fancied resemblances to many persons I was 
 acquainted with. 
 
 The next sensation I recollect was one indescribably 
 tremendous. The lamp was still burning, but the whole 
 room was in motion. The figures on the ceiling seemed 
 to be animated, and were changing places; presently 
 they were detached from above, and, with large frag- 
 ments of the cornice, fell upon me and about the room. 
 An indefinable melancholy, humming sound seemed to 
 issue from the earth, and run along the outside of the 
 house, with a sense of vibration that communicated an 
 intolerable nervous feeling; and I experienced a fluctu- 
 ating motion, which threw me from side to side, as if 
 I were still on board the frigate and overtaken by a storm. 
 The house now seemed rent asunder with a violent crash. 
 A large portion of the wall fell in, split into splinters 
 the oak table, extinguished the lamp, and left me in total 
 darkness ; while, at the same instant, the thick walls 
 opened about me, and the blue sky, with a bright star, 
 became for a moment visible through one of the chasms. 
 I now threw off my bed-clothes, and attempted to escape 
 from the tottering house ; but the ruins of the wall and 
 
 r 
 
324 EARTHQUAKE AT ZANTE. 
 
 ceiling had so choked up the passage that I could not 
 open the door, and I again ran back to my bed, and in- 
 stinctively pulled over my face the thick coverlet, to 
 protect it from the falling fragments. 
 
 Up to this period, I had not the most distant concep- 
 tion of the cause of this commotion. The whole had 
 passed in a few seconds, yet such was the effect of each 
 circumstance, that they left on my mind as distinct an 
 impression as if the succession of my ideas had been 
 slow and regular. Still, I could assign no reason for it 
 but that the house was going to fall, till an incident oc- 
 curred which caused the truth to flash at once on my 
 mind. There stood in the square opposite the Palazzo, 
 a tall slender steeple of a Greek church, containing a 
 ring of bells, which I had remarked in the day ; these 
 now began to jangle with a wild unearthly sound, as if 
 some powerful hand had seized the edifice below, and 
 was ringing the bells by shaking the steeple. Then it 
 was that I had the first distinct conception of my situa- 
 tion — I found that the earthquake we had talked so 
 lightly of was actually come. I felt that I was in the 
 midst of one of those awful visitations which destroy 
 thousands in a moment — where the superintending hand 
 of God seems for a season to withdraw itself, and the 
 frame of the earth is suffered to tumble into ruins by 
 its own convulsions. I cannot describe my sensations 
 when I thus saw and felt around me the wreck of na- 
 ture, and that with a deep and firm conviction on my 
 mind, that to me that moment was the end of the world. 
 I had before looked death in the face in many ways, and 
 had reason, more than once, to familiarize me to his 
 appearance ; but this was nothing like the ordinary 
 thoughts or apprehensions of dying in the common way ; 
 the sensations were as different as an earthquake and a 
 fever. 
 
EARTHQUAKE AT ZANTE. 325 
 
 But this horrible convulsion ceased in a moment, as 
 suddenly as it began, and a dead and solemn silence 
 ensued. This was soon broken by the sound of lamen- 
 tations which came from below ; and I afterwards found 
 it to proceed from the inhabitants of an adjoining house, 
 which had been shaken down, and crushed to death 
 some, and half-buried others who were trying to escape, 
 in the ruins. Presently I saw a light through the cre- 
 vice of the door of my chamber, and heard the sound of 
 voices outside. It proceeded from the servants, who 
 came to look for me among the ruins. As they could 
 not enter by the usual door- way, which was choked up, 
 they proceeded round to another ; but when they saw 
 the room filled with the wrecks of the wall and the ceil- 
 ing, some of which were lying on the bed, one of them 
 said, " Sacramento ! eccolo schiaccato !" — there he is, 
 crushed to death ; and proceeded to remove the rubbish 
 and lift the bed-clothes. I was lying unhurt, buried in 
 thought ; but the dust caused me to sneeze, and relieved 
 the apprehensions of the good people. 
 
 I immediately rose and dressed myself, and proceeded 
 with them about the Palazzo, to see the damage it had 
 sustained. The massive outside walls were all sepa- 
 rated from each other, and from the partition walls, and 
 left chasms between, through which the light appeared. 
 Providentially, the room in which I slept had the bed 
 against the partition-wall, and nothing fell on me but 
 pieces of the ceiling and cornice ; had it been on the 
 other side, next the main wall, I could not have escaped, 
 for it was entirely covered with masses of masonry, 
 which had smashed and buried under them every thing 
 on which they fell. I had repined that I had not been 
 able to escape by the door when I attempted ; but to 
 this circumstance also I now found I was indebted, un- 
 der Providence, for my preservation. A wing of the 
 
326 EARTHQUAKE AT ZANTE. 
 
 house had fallen into the court-yard, through which I 
 had intended to make my way ; and no doubt, had I 
 done so at the moment I tried, would have buried me 
 under it. 
 
 It was now past four in the morning-, and we pro- 
 ceeded with intense anxiety to the government house, 
 to see if any of our friends, whom we had left so well 
 and cheerful a few hours before, had escaped. The 
 weather had totally changed. The sky seemed to par- 
 take in the convulsions of the earth. It blew a storm, 
 driving the dark clouds along with vast rapidity. The 
 streets were full of people, harrying in different direc- 
 tions, *but all in profound silence, as if under some awful 
 impression, and crowding into the churches, which were 
 everywhere lighted up and full of people. The priests 
 were in their vestments, singing solemn dirges, and the 
 congregations on their faces, prostrated in the profound- 
 est reverence. We found our friends all assembled, 
 with Lord and Lady Strangford, in the dining-hall of 
 the palace. To this room they had run in their night- 
 dress, as to a place of more security, being a ground- 
 floor detached from the edifice, and having no building 
 over it. Here we sat till it was light, telling our several 
 escapes ; and then I went out into the town to see the 
 state in which it was left. Nearly the whole of the 
 4000 houses of which it consisted were split open in 
 different places, and many from the foundation to the 
 roof. About forty were lying prostrate, and obstructing 
 the passage of the streets. The front walls of many 
 were separated from the sides, and hanging over the 
 way, seemed ready to fall every moment upon the pas- 
 senger. This tendency of the walls to fall out, saved 
 many lives ; but there was another circumstance, to 
 which their safety was attributed by the Zantiotes them- 
 selves. The night had been the vigil of their great pa- 
 
byron's narrative. 327 
 
 tron saint Dionysius, and almost the whole population 
 were watching in the streets or churches, and so out of 
 their houses when the shock came on. The churches 
 were of immense strength, and, though all shaken and 
 shattered, none of them fell ; which the pious people 
 universally attributed to the interference of the saint 
 whose rites they were celebrating. Not more than forty 
 dead bodies were found in the ruins. It appears, by 
 the concurrent testimony of several, that the whole du- 
 ration of the earth's motion was not longer than fifty 
 seconds or a minute; yet the time was marked by the 
 passing sensations of different people, so that brief space 
 appeared to be hours. 
 
 Walsh's Travels. 
 
 BYRON'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 On the 18th of September 1740, the Wager, one of 
 five ships of war under the command of Commodore 
 Anson, sailed with its consorts from St. Helen's, being 
 intended for service against the Spaniards in the South- 
 ern Pacific Ocean. The Wager was the least effective 
 of all the vessels of the squadron, being an old Indiaman, 
 recently fitted out as a man of war, and the crew being 
 formed of men pressed from other services; while all 
 the land force on board consisted of a detachment of in- 
 valids, or men but partially convalescent, from Chelsea 
 Hospital. Besides, being intended to act as a store- 
 ship, the Wager was heavily laden with military and 
 other stores for the use of the squadron. All these cir- 
 cumstances conspired to render the vessel more than 
 
328 byron's narrative. 
 
 usually hazardous, from the very commencement of its 
 long voyage. 
 
 The Wager rounded Cape Horn, with the other ships 
 in company, about the beginning of April 1741, and 
 soon after the distresses of the ship began. The 
 weather became tempestuous, and the mizzen-mast was 
 carried away by a heavy sea, all the chain-plates to 
 windward being also broken. The best bower-anchor 
 had next to be cut away, and the ship lost sight of its 
 companions. The men were seized with sickness and 
 scurvy, and one evil followed another, till, on the 14th 
 of May, about four in the morning, the ship struck on 
 a sunken rock, and was laid on her beam-ends, with 
 the sea breaking dreadfully over her. All who could 
 stir flew to the deck, bat some poor creatures who 
 could not leave their hammocks were immediately 
 drowned. For some time, until day broke, the crew 
 of the Wager saw nothing before or around them but 
 breakers, and imagined that every moment would be 
 their last. " In this terrifying and critical juncture 
 (says the Hon. Mr. Byron), to have observed all the 
 modes of horror operating according to the several cha- 
 racters and complexions amongst us, it was necessary 
 that the observer himself should have been free from 
 all impressions of danger." But still his attention was 
 arrested by one, who, " in the ravings of despair, was 
 seen stalking about the deck nourishing a cutlass over 
 his head, and calling himself king of the country, and 
 striking every body he came near, till his companions, 
 seeing no other security against his tyranny, knocked 
 him down." Others " grew very riotous, broke open 
 every chest and box that was at hand, stove in the 
 heads of casks of brandy and wine as they were borne 
 up the hatchway, and got so drunk, that some of them 
 were drowned on board, and lay floating about the 
 
byron's narrative. 329 
 
 decks for some days after." A few sustained their 
 courage at this fearful moment. Captain Cheap and 
 his officers were unable, however, to maintain order, or 
 even to attempt it. 
 
 When daylight came, land was seen not far off, and 
 the thoughts of all were turned to the immediate leav- 
 ing of the ship, and saving of their lives. With the 
 help of the boats, the crew, with the exception of a 
 few who were either drunk or thought the ship safe for 
 a time, got on shore, but the prospect before them was 
 still a dreadful one. " Whichever way we looked, a 
 scene of horror presented itself; on one side the wreck 
 (in which was all that we had in the world to support 
 and subsist us), together with a boisterous sea ; on the 
 other, the land did not wear a much more favourable 
 appearance ; desolate and barren, without sign of cul- 
 ture, we could hope to receive little other benefit from 
 it than the preservation it afforded us from the sea. We 
 had wet, cold, and hunger to struggle with, and no 
 visible remedy against any of those evils." The land 
 on which the crew had been cast was unknown to them, 
 excepting in so far as they were aware of its being an 
 island near, or a part of, the western coast of South 
 America, about a hundred leagues north of the Straits 
 of Magellan. In all, the shipwrecked party amounted 
 to about one hundred and forty, exclusive of the few 
 on board. The first night was passed in an old Indian 
 hut, and the discovery of some lances in a corner of it 
 bred a new source of alarm — namely, from the natives. 
 For some days afterwards, the men were busied in an 
 attempt to get beef casks and other things from the 
 wreck, which did not go entirely to pieces for a con- 
 siderable time, although all the articles on deck were 
 washed ashore one by one* Another great difficulty, 
 — the men who remained on board, and who indulged 
 22 
 
330 byron's narrative. 
 
 there in great disorder, were persuaded to come on 
 shore. With materials got from the wreck, or cast 
 ashore, tents were got up, and a common store-tent 
 erected for all the food or casks of liquor got from the 
 ship in the same way. This place was watched inces- 
 santly, for the allowance was of course a very short or 
 small one, and the men could scarcely pick up a mor- 
 sel of fish, flesh, or fowl, on the coast for themselves. 
 The weather, also, continued wet and cold. 
 
 " 111 humour and discontent, from the difficulties we 
 laboured under in procuring sustenance, and the little 
 prospect there was of any amendment in our condi- 
 tion, were now breaking out apace." Some men sepa- 
 rated themselves from the others, and ten of the hardiest 
 of these seceders resolved to desert altogether. They 
 got a canoe made, " went away up one of the lagoons, 
 and were never heard of more !" The spirit of discord 
 was much aggravated by an accident that occurred on 
 the 10th of May. A midshipman named Cozens, who 
 had roused the anger of Captain Cheap by various acts 
 and words, was finally shot by his superior's hand. 
 The act was a rash one, but the captain had cause to 
 imagine at the moment that Cozens had openly muti- 
 nied, or was about to mutiny. This act made an unfor- 
 tunate impression on the minds of the men, who found 
 food every day growing more scarce. A few Indians, 
 men and women, of small stature, and very swarthy, 
 visited the party, and were of service in procuring food; 
 but the seamen affronted their wives, and they all went 
 away. " The Indians having left us, and the weather 
 continuing tempestuous and rainy, the distresses of the 
 people for want of food became insupportable. Our 
 number, which was at first one hundred and forty-five, 
 was now reduced to one hundred, and chiefly by famine. 
 The pressing calls of hunger drove our men to their 
 
byron's narrative. 331 
 
 wits' end, and put them on a variety of devices to 
 satisfy it. Among the ingenious this way, one Phips, 
 a boatswain's mate, having got a water puncheon, 
 scuttled it; then lashing two logs, one on each side, 
 set out in quest of adventures in this extraordinary and 
 original piece of embarkation." He often got shell- 
 fish and wild fowl, but had to venture out far from 
 land, and on one occasion was cast upon a rock, and 
 remained there two days. A poor Indian dog belonging 
 to Mr. Byron, and which had become much attached to 
 him, was taken by the men and devoured: and three 
 weeks after, its owner was glad to search for the paws, 
 which had been thrown aside, and of which, though 
 rotten, he made a hearty meal. 
 
 Till the 24th of September, the party continued in 
 this condition of continually augmenting wretchedness, 
 with only one hope of relief before them, and this rest- 
 ing on the long-boat, which the carpenter was inces- 
 santly working at, to bring it into a strong and safe 
 condition. On the day mentioned, the long-boat being 
 nearly finished, Mr. Byron and a small party were sent 
 to explore the coast to the southward, almost the whole 
 crew being resolute to make for Magellan's Straits, al- 
 though the captain wished to go along the coast to the 
 northward. In a day or two, the party returned to the 
 island (for such was the land on which the wreck had 
 taken place), and the long-boat was immediately after- 
 wards launched, with the cutter and barge, all of which 
 boats had been saved at first. Eighty-one men entered 
 these boats, being the whole survivors of the party, with 
 the exception of Captain Cheap and two companions, 
 who remained voluntarily, and for whose use another 
 boat, the yawl, was left. The leaving of the captain 
 was a thing unexpected by Byron and some others, and 
 when a necessity occurred for sending back the barge to 
 
332 byron's narrative. 
 
 the island for some left canvass, these parties seized the 
 chance of going in the boat to rejoin the captain and 
 share his fate. On the 21st of October, the final sepa- 
 ration took place between the shore party and those in 
 the long-boat, who sailed for the south. Captain Cheap 
 and those who came to him were joined by a small party 
 who had originally seceded from the main body ; and 
 the whole of this united band, amounting to twenty 
 men, set sail in the barge and the yawl, towards the 
 north, on the 15th of December. Up to that time they 
 contrived, with almost unheard-of difficulty, to subsist 
 on what they could pick up. "A weed called slaugh, 
 fried in the tallow of some candles we had saved, and 
 wild celery, were our only fare, by which our strength 
 was so much impaired that we could scarcely crawl." 
 One fine day, the hull of the Wager, still sticking to- 
 gether, was exposed, and by visiting her the party got 
 three small casks of beef hooked up. This soon restored 
 to them sufficient strength for their enterprise, which 
 they undertook on the day mentioned, in the barge and 
 yawl. Unhappily, the sea grew very tempestuous, and 
 H the men in the boats were obliged to sit as close as 
 possible, to receive the seas on their backs, and prevent 
 their filling us. We were obliged to throw every thing 
 overboard to lighten the boats, all our beef, and even 
 the grapnel, to prevent sinking. Night was coming on, 
 and we were fast running on a lee-shore, where the sea 
 broke in a frightful manner." Just as every man thought 
 certain death approaching, an opening was seen in the 
 rocks, the boats ran into it, and found a haven as "smooth 
 as a mill-pond!" 
 
 The party remained here four days, suffering much 
 from their old enemy, hunger. In passing farther along 
 the coast, which they did at continual risk, they were 
 reduced to such distress as to " eat the shoes off" their 
 
byron's narrative. 333 
 
 feet, these shoes being of raw seal-skin. They never 
 knew what it was to have a dry thread about them, 
 and the climate was very cold. During the first few 
 weeks of their course, the yawl was lost, and one man 
 drowned ; but what was a more distressing consequence, 
 they were obliged to leave four men on shore, as the 
 barge could not carry all. The men did not object to 
 being left ; they were wearied of their lives. When 
 the poor fellows were left, u they stood upon the beach, 
 giving us three cheers, and called out God bless the 
 king !" They were never heard of more ; and it is but 
 too probable, as Byron says, that they met " a miserable 
 end." But, indeed, every one had now given up hope 
 of ultimate escape, and this was shown by the resolu- 
 tion taken almost immediately afterwards, to " go back 
 to Wager's Island (the place of shipwreck), there to 
 linger out a miserable life." Eating nothing but sea- 
 weed and tangle by the way, the poor mariners again 
 reached the island. They were here no better off. The 
 weather was wretchedly wet, and " wild celery was all 
 we could procure, which raked our stomachs instead of 
 assuaging our hunger. That dreadful and last resource 
 of men in not much worse circumstances than ours, of 
 consigning one man to death for the support of the rest, 
 began to be mentioned in whispers." Fortunately one 
 man found some rotten pieces of beef on the sea-shore, 
 and with a degree of generosity only to be appreciated 
 by persons so placed, he shared it fairly with the rest. 
 
 This supply sustained the whole till the arrival of 
 some Indians, accompanied by a chief or Cacique from 
 the island of Chiloe, which lies in 40 degrees 42 minutes 
 of south latitude. This Cacique could speak a little 
 Spanish, and he agreed to conduct the party in the barge 
 to the nearest Spanish settlement, being to receive the 
 barge and all its contents for his trouble Fourteen in 
 
334 byron's narrative. 
 
 number, the wrecked sailors again put to sea, and were 
 conducted by their guide to the mouth of a river, which 
 he proposed to ascend. But after toiling one whole day, 
 the attempt to go up against the current was given over, 
 and they were forced to try the coast again. The se- 
 vere day's work, conjoined with hunger, caused the death 
 of one of the strongest men of the party, although it 
 was thought that he might have been preserved but for 
 the inhumanity of Captain Cheap, who alone had food 
 at the moment (got from the Indian), but would not give 
 a morsel to the dying man. This roused the indigna- 
 tion of the others, and the consequence was, that, while 
 others sought food on shore, " six of the men seized the 
 boat, put off, and left us to return no more. And now 
 all the difficulties we had hitherto encountered seemed 
 light in comparison of what we expected to suffer from 
 the treachery of our men, who, with the boat, had taken 
 away every thing that might be the means of preserv- 
 ing our lives. Yet under these dismal and forlorn ap- 
 pearances was our delivery now preparing." 
 
 Mr. Byron was now taken, with Captain Cheap, by 
 the Indian guide to a native village, whence he expected 
 to get more assistance in conducting the party, who, if 
 they could not recover the barge for him, were to give 
 a musket and some other articles as a reward. On com- 
 ing in the evening to the Indian wigwams, after two 
 days' travel, Mr. Byron was neglected, and left alone. 
 Urged by want and cold, he crept into a wigwam upon 
 chance, and found there two women, one young and the 
 other old, whose conduct amply corroborates the well- 
 known and beautiful eulogium passed by Ledyard upon 
 the kindness of that sex every where to poor travellers. 
 They saw the young seaman wet and shivering, and 
 made him a fire. They brought out their only food, a 
 large fish, and broiled it for him. When he lay down 
 
byron's narrative. 335 
 
 upon some dry boughs, he found, on awaking a few hours 
 after, that the women had gently covered him with warm 
 clothes, at the expense of enduring the cold themselves. 
 When he made signs that his appetite was not appeased, 
 " they both went out, taking with them a couple of dogs, 
 which they train to assist them in fishing. After an 
 hour's absence, they came in trembling with cold, and 
 their hair streaming with water, and brought two fish, 
 which, having broiled, they gave me the largest share." 
 For a poor stranger they had thus gone out in the middle 
 of the night, plunged into the cold sea, and, with the 
 aid of their nets or other apparatus, had got him food. 
 These kind creatures were the wives of an old Indian, 
 w r ho was then absent, but who, on his return, struck 
 them with brutal violence for their hospitality, Mr. Byron 
 looking on with impotent rage and indignation. The 
 return of this Indian and his companions enabled the 
 native guide of Captain Cheap and Byron to make an 
 arrangement for conducting the shipwrecked party north- 
 ward as they wished. The captain and Byron then left 
 the wigwams to go back to their companions, being 
 joined soon after by a body of Indian guides. 
 
 It was the middle of March ere this final journey to 
 the northward was begun. Various Indian canoes con- 
 veyed the whole party day after day along the sea-coast ; 
 shell-fish, eggs from the rocks, and sea-weed, being the 
 food of the band, and even this being procurable in such 
 miserable quantities as barely to sustain life. The con- 
 dition of the captain in this respect was better than the 
 others, for the Indians thought their reward safe if they 
 attended to the chief of the whites alone, and he cruelly 
 encouraged the notion. But what but selfishness could 
 be expected from one in the following state : — " I could 
 compare Captain Cheap's body to nothing but an ant- 
 hill, with thousands of vermin crawling over about it ; 
 
336 byron's narrative. 
 
 for he was now past attempting to rid himself in the 
 least from this torment, as he had quite lost himself, 
 not recollecting our names that were about him, or even 
 his own. His beard was as long as a hermit's, that 
 and his face being covered with train oil and dirt, from 
 his sleeping, to secure them, upon pieces of stinking 
 seal. His legs were as big as mill-posts, though his 
 body appeared to be nothing but skin and bone." The 
 rest were little better, and Mr. Byron had often to strip 
 himself in the midst of hail and snow, and beat his 
 clothes with stones, to kill the insects that swarmed 
 about him. At length, however, after one of them had 
 sunk under his sufferings, the party got to the island of 
 Chiloe, a place at the north extremity of the province 
 of Chili, and under the rule of the Spaniards. Being 
 a remote corner, Chiloe had only a few Spaniards in it, 
 and these chiefly Jesuit priests, but the Indian inha- 
 bitants were comparatively civilized. The troubles of 
 the party may be said to have ended here, for the natives 
 pitied them much, and supplied them with abundance 
 of food. "It is amazing that our eating to that excess 
 we did, did not kill us ; we were never satisfied, and 
 used to take all opportunities, for months after, of filling 
 our pockets when we were not seen, that we might get 
 up two or three times in the night to cram ourselves." 
 
 Even after staying on the island for a considerable 
 time, and being conveyed to the mainland to the town 
 of Chaco, where a Spanish governor resided, the eating 
 of the famished mariners continued to be enormous. 
 " Every house was open to us ; and though it was but 
 an hour after we had dined, they always spread a table, 
 thinking we could never eat enough after what we had 
 suffered, and we were much of the same opinion." Mr. 
 Byron made friends with the governor's cook, and so 
 carried his pockets always full to his apartment, there 
 
byron's narrative. 337 
 
 to feed at leisure. They were in all four in number 
 now, namely, Captain Cheap, Messrs. Byron, Hamilton, 
 and Campbell. From Chaco they were taken to the 
 larger town of Castro, and remained there for some 
 months in the condition of prisoners at large, poorly 
 clad, but decently lodged and well fed. On the 2d of 
 January, their case having become known to the higher 
 authorities of Chili, they were put on board a ship to be 
 conveyed to the city of St. Jago. Here they remained 
 two years, as prisoners, but not in confinement. For- 
 tunately for them, a Scotch physician, who bore the name 
 of Don Patricio Gedd, entreated the governor to allow 
 the captives to stay with him, and for two years this 
 generous man maintained them like brothers nearly at 
 his own sole expense. On the 20th of December, Cap- 
 tain Cheap and Messrs. Byron and Hamilton were put 
 on board a French vessel to be conveyed to Europe; 
 Mr. Campbell, having become a Catholic, remained in 
 Chili. They reached France safely, and after some de- 
 tention there, were permitted to go to Britain, by an 
 order from Spain. Their friends were much surprised 
 to see them, having given them long up for lost. Their 
 term of absence exceeded five years. 
 
 The six men who cruelly made off with the barge 
 appear never to have been heard of again, and perished, 
 doubtless, on the coast. The fate of the more numerous 
 body who went off to the south in the long-boat, is known 
 from the narrative of John Bulkeley, gunner, one of the 
 survivors. This band actually succeeded in rounding 
 South America, through the Straits of Magellan, and 
 reached the Portuguese territory of Rio Janeiro, after 
 hardships equal to those of the other party, and which 
 reduced their numbers from nearly eighty to thirty. 
 They reached the Rio Grande in January in 1742. All 
 of the thirty, however, probably did not see Britain. 
 23 
 
338 by ron's narrative, 
 
 On coming" to the Portuguese colony they found food, 
 friends, and countrymen, and separated from one another. 
 Bulkeley and two others reached England on the 1st of 
 January 1743. 
 
 The members of this expedition went out with the 
 hope of gathering gold at will among the Spanish colo- 
 nies. What a different fate befell the unhappy crew of 
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