TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE:
COMPRISING SOME OF THE
MOST STRIKING NARRATIVES ON RECORD.
EDITED
BY  REV. D. W. CLARK, D. D.
PUBLISHED BY SWORMSTEDT & POE,
FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE WESTERN BOOR
CONCERN, CORNER OF MAIN AND EIGHTH STREETS.
R. P. THOMPSON, PRINTER.
1856.




Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856,
BY SWORMSTEDT & POE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.




FIRESIDE READING.
Q OME eight or ten years since, the editor of this series
suggested to the then Book Agent at New York the
propriety and usefulness of attempting to supply, in some
measure, at least, a sort of general literature for fireside
reading. His idea was that it should be "secular," as
distinguished from strictly "religious," designed to interest and instruct all classes of general readers, but especially adapted to the young. The suggestion was received
with favor, and the editor was urged to bear the subject
in mind in his miscellaneous reading, and to prepare
such a work. From that time forward, he has been making a note of such matter, as it chanced to come up before him, though not with any distinct notion of publishing. His attention having been lately directed again to
the subject, and the publication seeming to be called for,
he has revised and retrenched his material, and now presents the result in a series of five volumes, under the
general title of "Fireside Reading."  Each volume, so
far as the subject-matter and mode of treatment are concerned, is entirely independent in itself; and may, therefore, be purchased by itself, or the whole series together,
at the option of the purchaser.
The labor of preparing the work for publication has
been considerable, much more than the editor imagined
it would be or he would scarcely have undertaken it
3




4           GENERAL PREFACE.
amidst the laborious duties to which he was already subject. But having undertaken it, he has spared neither
labor nor pains to make it what it should be —a repository of interesting and useful knowledge.
The subjects of the volumes are "Travel and Adventure," "Historical Sketches," "Traits and Anecdotes of
Animals," "Traits and Anecdotes of Birds, Fishes, and
Reptiles," and "True Tales for the Spare Hour."
The sources whence the materials for the volumes
have been drawn, are too numerous to be especially
indicated in every instance. The more prominent of
them, however, are, "Library of Entertaining Knowledge," London, 39 vols.; "Lardner's Cyclopedia," London, 131 vols.; "Naturalist's Library," Edinburgh, 31
vols.; " Chambers's Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining
Tracts," Edinburgh, 10 vols.; "Chambers's Papers for
the People," Edinburgh, 12 vols.; Mrs. Lee's Works on
the Habits and Instincts of Animals, Birds, Fishes, etc.,
London, 2 vols.; " The Modern Traveler," London, 33
vols.; together with several of the juvenile publications
of Nelson & Sons, of London and Edinburgh. This
series will reveal to the American reader but little more
than glimpses of the rich stores of interesting and useful
knowledge contained in the above works.
We are not trenching upon the peculiar sphere of the
Sunday school publishing department, whose mission is
the production of a religious literature for the young of
the Church and the nation. But outside of this sphere,
we are endeavoring to supply a want largely felt by parents, who wish to cultivate in the minds of their children a taste for reading and literature.
We bespeak, then, a place by the fireside in every
family, for these little volumes. They will, at the same
time, be pleasant companions and useful instructors.
THE EDITOR.




TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE.
IN this volume the editor has grouped some of
the most striking narratives of excursions, exploits, adventures, shipwrecks, imprisonments, escapes, etc., on record. Some of these papers have
already found a place, in one form or another, in
our current literature; but they are worthy of a
place more permanent, and will not merely repay
a second reading, but will incite it. The editor
has embodied here such narratives only as he, from
the best authorities in the case, feels warranted in
believing to be authentic in their essential features,
if not in their minute details. Most of them are
striking illustrations of the fact that "truth is
stranger than fiction."
5








PAGE.
1. EXCURSION TO OREGON IN 1834........................   9
2. ASCENT OF MONT BLANC...............................71
3. NARRATIVE OF SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND - -.   --  -- 92
4. M. DE LA TUDE IN THE BASTILE - -. - - -.-128
5. SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA....             -...-.-.-...-.-.141
6. MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY..........................-  -....208
7. DESTRUCTION OF THE SHIP ANN ALEXANDER BY A WHALE..261
8. SILVIO PELLICO IN THE AUSTRIAN DUNGEONS............   268
9. ALEXANDER SELKIRK, THE ORIGINAL OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.339
10. ESCAPE OF COUNT LAVALETTE.........................396
7








FIRESIDE READING.
IN 1834.
T HE transit from the eastern states to Oregon
across the country, has now become quite a
common affair. The mode of travel has, in a
great measure, become systematized and regular.
The peril of travel is greatly diminished, and
thrilling adventures are less frequent.  The
route of travel is well defined, and soon we may
expect to see a continuous line of railroad connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific.
As the past recedes from us, and is seen only
by the dim light of history, the events of border
life, and the adventures of pioneer travelers, on
the broad prairies, in the vast wilderness, and
in the mountain gorges, increase in the intensity
of their interest. A great variety of incidents
now lies within reach of the historian-much
of it not only well calculated to awaken a tran9




10    F IRESIDE  READIN}.
sient interest, but also to illustrate the rapid
spread of our population and the progress of
civilization over the northern part of our vast
continent.
Our purpose will be best accomplished by
taking the incidents of a single expedition than
by grouping anecdotes gleaned from the experience of border life. We shall, therefore, in
this paper, trace the history of an excursion
performed in 1834 by Mr. Townsend, an enthusiastic ornithologist, and his friend, Professor
Nuttall, of Harvard University, an equallyzealous botanist.* Being desirous of increasing
the existing stock of knowledge in the departments of science to which they were respectively
attached, these gentlemen agreed to accompany
a body of traders, commanded by a Captain
Wyeth, to the Columbia river and adjacent
parts. The traders belonged'to an association
called the Columbia River Fishing and Trading
Company, and on this occasion they designed to
fix a permanent branchrestablishment in the
west.
On the evening of the 24th of March, 1834,
the two friends arrived in a steamboat at St.
Louis.  Here they furnished themselves with
several pairs of leathern pantaloons, enormous
o " An Excursion to the Rocky Mountains, by J. K. Townsend."




EXCURSION TO OREGON.             11
overcoats, and white wool hats with round
crowns, fitting tightly to the head, and almost
hard enough to resist a musket-ball. Leaving
their baggage to come on with the steamer,
about three hundred miles up the Missouri, Mr.
Townsend and his friend set off to amuse themselves by walking and hunting leisurely through
that distance, which is composed chiefly of wide,
fiat prairies, with few and remotely-situated habitations of the frontier settlers.
One of the first indications of their approach
to a wild country was the spectacle of a band
of Indians of the Sac tribe, who were removing
to new settlements. The men were fantastically
painted, and the chief was distinguished by a
profuse display of trinkets, and a huge necklace made of the claws of the grizzly bear.
The decorations of one of the women amused
the two travelers.  She was an old squaw, to
whom was presented a broken umbrella. The
only use she made of this prize was to wrench
the plated ends from the whalebones, string
them on a piece of wire, take her knife from
her belt, with which she deliberately cut a slit
of an inch in length along the upper rim of
her ear, and insert them in it. The sight was
as shocking to the feelings as it was grotesque;
for the cheeks of the vain being were covered
with blood as she stood with fancied dignity in




12        FIRESIDE READING.
the midst of twenty others, who evidently envied
her the possession of the worthless baubles.
While pushing forward on the borders of the
wilderness, the travelers one day arrived at the
house of a kind of gentleman settler, who, with
his three daughters, vied in showing kindness to
their visitors. "The girls," says Mr. Townsend, "were very superior to most that I had
seen in Missouri, although somewhat touched
with the awkward bashfulness and prudery
which generally characterize the prairie maidens. They had lost their mother when young,
and having no companions out of the domestic
circle, and consequently no opportunity of aping
the manners of the world, were perfect children
of nature. Their father, however, had given
them a good, plain education, and they had
made some proficiency in needlework, as was
evinced by numerous neatly-worked samplers
hanging in wooden frames round the room."
Some little curiosity and astonishment was excited in the minds of the unsophisticated girls
when they were informed that their two guests
were undertaking a long and difficult journey
across the prairies-one of them for the purpose of shooting and stuffing birds, the other
for the purpose of obtaining plants to preserve
between leaves of paper; but at last they began
to perceive that probably there was some hidden




EXCURSION TO OREGON.    13
utility in these seemingly idle pursuits; and the
last words of the eldest Miss P. to our ornithologist at parting were, "Do come again, and
come in May or June, for then there are plenty
of prairie-hens, and you can shoot as many as
you want, and you must stay a long while with
us, and we'll have nice times. Good-by; I'm
so sorry you're going." Miss P., in promising
an abundance of prairie-hens, evidently did not
perceive in what respect an ornithologist differed
from a sportsman; but her invitation was kindly
meant; and Mr. Townsend promised that, if
ever he visited Missouri again, he would go a
good many miles out of his way to see her and
her sisters. The next resting-place which our
traveler describes was very different from Mr.
P.'s comfortable and cheerful house. It was a
hotel, for which a pig-sty would have been a
more appropriate name. Every thing and every
body were dirty, disobliging, and disagreeable;
and, after staying one night, the travelers refusing the landlord's invitation to liquorise with
him, departed without waiting for breakfast.
In the case of our travelers, however, one of
the last impressions left upon them before fairly
entering the wilderness, was of a more agreeable and suitable description.  "In about an
hour and a half," says Mr. Townsend, "we
arrived at Fulton, a pretty little town, and saw




14       FIRESIDE  READING.
the villagers in their holiday-clothes parading
along to church.  The bell at that moment
sounded, and the peal gave rise to many reflections. It might be long ere I should hear the
sound of the'church-going bell' again. I was
on my way to a far, far country, and I did not
know that I should ever be permitted to revisit
my own. I felt that I was leaving the scenes
of my childhood —the spot which had witnessed
all the happiness I ever knew, the home where
all my affections were centered. I was entering
a land of strangers, and would be compelled
hereafter to mingle with those who might look
upon me with indifference, or treat me with
neglect."
The travelers, tired of their long journey on
foot, waited at a small village on the Missouri
till their companions and baggage should come
up. The steamer arrived on the 9th of April,
and the two pedestrians having gone on board,
it was soon puffing up the river at tbe rate of
seven miles an hour. In four days they reached
the small town of Independence, then the outermost Anglo-American post, and disembarking,
they began to prepare for their long and venturesome journey. Mr. Townsend here introduces a description of the company, about fifty
in all.
There was among the men, to compose the




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    15
caravan, a great variety of dispositions. Some,
who had not been accustomed to the kind of
life they were to lead, looked forward to it with
eager delight, and talked of stirring incidents
and hairbreadth escapes. Others, who were more
experienced, seemed to be as easy and unconcerned about it as a citizen would be in contemplating a drive of a few miles into the country.
Some were evidently reared in the shade, and
not accustomed to hardships; many were almost
as rough as the grizzly bear, and not a little
proud of their feats, of which they were fond
of boasting; but the majority were very strong,
able-bodied men.  During the day, the captain kept all his men employed in arranging
and packing a vast variety of goods for carriage.  In addition to the necessary clothing
for the company, arms, ammunition, etc., there
were thousands of trinkets of various kinds,
beads, paint, bells, rings, and such like trumpery, intended as presents for the Indians, as
well as objects of trade with them. The bales
were usually made to weigh about eighty pounds,
of which a horse was to carry two. Captain
Wyeth insured the good-will and obedience of
the men by his affable but firm manner, and
showed himself every way suitable for his very
important mission. In the company there were
also five missionaries, the principal of whom, Mr.




16        FIRESIDE  READING.
Jason Lee, was a "tall and powerful man, who
looked as though he were well calculated to buffet difficulties in a wild country."  Before setting out, they were joined also by Mr. Milton
Sublette, a trader and trapper of several years'
standing, who intended to travel a part of the
way with them. Mr. Sublette brought with him
about twenty trained hunters, "true as the steel
of their tried blades," who had more than once
gone over the very track which the caravan intended to pursue-a reinforcement which was
very welcome to Captain Wyeth and his party.
On the 28th of April, at ten o'clock in the
morning, all things being prepared, the caravan,
consisting of seventy men and two hundred and
fifty horses, began its march toward the west.
All were in high spirits, and full of hope of adventure; uproarious bursts of merriment, and
gay and lively songs, constantly echoed along
the line of the cavalcade.' The road lay over a
fast rolling prairie, with occasional small spots
of timber at the distance of several miles apart,
and this was expected to be the complexion of
the track for some weeks. For the first day
and night the journey was agreeable, but on the
second day a heavy rain fell, which made the
ground wet and muddy, soaked the blanket bedding, and rendered camping at night any thing
but pleasant.




EXCURSI N TO OREGON.    17
For about a fortnight the caravan proceeded
without any very remarkable incident occurring.
The cook of the mess to which Mr. Townsend
belonged decamped one night, having, no doubt,
become tired of the expedition; and determined
to go back to the settlements.  The man himself was little missed; but he had taken a rifle,
powder-horn, and shot-pouch along with him,
and these articles were precious. In a few days
after, three other men deserted, likewise carrying rifles with them. In the course of the fortnight the caravan passed through several villages of the Kaw  Indians, with whom  they
traded a little, giving bacon and tobacco in exchange for hides. These Indians do not appear,
on the whole, to have been very favorable specimens of the American aboriginals. The men
had many of them fine countenances, but the
women were very homely. The following is a
description of one of their chiefs: "In the evening the principal Kansas chief paid us a visit in
our tent.  He is a young man about twenty-five
years of age, straight as a poplar, and with a
noble countenance and bearing, but he appeared
to me to be marvelously deficient in most of the
requisites which go to make the character of a
real Indian chief, at least of such Indian chiefs
as we read of in our popular books. I begin to
suspect, in truth, that these lofty and dignified
2              B




18        FIRESIDE  READING.
attributes are more apt to exist in the fertile
brain of the novelist than in reality. Be this
as it may, our chief is a very lively, laughing,
and rather playful personage; perhaps he may
put on his dignity, like a glove, when it suits his
convenience."
On the 8th of May the party had a misfortune in the loss of Mr. Milton Sublette, who,
owing to a fungus in one of his legs, was obliged
to return to the settlements. On the afternoon
of the next day, the party crossed a broad,
Indian trail, bearing northerly, supposed to be
about five days old, and to have been made by a
war-party of Pawnees. Hoping to escape these
formidable enemies of the white man, the party
pushed on, but not without occasional mishaps;
at one time the horses ran away, and had to be
chased for a whole night, and even when the
labor of the chase was over, three were irrecoverably lost; at another time half of the party
were drenched crossing a wide creek full of
black mud, which the men had to flounder
through on horseback. The weather, too, was
becoming intolerably warm.  They had  frequently been favored with fresh breezes, which
made it very agreeable; but the moment these
failed, they were almost suffocated with intense
heat. Their rate of traveling was about twenty
miles per day, which in this warm weather, and




EXCURSION TO OREGON.              19
with heavily-burdened horses, was as much as
could be accomplished with comfort to the travelers and their animals.
The general aspect, however, of the country
through which we were traveling, was exceedingly beautiful. The little streams are fringed
with a thick growth of pretty trees and bushes,
and the buds are now swelling, and the leaves
expanding, and the grass is starting, to "welcome back the merry spring."  The birds, too,
sing joyously among them-grosbeaks, thrushes,
and buntings-a merry and musical band. I
am particularly fond of sallying out early in
the morning, and strolling around the camp.
The light breeze just bends the tall tops of the
grass on the boundless prairie, the birds are
commencing their matin carolings, and all nature looks fresh and beautiful. The horses of
the camp are lying comfortably on their sides,
and seem, by the glances which they give me in
passing, to know that their hour of toil is approaching, and the patient kine are ruminating
in happy unconsciousness.
One morning the scouts came in with the intelligence that they had found a large trail of
white men bearing north-west.  Captain Wyeth
concluded that this was another caravan belonging to a rival trading company, and that it had
passed them noiselessly in the course of the




20      FIRESIDE  READING.
night, in order to be beforehand with them in
traffic with the Indian tribes through which they
were passing. The party grumbled a little at
the unfriendly conduct of the rival caravan in
stealing a march upon them; but consoled themselves by making the reflection, that competition
is the soul of commerce, and that, in the same
circumstances, they would in all probability have
acted in the same way. While discussing the
affair at breakfast, three Indians, of a tribe
called the Ottos, made their appearance. These
visitors were suspected of being concerned in
the loss of the three horses mentioned above;
but as the crime could not be brought home to
them by any kind of evidence, they were received in a friendly manner; and, as usual, the
pipe of peace was smoked with them.
While these people were smoking the pipe of
peace with us after breakfast, I observed that
Richardson, our chief hunter-an experienced
man in this country, of a tall and iron frame,
and almost childlike simplicity of character, in
fact, an exact counterpart of Hawkeye in his
younger days-stood aloof, and refused to sit in
the circle, in which it was always the custom of
the old hands to join.
Feeling some curiosity to ascertain the cause
of this unusual diffidence, I occasionally allowed
my eyes to wander to the spot where our sturdy




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            21
hunter stood looking moodily upon us, as the
calumet passed from hand to hand around the
circle, and I thought I perceived him now and
then cast a furtive glance at one of the Indians
who sat opposite to me, and sometimes his
countenance would assume an expression almost
demoniacal, as though the most fierce and deadly
passions were raging in his bosom. I felt certain that hereby hung a tale, and I watched for
a corresponding expression, or at least a look
of consciousness, in the face of my opposite
neighbor; but expression there was none. His
large features were settled in a tranquillity
which nothing could disturb, and as he puffed the
smoke in huge volumes from his mouth, and the
fragrant vapor wreathed and curled around his
head, he seemed the embodied spirit of meekness
and taciturnity.
The camp moved soon after, and I lost no
time in overhauling Richardson, and asking an
explanation of his singular conduct. "Why,"
said he, " that Injen that sat opposite to
you is my bitterest enemy. I was once going
down alone from the rendezvous with letters
from St. Louis, and when I arrived on the lower
part of the Platte river —just a short distance
beyond us here-I fell in with about a dozen
Ottos; They were known to be a friendly tribe,
and I therefore felt no fear of them. I dis



22      FIRESIDE  READING.
mounted from my horse, and sat with them on
the ground. It was in the depth of winter; the
ground was covered with snow, and the river
was frozen solid. While I was thinking of
nothing but my dinner, which I was then about
preparing, four or five of the cowards jumped
on me, mastered my rifle, and held my arms
fast, while they took from me my knife and
tomahawk, my flint and steel, and all my ammunition. They then loosed me, and told me
to be off. I begged them, for the love of God,
to give me my rifle and a few loads of ammunition, or I should starve before I could reach
the settlements.  No; I should have nothing;
and if I did not start off immediately, they
-would throw  me under the ice of the river.
And," continued the excited hunter, while he
ground his teeth with bitter and uncontrollable
rage, "that man that sat opposite to you was
the chief of them. He recognized me, and
knew very well why I would not smoke with
him. I tell you, sir, if ever I meet that man
in any other situation than that in which I saw
him this morning, I'll shoot him with as little
hesitation as I would shoot a deer. Several
years have passed since the perpetration of this
outrage, but it is still as fresh in my memory
as ever; and I again declare, that if ever an
opportunity offers, I will kill that man." "But,




EXCURSION  TO OREGaON.           23
Richardson, "did they take your horse also?"
"To be sure they did, and my blankets, and
every thing I had, except my clothes."  "But
how did you subsist till you reached the settlements? You had a long journey before you."
"Why, set to trappin' prairie squirrels with
little nooses made out of the hairs of my head."
I should remark that his hair was so long that
it fell in heavy masses on his shoulders. "But
squirrels in winter, Richardson! I never heard
of squirrels in winter."  " Well, but there was
plenty of them, though; little white ones, that
lived among the snow." Such is a trait of human nature in these far western regions.
On the 18th of May the party reached the
Platte river, one of the streams which pour their
waters into the Missouri. Wolves and antelopes
were abundant in the neighborhood of the river,
and herons and long-billed curlews were stalking
about in the shallows, searching for food. The
prairie here is as level as a race-course, not the
slightest undulation appearing throughout the
whole extent of vision in a northerly and
westerly direction; but to the eastward of the
river, and about eight miles from it, was seen a
range of high bluffs, or sand-banks, stretching
away to the south-east till lost in the far distance. The travelers were not less struck with
the solemn grandeur of the apparently-bound



24        FIRESIDE  READING.
less prairie, than with the sight of its surface,
which was in many places incrusted with an impure salt, seemingly a combination of the sulphate and mtriate of soda: there were also
seen a number of little pools, of only a few
inches in depth, scattered over the plain, the
water of which was so bitter and pungent, that
it seemed to penetrate into the tongue, and almost to take the skin from the mouth. Next
morning the party were alarmed with the appearance of two men on horseback, hovering on
their path at a great distance. On looking at
them with a telescope, they were discovered to
be Indians, and on their approach it was found
they belonged to a large band of the Grand
Pawnee tribe, who were on a war excursion, and
encamped at about thirty miles' distance. Having got rid of these suspicious visitors, the party
moved rapidly forward in an altered direction,
and did not slacken their pace till twelve o'clock
at night. After a brief rest, they again went
on, traveling steadily the whole day, and so got
quite clear of the Grand Pawnees.
The travelers were now proceeding across one
of the large central prairies of North America,
and were, as they reckoned, within three days'
journey of the buffalo region; that is, the region haunted by herds of buffalo. The uninitiated of the party, who for a good many days




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    25
past had been listening to the spirit-stirring
accounts given by the old hunters of their sport
in the buffalo region, began to grow impatient
for the first sight of this animal, the tenant of
the prairies. At length, on the afternoon of the
20th, of May they came in sight of a large
gang of the long-coveted buffalo.  They were
grazing on the opposite side of the Platte, as
quietly as domestic cattle; but as they neared
them, the foremost winded the travelers, and
started back, and the whole herd followed in
the wildest confusion, and were soon out of sight.
There must have been many thousands of them.
Toward evening a large band of elk came on
a full gallop, and passed very near the party.
The appearance of these animals produced a
singular effect upon the horses, all of which became restive, and about half of the loose ones
broke away, and scoured over the plain in full
chase after the elk. Captain Wyeth and several
of his men went immediately in pursuit of them,
and returned late at night, bringing the greater
number. Two had, however, been lost irrecoverably. By an observation, the latitude was
found to be forty degrees, thirty-one minutes
north, and the computed distance from the Missouri settlements about three hundred and sixty
miles.
The day following, the party saw several small




26        FIRESIDE READING.
herds of buffalo on their side of the river. Two
of the hunters started out after a huge bull that
had separated himself from his companions, and
gave him chase on fleet horses. Away went the
buffalo, and away went the men, as hard as they
could dash; now the hunters gained upon him,
and pressed him hard; again the enormous creature had the advantage, plunging with all his
might, his terrific horns often plowing up the
earth as he spurned it under him. Sometimes
h.e would double, and rush so near the horses as
almost to gore them with his horns, and in an
instant would be off in a tangent, and throw his
pursuers from the track. At length the poor
animal came to bay, and made some unequivocal
demonstrations of combat, raising and tossing
his head furiously, and tearing up the ground
with his feet. At this moment a shot was fired.
The victim trembled like an aspen leaf, and fell
on his knees, but recovering himself in an instant, started again as fast as before. Again
the determined hunters dashed after him, but
the poor bull was nearly exhausted: he proceeded but a short distance, and stopped again.
The hunters approached, rode slowly by him,
and shot two balls through his body with the
most perfect coolness and precision.  During
the race-the whole of which occurred in full
view of the party-the men seemed wild with




EXCURSION TO OREGON.             27
the excitement which it occasioned; and when
the animal fell, a shout rent the air which
startled the antelopes by dozens from the bluffs,
and sent the wolves howling from their lairs.
This is the most common mode of killing the
buffalo, and is practiced very generally by the
traveling hunters: many are also destroyed by
approaching them on foot, when, if the bushes
are sufficiently dense, or the grass high enough
to afford concealment, the hunter, by keeping
carefully to leeward of his game, may sometimes approach so near as almost to touch the
animal. If on a plain without grass or bushes,
it is necessary to be very circumspect; to approach so slowly as not to excite alarm, and
when observed by the animal, to imitate dexterously the clumsy motions of a young bear, or
assume the sneaking, prowling attitude of a
wolf, in order to lull suspicion. The Indians
resort to another stratagem, which is perhaps
even more successful. The skin of a calf is
properly dressed, with the head and legs left
attached to it.  The Indian envelops himself
in this, and with his short bow and a brace of
arrows ambles off into the very midst of a herd.
When he has selected such animal as suits his
fancy, he comes close along side of it, and, with.
out noise, passes an arrow through its heart.
One arrow is always sufficient, and it is gener



28        FIRESIDE  READIN'G.
ally delivered with such force, that at least half
the shaft appears through the opposite side.
The creature totters, and is about to fall, when
the Indian glides around, and draws the arrow
from the wound lest it should be broken. A
single Indian is said to kill a great number of
buffaloes in this way before any alarm is communicated to the herd.
Toward  evening, on ascending a hill, the
party were suddenly greeted by a sight which
seemed to astonish even the oldest among them.
The whole plain, as far as the eye could discern, was covered by one enormous mass of
buffalo. The scene, at the very least computation, would certainly extend ten miles, and in
the whole of this great space, including about
eight miles in width from the bluffs to the riverbank, there was apparently no vista in the incalculable multitude. It was truly a sight that
would have excited even the dullest mind to enthusiasm. The party rode up to within a few
hundred yards of the edge of the herd before
any alarm was communicated; then the bulls,
which are always stationed around as sentinels,
began pawing the ground anm? throwing the
earth over their heads; in a few moments they
started in a slow, clumsy canter, but as the
hunters neared them they quickened their pace
to an astonishingly-rapid gallop, and in a few




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.             29
minutes were entirely beyond the reach of their
guns, but were still so near that their enormous
horns, and long, shaggy beards were very distinctly seen.  Shortly after encamping, the
hunters brought in the choice parts of five that
they had killed.
Of the animals belonging to those vast herds
which the hunters kill, only a small portion is
taken for food. Mr. Townsend and two of his
associates having killed a bull buffalo, they proceeded to cut it up in the following approved
manner: The animal was first raised from his
side where he had lain, and supported upon his
knees, with his hoofs turned under him; a longitudinal incision was then made from the nape or
anterior base of the hump, and continued backward to the loins, and' a large portion of the
skin from each side removed; these pieces of
skin were placed upon the ground, with the
under surface uppermost, and the fleeces, or
masses of meat taken from along the back,
were laid upon them. These fleeces, from a
large animal, will weigh perhaps a hundred
pounds each, and comprise the whole of the
hump on each side of the vertical processescommonly called the hump-ribs-which are attached to the vertebrae. The fleeces are considered the choice parts of the buffalo, and
here, where the game is so abundant, nothing




30       FIRESIDE  READING
else is taken, if we except the tongue and an
occasional marrow-bone. This, it must be confessed, appears like a useless and unwarrantable
waste of the goods of Providence; but when are
men economical, unless compelled to do so by
necessity?  The food of the hunters consists
for months of nothing but this kind of buffalo
meat, roasted, and cold water-no bread of any
kind. On this rude fare they enjoyed the best
health, clear heads, and high spirits.
One night, shortly after their first encounter
with the buffalo, Mr. Townsend, entering his
tent about eleven o'clock, after having served
as a supernumerary watch for several hours,
was stooping to lay his gun in its usual place at
the head of his couch, when he was startled by
seeing a pair of eyes, wild and bright as those
of a tiger, gleaming from a dark corner of the
lodge, and evidently directed upon him. " My
first impression," he says, "was that a wolf had
been lurking around the camp, and had entered
the tent in the prospect of finding meat. My
gun was at my shoulder instinctively, my aim
was directed between the eyes, and my finger
pressed the trigger.  At that moment a tall
Indian sprang before me with a loud wah!
seized the gun, and. elevated the muzzle above
my head; in another instant a second Incian
was by my side, and I saw his keen knife glitter




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    31
as it left the scabbard.  I had not time for
thought, and was struggling with all my might
with the first savage for the recovery of my
weapon, when Captain Wyeth and the other inmates of the tent were aroused, and the whole
matter was explained, and set at rest in a moment. The Indians were chiefs of the tribe of
Pawnee Loups, who had come with their young
men to shoot buffalo; they had paid an evening
visit to the captain, and, as an act of courtesy,
had been invited to sleep in the tent. I had
not known of their arrival, nor did-I even suspect that Indians were in our neighborhood, so
could not control the alarm which their sudden
appearance occasioned me.  These Indians,"
continues Mr. Townsend, "were the finest looking of any I had seen. Their persons were tall,
straight, and finely formed; their noses slightly
aquiline, and the whole countenance expressive
of high and daring intrepidity.  The face of
the taller one was particularly admirable, and
Gall or Spurzheim, at a single glance at his
magnificent head, would have invested him with
all the noblest qualities of the species. I know
not what a physiognomist would have said of
his eyes,. but they were certainly the most wonderful I ever looked into; glittering and scintillating constantly, like the mirror-glasses in a
lamp-frame, and rolling and dancing in their




32       FIRESIDE  READING.
orbits as though possessed of abstract volition.
As the party, leaving the Pawnees and the
buffalo behind, began to approach the mountain
district, the country altered its appearance
greatly for the worse. They were now on a
great sandy waste, forming a kind of upper
table-land of North America-a region without
a single green thing to vary and enliven the
scene, and abounding in swarms of ferocious
little black gnats, which assail the eyes, ears,
nostrils, and mouth of the unhappy traveler.
It is necessary, however, to pursue a route in
this direction, in order to find accessible passes
through the Rocky Mountains, which are impenetrable more to the north-west. Making the
best of their way over the inhospitable desert,
and fortunately escaping any roving bands of
unfriendly Indians, the cavalcade struck tlrough
a range of stony mountains, called the Black
Hills, and in a few days afterward came in
sight of the Wind River Mountains, which form
the loftiest land in the northern continent,
and are at all times covered with snow of dazzling whiteness. From the great hight above
the level of the sea which the party had attained, the climate was found to be cold, even
although in summer; the plains were covered
only by the scantiest herbage; and frequently
there was great difficulty in obtaining a supply




EXCURSION  TO  OREGON.           33
of water for the camp. The painfulness of the
journey, therefore, was now extreme, both for
man and beast.
Occasionally, however, a green spot did occur,
where the jaded horses were allowed to halt, to
roam about without their riders, and to tumble
joyfully on the verdant sward; and as these
oases always abounded in birds and plants, our
two naturalists were loth to leave them. Nor
was their journey through the inhospitable region of the hills devoid of incidents to vary the
monotony of the way, and provoke hearty
laughs from the whole party. One afternoon,
one of the men had a somewhat perilous adventure with a grizzly bear. He saw the animal
crouching his huge frame among some willows
which skirted the river, and, approaching on
horseback to within twenty yards, fired upon
him. The bear was only slightly wounded by
the shot, and, with a fierce growl of angry malignity, rushed from his cover, and gave chase.
The horse happened to be a slow one, and for
the distance of half a mile the race was severely
contested —the bear frequently approaching so
near the terrified animal as to snap at his heels,
while the equally-terrified rider, who had lost
his hat at the -start, used whip and spur with
the most frantic diligence, frequently looking
behind, from an influence which he could not
3             B




34         FIRESIDE  READING.
resist, at his rugged and determined foe, and
shrieking in an agony of fear, " Shoot him!
shoot him!"   The man, who was a young
hunter, happened to be about a mile behind the
main body, either from the indolence of his
horse or his own carelessness; but as he approached the party in his desperate flight, and
his pitiable cries reached the ears of the men
in front, about a dozen of them rode to his assistance, and soon succeeded in diverting the
attention of his pertinacious foe. After the
bear had received the contents of all the guns,
he fell, and was soon dispatched.  The man
rode in among his fellows, pale and haggard
from overwrought feelings, and was probably
effectually cured of a propensity for meddling
with grizzly bears.
On the 19th of June, the party arrived on
the Green river, or Colorado of the west, which
they forded, and encamped upon a spot which
was to form a rendezvous for all the mountain
companies who left the states in spring, and also
the trappers who come from various parts with
furs collected by them during the previous year.
Our traveler relates a misfortune which happened to him here. Having sallied forth with
his gun, and wandered about for several hours
shooting birds, he found, on returning to the
camp, that his party had quitted the spot. In




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            35
pursuing their track, he had to swim his horse
across a deep and swift stream. After coming
up with the party, he was congratulating himself on his escape from being drowned, when he
found that he had lost his coat. "I had felt,"
he says, "uncomfortably warm when I mounted,
and had removed the coat and attached it carelessly to the saddle; the rapidity of the current
had disengaged it, and it was lost forever. The
coat itself was not of much consequence after
the hard service it had seen; but it contained
the second volume of my journal, a pocket
compass, and other articles of essential value
to me. I would gladly have relinquished every
thing the garment held, if I could but have recovered the book; and although I returned to
the river, and searched assiduously till night,
and offered large rewards to the men, it could
not be found."
The loss of his journal, however, was not the
only bad consequence of his river adventure.
The ducking he had received brought on a fever,
which confined him to his tent for several days.
It was well for him that they had now arrived
at the rendezvous where the caravans always
make some stay before proceeding on the remainder of their journey. Still, according to
AMr. Townsend's account of the encampment, it
was scarcely the best hospital for an invalid.




36        FIRESIDE  READING.
As there were several other encampments stationed on the spot-among others that of the
party of rival traders which had passed Captain
Wyeth's party on the road-the encampment
was constantly crowded with a heterogeneous
assemblage of visitors.  "The principal of
these are Indians of the Nez Perce, Banneck,
and Shoshone tribes, who come with the furs
and peltries which they have been collecting at
the risk of their lives during the past winter
and spring, to trade for ammunition, trinkets,
and fire-water. There is, in addition to these,
a great variety of personages among us; most
of them calling themselves white men, FrenchCanadians, half-breeds, etc., their color nearly
as dark, and their manner wholly as wild, as
the Indians with whom they constantly associate. These people, with their obstreperous
mirth, their whooping, and howling, and quarreling, added to the mounted Indians, who are
constantly dashing into and through our camp,
yelling like fiends, the barking and baying of
savage wolf-dogs, and the incessant cracking
of rifles and carbines, render our camp a perfect
bedlam. A more unpleasant situation for an
invalid could scarcely be conceived. I am confined closely to the tent with illness, and am
compelled all day to listen to the hiccoughing
jargon of drunken traders, and the swearing




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            37
and screaming of our own men, who are scarcely
less savage than the rest, being heated by the
detestable liquor which circulates freely among
them. It is very much to be regretted that, at
times like the present, there should be a positive necessity to allow the men as much rum as
they can drink; but this course has been sanctioned and practiced by all the leaders of parties who have hitherto visited these regions, and
reform can not be thought of now. The principal liquor in use is alcohol diluted with water.
It is sold to the men at three dollars the pint!
Tobacco, of very inferior quality, such as could
be purchased in Philadelphia at about ten cents
per pound, here fetches two dollars! and every
thing else in proportion. There is no coin in
circulation, and these articles are therefore paid
for by the independent mountain-men in beaverskins, buffalo-robes, etc.; and those who are
hired to the companies, have them charged
against their wages. I was somewhat amused
by observing one of our newly-hired men enter
the tent and order, with the air of a man who
knew he would not be refused, twenty dollars'
worth of rumn and ten dollars' worth of sugar, to
treat two of his companions who were about
leaving the rendezvous."
At the rendezvous a number of men belonging to Captain Wyeth's party left it to join rc



38       FIRESIDE  READ1NG.
turning parties; but the diminution of numbers
thus occasioned was made up for by the accession of about thirty Indians-Flatheads, Nez
Perces, and others, with their wives, children,
and dogs. These Indians joined the party in
order to enjoy the benefit of its convoy through
the tract of country infested by the Blackfeet
Indians-a fierce and warlike race, the terror
both of Indians and whites.  Here also the
party was joined by two English gentlemen
roaming the prairies for amusement. At length,
on the 2d of July, the party bade adieu to the
rendezvous, packed up their movables, and
journeyed along the bank of the river. The
horses were much recruited by the long rest and
good pasture, and, like their masters, were in
excellent spirits for renewing the route across
the wilderness.
They had now reached the confines of the
Rocky Mountains, from which originate the
upper tributaries of the Missouri on the one
side, and those of the Columbia on the other.
The plains in this high region are more rugged
and barren than in the lower territories, and
occasionally present evidences of volcanic action, being thickly covered with masses of lava
and high basaltic crags. The principal vegetation on the hills consists of small cedars, while
on the plains nothing flourishes but the shrubby




EXCURSION TO OREGON.             39
wormwood or sage. Mr. Townsend had an opportunity, in these melancholy wastes, of becoming acquainted with a variety of animals,
particularly birds. He met with flocks of a
beautiful bird, called the cock of the plaintetrao urophasianus-which was so very tame,
or rather so little accustomed to evil treatment,
as to mingle familiarly with the cavalcade, and
to suffer itself to be knocked down by whips.
On the 10th of July, the party encamped
near the Blackfeet river, a small, sluggish; stagnant stream, which empties itself into the Bear
river. Here they had a rather stirring adventure with a grizzly bear. "As we approached
our encampment," says Mr. Townsend, "near a
small grove of willows on the margin of the
river, a tremendous grizzly bear rushed out
upon us. Our horses ran wildly in every direction, snorting with terror, and became nearly
unmanageable.  Several balls were instantly
fired into him, but they only seemed to increase
his fury. After spending a moment in rending
each wound-their invariable practice-he selected the person who happened to be nearest,
and darted after him; but before he proceeded
far, he was sure to be stopped again by a ball
from  another quarter.  In this way he was
driven about among us for perhaps fifteen minutes, at times so near some of the horses, that.




40      FIRESIDE  READING.
he received several severe kicks from them.
One of the pack-horses was fairly fastened upon
by the fearful claws of the brute, and in the
terrified animal's efforts to escape the dreaded
gripe, the pack and saddle were broken to pieces
and disengaged. One of our mules also lent
him a kick in the head while pursuing it up an
adjacent hill, which sent him rolling to the bottom. Here he was finally brought to a stand.
The poor animal was so completely surrounded
by enemies that he became bewildered; he
raised himself upon his hind-feet, standing almost erect, his mouth partly open, and from his
protruding tongue the blood fell fast in drops.
While in this position he received about sit
more balls, each of which made him reel. At
last, as in complete desperation, he dashed into
the water and swam several yards with astonishing strength and agility, the guns cracking
at him constantly. But he was not to proceed
far; for just then Richardson, who had been
absent, rode up, and fixing his deadly aim upon
him, fired a ball into the back of his head,
which killed him instantly. The strength of
four men was required to drag the ferocious
brute from the water, and upon examining his
body, he was found completely riddled; there
did not appear to be four inches of his shaggy
person; from the hips upward, that had not re



EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            41
ceived a ball; there must have been at least
thirty shots fired at him, and probably few
missed; yet such was his tenacity of life, that
I have no doubt that he would have succeeded
in crossing the river but for the last shot in the
brain. He would probably weigh at the least
six hundred pounds, and was about the hight
of an ordinary steer. The spread of the foot
laterally was ten inches, and the claws measured
seven inches in length. This animal was remarkably lean: when in good condition he would
doubtless much exceed in weight the estimate I
have given. Richardson and two other hunters
in company killed two in the course of the after-:non, and saw several others.
Although it was known that parties of Blackfeet were hanging in the route of the caravan,
our travelers fortunately escaped being attacked
by these dreaded Indians; and on the 14th,
having reached the banks of the fine large
Shoshone or Snake, also called Lewis river,
they came to a halt for the purpose of erecting
a fort, according to their instructions, and also
of enjoying a rest of a fortnight or three weeks
before renewing their journey. Nearly four
months had now elapsed since they had commenced their expedition, and there were various
evidences that they were approaching its close.
The Snake river, on the banks of which they




42       FIRESIDE  READING.
were encamped, pours its waters directly into
the Columbia, and as they tried to form some
idea of the great Oregon river from the size
of its tributary, it became evident that they
were approaching the western shore of the vast
North American continent.
Food, however, was becoming scarce, the
stock of dried buffalo meat being nearly exhausted; and therefore, while the majority of
the party should remain to build a fort on the
banks of the Snake river, it was resolved that
a hunting party of twelve persons should start
on the back track to shoot buffalo, and return
to the fort in eight or nine days with the fruits
of their diligence. To this party Mr. Townsend
attached himself. The hunters were successful
in procuring buffalo, on which they now entirely
fed, besides bringing a quantity in a dried state
to the camp. Exposed constantly to the pure
air, and having abundant exercise, the appetites
of the party were most ravenous. Rising in the
morning with the sun, they kindled a fire and
roasted their breakfast, which consisted of from
one to two pounds of meat. At ten o'clock they
lunched on meat; at two they dined on meat;
at five they supped on meat; at eight they had
a second supper of meat; and during the night,
when they awoke, they took a snatch at any
meat within reach. Their food was thus en



EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            43
tirely meat, without bread or any other article
except water, which was their sole beverage.
On this plain and substantial fare they enjoyed
robust health.
Having heard that a ball in the middle of the
forehead was never known to kill a buffalo, Mr.
Townsend determined to try the experiment.
Accordingly one evening, seeing a large bull
close at hand, he sallied forth with the utmost
caution in the direction of his victim. " The
unwieldy brute," he says, "was quietly and
unsuspiciously cropping the herbage, and I had
arrived within ten feet of him, when a sudden
flashing of the eye, and an impatient motion,
told me that I was observed. He raised his
enormous head and looked around him, and so
truly terrible and grand did he' appear, that I
must confess I felt awed, almost frightened, at
the task I had undertaken. But I had gone
too far to retreat; so, raising my gun, I took
deliberate aim at the bushy center of the forehead, and fired. The monster shook his head,
pawed up the earth with his hoofs, and making
a sudden spring, accompanied by a terrific roar,
turned to make his escape. At that instant
the ball from the second barrel penetrated his
vitals, and he measured his huge length upon
the ground. In a few seconds he was dead.
Upon examining the head, and cutting away the




44      FIRESIDE  READING.
enormous mass of matted hair and skin which
enveloped the skull, my large bullet, of twenty
to the pound, was found completely flattened
against the bone, having carried with it, through
the interposing integument, a considerable portion of the coarse hair, but without producing
the smallest fracture.  I was satisfied; and
taking the tongue-the hunter's perquisite-I
returned to my companions."
Some of the party had seen Blackfeet Indians skulking about, and the effect was to put
the hunters more on their guard. They were
now certain that their worst enemies, the Blackfeet, were around them, and that they only
waited for a favorable opportunity of making an
attack. It was felt that these savage wanderers
were not there for nothing, and that the greatest
care was necessary to prevent a surprise.
The Blackfeet is a sworn and determined foe
to all white men, and he has often been heard
to declare that he would rather hang the scalp
of a pale-face to his girdle, than kill a buffalo
to prevent his starving. The hostility of this
dreaded tribe is, and has for years been, proverbial.  They are, perhaps, the only Indians
who do not fear the power, and who refuse to
acknowledge the superiority of the white man;
and though so often beaten in conflicts with
them, even bv their own mode of warfare, and




EXCURSION TO OREGON.              45
generally with numbers vastly inferior, their indomitable courage and perseverance still urges
them on to renewed attempts; and if a single
scalp is taken, it is considered equal to a great
victory, and is hailed as a presage of future and
more extensive triumphs.
It must be acknowledged, however, that this
determined hostility does not originate solely in
savage malignity, or an abstract thirst for the
blood of white men; it is fomented and kept
alive from year to year by incessant provocatives on the part of white hunters, trappers, and
traders, who are at best but intruders on the
rightful domain of the red man of the wilderness.  " Many a night," adds our traveler,
"have I sat at the camp-fire and listened to the
recital of bloody and ferocious scenes, in which
the narrators were the actors, and the poor
Indians the victims, and I have felt my blood
tingle with shame, and boil with indignation, to
hear the diabolical acts applauded by those for
whose amusement they were related.  Many a
precious villain and merciless marauder was
made by these midnight tales of rapine, murder,
and robbery; many a stripling, in whose tender
mind the seeds of virtue and honesty had never
germinated, burned for an opportunity of loading his pack-horse with the beaver skins of some
solitary Blackfeet trapper, who was to bQ mur



46      FIRESIDE  READING.
dered and despoiled of the property he had acquired by weeks and perhaps months of toil and
danger."
The proximity of the Blackfeet caused the
old hunters to recollect their former adventures
in the same neighborhood; and one evening, as
the party sat around the camp fire, wrapped in
their warm blankets, these old hunters became
talkative, and related their individual adventures
for the general amusement.  The best story
was told by Richardson, of a meeting he once
had with three Blackfeet Indians.  He had
been out alone hunting buffalo, and toward the
end of the day was returning to the camp with
his meat, when he heard the clattering of hoofs
in the rear, and upon looking back, observed
three Indians in hot pursuit of him. To lighten
his horse, he immediately threw off the meat he
carried, and then urged his animal to his utmost
speed, in an attempt to distance his pursuers.
He soon discovered, however, that the enemy
was rapidly gaining upon him, and that in a few
minutes more he would be completely at their
mercy, when he hit upon an expedient as singular as it was bold and courageous. Drawing
his long scalping-knife from the sheath at his
side, he plunged the keen weapon through his
horse's neck, and severed the spine. The animal dropped instantly dead, and the determined




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            47
hunter, throwing himself behind the fallen carcass, waited calmly the approach of his sanguinary pursuers. In a few moments one Indian
was within range of the fatal rifle, and at its
report his horse galloped riderless over the plain.
The remaining two then thought to take him at
advantage by approaching simultaneously on
both sides of his rampart; but one of them
happening to venture too near, in order to be
sure of his aim, was shot to the heart by the
long pistol of the white man at the very instant
that the ball from the Indian's gun whistled
harmlessly by. The third savage, being wearied
of the dangerous game, applied the whip vigorously to the flanks of his horse, and was soon
out of sight, while Richardson set about collecting the trophies of his singular victory. He
caught the two Indians' horses, mounted one,
and loaded the other with the meat which he
had discarded, and returned to his camp with
two spare rifles, and a good stock of ammunition.
Having now procured a sufficient quantity
of buffalo meat, the hunting party set out on
its return to the fort, and arrived there on the
25th, after nine days' absence. Their return
had been anxiously expected, and "I could well
perceive," says Mr. Townsend, "many a longing and eager gaze cast upon the well-filled




48       FIRESIDE  READING.
bales of buffalo meat as our mules swung their
little bodies through the camp. My companion,
Mr. Nuttall, had become so exceedingly thin,
that I could scarcely have known him; and
upon my expressing surprise at the great change
in his appearance, he heaved a sigh of inanity,
and remarked that I'would have been as thin
as he, if I had lived on old bear for two weeks,
and short allowance at that.' I found, in truth,
that the whole camp had been subsisting during
our absence on little else than two or three grizzly bears which had been killed in the neighborhood; and with a complacent glance at my own
rotund and cow-fed person, I wished my poor
friends better luck for the future."
Another traveling company had encamped on
the banks of the Snake river, during the absence of the hunting party. It consisted of
thirty men, thirteen of them Indians, Nez
Perces, Chinooks, and Kayouse, the remainder
French-Canadians and half-breeds. Mr. M'Kay,
the leader of this company, was the son of Mr.
Alexander M'Kay, one of the early adventurers
across the prairies, the tragical story of whose
massacre by the Indians on the north-west coast
is told by Washington Irving in his "Astoria."
Mr. Townsend gives an interesting description
of this company and its captain. "On the
evening of the 26th," he says, " Captain Wyeth,




EXCURSION TO OREGON.             49
Mr. Nuttall, and myself, supped with Mr. M'Kay in his lodge. I am much pleased with this
gentleman; he unites the free, frank, and open
manners of the mountain man, with the grace
and affability of the Frenchman. But above
all, I admire the order, decorum, and strict subordination which exists among his men; so different from what I have been accustomed to see
in parties composed of Americans. Mr. M'Kay
assures me that he had considerable difficulty in
bringing his men to the state in which they now
are. The free and fearless Indian was particularly difficult to subdue; but steady, determined
perseverance and bold measures, aided by a
rigid self-example, made them as clay in his
hand, and has finally reduced them to their
present admirable condition.  If they misbehave, a commensurate punishment is sure to
follow.  In extreme cases, flagellation is resorted to, but it is inflicted only by the hand of
the captain; were any other appointed to perform this office on an Indian, the indignity
would be deemed so great that nothing less
than the blood of the individual could appease
the wounded feelings of the savage.  After
supper was concluded, we sat down on a buffalo
robe at the entrance of the lodge to see the Indians at their devotions. The whole thirteen
were soon collected at the call of one whom they
4.B




50        FIRESIDE READING.
had chosen for their chief, and seated with
sober, sedate countenances around a large fire.
After remaining in perfect silence for perhaps
fifteen minutes, the chief commenced a harangue
in a solemn and impressive tone, reminding
them of the object for which they were thus assembled-that of worshiping the'Great Spirit
who made the light and the darkness, the fire
and the water,' and assured them  that if they
offered up their prayers to him with but'one
tongue,' they would certainly be accepted. He
then rose from his squatting position to his
knees, and his example was followed by all
the others. In this situation he commenced a
prayer, consisting of short sentences, uttered
rapidly, but with great apparent fervor, his
hands clasped upon his breast, and his eyes cast
upward with a beseeching look toward heaven.
At the conclusion of each sentence, a choral
response of a few words was made, accompanied
frequently by low moaning. The prayer lasted
about twenty minutes.
"After its conclusion, the chief, still maintaining the same position of his body and hands,
but with his head bent to his breast, commenced
a kind of psalm or sacred song, in which the
company presently joined.  The song was a
simple expression of a few sounds, no intelligible
words being uttered. It resembled the words




EXCURSION TO OREGON.    51
Ho-ha-ho-ha-ho-ha-ha-a, commencing in a low
tone, and gradually swelling to a full, round,
and beautifully-modulated chorus. During the
song the clasped hands of the worshipers were
moved rapidly across the breast, and their bodies
swung with great energy to the time of the
music. The chief ended the song by a kind of
swelling groan, which was echoed in chorus. It
was then taken up by another, and the same
routine was gone through.  The whole ceremony occupied perhaps an hour and a half; a
short silence then succeeded, after which each
Indian rose from the ground, and disappeared
in the darkness with a step noiseless as that of
a specter. I think I never was more gratified
by any exhibition in my life. The humble, subdued, and beseeching looks of the poor, untutored beings who were calling upon their heavenly Father to forgive their sins, and continue
his mercies to them, and the evident and heartfelt sincerity which characterized the whole
scene, was truly affecting and very impressive.
"The next day being the Sabbath, our good
missionary, Mr. Jason Lee, was requested to
hold a meeting, with which he obligingly corrmplied. A convenient, shady spot was selected in
the forest adjacent, and the greater part of our
men, as well as the whole of Mr. M'Kay's company, including the Indians, attended.  The




52       FIRESIDE  READING.
usual forms of the Methodist service, to which
Mr. Lee is attached, were gone through, and
were followed by a brief but excellent and appropriate exhortation by that gentleman. The
people were remarkably quiet and attentive, and
the Indians sat upon the ground like statues.
Althqugh not one of them could understand a
word that was said, they nevertheless maintained the most strict and decorous silence,
kneeling when the preacher kneeled, and rising
when he rose, evidently with a view of paying
him and us a suitable respect, however much
their own notions as to the proper and most acceptable forms of worship might have been opposed to ours. A meeting for worship in the
Rocky Mountains is almost as unusual as the
appearance of a herd of buffalo in the settlements. A sermon was perhaps never preached
here before, but for myself I really enjoyed the
whole scene: it possessed the charm of novelty,
to say nothing of the salutary effect which I sincerely hope it may produce."
After having completed the fort, and raised
the American flag upon it, the party on the 6th
of August recommenced their journey westward, leaving some men in charge of the building. The company consisted now but of thirty
men, several Indian women, and one hundred
and sixteen horses.  Having left most of the




EXCURSION TO OREGON.    53
fresh buffalo meat brought in by the hunting
party in the fort for the subsistence of the small
garrison, they had to be contented with the old,
dry meat they had carried for many weeks in
their hampers, varied with the flesh of a grizzly
bear, or any such animal which good fortune
might send across their path. Nor was this the
wors4 for on the very day after leaving the fort,
having traveled from sunrise over an arid plain,
covered with jagged masses of lava and twisted
wormwood-bushes, and where not a drop of
water was to be seen, they began to suffer
dreadfully from thirst. Every man kept a bullet or smooth stone in his mouth, mumbling it
to provoke the saliva. At last, one of the men,
a mulatto, "cast himself resolutely from his
horse to the ground, and declared that he would
lie there till he died;'there was no water in
this horrid country, and he might as well die
here as go farther.'  Some of us tried to infuse a little courage into him, but it proved of
no avail, and each was too much occupied with
his own particular grief to use his tongue much
in persuasion; so we left him to his fate.
" Soon after nightfall, some signs of water
were seen in a small valley to our left, and upon
ascending it, the foremost of the party found a
delightful little cold spring; but they soon exhausted it, and then commenced with axes and




54        FIRESIDE  READING.
knives, to dig it out and enlarge it. By the
time that Mr. Nuttall and myself arrived, they
had excavated a large space, which was filled
to overflowing with muddy water. We did not
wait for it to settle, however, but throwing ourselves upon the ground, drank till we were ready
to burst. The tales which I had read of suffering travelers in the Arabian deserts then recurred with some force to my recollection, and
I thought I could, though in a very small measure, appreciate their sufferings by deprivation,
and their unmingled delight and satisfaction in
the opportunity of assuaging them.
"Poor Jim, the mulatto man, was found by one
of the people who went back in search of him,
lying where he had first fallen, and, either in a
real or pretended swoon, still obstinate about
dying, and scarcely heeding the assurances of
the other that water was within a mile of him.
He was, however, at length dragged and carried
into camp, and soused head foremost into the
mud-puddle, where he drank till his eyes seemed
ready to burst from his head, and he was lifted
out and laid dripping and flaccid upon the
ground."
The ground over which the party was traveling was becoming more and more rugged and
rocky.  They entered a defile between the
mountains, about five hundred yards wide, cov



EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    55
ered like the surrounding country with pines;
and as they proceeded, the timber grew so
closely, added to a thick undergrowth of bushes,
that it appeared almost impossible to proceed
with their horses.  The farther they advanced
the more their difficulties seemed to increase;
obstacles of various kinds impeded their progress-fallen trees, their branches tangled and
matted together; large rocks and deep ravines;
holes in the ground, into which their animals
would be precipitated without the possibility of
avoiding them; and a hundred other difficulties.
After traveling for six miles through this defile, two of the party, Captain Wyeth and the
experienced hunter Richardson, set out to explore the foreground, and look for a pass
through the mountains. They returned next
morning with the mortifying intelligence that
no pass could be found. They had climbed to
the very summit of the highest peaks above the
snow and the reach of vegetation, and the only
prospect they had was a confused mass of huge
angular rocks, over which a wild goat could
scarcely make his way. The Captain also had
a narrow escape from being dashed to pieces
during the excursion. He was walking on a
ridge which sloped from the top at an angle of
about forty degrees, and terminated at its lower
part in a perpendicular precipice of a thousand




56       FIRESIDE READING.
or twelve hundred feet. He was moving along
in the snow cautiously, near the lower edge, in
order to attain a more level spot beyond, when
his feet slipped and he fell. Before he could
attempt to fix himself firmly, he slid down the
declivity till within a few feet of the frightful
precipice. At the instant of his fall, he had
the presence of mind to plant the rifle which he
held in one hand, and his knife which he drew
from the scabbard with the other, into the snow,
and as he almost tottered on the verge, he succeeded in checking himself, and holding his
body perfectly still. HIe then gradually moved,
first the rifle and then the knife, backward up
the slanting hill behind him, and fixing them
firmly, drew up his body parallel to them. In
this way he moved slowly and surely till he
gained his former position, when, without further difficulty, he succeeded in reaching the
more level land.
Disappointed in finding a pass through the
mountains at this point, the party altered the
bearing of their route, and at last they came
upon the remains of a recent encampment of
Indians. "Following the trail of these Indians,
we entered a valley similar to that which we had
just explored, and terminating in a path over
the mountains. The commencement of the Alpine path was, however, far better than we had




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            57
expected, and we entertained the hope that the
passage could be made without difficulty or much
toil; but the farther we progressed, the more
laborious the traveling became. Sometimes we
mounted steep banks of intermingled flinty rock
and friable slate, where our horses could scarcely
obtain a footing, frequently sliding down several
feet on the loose, broken stones. Again we
passed along the extreme verge of tremendous
precipices at a giddy hight, where at almost
every step the stones and earth would roll from
under our horses' feet, and we could hear them
strike with a dull, leaden sound on the craggy
rocks below. The whole journey to-day, from
the time we arrived at the hights till we had
crossed the mountain, has been a most fearful
one. For myself, I might have diminished the
danger very considerably by adopting the plan
pursued by the rest of the company, that of
walking and leading my horse over the most
dangerous places; but I have been suffering for
several days with a lame foot, and am wholly
incapable of such exertion. I soon discovered
that an attempt to guide my horse over the
most rugged and steepest ranges was worse
than useless; so I dropped the rein upon the
animal's neck, and allowed him to take his own
course, closing my eyes, and keeping as quiet as
possible in the saddle. But I could not forbear




58        FIRESIDE  READING,
starting occasionally when the feet of my horse
would, slip on a stone, and one side of him would
slide rapidly toward the edge of the precipice;
but I always recovered myself by a desperate
effort, and it was fortunate for me that I did so."
The party continued its march for several
days through this rugged and inhospitable region, coming into occasional contact with parties
of the Snake Indians, and subsisting on the
kamas, a kind of root resembling the potato,
which is found in the prairie; on cherries, berries, and small fruit, which they found growing
on bushes; and an occasional chance prize of
animal food. " At about daylight on the morning of the 20th, having charge of the last
guard of the night, I observed a beautiful, sleek
little colt, of about four months old, trot into
the camp, whinnying with great apparent pleasure, and dancing and curveting gayly among our
sober and sedate band. I had no doubt that he
had strayed from Indians, who were probably in
the neighborhood; but as here every animal
that comes near us is fair game, and as we were
hungry, not having eaten any thing of consequence since yesterday morning, I thought the
little stranger would make a good breakfast for
us. Concluding, however, that it would be best
for us to act advisedly in the matter, I put my
head into Captain Wyeth's tent, and telling him




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    59
the news, made the proposition which had occurred to me. The Captain's reply was encouraging enough-' Down with him, if you
please, Mr. Townsend, and let us have him for
breakfast.' Accordingly, in five minutes afterward, a bullet sealed the fate of the unfortunate
visitor, and my men were set to work, making
fires and rummaging out the long-neglected
stew-pans, while I engaged myself at once and
with very considerable vigor in flaying the little
animal, and cutting up his body in readiness
for the pots.
"When the camp was aroused, about an hour
after, the savory steam of the cookery was rising
and saluting the nostrils of our hungry people
with its fragrance, who, rubbing their hands
with delight, sat themselves down upon the
ground, waiting with what patience they might
for the unexpected repast which was preparing
for them. It was to me almost equal to a good
breakfast to witness the pleasure and satisfaction which I had been the means of diffusing
through the camp. The repast was ready at
length, and we did full justice to it; every man
ate till he was filled, and all pronounced it one
of the most delicious meals they had ever assisted in demolishing. When our breakfast was
concluded, but little of the colt remained; that
little was, however, carefully packed up and de



60       FIRESIDE  READING.
posited on one of the horses, to furnish at least
a portion of another meal.
"In the afternoon of the same day, after a
long march, we procured three small salmon
firom some Indians who were fishing on the
Mallade river; and these, cooked along with a
grouse, a beaver, and the remains of the pony,
made a very savory mess. While we were eating, we were visited by a Snake chief, a large
and powerful man, of a peculiarly-dignified aspect and manner. He was naked, with the exception of a small blanket, which covered his
shoulders, and descended to the middle of the
back, being fastened around the neck with a
silver skewer. As it was pudding time with us,
our visitor was of course invited to sit down and
eat; and he, nothing loth, deposited himself at
once upon the ground, and made a remarkablyvigorous assault upon the mixed contents of the
dish. He had not eaten long, however, before
we perceived a sudden and inexplicable change
in his countenance, which was instantly followed
by a violent ejectment of a huge mouthful of
our luxurious fare. The man rose slowly and
with great dignity to his feet, and pronouncing
the single word shekum-horse —in a tone of
mingled anger and disgust, stalked rapidly out
of the camp, not even wishing us a good evening. It struck me as a singular instance of ac



EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    61
curacy and discrimination in the organs of taste.
We had been eating of the multifarious compound without being able to recognize by the
taste a single ingredient which it contained; a
stranger came among us, who did not know,
when he commenced eating, that the dish was
formed of more than one item, and yet in less
than five minutes he discovered one of the very
least of its component parts."
The neighborhood of these Snake Indians was
not very agreeable, for many reasons.  Mr.
Townsend paid a visit to their camp, and the
description he gives of it does not lead one to
conceive a high idea of savage life. "Early in
the morning," he says, "I strolled into the
Snake camp. It consists of about thirty lodges
or wigwams, formed generally of branches of
trees tied together in conic summit, and covered
with buffalo, deer, or elk skins. Men and little
children were lolling about the ground all around
the wigwams, together with a heterogeneous
assemblage of dogs, cats, some tamed prairie
wolves, and other varmints. The dogs growled
and snapped when I approached, the wolves
cowered and looked cross, and the cats ran away
and hid themselves in dark corners. They had
not been accustomed to the face of a white man,
and all the quadrupeds seemed to regard me as
some monstrous production, more to be feared




62       FIRESIDE  READING.
than loved or courted. This dislike, however,
did not appear to extend to the bipeds, for
many of every age and sex gathered around me,
and seemed to be examining me critically in all
directions. The men looked complacently at
me, the women, the dear creatures, smiled upon
me, and the little naked, pot-bellied children
crawled around my feet, examining the fashion
of my hard shoes, and playing with the long
fringes of my leathern inexpressibles. But I
scarcely know how to commence a description
of the camp, or to frame a sentence which will
give an adequate idea of the extreme filth and
horrific nastiness of the whole vicinity.
"Immediately as I entered the village, my
olfactories were assailed by the most vile and
mephitic odors, which I found to proceed chiefly
from great piles of salmon entrails and garbage,
which were lying festering and rotting in the
sun around the very doors of the habitations.
Fish, recent and half-dried, were scattered all
over the ground under the feet of the dogs,
wolves, and children; and others which had
been split, were hanging on rude platforms,
erected within the precincts of the camp. Some
of the women were making their breakfast of
the great red salmon eggs, as large as peas, and
using a wooden spoon to convey them to their
mouths.  Occasionally, also, by way of varying




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.    63
the repast, they would take a huge pinch of
a drying fish, which was lying on the ground
near them. Many of the children were similarly employed, and the little imps would also
have hard contests with the dogs for a favorite
morsel, the former roaring and blubbering, the
latter yelping and snarling, and both rolling
over and over together upon the savory soil.
The whole economy of the lodges, and the inside and outside appearance, was of a piece
with every thing else about them-filthy beyond
description; the very skins which covered the
wigwams were black and stiff with rancid salmon
fat, and the dresses-if dresses they may be
called-of the women were of the same color and
consistence, from the same cause. These dresses
are little square pieces of deer-skin, fastened
with a thong around the loins, and reaching
about half way to the knees; the rest of the
person is entirely naked. Some of the women
had little children clinging like bullfrogs to
their backs, without being fastened, and in that
situation extracting their lactiferous sustenance
from the breast, which was thrown over the
shoulders. It is almost needless to say that I
did not remain long in the Snake camp; for, although I had been a considerable time estranged
from the abodes of luxury, and had become
somewhat accustomed to at least a partial as



64        FIRESIDE  READING.
similation to a state of nature, yet I was not prepared for what I saw here. I never had fancied
any thing so utterly abominable, and was glad
to escape to a purer and more wholesome atmosphere."
The party again toiled on, every day's march
bringing them sensibly nearer the end of their
journey.
" About noon of the 3d of September we struck
the Walla Walla river, a pretty stream of fifty
or.sixty yards in width, fringed with tall willows, and containing a number of salmon, which
we can see frequently leaping from the water.
The pasture here being good, we allowed our
horses an hour's rest to feed, and then traveled
over the plain till near dark, when, on ascending a sandy hill, the noble Columbia burst upon
our view. I could scarcely repress a loud exclamation of delight and pleasure as I gazed
upon the magnificent river flowing silently and
majestically on, and reflected that I had actually crossed the vast American continent, and
now stood upon a stream that poured its waters
directly into the Pacific.  This then was the
great Oregon, the first appearance of which
gave Lewis and Clark so many emotions of joy
and pleasure, and on this stream our indefatigable countrymen wintered after the toils and
privations of a long and protracted journey




EXCURSION TO OREGON.             65
through the wilderness. My reverie was suddenly interrupted by one of the men exclaiming from his position in advance,'There is the
fort.' We had in truth approached very near
without being conscious of it.  There stood
the fort on the bank of the river; horses and
horned cattle were roaming about the vicinity,
and on the borders of' the little Walla Walla we
recognized the white tent of our long-lost missionaries. These we soon joined, and were met
and received by them like brethren. Mr. Nuttall and myself were invited to sup with them
upon a dish of stewed hares which they had just
prepared, and it is almost needless to say that
we did full justice to the good men's cookery.
They told us that they had traveled comfortably
from  Fort Hall without any unusual fatigue,
and like ourselves had no particularly-stirring
adventures.  Their route, although  somewhat
longer, was a much less toilsome and difficult
one, and they suffered but little for want of
food, being well provided with dried buffalo
meat, which had been prepared near Fort HIall."
At Walla Walla the party broke up into sections, some intending to reach Fort Vancouver
in one way, some in another. The missionaries
had engaged a large barge to convey them from
Walla Walla directly to Vancouver, down the
Columbia river, and Mr. Townsend and Mr.
5             B




66        FIRESIDE  READING.
Nuttall were anxious to go along with them;
but as the barge could not contain so many,
they were obliged to travel on horseback to a
point about eighty miles farther down the river,
where Captain Wyeth engaged to wait for them
and procure canoes to convey them to Vancouver. In the course of their land journey
down the banks of the river, they passed a village of the Walla Walla Indians, a tribe so remarkable for their honesty and moral deportment, that their conduct and habits amidst great
privations shine in comparison with those of
Christian communities. The river in this part
is described as about three-quarters of a mile
wide-a clear, deep, and rapid stream.
Having reached the appointed spot on the
10th of September, the travelers found the Captain waiting with three canoes, each provided
with an Indian helmsman, and on the 11th they
embarked and commenced their voyage down
stream.  They had hardly set sail, however,
when the wind "rose to a heavy gale, and the
waves ran to a prodigious hight. At one moment our frail bark danced upon the crest of a
wave, and at the next fell with a surge into the
trough of the sea; and as we looked at the swell
before us, it seemed that in an instant we must
inevitably be ingulfed.  At such times the
canoe ahead of us was entirely hidden from




EXCURSION  TO OREGON.            67
view, but she was observed to rise again like
the seagull, and hurry on into the same danger.
The Indian in my canoe soon became completely
frightened: he frequently hid his face with his
hands, and sang in a low, melancholy voice a
prayer which we had often heard from his people while at their evening devotions. As our
dangers were every moment increasing, the man
became at length absolutely childish, and with
all our persuasion and threats we could not induce him to lay his paddle into the water. We
were all soon compelled to put in shore, which
we did without sustaining any damage; the
boats were hauled up high and dry, and we
concluded to remain in our quarters till next
day, or till there was a cessation of the wind.
In about an hour it lulled a little, and Captain
Wyeth ordered the boats to be again launched,
in the hope of being able to weather a point
about five miles below before the gale again
commenced, where we could lie by till it should
be safe to proceed.  The calm proved, as some
of us had suspected, a treacherous one; in a
very few minutes. after we got under way, we
were contending with the same difficulties as
before, and again our cowardly helmsman laid
by his paddle and began mumbling his prayer.
It was too irritating to be borne.  Our canoe
had swung round broadside to the surge, and




68        FIRESIDE  READING.
was shipping gallons on gallons of water at
every dash.
"At this time it was absolutely necessary that
every man on board should exert himself to the
utmost to head up the canoe and make the shore
as soon as possible. Our Indian, however, still
sat with his eyes covered, the most abject and
contemptible-looking thing I ever saw.  We
took him by the shoulders, and threatened to
throw him overboard if he did not immediately
lend his assistance; we might as well have
spoken to a stone.  He was finally aroused,
however, by our presenting a loaded gun at his
breast. He dashed the muzzle away, seized his
paddle again, and worked with a kind of desperate and wild energy till he sank back in the
canoe completely exhausted. In the mean time
the boat had become half-full of water, shipping
a part of every surf that struck her; and as we
gained the shallows, every man sprang overboard, breast deep, and began hauling the canoe
to shore. This was even a more difficult task
than that of propelling her with oars; the water
still broke over her, and the bottom was a deep
kind of quicksand, in which we sank almost to
the knees at every step, the surf at the same
time dashing against us so violently as to throw
us repeatedly on our faces.  We at length
reached the shore, and hauled the canoe up out




EXCURSION TO OREGON.              69
of reach of the breakers.  She was then unloaded as soon as possible, and turned bottom
upward. The goods had suffered considerably
by the wetting; they were all unbaled, and
dried by a large fire which we built on the
shore. "
For two or three days they were tossed about
on the river, now attempting to make way, now
forced to land again, and always drenched to
the skin. The missionaries and their party, too,
who had set out in the barge from Walla Walla,
were in no better plight. On the 14th the three
canoes were again loaded, and again made the
attempt to proceed; but in a short while one of
them was stove, and another greatly damaged,
so that they had to be unloaded and drawn out
of the water. An effort was now made to procure one or two canoes with a pilot from an Indian village five miles below. This proved a
hazardous and fatiguing journey; but was rewarded by getting one canoe and several Indians to assist in the navigation.  With this
reinforcement, and with the boats mended, the
party again attempted the descent of the river.
The voyage this time was more fortunate, and
next day they all arrived at the fort, which was
the end of their journey across the wilderness.
The time occupied in this dangerous expedition
had been six months and three days.  Un



70       FIRESIDE READING.
harmed by fatigue or accident, with a constitution strengthened by healthful exercise, and
a mind buoyant with the novelty of the scenes
they had passed through, the travelers felt sincerely thankful to that kind and overruling
Providence which had watched over and protected them.




65 ttut Of Vout Nlantr
\/[ONT BLANC, as is generally known, is the
highest peak of the Alps, and the loftiest
ground in Europe, being fifteen thousand, six
hundred and sixty-six feet above the level of
the sea. It is situated in the duchy of Savoy,
now a part of the kingdom of Sardinia, in a
range of mountains between Sardinia and Turin,
and rises immediately above the narrow valley
of Chamounix, from which place alone is the ascent to the summit ever made. Though Chimborazo is between six and seven thousand feet
higher than Mont Blanc, it only rises eleven
thousand, six hundred feet above the neighboring valley of Quito; in this respect Mont Blanc
may be considered as a more remarkable mountain, as it rises twelve thousand, three hundred
feet above the valley of Chamounix, the whole
of which vast hight can be scanned at once from
the opposite eminences.  For seven thousand
feet below the top Mont Blanc is perpetually
covered with ice and snow. The distance from
71




72       FIRESIDfE IREADING.
the bottom to the top, by the shortest route
which can be pursued, is considered by the
guides as eighteen leagues, or fifty-four miles.
Speaking with precision, Mont Blanc is only
the most eminent of a range of peaks springing
from a vast extent of eminent ground on the
south side of the valley of Chamounix. When
the traveler enters the valley on the opposite
side at an eminence called the Col de Balme,
this range. coming at once into view, oppresses
his imagination with a vastness unexpected even
in that land of Alpine grandeur.  While the
vale below smiles with the most luxuriant vegetation, the sides of the hills are clothed, for a
considerable way up, with dark and dense forests, and higher still, with the accumulated hoariness of centuries.
To attain the summit of a mountain so lofty
as Mont Blanc, was long an object of ambition,
both to the native peasantry and to men of
science, before any one was so fortunate as to
effect it. It was first tried in 1762, again in
1775, and on four occasions down to 1786, without success. At length, in the year last mentioned-Sth August-this difficult enterprise was
accomplished by Dr. Paccard, a native of Chaniounix, in company with a guide named Balma.
The mountain was ascended in the succeeding
year by M. de Saussure, who gave to the learned




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    73
world a very minute account of all the phenomena which., he observed in the course of the expedition. Another attempt in the same year,
one in 1791, a third in 1802, were the only successful attempts down to 1812, when a Hamburg
gentleman, named Rodatz, gained the summit.
From that time till 1827, seven successful attempts were made, besides one of the contrary
description in 1820, which was cut short by the
descent of an avalanche, and the loss of three
of the guides.  In August, 1827, the ascent
was performed by Mr. John Auldjo, of Trinity
College, Cambridge, who published an account
of it, illustrated by maps and drawings.  In
1830 Captain Wilbraham made a successful ascent; and in 1834 another was performed by
Dr. Martin Barry, who likewise gave an account
of his adventures and observations to the world.
This last ascent was performed on the 17th of
September, a week later in the year than any
preceding ascent, and considered on that account
as more than usually dangerous. A few weeks
still later, a French gentleman, having been informed that no countryman of his had ever
made the ascent, while it had been made by
eleven Englishmen, besides several natives of
other countries, determined instantly to wipe
away this imaginary reproach upon the fair
fame of his country, and the consequence was



74        FIRESIDE  READING.
success, at the expense of his feet, which were
destroyed by the cold.
Those who wish to ascend Mont Blanc, have
to provide themselves at Chamounix with a
party of guides, six or eight in number, the necessary clothing and accouterments, and provisions for three days. The guides of Chamounix
are a remarkably-intelligent, sagacious, and enterprising class of men.  One named Coutet,
who ascended with Dr. Barry for the ninth
time, has been spoken of by various travelers
as a most spirited, and, in every respect, estimable person. Immediately after a narrow escape, which he made in 1820, from an avalanche
which had destroyed three of his companions,
he exclaimed to the gentleman who had engaged
him:'Now, sir, for the summit!' The proposal, as may be imagined, was declined; but
there could be no doubt, from the earnestness
of his manner, that he would have proceeded at
whatever risk. He had, on this occasion, expressed some fears as to the propriety of making the attempt at so unfavorable a period of
the day, and thus excited a suspicion that he
wished to secure his hire without performing the
full service. Having perceived this suspicion in
his employer, he wished to prove that, even after
his fears had been in some degree fatally realized, he was still willing to fulfill his contract.




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    75
Most of the Chamounix guides are ambitious of
the distinction to be obtained by climbing Mont
Blanc; but, from a sense of the extreme danger
of the enterprise, their female relatives exercise
all possible influence to prevent them from undertaking the task. We have been informed by
one of the gentlemen who most reverently performed the enterprise, that the expenses, in all,
amounted to between ~40 and ~50.
When Mr. Auldjo ascended in August, 1827,
he spent the whole morning in crossing the
lower and vegetating portion of the mountain.
On approaching the glacier at the commencement of the upper and snowy stage, he thought
that it would be impossible to enter upon it, " or
at all events to proceed any great distance along
it, from the masses of ice which are piled on one
another, and the deep and wide fissures which
every moment intersect the path pointed out
as that which is about to be proceeded in.
Here," says Mr. Auldjo, "the skill and knowledge of the guide is shown; the quickness and
ease with which he discovers a practicable part
is quite extraordinary; he leads the way over
places where one would believe it impossible for
human foot to tread. We passed along the remains of innumerable avalanches, which had
long been accumulating, and formed a most uneven and tiresome footway. An extended plain




76       FIRESIDE  READING.
of snow now presented itself, here and there
covered with masses of broken ice; sometimes
a beautiful tower of that substance raised its
blue form, and seemed to mock the lofty-pointed
rocks above it; sometimes an immense block, its
perpendicular form broken into pinnacles, now
bearing a mass of snow, now supporting long
and clear icicles, looked like some castle, on
whose dilapidated walls the ivy, hanging its
clustering beauty, or lying in rich and dark
luxuriance, was, by the wand of some fairy,
changed into the bright matter which now comnposed it."
In these lower parts of the mountain, the
chief danger is from avalanches, which, however, are most apt to fall in the afternoon when
the sun has operated in loosening the huge
masses of superincumbent ice. On advancing
a little farther, Mr. Auldjo found equal danger
in threading his way along and across the numerous fissures and crevices which are constantly to be found in the vast, icy mantle of
Mont Blanc, in consequence of the slipping of
portions of it to the lower places along the declivity. Tied together in threes by a piece of
rope, so as to diminish the chance of being precipitated into these openings, and after having
sworn to be faithful to each other in all dangers, Mr. Auldjo and his guides entered upon




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    77
this perilous part of their march.  "We were
surrounded," says he, "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 barriers to our proceeding;
yet some part was found where steps could be
cut out by 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 vain 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
one side, and scaling the slippery precipice on
the other. No men could be in higher spirits
than my guides, laughing, singing, and joking;
but when we came to such passes, the grave, serious look which took the place of the smiling
countenance was a sure indication of great danger: the moment we were safely by it, the smile
returned, and every one vied in giving amusement to the other.... A large mass of ice
now opposed our progress: we passed it by
climbing up its glassy sides. It formed a bridge
over a fissure of great width, which would have
otherwise put an end to our expedition. After




78       FIRESIDE  READING.
winding 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 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 center gave way, and fell
into the gulf; however, enough remained on
each side to form supports for the ends of these
poles, and nine of them made a narrow bridge,
requiring great precaution and steadiness to
traverse. Other crevices were passed over on
bridges of snow too weak to allow 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 Auldjo and




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    79
his 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 hight,
to which there was only one perilous approach,
by means of a promontory projecting from the
side on which the party stood. Coutet cut steps
in the wall with his hatchet, and thus enabled
the party to climb over it. When Dr. Barry
came to the same place, Coutet had to cut and
climb his way for a considerable distance along
the front of an equally-terrific wall, and then
to climb up to the top, to which, by means of
ropes, he pulled up the rest. After ascending
the wall Mr. Auldjo's route lay for some distance along the top, which was very narrow,
and inclined in each direction toward unfathomable gulfs. " Taking my steps," says he, " 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 toward the lower one: I cried out, but
the guides who 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 lower crevice, one hand grasping firmly
the pole, the other my hat. The guides called




80        FIRESIDE  READING.
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 till I was close to them
and in safety. The reason for this proceeding
is obvious. IHad they attempted, on the bad
and uncertain footing in which they stood, to
check me at the first gliding, they might have
lost their own balance, and our destruction
would have followed; but by fixing themselves
firmly in the cut step, and securing themselves
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
travelers 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. Dr. Barry here found the
air at forty of Fahrenheit, so that there was no
suffering from cold. This gentleman, awaking
at midnight, drew himself forth from the tent,
and beheld a scene of unexampled magnificence
and impressiveness.  "It was," says he, "a




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    81
brilliant night. The full moon had risen over
the summit of the mountain, and shone resplendent on the glazed surface of its snowy covering. The guides were sleeping. Thus, in the
midnight hour, at an elevation of ten thousand
feet, I stood-alone: my resting-place a pinnacle of rock, that towered darkly over the
frozen wilderness above which it, isolated, rose.
Below me lay, in the wildest confusion, the colossal masses of ice weo had been climbing, and
whose dangers we had narrowly escaped  around
and above was a sea of fair but treacherous
snow, whose hidden perils we had yet to encounter.  The Jura Mountains, and many an
unknown peak of Switzerland, seen dimly in
the distance, gave me an earnest of the prospect from  still more elevated regions.  The
vale of Chamounix was sleeping at the foot of
the mountain: and, broken by the occasional
thunder of an avalanche, the profoundest silence
reigned. It seemed the vastest, sternest, sublimest of nature's imagery reposing-now starting as in a fitful dream-then sinking again
into the stillest calm. It held me till, at the
end of an hour and a half, a recollection of the
coming day's fatigues rendered it prudent again
to take repose."
Between the Grand Mulet and the base of
the summit expressly termed Mont Blanc, the
6            B




82         FIRESIDE  READING.
way zigzags along a vast ascending hollow,
broken by three plains of ice, the last and
largest of which is called the Grand Plateau.
This part of the journey is also obstructed by
fissures and the debris of avalanches -vast
masses, as formerly, being sometimes found
serving as bridges across the openings. At one
place, Mr. Auldjo and his party crossed a vast
chasm by a large and lofty block of ice, which
had stuck in it, and the side of which had to
be cut by the hatchet, to allow of places for the
feet and hands; so that the party passed along
as boys are sometimes observed to do on the
outside of the parapet of a bridge, with nothing, in the event of their falling, to save-them
from destruction. At another place, they came
to a chasm crossed by a hollow or pendulous
bridge of snow; and on this insecure place were
induced to breakfast, on account of the shelter
it afforded from the piercing wind which swept
over the ice. "In one moment," says the traveler, "without a chance of escape, the fall of
the bridge might have precipitated them into
the gulf beneath. Yet no such idea ever entered the imagination of my thoughtless but
brave guides, who sat at their meal singing End
laughing, either unconscious or regardless of
the danger of their present situation."
A little above the Grand Plateau, the traveler




ASCENT OF M ONT BLANC.    83
usually begins to feel intense thirst and great
dryness of the skin, while the reflection of the
sun's rays from the glittering snow can only be
endured by the use of green spectacles, or a
green vail. The ascent along the upper ridges
to the top is extremely difficult, partly on account of the greater steepness, and partly owing
to the phenomena arising from natural circumstances. "We had now reached an elevation
where I had to verify the testimony of preceding
travelers, by experiencing the exhaustion consequent on any slight exertion, in an atmosphere whose density is so exceedingly reduced.
Only a few steps could now be taken at a time,
and these became fewer and slower. Two or
three deep inspirations appeared sufficient at each
pause to enable me to proceed; but on making
the attempt, I found the exhaustion returned as
before. Slight faintness came on, so that I had
at last to sit down for a few minutes; when, a
little wine having been taken, one more effort
was made, and at a quarter past two o'clock we
stood on the highest summit." Such were the
sensations of Dr. Barry. Mr. Auldjo seems to
have been in a still more distressed condition.
"I was exhausted; the weakness of my legs
had become excessive; I was nearly choking
from the dryness of my throat and the difficulty
of breathing, and my head was almost bursting




84      FIRESIDE  READING.
with pain. My eyes were smarting with inflammation; the reflection from the snow nearly
blinding me, at the same time burning and blistering my face." This gentleman desired to
proceed no farther; but his guides generously
resolved to drag him up, rather than permit him
to be disappointed.
" After a few minutes of rest on the summit,
all the exhaustion, faintness, and indifference
had ceased: the mountain-top was gained-the
dangers of the descent were not for a moment
considered-and it was with a thrill of exultation, never felt before, that I addressed myself
to the contemplation of the prospect around and
beneath. The range of sight, though limited by
mountain-chains in various directions, comprehends nearly the whole of Sardinia, [Savoy and
Piedmont,] the western half of Switzerland, onethird of Lombardy, and an eighth of France.
This immense space is of an oval shape; its
longitudinal form extending from Mont Morran,
in France, on the north-west, to the neighborhood of Genoa, on the south-east; having Berne
and Milan on the one hand, Lyon and Grenoble
on the other. In a north-west direction lie the
plains of France; in the south-east, those of
Lombardy and Piedmont: a mountainous tract
containing all the Pennine and part of the
Rhetian Alps, with the whole chain of Jura,




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    85
forming the space between.  But there are
directions in which the prospect is still more
extended-for example, the mountains of Tuscany may be distinctly seen..... All this was
beheld under a sky literally without a cloud."
De Saussure and Dr. Barry kindled fires on the
summit of Mont Blanc.  The extreme rarity
of the air, which rendered the breathing so
difficult, also made it no easy matter to kindle
and keep alive the fire, oxygen being in both
cases defective.  Without the unceasing application of bellows, De Saussure found the charcoal expire every minute. The boiling-point of
water in this elevated situation was found by De
Saussure to be 187 degrees Fahrenheit, being,
as we need scarcely remark, 25 degrees below
the point at which it boils on ordinary levels.
The rarity of the air also diminishes the effects
of sound.  A  pistol fired makes no greater
noise than a cracker usually does.  This is
partly owing to the effect of the rarity diminishing the tone and force of the vibration, and
partly from the absence of all echo and repercussion from solid objects on that elevated
summit.
In consequence of the greater distance from
the center of attraction, bodies feel sensibly
lighter on the top of Mont Blanc. To quote
the words of Auldjo: " The most peculiar sensa



86      FIRESIDE  READING.
tion which all have felt who have gained this
great hight, arises from the awful 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 color 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 sensation of lightness of body, of which
Captain Sherwill 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.'" It is proper to mention, that Dr.
Barry accounts for the blackness of the sky by
the simultaneous reception by the eye of rays
from the snow: having lain down upon his back,
and excluded all view of the snow, the natural
hue was in a great measure restored.
This last -gentleman left the summit at halfpast three o'clock, and spent the night on the
Grand Mulet. 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




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    87
variation in their ascending route, they had
escaped a slip 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.  "I can not," says he, "describe
my feelings when I saw the poor guides turn
pale and tremble at the sight of the danger
from which they had escaped. Clasping their
hands together, they returned the most heart-felt
thanks for this deliverance. A deep impressive
silence prevailed for some moments: the contemplation of this danger and escape was too
much for even these uncultivated beings, under
whose rough character are found feelings which
would do honor to the most refined of their
fellow-creatures..... One married man vowed
most solemnly that he never would be tempted
to make the ascent again, whatever might be
the inducement offered."
In crossing the plateaux, Mr. Auldjo and his
party suffered greatly from burning heat, and
also from the toilsomeness 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 perils, as an
individual in attempting it is liable to overshoot




88       FIRESIDE READING.
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 Mulet, perplexed
by the storm, they lost their way, and soon
found themselves 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
overhanging 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
endeavor 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,
increasing every instant, compelled us to seek
some place in the glacier in which we could obtain shelter; following the footmarks of the
guides who had gone forward, we succeeded in
finding a recess, formed by the projection of a
part of the glacier over a narrow ledge in the
side of the 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




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    89
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 dangerous. The tempest raged with the most awful
fury; the gusts of wind sweeping through the
chasm with tremendous violence, the pelting
showers of hail, accompanied by the most vivid
lightning, and peals of thunder, alternating with
a perfect calm, were enough to appall 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 had 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.




90        FIRESIDE  READING.
"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
glacier down upon me. I was drawn on the
neck of ice, and sat down till 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, endeavbred 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 attended to me in the kindest
manner. They desired me to stand up, and
forming a circle, in the center 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




ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.    91
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.
In 1851, some English were successful in ascending to the top of Mont Blanc, but with
risks as great as those. above related, and apparently for no other purpose than the satisfying
of that spirit of adventure and curiosity which
is so remarkable in our countrymen.




III.
Aarratte  Df  ittnos at (3lrf&hIt 3Jsanu,
tFlAR distant from the many other islands
with which the Southern Pacific Ocean is
studded, one stands alone, rich in natural
beauty, and with a climate almost unrivaled.
Constantly fanned by cool breezes from the
sea, its green hills and deep ravines abound in
graceful pines and shady fern-trees. The wild
jasmin and convolvuli climb the stems, and
reach from tree to tree, forming bowers and
walls of exquisite beauty. The rich soil maintains a perpetually-luxuriant vegetation, and
birds of brightest plumage rejoice in groves of
the abundant guava, or amid the delicate blossoms of the golden lemon.
This lovely island was visited by Captainl
Cook in 1774, and named by him Norfolk
Island; it was then uninhabited, and the party
who landed were probably the first human
beings who had ever set foot on it. Neither
the vegetable nor the animal world had been
disturbed. For about two hundred yards from
92




SCENES  AT NORFOLK  ISLAND.  93
the shore, the ground was covered so thickly
with shrubs and plants as scarcely to be penetrable farther inland. The sea-fowl bred unmolested on the shores and cliffs. The account
given by Cook lei to an attempt at settlement
on Norfolk Island; but this was attended with
difficulty. The island is small, being only about
six.miles in length by four in breadth; and was,
thi6rife, unavailable for a large or increasing
population.  Lying nine hundred miles from
Port Jackson in Australia, it',was inconveniently
remote',from that country; and, worst of all,
its cliffy.and rocky shores present6d serious dangers tomariners attempting a landing.  There
are,, indeed, only three places at which boats
ean'effect a safe landing, and of these only with
certain wihds, and never in gales, which are freqhieint in this part of the globe. Its general
u. it;.bleness, however, for ordinary colonizati6.a was considered to ad it it as a penal settlemeni, subordinate to Ne  outh Wales, and to
which conviicts, could be sent who merited fresh
punishment-w.hile in course of servitude.  Thus,
one of the. loveliest of earthly paradises was
doomed toe.,a receptacle for the very worstor shall we e-l them  the most unfortunate and
most wretchd1iil~ malefactors. It might be
imagined that the be*ty of [Norfolk Island, and
the fineness of its climate, would greatly tend




94       FIRESIDE  READING.
to soothe the depraved minds of its unhappy
tenants, and reconcile them, if any thing could,
to compulsory expatriation.  That such effects
may be produced by considerate treatment, is
not improbable; but hitherto, or at least till a
late period, one sentiment has overruled all
others in the minds of the Norfolk Island convicts, and that has been a desire for restoration
to liberty. Impatient of control, and regardless of all consequences, they eagerly seize upon
every opportunity of making their escape-with
what fatal consequences let the following narrative bear witness. Written by a gentleman for
some time resident in Norfolk Island, and
handed to us for publication, as a warning to
" those who go astray," the whole may be relied
upon as a true relation of facts.
" On the northern side of Norfolk Island the
cliffs rise high, and are crowned by woods, in
which the elegant whitewood and gigantic pine
predominate. A slight indentation of the land
affords a somewhat sheltered anchorage ground,
and an opening in the cliffs has supplied a way
to the beach by a winding road at the foot of
the dividing hills. A stream of water, collected
from many ravines, finds its way by a similar
opening to a ledge of rock in the neighborhood,
and, falling over in feathery spray, has given
the name of Cascade to this part of the island.




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 95
Off this bay, on the morning of the 21st of
June, 1842, the brig Governor Philip was sailing, having brought stores for the use of the
penal establishment. It was one of those bright
mornings which this hemisphere alone knows,
when the air is so elastic that its buoyancy is
irresistibly communicated to the spirits. At the
foot of the cliff, near a group of huge fragments
of rock fallen from the overhanging cliffs, a
prisoner was sitting close to the sea preparing
food for his companions, who had gone off to
the brig the previous evening with ballast, and
who were expected to return at daylight with a
load of stores.  The surface of the sea was
smooth, and the brig slowly moved on upon its
soft blue waters. Every thing was calm and
still, when suddenly a sharp but distant sound
as of a gun was heard. The man, who was
stooping over the fire, started on his feet, and
looked above acnd around him, unable to distinguish the quarter from whence the report came.
Almost immediately he heard the sound repeated, and then distinctly perceived smoke
curling from the vessel's side. His fears were
at once excited. Again he listened; but all
was hushed, and the brig still stood steadily in
toward the shore. Nearer and nearer she approached; till, alarmed for her safety, the man
ran to summon the nearest officer. By the time




96       FIRESIDE  READING.
they returned, the vessel had wore, and was
standing off from the land; but while they remained in anxious speculation as to the cause
of all this, the firing was renewed on board, and
it was evident that some deadly fray was going
on. At length a boat was seen to put off from
the brig, and upon its reaching the shore, the
worst fears of the party were realized.  The
misguided prisoners on board had attempted to
seize the vessel. They were but twelve in number, unarmed, and guarded by twelve soldiers
and a crew of eighteen men; yet they had succeeded in gaining possession of the vessel, had
held it for a time, but had been finally overpowered, and immediate help was required for the
wounded and dying.
July 21, 1842.-My duty as a clergyman
called me to the scene of blood. When I arrived on the deck of the brig, it exhibited a
frightful spectacle. One man, whose head was
blown to atoms, was lying near the forecastle.
Close by his side a body was stretched, the face
of which was covered by a cloth, as if a sight
too ghastly to be looked upon; for the upper
half of the head had been blown off. Not far
from these, a man badly wounded was lying on
the deck, with others securely handcuffed. Forward, by the companion-hatch, one of the mutineers was placed, bleeding most profusely from




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 97
a wound which had shattered his thigh; yet his
look was more dreadful than all-hate, passion,
and disappointed rage rioted in his breast, and
were deeply marked in his countenance.  I
turned away from the wretched man, and my
eye shrunk from the sight which again met it.
Lying on his back in a pool of blood, the muscular frame of a man whom I well knew was
stretched, horribly mutilated. A ball had entered his mouth, and passing through his skull,
had scattered his brains around. My heart sickened at the extent of carnage, and I was almost
sinking with the faintness it produced, when I
was roused by a groan so full of anguish and
pain, that for a long time afterward its echo
seemed to reach me. I found that it came from
a man lying farther forward, on whose face the
death-dew was standing, yet I could perceive no
wound. Upon questioning him, he moved his
hand from his breast, and I then perceived that
a ball had pierced his chest, and could distinctly
hear the air rushing from his lungs through the
orifice it had left. I tore away the shirt, and
endeavored to hold together the edges of the
wound till it was bandaged. I spoke to him of
prayer, but he soon grew insensible, and within
a short time died in frightful agony. In every
part of the vessel evidences of the attempt
which had ended so fatally presented them7             B




98        FIRESIDE  READING.
selves, and the passions of the combatants were
still warm. After attending those who required
immediate assistance, I received the following
account of the affair:
The prisoners had slept the previous night in
a part of the vessel appropriated for this purpose; but it was without fastening, or other
means of securing them below. Two sentries
were, however, placed over the hatchway. The
prisoners occasionally came on deck during the
night, for their launch was towing astern, and
the brig was standing off and on till the morning. Between six and seven o'clock in the
morning the men were called to work. Two of
them were up some time before the rest. They
were struck by the air of negligence which was
evident on deck, and instantly communicated
the fact to one or two others. The possibility
of capturing the brig had often been discussed
by the prisoners, among their many other wild
plans for escaping from the island, and recently
had been often proposed by them. The thought
was told by their looks, and soon spread from
man to man. A few moments were enough;
one or two were roused from sleep, and the irrtention was hurriedly communicated to them.
It was variously received. One of them distrusted the leader, and entreated his companions
to desist from so mad an attempt. It was use



SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 99
less; the frenzied thirst for liberty had seized
them, and they were maddened by it.  Within
a few minutes they were all on deck; and one
of the leaders rushing at the sentry nearest to
him, endeavored to wrest from him his pistols,
one of which had flashed in the pan as he rapidly presented it, and threw him overboard; but
he was subsequently saved. The arms of the
other sentry were demanded, and obtained from
him  without resistance.  A  scuffle now  took
place with two other soldiers who were also on
the deck, but not on duty, during which one
of them jumped over the vessel's side, and remained for some time in the main chains; but
upon the launch being brought along side, he
went down into it. The other endeavored to
swim ashore-for by this time the vessel was
within a gun-shot of the rocks-but, incumbered by his great-coat, he was seen, when
within a few strokes of the rock, to raise his
hands, and uttering a faint cry to Heaven for
mercy, he instantly sunk. In the mean while,
the sergeant in charge of the guard hearing the
scuffling overhead, ran upon deck, and seeing
some of the mutineers struggling with the sentry, shot the nearest of them dead on the spot.
He had no sooner done so than he received a
blow on the head, which rendered him for some
time insensible.  Little or no resistance was




100      FIRESIDE READING.
offered by the sailors; they ran into the forecastle, and the vessel was in the hands of the mutineers. All the hatches were instantly fastened
down, and every available thing at hand piled
upon them.  But now, having secured their opponents, the mutineers were unable to work the
brig; they therefore summoned two of the
sailors from below, and placed one of them at
the wheel, while the other was directed to assist
in getting the vessel off. The cockswain, a free
man in charge of the prisoners, had at the first
onset taken to the rigging, and remained in the
maintop with one of the men who refused to
join in the attack. At this moment a soldier
who had gone overboard, and endeavored to
reach the shore, had turned back, and was seen
swimming near the vessel. Woolfe, one of the
convicts, immediately jumped into the boat
along side, and saved him. While this was the
state of things above, the soldiers had forced
their way into the captain's cabin, and continued to fire through the gratings overhead as
often as any of the mutineers passed. In this
manner several of them received wounds. To
prevent a continuance of this, a kettle of hot
water was poured from above, and shortly afterward a proposal was made to the captain from
the prisoners to leave the vessel in the launch,
provided he handed up to them the necessary




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 101
supplies. This he refused, and then all the
sailors were ordered from below into the launch,
with the intention of sending them ashore.
Continuing to watch for the ringleaders, the
captain caught a glimpse of one of them standing aft, and, as he supposed, out of reach.  lIe
mounted the cabin table, and almost at a venture fired through the woodwork in the direction he supposed the man to be standing. The
shot was fatal; the ball struck him'in the mouth,
and passed through his brain. Terrified at the
death of their comrades, the remainder were
panic-struck, and instantly ran below. One of
the leaders sprung over the tafferel, and eventually reached the launch.  The sailor at the
wheel, now seeing the deck almost cleared, beckoned up the captain, and, without an effort, the
vessel was again in their possession. In the
confusion, a soldier who had been in the boat,
and was at this moment with the sailors returning on deck, was mistaken for one of the mutineers, and shot by the sergeant.  The prisoners were now summoned from their place of
concealment.  They begged hard for mercy;
and, upon condition of their quietly surrendering, it was promised to them. As the first of
them, in reliance upon this assurance, was gaining the deck, by some unhappy error he received
a ball in his thigh, and fell back again. The




102      FIRESIDE READING.
rest refused to stir; but after a few moments'
hesitation, another of them ventured up, was
taken aft by the captain, and secured. A third
followed, and as he came up, he extended his
arms, and cried, "I surrender; spare me."
Either this motion was mistaken by the soldiers,
or some of them were unable to restrain their
passion, for at this instant the man's head was
literally blown off. The captain hastened to the
spot and received the others, who were secured
without further injury.
When we reached the vessel, the dying, dead,
and wounded were lying in every direction.
In the launch astern, we saw the body of one
wretched man who had leaped over the tafferel,
and reached the boat badly wounded; he was
seen lying in it when the deck was regained,
and was then pierced through with many balls.
Nothing could be more horrible than his appearance; the distortion of every feature, his
clinched hands, and the limbs which had stiffened in the forms of agony into which pain had
twisted them, were appalling. The countenance
of every man on board bore evidence of the nature of the deadly conflict in which he had been
engaged.  In some, sullenness had succeeded
to reckless daring, and exultation to alarm in
others.
Nothing could have been more desperate than




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 103
such an attempt to seize the vessel. The most
culpable neglect could alone have encouraged
it; and it is difficult to conceive how it could
have succeeded, if any thing like a proper stand
had been made by those in charge of her when
it commenced.
The wounded were immediately landed, and
conveyed to the hospital, and the dead bodies
were afterward brought on shore.
The burial-ground is close to the beach. A
heavy surf rolls mournfully over the reef. The
moon had just risen, when, in deep and solemn
silence, the bodies of these misguided men were
lowered into the graves prepared for them.
Away from home and country, they had found
a fearful termination of a miserable existence.
Perhaps ties had still bound them to the world;
friends whom they loved were looking for their
return, and prodigals though they had been,
would have blessed them, and forgiven their
offenses. Perhaps even at that sad moment
mothers were praying for their lost ones, whom
in all their infamy they had still fondly loved.
Such thoughts filled my mind; and when a few
drops of rain at that moment descended, I could
not help thinking that they fell as tears from
heaven over the guilt and misery of its children.
On the morning following the fatal occurrence, I visited the jail in which the mutineers




104       FIRESIDE  READING.
were confined. The cells are small, but clean
and light. In the first of them I found George
Beavers, Nicholas Lewis, and Henry Sears.
Beavers was crouching in one corner of the
cell, and looking sullen, and in despair. Lewis,
who was walking the scanty space of the cell,
seemed to glory in the rattle of his heavy
chains; while Sears was stretched apparently
asleep upon a grass mat. They were all heavily
ironed, and every precaution had evidently been
taken to prevent escape.
The jail is small, and by no means a secure
one. It was once a public house; and notwithstanding every effort to adapt it to its present
purpose, it is not a safe or proper place of confinement. It is little calculated to resist any
attempt to rescue the men, whose daring conduct was the subject of high encomium among
-their fellow-prisoners, by whom any attempt to
escape is considered a meritorious act. In the
other cell I found Woolfe and Barry, the latter
in much agony from an old wound in the leg,
the pain of which had been aggravated by the
heavy irons which galled it. All the prisoners,
except Barry and Woolfe, readily acknowledged
their participation in the attempt to seize the
brig; but most solemnly denied any knowledge
of a preconcerted plan to take her; or that
they, at least, had attempted to throw the sol



SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 105
diers overboard. They were unwilling to be interrupted, and inveighed in the bitterest manner against some of their companions who had,
they seemed to think, betrayed them, or at least
had led them on, and at the moment of danger
had flinched.
The names of the surviving mutineers were
John Jones, Nicholas Lewis, Henry Sears,
George Beavers, James Woolfe, Thomas Whelan, and Patrick Barry.
The depositions against them having been
taken, all the men I have mentioned, with the
exception of Jones and Whelan, who were
wounded, were brought to hear them read.
They listened with calm attention, but none of
them appeared to be much excited. Once only
during the reading, Beavers passionately denied
the statements made by one of the witnesses
present, and was with difficulty silenced. His
countenance at that moment was terribly agitated; every bad feeling seemed to mingle in its
passionate expression. They were all young,
powerful, and, with one or two exceptions, not
at all ill-looking men.
From the jail I proceeded to the hospital,
where the wounded men were lying. They had
each received severe wounds in the thigh, and
were in great agony. The violence of Jones
was excessive. Weakened in some degree by




106      FIRESIDE READI NG.
an immense loss of blood, the bitterness of his
spirit, nevertheless, exhibited itself in passionate
bursts of impatience.  He was occasionally convulsed with excessive pain; for the nerves of
the thigh had been much lacerated, and the
bone terribly shattered.  His features were distorted with pain and anger, and occasionally
bitter curses broke from his lips; yet there was
something about his appearance which powerfully arrested my attention-an evident marking of intellect and character, repulsive in its
present development, yet in many respects remarkable. His history had been a melancholy
one, and, as illustrative of many thousand
others, I give it as I afterward received it from
his lips.
At eleven years of age he was employed in
a warehouse in Liverpool as an errand boy.
While following this occupation, from which by
good conduct he might have risen to something
better, he was met in the street one day by the
lad whom he had succeeded in this employment,
and was told by him how he might obtain money
by robbing the warehouse, and then go with him
to the theater.  He accordingly took an opportunity of stealing some articles which had been
pointed out, and gave them to his companion,
who, in disposing of them, was detected, and,
of course, criminated Jones.  After remaining




SCENES AT NORFOLK  ISLAND. 107
some weeks in jail, Jones was tried and acquitted; but his character being now gone, he became reckless, and commenced a regular career
of depredation. In attempting another warehouse robbery, he was detected, and sentenced
to twelve months' imprisonment. By the time
he was released from this, he was well tutored
in crime, and believed that he could now adroitly
perform the same robbery in which he had previously failed. He made the attempt the very
night of his release from jail, and with temporary success. Subsequently, however, he was
detected, and received sentence of transportation for seven years.  He underwent this sentence, and an additional one in Van Diemen's
Land, chiefly at Port Arthur, the most severe
of the penal stations there. From this place
he, with Lewis, Moss-who was shot on board
the brig-and Woolfe, having seized a whaleboat, effected  their  escape.   During  three
months they underwent the most extreme hardships from hunger and exposure. Once they
had been without food for several days, and
their last hook was over the boat's side; they
were anxiously watching for a fish. A small,
blue shark took the bait, and in despair one of
them dashed over the boat's side to seize the
fish; his leg was caught by one of the others,
and they succeeded in saving both man and




108      FIRESIDE  READING.
hook. They eventually reached Twofold Bay,
on the coast of New South Wales, and were
then apprehended, conveyed to Sydney, and
thence sent back to Van Diemen's Land; tried,
and received sentence of death; but this was
subsequently commuted to transportation for
life to Norfolk Island.
Jones often described to me the intense misery he had undergone during his career. He
had never known what freedom was, and yet
incessantly longed for it. All alike confessed
the unhappiness of their career. Having made
the first false step into crime, they acknowledged
that their minds became polluted by the associations they formed during imprisonment. Then
they were further demoralized by thinking of
the glory-such miserable glory!-attending a
trial; and the hulks and the voyage out gave
them a finished criminal training. The extent
of punishment many of them have undergone
during the period of transportation is almost
incredible. I have known men whose original
sentence of seven years has been extended over
three times that period, and who, in addition to
other punishment, have received five thousand
or six thousand lashes!
After many solemn interviews with the mutineers, I found them gradually softening. They
became more communicative, and extremely




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 109
anxious to receive instruction. I think I shall
never forget one of the earliest of these visits
to them. I first saw Sears, Beavers, and Jones.
After a long and interesting conversation with
them, we joined in that touching confession of sin
with which the liturgy of the Church of England
commences. As we kneeled together, I heard
them repeat with great earnestness-" We have
erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost
sheep," etc.  When we arose, I perceived that
each of them had been shedding tears. It was
the first time I had seen them betray any such
emotion, and I can not tell how glad I felt; but
when I proceeded afterward to read to them the
first chapter of Isaiah, I had scarcely uttered
that most exquisite passage in the second verse" I have nourished and brought up children, and
they have rebelled against nme"-when the
claims of God, and their violation and rejection
of them; his forbearance, and their ingratitude,
appeared to overwhelm them; they sobbed aloud,
and were thoroughly overpowered.
For a considerable time we talked together
of the past, the wretched years they had endured, the punishments, and the crimes which
had led to them, till they seemed to feel most
keenly the folly of their sad career. We passed
on to contrast the manner in which their lives
had been spent, with what God and society re,




110-     FIRESIDE  READING.
required from them; their miserable perversion
of God's gifts, with the design for which he
gave them, till we were led on to speak of hope
and of faith; of Him who " willeth not the
death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn
from his wickedness and live;" and then the
Savior's remonstrance seemed to arrest them"Ye will not come to me that ye might have
life "-till at length the influences of the Holy
Spirit were supplicated with earnestness and
solemnity. These instructions, and such conversation, were daily repeated; and henceforth
each time I saw them I perceived a gradual but
distinct unfolding of the affections and the understanding.
August.-The wounded men are much recovered, and the whole of the mutineers are
confined together in a large ward of the jail.
They have long received extreme kindness from
the commandant, and are literally bewildered
at finding that even this last act has not diminished the exercise of his benevolence. That
any body should care for them, or take such
pains about them after their violent conduct,
excited surprise-at first almost amounting to
suspicion-but this at length gave place to the
warmest gratitude. They were, in fact, subdued by it. They read very much, are extremely  submissive, and carefully avoid the




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND-. 111
slightest infringement of the prison regulations.
At first, all this was confined to the three men
I have mentioned; but their steady consistency
of conduct, and the strange transformation of
character so evident in them, gradually arrested
the attention of the others, and eventually led
to a similar result.
They will be detained here till the case has
been decided by the authorities in Sydney.
They will probably be tried by a commission
sent from thence to the island for the purpose.
Formerly, however, prisoners charged with capital offenses here were sent up for trial; but, it
is a horrible fact, this was found to lead to so
much crime, that, at much inconvenience and
expense, it was fouind absolutely necessary to
send down a judicial commission on each important occasion, in order to prevent it.  The
mere excitement of a voyage, with the chances
connected with it, nay, merely a wish to get off
the island, even for a time, led many men to
commit crimes of the deepest dye in order to be
sent to Sydney for trial.
Two months, therefore, at least must intervene between the perpetration of the offense
and their trial; and this interval is usually employed in similar cases in arranging a defense
but too commonly supported by perjury. In the
present instance, I found not the slightest




112      FIRESIDE  READING.
attempt to follow such a course. They declare
that they expect death, and will gladly welcome
it.  Of their life, which has been a course of
almost constant warfare with society, ending in
remorseful feelings, they are all thoroughly
weary, although only one of them exceeds thirty
years of age.
In addition to the ordinary services, Captain
Maconochie each Sunday afternoon has read
prayers to them, and has given permission to a
few of their friends to be present. Singular good
has resulted from it, both to the men and those
who join in their devotions. At the conclusion
of one of these services Sears stood up, and
with his heart so full as scarcely to allow him
utterance, to the surprise of every person there
he addressed most impressively the men who
were present. "'Perhaps," said he, "the words
of one of yourselves, unhappily circumstanced
as I am, may have some weight with you. You
all know the life I have led; it has, believe me,
been a most unhappy one; and I have, I hope
not too late, discovered the cause of this. I
solemnly tell you that it is because I have
broken God's laws. I am almost ashamed to
speak, but I dare not be silent. I am going to
tell you a strange thing. I never before was
happy; I begin now, for the first time in my
life, to hope. I am an ignorant man, or at least




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 113
I was so; but I thank God I begin to see things
in their right light now. I have been unhappily
placed from my childhood, and have endured
many hardships. I do not mention this to excuse my errors; yet if I had years since received the kindness I have done here, it might
have been otherwise. My poor fellows, do turn
over a new leaf; try to serve God, and you, too,
will be happier for it." The effect was most
thrilling; there was a death-like silence; tears
rolled down many cheeks, which I verily believe
never before felt them; and without a word
more, all slowly withdrew.
This man's story is also a common, but painful
one. At fifteen years of age he was transported for life as an accomplice in an assault
and alleged robbery, of which, from circumstances which have since transpired, I have little
doubt he was entirely innocent. During a long
imprisonment in Horsham jail, he received an
initiation in crime, which was finished during
the outward voyage.  Upon his arrival at New
South Wales, he was assigned to a settler in the
interior, a notoriously hard and severe man,
who gave him but a scanty supply of food and
clothing, and whose aim seemed to be to take
the utmost out of him at the least possible expense.  Driven at length to desperation, he,
with three fellow-servants, absconded; and when
8              B




114      FIRESIDE  READIN G.
taken, made a complaint to the magistrate before whom they were brought almost without
clothes.  Their statements were found to be
literally correct; but for absconding they were
sent to Newcastle, one of the penal stations of
New South Wales, where Sears remained nearly
two years. At the expiration of that time he
was again assigned, but unfortunately to a man,
if possible, worse than his former employer, and
again absconded. For this offense he was sent
to Moreton Bay, another penal settlement, and
endured three years of horrible severity, starvation, and misery of every kind. His temper
was by this time much soured; and, roused by
the conduct of the overseers, he became brutalized by constant punishment for resisting them.
After this he was sent to Sydney, as one of the
crew in the police-boat, of which he was soon
made assistant cockswain.  For not reporting a
theft committed by one of the men under his
charge, he was sentenced to a road party; and
attempting to escape from it, he was apprehended, and again ordered to Moreton Bay for
four years more. There he was again repeatedly flogged for disobedience and resistance of
overseers, as well as attempting to escape; but
having most courageously rendered assistance
to a vessel wrecked off the harbor, he attracted
the attention of the commandant, who after



SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 115
ward showed him a little favor. This was the
first approach to kindness he had known since
when, years before, he had left his home; and
it had its usual influence. He never was again
in a scrape there. His good conduct induced
the commandant to recommend him for a mitigation of sentence, which he received, and he
was again employed in the police-boat. The
free cockswain of the boat was, however, a
drunkard, and intrusted much to Sears. Oftentimes he roused the men by his violence, but
Sears contrived to subdue his passion.  At
length, one night returning to the hut drunk,
the man struck at one of the crew with his
cutlass, and the rest resisted and disarmed him.
But the morning came; the case was heard;
their story was disbelieved; and upon the charge
and evidence of the aggressor, they were sent
to an ironed gang, to work on the public roads.
When Sears again became eligible for assignment, a person whom he had known in Sydney
applied for him. The man must be removed
within a fixed period after the authority is given.
In this case, application was made a day beyond
the prescribed time, and churlishly refused.
The disappointment roused a spirit so untutored
as his, and once again he absconded; was of
course apprehended, tried, and being found with
a man who had committed robbery, and had a




116       FIRESIDE  READING.
musket in his possession, was sent to Norfolk
Island for life. This sentence has, however, for
meritorious conduct, been reduced to fourteen
years; and his ready assistance during a fire
which recently broke out in the military garrison here, might possibly have helped to obtain a
still further reduction.  He never, during those
abscondings, was absent for any long period,
and never committed any act of violence. His
constant attempt seems to have been to reach
Sydney, in order to effect his escape from the
scene of so much misery.
For some time past I have noticed his quiet
and orderly conduct, and was really sorry when
I found him concerned in this unhappy affair.
His desire for freedom was, however, most ardent, and a chance of obtaining it was almost
irresistible. He has since told me that a few
words kindly spoken to himself and others by
Captain Maconochie when they landed, sounded
so pleasantly to him —such are his own wordsthat he determined from that moment he would
endeavor to do well.  He assures me that he
was perfectly unconscious of a design to take
the brig, till awoke from his sleep a few minutes
before the attack commenced; that he then remonstrated with the men; but finding it useless,
he considered it a point of honor not to fail
them.  His anxiety for instruction is intense;




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 117
he listens like a child; and his gratitude is most
touching. He, together with Jones, Woolfe,
and Barry, were chosen by the commandant as
a police-boat's crew; and had, up to this period,
acted with great steadiness and fidelity in the
discharge of the duties required from  them.
Nor do I think they would even now, tempting
as the occasion was, have thought of seizing it,
had it not been currently reported that they
were shortly to be placed under a system of
severity such as they had already suffered so
much from.
Woolfe's story of himself is most affecting.
He entered upon evil courses when very young;
was concerned in burglaries when only eleven
years of age. Yet this was from no natural
love of crime. Enticed from his home by boys
older than himself, he soon wearied of the life
he led, and longed to return to his home and
his kind mother. Oftentimes he lingered near
the street she lived in. Once he had been very
unhappy, for he had seen his brother and sister
that day pass near him, and it had rekindled all
his love for them. They appeared happy in
their innocence; he was miserable in his crime.
He now determined to go home and pray to be
forgiven. The evening was dark and wet, and
as he entered the court in which his friends
lived, his heart failed him, and he turned back;




118       FIRESIDE  READING.
but, unable to resist the impulse, he again returned, and stole under the window of the room.
A rent in the narrow curtain enabled him to see
within. His mother sat by the fire, and her
countenance was so sad, that he was sure she
thought of him; but the room looked so comfortable, and the whole scene was so unlike the
place in which he had lately lived, that he could
no longer hesitate.  He approached the door;
the latch was almost in his hand, when shame
and fear, and a thousand other vile and foolish
notions, held him back; and the boy who in
another moment might have been happy-was
lost. He turned away, and I believe has never
seen them since. Going on in crime, he in due
course of time was transported for robbery.
His term of seven years expired in Van Diemen's Land. Released from  forced servitude,
he went a whaling voyage, and was free nearly
two years. Unhappily, he was then charged
with aiding in a robbery, and again received a
sentence'of transportation. He was sent to
Port Arthur, there employed as one of its boat's
crew, and crossing the bay one day with a commissariat officer, the boat was capsized by a
sudden squall. In attempting to save the life
of the officer, he was seized by his dying grasp,
and almost perished with him; but extricating
hinself, he swam back to the boat. Seeing the




SCENES AT NORBOLK ISLAND. 119
drowning man exhausted, and sinking, he dashed
forward again, diving after him, and happily
succeeded in saving his life. For this honorable
act he would have received a remission of sentence; but ere it could arrive, he and five others
made their escape. He had engaged with these
men in the plan to seize the boat, and although
sure of the success of the application in his favor,
he could not now draw baek. The result I have
already shown. There were two more men concerned in the mutiny, who, with those I have
mentioned, and those killed on board the brig,
made up the number of the boat's crew. But
neither of these men came under my charge,
being both Roman Catholics.
At length the brig, which had been dispatched
with an account of the affair, returned, and
brought the decision of the Governor of New
South Wales. He had found it extremely difficult, almost impossible, to obtain fitting members for the commission, who would be willing
to accept the terms proposed by the government,
or trust themselves in this dreadful place, and,
therefore, he had determined that the prisoners
should be sent up for trial. The men were sadly
disappointed at this arrangement. They wished
much to end their days here, and they dreaded
both the voyage and the distracting effect of
new scenes. They cling, too, with grateful at



120      FIRESIDE REAIDING.
tachment to the commandant's family, and the
persons who, during their long imprisonment,
had taken so strong an interest in their welfare.
I determined to accompany them, and watch for
their perseverance in well-doing, that I might
counsel and strengthen them under the fearful
ordeal I could not doubt they would have to
pass.
The same steady consistency marked the conduct of these men to the moment of their embarkation. There was a total absence of all
excitement; one deep, serious feeling appeared
to possess them, and its solemnity was communicated to all of us. They spoke and acted as
men standing on the confines of the unseen
world, and who not only thought of its wonders,
but, better still, who seemed to have caught something of its spirit and purity.
November.-The voyage up was a weary, and,
to the prisoners, a very trying one. In a prison,
on the lower deck of a brig of one hundred and
eighty-two tuns, fifty-two men were confined.
The place itself was about twenty feet square,
of course low, and badly ventilated. The men
were all ironed, and fastened to a heavy chain
rove through iron rings let into the deck, so
that they were unable, for any purpose, to move
from the spot they occupied —scarcely, indeed,
to lie down. The weather was also unfavorable.




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 121
The vessel tossed and pitched most fearfully
during a succession of violent squalls, accompanied by thunder and lightning. I can not describe the wretchedness of these unhappy convicts-sick, and surrounded by filth, they were
huddled together in the most disgusting manner.
The heat was at times unbearable. There were
men of sixty-quiet and inoffensive old menplaced with others who were as accomplished
villains as the world could produce. These were
either proceeding to Sydney, their sentences on
the island having expired, or as witnesses in
another case-a bold and wicked murder-sent
there also for trial. The sailors on board the
brig were for the most part the cowardly fellows
who had so disgracefully allowed the brig to be
taken from them; and they, as well as the soldiers on guard-some of them formed a part of
the farmer one-had no very kindly feeling
toward the mutineers. It may be imagined,
therefore, thaf such feelings occasioned no alleviation of their condition. In truth, although
there was no actual cruelty exhibited, they suffered many oppressive annoyances; yet I never
saw more patient endurance. It was hard to
bear, but their better principles prevailed.
Upon the arrival of the vessel in Sydney, we
learned that the case had excited an unusual
interest. Crowds assembled to catch a glimpse




122       FIRESIDE  READING.
of the men as they landed; and while some applauded their daring, the great majority very
loudly expressed their horror at the crime of
which they stood accused.
I do not think it necessary to describe the
trial, which took place in a few days after landing. All were arraigned except Barry. The
prisoners' counsel addressed the jurors with
powerful eloquence; but it was in vain; the
crime was substantiated; and the jury returned
a verdict of guilty against all the prisoners, recommending Woolfe to mercy.
During the whole trial, the prisoners' conduct
was admirable; so much so, indeed, as to excite
the astonishment of the immense crowd collected
by curiosity to see men who had made so mad
an attempt for liberty. They scarcely spoke,
except once to request that the wounded man,
who yet suffered much pain, might be allowed to
sit down. Judgment was deferred till the following day. When they were then placed at
the bar, the judge, in the usual manner, asked
whether they had any reason to urge why sentence should not be pronounced upon them? It
was a moment of deep solemnity; every breath
was held; and the eyes of the whole court were
directed toward the dock.  Jones spoke in a
deep, clear voice, and in a deliberate harangue
pointed out some defects in the evidence, though




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 123
without the slightest hope, he said, of mitigating
the sentence now to be pronounced on himself
and fellows. Three of the others also spoke.
Whelan said " that he was not one of the men
properly belonging to the boat's crew, but had
been called upon to fill the place of another
man, and had no knowledge of any intention
to take the vessel, and the part he took on
board was forced upon him. He was compelled
to act as he had done; he had used no violence,
nor was he in any way a participator in any
that had been committed." At the conclusion
of the address to them, Jones, amidst the deep
silence of the court, pronounced a most emphatic
prayer for mercy on his own soul and those of
his fellow-prisoners, for the judge and jury, and
finally for the witnesses.  Sentence of death
was then solemnly pronounced upon them all;
but the judge informed Woolfe that he might
hold out to him expectations that his life would
be spared. They were then removed from the
bar, and sent back to the condemned cells.
I can not say how much I dreaded my interview with them that day; for, although I had
all along endeavored to prepare their minds for
the worst result, and they had themselves never
for a moment appeared to expect any other than
this, I feared that the realization of their sad
expectation would break them down. Hitherto




124       FIRESIDE  READING.
there might have been some secret hope sustaining them. The convulsive clinging to life, so
common to all of us, would now, perhaps, be
more palpably exhibited.
Entering their cells, I found them, as I
feared, stunned by the blow which had now
fallen on them, and almost overpowered by
mental and bodily exhaustion. A few remarks
about the trial were at length made by them;
and from that moment I never heard them refer
to it again.  There was no bitterness of spirit
against the witnesses, no expression of hostility
toward the soldiers, no equivocation in any explanation they gave.  They solemnly denied
many of the statements made against them; but
nevertheless the broad fact remained, that they
were guilty of an attempt to violently seize the
vessel, and it was useless debating on minor considerations.
In the mean time, without their knowledge,
petitions were prepared and forwarded to the
judges, the governor, and executive council.
In them were stated various mitigatory facts in
their favor; and the meliorated character of
the criminal code at home was also strongly
urged. Every attention was paid to these addresses, following each other to the last moment.
But all was in vain. The council sat, and determined that five of the men should be hanged




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 125
on the following Tuesday. Whelan, who could
have no previous knowledge of a plan to seize
the vessel, together with Woolfe, was spared.
The remaining four were to suffer. The painful
office of communicating this final intelligence to
these mea was intrusted to me, and they listened
to the announcement not without deep feeling,
but still with composure.
It would be very painful for me to dwell on
the closing scene. The unhappy and guilty men
were attended by the zealous chaplain of the
jail, whose earnest exhortations and instructions
they most gratefully received. The light of
truth shone clearly on the past, and they felt
that their manifold lapses from the path of virtue had been the original cause of the complicated misery they had endured. They entreated
forgiveness of all against whom they had offended, and in the last words to their friends
were uttered grateful remembrances to Captain
Maconochie, his family, and others. At the
place of execution, they behaved with fortitude
and a composure befitting the solemnity of the
occasion. Having retired from attendance upon
them in their last moments, I was startled from
the painful stupor which succeeded in my own
mind, by the loud and heavy bound of the drop
as it fell, and told me that their spirits had gone
to God who gave them.




126      FIRESIDE  READING.
Our main object in laying the foregoing narrative before the world in its present shape, is
to impress those who may be tottering on the
verge of crime with the danger of their situation-to show them that a course of error is a
course of misery, ending in consequences the
most afflicting.
It may be seen from the history of the uinhappy men before us, that transportation is at
the best equivalent to going into slavery-that
the convict loses, for the time, his civil rights.
Torn from his family, his home, and his country,
he is placed at the disposal of the crown and its
functionaries; can be put to any kind of labor,
however repugnant to his feelings; dressed in
the most degrading apparel; chained like a wild
beast if refractory; and on the commission of
any new offense while in this state of servitude,
he is liable to fresh punishment by transportation to such penal settlements as Norfolk Island.
It might almost be said that no man in his
senses would voluntarily commit crimes which
would expose him to the risk of so terrible an
infliction as that of transportation even for the
limited period of seven years. But, alas! men
who have entered on a course of error, forgetful
of every duty which they owe to themselves and
society, can scarcely be said to be in possession
of a sound mind; and they go on floundering




SCENES AT NORFOLK ISLAND. 127
from one degree of vice to another, till brought
into the condition of transported and personallyenslaved convicts. Should the present narrative
fall accidentally into the hands of individuals
who are in danger of falling into a course of
vice, we.would hope that it will help to restrain
thmn. The unfortunate men whose death has
been recorded were once as they are; they went
over the golden line of honor and duty —and
behold the consequences; a short life of hardship, misery, and a violent and ignominious
death.




IV.
F the numerous tales related of the incarceration of real or pretended criminals in
the Bastile' and other state-prisons of France
during the principal part of last century, none
are so remarkable or so affecting, none so much
calculated to rouse feelings of indignation in the
bosom of the philanthropist, as that told by M.
de la Tude, in the published memoirs of his life.
It appears that this gentleman, while no more
than twenty-three years of age, and when residing and pursuing his studies in Paris, fell under
the displeasure of Madame de Pompadour, a
potent court favorite during the reign of Louis
XV, and by her orders, enforced probably
through the medium of a lettre de cachet, was
seized, and, without form of trial or accusation,
committed to the Bastile.  This event took
place on the 1st of May, 1749; and from that
date commences the history of the sufferings
and attempts to escape of this unfortunate and
enterprising individual, whose memoirs are only
128




DE LA TUDE IN  THE BASTILE. 129
paralleled by those of the equally unhappy
Baron Trenck.
From the 1st of May till the beginning of
September, De la Tude remained confined in
the Bastile, when he was removed, for some unexplained reason, to the Castle of Vincennes.
He had not been long in this gloomy fortress,
till he put in execution a project for accomplishing his escape. Being indulged by the lieutenant-governor with the privilege of walking two
hours a day in the garden of the castle, he
bethought himself of taking advantage of this
circumstance for his purpose.  Two turnkeys
usually attended him, one of whom waited in the
garden and the other conducted him down stairs
from his room. Having formed his project, he
for several days together descended a little
faster than the turnkey, who, as he always
found him by the side of his companion in the
garden, took no notice of this maneuver.  Observing this, and taking a favorable opportunity,
he tripped as fast as possible down the flight of
steps, and shutting the bottom door of the staircase, advanced boldly to the garden-gate, where
a sentinel was posted by way of security.
The vigilance of this man, as well as that of
several others who were placed on the opposite
side of the draw-bridge, he eluded, by pretending to inquire for a person who had just gone
9             B




130       FIRESIDE  READING.
that way; but after having obtained his liberty
in this artful manner, he was imprudent enough,
through the advice of a friend, to surrender
himself up again to the King, trusting that the
artless confidence of an innocent man would not
be abused. He was, nevertheless, reconducted
to the Bastile, where he was closely confined for
eighteen months in one of the most dismal dungeons of that prison. At the expiration of that
term, he was taken from this horrid situation,
and put into another room, with a prisoner
named D'Alegre, who was likewise detained by
Madame de Pompadour.
Both he and his companion had been long
taught to expect with patience the disgrace of
the marchioness; but with the unfortunate, days
are as tedious as years, and it is no wonder that
they should turn their thoughts toward regaining their liberty.  This, however, appeared a
romantic idea; for, besides the high walls of
the Bastile, which were six feet thick, and four
iron grates at each window, the prison was continually guarded by a number of sentinels, and
the trenches which surrounded it were most
commonly full of water. How, then, could two
prisoners, confined in a narrow cell, and destitute of all human assistance, effect their escape?
MI. de la Tude, who was fruitful in expedients,
first informed himself, by means of an artful




DE LA TUDE IN  THIE BASTILE. 131
trick which he played while they were conducted
back to the room after hearing mass, that the
apartment in which they were confined had a
double ceiling; and after mentioning what he
had observed to his friend, told him  that he
had formed a plan for their enlargement, which
could not fail of success. From his confidence
upon this occasion, D'Alegre thought him disordered in his mind, and asked him, with a
sneer, where they were to get the ropes and
other implements necessary to such an undertaking.
"As for the ropes," said De la Tude, "give
yourself no manner of trouble: in that trunk
there are twelve dozen shirts, six dozen pair of
silk stockings, twelve dozen pair of under-stockings, five dozen drawers, and as many dozen of
napkins; now, by unraveling these, we shall
have more than enough to make one thousand
feet of rope."
"True," said the other: "but how shall we
remove the iron bars from the window? for
without instruments it is impossible to do any
thing."
De la Tude told him that the hand was the
instrument of all instruments, and that men,
whose heads are capable of working, are' never
at a loss for resources; what though neither
scissors, knives, nor any edged tools, are allowed




132      FIRESIDE READING.
us, have not we the iron hinges of our foldingtable, which, with patience and skill, we can
make answer the same purpose?
From this discourse D'Alegre began to entertain some hopes, and they now employed all
their time and talents in the execution of this
curious project.  The first evening, by means
of one of the hinges, they took up a tile from
the floor, and after digging for six hours, found
it was a double partition, as De la Tude had
conjectured.  They then carefully replaced the
tile, and began to unravel some of the shirts,
drawing them out thread by thread, and twisting them together, till they had formed a rope
fifty-five feet long; this they made into a ladder,
consisting of twenty-five rounds, made of the
wood which was brought them for firing.
The next thing to be done was to remove the
iron bars from the chimney, by which outlet
they had resolved to escape; they accomplished
it in about two months, and then returned them
to their places, leaving them ready to be removed when they should be wanted. This appears to have been an exceedingly-troublesome
operation, as they never descended from the
work without bloody hands, and their bodies
were so bruised in the chimney, that they could
not renew their labor for an hour or two afterward.  This toil over, they now set about mak



DE LA  TUDE IN THIE B ASTILE. 133
ing a wooden ladder of twenty feet long, which,
as fast as it was finished, was hid with the other
things between the two floors.
As the officers and turnkeys often entered the
apartment in the day-time, without any previous
notice, they were obliged not only to secrete
their tools, but the smallest chips and rubbish
that were made, the least appearance of which
would have betrayed them. To answer this purpose the more effectually, they gave each of
them a private name, and when any body was
coming in, he who was next the door gave the
cant term to the other, that he might conceal
them as expeditiously as possible.  When their
ropes were all ready, their measure was four
hundred feet; they had still to make two hundred steps for their ladders, which, when accomplished, they covered with the lining of their
bed-gowns and under-waistcoats, to prevent their
rustling against the walls as they descended.
These preparations cost them eighteen months'
work, night and day, and they now waited for a
dark, stormy night to favor their escape. At
length, after a great number of difficulties, and
many narrow escapes from being detected by
the officers, the happy moment they had been
so long expecting arrived, and De la Tude was
the first to mount the chimney.  Here he was
almost smothered with the soot, and the blood




134        FIRESIDE  READING.
streamed from his hands, elbows, and knees,
down to his legs. After some time, however,
he got to the top, and, by means of a string,
drew up his companion, and all their implements, to the top of the building, from which
they lowered their baggage, by fastening a rope
to the chimney; and in this way they descended,
both at once on the platform, serving as a counterpoise to each other.
Here they fastened their rope-ladder to a
piece of cannon, and let themselves and their
baggage down into the trench, an operation
which was attended with the utmost difficulty;
for out of 1,000 spectators who should have seen
them by daylight, vibrating backward and forward in the air, not one of them, says M. de la
Tude, but would have given us over for lost.
They arrived, however, at length, safely in the
trench, and felicitated themselves upon the success of this part of their enterprise; having been
extremely apprehensive of detection, as the sentinel was all the time walking on the corridor,
at not more than thirty feet distance.
From this place they proceeded to the wall
which parted the trench of the Bastile from
that of St. Anthony's Gate, where there was a
ditch six feet wide, and deep enough to wet
them to the armpits. When they had crossed
this, they had yet to work their way through




DE LA TUDE IN  THE BASTILE. 135
the stone-wall of the governor's garden, which
was more than four feet thick: and all the time
they were employed in this business, the major's
round passed them with a great lantern every
half hour, at about ten or twelve feet over their
heads; during which times they were always
obliged to retreat into the ditch, and to stand
up to their chins in water, in order to avoid
being seen.
Before midnight, by means of the iron bars
which had been taken out of the chimney, they
had displaced two or three wheelbarrows of
stones, and in a few hours more a breach was
made in the wall sufficiently large for them to
get through it. They were now in the trench
of St. Anthony's Gate, and thought themselves
entirely out of danger, when they both suddenly fell into an aqueduct, with at least six
feet of water over their heads. In this dangerous situation, De la Tude caught hold of the
bank, and plunging his arm into the water,
drew his companion to him by the hair of his
head, and thus happily escaped the danger which
threatened them.
"Here," says M. de la Tude, "ended the horrors of that dreadful night; and here we embraced each other, and fell upon our knees to
thank God for the great mercy he had bestowed
upon us, in thus restoring us to liberty."  They




136      FIRESIDE READING.
now mounted the slope of the ditch as it struck
four o'clock, and after calling upon a friend who
was not at home, flew for refuge to the abbey of
St. Germain-des-prez.
Soon after this almost miraculous escape, they
both set out, by different routes, for Brussels,
agreeing to meet at the same inn; but when De
la Tude, who had to encounter with a number
of perils on his journey, arrived at the place
appointed, he found that his friend had been
discovered, and conducted back to prison.
Shocked at this intelligence, he set out immediately for Amsterdam, where he had not been
long before he was demanded of the states by
the French embassador, in the name of the king,
and carried back to his old quarters in the
Bastile, fettered hands and feet, and only allowed a bed of straw, without covering, to repose on.
In this wretched situation he remained forty
months, and during this confinement was one
day indulged with the barbarous privilege of
being permitted to see his friend D'Alegre,
whom he found raving mad in the hospital for
lunatics at Charenton. The poor creature had
no remembrance of him, and made him no other
answer, when he reminded him of their escape
from the Bastile, than by telling him that he
was God.




DE LA TUDE IN  THE BASTILE. 137
Some time after this shocking interview, in
the year 1764, and when he had been fifteen
years in confinement, he observed from the
tower of the Bastile a large piece of paper at
the window of a chamber, in St. Anthony's
street, on which was written these words: "Yesterday died the Marchioness of Pompadour."
This had been placed there by some young
ladies, who were acquainted with his story, and
he was now persuaded that he should be released from his confinement; but M. de Sartine
had expressly forbidden all the officers of the
Bastile to inform the prisoners of her decease.
When De la Tude, therefore, wrote to him, entreating his deliverance, he came to the prison,
and insisted upon knowing his author.
His behavior upon this occasion proving offensive to M. de Sartine, he was removed from
prison to the governor's house, loaded with
chains from head to foot, and afterward sent
to the Castle of Vincennes, to be confined in
the black-hole. Here, however, the lieutenantgovernor, being a humane man, suffered him to
walk two hours a day in the fosse, guarded by
two fusileers and a sergeant, who stood at the
gate with another sentinel. While he was walking here one evening, it happened to be a prodigious thick fog, which he thought was a
circumstance by no means to be neglected; he




138      FIRESIDE  READING.
therefore struck down the two sentinels with
his elbows, and pushing boldly past the others,
flew as fast as his legs would carry him. A
great cry of "' Stop thief!" ensued, in which he
joined, and by that means made his escape to
Paris.
Although the author of De la Tude's misfortunes was now no more, although her death
was little regretted by the king, and rejoiced
over by the nation, still, strange to say, the
persecution of our hero was not remitted. His
escape was no sooner made known than a number of spies and setters were sent out upon the
search after him, and 1000 crowns were offered
as a reward for discovering him.  Finding,
therefore, that it would be impossible to elude
the vigilance of scouts and informers, he wrote
a letter to the minister of the war department,
acquainting him that he would not fail to be
with him on such a day, and begging he would
have the goodness to suspend the orders for arresting him till he had been indulged with a
moment's audience. Going, according to his
promise, to the apartment of the minister, he
was immediately secured, without being permitted to utter a syllable, and put into one of
the most gloomy dungeons of the Castle of
Vincennes.
All hope of relief now died within the bosom




DE LA TUDE IN  THE BASTILE. 139
of this victim of a cruel and arbitrary government. IHe sank into despair.  He looked forward to death as the only event calculated to
bring  a termination of his sufferings.  Yet
death came not, and a gleam of hope now and
then cheered him to sustain the mortal coil.
Thus, for an additional period of twenty years,
did he endure the horrors of confinement in the
vaults of Vincennes and the Bicetre. At length,
Cardinal de Rohan, a minister of Louis XVI,
discovered him in the bottom of a dungeon in
the last-mentioned Parisian prison, and being
moved with his extreme wretchedness, promised
him his liberty, provided he could give proper
security for his good behavior. The last kind
office was undertaken by a charitable lady of the
name of Le Gros, who, on being accidentally informed of his misfortunes, resolved to dedicate'
her whole time and attention toward procuring
his enlargement. The difficulties she had to encounter, together with the narrowness of her
own circumstances, rendered the accomplishment
of this project almost impossible; but, by incessant and persevering diligence, she at last
obtained the object of her wishes; and, after
having set him free from all restraints, helped
to support him by the small earnings of her
own and her husband's industry.
His joyful liberation took place in 1784, hav



140       FIRESIDE  READING.
ing altogether been confined for about thirtyfive years. He entered prison a gay, lighthearted young man of three-and-twenty; and
when restored to the world, it was at the mature
age of fifty-eight; but the sufferings he had
endured had broken his constitution and blighted
his prospects, and he now had all the appearance of a man in the extreme of old age and
decrepitude.  Such is the story of the unfortunate M. de la Tude, which forms another
testimony of that terrific species of oppression
which has been for ages perpetrated by the continental powers of Europe, and an exemption
from which is one of the proudest boasts of this
land of liberty and intelligence.




V.
$itibre th of tlpe Lihstr
THE colony of Senegal, on the western 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. As
soon after this event as the state of affairs would
admit, the French Government fitted out an
expedition, consisting of the newly-appointed
governor, M. Schmaltz, and other functionaries,
civil and military, to take possession of and colonize the restored settlement.  The squadron
fitted out on this occasion consisted of four vessels-the Medusa, a frigate of forty-four guns,
the Loire store-ship, and the Argus brig, and
the Echo corvette-the whole carrying upward
of six hundred individuals, of whom two hundred and fifty were soldiers. On board the
Medusa, the chief vessel in the squadron, commanded by Captain Lachaumareys, were the
governor and other principal functionaries, along
with a considerable number of the soldiers, and
a number of women and children: the entire
141




142       FIRESIDE  READING.
number of individuals on board being four
hundred.
Among this large body on board the Medusa,
was a family to whom we shall have to advert
more particularly in the sequel. It consisted
of M. Picard, his wife, two grown-up daughters
by a previous marriage, both accomplished
young women, and several younger children,
with a girl, their cousin-the whole nine in
number, the youngest of whom was an infant
at the breast. I. Picard was by profession an
attorney; he had been resident in Senegal previous to 1809, and now, on the resumption of
French authority, he was returning, for the purpose of occupying a situation connected with
the government of the colony. Provided with
a small cabin on the main-deck of the Medusa,
and with some valuable goods on board, the
family formed a happy group, full of bright anticipations of the future, and having every reason to expect a prosperous voyage to the shores
of Africa.
Setting out from the port of Rochefort, in
the west of France, all the vessels of the expedition were under sail on the 17th of June,
1816, and remained for several days together;
at length, from the changeableness of the wind,
they were separated, each pursuing its course
alone, and the Echo only keeping in sight of




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 143
the Medusa, as if to guide it on its route. Some
fine weather which ensued served to confirm
hopes of happiness in the Picards, and on the
28th of June they felt interested in contemplating the lofty peak of Teneriffe, which rose on
the horizon.  The satisfaction which the passengers now generally felt and expressed, was
doomed to be of no long duration. Captain
Lachaumareys was apparently so unfit for the
trust reposed in him, not only from his ignorance of seamanship and general management,
but as regards temper and humanity, that it is
impossible to understand how he should have
obtained the command of the vessel. One day,
when the frigate was going before a fine breeze,
at the rate of nine knots an hour, a sailor-boy
fell overboard. Several persons were at the
moment standing on the poop, witnessing the
gambols of seals, but no effective measures were
taken to save the poor boy's life. For some
time the unfortunate lad kept hold of a rope
which he had caught in his fall, but the vessel
was making such way, that he soon lost his
hold. A sailor now seized him by the arm, but
for the same reason he was forced to let go.
To communicate this accident to the Echo, a
gun wes ordered to be fired, but not a single
piece was found charged; it required also a
long time to lower the sails, when the more sim



144       FIRESIDE  READING.
ple method would have been to put the helm
about. It was at last thought of letting down
a six-oared boat, into which, in the confusion
and hurry, only three men entered. Every effort was unavailing; the boat returned, after
rowing a short distance, without having even
found the cork buoy which had been thrown overboard when the accident was first announced.
The same want of foresight, promptitude, and
regularity on the part of the captain and lieutenants, afterward led to greater disasters.
On the first of July the Medusa entered the
tropics, the seamen on the occasion performing
the ceremonies which ordinarily take place in
crossing the equinoctial line. In the midst of
this fatal merriment the vessel was surrounded
by dangers, of which those in command were insensible. For some days the captain had abandoned the entire guidance of the frigate to a
person named Richfort, who pretended to a
great knowledge of this part of the Atlantic.
In vain the passengers remonstrated on this imprudent confidence in a stranger; the commander obstinately persisted in allowing him to
steer the vessel in whatever direction he thought
proper. Richfort appears to have been a fool
as well as an impostor, for, while risking the
lives of others, he also risked his own; and in
the face of multiplying dangers, he continued




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 145
his perilous course. In thus abandoning the ship
to Richfort's direction, the captain transgressed
the written instructions, which enjoined him to
steer due west for sixty-six miles after making
Cape Blanco, in order to clear the sand-bank of
Arguin; instead of which, after proceeding about
half that distance, the vessel's head was set to
the southward.  During the night which followed, the Echo hung out lanterns to warn her
consort of her danger; but they were unavailing; the Medusa was kept on her course, and
in the morning the Echo was out of sight.
On the morning of this memorable day, July
2d, the sea assumed a sandy color, and the more
reflective passengers and naval officers became
seriously alarmed; strong representations of
the danger the frigate was in were again made
to the captain, but with no better success than
formerly.  Such was his infatuation, that the
vessel was at the time actually standing directly
for the low, sandy shore which it was his duty
to avoid. At noon, the officer of the watch asserted that the vessel was getting near the edge
of the bank; but no change was permitted in
her course. This obstinacy caused a mournful
presentiment among the passengers.  A species
of stupor, approaching to despair, overspread
all their spirits. M. Picard, seated in the midst
of his family, gave all up for lost; yet he durst
10              B




146       FIRESIDE  READING
not remonstrate; for already one of the officers
had been put under arrest for daring to condemn the fallacy of Richfort's proceedings.  In
the mean while, the wind, blowing with violence,
impelled the vessel nearer the danger which
menaced it. Between two and three o'clock in
the afternoon, the lead showed that the frigate
was in eighteen fathoms water. This startling
intelligence for the first time roused the captain.
He gave orders to change the ship's course, by
coming closer to the wind. It was too late.
The lead was again cast, and showed only six
fathoms. The captain, now thoroughly terrified,
gave orders to haul the wind as close as possible.
It was useless. The frigate had touched the
sandy bottom, and almost immediately struck
with a strong concussion.  This disastrous event
took place at a quarter past three o'clock, afternoon, in 19 degrees 30 minutes north latitude,
and 19 degrees 45 minutes west longitude. The
vessel now lay at the mercy of the winds and
waves, in less than four fathoms, and this was
during high water; when the tide ebbed, the
depth would become less.
When the concussion of striking was felt
through the vessel, terror and consternation
were immediately depicted on every countenance. The crew stood motionless; the passengers gave themselves up to despair. In the




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 147
midst of this general panic, cries of vengeance
were heard against the principal author of the
misfortune, the greater number wishing to throw
him overboard; but some, more generously disposed, endeavored to calm the excitement, and
pointed out how much more fitting it would be
to adopt means of safety, than spend time in
vengeful and useless criminations. To ease the
pressure on the ship, the sails were hastily lowered, the top-gallant mast and topmast taken
down, and some other means tried to get her
off the bank. They were all, however, only
half measures; they did little good; and when
night came on, the efforts were suspended.
At dawn of day, July 3, new attempts were
made to move the vessel.  Anchors were carried, with vast trouble, in boats, to a distance,
and being dropped into the sea, cables from
them were pulled at the capstan; but the anchors presented no sufficient resistance, and the
effort proved fruitless. Masts, yards, and booms
were now thrown overboard, and a number of
casks of water emptied; still the frigate continued fixed. Many wished the cannon also to
be tossed overboard; but this the captain refused to do, on the plea that they belonged to
the king!  There was a large stock of provisions in barrels, which the frigate was carrying
to Senegal; and these barrels the governor, with




148        FIRESIDE  READING.
equal pertinacity, would not allow to be thrown
overboard, on the ground that the colony was in
want of provisions.
What was now to be done?  All was clamor
and confusion; in the midst of which the poor
Picards shrunk into their little cabin, consumed
with grief and apprehensions of a miserable
death on the wreck.  The superior officers felt
the necessity for providing means of escape, in
case all attempts to get off the ship should prove
unavailing. A council was called. The lives
of four hundred persons were to be saved. and
there were only six boats, into which it would
have been impossible to stow so many. In this
dilemma M. Schmaltz, the governor, proposed
to save a large portion of the passengers on a
raft, of which he exhibited a plan. The raft
was to be capable of carrying two hundred men,
with provisions for all. The boats were to tow
the raft, to which their crews were to come at
meal times for their rations. Tlie whole crew
were to land in a body on the sandy shore of
the desert, and provided with arms and ammunition, which were to be taken from the vessel,
were to form a caravan, and proceed to the
town of Saint Louis in Senegal.  All this, as
events afterward proved, was practicable; for
the land, though not visible from the frigate,
was only about forty-five miles distant; yet the




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 149
plan, in the manner proposed, was not carried
into execution.
Next day, the 4th, there was a glimpse of
hope. At the hour of high water, the frigate,
being considerably lightened, was found nearly
afloat; and it is believed that if the guns had
now been thrown overboard, the Medusa would
have been saved. Even a tow-line would have
brought her round; but it was not thought of.
When the tide ebbed, the unfortunate vessel
again sank firmly into the sand, and the hope
of getting her off was abandoned.
A raft was now begun to be constructed by
means of masts, spars, planks, and cordage,
which were thrown into the sea for the purpose:
the whole being lashed together, formed a kind
of platform, of about a foot and a half in thickness, buoyed up by empty barrels placed beneath the corners.  Its length was sixtv-five
feet; its breadth about twenty. Each end terminated in a point; and these ends were very
fragile.  The only safe part was in the center;
but even that was sometimes under water.
Night came on while the raft was constructing, and the work ceased till next day.  It was
a night productive of dire anticipations. The
sky became cloudy, the wind blew strong, and
came from the sea, causing a great swell of the
waves. The vessel now began to heel with vio



150      FIRESIDE  READING.
lence, and it was every moment expected to see
her planks start.  This catastrophe at length,
to a certain extent, ensued.  The lower timbers
bulged; the keel broke in two; the rudder was
also unshipped, but still holding to the stern
by the chains, and it was dashed by the waves
against the vessel. From this cause the captain's cabin was beat in, and the water entered
in an alarming manner. In this emergency the
captain could preserve neither order nor discipline; and indeed his incompetency and inhumanity rendered disobedience a duty. The general feeling throughout the ship was, every man
for himself-a scramble for life.  Toward midnight a large part of the crew and more active
passengers were preparing to leave the vessel
secretly in the boats.  This selfish and peridious conduct was, however, checked by the soldiers, who firmly declared they would fire upon
whosoever attempted to quit the frigate clandestinely. The threats of these brave men alarmed
the governor, who had already formed a scheme
for himself. He therefore judged it proper to
assemble a council, at which he endeavored to
allay the general distrust.  He solemnly swore
that, according to the plan which would be
adopted, the boats would not abandon the raft,
but would tow it to the shore of the desert,
where all would travel in a body to Senegal.




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 151
It was agreed that the embarkation should take
place at six o'clock in the morning.
The treacherous promises of the governor,
supported by Captain Lachaumareys, served to
allay the apprehensions of the more timid passengers, including the unfortunate Picards. A
number began to secure their more valuable
articles about their persons, while part of the
crew and soldiers broke into the cabins and
store-rooms, appropriating the articles which
struck their fancy, and drinking the wine and
spirits, till they fell exhausted and insensible.
Amidst an uproar of singing, shouting, groans,
and imprecations, day broke, and all prepared
to depart. A list had been made out, assigning
each his proper place in the boats and raft;
but this arrangement was now disregarded, and
every one pursued the plan he deemed best for
his own preservation. Few were inclined to go
upon the raft, which heaved uneasily on the turbid waves.  To compel obedience, an officer,
armed with two pistols, stood by the bulwarks,
and, with *furious language, threatened to fire
on whoever would not go upon it; and thus
a miscellaneous crowd of persons were forced
to place themselves on this floating tomb. To
accommodate so large a number, and keep the
raft from sinking, several barrels of provisions
which had been placed on it the day before, were




152       FIRESIDE  READING.
thrown into the sea.  The only provisions left
for the support of the large number on it, consisted of a bag of twenty-five pounds of soaked
biscuit, which, having been tossed from the vessel, fell into the sea, and was with difficulty recovered. There were also several casks of wine
and water. On the raft there were no charts,
sails, oars, nor compass, every thing proper
being forgot in the confusion. In all, there
were upon the raft one hundred and fifty persons, twenty-nine of whom were sailors; there
was one woman, and all the remainder were soldiers. These latter were not allowed to take
their muskets; but they retained their swords;
besides which the officers saved their fowlingpieces and pistols.
The command of the raft had been assigned
to M. Coudin, midshipman.  This was not the
least of the cruelties perpetrated by Lachaumareys. Coudin had received a severe bruise on
his leg before the expedition had sailed from
Rochefort, and he was now suffering so severely,
that he was incapable of moving. Determined,
however, not to flinch from a post which had
been assigned to him on the ground of his being
the senior midshipman in the vessel, he refused
to allow one of his companions to take his place,
and accordingly proceeded to the raft. The exertion, however, was almost too much for him:




SHIPWRECK OF THIE MEDUSA. 153
the pain of his wound, aggravated by the heaving of the raft, and the salt water which dashed
upon him, rendered him nearly insensible. Information of his condition being communicated
to the captain, a promise was made that he
should be relieved, and taken into one of the
boats; but this, like all other promises, was not
fulfilled. The unfortunate Coudin was left on
the raft.
The boats were in the mean while receiving their lading. The barge, which was commanded by a lieutenant, took the governor, with
his wife, daughters, and friends, making in all
thirty-five persons; it also received several
trunks, and a stock of choice provisions and
liquors. The captain's boat received twentyeight persons, most of whom were sailors, good
rowers. The shallop, commanded by M. Espiau, ensign of the frigate, took forty-two passengers; the long-boat, eighty-three; the pinnace, thirty; and the yawl, the smallest of all
the boats, fifteen. Such was the final arrangement; but before it was effected, there was
much struggling and fighting, some gaining a
place only by threatening the lives of the commanders. The boats were, to all appearance,
filled, and putting to sea without any one casting a thought on the Picards, who, less able to
enforce attention than others, were about to be




154       FIRESIDE READING.
abandoned on the wreck. A place had been
promised them in the pinnace; but that boat
had put off, and its commander would not return
to take the helpless family.  Roused by the
horrors of his situation, M. Picard lifted a musket from the deck, and hailing the yawl, which
was near at hand, declared that he would shoot
every one on board, if they would not carry
himself and family to the pinnace. The sailors,
murmuring, assented, and, by this means, the
Picards reached the pinnace, on which they
were, with affected politeness, taken on board.
When all had left the vessel who would go,
there remained seventeen persons, some of
whom were intoxicated, and incapable of providing for their safety.
For some time after quitting the wreck, five
of the boats united in a line, towing the raft
behind them by a rope; and, as the wind was
fortunately favorable, there can be no reasonable doubt that, had they continued to pull, the
whole fleet would have reached the shore in
from thirty to forty hours. To the everlasting
disgrace of the French navy, the commanders
of the boats changed altogether the plan to
which they had engaged themselves to adhere,
and, one and all dropping the tow-line, left their
brethren on the raft to their fate. The immediate cause of this most dishonest and inhuman




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 155
procedure, was an appeal made to them by M.
Espiau in the yawl. This gentleman, the only
officer who seemed to pity the unfortunates on
the Medusa, was the last to quit the wreck, anrd,
in compassion for those left behind, had taken
more on board than his boat could well contain.
Hastening after the boats in advance, he earnestly besought their commanders to relieve him
of part of his crew; but all refused to assist
him. In the desperation to which they were
put, some of the crew in the yawl proposed
swimming after the boats, and, if possible, working on the compassion of their commanders.
One sailor put this proposal in practice. Plunging into the sea, he swam toward one of the
leading and least-burdened boats; but on reaching, and endeavoring to climb into it, the officer
in command pushed him back, and, drawing his
sword, threatened to cut off his hands, if he did
not let go. The poor wretch, being thus compelled to desist from the attempt, next tried the
pinnace; but here he met with no better success. Some of the party on board entreated
the officer, M. Laperere, to receive him; but he
refused the request, and the man was left to his
fate. M. Laperere, it appears. got rid of the
unhappy applicant for admission not only by
refusing to take him in, but by hastening away
from him. To put the boat beyond his reach,




156      FIRESIDE READING.
he caused the tug-line to be dropped, and so
made off with all speed from the spot. The
commanders of the other boats imitated this
execrable example. Wishing to get beyond the
reach of the unfortunate being who was floundering amid the waves, and of the yawl from
which he had precipitated himself, all dropped
the towing rope, and each boat made off precipitately from the dismal scene.
The raft was thus abandoned by all who had
sworn to assist in towing it to land. A hundred
and fifty fellow-creatures were unscrupulously
left in the midst of the ocean-to perish. We
question if the whole annals of shipwreck present a case of greater iniquity than this; it
must forever *stand unparalleled for heartless
inhumanity. At first, when the unfortunate individuals on the raft saw the boats break loose
from the line they had been pursuing, they imagined that the towing-rope had snapped, and
they raised their voices to make their companions aware of the fact.  "The rope is brokethe rope is broke!" burst from them with increasing intensity of agony. To their surprise,
no attention was paid to their cries, and for a
moment they imagined that some new tactics
advantageous to all were to be practiced. The
French, with characteristic vivacity, raised the
national flag on the raft, and united in the cry




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 157
of Vive le Roi; trusting, perhaps, to awaken a
sympathizing feeling in the bosoms of their retreating companions, and so bring them back to
a sense of humanity and duty.  If such were
their meaning it signally failed. The commanders of the boats bombastically returned the cry;
and Captain Lachaumareys, assuming a martial
attitude, politely waved his hat in the air, as a
parting testimony of regard.  The wretched
crew of the raft now too surely saw what was
to be their doom. They perceived that, after
being treacherously decoyed upon their floating
prison, they were left with indifference to die
of hunger, or to be drowned in the sea. Wild
cries forthwith rent the air-cries of heart-rending despair-cries for justice and compassioncries also of vengeance and contempt.  All
were alike unheeded. The boats hastened on
their course.
From the narrative of Mademoiselle Picard,
we learn that the cries on this melancholy occasion would have melted any but the most obdurate of hearts.  " Alas! why do you leave uswhy do you leave us?" was wafted to their ears.
"I felt," says she, "my heart bursting with
emotion.  I believed  that the waves would
speedily overwhelm all these forlorn wretches,
and I could not suppress the tears which burst
from my eyes. My father, exasperated to ex



158      FIRESIDE  READING.
cess, and bursting with indignation at seeing so
much cowardice and inhumanity among the officers of the boats, began to express his regret
for not having allowed himself to be placed on
the raft along with the sufferers.'At least,'
he observed,'we would have died with the
brave, or we would have returned to the wreck
of the Medusa, and been spared the disgrace
of having saved ourselves with cowards.'"
Such is the account given by an eye-witness
of this scene of disaster and disgrace. The
history of the shipwreck now divides itself into
three parts-the account of the boats and their
crews, of the raft, and of the wreck of the
Medusa. In the first place, we shall follow the
account of
THE BOATS AND THEIR CREWS.
Among the six boats which left the Medusa,
two only had a sufficient stock of provisions,
and these made off with all dispatch from their
companions in misfortune.  It had been arranged that they all should make for the nearest
land; but these two boats taking the lead, proceeded, by orders of the governor, in the direction of Senegal. This unforeseen change of
course surprised and alarmed the crews of the
other boats; for none of them had provisions
for more than one or two days; and to en



SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 159
counter a voyage of longer duration, was altogether hopeless.  Undecided, however, they
continued to move on in the wake of the beats
which were in advance.  The provisions on
board the pinnace consisted of a barrel of biscuit and a tierce of water; but the biscuit had
been soaked in the sea, and was little better
than salted paste. A small portion of this
nauseous biscuit, with a glass of water, formed
the daily portion of each on board. The other
boats were in some degree better provided, for
they had a little wine.
During the night of the 5th, the day on
which the raft had been abandoned, the boats
lay to; and on the morning of the 6th, they were
again under weigh. The pinnace, according to
the account of Mademoiselle Picard, which we
shall principally follow, now began to leak fearfully, and the holes in it were stuffed with
oakum, which an old sailor had had the precaution to provide.  At noon the heat was
intense; hot winds blew from the desert, and
many thought their last momeints were come.
In the afternoon a distribution of a little water
and biscuit was made; and hope revived of
reaching Senegal on the morrow. As evening
came on, the sky changed, and then a tempest
of wind, thunder, and lightning, which threatened to overwhelm the boat. Again the leaks




160      FIRESIDE  READING.
broke out, and there were stuffed into them old
clothes, sleeves of shirts, shawls, any thing that
came to hand; and for six hours, every one
momentarily anticipated death. Toward midnight the atmosphere tranquilized, and once
more a gleam of hope passed through the minds
of the forlorn crew.
In the morning of the 7th, the shores of the
desert were again seen, and a number of the
sailors murmuring, and wishing to land, the
boat was directed toward the coast.  On approaching the land the hearts of the most courageous failed, on seeing the breakers which it
would be necessary to pass through to the shore.
Again the pinnace put to sea, and another day
was spent under a burning sun, and in a state
of intolerable thirst.  The freshness of the
night-wind revived the spirits of all on board;
but all were becoming excessively weak for want
of nourishment; and on the morrow it was determined to attempt a landing. Early in the
morning of the 8th, accordingly, after a scanty
meal of a mouthful of biscuit and a few drops
of water, the boats once more put in-shore, and
being cheered with observing a group of persons
from two of the boats already landed, they
pushed toward a landing-place. It was a desperate struggle.  The breakers overwhelmed
the boat, and only after weltering in the waves,




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 161
and being all thoroughly drenched, they got to
dry land.
The crews of all the boats were here united,
except those on board the governor's and captain's boats, both of which pursued their way
to Senegal, which they reached next day, the
9th; that is, four days after quitting the wreck.
As soon as they arrived a council was held, to
concert measures necessary to be taken on the
occasion.  It will scarcely be credited that,
notwithstanding this apparent activity, nothing
was done for some. days. At length a vessel,
the Argus, was dispatched in quest of the boats
and of the raft, and what it achieved will appear in the sequel.
Returning, in the mean while, to the large
party who had effected a landing from the
boats-numbering about a hundred and seventy
persons-we find them in a dismal plight, on
the shore of a barren desert, without food or
water, and many nearly naked. All, it appears,
had got ashore without material injury, except
one person, who had his legs broken, while
landing, by a concussion from one of the boats.
He was laid on the shore of the desert, and left
to his fate, which would most likely be destruction by wild animals on the ensuing night. In
this incident alone is seen an inhumanity for
which there is no valid excuse.
11              B




162      FIRESIDE  READING.
Leaving the poor wretch on the sands, the
party proceeded to consult on measures for proceeding to Senegal; but that involved a march
of several days, and great fatigues and dangers,
not to be contemplated without dismay. As
remaining on the spot, however, would have
beeh worse than madness, all prepared to set
out.  What ensued will be best told in the
unaffected words of Mademoiselle Picard:
" Shortly after landing, or about seven in the
morning, a party was formed to penetrate into
the interior, for the purpose of finding some
fresh water. Some accordingly was found 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. This water was found to be
delicious, although it had a sulphurous taste;
its color 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 step-mother, my cousin, and my
sister, were dressed in them; for myself, I preferred 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 exactly where
that country lay. It was agreed that the females and children should walk before the cara



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 163
van, as the general body was called, that they
might not be left behind. The sailors voluntarily 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 shoes, having lost
them while landing. As soon as we arrived on
the shore, we went to walk on the wet sand, to
cool us a little. Thus we traveled during the
night, without encountering any thing but shells,
which wounded our feet.
"Early on the morning of the 9th we saw an
antelope on a little hill; it instantly disappeared,
before any of the party had time to shoot it.
The desert seemed to our view one immense
plain of sand, on which not a blade of verdure
was seen.  However, we still found water by
digging in the sand.  In the forenoon, two
officers of marine complained that our family
incommoded the progress of the general body.
It is true that the females and the children
could not walk so quickly as the men. We
walked as fast as it was possible for us; nevertheless, we often fell behind, which obliged them
to halt till we came up. These officers, joined
with other individuals, considered among themselves whether they would wait for us, or abandon ls in the desert.  I will be bold to -av,




164      FIRESIDE  READING.
however, that but few were of the latter opinion.
My father being informed of what was plotting
against us, stepped up to the chiefs of tle conspiracy, and reproached them  in the bitterest
terms for their selfishness and cruelty. The
dispute waxed warm. 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 between them,
conjuring him rather to remain in the desert
with his family, than to seek the assistance of
those who were perhaps less humane than the
Moors themselves.  Several people took our
part, particularly M. Begnere, captain of infantry, who allayed the dispute by saying to his
soldiers,'My friends, you are Frenchmen, and
I have the honor 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 quit us. All then
joined with the old captain, saying they would
not leave us, on condition that we would walk a
little quicker.  M. Begnere and his soldiers
replied, they did not wish to impose conditions
on those to whom they were desirous of doing
a favor; and the unfortunate family of Picard
were again on the road with the whole caravan.




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 165
"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: nothing, however, was procured but poisonous plants, among which were various kinds of
euphorbium. Convolvuli of a bright green carpeted the downs; but, on tasting their leaves,
we found them  as bitter as gall.  The party
rested in this place, while several officers went
farther into the interior.  They returned 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 with this small allowance, the soldiers and sailors betook themselves to look for more. They soon brought a,
sufficient quantity, which was equally distributed, 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 a nauseous taste.
After this truly frugal repast we continued our
route. The heat was insupportable in the last
degree.  The sands on which we trod were
burning; nevertheless, several of us walked on
these scorching coals without shoes; and th'he




166     ]FIRESIDE READING.
females had nothing but their hair for a cap.
When we reached the sea-shore, we all ran and
lay down among the surf. 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 endeavored 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, notwithstanding we heard on every side the roaring of leopards. Our situation had been thus perilous during the night; nevertheless, at break of day, we
had the satisfaction of finding none missing."
At sunrise next morning the party resumed
its march, holding a little toward the east, in the
hope of finding water. In this they were disappointed; but were gratified in observing that the
country was less arid, and possessed a species
of vegetation. Some of the travelers having
pushed forward to make observations, "they returned and told us they had seen two Arab tents
upon a slightly-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,




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 167
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, who 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 one of the officers, interpreted between us
and the 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 three francs 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, for which twenty piasters
were charged.  We immediately killed them,
and the Moorish women boiled them for us in a
large kettle."
Resuming their march, their 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 astonishment at the unexpected meeting. My father recollected hav



168       FIRESIDE  READ1NG.
ing employed long ago a young goldsmith at
Senegal, 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 under the
same roof with Christians."
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 to 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, pushing 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




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 169
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 cheese.
0, fortunate circumstance! 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 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. To describe our joy
while taking this repast would be impossible.
Exposed to the fierce rays of a vertical sun, exhausted by a long train of suffering, deprived
for a long time of the use of any kind of spiritous 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 endeavored to forget their selfishness
and cupidity; the children smiled for the first
time since our shipwreck; in a word, every one
seemed to revive from a state of melancholy and
dejection.
"About six in the evening, my father finding
himself extremely fatigued, wished to rest himself. We allowed the caravan to move on, while




170      FIRESIDE READING.
my step-mother 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 step-mother 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:'Be comforted, ladies; under the
costume of an Arab, you see an Englishman
who is 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 calmed 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. tIe
then gave us some biscuit, which we ate; and




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 171
we then set off together to join our companions.
Mr. Carnet wished us to mount his camels, but
my step-mother and myself, being unable to persuade ourselves we could sit securely on their
hairy haunches, continued to walk on the moist
sand; while 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 bitter
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."
The succeeding night passed over without any
unpleasant event, and the party were again on
the march along the shore at four in the morning. All were hungry, and Mr. Carnet left
them  to procure some provisions.  "At noon,
the sun's heat became so violent, that even the




172        FIRESIDE  READING.
Moors themselves endured it with difficulty.
We then determined on finding some shade behind the high mounds of sand which appeared
in the interior; but how were we to reach them?
The sands could not be hotter. We fad 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; notwithstanding, 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 ourselves, we were nearly suffocated. I thought my last moments were 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 hastened 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 effectually, drew
the foot from the boot, and seized it in his turn;
but it availed him nothing. The water which
remained was so disgusting that he could not
drink it, and spilt it on the ground. Captain
Begnere, who was present, judging, by the water
that fell, how loathsome that must have been
which I had drank, offered me some crumbs of




SHIPWRECK OF TIIE MEDUSA. 173
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 on the point of quitting this furnace, when we saw our English friend approaching, who brought us provisions. At this sight I
felt my strength revive, and ceased to desire
death, which I had before called 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 water; 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, which were lying in
the water. We rushed among the waves, and,
after a bath of half an hour, reposed ourselves
upon the beach."
There was still another day's painful traveling before 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




174       FIRESIDE READING.
we quickened our march; and for the first time
since our shipwreck, a smiling picture presented
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, which flitted among
their long, yielding branches, caused in us emotions difficult to express. We could not satiate
our eyes with gazing on the beauties of this
place, verdure being so enchanting to the sight,
especially after having traveled through the
desert. Before reaching the river, we had to
descend a little hill covered with thorny bushes.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon 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 and others, including our generous friend Mr. Carnet,
were met to receive us. My father presented
us to the governor, who had alighted; he appeared to be sensibly affected with our misfortunes, the females and children chiefly exciting
his commiseration; and the native inhabitants
and Emll pernns tenderly shook the hands of the




SHIIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 175
unfortunate people; the negro slaves even
seemed to deplore our disastrous fate. Every
thing was done to relieve our necessities, and
render us comfortable after our dangers and
fatigues."
We now turn to the account of the raft, and
the unfortunates who had been treacherously
deserted on it.
THE RAFT.
Ruthlessly abandoned in the midst of the
ocean, and at the distance of five or six miles
from the wreck of the Medusa, the crew of the
raft, numbering altogether a hundred and fifty
individuals, gave themselves up to all the horrors of despair. This feeling, however, was
less manifested by the officers than by their
companions, who were principally soldiers and
sailors. M. Coudin, the nominal commander,
was unfit, from illness, to issue orders or exert
his influence, and the duty of attending to the
general wants and safety appears to have been
assumed by M. Correard and M. Savigny, with
one or two other officers. These gentlemen, by
putting on a countenance of greater fortitude
than they really possessed, endeavored to soothe
the general apprehensions, and held out hopes
of succor, of which they had but a feeble expectationn.




176       FIRESIDE  READING.
When tranquillity was restored, and attention
could be given to the more immediate condition
of affairs, the first idea that occurred to the
officers in command, was that of steering the
raft by the aid of sails and compass. A search
was now made for the chart, compass, and anchor, which, on quitting the wreck, were understood to have been placed on the raft; but they
were no where to be found, and had never been
embarked. In this emergency, M. Correard recollected that he had seen one of the sailors with
a small pocket compass in his hands, and on inquiry, it was still fortunately in his possession.
This was a piece of joyful intelligence. The
compass was not larger than a crown-piece, and
perhaps not very accurate; nevertheless, it
would answer the purpose for which it was required, and was accordingly given to the chief
in command.  Alas! short-lived were the expectations which the possession of the compass
had raised. From want of care, it dropped
from the fingers of the commander, disappeared
between the planks of the raft, and was irrecoverably lost. There was no other guide across
the deep than the rising and setting sun.
In the hurry of leaving the wreck, none had
eaten any thing, and in the course of the forenoon all began to feel severely the calls of hunger. A meal was now served, consisting of a




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 177
little biscuit, mixed with three-quarters of a
pint of wine. Bad as it was, it was the best
meal distributed on the raft. The biscuit was
all consumed, and there was nothing left but
wine. After this repast, and while all were as
yet able to form correct conclusions, it might be
supposed that some definite plan would have
been executed for navigating the raft, if not to
the shore of the desert, at least back to the
Medusa, where there were stores of many useful materials, and an abundance of provisions.
Except the erecting of a very insufficient mast
and sail, nothing of this kind appears to have
been done. The raft lay a hulk on the water,
at the mercy of every wave. A few of the
better-disposed officers preserved a degree of
order, and preached patience and hope; and
this is the utmost that can be said in their favor.
Others employed themselves in canvassing, with
the common soldiers and sailors, plans for taking revenge on those who had deserted them
when they should reach the land.
With the shades of evening a better spirit
prevailed. To the first feeling of despair, there
now ensued a degree of resignation; and religion, with its soothing influence, contributed to
the general calm. At times a sanguine spirit
would try to impart hopes of succor on the
morrow. Perhaps the boats would land their
12             B




178      FIRESIDE  READING.
crews on the island of Arguin, and return to carry
away those on the raft; perhaps they might return after reaching the desert; perhaps they
might give intelligence of their fate to one of
the vessels of the squadron with which they
might fall in. These attempts at comfort were
only of momentary avail. Night set in, darkness enveloped the raft, the wind rose, and the
agitated sea dashed its waves and spray over
the cowering mass of sufferers. The uneasy
motion of the raft, and the shifting of the spars,
likewise added to the horrors of the scene.
With feet entangled amid the planks and cordage, many were thrown down, and deprived of
the power of moving, by others falling above
them. As the storm increased, numbers were
obliged to lash themselves to the beams, to prevent the waves from washing them off. Cries
of pain, of renewed despair, and of bitter lamentation, again rose on the blast. The faculties of many became temporarily impaired;
they fancied that vessels were approaching, and,
by way of holding out a signal, they fired off
pistols, and set fire to small heaps of gunpowder. Among the whole on board during that
awful night, there were few who did not expect
that the raft would perish in the storm before
morning.  But these anticipations were not
realized. The morning at length broke, and




SIIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 179
found the raft still buffeted on the surface of
the water. It was reserved for greater horrors.
As the second day dawned, the storm gradually ceased, and the ocean calmed.  When
there was sufficient light, the spectacle which
presented itself was most dismal. Wet, battered, sick, and. wounded, the wretched sufferers
were huddled  confusedly together in heaps.
On giving out rations of wine by way of a meal,
it was found that twenty persons were missing; a greater number, however, were probably
washed overboard during the night; for several,
in order to increase their allowance, took rations
for their dead companions. That twenty out
of the hundred and fifty were gone, was at least
certain. Death had taken his first installment.
During the day, which continued fine throughout, tranquillity prevailed, and sanguine hopes
were entertained that the boats would shortly
appear; none of them, however, made their
appearance, and hope once more gave way to
gloomy despair. A mutiny now broke out; the
orders of the officers were disregarded, and
there was reason to expect that next night, for
want of the precautions hitherto adopted, many
lives would be sacrificed. Night at length came,
and, to add to the horrors of the scene; there
was every appearance of a fresh storm  approaching. The sky became covered with heavy




180      FIRESIDE  READING.
clouds, the wind, which had been rather high
all day, now rose to a gale, and the waves,
again excited, rolled upon the raft in continuous
masses, driving it before them as if to immediate destruction.
In this dismal condition the hearts of the
mutineers quailed, and all tried to seek safety in
being calm.  But. rest was impossible.  Terrified for the fury of the waves, the mass of
sufferers clung to the center of the raft, where
some were actually stifled by the weight of their
companions.  Those who were outside, and exposed, were rolled over from side to side, and
of these a number were swept into the sea. So
little was the hope of surviving, that a body of
sailors and soldiers resolved to drown the sense
of their situation in wine, and so die while in a
stupor of intoxication. The officers, clinging
for safety to the mast, could offer no effectual
opposition to this mad and cowardly scheme;
and accordingly a wine cask was opened, and
from  it the mutineers drank a considerable
quantity-and would have drank more, had the
sea-water not entered the cask by the opening
Ywhich had been made in it, and caused them to
desist. Now maddened with liquor, the folly
of the mutineers knew no bounds; and they
proceeded to cut the lashings that held the
timbers of the raft together, in order to destroy




SIHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 181
all at a blow. Roused by the proposal, the
officers endeavored to avert their impending fate
by more vigorous measures than they had hitherto dared to put in practice.  When one of
the ringleaders in the revolt made the first
move to cut the ropes with a hatchet, the officers
rushed upon him, and, after a desperate struggle, dispatched him, and threw his body into
the sea. He was an Asiatic, of extraordinary
size; and, having been troublesome and overbearing in demeanor, few lamented his loss.
There was now an expectation of a battle between the two parties. The mutineers drew
their swords, and were on the point of commencing an attack, when another of their number was killed, and they retreated; only, however, to make a fresh attempt to cut the ropes.
One of the officers succeeded in preventing this
being done, and in a scuffle which ensued, struck
down a soldier and a sailor, whom he threw into
the sea, where they were drowned. Their exasperated comrades now rushed to the mast, and
began to cut down the ropes which supported it.
The mast fell with a crash on the leg of an
officer, which it nearly broke; and, far from
pitying this misfortune, the enraged crowd
threw the poor man into the sea, whence, however, his friends rescued him. No sooner was
he on board the wretched raft, which, during




182       FIRESIDE  READING.
the commotion, was tumbling about among the
waves, than he was seized on a second time,
and an attempt made to put out his eyes. Rendered desperate by these barbarous cruelties, the
officers and those who supported them, made a
charge on their antagonists, and put a number
of them to death.
While the combat still raged, some of the
mutineers took occasion to throw into the sea, together with her husband, the unfortunate woman
who was on board. Correard, distressed at seeing
two unoffending individuals perish, and affected
by their cries for help, seized a large rope which
he found on the forepart of the raft, fastened
it round his waist, and plunged into the sea.
He was thus able to save the female when she
was in the act of disappearing below the water.
IlTer husband was at the same time rescued by
M. Lavillette. The two exhausted beings were
laid on the dead bodies, and their backs were
supported by a barrel: in this situation they
shortly recovered their senses. The first thing
the woman did was to acquaint herself with the
name of the person who had saved her from
drowning, and to express to him her liveliest
gratitude. Finding, doubtless, that words but
ill-expressed her feelings, she recollected she
had in her pocket a small quantity of snuff, and
instantly offered it to him-it was all she pos



SHIPWRECK  OF THE  MED USA. 183
sessed. Touched with her gift, but unable to
use it, M. Correard gave it to a poor sailor, who
derived a solacement from it for three or four
days. It is impossible to describe a still more
affecting incident-the joyful recognition of the
husband and wife, when they discovered that
both were alive: they could scarcely credit their
senses when they found themselves in one another's arms. This woman was quite a heroine
of humble life. For twenty-four years she had
traveled as a soldier's wife along with the
French armies, in their campaigns in Italy and
other places. In this vagrant life she acted as
a suttler, supplying the men with articles; and
often was exposed to the greatest dangers on
the battle-field, in carrying assistance to the
wounded soldiers.  In telling her story to M.
Correard, she said: "Whether the men had
money or not, I always let them have my goods.
Sometimes a battle would deprive me of my
poor debtors; but after the victory, others would
pay me double or triple for what they had consumed before the engagement.  Thus I came in
for a share of their victories."  Unfortunate
woman, to have sailed in such a miserable expeditio.n! Little was she aware of the fate that
awaited her!
Returning to the position of affairs on the
raft: the mutiny was quelled by the determined




184      FIRESIDE  READING.
attitude of the officers; nor was the humanity
shown to the woman and her husband without
its effect in restoring better feelings. Overcome
with a momentary sense of shame, the mutineers
went the length of asking pardon on their knees
for their conduct. This was granted; and the
officers returned to their post at the center of
the raft, still, however, watchful of the movements of their infatuated companions. Toward
midnight the old grudge again broke out with
increased fury. Rushing on the officers, they
attempted to kill them with their weapons; and
those who had no arms, actually bit their adversaries in a shocking manner. One of their
drunken delusions was, that Lieutenant Lozach,
an officer on board, was a M. Danglas, who had
deserted them on quitting the frigate; and this
gentleman was with the greatest difficulty preserved from their fury. Brandishing their arms,
reeling to and fro, and stumbling against each
other, they continued to cry for Danglas to be
delivered up to their vengeance, and by no power
of reasoning could they be convinced that they
were in error.
Defeated in getting hold of M. Lozach, the
wretches now turned their rage upon the unfortunate M. Coudin, the wounded and distressed
commander of the raft.  Coudin appears to
have been a young man worthy of a better fate




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 185
than that of sailing among such a crew. During the scuffle we have been describing, he had
seated himself on a small barrel, supporting in
his arms a young sailor boy of twelve years of
age, in whom he took an interest. Suddenly he
was seized by the mutineers, who threw him
into the sea, along with the barrel on which he
sat, and the little boy whom he held in his arms.
The other officers rushed to the rescue of their
friend, and keeping off the mob with their
swords, they fortunately got hold of him, and
dragged him, still holding the little boy, on
board. Toward morning the mutiny was finally
quelled, the maddening effects of the liquor having worn off, and left the rioters dispirited.
Great suffering, and the hopelessness of their
situation, had contributed, as well as wine, to
render the men deranged during this eventful
night. Even the strongest-minded of the officers
felt themselves affected with strange illusions,
M. Savigny had visions of a most agreeable
kind: he fancied himself in a rich, cultivated
country, surrounded by happy friends, and although reason ever and anon pointed out the
fallacy, he could not divest himself of the impression.  Some appeared full of hope, told
their companions not to fear, and, saying that
they were going to fetch succor, plunged headlong into the sea, and perished. Others thought




186       FIRESIDE READING.
that their companions mocked them, by holding
out temptingly the wings of chickens and other
delicacies, and for this they rushed on them with
drawn swords. Some believed they were still
in the frigate, and asked where was their ham-.
mock, for they wanted to go below to sleep. A
few imagined they saw ships, or a harbor, with
a noble city in the background. M. Correard
at one time was under the illusion of being in
Italy; and another officer mentioned gravely
that he had sent off a letter to the governor describing the state of affairs on the raft, and that
he would certainly send boats in the morning to
take every one ashore. Such were some of the
fancies of which those on board the raft were
the involuntary victims; and nothing could convey a more striking testimony of their bodily
and mental sufferings.
When day returned, and a reckoning could be
taken, it was found that sixty-five had perished,
and that the entire number was now reduced to
sixty. Of those who were missing, the greater
number had fallen a sacrifice to intemperance,
or to ill-regulated minds. The officers were surprised to find that only two of their number
were gone; and this, on consideration, they
could only attribute to the comparative strength
of mind they had possessed. The circumstance
is a proof of the power which every man has of




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 187
resisting misfortune, if he remain temperate in
habits, and do not give way to panic or despair.
With the return of daylight the storm abated
as formerly, and when order was restored, and a
reckoning of the numbers taken, attention was
directed to the stock of provisions on board. It
sent a shock of fresh despair into the bosoms of
the more intelligent, when it was found that the
mutineers had thrown overboard two casks of
wine, and the only two casks of water which remained. The loss of the water was felt to be a
calamity greater than that of the wine; and the
distress on the occasion was augmented by the
reflection, that it was a loss caused entirely by
drunken folly. Nothing now remained but one
cask of wine, and it was arranged that this
should be carefully served out in half allowances. The sea being calm, the solitary mast
and sail were again raised, and an attempt made
to direct the raft toward land. The effort was
not successful; the wind drove the unruly platform hither and thither as it listed, and it was
impossible to say whether the raft approached or
receded from the spot where land was believed
to be.
During the day the gnawings of hunger suggested the idea of catching fish, and an attempt
was forthwith made. Hooks made of tags from
the soldiers' clothing were tied to lines, and




188      FIRESIDE  READING.
with baits-it is not mentioned of what-were
thrown into the sea; but the current drew them
under the raft, where they got entangled. A
bayonet was bent to catch sharks, but a shark
bit at, and straightened it; so this also failed.
Fishing, in short, proved an unavailing resource;
and when it was abandoned as hopeless, some
tried to feed on the dead bodies of their companions, while others gnawed the soldiers' belts
and cartridge-boxes. Fortunately the day was
calm. The sun shone placidly on the face of
the deep.  Amidst the torments of hunger,
therefore, hope again stole across the minds of
the most desponding. They expected to see the
boats make their appearance on the horizon, and
with fainting eyes they looked forth to catch the
first token of deliverance.  Noon passed, the
sun sunk beneath the world of waters, and yet
relief came not.  The gloom  and misery of
another night presented themselves.
This night was less terrible than the preceding. The weather was calm, and there was no
new mutiny on board. In the darkness, nothing was heard but the groans and sobs of the
sufferers, intermingled with the gurgling of the
sea between the planks.  The silence, broken
by such sounds, was perhaps more appalling
than the raging of the tempest. When the
morning of the fourth day dawned on the spec



SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 189
tral scene, it showed the dead bodies of twelve
persons, who had expired during the night; and
all these, with the exception of one, were thrown
into the sea. The number on board was now
reduced to forty-eight.
This day passed like the preceding.  The
weather continued fine, and despondency again
gave way to feelings of hope.  About four
o'clock in the afternoon a joyful event occurred.
A shoal of flying-fish paged under the raft, and
a great number got entangled in the spaces
between the timbers.  All threw  themselves
eagerly upon them, and captured about two
hundred, which they placed in an empty cask,
removing only the milts. These fish were about
the size of a herring, and, to men who were
famishing, they were delicious. Several of the
party returned thanks to God for the relief.
To render the fish fit for eating, an attempt was
made to boil them by means of a barrel, which
served as a pot; fire being procured by a flint,
steel, and a little dried gunpowder. This was
the last meal they were able to cook, for the
barrel took fire; and though it was soon extinguished, they were not able to save as much of
it as would answer the purpose again. There
was also no more gunpowder.
Night again came on, the sun set, and still there
was no appearance of relief. The calm having




190       FIRESIDE  READING.
continued, there was a prospect of a little rest,
even although the greater number stood or sat
constantly in water. It is distressing to know
that human passions again interfered to render
the scene of misery a battle-field.  Some Spaniards, Italians, and negroes, who had hitherto
taken no part with the mutineers, and who had
been inclined to the side of the officers, formed
a plot to throw all into the sea; the negroes
persuading them that Jand was near, and that,
if once there, they could conduct them in safety
through Africa. It is not improbable that a
wish to get possession of a small bag of money,
which was tied to the mast as a common fund,
to be made use of on landing, tempted them to
tile crime. The officers, and some sailors who
refused to join the conspirators, were now
obliged to take arms. They seized the Spaniard who was the ringleader, and threw him into
the sea; another, when he saw that all was discovered, plunged into the water, and was
drowned.   The remaining  conspirators now
rushed forward to revenge their comrades; a
desperate combat ensued; and the raft was
strewn with the dead and wounded. It was
evident, during the fight, that the mutineers
were affected by the same delusions as before;
they were, in fact, partially deranged in mind.
They called for Lieutenant Danglas, in order




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 191
to kill him for having deserted them, and they
could not be persuaded that that person was not
on the raft. During the fray the woman was
again thrown into the sea, but was a second
time rescued by the intrepid Coudin, assisted by
some workmen. At length the battle ceased;
the mutineers were repulsed; and the remainder
of the night was passed without disturbance.
The morning of the fifth day dawned, and
revealed the slaughter that had taken place.
Since the previous morning, eighteen had, by
one means or other, perished, and their number
was now' reduced to thirty. Among the dead
were five sailors, whom the officers deeply lamented; for they were trustworthy and tractable. Of the thirty who remained alive on the
raft, only twenty could stand upright or move
about. The sea-water had stripped the skin
from the feet and legs of nearly the whole, and
every one was in a state of deplorable emaciation. If no vessel came to their assistance,
they did not expect to survive more than four
days, for there was wine only for that time, and
scarcely a dozen fish. The fifth day passed over
in melancholy mood; night came, and still there
was no relief. The sixth day passed, and so did
the succeeding night, in a condition equally disconsolate.
The seventh day was more eventful. Two




192      FIRESIDE  READING.
soldiers were discovered drinking wine clandestinely from the cask, by means of a pipe. As
this had been declared to be a crime punishable
with death, they were immediately seized, and
thrown into the sea. One of them was a sergeant, who had fomented the last conspiracy,
and had contrived to escape detection; his fate,
therefore, did not cause any regret.  In the
course of the day died also the young boy,
Leon, to whom M. Coudin had shown so much
kindness. Exhausted from hunger, and delirious, he could no longer support the dreadful
fatigues to which he was exposed. Before his
death, his mind took the direction of his home
in France; he thought his mother was near him,
and till the last he cried to her for food and
water. IIe died in the arms of his kind friend,
M. Coudin.
The party were now reduced to twenty-seven;
of these, twelve were so ill that there was no
hope of their surviving even a few days; they
had almost entirely lost their reason, and were
covered with wounds; nevertheless an equal ration of the declining quantity of wine was
served out to them. A  consultation was now
held respecting these unfortunate beings. It was
represented that, as they could not possibly survive, and as their consumption of wine was daily
diminishing the stock, already too low, it would




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 198
be no crime to put an end to their sufferings by
throwing them into the sea. This was a horrible and painful expedient, and such it was felt
to be; for those who proposed and assented to
it had not the cruelty to put it into execution,
or see it done. Three soldiers and a sailor were
commissioned to act as executioners; and while
they cleared the raft of their dying companions,
the others turned their backs, not to witness the
afflicting spectacle. Among those thrown overboard were the woman and her husband already
mentioned. Both had been grievously wounded
in the different combats. The woman had a
thigh broken between the beams of the raft,
and the stroke of a saber had made a deep
wound in the head of her husband. In terminating the existence of these hapless individuals,
M. Correard observes that all felt themselves to
be under a terrible necessity which knew no
law. "Ye," he continues, "who shudder at the
cry of outraged humanity, recollect that it was
other men, fellow-countrymen, who had placed
us in this awful situation." The expedient of
throwing overboard their apparently-dying comrades, reduced the number on the raft to fifteen,
and gave the means of subsistence for a few
additional days. When the dreadful sacrifice
was completed, all cast their swords into {the
sea, reserving but one saber, for cutting a piece
13            B




194       FIRESIDE  READING.
Of wood, or cordage, or any thing else that
might be necessary.
We have now the afflicting spectacle of fifteen
wretched beings in the depth of despair on this
floating tomb, seated or standing constantly in
water, the sun beating down upon them with
tropical intensity by day, and darkness enshrouding them  by night.  The eighth day
passed, night came, and still no friendly sail
rose on the horizon.  Then came the ninth day
with its aggravated hunger, and thirst, and
wretchedness.  While hope was sunk in the
feelings of the unhappy party, the eyes of all
were startled on seeing a butterfly, of a kind
common in France, fly over their heads and
settle on the sail of the raft. This trifling incident once more raised a bright gleam of hope;
the butterfly was accepted as a harbinger of deliverance, and was taken under the protection
of the forlorn group. On the succeeding days
more butterflies visited them, and gave rise to
the belief that the land could not be far distant.
While cheering with new hopes, these insects
also roused the party to fresh exertions. "' We
had recourse," says M. Correard, " to every expedient which might lessen the miseries of our
situation. We detached some planks from the
raft, and made a sort of platform, on which we
might lie down; this raised us above the water,




SHIPWRECK  OF THE MEDUSA. 195
which had always been from one to two feet
above the surface of the raft; the waves, however, still washed over us at intervals, and frequently covered us completely. Here we endeavored to beguile the time, by recounting our
different adventures. Lavillette related the various scenes he had passed through, which were
indeed extraordinary; but none, he said, had
brought with them such suffering from fatigue
and privation as those we now endured.
" Our situation was now most distressing: the
waves, which almost constantly washed over us,
caused intolerable pain; and our excessive thirst,
which we felt was increased by the intense heat
of a tropical sun.  To relieve this thirst we
-tried several expedients; we bathed our hands,
faces, and even hair in salt water, and some
even drank considerable quantities of it. One
means of slaking our thirst was never thought
of by us, though it has often been adopted by
persons in our situation with great success.
When Captain Bligh made his perilous voyage
in an open boat over three thousand miles of
the ocean, he and his companions used to dip
their clothes in the sea, and wear them damp;
the pores of the body, it is supposed, imbibing
part of the moisture, and thus allaying their
desire for drink. Unfortunately we had never
heard of this expedient.  An officer found a




196        FIRESIDE  READING.
small melon, which he resolved to keep for himself: for a long time he refused it to the entreaties of those around him, till their threats
and rage obliged him to share it. We had also
a serious dispute about thirty cloves of garlic,
which had escaped notice in the bottom of a
sack; at another time we contended for two
small vials of a liquor for cleaning the teeth;
we never came, however, to extremities. This
liquor was husbanded with the greatest care,
two drops of it producing a delightful sensation; indeed it is difficult to conceive the agreeable effect which the most trifling relief of this
kind produced. One of us had found an empty
bottle, which still retained some scent of the
perfume it had formerly contained; to smell at
this for an instant appeared the highest enjoyment.  Some kept their wine, and sucked it
slowly from the goblet through a quill; the intoxication, however, it produced upon their debilitated frames was remarkable, and often produced angry disputes, and sometimes was near
causing more serious consequences. On the
tenth day, for example, after the wine had been
distributed, MM. Clairet, Coudin, Charlot, and
two others, resolved, in a fit of intoxication, to
destroy themselves, and were with considerable
difficulty prevented by the entreaties of their
companions. Perhaps all our arguments would




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 197
have been unavailing, if a number of sharks
had not surrounded the raft, and turned their
attention to this new danger. They came so
near, that we were enabled to strike at them
with the saber; but notwithstanding all the exertions of M. Lavillette, who gave them several
blows, we could not kill one; the size of several
appeared enormous, some of them being above
thirty feet long.
"Three days now passed away in intolerable
torments. We had become so careless of life,
that we bathed even in the sight of the sharks,
which were swimming round the raft; others
were not afraid to place themselves naked on
we forepart of the machine, which was then
entirely under water; and though it was exceedingly dangerous, it had the effect of taking
away their thirst. On the 16th July, eight of
us resolved on trying to reach the coast, to
which we imagined ourselves to be now very
near; for this purpose we nailed some boards
across a few spars, which we separated from the
raft, fitted it with a mast and a sail, and made
oars of barrel-staves; a certain portion of the
wine remaining, which consisted but of fifteen
bottles in all, was to be given to us, and our departure was fixed for the next day. Our machine being finished, however, it was necessary
to try if she was able to bear us. A sailor went




198      FIRESIDE  READING.
upon it, when it immediately upset, and showed
us the rashness of our design; we therefore
gave it up, resolving to wait upon the raft for
the approach of death; which, unless we were
immediately relieved, could not be very distant,
our stock of wine being so low, and our disgust
at the loathsome food we ate hourly increasing.
"On the morning of the 17th July the sun
shone brightly, the sky appearing without a
cloud; we addressed our prayers to God, and
distributed the rations of wine. While each
person was taking his portion, a captain of infantry discovered a ship in the horizon, and
with a shout of joy informed us of it. We saw
that it was a brig, but at such a distance th~
we could discern no more than the tops of h
masts.  It is impossible to describe the joy
which we felt at the sight; each looked upon
his delivery as certain, and returned repeated
thanks to God.  Still, in the midst of these
hopes we were apprehensive that we should not
be seen. We straightened some hoops, and fastened some handkerchiefs of different colors to
the end. We then united our efforts, and raised
a man to the top of the mast, who waved these
flags. For half an hour we were suspended between hope and fear; some of us thought that
the vessel was coming nearer, while others, with
more accuracy, asserted that she was making




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 199
sail away from us. In fact, in a short time the
brig disappeared. We now resigned ourselves
to despair; we even envied those whom death
had taken away from the suffering we were now
to undergo. We determined to seek consolation
in sleep. The day before, we had suffered exceedingly from the rays of a burning sun; we
now made an awning to screen us from the heat,
and lay down beneath it. We agreed to carve
our names on a plank, along with a short recital of our adventures, and to hang it to the
mast, in the hope that it might reach our government and our families. We had passed two
hours in these desponding reflections, when the
Iaster-gunner went from under the awning, in
ider to go to the forepart of the raft: he had
scarcely, however, put his head out, when he
turned toward us and uttered a loud cry. Joy
was in his countenance, his hands were stretched
out toward the sea, and he scarcely breathed:
he could only utter,'We are saved; the brig is
near to us!' We rushed out, and found that
she was in fact only a mile and a half distant,
and was steering directly toward us under a
press of sail. Joy now succeeded to despair;
we embraced each other, and burst into tears.
Even those whose wounds rendered them incapable of more exertion, dragged themselves
along to the side of the raft, in order to enjoy




200       FIRESIDE  READING.
the sight of the vessel which was to deliver
them. Each laid hold on a handkerchief, or a
piece of linen, to make signals to the brig, which
neared us fast: a few returned thanks to Providence for their miraculous preservation. We
now recognized the vessel to be the Argus, and
soon after had the pleasure of seeing her shorten
sail when she was within half pistol shot. The
crew, dispersed through the shrouds and on the
deck, waved their hats, to express their pleasure
at having come to our relief. A boat was now
lowered, commanded by M. Lemaigre, who ardently wished to be the person who should take
us from the fatal raft. He removed the sick
first, placed them beside him in his boat, an,
showed them all the care and attention whi4
humanity could prompt. In a short time we
were all in safety on board the brig, where we
met some of our shipwrecked companions who
had been saved in the boats.
"All were affected to see our miserable condition: ten out of the fifteen were scarcely able
to move: the skin was stripped off our limbs,
our eyes were sunk, our beards long, and we
were in the most emaciated condition. As soon
as we had been discovered, they prepared some
excellent broth for us, and mixed in it some
wine, to recruit our exhausted strength. Our
wounds were dressed; and, in short, we received




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 201
every attention which our miserable state required. Some became delirious; but the care
of the surgeon, and the kind attention of every
one on board, soon wrought in us the most favorable change."
The Argus, as has been already mentioned,
had been, after some delay, sent from Senegal,
with instructions to afford assistance to the
crews of the boats, and afterward to look for
the raft. In her course she had become aware
that the crews in the boats had been saved, and
had rendered them some succor while coasting
the desert. Her search for the raft was at first?uitless, and after cruising about for a number
days, she had turned helm to proceed to!egal. It was while returning that the party
n the raft had seen and lost sight of her.
Having reached to within forty leagues of the
river, the wind veered to the south-west, and
the captain said that he would steer for a short
time in that direction; he tacked accordingly,
and was standing toward the raft for about two
hours, when those on board descried the vessel
on the horizon. This change of course, as we
have seen, saved the fifteen unfortunate beings,
who at the time did not expect they could hold
out four-and-twenty hours longer; for the last
two days had been spent without food, and only
a small1 quantity of wine was left.




202      FIRESIDE  READING.
As soon as the party was removed to the
Argus, that vessel steered for Senegal, which it
reached next day. In the evening it moored
close to the shore, and on the following morning,
the 19th July, anchored in the roads of St.
Louis.
Thus were fifteen, all who remained alive out
of a hundred and fifty individuals left on the
wreck, rescued from the death which seemed to
await them.  Of the fifteen'..five died in a short
time of the injuries they had sustained; and
the remainder carried on their wounded and
emaciated bodies the lasting effects of their
protracted and most miserable sufferings on thei
raft.
THE WRECK.
It will be recollected that, at the disgraceful
scramble in leaving the Medusa, seventeen persons, some of them in a state of intoxication,
did not depart with their companions in the
boats. Lachaumareys, on quitting the vessel at
one of the port-holes, promised to send out succor to them as soon as he should reach the land.
To fill up the measure of his depravity, the captain falsified this as well as his other promises;
and it is nQt less distressing to know that neither the party generally who escaped in the
boats, nor those who afterward were taken from




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 203
the raft, gave themselves any concern about
their less fortunate brethren in the wreck. It
does not appear, from the narrative of M. Correard, that they would have been thought of,
but for the governor, Schmaltz, wishing to save
the specie and provisions which were on board.
To secure these articles a schooner was fitted
out, commanded by a lieutenant, and manned
by some negro traders and a few passengers.
She set sail from Senegal on the 26th of July;
that is, seven days after the party saved from
the raft had been landed, and seventeen from
L he time the governor and captain had reached
negal; but, having provisions for only eight
_ s on board, she was obliged, when that stock
r exhausted, to return without having got
sight of the frigate; she was afterward furnished with a sufficiency for twenty-five days,
but, being ill-found, she returned into port a
second time, after having been fifteen days at
sea. A delay of ten days now occurred, when
she made a third attempt, with a new set of
sails, and reached the Medusa fifty-two days
after it had been abandoned. From the time
which had elapsed, it was confidently believed
that all who had been left on board the frigate
would be dead; what, therefore, was the astonishment of those in the schooner, to find that
three of the miserable beings had outlived all




204      FIRESIDE  READING.
their sufferings, and now appeared like specters
to welcome the approach of their countrymen!
The following is the account which these unfortunate men gave of what had occurred on
the wreck. When the boats and the raft had
left the frigate, the seventeen had collected a
sufficient quantity of wine, biscuit, brandy, and
bacon, for their subsistence during a certain
number of days. While this stock lasted they
were quiet; but forty-two days having passed
without the arrival of the expected succor,
twelve of the most resolute constructed a raft,
and, endeavoring to make the land without oars
or sails, and but a small quantity of provision
were drowned. That this was their fate thj
is no reason for doubting, as the shattered fry
ments of their raft were some time afterwar1
tfhrown on shore by the waves, and picked up
by the Moors. Another seaman, who refused
to trust for safety to the raft, adopted the
strange resolution, a few days after, of placing
himself on a hencoop, and in this way tried to
reach the shore; at the distance of half a cable's length, however, the coop upset, and he
was drowned.
Four now remained on the wreck, resolved to
await death or succor, rather than brave dangers which appeared to them insurmountable.
One of them had lately expired when the




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 205
schooner arrived, and the others were so weak
and emaciated, that in a very short time death
would have put an end to all their sufferings.
They lived in separate corners of the vessel,
which they never quitted but to look for food,
and this latterly consisted only of tallow and a
little bacon. If on these occasions they accidentally met, they used to run at each other
with drawn knives; so completely had selfishness and ferocity stifled that sympathy which
fellow-sufferers are generally disposed to feel for
one another. It is mentioned as a remarkable
fact, worthy of being made known, that as long? these men abstained from strong liquor, they
re able to support the hardships of their situ[ in a surprising manner; but when they
an to drink brandy, their strength daily and
rapidly diminished.  How  these unfortunate
beings should have been driven to extremities
for food, is not easily accounted for. The Medusa contained a large cargo of provisions, and
why this store was not reached is not explained
in the original narrative. Perhaps the men did
not know of there being barrels of provisions
on board; or they might not have possessed gufficient strength to reach them below other articles in the hold.
On being. discovered and removed by the
schooner, the three survivors received all the




206      FIRESIDE  READING.
attention which their situation required. This
having been attended to, the crew of the
schooner proceeded to remove from the frigate
every thing that could be taken out; and after
having loaded their own vessel with wine, flour,
and every thing else that was removable,
whether public or private property, though
without discovering the money, they returned
to Senegal.
Those who had been rescued by the boats, and
also from the raft, expected that the schooner,
besides fetching the public property from the
wreck, would bring many articles which they
would claim as their own. The crew of th~
schooner, however, though in the service of tj
King of France, acted on this occasion the 1
of pirates: they not only kept and made s~
in the market of St. Louis, of articles of value
found in the wreck, but robbed the miserable
victims whom they had rescued.
The report they gave of the state of the
wreck, induced the governor to permit merchants to send vessels to bring off more of the
goods on board-the proceeds to be equally divided between the government and the adventurers. Four vessels thus set sail, and in a
short time brought back a great quantity of
flour, salt, provisions, brandy, cordage, and
other articles, of which there was a fair division.




SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 207
In concluding this melancholy recital, we almost feel it necessary to assure our readers that
what we have been telling them is no dressed-up
fiction, but a narrative drawn from authentic
sources, and true in every particular. We need
scarcely repeat, what must occur to every mind,
that nothing in the whole annals of shipwreck
equals in infamy the conduct of Lachaumareys,
the captain of the Medusa, or of the governor,
Schmaltz, with whom he appears to have acted
in concert. Neither, we believe, did ever any
disaster by sea or land present such a series of
blunders, such want of concert or management,
or such a deficiency among nearly all concerned,
if the common feelings of humanity.  Shortly
ter its occurrence, the shipwreck of the Medusa created a considerable sensation in Europe,
and especially in France. The general feeling
was that of horror; but in France, this sentiment was mingled with shame, and every effort
was made to prevent the publication of the details by Correard, as well as belief in them after
publication. But all was unavailing. The narrative remains trustworthy in all respects-a
sad memorial of human suffering and depravity.




VI.
Lathig off the Nfontg.
HE circumstances detailed in the following
narrative are altogether of so singular and
romantic a character, that, but for the undeniable authenticity of every particular, the whole
might be considered as the production of the
ingenious brain of a Defoe. Some of the incidents, indeed, surpass in impressive interest an9
thing to be met with in the fictitious history
Alexander Selkirk's solitary existence and adventures.
In December, 1787, the Bounty sailed from
Spithead for Otaheite, under the command of
Lieutenant Bligh, who had previously accompanied Captain Cook in his exploratory voyages
in the Pacific Ocean. The object of the present
expedition was to convey from Otaheite to the
West India colonies the plants of the breadfruittree, which Dampier, Cook, and other voyagers,
had observed to grow with the most prolific luxuriance in the South Sea Islands, and which
furnished the natives with a perpetual and
208




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   209
wholesome subsistence, without even the trouble
of cultivation.  The crew of the Bounty consisted of forty-four individuals, including the
commander and two skillful gardeners to take
charge of the plants, for the removing of which
every accommodation had been provided on
board, under the superintendence of Sir Joseph
Banks, who had personally visited Otaheite with
Captain WAllis. After a most distressing voyage, in which, after reaching Cape Horn, they
were compelled to put the helm aweather, and
take the route by Van Dieman's Land, the voyagers anchored in Matavia Bay, Otaheite, on
the 26th October, 1788, having run over by the
log, since leaving England, a space of 27,086
Riles, or an average of 108 miles in twentyTur hours.
The simple natives, who had experienced
much kindness from Captain Cook, testified
great joy at the arrival of the strangers, and
loaded them with presents and provisions of
every sort. The character, condition, and habits of the islanders, as described to us even by
their earliest visitors, present a most extraordinary contrast to the usual features of savage
life. They were a kind, mild-tempered, social,
and affectionate race, living in the utmost harmony among themselves, and their whole lives
being one unvaried round of cheerful content14             B




210       FIRESIDE  READING.
ment, luxurious ease, and healthful exercise and
amusements.
Bligh appears to have been tempted to remain at this luxurious spot much longer than
was either proper or necessary, as the breadfruit plants, and provisions of hogs, fowls, fish,
and vegetables of every description, were amply
supplied him by the kind natives. The liberty
which he gave his crew to go on shore, and
enjoy all the indulgences which the place afforded, was extremely imprudent; and this, together with the capricious harshness and unjustifiable insult with which he occasionally treated
every one on board-officers as well as menappears to have been the sole cause of the unfortunate occurrence that afterward took placo
The Bounty, which, as we have mentioned, arrived October 26, 1778, did not sail till the 4th
of April, 1789, when she departed, loaded with
pre'sents, and amid the tears and regrets of the
natives. They continued till the 27th among the
islands of that archipelago, touching at many
of them, bartering and interchanging presents
with the natives, many of whom remembered
Bligh when he accompanied Cook in the Resolution.
The remainder of this narrative can be best
detailed ill Captain Bligh's own words.
About three weeks were spent among the




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   211
small islands which lie scattered round Otaheite,
at some of which we touched. According to my
instructions, my course was now through Endeavor Straits, to Prince's Island, in the Straits
of Sunda. On the 27th of April, at noon, we
were between the islands of Tofoa and Kotoo.
Latitude observed, 19 degrees 18 minutes south.
Thus far the voyage had advanced in a course
of uninterrupted prosperity, and had been attended with many circumstances equally pleasing and satisfactory. A very different scene
was now to be experienced.
lMonday, 27th April, 1789.-The wind being
northerly in the evening, we steered to the westward, to pass to the south of Tofoa. I gave
directions for this course to be continued during
the night. The master had the first watch, the
gunner the middle watch, and Mr. Christian the
morning watch.
Tuesday, 28th.-Just before sunrising, while
I was yet asleep, Mr. Christian, with the master-at-arms, gunner's mate, and Thomas Burkitt, seaman, came into my cabin, and seizing
me, tied my hands with a cord behind my back,
threatening me with instant death if I spoke or
made the least noise. I, however, called as loud
as I could, in hopes of assistance; but they had
already secured the officers who were not of
their party, by placing sentinels at their doors.




212      FIRESIDE  READING.
There were three men at my cabin door, besides
the four within; Christian had only a cutlass in
his kand, the others had muskets and bayonets.
I was pulled out of bed, and forced on deck in
my shirt, suffering great pain from the tightness
with which they had tied my hands. I demanded the reason of such violence, but received no other answer than abuse for not holding my tongue. The master, the gunner, the
surgeon, Mr. Elphinstone, aaster's mate, and
Nelson, were kept confiaed below, and the forehatchway was guarded by sentinels. The boatswain and carpenter, and also the clerk, Mr.
Samuel, were allowed to come -upon deck. The
boatswain was ordered to hoist the launch out,
with a threat if he did not do it instantly to
take care of himself.
When the boat was out, Mr. Hayward and
Mr. Hallet, two of the midshipmen, and Mr.
Samael, were ordered into it. I demanded what
their intention was in giving this order, and endeavored to persuade the people near me not to
persist in such acts of violence; but it was to
no effect. Christian changed the cutlass which
he had in his hand for a bayonet that was
brought to him, and holding me with a strong
gripe by the cord that tied my hands, he, with
many oaths, threatened to kill me immediately
if I would not be quiet; the villains round me




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   213
had their pieces cocked and bayonets fixed.
Particular people were called on to go into the
boat, and were hurried over the side, whence I
concluded that with these people I was to be set
adrift. I therefore made another effort to bring
about a change, but with no other effect than to
be threatened with having my brains blown out.
The boatswain and seamen who were to go
into the boat were allowed to collect twine, canvas, lines, sails, cordage, an eight-and-twenty
gallon cask of water, and Mr. Samuel got a
hundred and fifty pounds of bread, with a small
quantity of rum and wine, also a quadrant and
compass; but he was forbidden, on pain of
death, to touch either map, ephemeris, book of
astronomical observations, sextant, time-keeper,
or any of my surveys or drawings.
The officers were next called upon deck, and
forced over the side into the boat, while I was
kept apart from every one abaft the mizzenmast.
Isaac Martin, one of the guard over me, I
saw had an inclination to assist me, and, as he
fed me with shaddock-my lips being quite
parched-we explained our wishes to each other
by our looks; but this being observed, Martin
was removed from me. He then attempted to
leave the ship, for which purpose he got into
the boat; but with many threats they obliged




214       FIRESIDE  READINTG.
him to return. The armorer, Joseph Coleman,
and two of the carpenters, MI'Intosh and Norman, were also kept contrary to their inclination; and they begged of me, after I was astern
in the boat, to remember that they declared they
had no hand in the transaction. Michael Byrne,
I am told, likewise wanted to leave the ship.
It appeared to me that Christian was some
time in doubt whether he should keep the carpenter or. his mate; at length he determined on
the latter, and the carpenter was ordered into
the boat. He was permitted, but not without
some opposition, to take his tool-chest.  The
officers and men being in the boat, they only
waited for me, of which the master-at-arms in
formed Christian; who then said, "Come, Captain Bligh, your officers and men are now in
the boat, and you must go with them; if you
attempt to make the least resistance, you will
instantly be put to death:" and without further
ceremony, with a tribe of armed ruffians about
me, I was forced over the side, where they untied my hands.  Being in the boat, we were
veered astern by a rope. A few pieces of pork
were thrown to us, and some clothes, also four
cutlasses; and. it was then that the armorer and
carpenters called out to me to remember that
they had no hand in the transaction. After
having undergone a great deal of ridicule, and




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.  215
been kept some time to make sport for these
unfeeling wretches, we were at length cast adrift
in the open ocean.
I had eighteen persons with me in the boat.
There remained on board the Bounty twentyfive hands, the rnost able men of the ship's
company. Having little or no wind, we rowed
pretty fast toward Tofoa, which bore north-east
about ten leagues from us. While the ship was
in sight, she steered to the west-north-west; but
I considered this only as a feint; for when we
were sent away, " Huzza for Otaheite!" was
frequently heard among the mutineers.
It will very naturally be asked, What could
be the reason for such a revolt? In answer to
which, I can only conjecture that the mutineers
had flattered themselves with the hopes of a
more happy life among the Otaheitans than they
could possibly enjoy in England; and this,
joined to some female connections, most probably occasioned the whole transaction.  The
women at Otaheite are handsome, mild and
cheerful in their manners and conversation,
possessed of great sensibility, and have sufficient delicacy to make them admired and beloved. The chiefs were so much attached to
our people, that they rather encouraged their
stay among them than otherwise, and even
made them promises of large possessions. Un



216      FIRESIDE  READING.
der these, and many other attendant circumstances equally desirable, it is now perhaps not
so much to be wondered at, though scarcely
possible to have been foreseen, that a set of
sailors, most of them void of connections, should
be led away: especially when, in addition to
such powerful inducements, they imagined it
in their power to fix themselves in the midst of
plenty, on one of the finest islands in the world,
where they need not labor, and where the allurements of dissipation are beyond any thing
that can be conceived.
My first determination was to seek a supply
of bread-fruit and water at Tofoa, and afterward to sail for Tongataboo, and there risk a
solicitation to Poulaho, the king, to equip our
boat, and grant us a supply of water and provisions, so as to enable us to reach the East
Indies. The quantity of provisions I found in
the boat was a hundred and fifty pounds of
bread, sixteen pieces of pork, each piece weighing two pounds, six quarts of rum, six bottles
of wine, with twenty-eight gallons of water, and
four empty barrecoes.
We got to Tofoa when it was dark, but found
the shore so steep and rocky that we could not
land. We were obliged, therefore, to remain all
night in the boat, keeping it on the lee-side of
the island with two oars. Next day-Wednes



MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.  217
day, April 29-we found a cove, where we
landed. I observed the latitude of this cove to
be 19 degrees 41 minutes south. This is the
north-west part of Tofoa, the north-westernmost
of the Friendly Islands. As I was resolved to
spare the small stock of provisions we had in
the boat, we endeavored to procure something
toward our support on the island itself. For
two days we ranged through the island in parties, seeking for water, and any thing in the
shape of provisions, subsisting, meanwhile, on
morsels of what we had brought with us. The
island at first seemed uninhabited, but on Friday, May 1, one of our exploring parties met
with two men, a woman, and a child: the men
came with them to the cove, and brought two
cocoa-nut shells of water.  I endeavored to
make friends of these people, and sent them
away for bread-fruit, plantains, and water.
Soon after, other natives came to us; and by
noon there were thirty about us, from whom we
obtained a small supply. I was much puzzled
in what manner to account to the natives for
the loss of my ship: I knew they had too much
sense to be amused with a story that the ship
was to join me, when she was not in sight from
the hills. I was at first doubtful whether I
should tell the real fact, or say that the ship
had overset and sunk, and that we only were




218      FIRESIDE  READING.
saved: the latter appeared to be the most proper
and advantageous for us, and I accordingly instructed my people, that we might all agree in
one story. As I expected, inquiries were made
about the ship, and they seemed readily satisfied
with our account; but there did not appear the
least symptom of joy or sorrow in their faces,
although I fancied I discovered some marks of
surprise.  Some of the natives were coming
and going the whole afternoon.
Toward evening, I had the satisfaction to
find our stock of provisions somewhat increased;
but the natives did not appear to have much to
spare. What they brought was in such small
quantities, that I had no reason to hope we
should be able to procure from them sufficient
to stock us for our voyage. At night, I served
a quarter of a bread-fruit and a cocoa-nut to
each person for supper; and a good fire being
made, all but the watch went to sleep.
Saturday, 2d.-As there was no certainty of
our being supplied with water by the natives, I
sent a party among the gullies in the mountains,
with empty shells, to see what could be found.
In their absence the natives came about us, as I
expected, and in great numbers; two canoes
also came in from round the north side of the
island. In one of them was an elderly chief,
called Macca-ackavow. Soon after, some of our




MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY.  219
foraging party returned, and with them a goodlooking chief, called Egijeefow, or Eefow.
Their affability was of short duration, for the
natives began to increase in number, and I observed some symptoms of a, design against us.
Soon after, they attempted to haul the boat on
shore, on which I brandished my cutlass in a
threatening manner, and spoke to Eefow to desire them to desist; which they did, and every
thing became quiet again. My people, who had
been in the mountains, now returned with about
three gallons of water. I kept buying up the
little bread-fruit that was brought to us, and
likewise some spears to arm my men with, having only four cutlasses, two of which were in
the boat. As we had no means of improving
our situation, I told our people I would wait
till sunset, by which time, perhaps, something
might happen in our favor; for if we attempted
to go at present, we must fight our way through,
which we could do more advantageously at
night; and that, in the mean time, we would
endeavor to get off to the boat what we had
bought. The beach was lined with the natives,
and we heard nothing but the knocking of stones
together, which they had in each hand. I knew
very well this was the sign of an attack. At
noon I served a cocoa-nut and a bread-fruit to
each person for dinner, and gave some to the




220      FIRESIDE  READING.
chiefs, with whom I continued to appear intimate and friendly. They frequently importuned me to sit down, but I as constantly refused; for it occurred both to Nelson and myself that they intended to seize hold of me,
if I gave them such an opportunity. Keeping,
therefore, constantly on our guard, we were
suffered to eat our uncomfortable meal in some
quietness.
After dinner, we began, by little and little, to
get our things into the boat, which was a troublesome business, on account of the surf. I
carefully watched the motions of the natives,
who continued to increase in number; and found
that, instead of their intention being to leave us,
fires were made, and places fixed on for their
stay during the night. Consultations were also
held among them, and every thing assured me
we should be attacked.  I sent orders to the
master that, when he saw us coming down, he
should keep the boat close to the shore, that we
might the more readily embark.
The sun was near setting when I gave the
word, on which every person who was on shore
with me boldly took up his proportion of things
and carried them to the boat. The chiefs asked
me if I would not stay with them all night. I
said, "No, I never sleep out of my boat; but
in the morning we will again trade with you,




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   221
and I shall remain till the weather is moderate,
that we may go, as we have agreed, to see Poulaho, at Tongataboo." Macca-ackavow then got
up and said, "You will not sleep on shore, then,
Mattie?"-which directly signifies we will kill
you-and he left me. The onset was now preparing: every one, as I have described before,
kept knocking stones together; and Eefow quitted me. All but two or three things were in
the boat, when we walked down the beach, every
one in a silent kind of horror. We all got into
the boat except one man, who, while I was getting on board, quitted it, and ran up the beach
to cast the sternfast off, notwithstanding the
master and others called repeatedly and vehemently to him to return, while they were hauling me out of the water.
I was no sooner in the boat than the attack
began by about two hundred men; the unfortunate poor man who had run up the beach was
knocked down, and the stones flew like a shower
of shot. Many Indians got hold of the stern
rope, and were near hauling the boat on shore;
which they would certainly have effected, if I
had not had a knife in my pocket, with which I
cut the rope. We then hauled off to the grappel, every one being more or less hurt. At this
time I saw five of the natives about the poor
man they had killed, and two of them were




222      FIRESIDE  READING.
beating him about the head with stones in their
hands.
We had no time to reflect, for, to my surprise,
they filled their canoes with stones, and twelve
men came off after us to renew the attack;
which they did so effectuallyx as nearly to disable us all. We were obliged to sustain the attack without being able to return it, except with
such stones as lodged in the boat. I adopted
the expedient of throwing overboard some
clothes, which, -as I expected, they stopped to
pick up; and' as it was by this time almost dark,
they gave over the attack, and returned toward
the shore, leaving us to reflect on our unhappy
ituation.
The poor man killed by the natives was John
Norton: this was his second voyage with me as
a quarter-master, and his worthy character made
me lament his loss very much. He left an aged
parent, I am told, whom he supported.
We set our sails, and steered along shore by
the west side of' the island of Tofoa, the wind
blowing fresh from the eastward. My mind was
employed in considering what was best to be
done, when I was solicited by all hands to take
them toward home; and when I told them that
no hopes of relief for us remained, except what
might be found at New Holland, till I came to
Timor, a distance of full twelve hundred leagues,




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   223
where there was a Dutch settlement, but in what
part of the island I knew not,'they all agreed
to live on one ounce of bread and a quarter of
a pint of water per day. Therefore, after examining our stock of provisions, and recommending to them, in the most solemn manner,
not to depart from their promise, we bore away
across a sea where the navigation is but little
known, in a small boat, twenty-three feet long
from stem to stern, deep laden with eighteen
men. I was happy, however, to see that every
one seemed better satisfied with our situation
than myself.
Our stock of provisions consisted of about
one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, twentyeight gallons of water, twenty pounds of pork,
three bottles of wine, and five quarts of rumn.
The difference between this and the quantity we
had on leaving the ship was principally owing
to our loss in the bustle and confusion of the
attack. A few cocoa-nuts were in the boat, and
some bread-fruit, but the latter was trampled to
pieces.
Sunday, 3d.-At daybreak the gale increased;
the sun rose very fiery and red —a sure indication of a severe gale of wind. At eight it blew
a violent storm, and the sea ran very high, so
that between the seas the sail was becalmed, and
when on the top of the sea it was too much to




224       FIRESIDE  READING.
have set; but we could not venture to take in
the sail, for we were in very imminent danger
and distress, the sea curling over the stern of
the boat, which obliged us to bail with all our
might. A situation more distressing has perhaps seldom been experienced.
Our bread was in bags, and in danger of
being spoiled by the wet: to be starved to death
was inevitable, if this could not be prevented.
I therefore began to examine what clothes there
were in the boat, and what other things could
be spared; and having determined that only
two suits should be kept for each person, the
rest was thrown overboard, with some rope and
spare sails, which lightened the boat considerably, and we had more room to bail the water
out.  Fortunately the carpenter had a good
chest in the boat, in which we secured the bread
the first favorable moment. His tool-chest also
was cleared, and the tools stowed in the bottom
of the boat, so that this became a second convenience.
I served a teaspoonful of rum to each person-for we were wet and cold-with a quarter
of a bread-fruit, which was scarce eatable, for
dinner. Our engagement was now strictly to
be carried into execution, and I was fully determined to make our provisions last eight
weeks, let the daily proportion be ever so small.




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   225
Monday, 4th.-At daylight our limbs were so
benumbed, that we could scarcely find the use
of them. At this time I served a teaspoonful
of rum to each person, from which we all found
great benefit. Just before noon, we discovered
a small, flat island, of a moderate hight, bearing
west-south-west four or five leagues. I observed
our latitude to be eighteen degrees fifty-eight
minutes south; our longitude was, by account,
three degrees four minutes west from the island
of Tofoa, having made a north seventy-two degrees west course, distance ninety-five miles,
since yesterday noon.  I divided five small
cocoa-nuts for our dinner, and every one was
satisfied. During the rest of that day we discovered ten or twelve other islands, none of
which we approached. At night I served a few
broken pieces of bread-fruit for supper, and performed prayers.
Tuesday, 5th. —The night having been fair,
we awoke after a tolerable rest, and contentedly
breakfasted on a few pieces of yams that were
found in the boat. After breakfast we examined our bread, a great deal of which was damaged and rotten; this, nevertheless, we were glad
to keep for use. We passed two islands in the
course of the day. For dinner I served some
of the damaged bread, and a quarter of a pint
of water.
15            B




226      FIRESIDE  READING.
Wednesday, 6th. —We still kept our course in
the direction of the north of New Holland,
passing numerous islands of various sizes, at
none of which I ventured to land. Our allowance for the day was a quarter of a pint of
cocoa-nut milk, and the meat, which did not exceed two ounces to each person. It was received very contentedly, but we suffered great
drouth.  To our great joy we hooked a fish,
but we were miserably disappointed by its being
lost In trying to get it into the boat.
As our lodgings were very miserable, and
confined for want of room, I endeavored to
remedy the latter defect by putting ourselves at
watch and watch; so that one-half always sat
up while the other lay down on the boat's bottom, or upon a chest, with nothing to cover us
but the heavens.  Our limbs were dreadfully
cramped, for we could not stretch them out;
and the nights were so cold, and we so constantly wet, that, after a few hours' sleep, we
could scarcely move.
Th/ursday, 7th. —Being very wet and cold, I
served a spoonful of rum and a morsel of bread
for breakfast. We still kept sailing among
islands, from one of which two large canoes put
out in chase of us; but we left them behind.
Whether these canoes had any hostile intention
against us must remain a doubt: perhaps we




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   227
might have benefited by an intercourse with
them; but, in our defenseless situation, to have
made the experiment would have been risking
too much.
I imagined these to be the islands called
Feejee, as their extent, direction, and distance
from the Friendly Islands answers to the description given of them by those islanders.
HIeavy rain came on at four o'clock, when every
person did their utmost to catch some water,
and we increased our stock to thirty-four gallons, besides quenching our thirst for the first
time we had been to sea; but an attendant consequence made us pass the night very miserably,
for being extremely wet, and having no dry
things to shift or cover us, we experienced cold
shiverings scarcely to be conceived. Most fortunately for us, the forenoon, Friday 8th, turned
out fair, and we sPtipped and dried our clothes.
The allowance I issued to-day was an ounce and
a half of pork, a teaspoonful of rum, half a
pint of cocoa-nut milk, and an ounce of bread.
The rum, though so small in quantity, was of
the greatest service. A fishing-line was generally towing from the stern of the boat, but
though we saw great numbers of fish, we could
never catch one.
In the afternoon we cleaned out the boat, and
it employed us till sunset to get every thing dry




228       FIRESIDE  READING.
and in order. Hitherto I had issued the allowance by guess, but I now made a pair of scales
with two cocoa-nut shells, and having accidentally some pistol-balls in the boat, twenty-five of
which weighed one pound, or sixteen ounces. I
adopted one * as the proportion of weight that
each person should receive of bread at the times
I served it. I also amused all hands with describing the situation of New Guinea and New
Holland, and gave them every information in
my power, that, in case any accident happened
to me, those who survived might have some idea
of what they were about, and be able to find
their way to Timor, which at present they knew
nothing of more than the name, and some not
even that. At night I served a quarter of a
pint of water and half an ounce of bread for
supper.
Saturday, 9th.-About nine in the evening
the clouds began to gather, and we had a prodigious fall of rain, with severe thunder and
lightning. By midnight we caught about twenty
gallons of water.  Being miserably wet and
cold, I served to the people a teaspoonful of
rum each, to enable them to bear with their distressed situation. The weather continued extremely bad, and the wind increased; we spent
e It weighed two hundred and seventy-two grains.




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   229
a very miserable night, without sleep, except
such as could be got in the midst of rain. The
day brought no relief but its light.  The sea
broke over us so much, that two men were constantly bailing; and we had no choice how to
steer, being obliged to keep before the waves,
for fear of the boat filling.
The allowance now regularly served to each
person was one-twenty-fifth of a pound of
bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, at
eight in the morning, at noon, and at sunset.
To-day I gave about half an ounce of pork for
dinner, which, though any moderate person
would have considered only as a mouthful, was
divided into three or four.
All Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday, the wet weather continued, with heavy seas and squalls. As there
was no prospect of getting our clothes dried,
my plan was to make every one strip, and wring
them through the salt water, by which means
they received a warmth that, while wet with
rain, they could not have. We were constantly
shipping seas and bailing, and were very wet
and cold during the night. The sight of the
islands which we were always passing served
only to increase the misery of our situation.
We were very little better than starving, with
plenty in view; yet to attempt procuring any




230      FIRESIDE  READING.
relief was attended with so much danger, that
prolonging of life, even in the midst of misery,
was thought preferable, while there remained
hopes of being able to surmount our hardships.
For my own part, I consider the general run of
cloudy and wet weather to be a blessing of
Providence. Hot weather would have caused
us to have died with thirst, and probably being
so constantly covered with rain or sea protected
us from that dreadful calamity.
Saturday, 16th.-The  sun breaking  out
through the clouds gave us hopes of drying
our wet clothes; but the sunshine was of short
duration. We had strong breezes at south-east
by south, and dark, gloomy weather, with storms
of thunder, lightning, and rain. The night was
truly horrible, and not a star to be seen, so that
our steerage was uncertain.
Sunday, 17th.-At dawn of day I found every
person complaining, and some of them solicited
extra allowance, which I positively refused.
Our situation was miserable; always wet, and
suffering extreme c4ld during the night, without
the least shelter from the weather. Being constantly obliged to bail, to keep the boat from
filling, was perhaps not to be reckoned an evil,
as it gave us exercise.
The little rum we had was of great service.
When our nights were particularly distressing,




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   231
I generally served a teaspoonful or two to each
person; and it was always joyful tidings when
they heard of my intentions.
The night was dark and dismal, the sea constantly breaking over us, and nothing but the
wind and waves to direct our steerage. It was
my intention, if possible, to make New Holland,
to the southward of Endeavor Straits, being
sensible that it was necessary to preserve such a
situation as would make a southerly wind a fair
one; that we might range along the reefs till an
opening should be found into smooth water, and
we the sooner be able to pick up some refreshments.
Monday and Tuesday were terrible days,
heavy rain, with lightning. We were always
bailing. On Wednesday, the 20th, at dawn of
day, some of my people seemed half dead.
Our appearance was horrible, and I could look
no way but I caught the eye of some one in distress. Extreme hunger was now too evident;
but no one suffered from thirst, nor had we
much inclination to drink-that desire, perhaps,
being satisfied through the skin.  The little
sleep we got was in the midst of water, and we
constantly awoke with severe cramps and pains
in our bones.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we were in
the same distressed condition, and I began to




232        FIRESIDE READING.
fear that such another night or two would put
an end to us. On Saturday, however, the wind
moderated in the evening, and the weather
looked much better, which rejoiced all hands,
so that they ate their scanty allowance with
more satisfaction than for some time past. The
night also was fair; but being always wet with
the sea, we suffered much from the cold.
Sunday, 24th.-A fine morning, I had the
pleasure to see produce some cheerful countenances; and the first time, for fifteen days past,
we experienced comfort from the warmth of the
sun. We stripped, and hung our clothes up to
dry, which were by this time become so threadbare that they would not keep out either wet or
cold.
This afternoon we had many birds about us,
which are never seen far from land, such as
boobies and noddies. As the sea began to run
fair, and we shipped but little water, I took the
opportunity to examine into the state of our
bread, and found that, according to the present
mode of issuing, there was a sufficient quantity
remaining for twenty-nine days' allowance, by
which time I hoped we should be able to reach
Timor; but as this was very uncertain, and it
was possible that, after all, we might be obliged
to go to Java, I determined to proportion the
allowance so as to make our stock hold out six




MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY.  233
weeks. I was apprehensive that this would be
ill received, and that it would require my utmost
resolution to enforce it; for small as the quantity was which I intended to take away for our
future good, yet it might appear to my people
like robbing them of life; and some, who were
less patient than their companions, I expected
would very ill brook it. However, on my representing the necessity of guarding against delays that might be occasioned in our voyage by
contrary winds or other causes, and promising
to enlarge upon the allowance as we got on,
they cheerfully agreed to my proposal. It was
accordingly settled  that every person  should
receive one-twenty-fifth of a pound of bread for
breakfast, and the same quantity for dinner; so
that, by omitting the proportion for supper, we
had forty-three days' allowance.
Monday, 25th.-At noon some noddies came
so near to us, that one of them was caught by
hand. This bird was about the size of a small
pigeon.  I divided it, with its entrails, into
eighteen portions, and by a well-known method
at sea, of "Who shall have this?"* it was disa One person turns his back on the object that is to be divided;
another then points separately to the portions, at each of them
asking aloud, "Who shall have this?" to which the first answers
by naming somebody. This impartial method of division gives
every man an equal chance of the best share.




234      FIRESIDE  READING.
tributed, with the allowance of bread and water
for dinner, and ate up, bones and all, with salt
water for sauce. I observed the latitude 13 degrees 32 minutes south; longitude made 35 degrees 19 minutes west; course north 89 degrees
west, distance one hundred and eight miles.
In the evening several boobies flying very
near to us, we had the good fortune to catch
one of them. This bird is as large as a duck.
I directed the bird to be killed for supper, and
the blood to be given to three of the people who
were most distressed for want of food.  The
body, with the entrails, beak, and feet, I divided
into eighteen shares, and with an allowance of
bread, which I made a merit of granting, we
made a good supper, compared with our usual
fare.
Sailing on, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I at length became satisfied that we were
approaching New Holland.  This was actually
the case; and after passing the reefs which
bound that part of the coast, we found ourselves
in smooth water. Two islands lay about four
miles to the west by north, and appeared eligible for a resting-place, if for nothing more;
but on our approach to the nearest island, it
proved to be only a heap of stones, and its size
too inconsiderable to shelter the boat.  We
therefore proceeded to the next, which was




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   235
close to it, and toward the main. We landed
to examine if there were any signs of the natives being near us; we saw some old fireplaces,
but nothing to make me apprehend that this
would be an unsafe situation for the night.
Every one was anxious to find something to eat,
and it was soon discovered that there were oysters on these rocks; for the tide was out; but
it was nearly dark, and only a few could be gathered. I determined, therefore, to wait till the
morning, when I should know better how to
proceed.
Friday, 29th.-As there were no appearances
to make me imagine that any of the natives
were near us, I sent out parties in search of
supplies, while others of the people were putting
the boat in order. The parties returned, highly
rejoiced at having found plenty of oysters and
fresh water. I had also made a fire, by the
help of a small magnifying glass; and, what
was still more fortunate, we found among the
few things which had been thrown into the boat,
and saved, a piece of brimstone and a tinderbox, so that I secured fire for the future.
One of the people had been so provident as
to bring away with him from the ship a copper
pot. By being in possession of this article, we
were enabled to make a proper use of the supply we now obtained; for, with a mixture of




236       FIRESIDE  READING.
bread, and a little pork, we made a stew that
might have been relished by people of far more
delicate appetites, and of which each person received a full pint. The general complaints of
disease among us were a dizziness in the head,
great weakness of the joints, and violent tenesmus.
The oysters which we found grew so fast to
the rocks, that it was with difficulty they could
be broken off, and at length we discovered it to
be the most expeditious way to open them where
they were fixed. They were of a good size, and
well tasted. To add to this happy circumstance,
in the hollow of the land there grew some wiregrass, which indicated a moist situation.  On
forcing a stick about three feet long into the
ground, we.found water, and with little trouble
dug a well, which produced as much as our
necessities required.
As the day was the anniversary of the restoration of King Charles II, I named the island
Restoration Island. Our short stay there, with
the supplies which it afforded us, made a visible
alteration for the better in our appearance.
Next day, Saturday the 30th, at four o'clock,
we were preparing to embark, when about twenty
of the natives appeared, running and hallooing
to us, on the opposite shore. They were each
armed with a spear or lance, and a short weapon




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   237
which they carried in their left hand. They
made signs for us to come to them, but I thought
it prudent to make the best of our way. They
were naked, and apparently black, and their
hair or wool bushy and short.
Sunday, 31st.-Many small islands were in
sight to the north-east. We landed at one of a
good hight, bearing north one-half west. The
shore was rocky, but the water was smooth, and
we landed without difficulty. I sent two parties
out, one to the northward, and- the other to the
southward, to seek for supplies, and others I
ordered to stay by the boat. On this occasion
fatigue and weakness so far got the better of
their sense of duty, that some of the people expressed their discontent at having worked harder
than their companions, and declared that they
would rather be without their dinner than go in
search of it. One person, in particular, went
so far as to tell me, with a mutinous look, that
he was as good a man as myself. It was not
possible for me to judge where this might have
an end, if not stopped in time; therefore, to
prevent such disputes in future, I determined
either to preserve my command, or die in the
attempt; and seizing a cutlass, I ordered him
to take hold of another and defend himself, on
which he called out that I was going to kill him,
and immediately made concessions. I did not




238       FIRESIDE  READING.
allow this to interfere further with the- harmony
of the boat's crew, and every thing soon became
quiet. We here procured some oysters and
clams, also some dog-fish, caught in the holes of
the rocks, and a supply of water.
Leaving this island, which I named Sunday
Island, we continued our course toward Endeavor Straits. During our voyage Nelson became very ill, but gradually recovered. Next
day we landed at another island, to see what
we could get. There were proofs that the island
was occasionally visited by natives from New
Holland. Encamping on the shore, I sent out
one party to watch for turtle, and another to
try to catch birds. About midnight the bird
party returned, with only twelve noddies, birds
which I have already described to be about the
size of pigeons; but if it had not been for the
folly and obstinacy of one of the party, who
had separated from the other two, and disturbed
the birds, they might have caught a great number. I was so much provoked at my plans being
thus defeated, that I gave the offender a good
beating. This man afterward confessed that,
wandering away from his companions, he had
eaten nine birds raw. Our turtling party had
no success.
Tuesday and Wednesday we still kept our
course north-west, touching at an island or two




MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY.  239
for oysters and clams. We had now been six
days on the coast of Holland, and but for the
refreshment which our visits to its shores afforded us, it is all but certain that we must have
perished. Now, however, it became clear that
we were leaving it behind, and were commencing
our adventurous voyage through the open sea
to Timor.
On Wednesday, June 3d, at 8 o'clock in the
evening, we once more launched into the open
ocean. Miserable as our situation was in every
respect, I was secretly surprised to see that it
did not affect any one so strongly as myself. I
encouraged every one with hopes that eight oi
ten days would bring us to a land of safety,
and after praying to God for a continuance of
his most gracious protection, I served an allowance of water for supper, and directed our
course to the west-south-west, to counteract the
southerly winds in case they should blow strong.
For six days our voyage continued; a dreary
repetition of those sufferings which we had experienced before reaching New Holland. In
the course of the night we were constantly wet
with the sea, and exposed to cold and shiverings; and in the day-time we had no addition
to our scanty allowance, save a booby and a
small dolphin that we caught, the former on
Friday the 5th, and the latter on Monday the




240      FIRESIDE READING.
8th. Many of us were ill, and the men complained heavily. On Wednesday the 10th, after
a very comfortless night, there was a visible
alteration for the worse in many of the people,
which gave me great apprehensions. An extreme weakness, swelled legs, hollow and ghastly
countenances, a more than common inclination
to sleep, with an apparent debility of understanding, seemed to me the melancholy presages
of an approaching dissolution.
Thursday, 11th. —Every one received the
customary allowance of bread and water, and
an extra allowance of water was given to those
who were most in need. At noon I observed
in latitude 9 degrees 41 minutes south; course
south 77 degrees west, distance 109 miles; longitude made 13 degrees 49 minutes west. I had
little doubt of having now passed the meridian
of the eastern part of Timor, which is laid downi4 128 degrees east. This diffused universal
joy and satisfaction.
Friday, 12th. —At three in the morning, with
an excess of joy, we discovered Timor bearing
from west-south-west to west-north-west, and I
hauled on a wind to the north-north-east till
daylight, when the land bore from south-west
by south to north-east by north; our distance
from the shore two leagues. It is not possible
for me to describe the pleasure which the bless



MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.  241
ing of the sight of land diffused among us. It
appeared scarcely credible to ourselves that, in
an open boat, and so poorly provided, we should
have been able to reach the coast of Timor in
forty-one days after leaving Tofoa, having in
that time run, by our log, a distance of 3,618
miles, and that, notwithstanding our extreme
distress, no one should have perished in the
voyage.
I have already mentioned that I knew not
where the Dutch settlement was situated, but I
had a faint idea that it was at the south-west
part of the island. I therefore, after daylight,
bore away along shore to the south-south-west,
which I was the more readily induced to do, as
the wind would not suffer us to go toward the
north-east without great loss of time.
We coasted along the island in the direction
bin which I conceived the Dutch settlement to
lie, and next day, about two o'clock,. I came to
a grapnel in a small sandy bay, where we saw a
hut, a dog, and some cattle. Here I learned
that the Dutch governor resided at a place
called Coupang, which was some distance to the
north-east. I made signs for one of the Indians who came to the beach to go in the boat
and show us the way to Coupang, intimating
that I would pay him for his ~ouble; the man
readily complied, and came into the boat. The
16            B




242        FIRESIDE  READING.
Indians, who were of a dark tawny  color,
brought us a few pieces of dried turtle and some
ears of Indian corn. This last was the most
welcome, for the turtle was so hard, that it
could not be eaten without being first soaked in
hot water. They offered to bring us some other
refreshments, if I would wait; but, as the pilot
was willing, I determined to push on. It was
about half-past four when we sailed.
Sunday, 14th.-At one o'clock in the morning, after the most happy and sweet sleep that
ever men enjoyed, we weighed, and continued
to keep the east shore on board, in very smooth
water. The report of two cannon that were
fired gave new life to every one; and soon after,
we discovered two square-rigged vessels and a
cutter at anchor to the eastward. After hard
rowing, we came to a grapnel near daylight, off
a small fort and town, which the pilot told me
was Coupang.
On landing, I was surrounded by many people, Indians and Dutch, with an English sailor
among them. A Dutch captain, named Spikerman, showed me great kindness, and waited on
the governor, who was ill, to know at what time
I could see him. Eleven o'clock having been
appointed for the interview, I desired my people
to come on shore, which was as much as some
of them could do, being scarce able to walk;




MUTINY OF TIHE BOUNTY.   243
they, however, were helped to Captain Spikerman's house, and found tea, with bread and
butter, provided for their breakfast.
The abilities of a painter, perhaps, could seldom have been displayed to more advantage
than in the delineation of the two groups of
figures which at this time presented themselves
to each other. An indifferent spectator would
have been at a loss which most to admire-the
eyes of famine sparkling at immediate relief, or
the horror of their preservers at the sight of so
many specters, whose ghastly countenances, if
the cause had been unknown, would rather have
excited  terror than  pity.  Our bodies were
nothing but skin and bone, our limbs were full
of sores, and were clothed in rags: in this condition, with tears of joy and gratitude flowing
down our cheeks, the people of Timor beheld
us with a mixture of horror, surprise, and pity
The governor, Mr. William Adrian Van Este,
notwithstanding extreme ill health, became so
anxious about us, that I saw him before the appointed time. He received me with a great affection, and gave me the fullest proofs that he
was possessed of every feeling of a humane and
good man. Though his infirmity was so great
that he could not do the office of a friend himself, he said he would give such orders as I
might be certain would procure us every supply




244      FIRESIDE  READING.
we wanted. A house should be immediately
prepared for me, and with respect to my people,
he said that I might have room for them either
at the hospital or on board of Captain Spikerman's ship, which lay in the road.
On returning to Captain Spikerman's house,
I found that every kind relief had been given
to my people. The surgeon had dressed. their
sores, and the cleaning of their persons had not
been less attended to, several friendly gifts of
apparel having been presented to them.
I desired to be shown to the house that was
intended for me, which I found ready, with
servants to attend. It consisted of a hall, with
a room at each end, and a loft overhead, and
was surrounded by a piazza, with an outer
apartment in one corner, and a communication
from the back part of the house to the street.
I therefore determined, instead of separating
from my people, to lodge them all with me; and
I divided the house as follows: One room I
took to myself; the other I allotted to the
master, surgeon, Mr. Nelson, and the gunner;
the loft to the other officers; and the outer
apartment to the men. The hall was common
to the officers, and the men had the back piazza.
Of this disposition I informed the governor,
and he sent down chairs, tables, and benches,
with bedding and other necessaries, for the use




MUTINY  OF THIE BOUNTY.   245
of every one. At noon a dinner was brought
to the house, sufficiently good to make persons
more accustomed to plenty eat too much. Yet
I believe few in such a situation would have observed more moderation than my people did.
Having seen every one enjoy this meal of plenty,
I dined myself with Mr. Wanjon, the governor's
son-in-law; but I felt no extraordinary inclination to eat or drink. Rest and quiet I considered as more necessary to the re-establishment of my health, and therefore retired soon
to my room, which I found furnished with every
convenience. But instead of rest, my mind was
disposed to reflect on our late sufferings, and on
the failure of the expedition; but, above all, on
the thanks due to almighty God, who had'given
us power to support and bear such heavy calamities, and had enabled me at last to be the
means of saving eighteen lives.
In our late situation it was not the least of
my distresses to be constantly assailed with the
melancholy demands of my people for an increase of allowance, which it grieved me to refuse. The necessity of observing the most rigid
economy in the distribution of our provisions
was so evident, that I resisted their solicitations,
and never deviated from the agreement we
made at setting out. The consequence of this
care was, that at our arrival we had still re



246       FIRESIDE READING.
maining sufficient for eleven days, at our scanty
allowance: and if we had been so unfortunate
as to have missed the Dutch settlement at
Timor, we could have proceeded to Java, where
I was certain that every supply we wanted could
be procured.
We remained at Coupang about two months,
during which time we experienced every possible
kindness. On the 20th of July, David Nelson,
who had been ill during our voyage, died of an
inflammatory fever, and was buried in the
European cemetery of the place. Having purchased a small schooner, and fitted her out
under the name of his Majesty's schooner Resource, I and my crew set out for Batavia on
the 20th of August. We reached that settlement on the 1st of October, where I sold the
schooner, and endeavored to procure our passage to England. We were obliged, however,
to separate, and go home in different ships. On
Friday, the 16th October, before sunrise, I embarked on board the Vlydte packet, commanded
by Captain Peter Couvret, bound for Middleburg. With me likewise embarked Mr. John
Samuel, clerk, and John Smith, seaman. Those
of our company who staid behind, the governor
promised me should follow in the first ships, and
be as little divided as possible. On the 13th
of March, 1790, I left the packet, and was




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   247
landed at Portsmouth by an Isle of Wight
boat.
Those of my officers and people whom I left
at Batavia were provided with passages in the
earliest ships, and, at the time we parted, were
apparently in good health. Nevertheless, they
did not all live to quit Batavia. Thomas Hall,
a seaman, had died while I was there. Mr.
Elphinstone, master's mate, and Peter Linkletter, seaman, died within a fortnight after my
departure; the hardships they had experienced
having rendered them unequal to cope with so
unhealthy a climate as that of Batavia. The
remainder embarked on board the Dutch fleet
for Europe, and arrived safe in this country,
except Robert Lamb, who died on the passage,
and Mr. Ledward, the surgeon, who has not yet
been heard of. Thus, of nineteen who were
forced by the mutineers into the launch, it has
pleased God that twelve should surmount the
difficulties and dangers of the voyage, and live
to revisit their native country.
FATE OF THE MUTINEERS-n COLONY OF PITCAIRN'S
ISLAND.
The intelligence of the mutiny, and the sufferings of Bligh and his companions, naturally
excited a great sensation in England. Bligh
was immediately promoted to the rank of com



248     FIRESIDE  READING.
mander, and Captain Edwards was dispatched
to Otaheite, in the Pandora frigate, with instructions to search for the Bounty and her
mutinous crew, and bring them to England.
The Pandora reached Matavai Bay on the 23d
of March, 1791; and even before she had come
to anchor, Joseph Coleman, formerly armorer
of the Bounty, pushed off from shore in a canoe,
and came on board. In the course of two days
afterward, the whole of the remainder of the
Bounty's crew-in number sixteen-then on the
island, surrendered themselves, with the exception of two, who fled to the mountains, where,
as it afterward appeared, they were murdered
by the natives.
From his prisoners, and the journals kept by
one or two of them, Captain Edwards learnt the
proceedings of Christian and his associates after
turning Bligh and his companions adrift in the
boat. It appears that they steered in the first
instance to the island of Toobouai, where they
intended to form a settlement; but the opposition of the natives, and the want of many necessary materials, determined them to return in
the mean time to Otaheite, where they arrived
on the 25th of May, 1789. In answer to the
inquiries of Tinah, the King, about Bligh and
the rest of the crew, the mutineers stated that
they had fallen in with Captain Cook, who was




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   249
forming a settlement in a neighboring island,
and had retained Bligh and the others to assist
him, while they themselves had been dispatched
to Otaheite for an additional supply of hogs,
goats, fowls, bread-fruit, and various other articles. Overjoyed at hearing their old friend
Cook was alive, and about to settle so near
them, the humane and unsuspicious islanders set
about so actively to procure the supplies wanted,
that in a few days the Bounty received on
board three hundred and twelve hogs, thirtyeight goats, eight dozen of fowls, a bull, and a
cow, and a large quantity of bread-fruit, plantains, bananas, and other fruits. The mutineers
also took with them eight men, nine women, and
seven boys, with all of whom they arrived a
second time at Toobouai, on the 26th of June,
where they warped the ship up the harbor,
landed the live stock, and set about building a
fort fifty yards square. Quarrels and disagreements, however, soon broke out among them.
The poor natives were treated like slaves, and
upon attempting to retaliate, were mercilessly
put to death. Christian, finding his authority
almost entirely disregarded, called a consultation as to what steps were next to be taken,
when it was agreed that Toobouai should be
abandoned; that the ship should once more be
taken to Otaheite, where those who might choose




250       FIRESIDE  READING.
it would be put ashore, while the rest, who preferred remaining in the vessel, might proceed
wherever they had a mind. This was accordingly done. Sixteen of the crew went ashore
at Matavai-fourteen  of whom, as already
stated, were received on board the Pandora,
and two were murdered-while Christian, With
his eight comrades, and taking with them seven
Otaheitan men and twelve women, finally sailed
from Matavai on the 21st of September, 1789,
from which time they had never been more
heard of.
Captain Edwards instituted a strict search
after the fugitives among the various groups of
islands in the Pacific, but finding no trace of
them, he set sail, after three months' investigation, for the east coast of New Holland. Here,
by some mismanagement, the Pandora struck
upon the singular coral reef that runs along
that coast called the "Barrier Reef," and filled
so fast, that scarcely were the boats got out
when she foundered and went down, thirty-four
of the crew and four of the prisoners perishing
in her. The concurring testimony of the unfortunate prisoners exhibits the conduct of Captain Edwards toward them, both before and
after the wreck, as having been cruel in the extreme. After reaching a low, sandy, desert
island, or rather key, as such are nautically




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   251
termed, Captain Edwards caused his men to
form tents out of the sails they had saved, under
which he and his men reposed in comparative
comfort; but he refused the same indulgence to
his miserable captives, whose only refuge, therefore, from the scorching rays of the sun was by
burying themselves up to the neck among the
burning sand, so that their bodies were blistered
as if they had been scalded with boiling water.
The Pandora's survivors reached Batavia in
their boats, whence they obtained passage to
England in Dutch vessels. A court-martial was
soon afterward held-September, 1792-when
six of the ten mutineers were found guilty and
condemned to death-the other four were acquitted.  Only three of the six, however, were
executed.
Nearly twenty years elapsed after the period
of the above occurrences, and all recollection of
the Bounty and her wretched crew had passed
away, when an accidental discovery, as interesting as unexpected, once more recalled public
attention to that event.  The captain of an
American schooner having, in 1808, accidentally touched at an island up to that time supposed to be uninhabited, called Pitcairn's Island,
found a community speaking English, who represented themselves as the descendants of the
mutineers of the Bounty, of whom there was




252        FIRESIDE  READING.
still one man, of the name of Alexander Smith,
alive among them. Intelligence of this singular circumstance was sent by the American captain-Folger-to Sir Sydney Smith at Valparaiso, and by him transmitted to the Lords of
the Admiralty. But the Government was at
that time perhaps too much engaged in the
events of the continental war to attend to the
information, nor was any thing further heard of
this interesting little society till 1814. In that
year two British men-of-war, cruising the Pacific, made Pitcairn's Island, and on nearing the
shore, saw plantations regularly and orderly laid
out. Soon afterward they observed a few natives coming down a steep descent, with their
canoes on their shoulders, and in a few minutes
perceived one of these little vessels darting
through a heavy surf, and paddling off toward
the ships.  But their astonishment may be
imagined when, on coming along side, they were
hailed in good English with, " Won't you heave
us a rope now?" This being done, a young man
sprang up the side with extraordinary activity,
and stood on the deck before them. In answer
to the question, "Who are you?" he replied
that his name was Thursday October Christian,
son of the late Fletcher Christian, by an Otaheitan mother; that he was the first born on the
island, and was so named because he was born




'MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.  253
on a Thursday in October. All this sounded
singular and incredible in the ears of the British captains, Sir Thomas Staines and Mr. Pipon;
but they were soon satisfied of its truth. Young
Christian was at this time about twenty-four
years old, a tall, handsome youth, fully six feet
high, with black hair, and an open, interesting
English countenance. As he wore no clothes,
except a piece of cloth round his loins, and a
straw-hat ornamented with black cock's feathers,
his fine figure and well-shaped, muscular limbs
were displayed to great advantage, and attracted
general admiration. His body was much tanned
by exposure to the weather; but although his
complexion was somewhat brown, it wanted that
tinge of red peculiar to the natives of the Pacific. He spoke English correctly both in grammar and pronunciation; and his frank and ingenuous deportment excited in every one the
liveliest feelings of compassion and interest.
His companion was a fine, handsome youth, of
seventeen or eighteen years of age, named
George Young, son of one of the Bounty's
midshipmen.
The youths expressed great surprise at every
thing they saw, especially a cow, which they
supposed to be either a huge goat or a horned
sow, having never seen any other quadrupeds.
When questioned concerning the Bounty, they




254      FIRESIDE  READING.
referred the captains to an old man on shore,
the only surviving Englishman, whose name,
they said, was John Adams, but who proved to
be the identical Alexander Smith before-mentioned, having changed his name from some caprice or other. The officers went ashore with
the youths, and were received by old Adamsas we shall now call him-who conducted them
to his house, and treated them to an elegant repast of eggs, fowls, yams, plantains, bread-fruit,
etc. They now learned from him an account of
the fate of his companions, who, with himself,
preferred accompanying Christian in the Bounty
to remaining at Otaheite-which account agreed
with that he afterward gave at greater length to
Captain Beechey in 1828. Our limits will not
permit us to detail all the interesting particulars at length, as we could have wished, but
they are in substance as follows:
It was Christian's object, in order to avoid
the vengeance of the British law, to proceed to
some unknown and uninhabited island, and the
Marquesas islands were first fixed upon. But
Christian, on reading Captain Cartaret's account
of Pitcairn's Island, thought it better adapted
for the purpose, and shaped his course thither.
Having landed and traversed it, they found it
every way suitable to their wishes, possessing
water, wood, a good soil, and some fruits.




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   255
Having ascertained all this, they returned on
board, and having landed their hogs, goats, and
poultry, and gutted the ship of every thing that
could be useful to them, they set fire to her, and
destroyed every vestige that might lead to the
discovery of their retreat. This was on the
23d of January, 1790. The island was then
divided into nine equal portions among them, a
suitable spot of neutral ground being reserved
for a village. The poor Otaheitans now found
themselves reduced to the condition of mere
slaves; but they patiently submitted, and every
thing went on peaceably for two years. About
that time, Williams, one of the seamen, having
the misfortune to lose his wife, forcibly took the
wife of one of the Otaheitans, which, together
with their continued ill-usage, so exasperated
the latter, that they formed a plan for murdering the whole of their oppressors. The plot,
however, was discovered, and revealed by the
Englishmen's wives, and two of the Otaheitans
were put to death. But the surviving natives
soon afterward matured a more successful conspiracy, and in one day murdered five of the
Englishmen, including Christian. Adams and
Young were spared at the intercession of their
wives, and the remaining two, M'Koy and Quintal-two desperate ruffians —escaped to the
mountains, whence, however, they soon rejoined




256       FIRESIDE READING.
their companions. But the farther career of
these two villains was short. M'Koy, having
been bred up in a Scottish distillery, succeeded
in extracting a bottle of ardent spirits from the
tee root; from which time he and Quintal were
never sober, till the former became delirious,
and committed suicide by jumping over a cliff.
Quintal being likewise almost insane with drinking, made repeated attempts to murder Adams
and Young, till they were absolutely compelled,
for their own safety, to put him to death, which
they did by felling him with a hatchet.
Adams and Young were at length the only
surviving males who had landed on the island,
and being both of a serious turn of mind, and,
having time for reflection and repentance, they
became extremely devout. Having saved a Bible and prayer-book from the Bounty, they now
performed family worship morning and evening,
and addressed themselves to training up their
own children and those of their unfortunate
companions in piety and virtue. Young, however, was soon carried off by an asthmatic complaint, and Adams was thus left to continue his
pious labors alone.  At the time Captains
Staines and Pipon visited the island, this interesting little colony consisted of about forty-six
persons, mostly grown-up young people, all living in harmony and happiness together; and




MUTINY  OF THE BOUNTY.   257
not only professing, but fully understanding and
practicing, the precepts and principles of the
Christian religion.  Adams had instituted the
ceremony of marriage, and he assured his visitors that not one instance of debauchery and
immoral conduct had occurred among them.
The visitors having supplied these interesting
people with some tools, kettles, and other articles, took their leave. The account which they
transmitted home of this newly-discovered colony was, strange to say, as little attended to
by Government as that of Captain Folger,
and nothing more was heard of Adams and
his family for nearly twelve years, when, in
1825, Captain Beechey, in the Blossom, bound
on a voyage of discovery to Behring Strait,
touched at Pitcairn's Island. On the approach
of the Blossom, a boat came off under all sail
toward the ship, containing old Adams and ten
of the young men of the island. After requesting and obtaining leave to come on board, the
young men sprung up the side, and shook every
officer cordially by the hand. Adams, who was
grown very corpulent, followed more leisurely.
He was dressed in a sailor's shirt and trowsers,
with a low-crowned hat, which he held in his
hand in sailor fashion, while he smoothed down
his bald forehead when addressed by the.officers
of the Blossom. The little colony had now in17            B




258      FIRESIDE  READING.
creased to about sixty-six, including an English
sailor of the name of John Buffet, who, at his
own earnest desire, had been left by a whaler.
In this man the society luckily found an able
and willing schoolmaster.  He instructed the
children in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and
devoutly co-operated with old Adams in affording religious instruction to the community. The
officers of the Blossom went ashore, and were
entertained with a sumptuous repast at young
Christian's, the table being spread with plates,
knives, and forks. Buffet said grace in an emphatic manner; and so strict were they in this
respect, that it was not deemed proper to touch
a morsel of bread without saying grace before
and after it. The officers slept in the house all
night, their bedclothing and sheets consisting of
the native cloth made of the native mulberrytree. The only interruption to their repose was
the melody of the evening hymn, which was
chanted together by the whole family after:the
lights were put out; and they were awakened at
early dawn by the same devotional ceremony.
On Sabbath the utmost decorum was attended
to, and the day was passed in regular religious
observances.
In consequence of a representation made by
Captain Beechey, the British Government sent
out Captain Waldegrave in 1830, in the Sering



MUTINY  OF TIHE BOUNTY.   259
apatam, with a supply of sailors' blue jackets and
trowsers, flannels, stockings, and shoes, women's
dresses, spades, mattocks, shovels, pickaxes,
trowels, rakes, etc. He found their community
increased to about seventy-nine, all exhibiting
the same unsophisticated and amiable characteristics as we have before described. Other two
Englishmen had settled among them; one of
them, called Nobbs, a low-bred, illiterate man,
a self-constituted missionary, who was endeavoring to supersede Buffet in his office of religious
instructor. The patriarch Adams, it was found,
had died in March, 1829, aged sixty-five. While
on his death-bed, he had called the families together, and urged upon them to elect a chief;
which, however, they had not yet done; but the
greatest harmony still prevailed among them,
notwithstanding Nobbs's exertions to form a
party of his own. Captain Waldegrave thought
that the island, which is about four miles square,
might be able to support a thousand persons,
upon reaching which number they would naturally emigrate to other islands.
Such is the account of this most singular colony, originating in crime and bloodshed. Of
all the repentant criminals on record, the most
interesting, perhaps, is John Adams; nor do we
know where to find a more beautiful example
of the value of early instruction than in the




260      FIRESIDE  READING.
history of this man, who, having run the full
career of nearly all kinds of vice, was checked
by an interval of leisurely reflection, and the
sense of new duties awakened by the power
of natural affections.




VII.
cWsittfnr   Df tat $0ZU   Xl'11anbar  bg a
THE ship Ann Alexander, Captain John S.
Deblois, sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts, June 1, 1850, for a cruise in the South
Pacific in search of sperm-whales. After cruising some months in the Atlantic, and capturing
several whales, the vessel proceeded to the South
Pacific; and finally, on the 20th of August,
1851, she reached a favorable spot, in latitude
5 degrees 50 minutes south, longitude 102 degrees west.  In the morning of that day, at
about nine o'clock, whales were discovered in
the neighborhood, and about noon the same day
they succeeded in making fast to one. Two
boats had gone after the whales-the larboard
and the starboard; the former commanded by
the first mate, and the latter by Captain Deblois. The whale which they had struck was
harpooned by the larboard boat. After running
some time, the whale turned upon the boat, and,
rushing at it with tremendous violence, lifted
261




262      FIRESIDE  READING.
open its enormous jaws, and taking the boat in,
actually crushed it into fragments as small as a
common-sized chair!  Captain Deblois immediately struck for the scene of the disaster with
the starboard-boat, and succeeded, against all
expectation, in rescuing the whole of the crew
of the demolished boat, nine in number! How
they escaped from instant death, when the whale
rushed upon them with such violence and seized
the boat in its ponderous jaws, it is impossible
to say.
There were now eighteen men in the starboard-boat, consisting of the captain, the firstmate, and the crews of both boats. The frightful disaster had been witnessed from the ship,
and the waist-boat was called into readiness and
sent to their relief. The distance from the ship
was about six miles. As soon as the waist-boat
arrived the crews were divided, and it was determined to pursue the same whale, and make
another attack upon him.'Accordingly they
separated, and, proceeded at some distance from
each other, as is usual on such occasions, after
the whale. In a short time they came up to
him, and prepared to give him battle.  The
waist-boat, commanded by the first mate, was in
advance. As soon as the whale perceived the
demonstration being made upon him, he turned
his course suddenly, and made a tremendous




THE SHIP ANN ALEXANDER. 263
dash at this boat, seized with his wide-spread
jaws, and crushed it into atoms, allowing the
men barely time to escape his vengeance by
throwing themselves into the ocean.
Captain Deblois again seeing the perilous
condition of his men, at the risk of meeting the
same fate, directed his boat to hasten to their
rescue, and in a short time succeeded in saving
them all from a death little less horrible than
that from which they had twice so miraculously escaped. He then ordered the boat to
put for the ship as speedily as possible; and no
sooner had the order been given, than they discovered the monster of the deep making toward
them with his jaws widely extended. Escape
from death now seemed totally out of the question. They were six or seven miles from the
ship; no aid even there to afford them necessary
relief, and the whale, maddened by the wounds
of the harpoons and lances which had been
thrown into him, and seemingly animated with
the prospect of speedy revenge, within a few
cable's length. Fortunately, the monster came
up and passed them at a short distance. The
boat then made her way to the ship, and they
all got on board in safety.
After reaching the ship, a boat was dispatched
for the oars of the demolished boats, and it was
determined to pursue the whale with the ship.




264      FIRESIDE  READING.
As soon as the boat returned with the oars, sail
was set, and the ship proceeded after the whale.
In a short time she overtook him, and a lance
was thrown into his head. The ship passed on
by him, and immediately after they discovered
that the whale was making for the ship. As he
came up near her, they hauled to the wind, and
suffered the monster to pass her. After he had
fairly passed, they kept on to overtake and attack him again. When the ship had reached
within about fifty rods of him, they discovered
that the whale had settled down deep below the
surface of the water, and as it was near sundown, they concluded to give up the pursuit.
Subsequent events proved, however, that the
whale had formed a deadly resolution to destroy the ship which had given him so much
annoyance.
While Captain Deblois was waiting on deck
for the reappearance of the whale, he suddenly
saw it approaching at the rate of fifteen miles
an hour. In an instant the determined monster
struck the ship with tremendous violence, shaking her from stem to stern. She quivered under the violence of the shock as if she had
struck upon a rock. Captain Deblois immediately descended into the forecastle, and there,
to his horror, discovered that the whale had
struck the ship about two feet from the keel,




THE SHIP ANN ALEXAN DER. 265
abreast the foremast, knocking a great hole
entirely through her bottom, through which
the water roared and rushed in impetuously.
Springing to the deck, he ordered the mate to
cut away the anchors and get the cables overboard to keep the ship from sinking. In doing
this, the mate succeeded in relieving only one
anchor and getting one cable clear, the other
having been fastened around the foremast.
The ship was then sinking very rapidly. The
captain went into the cabin, where he found
three feet of water; he, however, succeeded in
procuring a chronometer, sextant, and chart.
Reaching the decks, he ordered the boats to be
cleared away, to get water and provisions, as
the ship was keeling over. lie again descended
to the cabin, but the water was rushing in so
rapidly that he could procure nothing.  He
then came upon deck, ordered all hands into
the boats, and was the last to leave the ship,
which he did by throwing himself into the sea,
and swimming to the nearest boat. The ship
was on her beam-ends, her topgallant-yards
under water. They then pushed off some distance from the ship, expecting her to sink in a
very short time. Upon an examination of the
stores they had been able to save, it was discovered that they had only twelve quarts of water,
and not a mouthful of provisions of any kind.




266      FIRESIDE  READING.
The boats contained eleven men each, were
leaky, and night coming on, they were obliged to
bail them all night, to keep them from sinking.
Next day, at daylight, they returned to the
ship, no one daring to venture on board but the
captain, their intention being to cut away the
masts, and fearful that the moment the masts
were cut away the ship would go down. With
a single hatchet the captain went on board, and
cut away the mast, when the ship righted. The
boats then came up, and the men, by the sole aid
of spades, cut away the chain-cable from around
the foremast, which got the ship nearly on her
keel. The men then tied ropes around their
bodies, got into the sea, and cut holes through
the decks to get out provisions.  They could
procure nothing but about five gallons of vinegar
and twenty pounds of wet bread.  The ship
threatened to sink, and they deemed it imprudent to remain by her longer; so they set sail
in her boats, and left her.
They were then in a dreadful state of anxiety,
as it was doubtful whether they should be able to
reach land or see any vessel. With faint hopes
of being rescued, they directed their course
northerly, and on the 22d of August, at about
5 o'clock, P. M., they had the indescribable joy
of discerning a ship in the distance. They
made a signal, and were soon answered, and in




THIE SHIIP ANN ALEXANDER.    261
a short time they were reached by the good ship
Nantucket, of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Captain Gibbs, who took them all on board, clothed
and fed them, and extended to them in every
way the greatest possible hospitality.
On the succeeding day, Captain Gibbs went
to the wreck of the ill-fated Ann Alexander,
for the purpose of trying to procure something
from her, but as the sea was rough, and the
attempt considered dangerous, he abandoned
the project. The Nantucket then set sail for
Paita, where she arrived on the 15th of September, and where she landed Captain Deblois and
his men.  Captain  Deblois was kindly and
hospitably received and entertained at Paita by
Captain Bathurst, an English gentleman residing there, and subsequently took passage on
board the schooner Providence, Captain Starbuck, for New Bedford, which was reached on
the 12th of August, and where the account of
the strange disaster created the deepest surprise
and interest.




VIII.
SIILVIO PELLICO, the story of whose
wrongs has created a sympathizing interest
over Europe, was born at Saluzzo, in Piedmont,
a province of the Italian kingdom of Sardinia,
in 1789, at which time his father, IIonorato
Pellico, held a situation in the post-office. He
was afterward promoted to a seat in the ministry
of war at Turin, to which place he removed with
his family. Silvio was at that time six years
of age, and had already given token of his
poetical feelings.  Ossian was the bard to whom
his earliest years were consecrated.  In his sixteenth year he accompanied his twin sister, to
whom he was devotedly attached, to Lyons in
France, where he remained till some verses of
Foscolo, the most eminent of modern Italian
poets, awakened in his breast so passionate a
reminiscence of his native country, that he
hastened toward it, and rejoined his father,
then settled at Milan. The latter was in the
war department, under the government of Na268




SILVIO PELLICO.             269
poleon, as king of Italy. The restoration of
Lombardy to the emperor of Austria, on the
overthrow of Bonaparte, displaced Honorato
Pellico, who then returned to Turin, accompanied by all the members of his family, excepting Silvio, who manifested a disposition to
remain at Milan.
Young Silvio, with a poetic temperament and
love of letters, had formed an intimacy with
Monti, Foscolo, and other eminent literary characters residing in Milan, the whole forming a
brilliant society, who sighed over the abased
condition of the country under a foreign yoke.
Silvio himself became known as the author of a
tragedy, which was acted in all the theaters of
Italy with the highest applause, and is stated to
have been translated into English by Lord Byron, though not published among his works.
Pellico had become acquainted with Byron at
Milan, and partaking the admiration, which was
felt in Italy and Germany much more intensely
than in Britain, for the poems of that noble
personage, he translated into Italian prose the
poetical drama of Manfred. Upon presenting
it to Byron, the latter expressed his surprise
that he should have turned a poem into prose;
and as Pellico maintained it was impossible to
translate it properly into poetry, Byron presented to him, upon a subsequent meeting, his




270       FIRESIDE  READING.
own tragedy in an English poetical dress, as a
practical refutation of the opinion advanced, by
him.
The great acquirements of Pellico, and his
amiable and pleasing manners, rendered his society much sought after in Milan.  The Count
Briche committed to his care one of his sons,
and subsequently he became tutor to the sons
of Count Porro Lambertenghi, one of the
wealthiest of the Lombardian nobility, in whose
house he associated with persons of the first distinction. With the Count Porro'himself he was
united in the closest friendship.
Distressed with the general want of enlightenment among the people, and conceiving that
the establishment of a literary and scientific
journal might improve the public mind, Silvio,
in 1819, broached the idea to Porro and some
of his literary companions. All were delighted
with it; Count Porro advanced the funds necessary for the purpose, and the plan was put in
execution. The journal was called " The Conciliator," and had for contributors men of the
greatest eminence in Italy. Besides those resident in Milan, were Romagnosi, of Venice, a
celebrated jurisconsult; Melchior Gioja, a political economist; Manzoni, at once a poet and
prose writer of the first order; Grossi, the author of Ildagonda; and Brechet. Maroncelli,




SILVIO  PELLICO.            271
fated to be Pellico's future companion in captivity, was also one of the contributors.
The press was under the strictest censorship.
The Austrian government seemed to tremble at
the least symptom of liberality of opinion. The
Conciliator was soon exposed to the corrections
of the censor. Though politics were not discussed, the liberal tone of some of its articles
on literature was offensive. They were erased,
and the journal went forth with half its columns
blank. It was therefore given up.
In 1820 the unfortunate revolution of Naples
took place. The jealous government of Austria
had its fears more than ever excited. A proclamation was issued, attaching the penalty of
death to the offense of belonging to a secret
society. The party in Italy, whose object it
was to cast off the galling yoke of foreigners,
was styled that of the Carbonari, for the suppression of whom every Italian government diligently labored.  The emperor of Austria was
not in  the rear.  Numberless arrests were
made, upon the merest suspicion of disaffection, throughout what he designated "the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom." Two distinguished
citizens of Milan were exposed to the jealousy
of the government, from the enlightened efforts
they had made for the improvement of their
country. These were the Counts Porro and




272    FIRESIDE READING.
Confalonieri, who appropriated a great part of
their possessions to the truly-patriotic designs
of founding infant and other schools, of promoting the arts, and of introducing into Italy
the great discoveries of modern times.  Confalonieri visited Paris and London to study the
modes of instruction in the schools of France
and England, in order to institute them in Italy.
He also sent from London the necessary apparatus for the manufacture of gas, for lighting
the streets of Milan, the expense of which he
and Porro bore jointly. They also, in conjunction with Alexander Visconti, constructed the
first steamboat which appeared in Italy. These
were exertions that rendered them objects of
hatred and suspicion to the Austrians. The
contributors to The Conciliator, established at
the expense of Porro, were also looked upon
with an evil eye. Orders for the arrest of them
all were issued. Porro was the only person who
escaped, by a timely flight into a foreign country. Confalonieri was taken from a sick-bed,
and the arms of an affectionate wife.  Pellico
and the others were all arrested. Alas! poor
Pellico. Let us follow him to prison, and hear
him tell the story of his sufferings.*
O What follows is an abridgment of Pellico's narrative, translated from the original Italian.




SILVIO  PELLICO.            273
IMPRISONMENT AT MILAN.
On Friday, the 13th of October, 1820, I was
arrested at Milan, and conducted to Santa Margherita-formerly a convent, and now the head
office of the extensive police establishment. It
was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and,
after an examination, I was consigned to the
charge of the jailer, who having conducted me
to the apartment destined for me, politely invited me to deliver into his hands, to be restored
at the fitting time, my watch, purse, and any
thing else I might have in my pockets; which,
having obtained, he with some ceremony wished
me good evening.
In less than half an hour my dinner arrived;
I ate a few mouthfuls, drank a glass of water,
and was left alone.  My room  was on the
ground, and opened on a court-yard, with cells
all around, cells on the right and on the left,
opposite and above me. I leaned against the
window, and stood some time listening to the
tramp of the jailers as they went to and fro,
and to the dissolute songs of some of the prisoners.
I fell into reflection: a century ago, this
prison was a nunnery. Could the holy penitents who inhabited it have ever believed that
a day would come when their chambers would
18            B




274       FIRESIDE  READING.
resound no longer with the prayers and lamentations of devout women, but with blasphemies and detestable ribaldry, and would hold
within them the refuse of society-wretches
destined to the hulks or the gallows? And in
another century who will breathe in these cells?
Alas for the swiftness of time, and the instability of things! Should any one complain that
fortune ceases to smile upon him, or grieve that
he is cast into a prison and threatened with the
gibbet? But yesterday I was one of the happiest of men; to-day I have lost every thing
that conduced to the joy of my existenceliberty, friends, hope! It would be absurd to
delude myself. I leave this place only for a
dungeon more horrible, or for the hands of the
executioner. Be it so. When I am dead, it
will signify little whether I yielded my last sigh
in a dungeon, or am borne to the tomb in all
the grandeur of funereal pomp.
It was thus my mind found strength in thinking of the inexorable sweep of time; but shortly
the remembrance of my father, my mother, my
sisters, my brothers, and of a family which I
loved as tenderly as if it were my own, came to
assail me, and the arguments of philosophy were
powerless. Tenderer thoughts came over me,
and I wept like a child.
During the night I slept a little. I became




SILVIO  PELLICO.           275
gradually resigned to my unhappy fate. Toward
morning my agitation was calmed, and I was astonished at the change. I yet thought upon my
parents, and upon all those whom I loved; but
I no longer despaired of their strength of mind.
The recollection of those virtuous sentiments
which I had known sustain them in previous
calamities, consoled me on their behalf.
In the course of the day which followed I was
again called to an examination; and it was renewed during several successive days, without
any other interval than that allowed for my
meals.
While the process thus continued, the days
passed rapidly, owing to the constant exercise
in which my mind was kept, from the necessity
of answering, without intermission, the most
varied questions, and of collecting my energies
during the intervals of the examination in recalling all that had been asked of me, what answers I had given, and in reflecting upon all
those things upon which I would probably be
next interrogated.
At the end of the first week a most cruel misfortune happened to me. My poor friend Piero,
equally eager with myself to establish a communication between us, wrote me a letter, and
sent it, not by a secondino-officer of the
prison-but by an unfortunate prisoner who was




276      FIRESIDE  READING.
employed in performing services in our rooms.
He was a man of from sixty to seventy years
of age, condemned to I know not how many
months of imprisonment. With a needle which
I had, I pricked my finger and wrote a few lines
in reoly with my blood, which I gave to the
me"-,:ger. IHe had the misfortune to be observed, was seized with the note upon him, and,
if I am not mistaken, scourged. I heard frightful cries, which struck me as coming from the
poor old man. I never saw him afterward.
Called to the bar, I shuddered at having presented to me my little letter covered with blood,
although, thanks to Heaven, it contained no
dangerous matter, for there were only a few
words of friendly salutation. I was asked with
what I had drawn blood. The needle was taken
from me, and the ruffians laughed in derision.
But I could not laugh! I could not forget the
countenance of the old messenger. I would
willingly have suffered any punishment to have
procured his pardon; and when I heard those
cries, which I believed were his, my heart was
dissolved in tears.
It was in vain that I repeatedly asked the
jailer and his secondino after him. They shook
their heads, and said, "He has paid dearly for
his fault; he will not do the like again; he is
now somewhat more quiet." And they refused




SILVIO  PELLICO.            277
to give any further explanation. Did they refer by that to the narrow prison in which the
wretched man was confined, or did they mean
that he had died under the blows inflicted upon
him, or from the consequences of those blows?
~One day I thought I saw him  beyond the
court-yard beneath the portico with a load of
wood upon his shoulders, and my heart beat as
if I had seen a brother. When I had no longer
to undergo the torment of answering interrogatories, and there was nothing to occupy the
day, I found in all its bitterness the weight of
solitude.
I was allowed to have a Bible and a copy of
Dante; the jailer placed his whole library at
my disposition, which contained some romances
by Scuderi, Piazzi, and others worse than they;
but my mind was too agitated to devote itself to
reading any thing. I got by heart every day a
canto of Dante; but this exercise was so mechanical, that, in pursuing it, I thought less of
the verses than of my misfortunes. It was the
same when I read any other thing, except at
certain passages of the Bible, which deeply affected my feelings, and inspired me with fortitude and resignation. To live free is a thing
infinitely more pleasant than to live in prison;
and yet even in the gloom of a prison, when
one reflects that God is present, that the joys




278        FIRESIDE  READING.
of this world are transitory, that true happiness
consists in a good conscience, and not in exterior objects, there is a charm in living. In
less than a month I resigned myself to my fate
with a tranquillity which, if not perfect, was at
least tolerable. I was aware that, being resolved not to commit the infamous action of
purchasing impunity by the destruction of
others, my lot could be no other than the gibbet or a long imprisonment. It behooved me,
therefore, to conform to destiny: I will breathe,
said I, as long as they grant me a puff of air;
and when they take it away, I will do what all
others do at the last gasp-I will die.
I did all in my power to be satisfied with
every thing, and to let my mind have all possible enjoyment.  My most ordinary plan consisted in making the enumeration of the advantages which had brightened my existence: an
excellent father, an excellent mother, excellent
brothers and sisters, such and such for friends,
a good education, a love of letters, etc.; who
had had more happiness than I? Why not render thanks to God, although this happiness was
at present interrupted by misfortune! Sometimes, in making this enumeration, I grew tender-hearted, and wept for a moment; but my
courage and my satisfaction soon returned.
During the first days I had made a friend: it




SILVIO  PELLICO.            279
was not the jailer, nor any of his secondini,
nor any of those conducting my process. I
speak, nevertheless, of a human creature. Who
was it, then? A deaf and dumb child of from
five to six years old.  The father and the
mother were felons, and the law had disposed
of them.  The unfortunate little orphan was
reared by the state with several other children
in the same condition. They all lived together
in one room opposite mine, and at certain hours
they came out to take the air in the court-yard.
The deaf and dumb boy came under my window, smited at me. and made some gesticulations. I threw to him a lump of bread; he
took it up, made a few gambols from joy, ran
to his companions, gave some to all, and came
"fterward to eat his small portion by my window, expressing to me his gratitude with a smile
from his beautiful eyes.
The other children looked at me from a distance, but durst not approach. The deaf and
dumb one had a great sympathy for me, which
was sufficiently disinterested. Sometimes he did
not know what to do with the bread I threw to
him, and he made signs to me that he and his
comrades had eaten enough, and could not swal;
low any more.  If he saw a secondino going
into -my room, he gave him the bread that he
might restore it to me.




280       FIRESIDE READING.
Yet although he expected nothing from me,
he continued to play before my window with a
grace perfectly delightful, placing his happiness
upon being seen by me. Once a secondino permitted him to enter my prison. The boy had
no sooner entered than he ran to me to embrace
my knees, uttering a cry of joy. I took him in
my arms, and I can not describe the transports
with which he caressed me. Ihow much love
was there in that dear little breast!  How I
should have wished to educate him, and to have
saved him from his abject state!
I never knew his name; he himself did not
know he had one. He was always cheerful, and
I never saw him weep but once, when he was
beaten, I know not wherefore, by the jailer.
Strange! we look upon it as the hight of misfortune to live in such places, and yet this child
found certainly as much happiness there, as
could the son of a prince at his age.
In the solitude of my dungeon, and with a
yearning desire for something to love, I looked
forward with pleasure to my intercourse with
the poor child; but I was doomed to disappointment. One day I was removed to a cell on the,opposite side of the court-yard, but, alas! no
longer on the ground-floor, no longer in a place
where it was possible for me to converse with
my little mute. Traversing the court, I saw the




SILVIO  PELLICO.           281
dear child seated on the ground, terrified and
sad. He had comprehended he was about to
lose me. In a moment he sprang up and ran
toward me: the secondini wished to remove
him: I took him in my arms, and, dirty as he
was, embraced him with affection, and separated
from him-shall I say it? —with my eyes full of
tears.
In my new chamber, so gloomy and so unclean, deprived of the companionship of my little
mute, I was overpowered by sadness. I remained
several hours at the window, which opened upon
a gallery, and whence I could see the bottom
of the court-yard and the window of my former
lodging. Who, then, had replaced me there?
I saw a prisoner walking up and down with the
rapid step of a person highly agitated. Two or
three days after, I saw that they had given him
writing materials, and then he remained all the
day at his table.
At last I recognized him. He issued from
his chamber in company with the jailer, and
went to the examination.  It was Melchior
Gioja, an amiable man, and the most profound
thinker that the economical sciences have had
in Italy in these latter times. My heart was
seized with agony. And thou, too, worthy man,
art here!
After spending some time in looking at him,




282      FIRESIDE  READING.
in speculating, from his movements, whether his
mind was calm or agitated, in giving him my
best wishes, I found myself more fortified, more
rich in ideas, more contented with myself. This
shows that the appearance even of a human
creature for whom one experiences a sympathy,
is sufficient to relieve the tedium of solitude.
Such a benefit I had first received from a poor
dumb boy; at present I experienced it from the
distant view of a man of great merit.
Some secondini told him, doubtless, where I
was. One morning, in opening his window, he
waved his handkerchief as a salutation to me;
I used the same signal to reply to him.  0,
what joy filled my bosom at that moment! It
appeared that all distance was annihilated-that
we were together: my heart beat like a lover's
when he meets his mistress; we gesticulated
without comprehending each other, and with the
same vivacity as if we were perfectly conscious
of each other's meaning. In reality we did understand one another; those gestures expressed
all that our souls felt, and the one was not ignorant of what was passing in the mind of the
other.
O what consolation this intercourse seemed
to promise me for the future!  The future
came; but our signals were not repeated!
Every time that I again saw Gioja at the win



SILVIO  PELLICO.           283
dow I waved my kerchief, but in vain!  The
secondino told me that he had been commanded
not to provoke my signals, or to reply to them.
Nevertheless, he looked at me frequently, and I
as frequently at him; and we thus knew how to
say a good many things to each other. In a
few weeks I was consoled in knowing that the
worthy man had been set at liberty.
One morning an official who had taken down
my examination entered my cell, and announced
to me, with some mystery, that I should prepare
myself for a visit which would be agreeable to
me; and when he thought he had sufficiently
prepared me, he said, "It is your father; be
good enough to follow me." I followed him into
the office, agitated with joy and tenderness, and
striving to preserve a serene air, to tranquilize
my father.
When he learned my arrest, he hoped that it
had taken place from suspicions of little importance, and that I should soon regain my liberty;
but seeing that my captivity was prolonged, he
solicited the Austrian Government for my discharge. Deplorable illusion of paternal love!
My father could not conceive me rash enough
to expose myself to the vengeance of the laws;
and the studied contentment with which I spoke
to him, convinced him that I was under no apprehension of evil.




284      FIRESIDE  READING.
The short conversation which was allowed us
agitated me more than I can tell, so much the
more, that I compelled myself to repress every
symptom of it.  The most difficult task was to
conceal it when the moment of separation came.
In the circumstances of Italy at that period,
I was convinced that Austria would make examples with extraordinary rigor, and that I
should be doomed to death or to a long imprisonment. To conceal this conviction from a father; to flatter him with the hope of my approaching liberty; to refrain from tears while
embracing him, or talking of my mother, my
brothers, my sisters, whom I thought, at least, I
should never see again in this world; to beseech
him, without my voice being choked with sobs,
to return to see me if he were able-O, never,
never did I do myself such violence!
He quitted me, almost consoled, and I returned to my prison with my heart torn.
Scarcely did I find myself alone, than I endeavored to ease my emotions by abandoning
myself to tears: this relief was denied me. I
burst into sobs, but could not shed a tear. Not
being able to weep in excessive grief is the most
deplorable of misfortunes, and it is what I have
often suffered.
I was seized with a burning fever, accompanied by a horrible headache. I could not swal



SILVIO  PELLICO.            285
low during the whole day a mouthful of soup.
Next day I had recovered my fortitude, and my
feelings were more composed.
On New-Year's day, 1821, the Count Luigi
Porro obtained permission to see me. The close
and tender friendship which united us, the numberless things we wished to say to each other,
the obstacle which the presence of an officer
presented to the overflowing of our minds, the
short period which was allowed us to be together, the gloomy presentiments which oppressed me, the mutual efforts we made to appear tranquil-there was in all these things
enough to raise in my heart a terrible tempest.
Severed from a friend so dear, I felt myself
calm; much affected, but still calm. Such is the
efficacy of precautions against strong emotions!
IMPRISONMENT AT VENICE.
Nothing remarkable occurred till the night
between the 18th and 19th of February, when
I was awakened by the noise of bolts and keys,
and I saw several men enter with a lantern.
My first idea was, that they had come to murder
me; but while I was looking at them with anxiety, I saw advancing toward me the Count
B., who politely requested me to take the trouble of dressing myself as quickly as possible,
with a view to an immediate departure.




286       FIRESIDE  READING.
This intimation surprised me, and I was foolish enough to hope that they were going to conduct me to the frontiers of Piedmont. Was it
possible that so threatening a storm should thus
be dissipated?-that I should again enjoy the
sweets of liberty? —that I should once more
embrace my beloved parents, my brothers, and
my sisters?
Such delusions agitated me a few moments.
I dressed in haste, and followed my companions.
" Where are we going?" said I to the Count, as
I got into a carriage with him and an officer of
gendarmerie.
" I can not tell you till we are a mile beyond
Milan," he replied. I did not speak. It was a
beautiful night, and the moon shone serenely.
I looked upon those well-known streets, which I
had traversed for so many years in happiness;
upon the houses and the churches. All brought
back to me a thousaAd sweet recollections!
The public gardens, where I had so often
walked with Monti, Ludovico di Breme, Pietro
Borsieri, Porro, and his sons, and with others
-ho were dear to me, conversing full of life and
hope-alas! as I looked upon them for the last
time, as we drove rapidly past, I felt that I had
loved them, and loved them still! As we went.
out of the eastern gate, I pulled my hat over
my eyes and wept unobserved.




SILVIO  PELLICO.            287
I allowed more than a mile to be passed, when
I said to the Count B., "I suppose we are going
to Verona?" "A good deal farther," answered
he; "we are going to Venice, where I have to
consign you to a special commission."
We traveled without stopping, and on the
20th of February we reached Venice. In the
month of September of the preceding year, a
month before my arrest, I was at Venice, and
had dined with a numerous and joyful company
at the Hotel "della Luna."  It was strange
enough that the Count and the gendarme conducted me to the very same hotel.
A servant of the hotel trembled when he
recognized me, and perceived that I was in the
hands of the police, in spite of the disguise assumed by the gendarme and his satellites, who
were dressed as servants. I was glad at this
meeting, for I was sure the servant would inform
several persons of my arrival.
We dined, after which I was conducted to the
palace of the doge, where the tribunals now sit.
On arriving at the palace, the Count delivered
me over to the jailer, and in taking leave of me
embraced me with emotion.
I followed the jailer in silence. After having
traversed several galleries and rooms, we reached
a small stair which led us under the Leads, celebrated as state prisons since the time of the Ve



288       FIRESIDE  READING.
netian republic. There the jailer took a note
of my name, and shut me up in the chamber
destined for me. The Leads are the highest
part of the ancient palace of the doge, which is
entirely covered with lead.
My room had a large window, with enormous
iron bars, and looked upon the roof of the
church of St. Mark, also covered with lead.
Beyond the church, I saw in the distance the
extremity of the Piazza, and on all sides an infinity of cupolas and steeples.  The gigantic
steeple of St. Mark was only separated from
me the length of the church, and I heard the
people on the summit talking when they at all
raised their voices. I could see also, on the left
of the church, part of the great court of the
palace, and one of the entrances.  In this part
of the court was a public well, to which was a
perpetual resort for water. But at the hight
I was, those whom I perceived below appeared
like children, and I could only distinguish their
words when they happened to shout. I thus
found myself yet more solitary than in the
prison of Milan.
For the first few days, the anxieties of the
criminal process which was instituted against me
by the special commission produced a degree of
sadness, which was increased, perhaps, by the
bitter sensation of more complete loneliness. I




SILVIO  PELLICO.             289
was, besides, at a greater distance from my family, and no longer received any tidings from
them. The new faces which I saw did not create in me antipathy; but there was a seriousness
upon them which caused me alarm. Report had
exaggerated the plots of the Milanese, and the
rest of Italy, to achieve independence. In their
eyes I was, doubtless, one of the least worthy
of pardon among the instigators of this frenzy.
My slight literary celebrity was known to the
jailer, to his wife, his daughter, his two sons,
even to the two secondini. Who knows but
they looked upon a maker of tragedies as a species of magician?  They were grave, distrustful, eager to learn every thing connected with
me, but at the same time full of politeness.
After a certain period they were less reserved
and appeared good enough people. The woman
was the best calculated to maintain the air and
character of a jailer. Her visage was of a peculiarly-harsh expression, bearing the marks of
forty years or thereabouts; her words were few;
and she gave no symptoms of benevolence but
for her own sons.
She was accustomed to bring my coffee in the
morning and after dinner, as well as water,
linen, etc. She was generally accompanied by
her daughter, a girl of fifteen, who was not
pretty, but who had compassion in her looks.
19              B




290        FIRESIDE  READING.
and by her two sons, of whom one was thirteen
and the other ten.  They retired, following
their mother, and turned their young countenances mildly toward me as the door was closing. The jailer never entered my room except
when he had to conduct me to the hall, where
the commission met to interrogate me. The
secondini rarely came, as they had to take
charge of the prisons of the police, situated a
story below, where there were always plenty of
robbers. One of these seeondini was an old man
of seventy years of age, but still quite fit for so
fatiguing a life, which consists in running without relief from one cell to another, first up
stairs and then down; the other was a young
man, twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
My examinations were now renewed. I was
distracted with the questions put to me, and the
suspicions entertained of my motives. I should
have been driven mad, but for the consolations
of religion.
My loneliness, in the mean time, increased.
The two sons of the jailer, who at first occasionally visited me, were sent to school, and remaining afterward only a short time at home, came
to see me no more. The mother and daughter,
who, when the boys were there, often stopped to
talk with me, appeared only to bring my coffee,
and immediately retired.  For the mother I




SILVIO  PELLICO.             291
cared little, as she did not show much compassion; but the daughter had a softness in her
looks and words which was not without value to
me. When she brought my coffee, and said, "I
have made it myself," I was sure to find it excellent; when she said, "It is mamma's," it was
hot water.
Seeing human creatures so rarely, I turned
my attention to some ants which came upon my
window, and I fed them so sumptuously, that
they brought a whole army of their companions,
and my window was soon filled. I occupied myself likewise with a spider, which spun its web
on one of the walls; I gave it gnats and flies,
and it became so familiar as to come upon my
bed and into my hand to seize its prey.
Would that these insects had been the only
ones to visit me! It was yet spring, and the
gnats increased frightfully in numbers.  The
winter had been peculiarly mild, and after some
winds in March, the heat came on. It is not
possible to imagine how heated the air in my
den became; placed to the south under a leaden
roof, with a window opening to the roof of St.
Mark, likewise of lead, the refraction was terrific. I could scarcely breathe. I had no idea
of a heat so overpowering. To this torment, in
itself so sufficient, were added such swarms of
gnats, that if I made the least movement, and




292      FIRESIDE READING.
disturbed them, I was completely covered-the
bed, the table, the chair, the floor, the walls, the
ceiling, the whole room was filled with them-a
countless multitude, which went and  came
through the window with an intolerable buzzing. The bites of these insects are very painful; and when one is punctured with them from
morning to night, and from night to morning,
and the attention is incessantly occupied in devising means to lessen the infliction, there is
enough of suffering, in all conscience, for both
mind and body.
When I found by experience the misery of
this visitation, and could not obtain a change
of room, I felt arise within me once more an
inclination for suicide, and sometimes I feared I
should become mad. But, thanks to God, such
frenzies did not last long, and religion continued
to sustain me. It convinced me that man ought
to suffer, and to suffer with firmness; it made
me feel in my grief a certain joy, a voluptuous
satisfaction in not being vanquished, in rising
superior to every evil.
To strengthen and occupy my mind, I conceived the idea of committing my thoughts to
writing. The misfortune was, that the commission, in granting me pen, ink, and paper, ordered the sheets to be counted, and prohibited
me from destroying any, reserving to themselves




SILVIO PELLICO.             293
the right of examining to what use I had applied them. To supply the want of paper I had
recourse to the innocent artifice of polishing
with a piece of glass a rough table that I had,
and there I recorded every day my lengthy meditations upon the duties of mankind, and especially upon my own.
I do not exaggerate when I say that the hours
thus occupied appeared to me delightful, in
spite of the difficulty I experienced in breathing,
from the excessive heat, and the painful stings
of the gnats. To diminish the number of these,
I was compelled, notwithstanding the heat, to
envelop my head and limbs, and to write not
only with gloves, but my wrists bandaged, so as
to prevent the little animals from getting up the
sleeves.
These meditations of mine took a biographical
form. I composed the history of every thing
that had operated for good or for evil within me
since my infancy. I discussed questions within
myself, ascertained, as far as practicable, all my
knowledge and all my ideas upon every matter.
When all the disposable surface of the table
was covered with writing, I read and re-read, I
meditated upon my own meditations; and at
last I resolved, often with regret, to scratch out
with the glass what I had written, so as to
render the surface fit to receive the fresh im



294       FIRESIDE  READING.
press of my thoughts. Thus I continued my
history, often interrupted by digressions of all
sorts, by an analysis of some point in metaphysics, morals, politics, or religion; and when
all was full, I recommenced reading, re-reading,
and then effacing.
In order to avoid any impediment to my
justly and freely accounting with myself for the
facts which I recollected, and for my opinions,
as well as to avert the consequences of any inquisitorial visit, I wrote in a sort of jargon;
that is to say, with transpositions of letters,
and abbreviations, which were quite familiar to
myself. However, no such visit was ever made
to me, and no one had any idea that this sad
period passed so tranquilly for me. When I
heard the jailer or any other person open the
door, I covered the table with a cloth, and
placed upon it the inkstand and the legalized
quire of paper.
This quire had also some of my hours devoted
to it, frequently extending to a whole day or an
entire night. I wrote several literary works,
dramatic and poetical.
As it was not easy for me to get, as promptly
as I could wish, the supply of paper renewed
when it was finished, I cast my first ideas in
composition upon the table or the waste paper
in which I had dried figs or other fruits brought




SILVIO PELLICO.             295
to me. Sometimes, by giving my dinner to one
of the secondini, and persuading him that I had
no appetite, I induced him to bring me as a
present a few sheets of paper. I availed myself of this scheme only when the table was
already crammed with writing, and I could not
prevail upon myself though I often made the
effort to erase it.
With these efforts at amusement the summer
vanished. In the latter part of September the
heat diminished. October came, and I rejoiced
at having a room which in winter would be
agreeable. But one morning the jailer came,
and announced to me that he had received orders to change my abode.
Although I had suffered much in this chamber, I was sorry to quit it, not only because it
would be comfortable in cold weather, but for
many other reasons. I, first of all, had those
ants, which I loved and nourished with a solicitude which might be called paternal, if the expression were not ridiculous. A few days previously, a spider, which had become familiarized
with me, departed, I know not for what reason;
but who knows, thought I, but it will remember
me, and return?  And now that I am going
away, if it return, it will find the prison empty;
or if it meet with a new host, he will be, perchance, an enemy to spiders, who will sweep




296      FIRESIDE  READING.
away with his slipper this goodly web, and crush
the poor animal.
The room they put me in was also under the
Leads, but to the north and west, with a window
on each side —a place for perpetual colds, and
of horrible chillness in the winter months.
The window fronting the west was very large,
that to the north small and high, and placed
immediately above my bed.
I looked out at the first, and found that it
opened upon the palace of the patriarch. Other
cells were near mine in a wing of small extent
to the right, and in a prolongation of the building in front of me. In this prolongation were
two prisons, one above the other. The lower
one had an enormous window, through which I
saw a man walking about in very splendid attire.
It was the Signor Caporali di Cesena. He saw
me, made a sign to me, and we communicated to
each other our names.
I wished afterward to examine where the
other window looked to. I put the table on the
bed, and on the table a chair, on which I
climbed, and saw myself on a level with part
of the palace roof. Beyond the palace appeared a fine view of the city and the canal.
I stood viewing this beautiful prospect, and
hearing the door open, I did not stir. It was
the jailer, who, seeing me in so elevated a posi



SILVIO  PELLICO.            297
tion, and forgetting that I could not pass, like a
magician, through the bars, imagined I was
about to escape, and, in the first impulse of his
alarm, jumped upon the bed, in spite of a
sciatica which tormented him, and seizing me
by the legs, screeched like an eagle.
"Do you not see," said I, "most stupid man,
that the iron bars are here to prevent me escaping? Can you not comprehend that I have
mounted here through curiosity?"
"I see, sir, I see; I understand; but come
down, I pray you, come down: there is a great
temptation to escape." So I descended, laughing.
At the windows of the side prisons I recognized six others detained for political causes.
Thus, then, at the moment when I was preparing
for a solitude more perfect than the past, I
found myself in a sort of world, and was occasionally able to exchange words and signs of
civility and compassion.
The month of October brought round a most
cruel anniversary. I had been arrested on the
13th of that month the preceding year. Many
recollections equally sad tormented me during
this month. Two years before, also in October,
a man of merit, whom I greatly esteemed, had
been unfortunately drowned in the Ticino. Six
years before, still in October, Odoardo Briche,




298      FIRESIDE  READING.
a youth whom I loved as if he had been my son,
had shot himself involuntarily. In my early
youth, in an October, another heavy affliction
had occurred to me. Although I am not superstitious, so fatal a concourse of bitter recollections springing from this month weighed upon
my spirits.
I took up the pen to compose verses, or to
follow some other literary bent, but an irresistible force seemed to compel me into another
channel. Into what? Into writing long letters, which I could not send-long letters to my
beloved family, in which I poured out my whole
heart. I wrote them on the table, and then
obliterated them.  They were the warm  expressions of my tenderness, of my recollections
of the felicity I had enjoyed with my indulgent
and affectionate parents, brothers, and sisters.
The love which drew me to them, inspired me
with a thousand impassioned sentiments. And
after writing hours and hours, there were always thoughts which remained for expression.
These recreations at length affected my mind,
and in my dreams, or rather in my delirium, I
saw my father, my mother, or some other of
those whom I loved, lamenting my unhappy lot.
I heard their distressing sobs, and I was suddenly aroused, also sobbing and affrighted.
Sometimes, during these short hallucinations, I




SILVIO PELLICO.             299
thought I heard my mother consoling the others,
coming with them into my prison, and addressing
to me solemn exhortations to resignation; and at
the moment that I was rejoicing at her fortiude,
and that of the others, she burst into tears, and
they all wept together. No one can conceive
how, at such times, my heart was lacerated.
At night, my imagination was excited to such
a pitch that I seemed to hear, although wide
awake, groans and stifled laughter in my room.
In my infancy I had never believed in witchcraft
or in ghosts, and yet now these groans and
laughs terrified me, and I could not explain the
cause. I was forced to doubt whether I were
not the sport of some mysterious and malevolent power.
I often took the light, with a trembling hand,
and looked under the bed, to see if no one were
concealed there; and it frequently occurred to
me that I had been removed from my first chamber into this, because the latter had a trap-door,
or some hole in the wall, by which my keepers
saw all that I did, and diverted themselves by
frightening me.
Seated at my table, it sometimes seemed to
me that I was pulled by the coat, sometimes
that a hidden hand pushed away my book, till I
saw it falling on the ground; sometimes that
some one came behind me to blow out the can



300     FIRESIDE  READING.
die. Then I started to my feet with precipitation, I looked around me, I trod with apprehension, and I asked myself if I were mad, or in
my proper senses.
I know how absurd such aberrations of the
mind appear to others, but to me, who have experienced them, they were so hurtful that I yet
shudder at them.
In the morning they always vanished; and
so long as the light of day lasted, I felt my
mind so braced against these terrors, that I
thought it impossible they should again pursue
me. But when the sun set, I recommenced my
trembling, and each night brought back the extravagant phantoms of its predecessors.
One morning, after coffee, I was seized with
diarrhea and vomitings. I thought I was poisoned, but it was only an effort of nature. After
the attack had passed off, I found myself well,
and the illusions that had haunted me disappeared.
On the 24th of November, Dr. Foresti was
removed from the prisons of the Leads, and
taken I knew not whither. The jailer, his wife,
and the secondini, were in terror, but none of
them would explain to me the mystery.  At
length one of them told me that poor Foresti
had been taken to the criminal prisons. The
reader may imagine the agitation I was in all




SILVIO  PELLICO.            301
that day and the following night, and during
several days, that I could learn no further intelligence.
This uncertainty lasted a month. At length
the sentences of a number of persons were
made public; but no names were as yet given.
Nine were condemned to death, but their sentence would perhaps be commuted into imprisonment for twenty years; others were to be imprisoned for fifteen-and in both cases they had
to undergo their sentence in the fortress of
Spielberg, near the city of Brunn, in Moraviaand some for ten years at the least-these last
in the fortress of Lubiana. Was I among the
number who had been condemned to death? If
the term of my existence is come, thought I,
am I not more happy that it comes in a manner
to allow me time to collect myself, and to purify
my conscience by repentance? Judging with
the vulgar, the gibbet is of all modes of death
the worst. But, in the opinion of the wise, is
not this death preferable to many others which
ensue after long disease, in which the intellect
is debilitated, and the mind has not force to
cast aside petty thoughts?
The justice of this reasoning was so firmly
fixed in my mind, that the horror of death, and
of this mode of death, was entirely dissipated.
I meditated deeply on the sacraments, for




302      FIRESIDE  READING.
which all the strength of my mind was required
at this solemn moment, and I thought myself in
a state to receive them in a beneficial manner.
The dignity and peace of mind, the placid affection for those who hated me, the joy of sacrificing my life to the will of God, all which I
seemed now to feel; could I have preserved
them if I had been led forth to the last punishment? Alas! how many contradictions in man!
Alas! when he appears the most sanctified and
firm, an instant can precipitate him into weakness and crime! God only knows whether I
were then fit for death: I have not confidence
in myself to affirm it. I had attained a degree
of firmness, as I thought, which would overcome
the pang of dissolution, when, one evening,
seated at my table studying, quite chilled with
cold, some voices near me-they were the voices
of the jailer, his wife, his sons, and the secondini —-exclaimed: "Fire! fire! we are lost!"
The chillness quitted me in a moment. I sprang
to my feet in a sudden perspiration, and looked
all round to see where the flames were: they
were not to be seen.
The fire was, however, in the palace, in some
offices adjoining the prisons. One of the secondini shouted out: "'But, master, what are we to
do with the prisoners if the fire advances?"
The jailer answered, "I haven't the heart to




SILVIO  PELLICO.            303
let them be roasted. However, we can not open
the prison without the consent of the commission. Go, then, I say, run as quick as you
can to ask for leave." "I will run, master; I
will run; but the answer will not come in time,
recollect!"
And where, then, was that heroic resignation
that I believed myself so sure of possessing,
while thinking on death? Why did the idea of
being burned alive put me in a fever? As if
there were more pleasure in being suffocated by
the throat than consumed by fire? I made this
reflection, and was ashamed at my terror. I
was about to cry to the jailer to open the door
for the love of God, but I checked myself.
Nevertheless, I was in a fear.
After a lengthened disturbance the noise subsided, and I doubted not that the fire had been
extinguished. The following morning I learned
from one of the jailers the particulars of this
fire, and I laughed at the terror it had excited
in him, as if mine had not equaled, perhaps surpassed his.
On the 11th of February, 1822, about nine
o'clock inr the morning, I was informed that I
was to be immediately removed to a prison in
the island of St. Michael of Murano, not far
from Venice; but for what purpose was- not
mentioned. A moment after the jailer entered,




304       FIRESIDE READING.
accompanied by the secondini, and a man whom
I had never seen before. The jailer appeared
confused, and the new-comer took the word:
"Signor, the commission orders you to follow
me."  "I am ready," I answered; "and you,
who are you?" "I am keeper of the prison of
St. Michael, where you are about to be transferred."
The jailer of the Leads handed over to the
latter my money which he had in his hands. I
asked and obtained permission to make some
present to the secondini; I put my clothes in
order, took the Bible under my arm, and departed.
We went out a door which opened on the
canal, where a gondola, with two secondini of
the new jailer, awaited us. I entered the gondola, a prey to a thousand inconsistent feelings.
On the whole, I felt happy at finding myself in
the open air, after so long a seclusion-at seeing the sky, the wvaters, and the city, without
the sad intervention of close bars-at the remembrance of the joyous gondola which in a
more happy time bore me on this same canal,
of the gondolas of the Lake of Como, of the
Lake Maggiore, of the light barks of the Po,
the Rhone, and the Saone! 0 smiling years,
forever gone! Who in the world had enjoyed a
happiness equal to mine?




SILVIO  PELLICO.            305
In the midst of these reflections I arrived at
St. Michael, where they shut me up in a room
which looked upon a court, upon the canal, and
the beautiful island of Murano. I sought intelligence respecting Maroncelli from the jailer,
his wife, and the four secondini. But they
made me only short visits, and, full of distrust,
would tell me nothing.
I lived in ignorance of my fate till the 21st
of February. On that day the jailer came for
me about ten o'clock in the morning; he led me
into the hall of the commission, and retired. I
found upon their seats the president, the inquisitor, and the two assessors, who all rose.
The president, with a tone of dignified commiseration, told me that the sentence had arrived; that it was a terrible one, but that the
Emperor had already mitigated it.
The inquisitor read this sentence-Condemned
to death. Then he read the imperial rescriptThe penalty is commuted to fifteen years of imprisonment in the fortress of Spielberg. I replied: "God's will be done!"
I had, in truth, the disposition to receive, like
a Christian, this horrible annunciation, and
neither to testify nor to cherish resentment
against any one. The president applauded my
moderation, and counsele4 me always to preserve it, adding that, at the end of two or three
20            B




306      FIRESIDE  READING.
years, this resignation would perhaps render me
worthy of a great favor.
The other judges also addressed me with
words of consolation and hope. " To-morrow,"
said the inquisitor, "we shall have the disagreeable duty of announcing the sentence to you in
public, but it is an indispensable formality."
"Be it so," I replied.
"From this moment," he resumed,'"we allow
you the society of your friend."
And, having called the jailer, they consigned
me into his hands, and ordered him to put me
with Maroncelli.
How sweet a moment was that, for my friend
and myself, in which we saw each other again,
after a separation of a year and three months,
after so many afflictions!  The ecstasies of
friendship made us almost forget, for the moment, our condemnation.
I soon tore myself, however, from the arms
of Maroncelli, to take the pen and write to my
father. I ardently desired that the news of my
sad lot should reach my family through me,
rather than through others, in order that the
grief of those beloved hearts should be mitigated by the pious calmness of my language.
The judges promised to expedite my letter
without delay.
Maroncelli talked to me afterward of his




SILVIO  PELLICO.            307
process, and I of mine. We related by turns
our prison adventures; and then, going to the
window, we saluted three of our friends who
were at theirs. They were Canova and Rezia,
who were together, each condemned to imprisonment, the first to six years, and the second
to three. The third was the Doctor Cesare
Armari, who, during the previous months, had
been my neighbor in the Leads. No judgment
had been pronounced against him, and he was
not long in being liberated as guiltless.
We conversed together all the day and all
the evening. It was for both an agreeable distraction. But when in bed, the light extinguished, and silence established, I felt it impossible to sleep. My brain was on fire, and
my heart bled on thinking of my family. Could
my poor old parents bear up against so great a
misfortune?  Would their other sons suffice to
console them? They were all as much beloved
as myself, and more worthy to be so; but do a
father and a mother ever find, in the children
who are spared to them, a compensation for
those who are lost?
At nine in the morning, Maroncelli and I
were made to enter a gondola, to be conducted
into the city. The gondola stopped at the palace of the doge, and we ascended to the prisons. We were put into the chamber which




308      FIRESIDE  READING.
Signor Caporali had occupied a few days before.
I am ignorant of his fate. Nine or ten officers
were seated there to guard us, and we walked
about, waiting for the moment when we had to
appear in the Piazza. We waited a very long
time. It was already noon when the inquisitor came to announce that we had to proceed.
The physician came also, and recommended us
to drink a glass of mint-water; we followed his
advice, and were grateful to him, not so much
for this attention, as for the profound pity the
good old man testified for us. His name was
Doctor Dosmo. The head officer afterward appeared, and put manacles on us. We followed
him, accompanied by the other officers.
Walking between two rows of Austrian soldiers, we arrived at the scaffold, and then looking around us, saw in the immense crowd nothing but expressions of terror. In the distance
were other soldiers, drawn up at various points.
We were told that cannons were fixed, with the
matches ready lighted.
The Austrian commander ordered us to turn
toward the palace and raise our eyes. We
obeyed, and saw an official of the court upon
the terrace holding a paper in his hand. It
was the sentence.  He read it aloud. Every
one could hear and understand.
There was a profound silence, till the expres



SILVIO  PELLICO.            309
sion-condemned to death. Then arose a general murmur of compassion.  Silence was restored to hear the rest, and a new murmur
greeted these words-Condemned to close imprisonment; Maroneelli for twenty years, and
Pellico for fifteen.
The captain made us a sign to descend; we
did so, after casting another glance around us.
We returned to the palace, remounted the staircase, and entered again the chamber from which
we had been taken. Having removed our manacles, we were conducted back to Saint Michael.
Those who had been condemned before us
had already departed for Lubiana or Spielberg,
under the conduct of a commissary of police.
They now waited the return of this same commissary, he being intrusted also with the duty
of convoying us to our destination. We waited
for him a month.
When he arrived and visited us, "I have the
pleasure," said he, " of being able to afford you
some consolation. In returning from Spielberg,
I saw his imperial majesty, the emperor, at Vienna, who told me that your days of imprisonment should be twelve hours long, and not
twenty-four. It is a mode of intimating to you
that the punishment is reduced one-half."
This intelligence was never officially confirmed
to us; but there is no probability that the com



310       FIRESIDE  READING.
missary spoke falsely, the more especially as he
did not communicate it in secret, but with the
consent of the commission.  And yet I could
not rejoice at it. In my mind seven years and
a half in irons were not much less horrible than
fifteen. It seemed to me impossible that I could
live so long. My health had become affected.
I suffered much in the chest, attended with
coughing, and I thought my lungs attacked. I
ate very little, and that little was indigestible.
IMPRISONMENT AT SPIELBERG.
Our departure from Venice took place in the
night of the 25th and 26th March.  We were
permitted to embrace our friend Doctor Armari.
Then an officer fastened on us a chain, passing
transversely from the right hand to the left
foot, so as to render flight impossible. We entered a gondola, and the guards rowed us toward
Fusina.
At Fusina we found two carriages ready.
Rezia and Canova got into one, Maroncelli and
I into another. In the first sat the commissary,
and in the second a sub-commissary, each with
two prisoners. Six or seven police guards completed the convoy, armed with sabers and muskets; some behind the carriages, others on the
drivers' seats.
Being forced to quit one's country is always




SILVIO  PELLICO.            $11
a cruel calamity; but to quit it in chains, and
to be carried to a horrible climate, there to languish for years, surrounded by jailers, is a misfortune so dreadful that I have not words to
describe it.
Before passing the Alps, my country became
every hour more dear to me, from the sympathy
which every-where the persons we met expressed
for us. In every town, in every village, in every
solitary hamlet, we were looked for, as our condemnation had been known for several weeks.
In some places the commissary and the guards
could with difficulty remove the crowd which
surrounded us. The interest which was manifested on our account was surprising.
In traveling through Austria the same compassion followed us, and the consolation which I
derived from these marks of kindness diminished my resentment against those whom I
deemed my enemies. On the 10th April we
reached the place of our destination.
The town of Brunn is the capital of Moravia,
and the residence of the governor of the two
provinces of Moravia and Silesia. It is situated
in a fertile valley, and has the appearance
of being opulent. Several cloth manufactories
were then in a state of prosperity, which have
since fallen to decay.  The population was
about 30,000.  Near its walls, on the west,




312      FIRESIDE  READING.
stands a hill on which is erected that fatal
fortress of Spielberg, formerly the palace of the
lords of Moravia, and at present the most rigorous place of imprisonment in the Austrian dominions. The citadel was of great strength,
but the French bombarded and took it at the
time of the famous battle of Austerlitz-the
village of Austerlitz is at a short distance.
Since then it, has not been restored so as to
serve as a citadel, but they have contented
themselves with rebuilding a part of the outer
wall, which was thrown down. About three
hundred condemned persons, chiefly robbers and
murderers, are detained there; some subjected
to hard labor-carcere duro-others to the
hardest labor-carcere durissimo.
The careere duro consists in being obliged to
work, to drag a chain at the feet, to sleep upon
naked boards, and to be fed upon the poorest
imaginable nourishment. The eareere durissimo
consists in being chained, in a manner yet more
horrible, with an iron girdle round the loins,
and a chain fixed in the wall, scarcely affording
scope to turn round on the plank which serves
for a bed. The food is the same, although the
law prescribes bread and water. We, as prisoners of state, were condemned to the careere
duro.
On reaching the summit of the hill, we turned




SILVIO PELLICO.             313
our eyes behind, to bid adieu to the world,
ignorant whether the gulf which was about to
swallow us alive would ever open again to let us
out. Outwardly I appeared calm, but within
me raged a tempest. In vain I had recourse to
philosophy to tranquilize my mind; the reasonings of philosophy were insufficient.
Having left Venice in bad health, the journey
had been attended with wretched fatigue; my
head, my whole body, was distracted with painand I burned with fever. Physical distemper
contributed to the irritation of my mind, which
in turn doubtless aggravated my bodily ills.
We were delivered into the hands of the superintendent of the fortress, who inscribed our
names among those of the malefactors. On
quitting us, the imperial commissary embraced
us with affection.  "I recommend you to be
docile," said he to us; " the least infraction of
discipline will receive from the superintendent
a severe punishment." The ceremony of delivery being completed, they conducted Maroncelli and me into a subterranean corridor, in
which two dark cells were open for us, at a distance from each other. Each was locked up in
his den.
The bitterest of all calamities surely occurs
when, after bidding adieu to so many objects,
and two friends equally unfortunate are left




314       FIRESIDE READING.
alone, these friends are forcibly separated.
Such a separation is the bitterest of calamities.
Maroncelli, on quitting me, saw me ill, and
wept for me as a man whom, without doubt, he
should never behold again. I wept for him,
blooming in the vigor of health, torn, perhaps
forever, from the refreshing light of the sun.
And, like a beautiful flower cast into darkness,
how has he in reality drooped and faded! He
has again emerged into light, but, alas! in what
a state.
When I found myself in this horrible cavern,
and heard the bolts drawn-when, by the feeble
light which fell from a narrow window above, I
perceived the naked plank which was given for
a bed, and an enormous chain fixed to the wallI seated myself shuddering on the bed, and
taking up the chain, I measured its length,
thinking it destined for me.
Half an hour afterward I heard the keys
rattle, and the door opened. A jailer, whose
name was Schiller, entered, and delivered me a
pitcher of water. He was an old man, and I
could observe that he felt compassion for my
fate.
In this horrible dungeon I very soon became
exceedingly ill, which being perceived by the
superintendent of the prison in his daily visits
of inspection, the physician of the establishment




SILVIO PELLICO.             315
was requested to see me, and report on my case.
Doctor Bayer found me in a fever, ordered me
a straw pallet, and insisted upon their removing
me from this subterranean vault to the story
above. They could not, as there was no room.
But a report upon the subject having been addressed to the Count Mitrovski, governor of the
two provinces of Moravia and Silesia, who resided at Brunn, the Count replied that, in consequence of the severity of the illness, the
orders of the doctor should be followed.
Into the chamber which they gave me a little
daylight penetrated; and creeping to the bars
of the narrow window, I could see the valley
which the fortress commanded, a part of the
town of Brunn, a suburb with a multitude of
small gardens, the necropolis, the small lake of
the charter-house, and the woody hills which
separated us from the celebrated hills of Austerlitz. This view enchanted me. 0, how I
should have rejoiced to partake it with Maroncelli!
They were preparing, in the mean time, our
prison-dresses, and at the end of five days they
brought me mine. These were a pair of pantaloons of rough cloth, the right side gray and
the left side a brown color; a close coat of two
colors, disposed in the same manner; a vest
similarly variegated, with the slight difference




316      FIRESIDE  READING.
of the gray color being to the left and the
capuchin to the right. The stockings were of
thick wool, the shirt of unwoven flax, stinging
to the skin like a true haircloth; for the neck
was a cravat of the same stuff as the shirt. A
pair of laced half-boots of untanned leather,
and a white hat, completed the wardrobe.
This livery was accompanied by irons to the
feet-that is to say, a chain that extended from
one leg to the other, the rings of which were
fastened by nails riveted upon an anvil. A few
minutes after the blacksmith had gone, I heard
the hammer upon the anvil sounding from below-doubtless they were riveting the irons on
poor Maroncelli.
From the window of my new cell I found that
I could converse with the prisoner in an adjoining apartment, the Count Antonio Oroboni.
This intercourse was frequently interrupted by
the sentinels; but by habituating ourselves to
speak in whispers, and at certain intervals, we
contrived in a great measure to elude the vigilance of our guards. We thus became united in
a tender friendship. Oroboni narrated to me his
life, and I mine to him; the sorrows and consolations of the one became the sorrows and
consolations of the other. O how greatly we
comforted each other!-how many times, after
a sleepless night, did each of us feel his sadness




SILVIO  PELLICO.             317
alleviated, and his courage fortified, by our
morning salutation and interchange of words!
Each of us felt himself indispensable to the
other, and this persuasion incited us to an emulation in amiability, and produced that delicious
feeling which a man experiences, even in distress, when he can gladden the heart of a fellowbeing.
The physician perceiving that none of us
could eat the food which they gave us during
the first days, put us on a diet which was called
"a quarter port.ion "-that is to say, a hospital
regimen. It consisted of three very light soups
each day, a very small morsel of roast lamb,
which could be swallowed at a bite, and about
three ounces of white bread. As my health
grew stronger every day, my appetite kept in
creasing, and I felt this quarter verily too little.
I tried to return to the allowance of those who
were in health, but I took nothing by the attempt: it disgusted me so effectually, that I could
not eat it. I was driven back to the "quarter."
For more than a year I learned what the pangs
of hunger were. Many of our companions suffered these pangs yet more violently; for, being
of robuster constitutions than I, they were accustomed to a more ample nourishment. I know
several of them accepted bread from Schiller,
whose kind-heartedness was exceedingly re



318      FIRESIDE  READING.
markable, though he had an exterior not in any
sense prepossessing.
Several times this good man brought me a
piece of boiled meat, begging me to eat it, and
assuring me it cost him nothing-that it was
left from his own dinner-that he could do
nothing with it except to give it to others, if I
would not take it. I would willingly have flown
to devour it; but if I had taken it, would not
Schiller bring me something every day?
Twice only I yielded. One day he brought
me a plate of cherries, and another some pears.
The sight of these fruits was irresistible. I repented of having accepted them, because he did
not cease to offer me more.
From the first period of our confinement, it
had been established that each of us should
have twice a week an hour's walking; afterward this consolation was extended to us every
other day; and at last every day, except
festivals.
We each went separately to the promenade
between two guards, with muskets on their
shoulders. As I lodged at the extremity of the
corridor, I passed, in going out, the cells of all
the Italian political prisoners, except that of
Maroncelli, who alone languished beneath.
" A pleasant walk!" murmured each of them
through the loophole of his door; but I was not




SILVIO PELLICO.             319
permitted to stop to exchange salutations with
any one.  We descended the staircase, and
traversed a court which led us to a terrace with
a southern aspect, whence we could see the town
of Brunn, and a considerable part of the surrounding country.
In the court of which I speak was always a
great number of ordinary criminals, who went
and came from their work, or walked about conversing. Among them were several Italian robbers, who saluted me with much respect, saying
among themselves, "This is not a rogue like us,
and yet his punishment is more severe than
ours." They had, in fact, much more liberty
than I. These words and many others I heard,
and I cordially returned their salutation.
The constraint of the irons at the feet, by
preventing sleep, contributed to ruin my health.
Schiller wished me to remonstrate, maintaining
that it was the duty of the physician to cause
their removal.
For some time I did not follow his advice;
but at last I yielded, and I begged the physician that he would order me to be relieved of
the chain, at least for a few days, so that I
might procure a little sleep.
The physician answered that the fever had
not yet arrived at such a hight.that he could
grant my request, and that it was necessary I




320      FIRESIDE  READING.
should accustom myself to the irons. I was
vexed with having made the request.
I was still able, however, to take my usual
walk, and one morning, on returning.from my
promenade, I observed that the door of Oroboni's cell was open. Schiller, who was within,
had not heard me coming. My guards wished
to advance a pace to close the door; but I got
before them, sprang into the room, and was instantly in the arms of Oroboni.
Schiller stood in astonishment; he raised his
finger in a menacing attitude; but his eyes
were filled with tears, and with sobs he cried,
" O, my God! show mercy to these poor young
men, and to me, and to all the unfortunates who
have been wretched on this earth!"
The two guards wept also. The sentinel in
the corridor, attracted from his post, was also in
tears. Oroboni said, " Silvio, Silvio, this is one
of the happiest days of my life!" I did not
know what to reply: I was beside myself with
joy and emotion.
When Schiller conjured us to part, alleging
the necessity of obedience, Oroboni burst into a
flood of tears, and faltered out, "Shall we
never see each other again in this world?"
We did not see each other again.  Some
months after, his cell was vacant, and Oroboni
lay in the cemetery which I had before my eyes.




SILVIO  PELLICO.            321
I was able to move about up till the 11th January, 1823. On that morning I arose with a
slight headache, and a disposition to faint. My
limbs trembled, and I could scarcely draw
breath.
Oroboni also, for the last two or three days,.
had been ill, and did not rise.
They brought me the soup: I scarcely took a
spoonful, when I fell, deprived of sensation.
The sentinel of the corridor looked by chance
through a wicket of the door a few moments
after, and seeing me extended on the floor, with
the pot upside down lying near me, he judged
me dead, and called Schiller.
The superintendent came also; the physician
was likewise called, and I was put to bed. It
was with difficulty I recovered~ The physician
declared my life in danger, and caused my
chains to be removed. He ordered me some
sort of a cordial, but my stomach would retain
nothing. The headache grew to an intolerable
hight. A report to the governor was immediately made as to my condition, and he dispatched a courier to Vienna to ask how I1 should
be treated. He was ordered in reply not to
send me to the infirmary, but to cause me to be
attended to in the prison with the same care as
if I had been in the infirmary.  Farther, the
superintendent was authorized to furnish me
21             B




322       FIRESIDE  READING.
with soups and pottages from his own kitchen as
longas the malady should continue serious.
The last precaution was quite useless to me at
first. Neither meat nor drink passed my lips.
For a whole week I got worse and worse; I was
~delirious day and night.
Kral and IKubitzky were given me as attendants, and they served me with affection. Each
time that I resumed a little consciousness Kral
repeated to me, "Have confidence in God, sir;
God alone is good."
" Pray to Him for me," said I to him; "not
that he will cure me, but that my misfortunes
and my death may be received in expiation of
my sins."
He suggested to me the idea of calling for
the sacraments.
"If I have not demanded them already," I
answered, " attribute it to the weakness of my
head, but it will be a great consolation for me
to receive them."
He reported my words to the superintendent,
who brought the chaplain of the prison. I was
pleased with this priest; his name was Sturm.
The reflections which he delivered to me upon
the justice of God, the injustice of mankind,
the duty of forgiveness, the vanity of all the
things of this world, were not commonplaces.
They bore the stamp of a high and cultivated




SILVIO  PELLICO.            323
intellect, and of a lively sentiment of the love
due to God and our neighbor.
The effort which I was called upon to make
in receiving the sacraments, seemed at first to
exhaust the slight remains of life; but it afterward served to assist me,Jby plunging me into a
lethargy, which produced some hours of repose.
I awoke a little relieved, and seeing Kral and
Schiller near me, I took their hands in mine,
and thanked them for all their care.
Toward the end of the second week a crisis
occurred in the malady, and all danger vanished.
I was about to rise one morning, when my
door opened, and the superintendent, Schiller,
and the physician, entered with smiling countenances. The first of them ran to me and said:
"We have received permission to give you Maroncelli for a companion, and to allow you to
write to your parents."  Maroncelli was conducted to my arms.
O what a moment was that! " Thou yet livest,
my friend, my brother!" we each exclaimed.
"How happy a day we have been reserved to
see! Praise be to God!"
But our joy, great as it was, was soon damped
by mutual compassion. Maroncelli was necessarily less struck at finding me so wasted, knowing from how severe an illness I had just es



324       FIRESIDE  READING.
caped. But I, with all my knowledge of what
he had undergone, could not have imagined so
great a difference from what he was before-I
scarcely recognized him. His beautiful countenance, so radiant with health, was withered
from grief, from hunger, fromn the bad air of his
gloomy prison.
However, it was a source of consolation to see
and hear each other, to be assured we should
not again be separated. It was likewise consolatory to write to my parents, which I now did,
and the letter was duly forwarded.
The disposition of Maroncelli and myself
harmonized perfectly together. The courage of
the one sustained the courage of the other. If
either of us was seized with melancholy, or excited to anger by the hardships of our condition, the other restored his friend's equanimity
by some pleasantries or appropriate reasonings.
A smile generally tempered our sorrows.
As long as we had books, though we had read
them often enough to know them by heart, we
possessed an agreeable means of mental cultivation, because they were a perpetual excitation
to fresh examinations, comparisons, criticisms,
and corrections. We read, or meditated in silence, the greatest part of the day, and we gave
to conversation the times of dinner and of the
promenade, and all the evening.




SILVIO  PELLICO.            325
Maroncelli, in his dungeon, had composed a
great many verses of superior beauty. He recited them to me, and composed others; while I
also composed some which I recited to him, and
our memories were exercised in retaining all
this. We acquired by these means a wonderful
facility in the composition, from memory, of
long poems, a power of polishing and improving them at repeated intervals, and of bringing
them to as high a state of perfection as we could
have done by writing them. Maroncelli thus
composed by degrees, and delivered to memory,
several thousands of lyric and epic verses. As
for me, I composed the tragedy of "Leoniero
da Dertyna," and various other pieces.
At the commencement of 1824 a number of
additional prisoners were brought to Spielberg,
among whom were some of our unfortunate acquaintances; and the rigors of our confinement
were increased. How did we pass all the years
of 1824, 1825, 1826, and 1827! We were refused the use of our books, which the governor
had granted provisionally. The prison became
for us a real tomb, in which, however, we were
not allowed even the tranquillity of the tomb.
Each month, on an indeterminate day, the director of the police, accompanied by a lieutenant and his guards, came to make a severe inspection. They stripped us naked, examined all




326       FIRESIDE  READING.
the seams of our clothes, and in the fear that
any paper or other thing was concealed therein,
they opened our mattresses to search the insides. Although it was impossible they could
find any thing clandestine with us, this visit,
made in so hostile a manner,,so suddenly, and
so often repeated, irritated me to a great extent,
and always threw me into a fever.
The preceding years had appeared to me so
sad, and now, I looked back with regret upon
those years, as to a time of enjoyment!
By making the punishment commence not at
the epoch of my arrest, but at that of my condemnation, the seven years and a half finished
in 1829, in the first days of July, if they were
dated from the signature of the Emperor, or on
the 22d of August, if dated from the publication of the sentence. But this term passed like
the others, and all hope was extinguished.
Up to that time, Maroncelli and I sometimes
imagined that it might yet be possible we should
once more see the world, our beloved Italy, and
our relations; and it was for us a subject of
conversation replete with anxiety, emotion, and
love.
But when we saw August pass, then September, then that whole year, we accustomed ourselves to hope nothing more on this earth except
the unvarying continuance of our mutual friend



SILVIO  PELLICO.            327
ship, and the aid of God to perform worthily
what remained to accomplish of our long
sacrifice.
Ah! friendship and religion are two inestimable benefits! They embellish even the hours
of prisoners for whom all hope of mercy has
expired. God is indeed with the unfortunatewith the unfortunate who love him!
The first day of August, 1830, appeared. It
was not far from ten years since I had lost my
liberty, and eight and a half since I had been
subjected to the carcere duro.
It was a Sunday. We went, as on other holidays, to the usual inclosure, and looked again,
from the low wall running round it, upon the
valley and the graveyard in which Oroboni and
Villa lay, talking to each other of the repose
which our bones would one day find in the same
place.
This day, after returning from the chapel,
and when preparing to eat our wretched dinner,
the sub-intendant entered the cell. " I am very
sorry to disturb your dinner," said he, "but
have the goodness to follow me; the director of
the police is here."
As this latter personage never came but for
disagreeable purposes, such as searches or inquiries, we followed the sub-intendant, in very
bad humor, to the room of audience.




328        FIRESIDE  READING.
We found there the director of police and the
superintendent; the former moved to us more
graciously than usual.
He took a paper in his hand, and, in disconnected words, as if he were afraid of producing
upon us too great a sensation of surprise by a
more rapid delivery, said to us: " Gentlemen, I
have the pleasure-I have the honor-to inform
you-that his Majesty, the Emperor-has performed another act of mercy. "
And he hesitated to inform us in what the
mercy consisted. We thought that it referred
to some mitigation of our punishment, such as
exempting us from the tiresomeness of labor,
permitting us some more books, or granting us
less disgusting food. " Do you not understand?"
added the director.
"No, sir; have the goodness to explain to us
what sort of mercy is meant."
"It is liberty for you both, and for a third,
whom you are about to embrace."
Apparently our joy should have broken forth
in loud jubilee. But our thoughts immediately
ran upon our parents, of whom we had no intelligence for so long a time. Should we still find
them on earth? This doubt occurred to us in
such force, that it certainly destroyed the
pleasure the news of our freedom should have
given us.




SILVIO  PELLICO.             329
"You remain mute," said the police-director.
" I expected to have seen you jump for joy."
"I beseech you," answered I, "to be good
enough to transmit our gratitude to the Emperor.
But if no account is given us of our families, it
is impossible not to fear that some very dear individuals are now lost to us. This uncertainty
overpowers us, even in the moment which should
be that of supreme joy."
He then gave to Maroncelli a letter from his
brother, which consoled him. He told me there
was none from my family, and that redoubled
my fear that some misfortune had happened.
"Return into your chamber," resumed the
director, " and before long I will show the other.
prisoner who has also received pardon."
We retired, and waited for this third person
with anxiety. We would have taken with us all
the others, but there could only be one. Might
it be the poor Munari? or such a one? or such
another? It was not one of those for whom we
offered our prayers. At last the door opened,
and we saw that our companion was the Signor
Andrea Tonelli da Brescia. We embraced. We
could eat no dinner. We conversed till the
evening, compassionating the lot of those dear
friends who remained behind us.
At nightfall the director of police returned
to take us from this place of misfortune. Our




330        FIRESIDE  READING.
hearts were lacerated as we passed before the
cells of so many beloved beings, without being
able to take them with us. Who knows how
long they must still languish there! How many
of them would become the slow victims of death!
They cast on the shoulders of each of us a
soldier's great-coat, and a cap on our heads;
and thus, in the clothing of galley-slaves, with
the exception of chains, we descended that disastrous hill, and were conducted into the city to
the prisons of the police. It was a beautiful
moonlight night. The streets, the houses, the
persons whom we met, all appeared to me so
strange and pleasant, after the many years I
had passed without beholding a similar scene!
We waited in the prisons of the police for
an imperial commissary, who was to come from
Vienna to accompany us to the frontier. In the
mean time, as our trunks had been sold, we provided ourselves with linen and clothes, and laid
aside the prison livery.
At the end of five days the commissary arrived, and the director of police delivered us
into his hands. He handed over to him at the
same time the money that we had brought to
Spielberg, and that which resulted from the sale
of our portmanteaus and books, all of which
was restored to us at the frontier. The expense
of our journey was defrayed by the Emperor,




SILVIO  PELLICO.            331
and nothing was spared. I was far from well,
and when we arrived at Vienna I was in a fever.
For eight days I was under medical treatment,
and at length I recovered. Being now comparatively well, I was anxious to depart, the more
especially as the news of.the three days of Paris
had just reached us.
The Emperor had signed the decree for our
liberty the very day that revolution broke out.
He assuredly would not now revoke it; but it
was very probable that, as the crisis was becoming critical for all Europe, and as popular movements were feared also in Italy, Austria would
not at such a moment allow us to return to our
country. We were.well convinced they would
not take us back to Spielberg, but we were
afraid it might be suggested to the Emperor to
consign us to some town of the empire far removed from the peninsula.
At last we left Vienna, and I was able to get
as far as Brash. There I again became ill; but
at the end of two days I insisted on resuming
the journey. We traversed Austria and Styria,
and reached Carinthia without accident; but
when we arrived at a village called Feldkirchen,
a short distance from Klagenfurt, there came a
counter order. We were commanded to halt in
this place till further directions.
I leave to be imagined how disagreeable this




332       FIRESIDE  READING.
event was to us. I had, in addition, the unpleasant reflection of being the cause of so
great a, calamity to my companions. My fatal
malady was the reason they were debarred from
returning to their country. We remained five
days at Feldkirchen, and during that time the
commissary did all in his power to amuse us.
There was a small theater of poor players, and
he took us to it. Another day he procured for
us the diversion of a hunt. Our host, and several young people of the country, with the proprietor of a fine forest, were the hunters, and
we, placed in a favorable position, enjoyed the
sport as spectators.
At length a courier arrived from Vienna with
orders for the commissary to conduct us to our
destination. This good news filled me with joy,
as well as my companions; but at the same time
I trembled to see approaching the hour of a
fatal discovery-the hour which would unfold to
me that I had no longer either father or mother,
nor several other connections, I knew not how
many! Thus my melancholy increased as we
advanced toward Italy.
From this side the approach to Italy is not
agreeable, and the sterile aspect of the country
contributed to increase my sadness.  To see
again our own sky, to meet human faces having
no longer the northern expression, to hear on




SILVIO  PELLICO.            333
all lips the words of our language, affected me
much; but the emotion produced tears rather
than smiles. How often I covered my face with
my hands, feigning to sleep, but shedding tears!
How many nights I passed, unable to close an
eye, and burning with fever, sometimes bestowing the most impassioned benedictions upon my
sweet Italy, and thanking Heaven for having
restored me to it; sometimes tormenting myself
with the absence of intelligence concerning my
family, and conjuring up imaginary ills; sometimes in reflecting that I should shortly have to
separate, perhaps forever, from a friend who had
passed through so many sufferings with me, and
had given me such proofs of fraternal affection!
At Mantua it was necessary to bid farewell
to Maroncelli, for here we were to separate. It
was a parting of the most tender kind, not unaccompanied with tears.  At Brescia I left behind my other companion in misfortune, Andrea
Tonelli. On the 9th of September, two days
after, I arrived at Milan, where I was detained
for several days, and then set out for Piedmont
in charge of a brigadier of gendarmerie.
The state of my feelings may be judged on
once more finding myself on the Piedmontese
soil. Ah! much as I love all nations, God
knows that Italy is dearest to me! and much
as I dote upon Italy, God knows how infinitely




334      FIRESIDE  READING.
sweeter to me than the name of every other
country in Italy, is the name of Piedmont, the
land of my fathers!
I was still not free. The brigadier, on leaving me, handed me over to the Piedmontese carabineers. After a short delay, a gentleman
appeared, who begged me to permit him to
accompany me to Novara.  He had missed
another opportunity, and now there was no carriage but mine; he was much obliged that I
allowed him to take advantage of it.
This disguised carabineer was of a jovial turn,
and kept me good company as far as Novara.
When we arrived at that town, pretending to
conduct me to a hotel, he directed the carriage
to the barracks of the carabineers, and there I
was told there was a bed for me in the apartment of a brigadier, where I was to wait for
higher orders.
Expecting to resume my journey on the following day, I went to bed, and, after conversing
a moment with my host, I sunk into a profound
sleep. I had not slept so well for a long time.
I awoke toward morning, immediately arose, and
got through some very long hours. I breakfasted, chatted, walked about the room and
on the terrace, and cast a look on my host's
books. At last a letter arrived from my father.
0, what joy to see again those much-loved




SILVIO  PELLICO.            335
characters! What joy to learn that my mother,
my dearest mother, still lived-that my two
brothers and my eldest sister were also still
alive! Alas! the youngest, the Marietta, who
had entered the convent of the Visitation, as I
had clandestinely learned in prison, had ceased
to breathe nine months ago. It is sweet to
think that I owe my liberty to those who loved
me, who never ceased to intercede for me.
Days passed, and permission to leave Novara
did not come. On the morning of the 16th
September this permission was at last given me,
and then I was freed from the tutelage of the
carabineers. 0, how many years it was since I
had been able to go where I pleased, without
the incumbrance of guards!
I obtained some money, received the greetings
of a few persons, acquaintances of my father,
and about three in the afternoon I departed. I
had as companions on the journey a lady, a
merchant, a sculptor, and two young painters,
one of whom was deaf and dumb. We passed
the night at Vercelli. The fortunate sun of the
17th September arose. We continued our journey, and did not reach Turin till the evening.
Who, who could describe the emotion of my
heart, of the hearts of those so endeared to me,
when I beheld, when I embraced my father, my
mother, my brothers! My sister, my dear Jo



336       FIRESIDE READING.
sephine, was not present, as her duties detained
her at Chieri; but at the first news of my return, she hastened home to pass a few days in
the bosom of the family. Restored to these five
objects of my tenderest affection, I was, I am,
the most enviable of mortals.
CONCLUSION.
After his restoration to his native country,
Silvio Pellico remained in tranquillity and retirement, surrounded by his family, the recollection of which forms so frequent a source of
inspiration to him in the memoir of his imprisonment. His reappearance in the field of literature, in which he early gained so brilliant a renown, was, in a great measure, prevented by the
captious censorship which weighs upon the Italian press, and must ever be a serious impediment
to the effusions of genius. One of the works he
composed beneath the Leads of Venice, "Ester
d'Engaddi," which was considered, even by the
commission appointed by the Emperor of Austria to conduct the process against him, as unobjectionable, was acted at Turin in 1831, the
year after his liberation, with the highest applause, as well as another piece entitled "Gismonda." Both were immediately interdicted by
the jealousy of Italian despotism.
The Count Arrivabene, who is mentioned by




SILVIO  PELLICO.            337
Silvio Pellico as having been discharged from
the prison of Saint Michael as innocent, found
himself, shortly after, exposed to the suspicions
of the government, and judged it expedient to
fly. His only crime was having received Porro,
Pellico, and some others at his country-house,
near Mantua, as they returned from a trip in
Porro's steamboat from Pavia to Venice. He
fled from Mantua to Brescia, where he imparted
his and their danger to his friends Ugoni and
Scalvini, who joined him in his endeavor to escape into Switzerland. Gendarmes had been dispatched on all the routes to arrest Arrivabene as
soon as his departure was known. He and his
friends effected their retreat into Switzerland,
disguised as cattle-drovers, but were very nearly
caught. They had to pass an inn in which three
gendarmes, lying in wait for them, were asleep;
and at the moment they reached the Swiss frontier, they were so exhausted, from having had
no interval of repose for sixty hours, that they
fell upon the ground in the presence of the Austrian soldiers, who were close upon their heels
when they crossed the line which separated
tyranny from freedom. They were, however,
safe. Count Porro also effected his escape from
Italy. The gendarmes entered his house at one
door as he left it by another. Confalonieri was
prevented from executing the same maneuver
22              B




338      FIRESIDE  READING.
by finding a door locked, the key of which had
been altered by his intendant without his
knowledge.
The events here narrated took place during
the reign of Francis I, Emperor of Austria.
They are a fair illustration of the illiberality
and cruelty of despotism.




IX.
Z12Xeirnbtt, 21ktrk, ~itt(e @tip, Hal   of ginsnn
A/LEXANDER  SELKIRK, the undoubted
original of Defoe's celebrated character,
Robinson Crusoe, was born in the year 1676, in
the village of Largo, on the southern coast of
Fife, in Scotland. John, the father of Alexander, was a thriving shoemaker, who lived in a
house of his own, which has since been pulled
down, at the west end of the town. He seems to
have been a man of strict temperance, respected
for his steady and religious character, and, like
the majority of the Scottish parents at that
time, a severe disciplinarian in his family. The
name of his wife, the mother of our hero, was
Euphan Mackie, also, it would seem, a native
of Largo, and reported by tradition to have
been the very contrast of her husband in her
parental conduct-as yielding and indulgent as
he was rigorous. In the case of Alexander,
however, there was a special reason why Mrs.
Selkirk should prove a kind and pliant mother.
339




340      FIRESIDE  READING-.
Not only was she considerably advanced in
years at the time of his birth, but, by a chance
not very common, he was her seventh son, born
without an intermediate daughter, and therefore
destined, according to an old Scottish superstition, to come to great fortune, and make a figure
in the world. Mrs. Selkirk, good, easy woman,
firmly believed this, and made no doubt that her
son, Sandie, was to be the great man of the
family. lHe was therefore her pet; and the
greater part of her maternal care, in respect to
his education, consisted in confidential discourses
with him by the fireside when the rest of the
family were absent, and in occasional consultations how they should screen some little misdemeanor from the eyes of his father.
Young Selkirk was a clever enough boy, and
quickly learned all that was taught at the school
of his native town. Besides reading, writing,
and arithmetic, he is said to have made considerable progress in navigation-a branch of
knowledge likely to be of some repute in Largo,
not only on account of its being a sea-coast
town, with a considerable fishing population,
but also in consequence of its having been the
birthplace and property of Sir Andrew Wood, a
distinguished Scottish admiral of the preceding
century, whose nautical fame and habits must
have produced considerable impression on it.




ALE.XANDER  SELKIRK.             341
At all events, whether owing to the ideas he
received at school, or to the effect on his mind
of the perpetual spectacle of the sails in Largo
Bay, and of his constant association with the
Largo fishermen, Selkirk early determined to
follow a seafaring life. Either out of a disposition to let the boy have his own will, or as
thinking the life of a sailor the likeliest way to
the attainment of the great fortunes which she
anticipated for her son, his mother favored his
intention; his father, however, opposed it strenuously, and was anxious, now that his other
sons were all settled in life, that his youngest
should remain at home, and assist him in his
own trade.  This, and young Selkirk's wayward and obstinate conduct, seem to have kept
him and his father perpetually at war; and a
descendant of the family used to show a walkingstick which the old man is said to have applied
to the back of his refractory son, with the affirmation, " A whip for the horse, a bridle for the
ass, and a rod for the fool's back." Notwithstanding the boy's restless character, respect for
his father's wishes kept him at home for a considerable time: a father's malediction being too
awful a thing for even a seventh son to brave
with impunity.
The first thirteen years of Selkirk's life coincide with the hottest period of the religious




342      FIRESIDE READING.
persecutions in Scotland. He would be about
three years of age at the time of the assassination of Archbishop Sharp, which took place at
not a very great distance from Largo; and the
chief subject of interest, during his boyhood, in
Fife, as in the other counties of Scotland, was
the position of the Church; then filled by
Episcopalian and indulged clergy, greatly to the
disgust of, the people. What part old Selkirk
and his family may have taken during the time
when it was dangerous to show attachment to
Presbytery-whether they professed themselves
Covenanters, or whether, as is more probable,
they yielded a reluctant attendance at the parish
church-can not be ascertained; but the following entry in the parish records of Largo, referring to the year 1689, immediately after the
Revolution had sealed the restoration of Presbytery in Scotland, will show that if they did
attend the parish church, it was not out of lukewarmness to the popular cause, or affection
for the established clergyman: "Sabbath,1689.-Which day, the minister being obstructed
in his duty, and kept out of the church by a
great mob armed with staves and bludgeons,
headed by John Selkirk, divided what money
there was among the poor, and retired from his
charge."  John Selkirk, who thus signalized
himself by heading the mob for the expulsion




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.             343
of the conforming clergyman, was the eldest
brother of our hero, who, however, is reported
himself to have testified his enthusiasm by
flourishing a stick with the other boys. This
outburst of Presbyterian zeal freed Largo from
the unpopular clergyman, and in a short time
in it, as well as in the other parishes of Scotland, the Presbyterian rule was re-established.
One of the first youths in Largo to experience
the stricter discipline of Presbytery, whose restoration he had celebrated, was Alexander Selkirk. His high spirits, and want of respect for
any control, led him, it would appear, to be
guilty of frequent misbehavior during Divine
service; for under date the 25th August, 1695,
is the following entry in the parish records:
"Alexander Selcraig, [the  ancient mode of
spelling Selkirk,] son of John Selcraig, elder,
cited to appear before the session for indecent
conduct in church." This seems to have been
more than our hero, now in his nineteenth year,
could submit to. The elder's son to appear before the session, and be rebuked for laughing in
church!  Within twenty-four hours after this
terrible citation the young shoemaker was gone;
he had left Largo and the land of kirk-sessions
behind him, and was miles away at sea. When
the kirk-session met, they were obliged to be
content with inserting the following paragraph




344      FIRESIDE  READING.
in the record: "August 27th.-Alexander Selcraig called out; did not appear, having gone
to sea." Resolved, however, that he should not
escape the rebuke which he had merited, they
add, " Continued until his return."
The return which the kirk-session thus looked
forward to did not take place for six years,
during which time we have no account of Selkirk's adventures, although the probability is,
that he served with the buccaneers, who then
scoured the South Seas. To have persisted in
calling the young sailor to account for a fault
committed six years before, would have been too
great severity. The kirk-session, accordingly,
do not seem to have made any allusion to the
circumstance which had driven him to sea; but
it was not long before a still more disgraceful
piece of misconduct than the former brought
him  under their censure.  The young sailor,
coming home, no doubt, with his character rendered still more reckless and boisterous than
before by the wild life to which he had been accustomed at sea, was hardly a fit inmate for a
sedate and orderly household, and quarrels and
disturbances became frequent in the honest
shoemaker's cottage. One of these domestic
uproars brought the whole family before the
session: the peace and good order of families
being one of the things which were then taken




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            345
cognizance of by the ecclesiastical authorities
in every parish. The circumstances are thus
detailed in the session records: "November,
1701.-The same day, John Guthrie delated
John Selcraig, elder, and his wife, Euphan
Mackie, and his son, Alexander Selcraig, for
disagreement together; and also, John Selcraig,
Alexander's eldest brother, and his wife, Margaret Bell. All of them are ordered to be cited
against next session, which is to be on the 25th
instant."
Agreeably to this citation the parties appeared-the father, the mother, the eldest son
and his wife, and our hero. On this occasion,
John Selcraig, the elder, " being examined what
was the cause of the tumult that was in his
house, said he knew not; unless that Andrew Selcraig-another of the old man's sons who lived
in the house, and who was but half-witted —having brought in a can full of salt-water, of
which his brother Alexander did take a drink
through mistake, and he, Andrew, laughing at
him for it, his brother Alexander came and beat
him, upon which he ran out -of the house, and
called his brother John-John and his wife,
Margaret Bell, would appear to have lived in
a neighboring house; and Andrew had run into
it to call his brother. Being again questioned
what made him-Selkirk, the father-sit upon




346       FIRESIDE  READING.
the floor with his back at the door, he said it
was to keep down his son Alexander, who was
seeking to go up to get down his pistol. And
being inquired what he was going to do with it,
said he could not tell." Such was the tenor of
the old man's evidence. On the same day the
culprit Alexander was called; but he had contrived to go to Cupar, to be out of the way.
Directing a second citation to be issued against
him for next session, the court proceeded to exanmine the other witnesses. The younger John
Selkirk gave his evidence as follows: "On the
7th of November last, he being called by his
brother Andrew, came to his father's house;
and when he entered it, his mother went out;
and he, seeing his father sitting upon the floor,
with his brother at the door, was much troubled,
and offered to help him up; at which time he
did see his brother Alexander in the other end
of the house casting off his coat, and coming toward him; whereupon his father did get up, and
did get betwixt them-Alexander and Johnbut he did not know what he did besides,
his-John's-head being borne down by his
brother Alexander; but afterward, being liberated by his wife, he made his escape."  Margaret Bell, John's wife, who thus courageously
rescued her husband from the clutches of Alexander, was next examined. She declared that




ALEXANDER SELKIRK.             347
her husband being called out by his brother
Andrew to go to his father's house, she followed
him, "and coming into the house, she found the
said Alexander gripping both his father and
her husband, and she, laboring to loose his
hands from her husband's head and breast, her
husband fled out of doors, and she followed
him, but called back,'You false loon, will you
murder your father and my husband both?'
whereupon he-Alexander-followed her to the
door; but whether he beat her or not, she was
in so great confusion she can not distinctly say,
but ever since she hath had a sore pain in her
head." The last witness examined was Andrew
Selkirk, whose laughter at his brother's mistake
had been the original cause of the quarrel.
Andrew, however, was able to say "nothing to
purpose in the business," and the further investigation of the matter was adjourned till
the next meeting.
The session met again on the 29th of November; and this time the culprit was present. The
following is the entry regarding the interview
between the future Robinson Crusoe and his ecclesiastical judges: "Alexander Selcraig, scandalous for contention and disagreeing with his
brothers, compeared, and being questioned concerning the tumult that was in his house,
whereof he was said to be the occasion, con



348      FIRESIDE  READING.
fessed that he, having taken a drink of salt
water out of a can, his brother Andrew laughing at him for it, he did beat him twice with a
staff. He confessed also that he had spoken
very ill words concerning his brother; and particularly that he had challenged his elder
brother John to a combat of dry nieves, [dry
fists,] as he called it, else then, he said, he
would not care even to do it now, which afterward he did refuse.  [The meaning seems to
be, that at first he told the session to their face
that he would not care even then to challenge
his brother, but afterward retracted the expression.]  Moreover he said several things; whereupon the session appointed him  to, compear
before the face of the congregation for his
scandalous carriage."   This punishment, the
greatest disgrace which could be inflicted on a
Scotchman of that day, the young sailor actually underwent; for on the next day, Sunday,
November 30, 1701, "Alexander Selcraig, according to the session's appointment, compeared
before the pulpit, and made acknowledgment of
his sin in disagreeing with his brothers, and was
rebuked in the face of the congregation for it,
and promised amendment in the strength of the
Lord, and so was dismissed."
Probably Selkirk would not have staid to
undergo the punishment inflicted on him by the




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            349
session, but would have gone off to sea, as on
the former occasion, had the season not been
too far advanced for him to find a ship. He
therefore remained at Largo during the winter;
whether assisting his father at his trade, or
going about idle, we do not know. In the
spring of 1702 he seized an opportunity of
going to England; and a short time afterward
we find him engaged to proceed with the celebrated Dampier on a buccaneering expedition
to the South Seas. That our readers may understand the nature of this expedition, during
which that extraordinary'event happened to
Selkirk which has made his name so famous, it
will be necessary to give a brief account of the
people called the buccaneers.
THE BUCCANEERS-SELKIRK JOINS A PRIVATEERING EXPEDITION UNDER DAMPIER-ACCOUNT OF THE VOYAGE.
As is well known, the Spaniards were the
first to discover and take possession of the
lands in the new world, including the choicest
islands of the West Indies, and the rich coasts
of South America and Mexico. It was not
long, however, before adventurers of other nations, especially French, English, and Dutch,
pressed into the newly-discovered seas, and
attempted to procure a share of the good things




350      FIRESIDE  READING.
with which the American islands and shores
abounded. The Spaniards, whose savage cruelties to the unfortunate natives of the lands
they had discovered had made them absolute
lords of every portion of American ground on
which they had planted themselves, resisted the
new-comers with all their strength; attacked
their ships, drove them out of the spots where
they endeavored to found their small settlements, and in a hundred other ways annoyed
and injured them. The consequence was, that
the English, French, and Dutch adventurers
who had congregated in the West Indian Archipelago were unable to settle down permanently
in any place, but were obliged to keep up a
continual war with the Spaniards, in order to
maintain their existence.  Hayti or St. Domingo, being the earliest and most flourishing
of the Spanish settlements, became the principal haunt of these rivals and enemies of the
Spaniards. A number of French adventurers,
whom the Spaniards in their narrow jealousy
had driven out of the island of St. Christophers, took up their headquarters in the small
island of Tortuga, adjoining the northern coast
of St. Domingo, and convenient as a station
from which they could make expeditions into
the latter island, for the purpose of hunting
the wild cattle and swine with which it swarmed.




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            351
This, of course, increased the animosity of the
Spaniards, who resented these incursions upon
their territory, and attacked the intruders without mercy whenever they surprised them in the
woods of St. Domingo.
Compelled thus to associate themselves for
mutual safety in bands of considerable force,
and joined by adventurers of other nations, the
Bucaniers, as the French were called, from the
custom of bucanning, or drying and smoking
the flesh of the animals which they killed, became a formidable body. Many of them, tired
of the miserable life which they led on shore,
embarked in vessels, and sought a desperate but
congenial occupation in attacking and plundering the richly-laden ships which were constantly
sailing from the Spanish colonies to the mother
country. Allured by the charms of this lawless
mode of life, fresh adventurers arrived from
France and England in ships fitted out for the
purpose, with the permission of the French and
English governments, both of which were eager
to damage the Spanish interests; and thus,
toward the close of the seventeenth century,
the West indian Archipelago, and the shores
of South America, swarmed with crews of pirates, who, under the name of privateers, chased
every merchant vessel that made its appearance.
When they came up with such a vessel quitting




352        FIRESIDE  READING.
an American harbor, they boarded her with the
most reckless audacity, either murdered the
sailors and passengers, or made them prisoners,
and shared the cargo according to their own
rules of equity. In consequence of their ravages, the Spanish colonists in the new world
became less and less disposed to risk their property in comnmerce, and the intercourse which
had hitherto been kept up between the colonies
and the mother country was greatly interrupted.
Disappointed of prizes at sea, the buccaneers
did not hesitate to make up for the loss by
storming and plundering the Spanish settlements- on the American coasts. Landing in
the night-time on the beach, close by some illguarded town or village, they would surprise
the inhabitants while asleep, and either carry
off all the wealth they could find, or sell back
their own property to the wretched inhabitants
for a heavy ransom. The buccaneers were, in
fact, a floating nation of robbers-a revival, in
more modern times, of the Norwegian sea-kings.
They had their own rude notions of justice;
they even professed religion in the midst of
their licentiousness; and many of them never
gave chase to a flag without falling down on
their knees on the deck to pray God that he
would grant them the victory and a valuable




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            353
cargo. The more respectable among them defended their mode of life, by saying that the
injuries they perpetrated upon the Spaniards
were a just retribution upon that nation for
their cruelties to the Indians, or sought shelter
under the general usage of the time, which authorized the various governments of Europe to
grant licenses to private adventurers to harass
and destroy the ships and ports belonging to
nations with which they were at war. These
ex%3uses, joined with the love of adventure and
the desire of wealth, the prospect of attaining
which was so great in the buccaneering mode
of life, operated as motives sufficient to induce
a number of persons belonging to families of
good repute to engage in the trade; nor did
they incur disgrace by so doing. As we have
already seen, young Selkirk, although he was
the son of a stanch Scottish Presbyterian,
and had been'subject from his infancy to the
wholesome impressions of respectable society,
had not scrupled to join the rovers of the
South Seas. His experience of the toils and
dangers of such a life had not cured him of his
propensity to adventure; and now, for the second time, he leaves his father's house to become
a privateer.
William Dampier, the originator and commander of the expedition which Selkirk now
23             B




354      FIRESIDE  READING.
joined, was an Englishman, who had gone to sea
at an early age, and for upward of thirty years
had been enduring the innumerable hardships
and vicissitudes incident to the life of a sailor
in those times. He was a man of ardent mind
and great abilities, as the accounts of his voyages which he has left testify; and he had
gained more knowledge of the South Seas than
any man then living. He had not, however,
with all his energy and skill, been very successful in improving his own fortunes; and now, at
the age of fifty years, he was planning another
expedition, which he hoped would issue in the
acquisition of immense riches for all concerned.
He found little difficulty in persuading some
merchants to fit out two vessels, the St. George
and the Fame, each of twenty-six guns, the
former to be commanded by himself, the latter
by a Captain Pulling; and as war had just been
declared against France andl Spain, in consequence of a dispute regarding the succession to
the crown of the latter, in which Great Britain,
Holland, and several other countries ranged
themselves against France, he easily obtained
the necessary commissions from Prince George,
then high admiral of England, authorizing the
crews of the two ships to attack and plunder
the French and Spaniards for their own profit.
Thus entitled, so far as the lord high admiral's




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.             355
warrant could entitle them, to grow rich by
robbing Frenchmen and Spaniards all over the
world, the adventurers listened eagerly to the
plans which Dampier aroposed as most sure to
succeed.  The first of these was, that they
should sail to the south-eastern coast of South
America, proceed up the river La Plata as far
as Buenos Ayres, and earn ~600,000 at one
stroke by capturing the Spanish galleons usually stationed there.  Should this plan fail,
they were to sail round Cape Horn, and make
a privateering cruise as far as the coast of Peru,
where they would be likely to fall in with some
valuable prizes; and should they fail also in
this, they could still find profitable occupation
in plundering the Spanish towns along the western coast of South America, waiting for the ship
which periodically sailed from the Mexican port
of Acapulco, and which would be a splendid
capture. Such were the hopes which Dampier
held out to the crews. The vessels were victualed for nine months; "and the articles of
agreement were, no purchase, no pay; or, in
other words, the merchants risked the vessels,
and the crews their limbs and lives."*
All was prepared for sailing, and the vessels
were already in the Downs, when, in conse-: Howell's Life of Alexander Selkirk.




356        FIRESIDE  READING.
quence of a quarrel between Dampier and Pulling, the latter went off alone, intending, he said,
to make for the Canary Islands. Neither he
nor the ship was everl heard of afterward.
Dampier, on Pulling's departure, lost no time
in procuring the equipment of another vessel
instead of the Fame. The name of the new
vessel was "The Cinque Ports," of about
ninety tuns burden, with a crew of sixty-three,
and carrying sixteen guns. This ship joined
the St. George in the Bay of Kinsale, on the
Irish coast, on the 18th of May, 1703, and
made all haste to proceed on their voyage.
Still it was not till the 11th of September that
they left Kinsale. The following is the list of
the officers of the ships respectively as given by
Mr. Howell: In the St. George-William Dampier, captain; John Clipperton, chief mate;
William  Funnel, second mate; and John Ballet, surgeon.  In  the Cinque Ports-Charles
Pickering, captain; Thomas Stradling, lieutenant; and Alexander Selkirk, sailing-master.
The appointment of our hero to so responsible
a situation as that of sailing-master indicates
considerable confidence in his abilities and seamanship.
On the 25th of September the vessels reached
Madeira, and here Dampier had the disappointment of learning that his delay, in consequence




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            357
of Pulling's desertion, had deprived them of the
chance of capturing the galleons in the La Plata
river, these ships having already arrived at Teneriffe. The crews then resolved to trust to the
chances which the other plans proposed by
Dampier might afford.   Accordingly, they
made straight for the South American coast.
The only inicident of consequence on the way
was the disagreement of Captain Dampier with
some of his crew. On the 2d of November they
passed the equator, and on the 8th they saw the
coast of Brazil.
On the 24th of November they anchored at
the island of Le Grand, in latitude twenty-three
degrees thirty minutes south. "It produces,"
says William Funnel, the second mate of the
St. George, who wrote a narrative of the voyage, "rum, sugar, and several kinds of fruit,
but all very dear, on account of supplying the
inland town of St. Paul with necessaries. Here
we wooded, watered, and refitted our ships; and
nine of our men falling out with Captain Dampier, left us, and went ashore." Another incident which happened at Le Grand, and which
exercised a bad effect on the remainder of the
expedition, was the death of Captain Pickering,
of the Cinque Ports, who was succeeded by his
lieutenant, Stradling, a man of ferocious and
quarrelsome temper. The death of Pickering,




358       FIRESIDE  READING.
the appointment of Stradling, the frequent altercations between Dampier and his crew, the difference of views which began to be manifested
among the sailors as to the best plan for rendering the rest of the voyage successful, all preyed
upon the mind of Selkirk to such a degree, as
to render him disgusted with his situation. He
had a dream, it is said, off the coast of Le
Grand, which left the firm impression on his
mind that the expedition was to be disastrous,
and that he ought to take the first opportunity
of giving up all connection with it. It was not
till some time afterward, however, that he resolved finally to do so.
Leaving Le Grand on the 28th of December,
the vessels continued their voyage southward;
passed the Falkland Isles on the 29th, and were
encountered by such a storm in rounding Cape
Horn, that they lost sight of each other on the
4th of January, 1704. They did not fall in
with each other again till the 10th of February,
when the St. George, anchoring at the island of
Juan Fernandez, after a tedious voyage along
the coasts of Patagonia and Chili, found that
the Cinque Ports had been waiting there for her
three days. "We anchored," says Funnel, " in
the great bay, in thirty-five fathoms. At this
island we wooded, watered, and refitted our
ships, giving them a heel, to clean their sides




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            359
as low as we could, which took up much time,
and occasioned both companies to be much on
shore. In this island there are an abundance of
cabbage-trees, which are excellent, though small.
The cabbage-tree, which is a species of palm,
has a small, straight stem, often ninety or a
hundred feet long, with many knots or-joints,
about four inches asunder, like a bamboo cane.
It has no leaves, except at the top, in the midst
of which the substance called cabbage is contained.  The branches of this tree are commonly twelve or thirteen feet in length; and at
about a foot and a half from the tree the leaves
begin, which are about four feet long, and an
inch and a half broad-the leaves growing so
regularly, that the whole branch seems one entire leaf.  The cabbage, when cut out from
among the roots of the branches, is usually a
foot long, and six inches in diameter, and as
white as milk. From  the bottom of the cabbage there spring out several large bunches of
berries, like grapes, each bunch being five or six
pounds weight. The berries are red, and about
the size of cherries, each having a large stone in
the middle, and the pulp tastes like that of haws.
On the island we saw also the sea-lion, which is
so called, as I suppose, because he roars somewhat like a lion, and his head has also some
resemblance to that animal, having four large




860       FIRESIDE  READING.
teeth in front, all the rest being short, thick,
and stubbed. Instead of feet and legs, he has
four fins, the two foremost serving him, when
he goes ashore, to raise the fore-part of the
body, and he then draws the hind-part after
him. The two hinder fins are of no use on
land, but only in the water.  The animal is
very fat; for which reason we killed several of
them, from which we made a tun of oil for our
lamps, and while at this island, made use of it
also for frying our fish. They have short, lightcolored hair when young, becoming sandy when
old. Their food is fish, and they prey altogether in the water, but come on land to sleep,
when five, six, or more of them huddle together
like swine, and will often lie still three or four
days if not molested. They are much afraid of
men, and make off as fast as they can into the
water. If hard pressed, they will turn about,
raising their bodies on their fore-fins, and face
you with their mouths wide open; so that we
used to clap a pistol to their mouths and fire
down their throats.  Sometimes five or six of
us would surround one of these monsters, each
having half a pike, and so prick him dead,
which commonly was the sport of two or three
hours."* Selkirk little thought, while cutting
a Funnel's Narrative.




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.             361
the branches of the cabbage-trees, and hunting
sea-lions with Funnel and the other sailors on
the beach of Juan Fernandez, that in a short
time this island was to be his solitary home.
The life of comparative idleness which the
crews of the two ships were leading on the
island was not favorable to good-humor or harmony, especially as, hitherto, they had not succeeded in attaining the object of their expedition. The sailors of the Cinque Ports quarreled
with their captain, Stradling; and the dispute
at length ran so high, that forty-two men, or
more than two-thirds of the crew, went ashore,
and threatened to remain.  Whether Selkirk,
who, as sailing-master, was next in rank to
Stradling on board the Cinque Ports, was one
of those who revolted, is not ascertained; but
the sequel renders it probable that he was. At
length Dampier succeeded in reconciling the
sailors with their captain, order was restored,
and matters went on as usual.
On the 29th of February the idle crews were
roused to activity by the sight of a sail. In
their hurry to give chase, they left behind them
one of their boats, their anchors, a quantity
of oil, and other materials, and, what was more
alarming, five sailors and a negro, who happened to be straggling in a part of the island
distant from the beach at the time when the sail




362      FIRESIDE  READING.
was seen. Bearing out to sea, they found the
strange ship to be a Frenchman of thirty guns.
After a long pursuit, they came up with her
next day, and engaged her very close, the St.
George keeping her broadside to broadside for
seven hours. A gale then sprang up, and the
Frenchman escaped, disappointing the privateers of their expected booty. Nine of the
St. George's men had been killed, and many
more wounded in the action. The crews were,
nevertheless, exceedingly anxious to continue
the chase; but Dampier opposed them, saying
it was not worth while, and " they did not need
to care for merchantmen, as he could get them
a prize of ~500,000 any day of the year."
They therefore returned, in no very good humor to Juan Fernandez, which they came in
sight of on the 3d of March. To their surprise they found two French vessels at anchor
off the island, each of thirty-six guns; a sight
which made them glad to sheer off, leaving the
boat, the anchors, the oil, and the six sailors to
their fate.  It afterward appeared that the
Frenchmen, on landing, had taken possession
of all the stores they found on the island, and
made prisoners of four of the six men, the
other two managing to conceal themselves.
Prevented from again taking up their station
at Juan Fernandez, the St. George and the




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            363
Cinque Ports bore away north-east for the coast
of Peru, which they came in sight of on the
11th of March.  "Coasting northward along
the shore," says Funnel, "which is the highest
and most mountainous I ever saw, we were surprised, on the 19th of March, to see the waves
changed to a red color for seven or eight
leagues, though, on sounding, we had no ground
at one hundred and seventy fathoms; but, on
drawing up some of the water, we found the
color to be owing to a vast quantity of fishspawn swimming on the surface." Keeping a
constant look-out for vessels to attack, they saw,
on the 22d of March, two at some distance, the
sternmost of which proved to be the Frenchman
which they had chased and fought off Juan Fernandez. They were very eager to capture this
vessel, not merely on account of her value, but
because, if she reached Lima-the port which
she seemed to be bound for-her crew would
communicate the intelligence that two buccaneering ships were on the coast, and so prevent
the merchantmen in that port from sailing.
Dampier, however, was averse to attacking her;
and she escaped, greatly to the discontent of
the men, whose fears were in great part realized, and who were only kept from breaking out
in rebellion by the capture of two considerable
prizes a few days afterward.  Clearing these




364      FIRESIDE  READING.
vessels of the valuable part of their cargo, as
well as a bark laden with plank and cordage,
which they fell in with on the 11th of April,
they let them go, and began to meditate a descent upon some settlement on the coast north
of Lima. Santa Maria was the town they resolved to attack, as they expected there to find
a great quantity of gold collected from the adjacent mines. On their way to this town from
the island of Gallo, which they left on the 17th
of April, they captured a small Spanish vessel,
on board of which they found a Guernsey man,
who had long been a prisoner among the Spaniards. In high spirits with their success, they
sailed for Santa Maria, Captain Dampier telling
them that, on a former occasion, one hundred
and twenty pounds weight of gold had been
carried off by a buccaneer from that town, and,
that, as it was now much larger, the quantity
of gold in it must be enormous. They reached
the town, and commenced the attack in the
night-time.'" The design, however," says Funnel, "miscarried, whether from fear, confusion,
or the enemy having early intelligence of our
motions, which enabled them to cut off many
of our men. This is certain, that we became
quite sick of our fruitless attempts before the
1st of May, and immediately re-embarked. We
were now so short of provisions that five boiled




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            365
green plantains were allotted for six men; but
when almost out both of hope and patience, a
vessel came and anchored close beside us at
midnight, which we took without resistance.
This proved a most valuable prize, being a ship
of one hundred and fifty tuns, laden with flour,
sugar, brandy, wine, about thirty tuns of marmalade of quinces, a considerable quantity of
salt, and several tuns of linen and woolen
cloth; so that we had now a sufficient supply
of provisions even for four or five years." On
board of this rich prize, to secure an equitable
division of the spoil among the crews of the
two ships, were placed William Funnel and Alexander Selkirk-the former on behalf of the
crew of the St. George, the latter on behalf
of the crew of the Cinque Ports.
The buccaneers carried their prize into the
Bay of Panama, and anchored with her under
the island of Tobago, on the 14th of May.
"Here," says Funnel, " Captains Dampier and
Stradling disagreed, and the quarrel proceeded
to such a length, that they could not be reconciled, so that at last it was determined to part
company, all the men of both crews being at
liberty to go with which captain they pleased.
Five of our men went over to Captain Stradling
and five of his men came to us."  It would
therefore seem that our hero, Selkirk, had here




3866      FIRESIDE  READING.
an opportunity of changing his captain; and
as it is certain that he had no special friendship
for Stradling, his not availing himself of the
opportunity would indicate that, bad as Stradling was, he preferred him to Dampier. Probably he thought that, by remaining with Stradling, who was more unhesitating in his measures
than Dampier, he would sooner grow rich. At
all events, he and Funnel, on quitting the prize,
resumed their old stations in their respective
ships. The prize was abandoned after all that
was considered valuable had been taken out
of her; and on the 19th of May, 1704, the
two ships parted company, never to meet again,
the St. George sailing away in quest of more
prizes, the Cinque Ports remaining behind. It
is with the fate of the latter that we are now to
be further concerned; and as Funnel went with
the St. George, we have no longer his narrative
to guide us.
For three months the Cinque Ports kept
cruising along the shores of Mexico, Guatemala,
and Equatorial America, like a villainous vulture watching the horizon for its prey. No
ships, however, appeared to reward the greedy
activity of the crew; and at length, in the end
of August, Stradling resolved to turn southward,
and make for Juan Fernandez, to take in provisions and refit.  Meanwhile, as was natural




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            367
among so many men of savage character, cooped
up idle in a vessel, all was dissension on board.
Stradling and Selkirk especially were, to use a
common phrase, at dagger-drawing; now in loud
and angry dispute below, now scowling sullenly
at each other on deck.  Selkirk resolved to
leave the vessel as soon as an opportunity
offered. Accordingly, when, in the beginning
of September, they came in sight of Juan Fernandez, and the two men who had been living
on the island since the beginning of March —
when, it will be remembered, the St. George
and Cinque Ports had been obliged to sheer off
without being able to pick them up-made their
appearance, healthy and strong as ever, and
delighting their old companions with an account
of how they had spent the seven months of their
solitary reign, eating fruit in abundance, chasing goats, and hunting seals, the idea flashed
across his mind that he would take their place,
and leaving the vessel to sail away without him,
remain the possessor of Juan Fernandez. By
what process of imagination he flattered himself that such a life would be agreeable;
whether he finally adopted his resolution in a
fit of unthinking enthusiasm, such as sometimes
leads to strange and whimsical acts, or whether
his differences with Stradling, and his disgust
with his situation on board the Cinque Ports,




368       FIRESIDE READING.
were really such that escape by any method
seemed advisable, can not now be known; but,
at all.events, the conclusion was, that when the
vessel was ready to leave the island, Selkirk
signified his intention of remaining. Stradling
made no objections; a boat was lowered, Selkirk
descended into it with all his effects, three or
four men rowed him ashore under the direction
of the captain, the crew of the Cinque Ports
looking on from the deck. Selkirk leaped on
the beach, his effects were lifted out after him
by the sailors, and laid in a heap; they shook
hands with him heartily, the captain standing
in the boat, and bidding them make haste. The
sailors jumped in, and the boat was pushed off.
Poor Selkirk! he had felt a bound, an exultation of spirit at the moment of stepping on
shore; but now, as the boat was shoved off, and
the men sat down to the oars with their faces
toward him, pride, anger, resolution, all gave
way; the horrors of his situation rose at once to
his view, and rushing into the surf up to the
middle, he stretched out his hands toward his
comrades, and implored them to come back and
take him  on board again.  With a jeering
laugh, the brutal commander bade him stick to
his resolution, and remain where he was, adding
that it was a blessing for the crew to have got
rid at last of so troublesome a fellow. The boat




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            369
accordingly went off to the ship, and in a short
time the Cinque Ports was out of sight. Selkirk remained on the beach beside his bundles,
gazing after her till it grew dark; and then,
with no sound in his ears but the melancholy
moaning of the sea-waves, he waited for the
light of day.
Juan Fernandez, the island on which our poor
Scotchman was thus cast ashore, is situated in
latitude 33 degrees 40 minutes south, and longitude 79 degrees west, about four hundred miles
west of the coast of Chili. The name is properly applied to a group of islands, consisting of
two larger and a few smaller; and the name
now given to that inhabited by Selkirk, and
which is the largest of the group, is Mas-atierra. The island was first discovered in 1572
by a Spanish navigator, who conferred on it his
own name of Juan Fernandez.
The island is of an irregular form, from ten
to twelve miles long, and about six broad, its
area being about seventy square miles. "The
south-west side is much the longest, and has a
small island about a mile long lying near it,
with a few visible rocks close under the shore.
On this side begins a ridge of high mountains,
that run across from the south-west to the northwest of the island; and the land that lies out in
a narrow point to the westward appears to be
24             B




370      FIRESIDE  REAbING.
tile only level ground in it. On the north-east
side it is very high land, and under it are the
two bays, where ships always put in to recruit.
The best bay is all deep water, and you may
carry in ships close to the rocks, if occasion require.  The wind blows always over the land,
and at worst along shore, which makes no sea.
Near the rocks there are very good fish of several sorts, particularly large crawfish, under the
rocks, easy to be caught, also cavalloes, gropers,
and other good fish, in so great plenty any
where near the shore, that I never saw the like
but at the best fishing season in Newfoundland.
Pimento is the best timber, and most plentiful
on this side of the island, but very apt to split,
till- a little dried. The cabbage-trees abound
about three miles into the woods, and the cabbage is very good; most of them are on the top
of the nearest and lowest mountains. The soil
in these hills is of a loose black earth; the rocks
are very rotten, so that, without great care, it
is dangerous to climb the hills for cabbages;
besides, there are abundance of holes dug in
several places by a sort of fowls called puffins,
which cause the earth to fall in at once, and endanger the breaking of a man's leg. Our summer months are winter here. In July snow and
ice are sometimes seen; but the spring, which is
in September, October, and November, is very




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.               371
pleasant.  There is then abundance of good
herbs, as parsley, purslain, etc." *
For many days after the departure of the
Cinque Ports, Selkirk remained lingering about
the spot where he was put ashore, unable to
abandon the hope that Stradling would relent
and come back for him. His constant occupation was gazing out into the sea. As soon as
morning dawned he began his watch, sitting on
his chest; and his deepest grief was when the
evening came on, so that he could see no longer.
Sleep came upon him by snatceMs, and against
his exertions to remain awake. Food he did
not think of, till extreme hunger obliged him;
and then, rather than go in search of the fruits
and game which the woods afforded, he contented himself with the shell-fish and seals'
flesh, which he could obtain without removing
from the beach.  The sameness of the diet, the
want of bread and salt, and the sinking sickness
of his heart, caused him to loathe his food, so
that he ate but at long intervals. Weary, and
with aching eyes, he lay down at night, leaning
his back against his bundles, listening to the
crashing sound of rocks frequently falling
among the woods, and to the discordant bleating
of the shoals of seals along the shore. The;= Voyage by Captain Woodes Rogers in 1708-9.




372      FIRESIDE  READING.
horrors of his situation were augmented during
the dark by superstitious alarms. Amid the
murmur of the waves he could fancy he heard
howlings and whistlings, as of spirits in the air:
if he turned his head to the black and wooded
masses behind him, they seemed peopled and in
motion; and as he again turned it to the shore,
phantoms stalked past. Often he cursed himself for the folly of the resolution which had
brought him here; often, in the frenzy of fear,
he would start up with the horrible determination of suicide; but a rush of softer feelings
would come, and then he became calm. At
length this gentler state of mind grew habitual;
thoughts and impressions which had been familiar to him in childhood, again came up; and
the years which he had spent with brawling and
ferocious shipmates, in the lawless profession of
a privateer, were swept out of his memory like
a disagreeable dream.
The stores which Selkirk had brought ashore
consisted, besides his clothing and bedding, of a
firelock, a pound of gunpowder, a quantity of
bullets, a flint and steel, a few pounds of tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a flip-can, a.
Bible, some books of devotion, and one or two
concerning navigation, and his mathematical instruments. Such were the few implements and
substances from the great civilized world which




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            373
Selkirk had to help him in the task of subduing
to his own convenience seventy square miles of
earth and wood. Yet, in the possession of that
small package, what strength lay in his hands,
and how superior was he to the savage children
of nature! Within the small compass of his
chest was wrapped up the condensed skill and
wisdom of ages, the ingenuity and industry of
hundreds of men who had long gone to their
graves. The flint and steel, the firelock, the
gunpowder, the knife and hatchet, what power
over nature was there not compact in these articles! —the mathematical instruments, of what
knowledge were they not the symbols!-and,
above all, the Bible, and the books which accompanied it, what wealth of conversation, what
health of spirit, did they not bring with them!
The first object that occupied his attention,
besides the daily supply of such food as was
necessary for his subsistence, was the construction of a dwelling to serve him as a shelter
from  the weather.  Selecting a spot at some
distance from the beach, he cut down pimento
wood, and in a short time built a hut in which
he could reside. To this he afterward added
another. They were both constructed during
the first eighteen months of his residence; but
the task of improving them, and adding to their
neatness, was a constant occupation to him dur



374       FIRESIDE  READING.
ing his stay on the island. The larger of his
two huts, which "was situated near a spacious
wood, he made his sleeping-room, spreading the
bedclothes he had brought with him upon a
frame of his own construction; and as these
wore out, or were used for other purposes, he
supplied their places with  goat-skins.  The
smaller hut, which he had erected at some distance from the other, was used by him as a
kitchen, in which he dressed his victuals. The
furniture was very scanty, but consisted of
every convenience the island could afford. His
most valuable article was the pot or kettle he
had brought from the ship to boil his meat in;
the spit was his own handiwork, made of such
wood as grew upon the island; the rest was
suitable to his rudely-constructed habitation.
The pimento wood, which burns very bright
and clear, served him both for fuel and candle.
It gives out an agreeable perfume when burning. He obtained fire after the Indian method,
by rubbing two pieces of pimento wood together
till they ignited. This he did, as he was ill
able to spare any of his linen for tinder, time
being of no value to him, and the labor rather
an amusement."* The necessity of providing
for his wants had the effect of diverting his' Howell's Life of Selkirk




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            375
thoughts from the misery of his situation; yet
every day, for the first eighteen months, he
spent more or less time on the beach, watching
for the appearance of a sail on the horizon.
At the end of that time, partly through habit,
partly through the influence of religion, which
here awakened in full force upon his mind, he
became reconciled  to his situation.  Every
morning, after rising, he read a portion of
Scripture, sang a psalm, and prayed, speaking
aloud, in order to preserve the use of his voice;
he afterward remarked that, during his residence on the island, he was a better Christian
than he had ever been before, or would probably ever be again. He at first lived much
upon turtles and crawfish, which abounded upon
the shores-his powder, with which he could
shoot the goats of the island, having soon been
exhausted; but afterward he found himself able
to run down the goats, whose flesh he either
roasted or stewed, and of which he kept a small
stock, tamed, around his dwelling, to be used
in the event of his being disabled by sickness.
One of the greatest inconveniences which afflicted him for the first few months was the want
of salt; but he gradually became accustomed to
this privation, and at last found so much relish
in unsalted food, that, after being restored to
society, it was with equal difficulty that he rct



376        FIRESIDE READING.
onciled himself to take it in any other condition.
As a substitute for bread, he had turnips, parsnips, and the cabbage-palm, all of excellent
quality, and also radishes and water-cresses.
When his clothes were worn out, he supplied
their place with goat-skins, which gave him an
appearance much more uncouth than any wild
animal. He had a piece of linen from which
he made new shirts by means of a nail and the
thread of his stockings; and he never wanted
this comfortable piece of attire during the whole
period of his residence on the island. Every
physical want being thus gratified, and his mind
soothed by devotional feeling, he at length began positively to enjoy his existence-often
lying for whole days in the delicious bowers
which he had formed for himself, abandoned to
the most pleasant sensations.
Among the quadruped inhabitants of the isle
were multitudes of rats, which at the first annoyed him by gnawing his feet while asleep.
Against this enemy he found it necessary to
enter into a treaty, offensive and defensive, with
the cats, which also abounded in his neighborhood. Having caught and tamed some of the
latter animals, he was soon freed from the presence of the rats, but not without disagreeable
consequences in the reflection that, should he die
in his hut, his friendly auxiliaries would probably




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            377
be obliged, for their subsistence, to devour his
body. He was, in the mean time, able to turn
them to some account for his amusement, by
teaching them to dance and perform a number
of antic feats, such as cats are not in general
supposed capable of learning, but which they
might probably acquire, if any individual in
civilized life were able to take the necessary
pains. Another of his amusements was hunting
on foot, in which he at length, through healthy
exercise and habit, became such a proficient,
that he could run down the swiftest goat. Some
of the young of these animals, he taught to
dance in company with his kittens; and he
often afterward declared that he never danced
with a lighter heart or greater spirit than to
the sound of his own voice in the midst of these
dumb companions.
Selkirk was careful, during his stay on the
island, to measure the lapse of time, and distinguish Sunday from the other days of the week.
Anxious, in the midst of all his indifference to
society, that, in the event of his dying in solitude, his having lived there might not be unknown to his fellow-creatures, he carved his
name upon a number of trees, adding the date
of his being left, and the space of time which
had since elapsed. When his knife was worn
out, he made new ones, and even a cleaver for




878      FIRESIDE  READING.
his meat, out of some hoops which he found on
the shore. He several times saw vessels passing the island, but only two cast anchor beside
it. Afraid of being taken by the Spaniards,
who would have consigned him to hopeless captivity, he endeavored to ascertain whether these
strangers were so or not before making himself
known. In both cases he found them enemies;
and on one of the occasions, having approached
too near, he was observed and chased, and only
escaped by taking refuge in a tree.
As Selkirk was only about thirty years of
age, and as he found his constitution, which was
naturally good, improved and fortified in a wonderful degree by his mode of life, the only cause
which he could fear as likely to cut short his
days, and prevent him from reaching the old
age which he might expect to attain to in his
island, provided no ship appeared to carry him
off, was the occurrence of some accident, such
as might very possibly befall him in his expeditions through the woods. Only one such accident occurred during his stay on the island; it
had nearly proved fatal, however. It has already been mentioned that in many parts of the
island the soil was loose, and undermined by
holes, and the rock weathered almost to rottenness. Pursuing a goat once in one of these
dangerous places, the bushy brink of a preci



ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            379
pice, to which he had followed it, crumbled beneath him, and he and the goat fell together
from a great hight. He lay stunned and senseless at the foot of the rock for a great whilenot less than twenty-four hours, he thought,
from the change of position in the sun-but
the precise length of time he had no means of
ascertaining. When he recovered his senses,
he found the goat lying dead beside him. With
great pain and difficulty he made his way to his
hut, which was nearly a mile distant from the
spot; and for three days he lay on his bed, enduring much suffering. No permanent injury,
however, had been done him, and he was soon
able to go abroad again.
Four years and four months had elapsed since
Selkirk was left by Stradling on the island of
Juan Fernandez. It was now the month of
January, 1709; his reckoning enabled him to
know the lapse of time, at least within a week
or two. Four times had the January summers
of Juan Fernandez passed over his head, and
already he was looking forward to the coming
of the fifth autumn and winter. The whole
island was now familiar to him, with its appearances and productions at various seasons.  Custom had reconciled him to it; had almost
brought him to regard it as his home; had almost made him cease to remember with regret




380           FIRESIDE READING.
the world from which he was an outcast. Occasionally, indeed, such thoughts as the poet has
supposed must have occurred to him even now,
after so long a period of acquaintance with solitude.
"I am monarch of all I survey,
My right there is none to dispute;
From the center, all round to the sea,
I am lord of the fowl and the brute.
O, solitude! where are the charms
That sages have seen in thy face?
Better dwell in the midst of alarms,
Than reign in this horrible place.
I am out of humanity's reach;
I must finish my journey aloneNever hear the sweet music of speech:
I start at the sound of my own.
The beasts that roam over the plain,
My form wikh indifference see;
They are so unacquainted with man,
Their tameness is shocking to me.
Society', friendship, and love,
Divinely bestowed upon man,
0, had I the wings of a dove,
How soon would I taste you again!
My sorrows I then might assuage
In the ways of religion and truthMight learn from the wisdom of age,
And be cheered by the sallies of youth.
Religion! what treasure untold
Resides in that heavenly word!
More precious than silver and gold,
Or all that this earth can afford.
But the sound of the church-going bell
These valleys and rocks never heard



ALEXANDER SELKIRK.    381
Never sighed at the sound of a knell,
Or smiled when a Sabbath appeared.
Ye winds, that have made me your sport,
Convey to this desolate shore
Some cordial, endearing report
Of a land I shall visit no more.
My friends, do they now and then send
A wish or a thought after me?
O, tell me I yet have a friend,
Though a friend I am never to see!
How fleet is a glance of the mind,
Compared with the speed of its flight,
The tempest itself lags behind,
And the swift-winged arrows of light!
When I think of nsy own native land,
In a moment I seem to be there;
But, alas! recollection at hand
Soon hurries me back to despair.
But the sea-fowl has gone to her nest,
The beast is laid down in his lair;
Even here is a season of rest,
And I to my cabin repair.
There's mercy in every place;
And mercy, encouraging thought I
Gives even affliction a grace,
And reconciles man to his lot."
thoughts, however, were not habitual.
the idea of dying alone, and leaving his
stretched out, to be found some day, at
istance of years, by those whom chance
bring  to  his moldering hut in the woods,
I to affect him sorrowfully. The religious
Issions of his childhood had gained a su



382      FIRESIDE  READING.
preme influence over him; and in communion
with his Bible and with his own soul, the solitary man, clad in his goat-skins, became meek,
thankful, and tender-hearted. How different
from  the rough young sailor who, not many
years before, had been struggling in the grasps
of his brother, his sister-in-law, and his old
father, on the floor of the cottage in Largo!
Whether the change of character was permanent, we shall now see, as we are about to relate the circumstances which led to his release
from his solitude, and his final restoration to society.
One hope of relief for Selkirk, even if other
chances had failed, consisted in the probability
that intelligence of his situation would reach
England through some of the crew of the
Cinque Ports, and that some vessel might, in
consequence, be induced to pay a passing visit
to Juan Fernandez for the purpose of ascertaining his fate. If Selkirk, however, had relied
strongly on this probability, he would have been
disappointed. The Cinque Ports never reached
England.   Old, crank, and worm-eaten, she
foundered off the coast of Barbacoa not long
after setting sail from Juan Fernandez. Out
of the whole crew, only Captain Stradling and
six or seven of his men were saved; and these
were long detained prisoners among the Span



ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            383
iards at Lima. They were in captivity during
the whole time of Selkirk's residence on his
island; and long after he had returned to England, most of them were captives still. Stradling at length obtained his liberty, but his ultimate fate was never known.
Deliverance was to reach Selkirk from another
quarter. Dampier, who, it will be remembered,
had parted company with the Cinque Ports
about five months before Selkirk had been abandoned by Stradling, had continued his voyage
through the South Seas in search of Spanish
vessels. Various success had attended him for
several months; a considerable portion of his
crew forsook him; and at length, crossing the
Pacific to the East Indies, he and his companions fell into the hands of the Dutch, who seized
his ship and all that he had. The expedition of
the St. George and the Cinque Ports, planned
by him, had therefore turned out a total failure.
" Dampier returned naked to his owners, with a
melancholy relation of his misfortunes, occasioned chiefly by his own strange temper, which
was so self-sufficient and overbearing, that few
or none of his officers could endure it. Even in
this distress he was received as an eminent man,
notwithstanding his failings; and was introduced
to Queen Anne, having the honor to kiss her
hand, and to give her Majesty some account of




384      FIRESIDE  READING.
the dangers he had undergone. The merchants
were so sensible of his want of conduct, that
they resolved never to trust him any more with
a command."*
The bad success of Dampier's expedition
however, did not prevent the fitting out of
another with similar designs against the Spaniards of the South Seas; and about the middle
of the year 1708, two vessels, the -Duke and the
L'uchess, the property of Bristol merchants, set
sail for the Spanish main, having in all three
hundred and thirty-three men on board. The
Duke, a vessel of thirty guns, was commanded
by Captain Woodes Rogers, a very able and
prudent man; the Duchess, of twenty-six guns,
by Captain Stephen Courtney. Poor Dampier,
who could not be intrusted with the command,
and whose poverty obliged him to accept some
occupation of the same kind as that which he
had all his life been accustomed to, was glad to
sail in the Duke in the capacity of a pilot to the
expedition.  Great care had been taken in the
manning of both vessels, and regulations had
been drawn up before sailing, to prevent disputes.
Captain Rogers, whose proceedings during
the voyage it is not necessary for us to detail,
v Kerr's Voyage-Funnel's Narrative.




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            385
pursued the same track as the former expedition; and after cruising along the Brazilian
coast, rounded Cape Horn in the month of December, 1708, bearing for Juan Fernandez, to
take in water. The crews came in sight of the
island on the 31st of January, 1709, little anticipating the surprise which awaited them.
What occurred as they approached is thus related by Captain Rogers himself in the account
which he published of the voyage: "About
two o'clock, P. M., on the 31st of January,
we hoisted our pinnace out; Captain Doversecond captain of the Duke-with the boat's
crew, went in her to go ashore, though we could
not be less than four leagues off. As soon as
the pinnace was gone, I went on board the
Duchess, the crew of which were astonished at
our boat attempting to go on shore at so great
a distance from land: it was against my inclination, but, to oblige Captain Dover, I consented
to let her go. As soon as it was dark, we saw a
light ashore; our boat was then about a league
from the island. She stopped, and bore away
again for the ships as soon as she saw the light.
We put out lights for the boat, though some
were of the opinion that the light we saw was
not on the island, but the boat's light; but as
night came on, it appeared too large for that.
We fired one quarterdeck gun and several mus29            I3




386      FIRESIDE  READING.
kets, showing lights in our mizzen and foreshrouds, that our boat might find us, while we
plied in the lee of the island. About two in the
morning our boat came on board the Duchess:
we were glad it got well off, because it began to
blow.  We were all convinced that the light
was on the shore, and designed to make our
ships ready to engage, as we believed it to come
from French ships at anchor, and that we must
either fight them or want water.
"The next day we stood along the south end
of the island, in order to lay in with the first
southerly wind, which Captain Dampier told us
generally blows there all day along. In the
morning, being past the island, we tacked, to
lay it in close aboard the land; and about ten
o'clock, ran close aboard the land that begins
to make the north-east side. The flaws came
heavy off the shore, and we were forced to reef
our topsails when we opened the middle bay,
where we expected to find the enemy, but saw
all clear, and no ships in that or the other bay.
We guessed there had been ships there, but that
they had gone away on sight of us. We sent
our yawl ashore about noon with Captain Dover,
Mr. Fry, and six men all armed; meanwhile we
and the Duchess kept turning to get in. Our
boat did not return, so we sent out our pinnace
with the men armed, to see what was the occasion




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            387
of the yawl's stay; for we were afraid that the
Spaniards had a garrison there, and might have
seized it. We put out a signal for our boat, and
the Duchess showed a French ensign. Immediately our pinnace returned from the shore,
and brought abundance of crawfish, with a man
clothed in goat-skins, who looked wilder than
the first owners of them."
Selkirk, the man whose appearance caused
such surprise, had seen the sails of the vessels
at a distance, but had avoided making any signals which could indicate his presence till he
ascertained them to be English. As soon as he
had assured himself on this point, his joy was
extreme. When night came on, he kindled a
large fire on the beach, to inform the strangers
that a human being was there. It was this signal which had alarmed the crews of the vessels,
and deterred the pinnace from landing. During
the night, hope having banished all desire of
sleep, he employed himself in killing goats, and
preparing a feast of fresh meat for those whom
he expected to be his deliverers. In the morning he found that the vessels had removed to a
greater distance, but erelong he saw the boat
leave the side of one of them and approach the
shore. Selkirk ran joyfully to meet his countrymen, waving a linen rag to attract their attention; and having pointed out to them a




388      FIRESIDE  READING.
proper landing-place, soon had the satisfaction
of clasping them in his arms. Joy at first deprived him of that imperfect power of utterance
which solitude had left him, but in a little he
was able to offer and receive explanations.
Dover, the second captain, Fry, the lieutenant,
and the rest of the boat party, after partaking
of Selkirk's hospitality, invited him on board;
but so little eager was he to leave his solitude,
that he was not prevailed upon to do so till assured that Dampier had no situation of command in the expedition-his former experience
of Dampier's mode of conducting a ship having
given him no great confidence in him. When
he was told that Dampier was only a pilot on
board he made no further objection. He was
then, as we have seen, brought on board the
Duke, along with his principal effects; and on
the same day by the recommendation of Dampier, he was engaged as a mate.  "At his first
coming on board us," says Captain Rogers, "he
had so much forgot his language, for want of
use, that we could scarcely understand him, for
he seemed to speak his words by halves. He
would touch no liquor, having drank nothing
but water on the island; and it was some time
before he could relish our victuals."
For a fortnight the two vessels remained at
Jluan Fernandez refitting. recruiting their sick,




ALEXANDER SELKIRK.             389
and taking in water and provisions.  In this
they were greatly assisted by Selkirk, or the
"governor," as they used to call him; who, besides giving them all the information necessary
respecting the island, made it a daily practice
to catch several goats for the use of the sick.
" HIe took them," says Rogers, "by speed of
foot; for his way of living, and continual exercise of walking and running, cleared him of
all gross humors, so that he ran'with wonderful
swiftness through the woods, and up the rocks
and hills.  We had a bull-dog, which we sent
with several of our nimblest runners to help
him in catching goats; but he distanced and
tired both the dog and the men, caught the
goats, and brought them to us on his back.
Being forced to shift without shoes, his feet had
become so hard, that he ran every-where without annoyance; and it was some time before he
could wear shoes after we found him; for, not
being used to any for so long, his feet swelled
when he came first to use them again."'Besides giving these particulars, Captain Rogers
details, at some length, Selkirk's mode of life
during the four years and four months he had
spent on the island, concluding: " We may perceive, by this story, the truth of the maxim,
that necessity is the mother of invention, since
this man found means to supply his wants in a




390      JFIRESIDE READING.
very natural manner, so as to maintain his life,
though not so conveniently, yet as effectually as
we are able to do with the help of our arts and
society. It may likewise instruct us how much
a plain and temperate way of living conduces to
the health of the body and the vigor of the
mind, both of which we are apt to destroy by
excess and plenty, especially of strong liquor,
and the variety as well as the nature of our
meat and drink; for this man, when he came
back to our ordinary method of diet and life,
though he was sober enough, lost much of his
strength and agility. But these reflections are
more prbper for a philosopher and divine than a
mariner."
After a successful buccaneering expedition,
with Rogers, Selkirk reached England in October, 1711.  His singular history was soon
made known to the public; and immediately he
became an object of curiosity not only to the
people at large, but to those elevated by rank
and learning.
Defoe's romance of Robinson Crusoe was not
published till the year 1719, when the original
facts on which it was founded must have been
nearly forgotten.
It was a fine Sunday morning in the spring
of 1712; the kirk bells of Largo had for some
time ceased ringing and the parishioners were




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            391
assembled in church, when a handsomely-dressed
stranger knocked at the door of old John Selkirk's dwelling. No one was within, and the
stranger bent his steps toward the parish church.
He entered, and sat down in a pew near the
door. His late entrance, the fact of his being
a stranger, and his fine gold-laced clothes, attracted attention to him, and divided the interest of the congregation with the clergyman's
sermon. The service proceeded: not far from
the place where the stranger had stationed himself was the pew where old John Selkirk, his
wife, and others of the family were sitting, and
toward this pew the stranger continued to direct his eyes. The occupants of the pew returned the glance as discreetly as they could;
old Mrs. Selkirk especially several times eyed
the stranger with curiosity over her Bible. At
length the glances became a fixed gaze; the old
woman's face grew  pale; and crying, "It's
Sandie!-it's Sandie!" she tottered up to the
stranger, and flung herself into his arms. The
clergyman stopped, the congregation rose in a
bustle of excitement, and quiet was not restored
till the whole Selkirk family left the church in
a body, to give full scope at home to their
mutual congratulations and inquiries.
Alexander Selkirk subsequently entered the
naval service, and became a lieutenant on board




392      FIRESIDE  READING.
the Weymouth; on board of which vessel he
died in 1723.
The island of Juan Fernandez has passed
through the hands of a succession of owners
since he quitted it.  For upward of thirty
years after his departure, it remained in the
condition in which he had left it-an uninhabited island, where ships, sailing along the
western coast of South America, occasionally
put in for water and fresh victuals. Once or
twice, indeed, the chances of shipwreck gave it
one or two inhabitants, who did not remain long.
In 1750 the Spaniards again formed a settlement on it, and built a fort. Both were destroyed by an earthquake in the following year;
but another town was built at a greater distance
from the shore. It continued to be inhabited
for about twenty years, but was then abandoned,
as the former Spanish settlement in the island
had been. Early in the present century, the
Chilian government began to use Juan Fernandez as a penal settlement, transporting their
state criminals to it; but in consequence of the
expense, it was soon given up; and when Lord
Cochrane visited the island in 1823, there were
but four men stationed on it, apparently in
charge of some cattle. The following description is given of the island by a lady who accompanied Lord  Cochrane and a party on




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.             393
shore: " The island is the most picturesque I
ever saw, being composed of high perpendicular
rocks, wooded nearly to the top, with beautiful
valleys, exceedingly fertile, and watered by
copious streams, which occasionally form small
marshes. The little valley where the town is,
or rather was, is exceedingly beautiful. It is
full of fruit-trees and flowers, and sweet herbs,
now grown wild; near the shore, it is covered
with radish and sea-side oats. A small fort
was situated on the sea-shore, of which there is
nothing now visible but the ditches and part of
one wall. Another, of considerable size for the
place, is on a high and commanding spot. It
contained barracks for soldiers, which, as well
as the greater part of the fort, are ruined; but
the flag-staff, front wall, and a turret, are standing; and at the foot of the flag-staff lies a very
handsome brass gun, cast in Spain, A. D. 1614.
A few houses and cottages are still in a tolerable
condition, though most of the doors, windows,
and roofs have been taken away, or used as fuel
by whalers and other ships touching here. In
the valleys we found numbers of European
shrubs and herbs —'where once the garden
smiled.' And in the half-ruined hedges, which
denote the boundaries of former fields, we
found apple, pear, and quince trees, with cherries almost ripe. The ascent is steep and rapid




394       FIRESIDE  READING.
from the beach, even in the valleys, and the
long grass was dry and slippery, so that it rendered the walk rather fatiguing; and we were
glad to sit down under a large quince-tree on a
carpet of balm, bordered with roses, now neglected, and feast our eyes with the lovely view
before us. Lord Anson has not exaggerated
the beauty of the place, or the delights of the
climate.  We were rather early for its fruits,
but even at this time we have gathered delicious
figs, cherries, and pears, that a few days more
of sun would have perfected. The landingplace is also the watering-place. There a little
jetty is thrown out, formed of the beach pebbles, making a little harbor for boats, which lie
there close to the fresh water, which comes conducted by a pipe, so that, with a hose, the casks
may be filled, without landing, with the most
delicious water.  Along the beach some old
guns are sunk, to serve as moorings for vessels,
which are all the safer the nearer in-shore they
lie, as violent gusts of wind often blow from the
mountain for a few minutes. The hight of the
island is about three thousand feet."
With all its beauties and resources, the island
seemed destined never to retain those who settled on it-whether from its isolated position at
so great a distance from the continent, or from
some other cause, is uncertain. Not long after




ALEXANDER  SELKIRK.            395
Lord Cochrane's visit, however, it received an
accession of inhabitants, some of them English,
who settled in it under the protection of the
Chilian government.  According to the latest
accounts, it had undergone another change of
proprietorship, having been taken in lease from
Chili by an enterprising American, who had colonized it with a number of families from Tahiti,
and intended to cultivate it, rear cattle on it
for exportation, and so improve the bay and
harbor, as to render it a habitual resort for
whalers and trading vessels navigating the Pacific.




x.
65lapt of Cnnnt 9a0tItte.
C OUNT LAVALETTE, in early life, was an
attached friend of the Bourbon dynasty,
but the exciting events of the Revolution having opened to him the prospect 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 establishment, from which he retired on the introduction of the Bourbons. He was now accused of
having been an accomplice in the conspiracy
which brought on the events which terminated
in the battle of Waterloo, and, after two days'
discussion, was condemned to death. Immured
in prison, he endeavored to avert his fate by a
writ of error, but this, along with a petition for
pardon presented by Madame Lavalette, was
refused.  "The  day  of his execution  approached," says the writer of his memoirs;
"'the unfortunate man had no hope left; the
turnkeys themselves trembled. On the eve of
396




COUNT LAVALETTE.              397
that last day, the Countess Lavalette entered
his prison. She had put on a pelisse of merino,
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-combined escape. She showed
him the woman's attire, and proposed to him to
disguise himself.  Every precaution 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 further objections.  M. Lavalette
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,' he said,'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 prison 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




398      FIRESIDE  READING.
counted!'  And when the toilet was finished,' Adieu,' she said.'Do not forget to stoop
when you pass under the wickets, for fear the
feathers in your bonnet should stick fast.'
"The jailer's step was now heard. Emilie
sprung behind the screen-the door opened; I
passed out first, next my daughter, then the old
nurse. On coming to the door leading from the
passage to the outer room, I had at the same
time to lift my foot and stoop my head to prevent the catching of my feathers-no easy matter; but I succeeded, and had now to face in
this large room a file of five seated jailers
ranged along the wall. I held my handkerchief to my eyes, of course, and expected my
daughter to come, as directed, on my left; but
in her flurry the poor child took the right, thus
leaving the jailer at liberty to hand me out as
usual. He laid his hand on my arm, evidently
much moved- for he concluded we had taken
an eternal leave of each other-and said,' You
leave early to-night, madam?' It has been said
that my child and I gave way to screams and
sobs. So far from that, we durst not so much
as indulge in a sigh. At length I got to the
further end, where, night and day, sat a jailer
in a huge arm-chair, in a space sufficiently contracted to allow him to place his two hands on
the keys of two doors; one an iron grating, the




COUNT LAVALETTE.             399
other-the outer one-called the first wicket.
This man looked at me, but did not open. I
had to put my hand through the bars to hurry
him. At length he turned his two keys, and
we were out. And now, recollecting herself, my
daughter took my right arm. We had twelve
steps of a stair to go up to get at the court
where the chair waited; and at the foot of
them was the guard-house, where twenty soldiers, with an officer at their head, stood within
three steps of me, to see Madame Lavalette
pass! My foot was at length on the last step,
and I got into the sedan, which was close by.
But not a chairman was there-not a servant!
only my daughter, and the old woman standing
beside it, and a sentry not six feet off, immovable on his post, staring at me. My first surprise was giving way to violent agitation; I
felt my eyes fixed like a basalisk's on that sentry's musket, which, at the smallest noise or
difficulty, I should certainly have sprung on,
and used it against any one who offered to take
me. This dreadful suspense may have lasted
some two minutes, which to me appeared the
length of a night. At length I heard the voice
of Bonneville, my valet, whispering to me,'One of the bearers has failed me, but I have
found another!'
"I then felt myself caught up, the chair




400        FIRESIDE READING.
crossed the court, and we went down a street
or two.  When it was set down, the door
opened, and my friend Baudus offering me his
arm, said aloud:'Madam, you know you have
a visit to make to the president.' I got out,
and he pointed to a cabriolet which stood a
short way off down a little dark street.  I
sprang into it, and the driver said to me,'Hand me my whip.' I sought it in vain; it
had fallen.'Never mind,' said my companion,
giving the reins a shake, which set off the horses
at a round trot. As I passed, I caught sight of
my daughter, Josephine, standing on the quay,
with her hands joined, praying for me with all
her soul before getting into the chair; which,
as I had predicted, was quickly overtaken, and
finding her only in it, was allowed to proceed.
"Beginning to breathe at length, when we
had driven a long way, I had time to look at
my coachman, and what was my astonishment
to recognize the Count de Chassenon, whom I
little thought of seeing in that capacity.'Is
that you?' asked I, in unfeigned surprise.'Yes; and you have at your back four wellloaded pistols, which I hope you will use in case
of need.''Not I, indeed; I have no mind to
involve you in ruin!''Well, then, I suppose I
must show you the example, and woe to whoever attempts to stop us!'  We drove on to




COUNT LAVALETTE.              401
the boulevard neuf, where we stopped, and I
displayed my handkerchief, as agreed, on the
apron of the cab; having, by the way, got rid
of all my female paraphernalia, and slipped on
a groom's frock, with a round laced, livery hat.
Monsieur Baudus soon joined us: I took leave
of the good Count, and modestly followed in
the wake of my new master. It was now past
eight; the rain fell in torrents; the night was
dark; and nothing could be more lonely than
this part of the town. It was with the greatest
difficulty  I could keep pace with Monsieur
Baudus before I lost one of my shoes, which
did not mend matters.  We met several gendarmes at full gallop, little aware that he whom
they were probably in pursuit of was so near
them! At length, after an hour's march, worn
out with fatigue, and with one foot bare, we
came to a large mansion.'I am going in here,'
said Monsieur Baudus;' and while I engage the
porter in conversation, slip into the court-yard;
you will find a staircase on the left; go up it to
the highest story. At the end of a dark passage to the right is a pile of fire-wood; stand
behind it, and wait.' I grew dizzy, and almost
sunk on seeing Monsieur Baudus'knock at the
very door of the minister for foreign affairs,
the Duke de Richelieu! But while the porter
let him in, I passed on quickly.'Where is that
26            B




402       FIRESIDE  READING.
man going;?' cried the porter.'0,'tis only
my servant.' I found the staircase and every
thing else as directed, and was no sooner on the
appointed spot, than I heard the rustling of a
gown; my arm was gently taken; I was pushed
into a room, and the door closed upon me."
Lavalette was now concealed in what was in
all probability the least suspected place in
Paris-the house of the minister of foreign
affairs. For an asylum under this roof he was
indebted to the gratitude of Madame de Brisson, the wife of the cashier. M. de Brisson, it
appears, had been proscribed at the first revolution for voting against the king's death, and
was two years in hiding, along with his wife,
among the Vosges, a cluster of mountains on
the east of France.  Here they received so
much kindness from the inhabitants, that Madame de Brisson made a vow to save, if ever in
her power, a person similarly circumstanced.
She now had it in her power to afford a shelter
to Lavalette, and nobly did she redeem her vow.
Every comfort, down to the minutest luxuries
of the toilet-so acceptable to a prisoner long
deprived of them-had been provided by this
lady's thoughtful kindness; even the felt slippers in which alone he was to dare to move
about, and the profusion of books and wax
lights, which were to compensate to a studious




COUNT LAVALETTE.             403
man for the necessity of keeping his windows
carefully closed all day. When the shades of
night permitted him to open them, it was often
to hear street-criers bawling forth proclamations, of which he could sometimes catch little
more than his own name, threatening with the
utmost penalties of the law all landlords or
lodgers who might be giving him a harbor; and
truly, considering not only the dangers to which
their generous conduct in his behalf was exposing his benefactors, but the fearful risk to all
involved, in a nephew-who slept next room to
him-and a couple of faithful servants being
necessarily in the secret, it may be imagined
that Lavalette's was not a bed of roses. His
meals had to be literally purloinedb from their
own table by Madame de Brisson, who, on some
refreshment not habitually consumed by the
family being requested by her prisoner, was
obliged to remind him of the recapture and
death on the scaffold of Monsieur de Montmorine, from the trifling circumstance of some
chicken bones being found near the door of his
landlady-a woman too poor to indulge in such
dainties. She was, however, able to afford him
the more substantial alleviation of hearing that,
spite of proclamations, at which every one
laughed, his escape was the subject of rejoicing
all over Paris; that Madame Lavalette was




404       FIRESIDE  READING.
extolled to the skies, and every possible allusion
to her conduct at the theater received with rapturous applause.
It is now time to return to that interesting
woman, whose agitating suspense after her husband's departure may be easily conceived. No
sooner was Lavalette beyond the gates, than
the jailer peeped as usual into the room, and
hearing some one behind the screen, went out.
Hle returned, however, in five minutes, and still
seeing no one, bethought him of pushing aside
a leaf of the screen, and at sight of Madame
Lavalette, gave a loud cry, and ran toward the
door. She flew to prevent him, and in her despair, kept such fast hold of his coat that he
left part of it in her hands.  "You have ruined
me, madam!" he exclaimed in a rage, and extricating himself by a desperate effort, and calling out as he went along, "The prisoner has
escaped!" he ran, tearing his hair like a madman, to the prefect of police.
The intelligence of Lavalette's escape, hastily
comnmunicated to the prefect, spread universal
surprise.  Indignant at the trick which had
been played, the prefect, who was officially responsible for the safety of the prisoner, instantly ordered the widest and most minute
search to be made to recover the lost captive.
Gendarmes galloped about in all directions, and




COUNT LAVALETTE.               405
every suspicious-looking individual was seized.
Cafes, hotels, and all places of public resort,
were visited. Every supposed lurking-place was
searched.  The pursuit continued all night, and
domiciliary visits of the strictest kind were
made, not only at the house of every acquaintance of the Count, but of all who had ever
held official connection with him.  The effort
was vain. Clever as the police of Paris unquestionably are, they were completely baffled
on this memorable occasion.  To intercept a
possible flight to the country, the barriers were
closed, and no one was permitted to pass without undergoing a personal scrutiny. All, however, would not do. Lavalette, safe in the
house of the minister of foreign affairs, who
little knew what guest he entertained, continued undiscovered; and all Paris chuckled to
see the police fairly at fault.
Defeated in their attempts to recover the fugitive, the police and other authorities meanly
revenged themselves on Madame Lavalette, who
for some time remained in an agony of suspense
with respect to the fate of her husband. From
the brutal insults of the enraged jailers, she
was rescued by the arrival of the attorney-general, but only to be exposed to a set of formal
interrogatories and reproaches from.that functionary. In the eye of the law, she had been




406       FIRESIDE  READING.
guilty at most of a misdemeanor, for which a
severe punishment could not properly be inflicted. By the orders of the attorney-general,
however, she was treated with unbecoming disrespect and severity; and being at the time in a
poor state of health, this treatment was not only
a sore aggravation of her immediate distresses,
bodily and mental, but laid the foundation of
complaints which afterward unsettled her reason.
Instead of throwing open to this magnanimous woman the doors of the prison she had
hallowed, her confinement was, for six weeks,
as close and rigorous as that of the worst criminals. She was subjected to the nuisance of
being within hearing of the reprobate of her
own sex, while no female attendant was allowed
her save a jailer; not a line was she permitted
either to dispatch or receive, and therefore a
continual prey to anxieties on her husband's account, which, at every change of sentries, made
her start up, concluding they were bringing him
back, and for twenty-five nights wholly deprived
her of sleep. Fortunately for her husband, he
was kept in ignorance of these distressing details, and taught to believe that, though subject
to restraint, she was enjoying every comfort
iunder the roof of the wife of the prefect of
police.
To him we must now return. In consequence




COUNT LAVALETTE.              407
of the unabated vigilance of the authorities, the
friends of Lavalette were anxious to get him
conveyed, if possible, beyond the barriers, and
thence out of France.  Several plans of escape
from the country were suggested, without success. One, to escape in the suit of a Russian
General, failed, from the dread inspired, by
hearing the name of Lavalette, of himself being
sent to Siberia. Another, more promising, to
join a Bavarian battalion quitting Paris, whose
commandant, a friend of Prince Eugene, would
have earned praise instead of blame by   nniving at it, was frustrated by the surveillance
and keen scrutiny naturally enough exercised
by the police over both men and officers of this
suspected corps. At length, on the eighteenth
day of his seclusion, Monsieur Baudus, in a
transport of joy, announced to Lavalette his
probable escape through the co-operation of
Englishmen.
The political sentiments of some then in
Paris had been too openly declared, against the
execution of Marshal Ney, especially, to make
sounding them a matter of difficulty; and the
office being undertaken by some French ladies
of rank and the most amiable character, had
all the success anticipated with Mr. Michael
Bruce, in the first instance, and through him,
with yet more efficient coadjutors, General Sir




408       FIRESIDE READING.
Robert Wilson, and Captain Hutchinson, of the
Guards. It was humanely resolved by these
gentlemen that Lavalette should, if possible,
escape from France by wearing the uniform of
a British officer. This plan, which was accordingly put in execution, is described as follows
by Sir Robert in a letter to Earl Grey, which
was intercepted on its way to England, and led
to the subsequent trial and imprisonment of the
parties engaged.
"It was agreed," says Sir Robert, "that the
fugitive, wearing, as well as myself, the British
uniform, should accompany me beyond the barriers in an English cab; that I should have a
fresh horse stationed at La Chapelle, and from
thence get on to Compiegne, where I was to be
joined by my own carriage, in which Lavalette
and I would proceed by Mons to Cambray. At
my request, and on my responsibility, I easily
procured passports from Lord Stewart for General Wallis and Colonel Losack; names which
we made choice of, because their initials corresponded with the real ones. On their being
taken to be signed at the foreign office, one of
the secretaries took it in his head to ask who
Colonel Losack was? when Hutchinson coolly
answered,'0, the son of the admiral.' Bruce
now found out that the brigade of his cousin,
General Brisbane, was at Compiegne, and that




COUNT LAVALETTE.             409
his aiddecamp was to leave Paris next day
with his horses and baggage. With this young
man, reluctantly as we involved him in the affair,
it was agreed that he should provide for us a
place where an individual, desirous of avoiding
publicity, might remain perdu a few hours at
Compiegne-a precaution which proved of the
greatest use.
"Bruce next procured Lavalette's measure,
and a uniform was ordered as if for a quartermaster of the Guards; but the regimental tailor
happening to observe that it was for a very
stout gentleman, and, moreover, that it had not
been taken by a professional snip, the parties
got alarmed, and fell on the plan of borrowing
for the expedition the coat of a strapping
brother guardsman-a very young man, whom
they persuaded it was wanted to assist in an
elopement."
It is not the least curious of the many odd
features of this remarkable escape, that on
Lavalette proceeding under cloud of night,
the previous evening, to Captain Hutchinson's
lodgings in the Rue de Hilder, he only exchanged one lion's den for another, having for a
neighbor, under the same roof, the very judge
who had presided at his trial! He was there
met by Mr. Bruce-whom he had once or twice
seen at the queen of Holland's —and Sir Robert




410      FIRESIDE  READING[.
Wilson, who, after partaking of a bowl of
punch-the ostensible pretext for the meetingleft him to take on the sofa such slumbers as, on
the eve of such an expedition, he could hope
to enjoy. These were rudely broken in upon
about one in the morning by a prodigious noise
and loud colloquy at the outer door, the object
of which was plainly to effect a forcible entry.
Lavalette, never doubting he was discovered,
and firmly grasping his pistols, woke his companion, who, he tells us, went out very quietly,
and  after five minutes-which to Lavalette
seemed ages-came back and said, "It is only
a dispute between the porteress and a French
officer, who lodges on the third floor, about letting him in at so late an hour; so we may go
to sleep again."
There was no more sleep, however, for his
guest, who got up at six and dressed himself,
and at half-past seven was called for by Sir
Robert in a general's full uniform, in Bruce's
cabriolet, while Captain Hutchinson rode along
side, both to give it the air of a pleasure party,
and that Lavalette, if hard pressed, might exchange the carriage for a swifter conveyance.
"The weather," says our hero in his meriyi,
"was splendid, all the shops open, every/bgdy
in the streets; and, by a singular coincidence,
as we passed the Greve-the place of execution




COUNT LAVALETTE.               411
in Paris-they were setting up the gallows customarily used for the execution in effigy of outlawed criminals."
Numerous were the occasions on which the
party were threatened with discovery; indeed,
that one with such marked features as Lavalette-personally known, from his office, to
half the postmasters in France, and, moreover,
minutely described in placards in almost every
body's hands-should have escaped detection,.
seems little short of a miracle. Before they
were out of Paris, they met an English officer,
all surprise at seeing a British general with
whose person he was unacquainted. The gendarmes at the gate took a hearty stare at him;
but the ceremony of presenting arms screened
at once his profile and his life. When they met
people or carriages, Sir Robert took care to talk
very loud in English, and Colonel Losack to sit
well back in the carriage, the white feather in
his regimental hat serving to divert attention
from the wearer. Another object of the same
color had, however, nearly served to betray him;
namely, a few white hairs straggling from beneath his wig, which Sir Robert observed ere
entering Compiegne, and being fortunately provided with scissors, was enabled to act the barber's part.
Their chief peril was at the previous village




412       FIRESIDE  READING.
of La Chapelle, where their relay horse had
been stationed at a bustling inn, about the door
of which four gendarmes were lounging, and
were only got rid of by the presence of mind
of Captain Hutchinson, who, by pretending to
be on the look-out for cantonments for a corps
of English troops, diverted their attention, and
kept them drinking till the others had got clear
off. Their stay of some hours at Compiegne,
to await the arrival from Paris of Sir Robert's
carriage, passed off equally well, and under
cloud of night it arrived safe.  With posthorses the rest of the journey could now be
more expeditiously, and, thanks to the words
English carriage and English general, passed on
from postillion to postillion,'Was at length safely
performed.
At Cambray three hours were lost at the
gates by the supineness of the English guard,
who, having no orders to call up the porter, refused to do so, and might have ruined all. At
Valenciennes, the party were three times examined, nay, their passports carried to the commandant. A long time elapsed, and Lavalette
felt as if on the brink of shipwreck when almost
in port. Luckily, it was very cold weatherearly in January-and day had scarcely dawned;
and the officers, instead of coming to inspect the
travelers, signed their passports in bed.  "On




COUNT LAVALETTE.               413
the glacis of the same town," says Lavalette,
"an officious douanier chose to examine if all
was right. His curiosity, however, was satisfied,
and we were erelong bowling joyously along the
firm road to Mons. Now I would peep out of
the little back window, to see if we were pursued; and then I would fix my longing eyes on
a large building pointed out to me as the first
Belgian custom-house, which, drive as we would,
never seemed to me to get any nearer. At
length we gained it: I was out of the French
territory, and saved! Seizing hold of the General's hand, I poured forth, deeply moved, the
whole extent of my gratitude, while he only answered me by a quiet smile."  "Having made
at Mons every arrangement for facilitating
1Monsieur Lavalette's ulterior proceedings, I
returned," says his generous deliverer, "to
Paris, from whence I had been absent only about
sixty hours."
Lavalette was now safely sheltered in a foreign country.  From the Netherlands he proceeded to Germany, and there found a refuge in
the dominions of the king of Bavaria, though
scarcely with the willing consent of that monarch.  In a remote country retreat Lavalette
lived for years, almost forgotten by the world.
The only matter for serious regret was the absence of his affectionate wife, the state of whose




414      FIRESIDE  READING.
mind rendered seclusion from the world indispensably necessary. The manner in which the
Count spent the greater part of his time may
be gathered from a touching letter which he
wrote to the Duchess of Ragusa, the wife of
General Marmont.
" You ask me where I live, and how. I dwell
on the banks of a lake not unworthy of Switzerland, for it is five leagues long by one broad.
I have a room and a closet at the lodge of the
keeper of a forsaken chateau. My view consists of a fine sheet of water, pretty low hills,
and high mountains beyond, covered with snow.
For walks, I have wild woodlands, abounding
with game, which remain unmolested for me.
My hosts are honest peasants, whose Spartan
broth and black bread I partake of with tolerable relish. I dare not have in a servant a possible spy, so my sole companion is a poor artist
unknown to fame, who smokes all day long, and
does not know one word of my language; but I
am learning his, and we get on very well. He
wakes me every morning at six, and we labor
together till nine. After the most frugal of
breakfasts, we set to work again till noon,
and after dinner from two till five. I then rad
a couple of hours; and at seven we go to wealk
till supper. I have taught him chess, and we
play till ten, when I go to my room, but seldom




COUNT LAVALETTE.              415
to bed till one o'clock. These hours of night
are for the heart's anguish, and a host of bitter
reminiscences. I pray and weep over all those
I love, and in thinking of my poor humbled,
subjugated country.
"But I do not at all times give way to such
sad thoughts. I should be unworthy of my
glorious misfortune did I not draw from it the
sweetest consolations. I often feel less thankful
at having escaped the scaffold, than for being
saved from it by such generous hearts. Wife,
child, friends, domestics, nay, those noble
strangers, all combined to suffer, to sacrifice
themselves; but, thank Heaven, ultimately to
triumph in my cause. I of all mankind have
no right to complain of my fellows. Never was
unfortunate being honored by so much devotedness and courage!
"I am so happy that you are within reach of
my poor wife. You love and appreciate her.
She is not understood in a world of base
wretches, who little thought that that weak,
dejected, unhappy woman would prove too
strong and bold for them all! O, take care of
her, I beseech you; watch over her, and shield
her from every sorrow! And my poor little
Josephine; good God! what will become of
her?  How fondly had I looked forward to
perfecting her education! When I think of all




416       FIRESIDE  READIN G.
this, I could beat my head against the very
walls, and dread what I may be tempted to do!
Above all, my wife!-see her often, console, and
protect her, if necessary."
It is consolatory to know that Lavalette outlived the vengeance of his enemies. After an
exile of six years, the crime of which he stood
guilty was remitted, and he was allowed to return to France a free man.  He now had the
additional happiness of being permitted to see
his wife, and to repay, by the most devoted attentions, her exertions in his behalf. The acute
mental malady brought on by anxiety and
terror, under which she had for some years labored, seems to have gradually yielded to a deep
melancholy and frequent abstraction; "but she
remained," says Lavalette, "as she had ever
been, good, gentle, and amiable, and able to
find enjoyment in the country;" where, for her
sake, he chiefly resided, pretty much forgotten
by the world, till his death, in 1830. Whether
Madame Lavalette ultimately recovered from
her alienated mental condition, we have not
heard: it is, however, gratifying to learn that
her daughter Josephine, who was married to a
man of worth and talent, lived to contribute to
her comfort and happiness, in that scene of
rural quiet to which she had been removed by
an affectionate and grateful husband.