THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 
 frxrmtljje 
 
 l DUE LITZ, 
 
 Professor in the .Royal Institute. Merlin, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA.
 
 TRAVELLERS' ADVENTURES 
 
 or 
 
 ALL COUNTRIES. 
 
 ABRIDGED FKOM THE BEST WRITERS 
 FOR YOUNG PERSONS. 
 
 BY THEODORE OIELITZ, 
 
 SSOR IN THE ROYAL INSTITUTE, BERLIN. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, BY A LADY. 
 
 8?Ct& Illustration* ott Stunt. 
 
 WILLIS P. HAZARD, 178 CHESTNUT STREET, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 18 54.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the yeax 1853, by 
 WILLIS P. HAZABD, 
 
 in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the Eastern District 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
 PRINTED BY SMITH A PETERS, 
 Franklin Buildings, Sixth Street below Arch, Philadelphia.
 
 CanUnt*. 
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA, 5 
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES, 32 
 
 THE WATER SPOUT, 60 
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP, 75 
 
 ADVENTURES WITH A LION, 118 
 
 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER, - - - - 127 
 
 A HUNTING ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES, - - - 138 
 
 THE PANTHER'S DEN, 152 
 
 (iii) 
 
 503757
 
 TRAVELLERS' ADVENTURES. 
 
 In UttftttJn in iiKtfif,fi* 
 
 IT was on the afternoon of a most sultry day in Septem- 
 ber, 1849, that my friend Carleton and myself found our- 
 selves still wandering over the extended prairie, where, for 
 three days, we had busied ourselves in the collecting of rare 
 insects and plants. We had filled our pockets and satchels 
 to our entire satisfaction ; but we had also to suffer greatly 
 for our scientifical zeal, for the sun's rays, which in Louisi- 
 ana possess unusual strength, poured down upon us with such 
 fierceness, that we were literally nearly roasted. To increase 
 our uncomfortable circumstances, our stock of wine was 
 exhausted on the first day of our travel, and the water, which 
 we could find from time to time, was so full of impurity, 
 that, thirsty as we were, we could scarcely force ourselves 
 to drink it. We knew not, besides, which way to direct our 
 course ; so in our necessity we concluded to rest for awhile 
 under the shade of some trees that spread out their cano- 
 pying branches most invitingly, and despatched Martin, 
 
 (5)
 
 6 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 Carleton's servant, and a true-born Acadian, in search of 
 news. He assured us before his departure, that it would 
 not be long until he would return with tidings, or at all 
 events he could not go far until he should find a plantation. 
 We remained for a full hour on the same spot, waiting for 
 his return, during which time the air grew every moment 
 more sultry and oppressive. At length my companion lost 
 all patience. 
 
 " Where can the fellow be wandering ? Call him back at 
 once !" he cried, as he handed me his hunting-horn. 
 
 " I am not able to blow it myself ; my tongue cleaves to 
 the roof of my mouth with heat and thirst." 
 
 I took the horn at his bidding, and placing it to my 
 lips, blew a strong blast. But it gave not forth the clear 
 ringing tones that we had been accustomed to hear the 
 sound was short and muffled, as though the air had lost all 
 its elasticity, and returned instead of sending it forward. 
 The place where we halted was on the border of a pine 
 forest many of which are found in the United States, 
 stretching far and wide in all the glory of primeval exten- 
 sion. The grass upon which we stretched ourselves, was 
 fully five feet high, and of a most brilliant green. On our 
 right was a thicket of palm bushes, which was broken by a 
 creek or inlet, on whose banks grew lofty cypresses, clothed 
 in their own peculiar gloomy but magnificent grandeur. On 
 the other side, there was nothing to be seen but an illimitable 
 extent of prairie, with here and there impenetrable thickets of 
 shrubbery, or detached and solitary groups of trees. This
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 7 
 
 was the rich, wide landscape, on which, scarce an hour before, 
 our eyes had rested with infinite delight ; but now a sudden 
 and wonderful change had come over it. Our scope of 
 . vision had become gradually more circumscribed, as though 
 the dark blue clouds that at first were seen bordering the. 
 distance, but were now rolling rapidly towards us, envied 
 the pleasure bestowed on us by the prospect. The wind 
 drove them fiercely across the wild prairie, and the nearer 
 they approached the more were we aware of their density 
 and oppressive influence. The sun was no longer able to 
 blind us by the splendor of his rays ; we turned our eyes 
 fearlessly towards him, and then he appeared, both in size and 
 colour, like the full moon. The outline of the forest became 
 invisible through the thick veil of blue cloud that slowly 
 shrouded it ; and the air, that in the morning was elastic and 
 invigorating, was each moment becoming too oppressive for 
 respiration. 
 
 We were at a loss to conjecture the cause of this singular 
 and rather alarming phenomenon ; and as I looked towards 
 my companion to ascertain how he was affected by it, our 
 eyes met, and betrayed by looks, while yet we spoke no 
 word, that perplexed anxiety which man cannot control 
 when surrounded by new and unaccountable danger. 
 
 " Fire your gun," said I at last to Carleton; but even as 
 I spoke I started at the sound of my own altered voice. The 
 lock was pressed, but the sound was choked in the thicken- 
 ing atmosphere so nearly lost that the water-fowl, rest- 
 ing on the bosom of the creek scarcely an hundred yards
 
 8 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 distant from our halting-place, were not startled at the re- 
 port. 
 
 " Do look at our horses," cried Carleton; "I believe they 
 are about to break away !" And, in fact, the animals had 
 become very unruly ; they pointed their ears, looked affright- 
 edly to the side from whence came the smoke and heat, and 
 prancing and bounding, seemed determined to break loose 
 from the trees to which we had bound them. A short time 
 ago they were ready to give over from fatigue now they 
 were full of fire and impatience. 
 
 " We dare not stay here any longer," said Carleton ; 
 " the horses warn us of danger by their restlessness let us 
 be off, for led by their instinct, they will bear us to a place 
 of security." 
 
 No other word was spoken. We unloosed the animals 
 and mounted. Hardly were we seated in our saddles, before 
 they struck into a flying gallop swift as though a troop of 
 wolfs were at their heels, directing their speed in the di- 
 rection of the creek, which, as it flowed towards its outlet, 
 grew broader and broader. An awful stillness rested on the 
 wilderness, prairie, and all around, broken only at intervals 
 by the scream of some wild bird or beast each one of which 
 added but to increase the horrors by which we were sur- 
 rounded. 
 
 " What can this mean ?" cried Carleton. " I am fainting 
 with the heat, yet not a drop of moisture passes from my 
 skin. These horrors are incomprehensible. For heaven's 
 sake give another blast of the horn !"
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 9 
 
 I endeavoured to obey his bidding, but the effort was not 
 attended with success. It seemed as though the sound, 
 instead of issuing through the instrument as I intended, 
 was pressed backwards to my own lips. 
 
 "For Heaven's sake, look yonder!" cried Carleton, as 
 he pointed towards a particular part of the horizon, over 
 which, until now, instead of the blue haze by which the 
 rest was veiled, had been covered a dark leaden-colored 
 cloud. I turned my eyes in the demonstrated direction 
 the heavens were glowing with a ruddy light, and at the 
 same time a distant crackling, like continued firing from a 
 file of musketry, was heard, ceasing at intervals, but after 
 each becoming more distinct. Our horses pranced and 
 reared as though seized with sudden madness, and, almost 
 spurning control, rushed wildly towards the stream, into 
 which it required the greatest effort of strength on the part 
 of myself and companion to prevent them from plunging. 
 The red stripe on the horizon grew redder, rolling fearfully 
 onwards, until it seemed nearly to encircle our heads ; the 
 crackling and hissing were more violent. In silence, 
 Carleton and myself gazed on the awful spectacle ; then all 
 at once a fearful, a horrible thought rushed through the 
 brain of each terror loosed our tongues at the same instant, 
 and we exclaimed, as out of the same mouth, " The prairie 
 is on fire !" 
 
 Scarcely were these words uttered, when a loud rustling 
 and trampling just behind caused us to turn away for a 
 moment from the fearful sight, to discover what new danger
 
 10 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 lurked in the rear. A herd of fallow deer, startled from 
 their coverts, had broken a path through the thicket of 
 undergrowth already described, and rushing wildly towards 
 the creek, plunged, as if despairingly, among its turbid 
 waters, until only their heads were visible above the surface. 
 There they stood, the poor animals scarce fifty steps distant 
 from us, panting and trembling in the flood, turning their 
 gentle and eloquent eyes upon us, as if entreating from man, 
 their dreaded foe, the help which nature denied them from 
 asking by words. 
 
 We turned our eyes once more to the fearful point, 
 whence, for a moment or two, they had been diverted. 
 Nearer and more near came the fiery column; soon its 
 forked light was seen through the dense cloud of smoke ; 
 soon its flaming tongue licked up the herbage on the sur- 
 face of the earth devouring all in its course, until it reached 
 the thicket of palm bushes already described as being in our 
 neighborhood. The smoke blew backward ; the fiery con- 
 queror appeared in full view, and in a few minutes the whole 
 prairie presented the spectacle of a sea of flame. Our eyes, 
 nearly blinded by the smoke, pained and smarted from its 
 influence, and so great had the heat become, that we dreaded 
 to see our clothes take fire every minute. Our horses were 
 no longer to be restrained by bit or bridle, but spite of all 
 our strength, bore us towards the creek, and bounded over 
 the bank, down even into the water. Hardly had we time 
 to congratulate ourselves on the successful issue of our head- 
 long leap, ere a new source of anxiety presented itself, in
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 11 
 
 the shape of a huge she bear, who, with her young ones, 
 crept out of the reeds a short distance from us. Almost at 
 the same moment a second herd of fallow deer rushed from 
 the thicket, and instinctively sought the protecting shelter 
 of the waters, not twenty steps distant from us. We 
 pointed our guns towards the bear ; she marked the move- 
 ment, and moved slowly away, approaching quite close to 
 the herd, which, unalarmed by her vicinity, remained un- 
 moved in their first position. The common danger had 
 conquered the natural fear of the one and the natural fero- 
 city of the other; bears and deer, separated by the space 
 of scarcely ten steps, took as little notice of each other as 
 though they belonged to the same race, neither of them 
 dreaded man, their natural enemy, although so near them ; 
 his power had sunk into nothing in the presence of the de- 
 vouring conqueror, who was spreading devastation with 
 unsparing hand ! And now every moment our creek became 
 the refuge of flying animals ; deer, foxes, and wild horses 
 came in troops to seek an asylum in its protecting waters 
 a refuge from the raging flame. We remained immovable, 
 gazing on the imposing sight without uttering a word, when 
 suddenly the barking of a dog fell upon our ears. 
 
 " Hurrah !" cried Carleton, overjoyed now in proportion 
 as he had been dispirited ; " men are in the neighborhood !" 
 A salvo from at least a dozen of guns was the answer to 
 our repeated shouts. The guns were certainly fired within 
 two hundred yards from us, yet we could not discern the 
 hunters by whom they were discharged. The wild animals,
 
 12 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 that had until now stood quietly in the water, trembled at 
 this report of new danger, but yet ventured not to leave the 
 only spot where safety was to be found. We ourselves were 
 standing up to our hips in the water, for, in consequence of 
 the great heat, we had dismounted. 
 
 " Who goes there ?" we again shouted. A second volley 
 was the answer, and this time evidently much nearer. We 
 saw the flash of the pan, and heard the voices of men 
 speaking in a barbarous dialect of half French, half Indian, 
 and we at once conjectured it must be a party of Acadian 
 hunters who were approaching us. They fired a third salvo, 
 and this time the bullets whizzed quite close to our heads. 
 The thing now began to look serious bullets are very good 
 things, but they can come too near. 
 
 " Hold on !" we cried, "keep back your fire, or else look 
 before you shoot !" A short silence ensued, which was fol- 
 lowed by a peal of wild laughter. 
 
 "Fire fire!" shouted many wild voices at once. 
 
 " Just as you please !" answered I, at the top of my voice; 
 " but do not forget that we are armed too. One shot from 
 you, and he by whose hand it is sped shall at once be 
 stretched on the earth fire, then, at your peril!" 
 
 "What's that?" growled one rough voice. "Who is it 
 that comes here to make laws for us ? Down with the dogs ! 
 Fire upon them, boys !" 
 
 " Yet once," I rejoined, " in the name of humanity let 
 me warn and entreat you " 
 
 "Forwards," cried another. "Shoot them down, the
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 13 
 
 dogs the spies ! What business have they here searching 
 the prairies. 7 ' 
 
 "Your blood then be upon your own head," was my an- 
 swer, as Carleton and myself directed our loaded guns to- 
 wards the spot whence the last volley had proceeded. Nearly 
 at the same time another voice was heard close beside us 
 
 " Halt ! what is going on here ?" 
 
 " Stop that firing, or else you are dead men," cried many 
 others. 
 
 "These are Americans," grumbled the Acadian troop 
 among themselves." 
 
 "Mr. Carleton, are you there?" shouted a familiar voice. 
 
 " That I am," answered my friend. 
 
 A boat now issued from the cloud of smoke that rested 
 on the bosom of the creek, and rowing swiftly down the 
 stream, placed itself between us and the Acadian troop. 
 Carleton's servant was among the rowers ; in the next 
 minute we found ourselves encompassed by a group of men, 
 consisting of half a dozen of Americans* and twenty Aca- 
 dians. This latter party, it seemed, as soon as they saw 
 the prairie on fire, had entered their boat and come to the 
 spot where we had taken refuge, to shoot and hunt. And 
 the plan was a sagacious one. The animals, who, like our- 
 selves, had fled to the water for protection, were fairly 
 imprisoned in the corner made by the angle of the creek, as 
 all escape was cut off by the burning prairie that enclosed 
 it, and forbidding all progress or return. They, therefore, 
 
 * Yankees.
 
 14 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 fell an easy prey to their pursuers. These men, more than 
 half savages, killed the poor creatures with a brutality, and 
 in such numbers, as to awaken the liveliest abhorrence of my 
 friend and myself, which feeling was fully shared by the 
 Yankees to whose timely coming it was most likely we owed 
 our lives. 
 
 "Now, strangers," said one of the latter, a grave elderly 
 man, " will you join in with this party, or go with us ?" 
 
 "I met these gentlemen," interrupted Martin, "and when 
 they heard that we had lost our way and exhausted our 
 provision, they were so kind as to leave their own way, and 
 come hither with me to seek you." 
 
 " I guess you ain't much used to the prairies," continued 
 the men who had before spoken. 
 
 " If you will accept such hospitality as we Yankees can 
 show you in such a wilderness, I am sure I will give you a 
 hearty welcome." 
 
 "I accept your invitation most thankfully," was my re- 
 ply, at the same time making a movement towards the boat. 
 It was most desirable we should leave the spot as soon as 
 possible, for the heat and smoke were unbearable. The 
 Yankee made no answer, neither uttered any remark for a 
 time : his attention being entirely taken up in watching the 
 Acadians as they pursued their inhuman sport. 
 
 " They are far worse than the Indians," he at last said, 
 addressing a young man who stood near him. 
 
 " They will shoot more just now in one hour than they 
 will be able to devour in a year, in spite of all their gluttony."
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 15 
 
 " How would it be if we were to turn upon them and hurl 
 them to the devil ?" answered the young man. 
 
 "No, no, "returned the old Yankee, "that would not do 
 the country belongs to them it is my notion it would not 
 be right." 
 
 This colloquy was carried on between them with the most 
 admirable coolness, and in circumstances in which none but 
 a Yankee would have dared to waste time with words. A 
 prairie twenty miles long and ten broad, covered in raging 
 flames, which every moment approached nearer, and in 
 some places already reached the shore of the creek in whose 
 waters we were seeking the only shelter to be hoped for 
 from its fury. On the opposite side were some dozens of 
 wild Acadians, who amused themselves in firing from right 
 to left without troubling themselves in the least whether the 
 bullets failed of their aim, or found it in our bodies or that 
 of trie beasts that were congregated around us. Carleton 
 and myself stood in the water until it reached up to our 
 waists, and notwithstanding that they were exposed to the 
 same danger as ourselves, these imperturbable Yankees chat- 
 ted as coolly with each other as if seated in quiet beneath 
 the roof of their own cabins, giving no thought to, or els 
 aiming to show their disregard of, the uncomfortable cir- 
 cumstances in which we all were placed. At last I lost all 
 patience. 
 
 " Is your dwelling far from here ?" at length I asked, in 
 a tone sufficiently indicative of the feeling. 
 
 " Not so far as I sometimes wish it was," answered the
 
 16 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 old man, as he bestowed a scornful glance at the half savage 
 hunters on the opposite side of the stream. " Not so far as 
 I would like, but far enough for you to get a good appetite 
 for your supper before you reach it ;" and with these words 
 he helped Carleton and myself into the boat, on whose floor- 
 ing we laid ourselves down, and so completely exhausted by 
 the heat and fatigue, that for a time we were insensible to 
 all that passed around us. It was not long however until 
 we recovered from the swoon into which we had fallen ; we 
 raised our eyes, and saw the old Yankee standing beside us 
 with a flask of brandy in his hand, of which he invited us 
 to drink. Worn out and half famished as we were, his offer 
 was most gratefully received; we swallowed a few mouthfuls 
 of the invigorating fluid, and felt ourselves so strengthened, 
 that in a short time we raised ourselves from our recumbent 
 position, and began to look about. The prospect was limited 
 and dreary; before us we saw a seemingly interminable 
 swamp covered with huge cypress trees ; behind us lay the 
 creek veiled in a thick cloud of smoke. From time to time 
 a column of fire would burst forth through the dark canopy, 
 and as it threw forth its fearfully illuminating glare, it seemed 
 as if those giant trees were springing from a sea of fire. 
 
 " Forwards, my men, forwards !" said the old man as we 
 left the boat ; " the sun is getting low, and we have yet a 
 long way to travel !" 
 
 "And in what direction, I pray you, does our way lie?" 
 " It leads right through that swamp, when you don't want 
 to go round," was the answer.
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 17 
 
 " The shortest way is the best !" tacitly rejoined Carleton. 
 
 " The shortest way is the best !" repeated the old man, 
 with somewhat of a sneer ; " that I call a speech just worthy 
 of an Englishman ! But, in this case, I am myself of your 
 opinion, and at all times I hold one way to be as good as 
 another. James !" he continued, turning to the young man 
 we have before mentioned as his companion, " do you go 
 further down through the Snake-swamp. We will try our 
 luck here." 
 
 "And our horses?" inquired I. 
 
 " They must remain where they are. We will have rain 
 to-night, and to-morrow morning they can be led over the 
 prairie without singing a hair, or scorching their hoofs." 
 
 In my explorations I had more than once found myself 
 on the borders of the swamp before us, but had ever con- 
 sidered it utterly impassable. And now, as I looked down 
 into its dark depths-, I could not comprehend how it was to 
 be traversed. 
 
 " Does any beaten path or road lead over this swamp ?" 
 inquired I of the old Yankee. 
 
 " Path ! road ! do you suppose this is a pleasure garden ? 
 No indeed, there is no path here but that which nature 
 has made." And, as he spoke, he sprang upon the huge 
 trunk of a fallen tree that, covered with moss and weeds, 
 was lying bridge-like upon the black mud that covered the 
 ground. 
 
 " What, cross here ? We would rather go back to our 
 
 2
 
 18 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 horses," said I in answer, " and ride over the prairie in the 
 morning to our homes." 
 
 " You can do as you like," rejoined the Yankee, with the 
 greatest coolness, " but we are going through the swamp. 
 Only it seems to me that you will be likely to fast for the 
 next twenty-four hours, unless you choose to fare like the 
 horses, and like them have a preference for herbs and grass." 
 
 " Why so," I asked ; " are there not game and wild fowl 
 in plenty on the prairie ?" 
 
 " Without doubt," was the rejoinder, " if you can eat 
 them without cooking, like the Indians.'' 
 
 I had not from the first been particularly pleased with the 
 companionship into which I had fallen, but now I began to 
 feel uneasy ; there was something, as I thought, suspicious 
 about them. The old man, who was the mouth-piece of the 
 party, had almost reached his sixtieth year, was nearly six 
 feet in height, very lean, but uncommonly muscular and 
 strongly built. His features were sharp and keen ; his eye 
 piercing, like that of a falcon ; and his whole demeanor strongly 
 indicative of self-love in great degree, as well as contempt 
 of others. His dress consisted of a jacket of untanned deer- 
 skin, which was belted round him with a rude girdle ; his 
 nether limbs were cased in leathern breeches, and his head 
 crowned with a straw hat without a rim. His companions 
 were clothed much in the same manner, and all of them 
 were armed with long knives. 
 
 " What has become of Martin ?" asked Carleton, as he 
 looked around in search of his servant.
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 19 
 
 "Do you mean the young knave that directed us to 
 you?" 
 
 " The same." 
 
 The old Yankee pointed with his hand to the cloud of 
 smoke that rested on the creek, completely hiding the spot 
 we had left : 
 
 " He is there with his countrymen. I think their devil's 
 hunt is at an end ; at least I do not hear them shooting any 
 longer." 
 
 "I would rather he were here," answered Carleton; "but 
 can you tell me, where are our horses ?" 
 
 " They are safe ; Joel is with them, and as soon as the 
 fire has spent itself, he will bring them over the prairie to 
 us. You do not believe that we your horses " 
 
 The old man interrupted himself, but I could not help 
 observing that a malicious smile played round his lips, even 
 after he had ceased to speak. 
 
 " We will go with you, old man," replied I, " and trust 
 ourselves implicitly to your guidance." 
 
 " In that you do well," was the laconic answer. " Jona- 
 than,' 7 he continued, addressing one of his comrades, " where 
 are the torches ? We will have need of them." 
 
 (t Torches !' ? I repeated, in astonishment at the idea of 
 using torches in day-light. 
 
 The old man turned his sinister features upon me with a 
 look that expressed, as clearly as could have been done by 
 words, " Why must you meddle in every thing ?" but he 
 answered, as was his wont, coldly, and with that hateful smile :
 
 20 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 " Yes, torches ; for if you had ten lives, -which is one 
 more than a cat has, you would lose them all, if you would 
 venture to pass through that swamp without them." 
 
 He struck fire from the flint of his gun, even as he spoke, 
 and having kindled the tinder, with which he was well pro- 
 vided, he applied it to the bundles of dry pine splinters, 
 which they brought him already tied up in flambeau fashion ; 
 and in a moment they were ignited, casting a brilliant light 
 on the dreary scene that lay around us. 
 
 All this was done with such deliberate movements, that, 
 in spite of the dangers by which we were surrounded, I 
 could not suppress a smile at the seeming apathy, but most 
 probably self-possession, of this wild woodsman, who, inured 
 to hardship and danger, and accustomed to look death in the 
 face daily, knew not what it was to shrink in the hour of 
 peril. 
 
 In the meantime the boat, containing two men belonging 
 to the party, pushed off from the shore, leaving Carleton 
 and myself, with the old Yankee and some of the younger of 
 these backwoodsmen, standing on the border of the swamp, 
 ready to begin our dangerous march across it. 
 
 " Follow me now, closely, step for step, just as if you 
 were walking on eggs," said our incomprehensible old leader ; 
 u and you, Jonathan, keep a watchful eye upon the strangers ; 
 be on the look-out, lest they souse into the mud over their 
 ears before we are able to draw them out." 
 
 We were not particularly encouraged by this admonition 
 to Jonathan, but we summoned up all our resolution, and
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 21 
 
 followed the old man as he desired. We had not advanced 
 far into the murky recess ere we were made aware of its 
 baneful influence, and the indispensable need of our torches- 
 The slender trunks of the cypress trees, that stood generally 
 about five yards distant from each other, were nearly fifty 
 feet in height, and without branches except at the extreme 
 top ; but there, covered with spiky foliage, they shot out in 
 all directions, canopying all beneath so closely, that we felt 
 as though we were overshadowed, by a gigantic umbrella, 
 and the whole morass covered with a roofing of leaves, 
 through which a single ray of light could not penetrate. 
 As, after a five minutes' progress, we turned to survey the 
 way we came, we saw the daylight we had left behind, 
 through an opening like that to be observed at the entrance 
 of a tunnel or cave. And the farther we advanced, the atmos- 
 phere became thicker and more oppressive, and the vapour 
 so pestilential and suffocating, that our torches burned but 
 very dimly, and more than once threatened to go out alto- 
 gether. 
 
 "Yes, yes," growled the old Yankee to himself, "I under- 
 stand it; one night's sojourn in this swamp would give a man 
 an ague likely to last him all his life. One single hour's 
 breathing of its vapour would be enough if the pores were 
 open. But now there is no danger the roasting we got 
 from the prairie fire has dried up the sweat, and fairly 
 stopped the pores." 
 
 This speech was not addressed to any one ; and as he thus 
 involuntarily uttered his thoughts aloud, rather than intending
 
 22 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 to make them known, he strode stoutly forward, advancing 
 his torch before him so as to illuminate every fallen trunk 
 or moss covered log that lay in the way, carefully and with 
 outstretched foot testing the stability of each before he 
 ventured his full weight upon it. All this was done with a 
 quickness and dexterity which evinced an intimate acquain- 
 tance with the dangerous path we were pursuing. 
 
 "Keep yourselves as close to me as possible," said he, 
 addressing us, " and tread lightly, aye, as lightly as it is 
 possible for an Englishman to do. And, above all, keep your 
 mouths shut, or else ha, what the devil is that ? Halloo, 
 old fellow," he said, relapsing once more into soliloquy, 
 " what has got into you that you cannot tell the difference 
 between a fallen trunk and a sixteen foot alligator." 
 
 He had stretched out his leg, and was about to place his 
 foot on what seemed, from the dark colour, to be a lately 
 fallen tree, when the thought struck him it would be best 
 to try it first with the barrel of his gun. The supposed 
 trunk made a sudden movement, and the old man, starting 
 back with one quite -as sudden, nearly precipitated me into 
 the swamp. 
 
 "Aha, my black prince !" said he, his equanimity not in 
 the least disturbed by thought of the perilous step he had 
 so nearly taken, "you thought to take in honest people by 
 your tricks and deviltry but you can't do it." 
 
 "What is the matter?" said I. 
 
 " Not much," said he, coolly ; "nothing but an alligator." 
 
 He drew his knife from its sheath as he spoke.
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 23 
 
 " Look, there he is." 
 
 And instead of a log, as he advanced his torch a little 
 forward, I saw indeed into the yawning throat of a huge 
 alligator. In an instant I levelled my loaded gun, and was 
 about to press the lock to fire straight into the open mouth, 
 but our experienced conductor laid his hand upon my arm. 
 
 "You must not dare to shoot," said he, in a whisper; 
 " you cannot fire off a gun here without the greatest danger. 
 We are not alone here. The thing must be done as silent 
 as possible." 
 
 And stooping as he concluded, he plunged his long knife 
 straight in the eye of the monster. A howl of mingled rage 
 and pain attested the success of the blow given by our Yan- 
 kee friend ; and rolling from side to side in his last agony, 
 the dying alligator sprinkled us from head to foot with the 
 black mud of the swamp. 
 
 "Aha, does that tell?" cried the old man, as with grim 
 laughter he repeated the blows. " Take that, and that, and 
 that, and at each repetition he drove his long knife into some 
 vulnerable part between the neck and ribs. The howling now 
 became fearful the animal writhed and twisted from side to 
 side, and with unavailing rage opened his huge jaws and 
 snapped at his enemy, who paid not the slightest attention 8 
 to his movements, but having coolly wiped his knife, restored 
 it to its sheath, which hung from his girdle, and looked 
 round with sharp and searching glance indeed, but as com- 
 posedly as if he had not killed an alligator. 
 
 " I think there must be a fallen trunk somewhere in thia
 
 24 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 quarter this is not the first time I have come over the 
 swamp in this direction. Ah, yes there it is, but good six 
 feet distant." 
 
 And so speaking, he made the adventurous spring with all 
 the agility of youth, and happily succeeded in reaching the 
 desired log. 
 
 " Take care what you are about !" I called out to him. 
 " There is water I see it shining." 
 
 " Pah ! water indeed ! what you call water is snakes. 
 But come now jump over.' 7 
 
 I was horrified a cold shudder ran over my whole frame. 
 The leap itself, in regard to distance, was not so very 
 dreadful, but the idea of its failure, and to be taken over 
 seemingly a bottomless abyss, filled with peculent mud and 
 poisonous reptiles, would have startled a stouter heart than 
 mine. But necessity compelled me to the trial, and gave 
 me strength for the effort. So, pressing my left foot against 
 the log on which we had hitherto been standing, and which, 
 by our weight, was every moment settling deeper in the 
 morass, I sprang over and reached the next log in safety. 
 Carleton followed, and achieved the leap as successfully as 
 
 " Bravo ! bravo !" cried the old man ; "a few more such 
 leaps and the worst part of the way is left behind." 
 
 We proceeded forward slowly but without interruption, 
 never placing foot upon a seeming log without first trying 
 its quality with our gun barrels, lest we might find ourselves 
 on a moving bridge, instead of a solid trunk of cypress.
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 25 
 
 The swamp extended fully five miles from the bank of the 
 creek we had left. It was a bottomless sea of soft black 
 mud, and overgrown with moss and creeping plants, that 
 spread their luxuriant but treacherous covering over the 
 whole surface as if to hide the deformity they could not 
 change, and spreading over the cypress trunks themselves 
 until the very bark was hidden in their profusion. Those 
 logs over which our adventures lay, serving for a path or 
 bridge over the slimy flood, were not laid with any special 
 regularity, but did not, on that account, seem the less to 
 have been placed there by the hand of man. 
 
 " It is probable that at one time this was a regular path," 
 said I, addressing our uncourteous guide.. 
 
 "Be quiet," said he, in a low voice ; r" be quiet I tell 
 you, and utter not a word until we are on firm ground. 
 You need not mind the snakes," he continued, as he saw me 
 gazing at the disgusting reptiles, which the torch he held 
 made plainly visible, lying in our near neighborhood, coiled 
 up in the moss or crawling on the surface. " Follow closely 
 on my track." 
 
 I prepared to obey, but just as I had stretched out my 
 foot to place it in the track of my leader, I perceived the 
 open jaws of an alligator just above the edge of the log on 
 which we were treading, not six inches from my leg. The 
 horrible reptile snapped at me so suddenly that, forgetful 
 of the caution impressed by our leader, and impelled by the 
 principle of self-defence, I fired my gun, lodging the shot in 
 his basilisk glancing eye. The monster sunk back at once,
 
 26 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 uttering loud cries of pain, and after beating about for a 
 moment or two in the soft mud, vanished beneath its sur- 
 face. The old Yankee turned himself fairly round upon 
 me as I fired, and an approving smile played round his 
 mouth, and muttered a few words, which I could not under- ( 
 stand, for the infernal clamor that now arose on all sides ' 
 almost bewildered my senses, and deafened my ears. 
 Thousands of birds and screaming animals alligators, buf- 
 faloes, frogs, herons, &c., all the creatures that inhabited 
 this wide morass, or dwelt in the branches of its cypress 
 covering, now lifted up their voices at once, screaming, 
 growling, and croaking, as if in reprobation of the daring 
 mortal who had dared to disturb the boding silence that 
 seemed peculiarly to belong to this gloomy spot. The alli- 
 gators crept from their lurking-places in the mud, where, 
 until this moment, they were closely hidden, and thrusting 
 their hideous noses above the green covering of the swamp 
 to meet the upper air, gnashed with their teeth most fear- 
 fully as they crawled towards us while quite as much dis- 
 turbed as they, huge owls and other swamp birds circled 
 round our heads, showing their sense of the intrusion into 
 their gloomy domain by striking us with both beak and 
 wing. We drew our knives, endeavoring at least to protect k 
 our eyes ; but all efforts seemed useless against the numbers 
 that came forth to battle with us. How the strife would 
 have ended, it is hard to tell, but suddenly the report of a 
 gun was heard then a second then a third and more in 
 succession. The effect was magical the change sudden as
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 27 
 
 an electric shock. The threatening tones of these infu- 
 riated denizens of the swamp sunk into low whinings and 
 wailings the birds retreated from the battle-ground, to 
 which, a few moments before, they had so desperately 
 flocked ; the alligators sunk back into their muddy recesses 
 only a few of the most adventurous owls, as if ashamed to 
 quit the field at once, continued to fly around our heads in 
 still widening circles ; the sounds ceased gradually, until at 
 length they died away altogether, and, alas! so did our 
 torches they fairly went out, and left us in utter dark- 
 ness. 
 
 " In the name of Heaven, where are you, old man ?" I 
 called out to our Yankee friend, for I could not see him. 
 
 "What? why I am still alive," he answered, with a burst 
 of wild laughter that sounded strangely enough in that fear- 
 ful place. "And that other Englishman is he breathing 
 still ? Did I not tell you we were not alone in this swamp. 
 These creatures hold this for their kingdom, and fight like 
 fury when any man invades it. A single shot brings them 
 out all at once, as you have proved ; but when they hear a 
 number fired they know you are in earnest, and so run away 
 from the battle ; they are silly things, these swamp ani- 
 mals." While he was yet speaking, he busied himself with 
 his flint and tinder, and by the time he concluded, a new 
 torch was blazing brightly. "By good luck the path will 
 now be better," he continued ; " come, we must hurry on- 
 wards, there is no time to lose ; the sun is nearly gone, and 
 we have a good smart way to travel yet."
 
 28 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 Once more he placed himself at the head of his little 
 troop, and as he strode stoutly forward, he displayed a 
 coolness and circumspection altogether uncommon, -which 
 awakened the warmest admiration on the part of Carleton 
 and myself. After marching along in this manner for half 
 an hour, we were ahle to perceive a faint light glimmering 
 in the far distance. 
 
 "Just five minutes more, and our worst trouble is over," 
 said our old conductor, turning toward us ; " but it is neces- 
 sary now to be more watchful, if possible, than before for 
 more alligators are lodged in the borders of this swamp than 
 in the middle." 
 
 Overjoyed at this intelligence, and in great haste to feel 
 myself once more on solid ground, I did not give sufficient 
 heed to the caution of the old man, and as the logs lay 
 nearer to each other at this point, I dashed zealously on- 
 ward. I placed my foot on one which, from its not being 
 covered with moss, as so many of them were, I deemed of 
 the firmest, when I suddenly felt it move. I had barely 
 time to shout out "Help," ere I found myself plunged up 
 to the shoulders in the soft mud of the swamp, and with the 
 pleasant prospect of sinking yet deeper. 
 
 " May the take you !" cried our old Yankee in a tone 
 
 of vexation, as he bent himself lithely forward, and caught 
 me by the hair. "Let this serve as a warning," he con- 
 tinued, as he drew me out of the swamp, and placed me 
 once more on firm footing; "look sharp, I tell you once 
 more, and take heed where you are going." And indeed
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 29 
 
 great caution was necessary, for I observed at least half a 
 dozen snakes and alligators crawling about in the black 
 waters of the bog, and in a proximity to ourselves that cer- 
 tainly was anything but pleasant. At this moment, too, 
 perhaps from the effect of my muddy bath, I became sen- 
 sible of a violent sickness at my stomach, so severe as almost 
 to deprive me of the power of speech. The old man saw 
 my condition, and handed me his flask of brandy, which he 
 carried in a side pocket. 
 
 " There, take a swallow or two," said he ; " or stop, you 
 had better wait until we are out of the swamp, which we 
 shall be in a few minutes. Just stand still for a moment, 
 and your stomach will right itself; so there that will do 
 now let us go on. When you have made four or five such 
 journeys over this swamp with me, you will be another 
 man ; so now forward !" 
 
 A few minutes more and we felt ourselves on the firm 
 earth, and in view of a wide field, over which a pure and 
 refreshing breeze was blowing. 
 
 "Now let us have a mouthful or two of brandy," said our 
 leader ; " in half an hour more we shall be at the salt hill, 
 where we can shoot a buck. Halloo ! what is that ?" 
 
 " Tis a clap of thunder," I replied. 
 
 "A clap jof thunder, indeed ! I think you have never 
 seen a storm in Louisiana, or you would know the crack of 
 a rifle from a peal of thunder. But they are grand echoes, 
 these here, in the oak forests. James has shot off his gun 
 and killed a dear already for us."
 
 30 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 A second report followed. This time I was able to dis- 
 cover it was undoubtedly a shot from a rifle, but the echoes 
 from that mighty forest repeating it a thousand times made 
 it appear like the threatening of an earthquake. 
 
 " We know now what to do with ourselves, since we are 
 yet in our own skins, and not in the maw of an alligator," 
 said our old Yankee, as he fired his gun in the air. 
 
 In half an hour we found ourselves at the so-called salt 
 hill, where we found James and Joel, the two sons of our 
 leader. They were so busy in the skinning and preparing 
 of the buck they had shot, that they were not aware of our 
 approach until we were close beside them. We threw our- 
 selves on the grass at a short space from the spot where 
 they so busily prosecuted their task, not a little wearied by 
 the fatigue and danger of our adventurous journey. It was 
 not, however, until after they had disposed of the slaugh- 
 tered buck, according to their rude sportsman-like fashion, 
 that the young men bestowed any greeting on their father, 
 which they did with the quiet indifference which character- 
 ized all their actions. 
 
 " Would you like to eat a plain supper here, or will you 
 wait until we get home ?" inquired the old man with some 
 show of courtesy. 
 
 " How far is it to your settlement ?" 
 
 " Full two leagues, you may be sure." 
 
 "Well then, we would greatly prefer to eat our meal here." 
 
 " Just as you like," was the laconic reply. 
 
 Without further loss of time the hind quarters of the ani-
 
 AN ADVENTURE IN LOUISIANA. 31 
 
 mal were cut in pieces and carefully dressed ; dry leaves, 
 twigs, and decayed branches were gathered in a heap, and 
 soon a bright fire sent forth a warm and ruddy glow. The 
 meat was placed on a wooden spit in a manner known only 
 to backwoodsmen, and then laid over the bright embers, 
 and turned by one of the young hunters until roasted in a 
 manner that could not be surpassed by a fashionable cook. 
 In another half hour we sat down to this, our primitive sup- 
 per in the wilderness ; and although eaten without bread, 
 vegetables, or condiments, tasted as well as any I ever ate 
 in my life.
 
 mit|r 
 
 ALTHOUGH thirty years ago there was no regular European 
 settlement established on the north coast of America, yet 
 ships touched there every year for the purpose of traffic in 
 beads, pocket knives, guns, powder and shot, which they 
 exchanged with the natives for the costly peltries which be- 
 long to those colder climes. The ship in which I served 
 as second mate had been engaged in this profitable trade for 
 many months, and had nearly advanced to the fiftieth de- 
 gree of north latitude, when an Indian, who could speak a 
 little English, came on board, and offered to conduct us to 
 a point on the coast where we could obtain the skins of the 
 sea otter in plenty, and nearly for nothing. Nothing doubt- 
 ing, we yielded ourselves to his guidance, and he therefore 
 directed our ship's course through a small creek, where he 
 promised us a safe harborage, being protected from the 
 fierce sea winds by an island that lay at its mouth. As 
 soon as we had cast our anchor, we were perfectly assured 
 of our safety as regarded storms from seaward ; but at the 
 same time we observed that the creek was very small, and 
 our ships scarcely an hundred yards distant from the coast, 
 and the island inhabited by Indians, completely exposed to 
 every attack those savages might choose to make, and who, 
 (32)
 
 A Sea-fight with Savages.
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 88 
 
 as we had heard, were not only cunning and treacherous, 
 but particularly revengeful and cruel. In such circum- 
 stances it may be supposed that on our part the greatest 
 circumspection was necessary. The anchor was scarcely 
 thrown, and the ship moored, until it was noticed that 
 our Indian guide had disappeared. The sailors, who pre- 
 tended they could not pronounce the Indian name by which 
 he called himself, had nicknamed him Ducker, because 
 whenever he heard a gun fired, he stooped or ducked, as 
 they termed it, so that the shot might fly above his head. 
 But after the lapse of little more than an hour he returned 
 with three of his companions in a boat, which was filled to 
 the brim with the most beautiful furs. During our trading 
 with these Indians we discovered that, although their wild 
 and brute-shaped features were expressive only of stupidity, 
 they were cunning, overreaching, and exceedingly avaricious. 
 Notwithstanding this, we were able (in the course of an 
 hour) to exchange our wares for a hundred skins of the sea 
 otter, and our savage customers appeared as well satisfied 
 with their share of the traffic as ourselves. They declared 
 that if we would only remain at anchor for a few days 
 longer, we should have six, yea, seven times as many, and 
 handsomer skins. Our captain at once consented to remain 
 in the harbor for a time, induced to linger by the hope of 
 gain. 
 
 As soon as this determination was made known to the 
 savages, two of them paddled off in their canoe toward the 
 coast, while Ducker and the one they had left, whom he called 
 3
 
 34 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 Russ, remained with us in our ship. As we had nothing to 
 do on board, we begged the Captain's permission to explore 
 the coast. The request was granted ; and as myself, the 
 lieutenant, and four sailors, manned the jolly boat the 
 skipper himself resolved to make one of our party. We 
 sailed merrily, and in a few minutes reached the shore, 
 which was thickly covered with trees, whose thick leaved 
 branches hung down so low over the surface of the water 
 until they dipped into it. We landed beneath the pleasant 
 shade, and then found ourselves in a dense forest, standing 
 in all its primitive wildness, and stretching over a wide 
 expanse of this seemingly uninhabited land. No where were 
 to be seen signs of cultivation no curling smoke arose above 
 the tree tops to tell of human habitation rno path was visi- 
 ble on the forest moss to show that the foot of man had 
 ever passed there. After traversing the wood in different 
 directions, we returned to our boat, and directed its course 
 towards the island which separated the bay from the sea. 
 Having once more landed, we found the remains of an In- 
 dian encampment a short distance from the beach, which, 
 judging from the appearances of many fire places, must have 
 been occupied not long since. Our curiosity was awakened ; 
 we searched carefully round, and soon found other things that 
 filled us with astonishment and alarm. The first was the 
 head of a broken rudder, which the lieutenant picked up. 
 This discovery awakened a feeling which set us all in lively 
 movement; and we soon collected numerous bits of plank 
 and other broken pieces of wood, which had evidently been
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 35 
 
 parts of a ship all of which bore the marks of having been 
 burned in the fire, and lay scattered about in all directions. 
 From all these the iron had been carefully removed, the 
 very nails withdrawn a task which could not have been 
 accomplished without much trouble. From what we saw of t 
 this wood, we judged that the stranded ship, if indeed it 
 had been stranded, was one of great value. After searching 
 about for a while, we returned to the deserted encampment, 
 and on a more careful inspection, found other pieces of a 
 wreck, which, from their great weight and having no iron in 
 their construction, had not been burned, namely, a part of 
 the keel and a large portion of the body of the ship. While 
 all around me were busy with conjectures as to the fate of 
 the ship and her crew, which all we saw tended to confirm 
 as disastrous, being weary I withdrew a little apart from 
 the rest and sat down on a flat stone that lay near the shore. 
 My seat, however, was not firmly placed ; and as I moved it 
 so as to make it level, I saw a broad piece of slate under it, 
 which was written over with characters distinctly legible. 
 I read it, and, astonished at this confimation of our fears, 
 I called to my companions, and read the sorrowful docu- 
 ment, which some hand now no more had engraved on the 
 stone with a knife. 
 
 " The American brig, Sea Otter, was on the 1st of June, 
 1799, decoyed into this bay, seized upon and broken up by 
 savages. The captain and eight men were killed upon the 
 spot. The brig was plundered and brought to the shore, 
 where, for the sake of the iron, it was burnt."
 
 36 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 We gazed upon each other with looks of horror. 
 
 " Decoyed into this bay !" the captain at length repeated 
 " decoyed by savages. Yes, yes I begin to comprehend 
 the whole thing. If we only had a fair wind, or any wind 
 indeed, I would stand out to sea at once." 
 
 " There is no necessity for that," answered the lieuten- 
 ant. "We have had sufficient warning, and being now 
 completely on our guard, we will be able to outwit the savage 
 rascals. Besides, I believe Ducker and his friend have no 
 mind to act treacherously by us, and the poor knaves are 
 too stupid to plot any such enterprise against us. No doubt 
 in my mind but that the Sea Otter has fallen into the power 
 of some other tribe.'* 
 
 This view of the case was not lost on the captain. He 
 had found his trading with these men of the wilderness so 
 very profitable, that he was tempted to pursue it further, 
 and was sincere in his belief, that the two Indians who had 
 brought us into the bay, as well as their savage brethren, 
 were too harmless and simple for us to be in danger from 
 their machinations. If we would only double our watchful- 
 ness, and never permit more than three or four of these 
 traders to come on board at once, we could certainly remain 
 Borne days yet, and pursue the traffic without any danger. 
 This reasoning was conclusive. We returned to our ship, 
 and the captain having all hands piped to the deck, made 
 them acquainted with our discovery, and enjoined the 
 greatest caution and watchfulness, as well as the strictest 
 obedience to orders. By this time night had come on, and
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES 3'< 
 
 we betook ourselves to rest. But sleep came not at my 
 bidding. I passed the hours in an uneasy mood a boding 
 of evil hung over me, for a hidden foe is the worst evil I 
 can suppose. But all remained still. The two Indians, 
 Ducker and Russ, who had received permission to remain 
 on board, answered all our questions in a most simple and 
 unembarrassed manner, declaring they had never heard 
 aught of the destroyed ship. The night passed over, how- 
 ever, without alarm, and the next day in peace ; and as it 
 waned towards its close, whatever feelings of distrust might 
 have been harbored by any of our men, were fully put to 
 rest by its quiet passage. 
 
 I was the only one on board that seemed to have any un- 
 easiness, and I could not conceal that I was disturbed. I 
 was particularly dissatisfied that the two Indians were per- 
 mitted to remain on the deck, not only on the first but 
 second night. At midnight, when I turned out for my 
 watch, although all was quiet, I was determined to send 
 them off to land ; but, in truth, I was ashamed to act with 
 such seeming hardness towards two poor old unarmed men 
 it looked too much like being afraid of them. Besides, 
 the stars shining forth so brightly, no canoe could approach 
 the ship without being observed by myself, and I had only 
 to call aloud and the crew would be on deck in an instant. 
 I therefore gave up my suspicion of lurking danger I even 
 forgot the two Indians, who lay sleeping on the deck behind 
 me, and yielded myself up to sweet waking dreams of my 
 country and my home. The calm beauty of the polar night,
 
 38 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 sparkling with the stars that gemmed its brow, the hush 
 the quiet of all around, was particularly calculated to excite 
 a mood like this. I gave myself up to its absorbing influ- 
 ence I thought of parents, and brothers, and gentle 
 sisters I called up the scenes of happy childhood, and 
 lived over again the careless days of reckless youth all 
 passed over my spirit like the shadows cast by a phantas- 
 magoria ; when suddenly a handkerchief was thrust into my 
 mouth, so that I was unable to utter the slightest sound, 
 and at the same moment I felt my arms imprisoned by some 
 invisible hand from behind, as firmly as if I were enclosed 
 within the grasp of a vice. I turned hastily, and as well 
 as I could, and found the villain Russ breathing not an 
 inch from my ear, while he was fastening the knot of the 
 cord with which the treacherous Ducker had imprisoned my 
 arms. All this was done so suddenly, and with such ac- 
 complished dexterity, that one second must have sufficed to 
 make me a helpless prisoner. I was evidently thus secured 
 in order to prevent my calling on the crew for help, for it 
 would have been as easy for my captors to have killed me 
 on the spot ; wherefore, as soon as I was able to think, I 
 inferred I owed my life only to the wish of Kuss to retain 
 me as his slave. From this moment all impress of stupidity 
 vanished from the hitherto stolid features of these treach- 
 erous villains 1 looked in the face first of one, and then the 
 other, and the glance convinced me they had all along 
 acted in concert. Whilst Russ was plundering me of my 
 weapons, Ducker took up a lantern which stood near me on
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES, 39 
 
 the deck, and having lighted it, hung it for a minute over 
 the taffrail. His signal must have been answered almost 
 immediately, for he extinguished the light as soon as he 
 drew up the lantern, and walked quickly but with noiseless! 
 step along the deck, to overpower any of the seamen who 
 might be found waking, or prevent any one advancing from 
 the hatchways where they sometimes rested. But none 
 appeared the anxiety of the preceding night and day had 
 driven each one to his hammock, where he slept as soundly 
 as if he were to awake no more. 
 
 I now expected that the knaves would load the jolly boat 
 with all that they could find, and make off for the shore as 
 soon as possible, for I could not believe that two men would 
 have the hardihood to venture on such a bold stroke as to 
 endeavor to capture such a ship's crew as ours. But in this 
 case I reckoned without my host. Ten minutes had proba- 
 bly passed since the instant in which I felt myself a prisoner, 
 and then, to my surprise and alarm, I saw dark figures 
 clambering up the sides of the ship, until thirty in number 
 attained the deck. This was done so noiselessly, and in 
 such perfect concert, that it was only by the greatest atten- 
 tion I could observe their movements or their number, until 
 we were fairly and inextricably surrounded. They were all 
 armed, but variously. Some few had guns, others clubs, 
 but the greater number were equipped with bows and arrows. 
 As far as I could see, each savage carried a knife, and many 
 had a hatchet or tomahawk. 
 
 To my great regret, I saw three or four of the best armed
 
 40 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 take possession of the steps leading to the cabin, and as 
 many more station themselves beside the fore- hatchway. 
 By these movements, all egress from below was cut off, both 
 to officers and crew, should any alarm arouse and bring 
 them to the deck. The main and steerage hatch were used 
 every day, but at night both were fastened down and 
 covered, and as this was a constant custom, not a man on 
 board would have thought of ascending by either of those 
 steps, unless opened by some one on deck, who would have 
 acquainted them with the threatened danger. 
 
 A quarter of an hour passed, in which, notwithstanding 
 the active preparations made by the savages, their move- 
 ments were so noiseless you might have heard a pin drop. 
 I closed my eyes, and endeavored to compose my thoughts 
 for prayer, when my meditations were disturbed by hearing 
 a voice which I knew to be the Captain's, calling my name. 
 I would have given the world to have been able to warn 
 him of the impending danger, but although I essayed to do 
 so, I was not able to utter a sound. At length the unhappy 
 man appeared in the opening. He was only half dressed 
 and bare headed, for he had risen from his hammock, and 
 had only come on deck to see the state of things there, aa 
 was his habit often, and I shudder even now as in fancy 1 
 recall the sound of the blow that fell upon his unprotected 
 skull. It was like a stroke aimed at a bullock, and crushed 
 him on the spot. Nevertheless his murderers were too 
 cautious to let the body fall on the deck, fearing to waken 
 the sleepers below, and the splash that followed, as they
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 41 
 
 carefully lowered the body down into the water, could not 
 have met any ear less painfully strained to listen for all 
 sounds than my own. 
 
 I believed now it was their plan to murder officers and 
 crew altogether as soon as they should ascend to the deck. 
 But I soon found out I was in error. Instead of attacking 
 any man above, the savages followed an entirely different 
 plan. After they had murdered the Captain, they closed 
 the hatchway leading to the cabin, covered the fore hatch- 
 way, and took every precaution, and such as would have 
 done credit to more sagacious heads than we believed them 
 to possess, for securing the officers and crew as prisoners 
 inside the vessel. 
 
 But it was impossible to do this in such silence as had 
 hitherto characterized their movements. The noise una- 
 voidably made by fastening down the hatches had awakened 
 the sleepers below, and apparently brought all into motion. 
 I heard a thumping against the cabin door, as well as that 
 of the fore hatchway, but all was in vain ; the sagacious 
 Russ had taken his measures too carefully to have them 
 thus easily defeated. 
 
 As soon as the savages had assured themselves that their 
 prisoners were well secured below, they approached me and 
 loosened the rope with which my arms were bound, so far 
 that I experienced considerable relief; that which impris- 
 oned my feet they untied altogether, and removed the gag 
 from my mouth. They then led me to the door which led 
 down into the cabin, and gave me to understand by signs
 
 42 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 that I might speak to my friends below. I did not do so at 
 once, but waited until I heard a movement on the steps 
 which led to the spot where I stood I then obeyed the 
 bidding of my savage masters. 
 
 " Master lieutenant," I cried, loud enough to be heard 
 through the closed-up hatchway "master lieutenant, is 
 that you?" 
 
 " Aye, aye, it is myself," was the answer ; " but what in 
 the name of heaven is going on above there ? what has hap- 
 pened ?" 
 
 " Be cautious what you do," I replied ; " the savages are 
 in possession of the deck, and I am their prisoner. The 
 sailors are all in the forecastle below, and the fore hatchway 
 is strongly guarded." 
 
 " We miss the captain," was the lieutenant's rejoinder. 
 "I wonder what has become of him have you seen or 
 heard anything of him ?" 
 
 " Alas, I have the villains killed him with the blow of 
 a club, and threw the body overboard !" was my painful 
 answer. 
 
 A death-like silence now ensued for a few minutes, and 
 the lieutenant then spoke firmly, yet in tones which showed 
 that intense emotion had been but lately subdued. 
 
 "It is then my duty to take the command and determine 
 what is best to be done," he called aloud. " Be candid, my 
 friend are you free ? durst you say what you please ?" 
 
 " We must be cautious. I was seized upon by the two 
 savages that were permitted to remain on deck," I replied,
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 43 
 
 " and am the prisoner of the band. They bade me come 
 here to speak with you, but be careful how you speak 
 I fear it is but a trap, and that many among them under- 
 stand all we say." 
 
 " Listen, then," continued the lieutenant; "we know each 
 other, and understand our own interest without many words. 
 How old are you ?" 
 
 " Full thirty years, sir, and very stout and robust." 
 
 " Well provided with sulphur and pills,* or only with 
 those Indian playthings that our boys have been shown off 
 with for pastime ?" 
 
 " A little sulphur and some pills a half dozen may be, 
 together with the juggling implements, which are not to be 
 despised." 
 
 Our conversation was interrupted at this point by the two 
 savages, who led me back to the spot on which I had been 
 captured, where they forced me to remain all night, which 
 passed away without any disturbance. Russ, the most sa- 
 gacious of the two, would not permit his comrade to begin 
 any movement until the day had broken, at which time it 
 was evident he expected a reinforcement. The gray dawn 
 rose on the bosom of the ocean, to which I looked with 
 anxious eyes until the cold tint ripened into a ruddy glow ; 
 and as the sun rose from his watery bed like a ball of fire, 
 a long, loud, and shrill whistle was sent forth from the ship, 
 which was immediately answered from the shore. The for- 
 est we have already mentioned as extending to the beach, 
 
 * Powder and shot.
 
 44 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 seemed literally swarming with human beings ; and only a 
 few minutes elapsed until a number of canoes were pushed 
 off. They were filled even to the water's edge with sava- 
 ges, and I was able to count them as they climbed up the 
 deck. I counted one hundred and fifty, and as no more 
 men came off, I concluded this was the number of the tribe. 
 
 I was filled with astonishment at the plan of proceeding 
 adopted by these wild specimens of humanity. As soon as 
 it was broad daylight, all my bonds were removed, and I 
 received permission to move about the quarter deck, and 
 over the bloody spot where I had seen so terrible a tragedy 
 enacted on the night before. The condition of my mind can 
 be imagined when I declare, that I passed up and down over 
 the horrible attestation of man's cruelty without a feeling 
 save that of stolid indifference. I cared not for my own 
 life I felt no anxiety to preserve it. I expected death, 
 and must at this moment, to my shame, acknowledge that 
 my thoughts were more on the desire to revenge the outrage 
 we had sustained, than directed to the state beyond the 
 grave or repentance for my sins. I thought of them, but 
 with no softened feeling, for at the same time I envied my 
 comrades below, who had only to place a lighted match to 
 the powder magazine, and blow up the enemy with it and 
 themselves. 
 
 The sun had now risen high in the heavens, and the sava~ 
 ges held many talks with each other, discussing, as I was 
 able to understand, in what manner it would be best to 
 dispose of their booty and they decided at length in this
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 45 
 
 singular way: Under the direction of Ducker, several 
 small ropes, which they found in the ship's launch, were 
 thrown into the jolly boat, which, under a convoy of two or 
 three canoes, was dragged by its cable to the island. Tying 
 the ropes together, they bound them tightly to the trunk of 
 a tree, and fastening them at the other end to one of the 
 ship's timbers, they made the boat fly to and from, towing 
 her by means of the extended rope. That this was a work 
 of Pucker's preparation was evident, for the ropes were just 
 long enough to reach from the tree to our vessel, and proved 
 that the distance had been nicely calculated. As soon as 
 this work was done and it was speedily and dexterously 
 executed twenty or thirty of the savages laid hold of the 
 ropes and pulled with all their might. I now found they 
 were endeavoring to draw the ship on shore ; but as she lay 
 close and fast at anchor, they could not effect the least 
 movement. They now gave over the attempt, but it was 
 only for a time, and in order to search for the cook's cleaver, 
 with which Ducker knew he might hew the anchor cable to 
 pieces. They brought in all but six or eight canoes, and a 
 part of those were paddling around the ship with as much 
 confidence as though in a secure haven, and in the vicinity 
 of none but friends. Indeed, in all these operations I could 
 not but admire and wonder at the coolness with which Russ 
 issued his orders, and the regularity and submission with 
 which they were obeyed. At last, in one of the hiding 
 places of the ship's launch, an axe was found, and the noise 
 of the heavy blows necessary to the severing of the thick
 
 46 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 cable, acquainted the lieutenant in his prison below with the 
 work that was going forward. 
 
 I was awaiting the result of this movement with great 
 anxiety, when all at once I was startled by a noise resem- 
 bling the clash of weapons it was from the imprisoned 
 crew, who made an effort, although a vain one, to burst 
 open the hatchway which led to the quarter deck. But if 
 this one failed, another had been more successful a fact of 
 which I was made fully aware from the howling and scream- 
 ing that arose on all sides. A volley had been fired from 
 the cabin window, and all the savages contained in two 
 canoes that had come directly in the ship's line, eleven in 
 number, had tasted plentifully of the shot. Three were 
 killed upon the spot, the rest were mortally wounded. My life 
 would have been the sacrifice for this bold deed, had not Russ 
 interposed his authority, and commanded the savage who 
 had me in his grasp, to let go his hold in a tone and man- 
 ner which imposed instant obedience. It was evident that 
 Russ considered me as his own property. 
 
 As soon as the extent of injury was ascertained among 
 those dusky sons of the wilderness, whoever could now threw 
 himself into the remaining canoes, or the jolly boat, in order 
 to convey their killed or wounded brethren to the shore. 
 I watched all these proceedings from the quarter deck, and 
 was aware that the lieutenant was similarly engaged at the 
 cabin window below. The savages who remained on shore 
 were too wily to venture again within the line of a fire they 
 had found so unwholesome ; they were therefore forced to
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 47 
 
 wait until the ship could be turned from her present posi- 
 tion, ere they could bring help to their friends on board 
 without hazarding their own lives too rashly. It was there- 
 fore a considerable time before the wounded could be got 
 on shore, and in the meantime the ship was slowly but 
 surely nearing the land. That portion of the Indians who 
 remained on the island, when they saw the destructive effect 
 of the ship's fire among their companions, having no enemy 
 near on whom to vent their anger or revenge, waited to 
 pour it forth on the ship and her hapless crew when she was 
 fairly in their power ; and in order to shorten the time 
 which must intervene before they could commence their 
 work of murder, they used the greatest effort of their 
 united strength to draw the ship to land. The consequence 
 was, as they drew her too hastily inward, the rope at last 
 gave way and snapped asunder. 
 
 When this took place, I was leaning on the rudder ; 
 Russ, the villanous chief, was standing by my side. The 
 ebb tide was flowing very strongly, and the ship was even 
 now in the entrance of the small strait between the island 
 and the point which fashioned the end of the bay, so that 
 her course would now naturally be directed towards the tree 
 to which she had been attached by the broken rope. Less 
 from intention than an instinctive impulse, I gave the ship 
 a move with the rudder, a feat which my leaning position 
 enabled me to do without suspicion from Russ, and which, 
 instead of driving her on shore, sent her back through the 
 narrow strait which we had so nearly passed.
 
 48 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 I gave this stroke without a hope of its success, or a 
 thought of its consequences ; my motive, if indeed I had 
 any, was a reluctance to see our goodly vessel dashed to 
 pieces on the rocks, although I knew that her destruction 
 was, in any case, inevitable. Happily for me, Ducker was 
 in one of the canoes, and the threatened fire from the cabin 
 windows made it rather a difficult matter for him to follow 
 the ship, even if he had seen and understood my movement. 
 But it passed without his observation, he had enough to do 
 to attend to his wounded companions who had been borne 
 to the shore, where they were receiving all the attention, 
 required by their condition, or their friends could bestow. 
 This, therefore, naturally drew off their attention from the 
 movements on board, and for five minutes left me master of 
 the ship ; and, as I have said before, Russ did not suspect 
 me of any design ; I swayed the rudder once more, and in 
 that short space our craft was driven through the little strait 
 and shot rapidly forth toward the open sea. 
 
 This unexpected occurrence considerably changed the 
 aspect of affairs. A gleam of hope once more began to 
 illumine my soul, but yet it failed to enlighten me as to any 
 definite purpose, or show me how the present slight advan- 
 tage might be improved. Although my agency in the mat- 
 ter had created no suspicion, the altered course of the ship 
 had at once awakened the savages on board to a sense of 
 their danger. Filled with alarm, they ran up and down on 
 the deck, and as the ship drove onward, the half of them 
 jumped overboard and swam to the island. I stood tremb-
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 49 
 
 ling with anxiety, hoping this example would be followed by 
 the rest, but not so ; twenty-five still remained, because, as 
 I afterwards learned, they could not swim. Among the 
 number was Russ, not detained, however, by the same motive 
 as his followers, but a determination not to be separated 
 from the booty so nearly his own. 
 
 I looked at my dusky captors I marked their sudden 
 discomfiture, and a thought that the hour of deliverance was 
 come shot through my brain. I sprang to the steps leading 
 to the cabin, and was about to unclose the fastenings of the 
 hatchway, in hopes of releasing my comrades, and making 
 ourselves masters of the vessel, and taking advantage of the 
 confusion the sudden firing had created among the savages, 
 but a rude blow, and a glance at the long knife whose 
 bright blade gleamed in the sunlight, as brandished over my 
 head by the hand of the chief, reminded me of the necessity 
 of prudence, and that on presence of mind and coolness of 
 action, my own life and that of my imprisoned fellows now 
 depended. Things indeed looked better, but had not so far 
 succeeded as to admit of any rash proceeding on my part ; 
 and Russ was not the man to be easily over-reached or inti- 
 fmidated, as were his savage brethren, or as I so confidently 
 supposed. In the meantime the ship had not swerved an 
 inch from her obedience to the helm. As soon as she had 
 passed the outside point of the island, a gentle south wind 
 had sprung up, and as this pressed her too close on the land 
 within the bond of the bay, I again found myself in a posi- 
 tion to use the rudder to advantage. I gave a stroke or 
 4
 
 50 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 two, and had the happiness to see that the same movement 
 that kept her off the coast, also increased her distance from 
 the island. 
 
 The ship's motion now became so perceptible, that it was 
 not possible but that it should be noticed by my savage 
 master it was, and his suspicion was slightly aroused. 
 He strode up to me with upraised hand and flashing knife, 
 his whole manner proving that his hitherto kindness for me, 
 let it proceed from whatever motive it might, did not at this 
 moment exist in the same degree as formerly. As he brand- 
 ished this knife repeatedly, and in the most fearful manner, 
 before my eyes, and significantly pointed the blade towards 
 my breast, he gave me very plainly to understand what 
 should be my fate in case I refused to do his bidding, and 
 that I should at once turn the ship's course to the island. 
 
 Although I believed my last hour to have arrived, I still 
 maintained presence of mind. I pointed to the mast, and 
 by signs expressed to my savage master that the ship was 
 not in her usual trim, and I was not able to manage her 
 without help. The first part of my excuse was made suffi- 
 ciently intelligible to be understood, for it was evident even 
 to him that the yards and sails were not in the position in 
 which he himself had been accustomed to see them. Russ 
 therefore signed to me to unloose a sail, showing besides 
 that himself, as well as his followers, were ready to assist me 
 in the work. 
 
 I surely need not here remark, that this command filled 
 me with rapture. I proceeded at once to work with at least
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 51 
 
 a dozen of wild hands, and setting them a good example, in 
 a few minutes the sail was set. I then took another set 
 and with their assistance unfurled three other sails. The 
 issue of these manoeuvres were almost instantly apparent, 
 for the ship, as soon as we reached the point from which the 
 south-east wind blew, and her sails swelled in the light land 
 breeze, moved rapidly on towards the ocean. Four sails 
 were now set, and in a few moments we had left the island 
 a quarter of a mile behind. 
 
 In the meantime, the anxiety and impatience of the chief 
 and his people increased in proportion as the ship held on 
 her way. They saw with horror and alarm, how each 
 minute increased the distance between themselves and the 
 coast, yet they knew not how to proceed in order to turn 
 the vessel towards the island she was so rapidly leaving. 
 My own situation, too, was one which required considera- 
 tion I feared every moment I should fall a sacrifice to 
 their revenge. And, indeed, I am to this moment con- 
 vinced I only owed my life to the fact that the savages 
 knew not how to manage the ship without me but for this, 
 I had been the victim of the ruse I practised so successfully 
 upon them. 
 
 Russ, however, still true to himself, with three or four of 
 his least stupid companions, began to threaten me once 
 more with upraised knife, and showed me by signs I should 
 turn the ship's head towards the land. In order to gain 
 time, I let them consult with each other as long as I could 
 with safety, and then proceeded to show them by signs how
 
 52 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 necessary it was to tack, as sailors term it, in order to reach 
 a desired point. I described a wide circle on the floor of 
 the deck pointed to the sails we had set, and signified to 
 them that it was only by this means, and going out into the 
 open sea, that we could turn the ship, and bring her to the 
 shore. As I succeeded in making this comprehensible to 
 them, thus partially quieting their anxiety, I resolved to 
 push my manoeuvre yet further, and signified that if another 
 sail was unfurled, we could then turn about almost imme- 
 diately. The savages understood me, and as this plan 
 seemed reasonable, they assembled together, and consulted 
 a considerable time, doubtless as to its expediency. Russ 
 then came up to me, and signed that I should show himself 
 and his people how to manage the remaining sails. Of 
 course I was not slow in obeying this order. In a few 
 minutes the work was accomplished, and as I descended to 
 the deck, the savages attested their satisfaction and their 
 joy by loud shoutings. We were now a full mile from the 
 coast ; the tide was beginning to rise, and that the ship 
 should overcome the power of the stream, the wind being so 
 light, it was necessary the jib must be unreefed. In this I 
 also succeeded, by making them believe it was indispensable 
 thus to crowd sail in order to reach the coast, and as they 
 were now convinced their return depended entirely upon 
 me, they gave themselves up to implicitly obey my orders. 
 They set to work in two minutes the jib stay was set, and 
 at a sign from me they began to hoist the sail. 
 At no moment of my life was I ever happier than when
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 53 
 
 this great sheet of canvas opened itself out to meet the wind. 
 I believed now I might listen to the sweet whispering of 
 hope the hope that I might be able to save the lives of my 
 imprisoned messmates, and rescue the ship, which every 
 sailor loves as his home, from destruction. 
 
 While such thoughts passed through my breast, filling it 
 with rapture, I was at the same time busily observing the 
 canoes through my glass. They were following us, and were 
 now perhaps half a mile distant, when all at once they left 
 off rowing, and lying close together, seemed to hold council 
 with each other. The fancy struck me that, from the 
 hoisting sail and the ship's bearing away towards the ocean, 
 they supposed we had become masters of the vessel once 
 more. If this imagination were correct, I felt I should 
 have gained much, could I only act so that this belief should 
 be strengthened. And, indeed, I had the means for this at 
 hand. The savages, still obedient to my orders, were busy 
 fastening the ropes as I had directed them, and this close 
 employment hindered them from watching my movements 
 too accurately. To keep old Russ in a good humor, I had 
 given him a cigar, and also taken the liberty to light one for 
 myself. Our cannon on the evening before had been loaded 
 with cartridges, directed, and freed from their covering, 
 were ready to be discharged against the enemy at a mo- 
 ment's warning. I sprung towards the rudder, and gave 
 the wheel a strong turn, until I brought the ship into a fair 
 line with the canoes I then gave a hasty glance over the 
 range of the guns, and saw they were pointed in the right
 
 64 A SEA-FIGFIT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 direction, and touching the match with my lighted cigar, 
 sprung back on the wheel, and once more pressed down the 
 rudder. The report sounded long and loud over the face 
 of the waters a fearful outcry from among the savages on 
 board followed, many of whom were ready to throw them- 
 selves overboard, while Russ, storming up to me, again 
 menaced me with his long knife. Had he had the slightest 
 suspicion that I was the cause of the uproar by firing the 
 shot, he would certainly in his wrath have cut me down 
 where I stood, necessary as I was to him in the manage- 
 ment of the ship. Whatever was the result of the council 
 held by the canoes as they lay together, it was at once 
 broken up, for as the grape shot whistled over their heads, 
 they at once began to paddle vigorously for the shore, ap- 
 parently of the opinion that we had sent them this gentle 
 intimation that we were once more masters of the ship, and 
 wished them to keep at a respectful distance. 
 
 I had succeeded beyond my warmest expectation, and I 
 now gave myself confidently to hope that I should ultimately 
 be able to save, not only my own life, but the ship and her 
 crew. When we were once so far out at sea, that the land 
 was no longer visible, then my presence would be so indis- 
 pensable to the savages, that I felt I should then be the 
 conqueror, holding the victory in my own hands. The coast 
 was flat and low, and a five or six hours' sail would carry us 
 out of sight of it altogether. 
 
 With great pleasure I now began to discover the effect of 
 the ship's rolling on the savages; five or six of them, with
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 55 
 
 the chief himself, began to show symptoms of pretty severe 
 sea-sickness. What would I not have given to have had all 
 the knaves in rough water ? The ship was now about two 
 leagues distant from the land, and objects on the coast were 
 growing dim and indistinct. Nothing more was to be seen 
 of the canoes, and I therefore inferred they had given up 
 the chase. I now believed the decisive moment had arrived, 
 and began to meditate in what manner the blow should be 
 struck. Russ and his followers had, by this time, become 
 clamorous insisting that the ship should be turned. The 
 strip of coast now vanishing until nought but its dusky out- 
 line was to be seen ; the wide waste of waters through which 
 we were now rapidly speeding ; the sickness by which they 
 were all becoming more or less affected four of the number 
 lying helpless on the deck; all began to weigh upon and fill 
 them with lively alarm. The old chief, it was evident, was 
 very sick ; but his determined spirit, and the dangerous 
 situation in which he now believed himself and his compa- 
 nions placed, kept him upright. He scorned to yield to such 
 a contemptible enemy. I dared not altogether despise his 
 threatening, which every moment grew more earnest ; so 
 I was forced to make a feint as if I was really going 
 to turn the ship's prow towards the land. I called my sav- 
 age hands to assist me; and unreefing the main sail, I 
 pressed the ship fairly before the wind. We put about 
 better than I expected ; and as my dusky masters saw that 
 we were in reality nearing the shore, their expressions of 
 joy were almost rapturous.
 
 56 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 I could not but remark that, from the moment the ship's prow 
 was turned in the wished- for direction, Russ and his com- 
 panions were much less watchful of my movements. I, there- 
 fore, soon found an opportunity to attract the lieutenant to 
 the cabin window without having been observed by the sava- 
 ges. I made him understand that he should bring his men 
 to the forepart of the ship, as I noticed the savages care- 
 fully avoided it on account of its being every now and then 
 almost buried in the waves ; and at the same time bade him 
 have all things in readiness for a decisive battle. As soon 
 as I was assured he comprehended the state of affairs above, 
 I went to the fore-deck, and began busily to handle some 
 ropes that lay there, laying and placing them as if discharg- 
 ing some necessary duty. The single savage who stood as 
 sentry upon the fore-deck, was so really sea-sick, that I felt 
 I had but little to fear from him, although he was armed 
 with the pistol his chief had taken from me. 
 
 The trap-door covering the hatchway was itself certainly 
 very strong ; but it was only fastened by a cramp, through 
 which was passed a piece of iron, which held it down. I 
 needed but to stoop and withdraw this iron one touch of 
 my hand and the hatchway would be open, and the sailors 
 free. I took advantage of a favorable moment ; seemingly 
 busy with my ropes, I passed my hand over on the trap-door, 
 moved the cramp, and the opening was made. The ship's 
 crew, with the lieutenant at their head, rushed up on deck. 
 At the same moment I seized upon the watching savage, tore 
 my pistol from his grasp, and felled him by a ringing blow 
 to the earth.
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 57 
 
 While I was about this business, I heard a loud " hurrah" 
 from the sailors. The lieutenant called out, " Kevenge our 
 Captain !" and gave command to his men to begin the onset. 
 I had my Indian completely in my power ; and bringing 
 him close to the mast, I bound him firmly to it with a rope. 
 From his first seizure, the fellow made no resistance ; so, 
 preparing my pistol, I left him to his fate, and joined with 
 my comrades in the battle that was raging. Ere I left the 
 quarter-deck, I heard the splash of many bodies as they fell 
 in the water; then followed a sound as proceeding from 
 wild, heavy crashing blows. No shot was fired on either 
 side our people only using the pikes they had armed them- 
 selves with on the evening before when confined below, and 
 which they had not laid aside. 
 
 By the time I reached the main mast, the ship was once 
 more in our power. More than half of our savage assailants 
 had thrown themselves in the water ; those that remained 
 were quickly disposed of with a stroke from a pike, or blow 
 on the head from a bludgeon, until none were left except 
 the old chief, who, at the command of the lieutenant, was 
 bound hand and foot by the sailors. Of the living beings who 
 had thrown themselves overboard, not a trace was to be 
 seen the sea had already swallowed up its victims. The 
 circling eddy had subsided into smoothness; and we were 
 already busy in overhauling our rigging and cleansing the 
 quarter-deck from the blood that polluted it. We worked 
 as men unmoved by such fearful scenes were likely to do ; 
 and three hours before 'sundown we had restored all things
 
 58 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 
 
 on board to their accustomed order. In the meantime we 
 had again tacked, and were approaching the coast. The 
 cannons were loaded and sails set, and I was fairly at a loss 
 to conjecture what could be the intention of the lieutenant, 
 on whom the command now devolved, in respect to Russ ; or, 
 if indeed he was going to enter into the bay where we had 
 anchored two days before. I did not feel it my place to 
 question him ; but if I had, there would have been but little 
 time to do so. As soon as we were opposite the island, the 
 cannon vomited forth a shower of grape shot right into the 
 bushes and trees, which, as we have already said, reached 
 down to the shore. The only answer to this salute, was a 
 piercing outcry from the forest, which made the lieutenant's 
 motive apparent, and proved he was not wrong in his 
 conjecture as to the hiding-place of our wily enemies. Af- 
 ter firing a few more rounds of cartridges, and sending forth 
 a volley or two from our muskets into the groups of trees 
 on the mainland coast, we turned our vessel's prow in the 
 opposite direction, and hastened to reach the open sea while 
 daylight yet remained. But before we left the bay, sentence 
 was passed upon Russ, the treacherous leader, that was 
 intended to servers a warning to his whole tribe ; for there 
 could be no doubt but that the savages had been from the 
 first, and now were, watching the ship from the leafy covert 
 where they could harbour unobserved. 
 
 The old chief, with fettered hands, and a card fastened 
 about his neck, was made to mount upon one of the guns ; 
 and at a sign given by the lieutenant, was hoisted up to the
 
 A SEA-FIGHT WITH SAVAGES. 59 
 
 yard-arm. A few minutes afterwards the rope was cut, 
 and the corpse of the old Indian tumbled into the waters. 
 One instant sufficed for us to see it ere it vanished forever 
 in the depths of the devouring ocean. As the sun went 
 down, we turned to look at the spot so fraught with unex- 
 pected adventure to ourselves, but we saw it not. Our ship 
 had sped rapidly on our way, and the coast was already out 
 of sight.
 
 " WHAT a glorious place to encamp !" cried I aloud, as I 
 sprung from my mule and stretched myself upon the earth. 
 And it certainly had all the appearance of a spot belonging 
 to fairy land, this place which our conductor had chosen 
 for our bivouack. A gentle ascent was shaded by high, 
 thick leaved mahogany trees, the ground covered with the 
 bright, luxuriant foliage peculiar to the tropics, and from 
 one of the rocks, that bounded this lovely valley, issued a 
 cascade, that, gathering its waters into a little brook below, 
 spread coolness and freshness on all around. 
 
 My friend Rowley fully shared in my rapturous admira- 
 tion of this Elysian spot, and foreboded as little as myself 
 how ruinous it was destined to be to us both. Although we 
 had truly often experienced the carelessness of our conduc- 
 tor, who, totally insensible to the danger and unwholesome- 
 ness of the climate himself, imagined that to us the poison- 
 ous stings of the musquitoes, and the fever- engendering 
 exhalations of the swampy valleys of Mexico, were a matter 
 of like indifference. But at present our halting-place seemed 
 to be so little dangerous, so every way desirable, that with- 
 out making any inquiry, further than suited our own conve- 
 ence, we resolved to stop there. 
 (60)
 
 THE WATERSPOUT. 61 
 
 It was towards the close of the year 1824, and the Mexi- 
 cans having broken loose from Spanish thraldom a short 
 time before, invested the country with new interest to us 
 North Americans. Besides this, we had heard much of the 
 uncommon beauty of its scenery ; but in relation to the 
 expectation so highly raised, we found ourselves at first 
 deceived, for we had reached the capitol city, without hav- 
 ing seen any thing which justified the extraordinary reputa- 
 tion that had found its way to us. But we needed only to 
 journey southward from that point, to find our highest 
 anticipations not only crowned, but surpassed. Groves of 
 palm, orange, citron and bananas filled the valleys ; the 
 high gronnds were covered with mahogany trees, and a spe- 
 cies of fern, that grew to the height of middle sized trees. 
 Nature here stood forth in gigantic proportions ; the moun- 
 tains rose to an immense height the whole country was 
 intersected by deep valleys or dells, the latter of which 
 were often many thousand feet deep, and clothed with the 
 richest and most luxuriant vegetation, and the heavens 
 were of that clear deep blue which is never seen elsewhere 
 than within the tropics. 
 
 But this glorious clime is not without its dangers. Rep- 
 tiles, poisonous and troublesome insects, and deadly fevers, 
 make the lowlands uninhabitable for eight- months in the 
 year ; but, at the same time, there are whole districts which 
 are exempt from these plagues, and whose natural charms 
 fill the traveller with rapture. 
 
 The most famous of these provinces is the valley of
 
 62 THEWATERSPOUT. 
 
 Oaxaca, in which the district of Mistecca bears away the 
 palm of beauty from all others. It was in this fair, extended 
 valley, being nearly three hundred miles long, that we were 
 now travelling. Through the kind courtesy of our ambas- 
 sador, our journey through this land, which as yet had been 
 pressed by no feet save those of the natives, was compara- 
 tively easy ; we had letters of recommendation to all the 
 authorities in the cities or villages that we wished to visit. 
 But there were many places where, for leagues, no houses 
 were to be found, and as the authorities to whom we were 
 thus to be introduced could not call them up by magic, we 
 were often forced to sleep under the pure canopy of the 
 heavens ; and truly, the vaulted arch of our bed-chamber 
 was so glorious, that we did not wish for anything more 
 grand. 
 
 We travelled with a train of followers, and in a manner 
 so luxurious, that it would have awakened the contempt of 
 our countrymen had they witnessed it ; but we deemed it 
 indispensable to our respectability, to journey in the same 
 way that other travellers were used to do. We formed, 
 therefore, a tolerably large caravan, for we had ten horses 
 and mules, a guide, several muleteers, one cook, and two 
 other servants. 
 
 Whilst the two last mentioned were busied in swinging 
 our hammocks on the lower branches of a tree for in this 
 part of Mexico, on account of the snakes and reptiles that 
 abound, it is not advisable to sleep on the earth, our cook 
 kindled a fire against a wall of rock, and in a few minutes
 
 THE WATERSPOUT. 63 
 
 was broiling an iguana, that had been shot the day before, 
 over the coals. One would have supposed that one glance 
 at the ugly, lizard-like looking thing that he turned over 
 and over as it was roasting, would have been sufficient to 
 take away all appetite for such a morsel but no such thing ; 
 we knew too well by experience what a dainty bit a broiled 
 iguana is. We did not therefore refuse to eat it tasted 
 excellent ; and, having swallowed a good mouthful from 
 our brandy bottle, we climbed up into our hammocks, and 
 betook ourselves to rest. The Mexicans stretched them- 
 selves on the ground, the muleteers pillowed their heads 
 upon their saddles, and masters and servants were soon 
 wrapped in deep sleep. 
 
 It might have been about midnight, when I was awakened 
 by a feeling of oppressiveness altogether indescribable, The 
 air, a short time ago so light and pure, seemed to have 
 changed into a thick poisonous mist ; behind the rocks, in 
 front of which we lay, dark clouds, filled with mephitic 
 vapor, were rolling in huge masses, and advanced with 
 threatening rapidity towards the spot we had chosen for our 
 resting place. Whilst I was yet struggling for breath, I 
 P felt a swarm of musquitoes settle like a thick cloud upon me, 
 covering hands, face, neck in short, every spot of my body, 
 which was not doubly and trebly protected by clothing, was 
 in a moment pierced through by a thousand stings. Not 
 knowing at first what it meant, involuntarily I stretched forth 
 my hand, to discover what was the matter, and as I closed 
 it, I imprisoned hundreds of these hateful insects within its
 
 64 THE WATERSPOUT. 
 
 grasp, crushing them to death. They were a regular Egyp- 
 tian plague. 
 
 Rowley, whose hammock was within ten steps of my own, 
 was now making himself heard. I heard him striking and 
 cursing at a rate that in any other circumstances would 
 truly have been laughable ; but the same thing was operat- 
 ing too seriously on myself, to admit of anything like mirth 
 on my part. The influence of the poisonous vapor, and the 
 pain arising from those horrible musquito bites, had thrown 
 me into a feverish state ; chills and flushes of heat passed 
 over me alternately, and my head throbbed and glowed. 
 We called aloud in vain; our servants were sleeping as 
 soundly as if they never were to awake. Almost frantic, I 
 at last fired a pistol this had the desired effect, for it 
 brought the whole company to life. The Mexicans were 
 suffering from the baleful influence of the impure atmos- 
 phere as much as ourselves, and they were clamorous in the 
 reproaches they heaped on our guide, who had brought us 
 to such an unhealthy place to pass the night. 
 
 Rowley was found in a worse predicament than myself, 
 so much so that we dared not think of setting forth at once, 
 as was proposed so we were obliged to remain all night 
 where we were. But as the sun rose, to our great joy we 
 discovered a company of Mexican merchants approaching 
 our encampment, whose destination being the same as our 
 own, resolved to join our party, and kindly set themselves 
 to remedy our uncomfortable condition. After refreshing 
 us with some cooling cordials they had with them, and
 
 THEWATERSPOUT. 65 
 
 washed our swelled and inflamed visages, they rubbed our 
 punctured skins with the juice of some plants that grew near. 
 The soothing influence, almost immediately felt, worked an 
 almost miraculous change in our bodily feelings. 
 
 Although the advancing sun had partially dispersed the 
 unwholesome vapour, the air was singularly hot and oppres- 
 sive for such an early hour of the morning, and from time 
 to time we heard the roll of distant thunder. We heard 
 the Mexicans consulting among themselves about the expe- 
 diency of instantly continuing their journey, to the execution 
 of which measure, our deplorable circumstances offered the 
 principal hindrance. As we afterwards understood, their 
 truly humane feelings forbade them leaving us in this dan- 
 gerous district, so helpless, and dependent only on our ser- 
 vants and a guide, who had proved himself so little to be 
 relied on. But the imperative necessity there was for con- 
 tinuing the journey, which they understood better than our- 
 selves, at length decided them, and induced an old man, 
 who seemed the leader of the party, to approach, and in- 
 quire of us if we at all felt able to proceed, adding, that 
 from signs with which they were well acquainted, they knew 
 a powerful storm was threatening, and that the next human 
 habitations were many leagues distant. 
 
 Our sufferings had been greatly alleviated by the means 
 of the natural medicaments they had used ; we now felt only 
 weak and hungry, and seeing their anxiety, as well as being 
 convinced of the necessity for exertion, we assured him wo 
 would be ready to set out in half an hour, or at least as soon 
 5
 
 66 THE WATERSPOUT. 
 
 as we should have eaten something. They brought us, 
 therefore, at once a few slices of broiled Iguana, some 
 roasted bananas, and a cocoa-nut shell full of coffee. Rowley 
 and myself betook ourselves at once to the breakfast, which 
 tasted excellent, and during the discussion of which, our 
 muleteers and servants were directed to busy themselves in 
 saddling and packing the animals under their charge. We 
 had swallowed but a few mouthfuls, however, before our 
 attention was attracted by a man running at full speed, 
 holding a twig in each hand. As soon as the Mexicans saw 
 him, they left whatever task they were engaged in, and 
 hastened to meet him. 
 
 " Seven hours !" exclaimed the man. 
 
 "Not more than seven hours ?" screamed the mule drivers, 
 in tone of anxiety and terror. " Holy Mother of God ! we 
 want more than ten hours to reach the next village !" 
 
 "What does this mean?" asked I of Rowley, as I con- 
 tinued to chew the savoury food with which I had filled my 
 mouth. 
 
 "I do not know," was the reply; "but most likely it is 
 some one of the nonsensical notions with which the heads of 
 this silly people are full." 
 
 "What is the matter?" I again inquired but this time 
 of a Mexican as I still continued my mastication most 
 composedly. 
 
 " In seven hours we will have a storm and waterspout," 
 was the answer. 
 
 " In the name of Heaven let us set forth !" cried the
 
 THEWATERSPOUT. 67 
 
 Mexicans with one voice, as they extended the green twigs 
 the man had brought towards us. 
 
 " What twigs are these ? where did they come from ?" 
 we asked. 
 
 "From the storm tree, ever the true prophet of a tern-, 
 pest," was the answer. 
 
 During this short colloquy, our mule drivers and servants 
 were running about in the greatest confusion, screaming at 
 the very top of their voices: "Up up or we are all 
 lost !" 
 
 Everything by this time had been gathered up and 
 packed the animals were in full readiness for the march 
 and before Rowley and myself had time to think, we were 
 hoisted into our saddles. Such a scene of agitation and 
 desperate haste I had never witnessed until now. But in 
 spite of all their confused efforts to effect a speedy depar- 
 ture, much time was lost ere the cavalcade was ready to set 
 off in irregular march over stock and stone. 
 
 The hurry and excitement of our ride seemed to lessen 
 our bodily ailments, or at least obliged us to forget them) 
 for in a few minutes we thought no more of fever or mos- 
 quito bites. It was a race for life or death, and our horses 
 dashed on as if they too were sensible of the threatening 
 danger. 
 
 In the confusion of our attendants, they had mounted us 
 on horses, instead of the mules we usually rode, and noble 
 animals they were. Their movements evinced no weariness 
 or effort ; but elastic and almost playful, they overcame
 
 68 THE WATERSPOUT. 
 
 every obstacle, and there were many, that we found in our 
 way. Over hill and dale, through swamp and plain, they 
 kept on at a steady trot, but wherever the ground permitted, 
 they broke forth into full gallop. Sure-footed as goats, and 
 with the agility of cats, they climbed the steep precipices ; 
 like serpents they slid down the descents, whilst we, dread- 
 ing no accident from them, sat as comfortably in our roomy 
 Spanish saddles, as we would have done in a cushioned arm 
 chair. 
 
 We progressed in this manner for five or six miles, and 
 believed we had outrode the danger, and so thought no 
 harm could arise from allowing our horses five minutes' 
 breathing time, for we feared the hasty ride, and the rough 
 ground over which they had sped, would exhaust the noble 
 animals as well as ourselves. But scarcely had we drawn 
 bridle for this purpose, than the anxious cries of our com- 
 panions arose upon the air. 
 
 " Forward ! in the name of Heaven, forward !" and with 
 renewed haste we held on our flying march. With the fleet- 
 ness of the wind we dashed onwards, through thorns and 
 brambles, the line of our travel easily distinguished by the 
 evidences left behind, by the portions of our clothing claimed 
 by the bushes, on which they remained hanging for many a 
 day. Rowley and myself, less anxious than the rest, were 
 the last of the party ; nevertheless, we used our utmost efforts 
 not to be left behind. 
 
 " The flood ! the flood !" was screamed forth by many 
 voices from time to time. " Onward ! onward !"
 
 THE WATERSPOUT. 69 
 
 " Nay, the devil take the fools," cried Rowley, in a pas- 
 sion. " We cannot be more than two leagues distant from 
 the "next village, and the heavens give not the least sign of 
 a storm that I can see. The air is, indeed, a little thicker; 
 but that is only the vapour from the swamp that spreads 
 itself out there like a sea before us. Just look at the alli- 
 gators the lovely creatures ; how wishfully they are eyeing 
 our party. This neighborhood is none of the pleasantest ; 
 but Heaven be praised, we have now set foot on firm earth 
 once more." 
 
 The lovely scene that so suddenly met our eyes, and 
 called forth the exclamation at the end of Rowley's speech, 
 well merited more praise than he bestowed. On either side 
 of the way huge rocks arose, on which the glancing rays of 
 the sun were playing, illumining the luxuriant growth with 
 which nature had clothed, not only themselves, but the dell 
 that lay at their foot, and in the lavish liberality with which 
 she had here showered her gifts, the whole spot looked like 
 a garden in fairy land. Rowley and myself drew up our 
 horses to gaze upon this Elysian landscape ; but our Mexican 
 friends, who seemed to have no taste for the charms of na- 
 ture, called out once more in tones of unmistakable anxiety, 
 " For the mercy of heaven, forward ! forward ! We have 
 yet two leagues before ua, and in another hour the flood will 
 be here !" 
 
 "Is the fellow altogether crazy?" laughed Rowley. 
 "What is it to us if the gust does come? It will not 
 drown us; and if even our skins are wet through, it will
 
 70 THE WATERSPOUT. 
 
 not be much matter. Our own rain storms are no child's 
 play." 
 
 But almost as he spoke, a sudden change came over the 
 face of the heavens that caused an involuntary shudder 
 we were awed into silence. The clear soft blue had van- 
 ished, and a foul gray had taken its place. The air, al- 
 though the sun was hidden, was sultry and more oppressive 
 than before. We gazed upon the black cloud as it rose 
 gradually above the heights on our left side, until it swept 
 forward and hung like a curtain over the valley. On our 
 right hand were now plainly to be seen the roofs of the 
 houses belonging to the town of Quidricori, and apparently 
 at a very short distance. 
 
 "Why do we not go at once to Quidricori ?" I asked of 
 our leader; "it is quite near.'' 
 
 "It is more than five miles off," he replied, as he shook 
 his head, and pointed anxiously to the dark cloud that was 
 advancing in such gloomy grandeur to meet us. 
 
 All the animals seemed instinctively to recognize the 
 coming danger, for with shrieks of terror the whole living 
 creation ran wildly about seeking a shelter ; and the most 
 timid denizens of the wood fled not at our approach, for 
 they dreaded not man in the presence of the greater enemy 
 who was appearing. 
 
 " Forward ! in the name of heaven, or we are all lost !" still 
 sounded forth from time to time ; and we stormed onwards 
 heeding no hindrance, let it be what it might, that came in 
 the way. Our horses exerted their whole strength, although
 
 THE WATERSPOUT. 71 
 
 we used neither whip nor spur to impel them to increased 
 speed. 
 
 The ejaculatory prayers of the Mexicans were issued 
 forth without intermission ; and great terror was depicted 
 on every man's features. For a few moments the stillness 
 of death seemed to reign in place of the hitherto tumult ' 
 an unnatural silence ruled over all around. To this followed 
 a long drawn, indeterminate, plaintive sound, like a sigh 
 proceeding from the bowels of the earth. It was an omi 
 nous warning : and our Mexicans understood it. 
 
 " Halt ! halt !" cried we, to our leader ; " we can go no 
 further we must seek a shelter from the storm." 
 
 " Onward ! in the name of heaven, or we are all lost !" 
 was the only answer. 
 
 " Thank heaven!" cried I, rejoiced, " the path is growing 
 wider ; we are coming to a hill, and are leaving the forest, 
 where we are more likely to be killed by the falling trees 
 than drowned by the rain. We are near the village." 
 
 " Briskly, briskly onward," shouted the Mexican. " Holy 
 mother of God deliver us !" 
 
 And, in this fearful moment, well might he call on 
 heaven for help. The threatening cloud, like some gigantic 
 monster, shot forth fiery tongues of flame in all directions ; 
 and a peal of thunder followed that seemed to shake the 
 whole earth to its foundations. Then ensued a pause an 
 awful silence broken by no sound save the panting of our 
 horses, as under the oppressive influence of the coming tor- 
 nado, they toiled up the steep ascents over which our path
 
 72 THE WATER SPOUT. 
 
 led. A second time the dark cloud opened, illumining all 
 around with lurid light, to which the thunder succeeded as 
 before. The rain poured down as if the flood gates of the 
 heavens were opened; and the tornado began to rage in all 
 its fearful fury. The trees were crashing and falling in all 
 directions ; and a cloud of dust and flying leaves prevented 
 our seeing an inch before us. 
 
 "May heaven be gracious to us, Rowley!" cried I. 
 " Where are you ?" 
 
 No answer followed. 
 
 "What has become of you all?" 
 
 Another blast of the hurricane, more powerful than the 
 first, ensued that prevented all further question or answer. 
 By heaven, the earth under us is moving ! The whole hill, 
 whose side we are ascending, seems to tumble and slide. 
 The air is filled by a suffocating vapour of sulphur and 
 saltpetre ; all around us is dark as midnight; and no sound 
 is to be heard save the howling of the tempest and the 
 crashing of the falling trees. 
 
 All at once the storm appeared to cease, and a deep and 
 ominous silence reigned ; but the sudden change was fearful 
 and unnatural. Now followed an explosion like the report 
 of a pistol ; then a second, a third, then many thousands in 
 quick succession. This is the flood the shots are the rain 
 drops every one of which are as large as a hen's egg. 
 They fell with the force of a shower of hail, blinding and 
 bewildering us. But one moment more, and they are not 
 to be distinguished the one from the other : it is a water- 
 spout that is falling from the heavens.
 
 THE WATERSPOUT. 73 
 
 The hill on which Rowley and myself found ourselves, 
 now completely soaked with the rain, began to give way 
 under our feet. It slid from its place, and in an instant we 
 found ourselves in a narrow ravine under the precipice, 
 which, filled with water, was changed into a rolling stream. 
 My horse had vanished from under me. I looked around, 
 and near me saw Rowley, who had also lost his horse, and 
 was striving with the flood. We were breast high in the 
 water, and the uprooted trees that the flood was hurling 
 past us, threatened every moment to crush us to death. By 
 every means in our power we struggled to escape the im- 
 pending danger. We strove to climb the steep sides of the 
 ravine, but all our efforts were in vain. We could not 
 attain our object without help ; but where, in such an ex- 
 tremity as this, was help to come from? Of our Mexican 
 friends we saw and heard nothing. Without doubt the 
 earth had opened and swallowed them up, or else they were 
 lost in the wildly rolling torrent. We could hope no better 
 for ourselves, for our strength was fast diminishing, and 
 each moment the water rose higher and higher. 
 
 "Rowley !" cried I, "all is over. Let us die like men! 
 God be merciful to our souls." My friend was standing on 
 a spot a few steps higher up. He made me no answer, but 
 gazed upon me with a quiet smile. It seemed one of calm 
 submission. Then, as if all his former firmness had returned, 
 he folded his arms over his breast, and looked around as 
 though he was bidding the world farewell. The stream 
 rose higher on his person ; it rolled more wildly, as if at that
 
 74 THE WATERSPOUT. 
 
 moment to tear him from me, when he suddenly shouted 
 forth a loud " hurra," and exerted his strength anew to gain 
 a firm footing. 
 
 " Hold on ! hold on !" was screamed forth from many voices, 
 so far above us that they seemed to come from the clouds. 
 Something dangled from the height, and whirled past me, 
 striking me in the face. With the instinct of a drowning man 
 I seized the lasso they had thrown me ; Rowley, who had been 
 swept quite close to me, did the same ; the strap was stoutly 
 drawn, and by its help we reached the border of the ravine 
 in safety. There many hands were stretched forth to aid 
 our deliverance. One more powerful exertion on our own 
 parts, and we stood on the firm earth. Completely exhausted 
 we sank down on the ground in the midst of our friends and 
 servants, who had found shelter from the storm in a cavern. 
 At the same moment that the soft earth at the foot of the 
 hill had given way beneath Rowley and myself, they had 
 reached the summit, and thus secured their own safety ; and 
 as they missed us there, they hastened, as soon as the vio- 
 lence of the storm permitted, to our deliverance. One mo- 
 ment longer, and they would have been too late. The fury 
 of the tempest was soon over, but the track of the tornado 
 was plainly visible in the devastation it had left behind. 
 After a short rest we resumed our march, and ere long 
 reached the desired village.
 
 * It Inn 
 
 ON the coast of Africa, nearly under the seventh degree 
 of south latitude, and divided from the main land only by a 
 channel a few miles wide, is found the little island of Zanzi- 
 bar. The many ledges of rocks between it and the coast 
 fashion a safe and accessible harbor, where ships can enter 
 in safety, and ride secure from the storm and wind. Al- 
 though the climate of the island is very unhealthy for Eu- 
 ropeans, the soil is extremely fertile, and nowhere is pro- 
 vision to be found so good and cheap as here. 
 
 For many centuries Zanzibar has been the principal mart 
 for the slave trade. The great profit arising from this scan- 
 dalous traffic in human flesh has induced many from abroad 
 to settle in the towns and villages of the island. Most, 
 therefore, of this motley population are from Arabia ; 
 they go up the country annually for the purpose of catching 
 negroes, and when threatened with danger find it an easy 
 matter to retreat to this spot with their hapless captives. 
 The inhabitants of Zanzibar, however, do not make war 
 themselves, but have entered into contract with some of the 
 subdued tribes of the interior, who are obliged to give up 
 all the prisoners taken in battle to the government. Thus 
 the slave trade has become so profitable to all who partake in 
 
 (75)
 
 76 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 it, that the negroes themselves, recognizing no ties of kin- 
 dred, will sell the members of their own families to the 
 slave dealers ; and also induce many tribes to engage in 
 bloody warfare with each other for the sake of making pris- 
 oners, so that they may exchange them to their whiter, but 
 not less savage brethren for rum, trinkets, knives, or other 
 implements of destruction. 
 
 Not only did hereditary feuds furnish a pretext for carry- 
 ing out their cruel plans for gain, but these inhuman allies 
 of the inhabitants of Zanzibar made inroads annually into 
 the up countries, where they made aggressive war on the 
 more helpless tribes that inhabited that region. Numerous 
 and well armed as they were, they never returned without 
 bringing a considerable band of prisoners, and not unfre- 
 quently the supply exceeded the demand. 
 
 Since the English ships had begun to take the matter in 
 hand, and yet more particularly since France had joined in 
 league with England in the resolution to check, if unable to 
 put an entire stop to the slave trade, great hindrance had 
 been thrown in the way of the slave dealers by the cruisers 
 that were constantly hovering off the coast, or traversing 
 those southern seas. A more than usual degree of caution 
 now became necessary to be observed by the slavers ; and 
 in proportion as the despicable trade grew dangerous to 
 them, so it failed to bring in the former glittering receipts 
 to the purveyors. In such circumstances it could not but 
 follow that the prosperity brought by the money and arti- 
 cles of exchange of the Europeans, and which had found
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 77 
 
 their way even into the remote districts of Africa, must ma- 
 terially decrease. In Zanzibar, especially, the anxiety on 
 this account was great ; but greater still was the joy exhib- 
 ited when one of the well-known slave ships, having escaped 
 the cruisers, would show her trim spars and white sails 
 above the distant horizon. 
 
 It was in the year eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, on 
 a clear November night, whose brightness, illumining both 
 coast and bay, and shedding its mellow radiance far to sea- 
 ward, making every object distinguishable as by the light of 
 day, that the warder of the Zanzibar watch-tower, as he 
 looked over the smooth waters of the now quiet ocean, dis- 
 cerned a sail in the distant offing. The French and English 
 squadron had on that morning given chase to a suspicious 
 looking craft, and driven her northward, but the ship now 
 in view was looming from the south. Unquestionably she 
 was a friend. The nearer she came, the more they were 
 convinced ; her trim build and high and slender masts were 
 easily distinguished from the heavier cruizers. Soon all 
 doubt was at an end ; it was a craft well known in Zanzibar 
 the slave ship which its owner had aptly named " Satan." 
 Of the purveyors, she was particularly the favorite of all 
 the vessels that came into the harbor, for owing to the in- 
 ventive genius of her supercargo, Gaitar, she was so skilfully 
 built, that she could be made to hold more blacks between 
 her decks, small as she looked, than any other of the East 
 India ships. On this account, Gaitar, whose cruelty towards 
 the slaves he purchased was become proverbial, was held in
 
 78 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 especial regard by the people of Zanzibar. Never was he 
 known to give less than the first price demanded for his 
 human freight ; and if satisfied in any measure with the ap- 
 pearance and number of his cargo, the sellers might reckon 
 very securely on an additional present of brandy, powder, 
 or cotton cloth. This being the case, each one did his 
 utmost to serve him. 
 
 The news that the " Satan" had arrived was speedily 
 spread all over the island, but this time there was some 
 alarm mingled with the joy. Alas ! as no tidings of the 
 ship's coming had reached the mainland, the slaves who 
 were to be sent had been entirely neglected. They had 
 received no food for the last forty-eight hours, and their 
 condition was in every respect most pitiable, and to the 
 purveyors it was of the utmost importance they should look 
 as well as possible. The bustle that now ensued was con- 
 siderable the same men who, but a few hours ago, turned 
 a deaf ear to the entreaties or complaints of the unhappy 
 blacks, or else answered them with strokes of the whip, now 
 brought them food of the best quality, insisted that they 
 should eat their fill, and attended with zeal to the cleansing 
 of their bodies and the healing of their wounds. 
 
 But they would have spared themselves this trouble, had 
 the news which arrived in the night been received some 
 hours earlier, namely, that their confederates on the main- 
 land had returned triumphant from an expedition into the 
 interior, and brought four hundred prisoners, belonging to 
 the strong and powerful race of the Bibis, with them. Most
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 79 
 
 of the negro tribes are of short stature, unshapely and in- 
 significant in every sense of the word ; the Bibis, however, 
 are an exception, being remarkably tall and strongly built, 
 with fine carriage and commanding presence. The fierce 
 and terror-awakening expression of their features is increased 
 by a line of small protuberances resembling warts, which, 
 by some process like that of tattooing, they cause to 
 grow on their visages ; it extends from the roots of the hair 
 to the end of the nose, rendering their countenances horri- 
 ble and disgusting, and their long white teeth, filed off in a 
 triangular form, are also a distinguishing mark of the race. 
 Besides these peculiarities, they differ from all the other 
 negro tribes in the custom of eating their meat without 
 cooking. They are feared among those of their own color, 
 and receive from all the reputation of great bravery and 
 cruelty. They are only conquered by disproportionate force, 
 yielding only to a number too great to compete with. Yet 
 even as prisoners they are feared, and their transportation 
 in the European ships is a matter requiring prudence, and 
 involving no small danger. 
 
 If the ship seen in the distance was the " Satan," a pro- 
 bability of which there was little doubt, these prisoners had 
 come in good time, and were in condition to command a good 
 price, and although they arrived on the coast at midnight, 
 long before sunrise the hapless Bibis had been shipped over 
 to the island of Zanzibar. 
 
 On the following morning, the ship reached the little 
 island without accident, and entering the creek, which was
 
 80 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 hidden by high rocks on each side, came to anchor in this 
 secure harbor, where she could ride safely, and without 
 danger of being seen by the cruisers, even by daylight. The 
 sails were reefed the ropes hung idly from the masts a 
 long table covered with eatables, and numerous flasks of 
 brandy, was spread upon the quarter-deck, and around it 
 was seated the crew, numbering eighty rude men, on whose 
 visages, hardship, dissipation, and the worst vices had set 
 their respective seals. Through long exposure to blasts of 
 sea winds and rays of tropical suns, they were burned so 
 dark that they might have well been mistaken for natives 
 of Madagascar. Their dress was of the cut peculiar to 
 sailors, with the addition of a leathern girdle, in which was 
 stuck two pistols and a long dirk. The greatest equality 
 seemed to exist between officers and crew they were cele- 
 brating, in this bacchanalian manner, the safe arrival of 
 their goodly ship, and they sat beside and drank with each 
 other on the most intimate terms of good fellowship. This 
 familiarity between the superior grade and their hirelings, 
 sufficiently explained the occupation followed by the Satan, 
 had any doubt existed ; a familiarity so totally different 
 from that subordination enforced on board of other ships, 
 proved that to pursue their abominable calling profitably 
 the greatest harmony was necessary. Men on board a 
 slaver have to battle with greater hardship and danger, and 
 it is but policy on the part of their officers to treat them 
 well, and keep them in good humor, for they have not only 
 to contend with the constantly threatening danger of the
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 81 
 
 Southern seas, but also to be ready to aid in case of any 
 rising on the part of the despairing negroes, to assist in 
 keeping them in subjection, and be ever on guard against 
 the English ships. 
 
 Of this preparation for war, the Satan carried evident 
 proof. Whoever looked over her quarter deck, would have 
 been aware of twenty cannon all in the best order; while 
 the high bulwarks, whose openings were ever kept closed, 
 forbade any ship, unless in close proximity, from discover- 
 ing that they were ready to open their fiery throats, and 
 vomit forth flames on the first aggressor that offered hostility. 
 But when the matter became close, and resistance was neces- 
 sary, the concealed battery was unmasked at once, and the 
 skill with which the bullets were directed, and the rapidity 
 with which they flew, showed it was managed by no inexpe- 
 rienced hands. The dexterity with which one portion of 
 the crew managed the sails, drawing the ship out of the 
 enemy's reach while the other defended, proved the perfect 
 accordance of interest which they so well understood, and 
 left no doubt that, to act thus in concert, they must have 
 passed years together in this hateful traflic, involving so 
 f much danger and crime. Did they come to close quarters ? 
 a circumstance they were careful to avoid or did a storm 
 threaten the safety of their beautiful vessel ? as many men, 
 ready for her rescue, showed themselves on her deck as 
 upon that of an English frigate. In moments like these the 
 strictest discipline was enforced ; whoever did not obey in- 
 stantly had a bullet sent through his headl 
 
 6
 
 82 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 But of discipline, not a word was heard whilst they lay 
 in the concealed harbour formed by the creek of Zanzibar. 
 Here, where the ship lay so securely at her moorings, where 
 they had a prospect of a long rest from the toils and dan- 
 ger of a stormy voyage, nothing was to be heard but the 
 ringing of glasses, ribald songs, and rude jests. Officers 
 and men gave themselves up to the enjoyment of wild mirth, 
 in which all rank and distinction was swallowed up. 
 
 Their drunken revelry continued until far in the night. 
 The circumspection so long necessarily observed, prevented 
 their proceeding to too great excess ; and every man sub- 
 mitted implicitly when the captain declared it was time 
 their orgies were ended ; and having made the proper dis- 
 positions for the general safety at his command, each one 
 obeyed the bidding as coolly as though it had been a matter 
 of choice. Only ten men remained on deck as guards ; the 
 rest went down below to sleep, prepared to relieve their 
 comrades after the usual four hours' watch. 
 
 The tropical days and nights are of equal length. The 
 morning and evening twilight is unknown day passes 
 into night without that darkening interval so favourable to 
 meditation ; night bursts into day without having to with- 
 draw the gray veil with which, in our latitude, creation is 
 shrouded. The sun leaps forth, as it were, on his fiery 
 course ; nature starts out at once from darkness, as if anxious 
 to disclose the beauties and glories of heaven, earth and sea, 
 almost blinding the eye with the magnificence that everywhere 
 meets it, blazing forth with a splendor too gorgeous for
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 83 
 
 those who dwell in 'colder climes to imagine, imparting his 
 own glory to the beams on which he shines. The wonders 
 of Nature thus lavishly displayed so clearly, tell of the 
 greatness of their Almighty Creator, that every feeling 
 heart must acknowledge the Omnipotent power by which all 
 are made, and burst forth in praise of the goodness by which 
 all is upheld. 
 
 But for the crew of the Satan, the glories of creation had 
 no charm on such rude natures these grand phenomena 
 made no impression. Officers and men, who held their watch 
 on deck, cared little whether the sun rose in splendor or in 
 clouds. With one only object in view, while darkness rested 
 on the face of the deep, they peered anxiously round, and care- 
 fully noted all objects only interesting as being less or more 
 suspicious. But notwithstanding their vigilance, and even 
 as they listened, many little boats came near the ship unre- 
 marked ; and shortly after, twenty dark forms had clambered 
 up the ship's side, and were standing upon the quarter deck 
 ere any one was aware of their neighborhood. 
 
 But the newly arrived guests came not as enemies ; they 
 were the slave purveyors; and the sailors knew them well, 
 for they had seen them often. The captain was called 
 from his hammock at once. He greeted them courteously 
 and kindly. This duty discharged, he invited six, the 
 leaders of the party, to his cabin, leaving the rest, who 
 were Arabs, and formed their chief's retinue, with the sail- 
 ors on deck. Having reached that spot, they were almost 
 immediately joined by a little, thick-set old man, whose
 
 84 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 large, copper-colored nose, and bronzed and puffed-out 
 cheeks, showed their owner's acquaintance with passion and 
 strong drink ; while peering out from beneath his bristly 
 gray hair, was seen his wild sparkling eyes, that rested on 
 each object that met them with the expression of a demon. 
 This was Gaitar, the supercargo, to whom, besides his office, 
 the greatest share of the ship belonged. It seemed as if 
 this man was well known to the party who came on board, 
 for as soon as he made his appearance, they acknowledged 
 his presence in the oriental fashion, bowing their head in 
 token of deep reverence, and kissing their hands. 
 
 " Allah and his prophet be praised," said one, when at 
 length this mute ceremony was ended, " that we see you 
 once more, jewel of our land, with your ship and crew. You 
 must have borne much from those inhuman wretches those 
 English and French who are watching our shores so closely. 
 I know well that you belong to the last mentioned nation ; 
 but for me you are a Portuguese, a Brazilian, or of any 
 other of those nations that encourage the slave trade." 
 
 " Great Bey," answered Gaitar, "your confidence and 
 friendship make me proud. How I esteem you will be 
 found when you see what stores I have brought the best 
 of rum, the handsomest blue stuffs, the most excellent guns 
 for yourself and your friends. So let us to business, and 
 talk over our concerns together." 
 
 Gaitar and the captain now inquired what number of 
 slaves, and of what race, these Arabian purveyors had ready. 
 The answer was, that twelve hundred could be delivered at
 
 THE SLAVE-SHIP. 85 
 
 once ; that two-thirds of the number had been in their pos- 
 session for a long time ; nevertheless they were in good 
 condition ; but that when they saw added to these the four 
 hundred strong and robust Bibis, who had just been 
 brought in, they could not fail of being pleased, since great 
 profit was certain to accrue from the sale of such a cargo. 
 
 That the name " Bibis " made an unpleasant impression 
 on Gaitar, was evident from the sudden change his counte- 
 nance exhibited. Courage was not his element it was his 
 business and his aim to make good bargains without run- 
 ning into danger. Since the squadron pursued and handled 
 the slave ships with such unrelenting severity, he had made 
 up his mind to withdraw from the business. The present 
 voyage should be the last ; he was now a millionaire, and 
 could afford to give up the dangerous trade. Under such 
 circumstances, and in several points of view, the shipping 
 of such a large number of those dangerous Bibis was a mat- 
 ter that required more mature deliberation than he liked at 
 present to bestow. 
 
 The cautious captain was as little pleased with the pur- 
 veyors' proposal as himself. But what was to be done ? 
 The lading must be completed, and the ship would certainly 
 i hold from a thousand to twelve hundred negroes; and as 
 certainly one-fourth of the number would die during the 
 voyage ; and on this latter account it was necessary to ship 
 the whole amount, so that a profitable speculation might be 
 made out of the remaining three-fourths. 
 
 They did not conceal their scruples and their fears from
 
 86 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 the purveyors, their brethren in iniquity, who were also of 
 the opinion that great prudence was necessary ; they thought 
 they could propose a plan which should secure them from 
 any danger arising from the indomitable spirit of those fero- 
 cious Bibi negroes. It was one often practised on refrac- 
 tory slaves, by the traders who carried them to America, 
 and although the operation might seem a cruel one, still they 
 made little account of that, as it was always found to suc- 
 ceed. The plan pursued was to wound them on their hands 
 and feet, so that, while the body was left free, they could 
 not take part in any confusion that might take place on 
 board, and it would not be hard to manage so as to keep 
 the wounds sore during the voyage. 
 
 As conscience and humanity had no place within the 
 breasts of these wretched men, the proposed expedient, be- 
 ing one so extremely simple in its execution, was fully 
 approved of by both the buyers ; and now the bargaining 
 went on swimmingly. For every black delivered, the seller 
 was to receive in the lump two pounds of powder, two 
 quarts of brandy, five ells of cotton cloth, and two Spanish 
 piasters. In addition to this, the purveyors were to receive, 
 as earnest money, one hundred guns, the same number of 
 small looking-glasses, and fifty flasks of rum. 
 
 By the time the terms of sale were concluded, it was 
 broad daylight, and the sun sent forth his flashing glance 
 on earth and ocean; the one disclosed her treasures of 
 wondrous beauty the other reflected his glorious image on 
 his mirror-like surface, and the little rivulets that broke
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 87 
 
 upon the shore, glittered like diamonds in the dancing rays. 
 But now, upon that shore so clothed in natural beauty, lay 
 the fettered captives, who were to be sold like beasts, or 
 inanimate matter, to their fellow men to the oppressor 
 who knew not God, neither recognized his image, whether 
 fashioned of " marble or ebony." An inspection of these 
 was necessary. Without a glance at the glorious prospect 
 we have mentioned without one softened feeling called up 
 by the impress of the Creative hand seen on all around, 
 these hard hearted men Gaitar and the captain after 
 giving the command of the ship to the first lieutenant, 
 ordering the shallop to be manned with a sufficient crew, 
 entered it, and followed by a train of little boats, filled with 
 their iniquitous partners and their train, all shot across the 
 unruffled waters as gaily as though they were speeding on 
 an errand of mercy. 
 
 Bound hand and foot together, the unhappy negroes, 
 numbering eight hundred, were lying on the dry grass by 
 the bank of the creek. They were entirely naked, and 
 placed in four rows, each one of which was guarded by some 
 soldiers, invested with full power of life and death over the 
 hapless captives. At the slightest suspicious movement, 
 they were permitted to shoot the dusky culprit, without 
 admitting any excuse, or at all deigning to inquire whether 
 or not such punishment was really merited. 
 
 They were therefore forbidden to stir, and the dread of 
 being shot, or beaten, kept the unhappy beings almost 
 moveless throughout the whole day. The negro can be
 
 88 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 made to suffer, during the execution of his sentence, in quiet 
 endurance, through the fear induced hy menaces of a greater ; 
 but neither threats nor apprehensions can force him to 
 silence. When he is alone he utters his thoughts aloud ; 
 when with his dark brethren, he cannot be restrained from 
 talking with them. He will rather die than be silent for 
 one hour, and in consequence of this well-known character- 
 istic, and to save an unnecessary waste of life, their white 
 masters permit them to use their tongues. They do not see 
 each other whilst they are conversing, for they lie flat on 
 their backs, and cannot turn their heads either to the right, 
 or left. In such a condition, it could not be otherwise than 
 that blindness should ensue, from the dazzling influence of 
 the sun's rays thus poured down upon them, did they not 
 constantly keep them closed, and their heads buried as deep 
 as possible in the long grass. But they dare talk, and so the 
 principal want of the poor creatures was satisfied. 
 
 The subject discussed was always one and the same ; they 
 bewailed the hard lot by which they were forced to leave 
 their fatherland. It is scarcely possible to portray, by 
 words, the agony the African endures when torn from his 
 country and his home. The love of his native land, the 
 image of his hut, and the friends he has left behind, are 
 interwoven with every fibre of his heart they are cherished 
 there religiously with the superstitious belief taught him by 
 his rude forefathers. The doctrine of a future state, 
 revealed by natural religion to all men, is known to the 
 negro ; the hope of a better life beyond the grave, illumes
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 89 
 
 the desert of his soul with its own beautiful light, and illus- 
 trates its own power in his indifference to danger and death. 
 But there is one great draw-back to the African in this 
 belief, so soothing to all; its fulfilment is only supposed on 
 the condition that they shall die on their native soil. So 
 soon as his foot presses the white man's shore, the beauti- 
 ful image which cheered his soul in the wastes and thickets 
 of his torrid clime, is gone for ever death will come to him 
 there, but he resigns the hope of the glorious future. In a 
 distant land he will go to the grave, but believes that beyond 
 it no reunion with wife and children and friends will be for 
 him. The unhappy consequences resulting from this super- 
 stition, are shown in the frequent occurrence of suicide 
 among the negroes, before their embarkation. Rather than 
 leave Africa, where hope of a future world alone sheds its 
 light for them, they prefer death, and take their own lives 
 either by strangling themselves with their chains, or by 
 other means too shocking to relate. 
 
 The unhappy beings who, fettered hand and foot, now 
 lay near each other in the long grass, gave free vent to 
 their tears, and uttered complaints in tones of deep but not 
 clamorous sorrow, for the soldiers who stood guard over 
 them bade them beware how they hindered the progress 
 of the work of embarkation, by too loud expressions of 
 grief. Mother and daughter, father and son, friend and 
 neighbor, wept with each other ; and here and there many 
 an old warrior was singing his death-song. 
 
 Gaitar and his companions had no sooner reacned the
 
 90 THESLAVESHIP. 
 
 shore than his eyes rested on the swarthy forms so soon to 
 pass into his possession ; and well practised in this sort of 
 scanning, one glance was sufficient to convince him of their 
 miserable condition. That most of them had suffered from 
 want was easy to be seen from the emaciated state of their 
 bodies, their evident weakness, and from these causes the 
 too great probability that they would not live to reach the 
 West Indies. All this flashed upon his calculating mind 
 with the speed of lightning. He saw he had made a bad 
 speculation ; most of those negroes would never be turned 
 into gold. Yet the loss he must necessarily suffer from this 
 quarter he was determined should be made up in another ; 
 the immense profit he was resolved to reap from the sale of 
 the Bibis was to indemnify him for whatever damage he 
 must sustain from this, the most worthless part of the bar- 
 gain. And with this prospect in view, he superintended the 
 sending off the first file of blacks by the boats brought from 
 the vessel. 
 
 The unhappy beings soon found themselves on board the 
 slave ship, where preparations for their reception were being 
 actively made. Hundreds of fettering irons were brought 
 from the hold, some to be repaired, others improved. Each 
 one of these was made an instrument of torture. It was . 
 three inches in breadth, and composed of two limbs or parts 
 which were secured into one another, and fastening with a 
 bolt behind, was worn as a collar. Near to this bolt, on 
 the right and left sides, were two chains, to which manacles 
 for the wrists were fastened ; and from the front of the col-
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 91 
 
 lar depended two others, differing only in length from those 
 first described, and by these latter the feet were confined. 
 The prisoners could therefore neither move their heads, 
 hands or feet, but as they moved their bodies. The chains 
 which bound the hands being so short that it only enabled 
 them to reach their eyes or convey food to their mouths. 
 
 Thus painfully equipped, those wretched beings set out 
 on their long voyage a voyage that to them was to prove 
 not only the severer of all the ties dearest to the heart of 
 man, but an extinguisher of the hope that gilds the dark val- 
 ley of the shadow of death, and brightens the deep veil that 
 shrouds Eternity. There they sat moaning in their mana- 
 cles, without being able to change their position ; and the 
 only indulgence ever allowed them, was permission to exer- 
 cise on the deck for half an hour occasionally when the 
 weather was fine and no sail, which might be supposed to 
 belong to a pursuing ship, was in sight. And this privilege 
 was only extended to those considered least dangerous. The 
 indomitable Bibis were not only entirely excluded, but 
 guarded with great watchfulness. Women, for the most 
 part, were either left unchained, or fettered but lightly, 
 and children could run about at their own pleasure. 
 
 The confined air they were obliged to breathe, the pain- 
 fully constrained position in which they were forced to re- 
 main, is sufficient to explain the great mortality found on 
 board the slave ships, without any aid from the greater 
 cruelties practised upon them in the ship's hold. This room 
 if room it may be called extended tho whole length and
 
 92 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 breadth of the ship, the sides sloping gradually from above 
 to the middle, which was filled up with stones and other 
 heavy articles to serve as ballast. Over these were laid 
 rough boards, thus forming several tier of lodging places, 
 like the berths in a ship, none of them exceeding three or 
 four feet in height. A space is left in the middle, which 
 reaches from pillar to pillar, serving not only for a passage 
 to and from the deck, but affords the necessary room for 
 the guards to prosecute their vigilant survey. In these 
 several apartments the negro men were packed closely, and 
 in the order in which spoons are laid ; and the more bodies 
 there were thus placed in the several rows, the more advan- 
 tage it was to the guard to whose charge the number of 
 heads was committed ; for each day after counting them 
 over, he received a premium. 
 
 Seated in this torturing posture, and suffering the mental 
 pain of being torn from home and country to this was 
 added the horrors of sea sickness and its consequences ; 
 their skins became broken, foul wounds ensued, the oppres- 
 sive heat, the want of fresh air, the impure atmosphere, 
 filled with the effluvia arising from so many bodies crowded 
 together, the bad food, and the brutal treatment received 
 from the sailors, what wonder that, under such circumstan- 
 ces, three or four hundred blacks should die in the' course of 
 every voyage made by the Satan. 
 
 The preparations for such accommodations as we have 
 tried to describe were completed on board ; as the boat con- 
 veying the first transport of negroes reached her side, but a
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 93 
 
 few moments elapsed before the unhappy men were chained 
 and packed ; and whilst they wept and groaned over their 
 hard lot, and the cruelty of their fellow men, the bark shot 
 gaily over the flashing waters, to bring a new load of misery 
 from Zanzibar. 
 
 Whilst his men were busy in effecting the shipping of the 
 first named eight hundred blacks, Gaitar was surveying the 
 second division, namely, the Bibis ; who, called forward by 
 the purveyor, into whose hands they had fallen, came forth 
 unresistingly and stood before him. The first glance at 
 the fine proportions and strongly moulded limbs of these war- 
 like figures, caused the captain and supercargo to forget all 
 their previous anxiety on the subject of their indomitable- 
 ness. Four hundred men of such a build as these, who now 
 stood forth to meet his inspection, were worth more than a 
 thousand like those already sent off. As he gazed on these 
 Herculean specimens of manhood, an emotion of humanity 
 trembled in the captain's heart, awakened, indeed, by no 
 noble feeling, for it owed its birth to avarice. Might it not 
 be possible, by placing them under a stricter watch, and sub- 
 jecting them to harder discipline, to spare these noble look- 
 ing men the pain, and himself the scandal, of having those 
 free limbs wounded in the manner proposed by the villa- 
 nous purveyors ? They would bring a far better price in the 
 West India markets if seen in the unmaimed form bestowed 
 on them by the great mother Nature. He proposed the 
 measure to Gaitar, who fully shared his opinion, at the 
 same time declaring that if any restive or refractory spirit
 
 94 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 was shown on board the ship, the "operation," as he termed 
 it, could easily be performed there. But in order to be on 
 the safe side, he commanded that the fetters which had been 
 removed from their feet in order to enable them to walk 
 forward for his inspection, should again be replaced before 
 they entered the boat which was to convey them to the ship. 
 To accomplish this work, it was necessary to form them in 
 rows of one hundred men each. They were seated upon 
 the grass which we said before was long and dry. After 
 the first hundred men were fettered in the manner we have 
 tried to describe, they were packed in the boat and sent 
 off; Gaiter followed in his shallop to superintend the land- 
 ing in person, leaving a portion of his boat's crew behind, 
 to guard those that remained. 
 
 Until this time, the negroes had maintained their usual 
 apathetic indifference to all that was going forward, carry- 
 ing on the not interdicted conversation among themselves, 
 and suffering quietly everything their persecutors chose to 
 inflict. But in the moment of their brethren's departure 
 for the ship, the remaining portion raised their heads above 
 the long grass in which they lay, a gleam of wild ferocity 
 shot athwart their hitherto sad countenances as they looked 
 after their departing friends they raised a loud cry, the 
 deep and melancholy cadence of which seemed worthy to 
 have been issued from the caverns of despair, and was 
 answered by the departing with one of equal sadness. The 
 curlew in alarm repeated the cry, as the sounds of agony 
 floated o'er the bosom of the ocean. Did it cleave its
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 95 
 
 depths ? did its echo reach to heaven ? was it registered 
 there ? 
 
 The rude soldiers who guarded these captives were fright- 
 ened. Their first impulse was to chastise, but who ? The 
 whole three hundred were equally guilty to punish all 
 would be a work that required some time, and besides, they 
 were no longer the property of the purveyors, but of the 
 Europeans. In view of this, they contented themselves by 
 placing the prisoners in a circle, in the midst of which the 
 soldiers and purveyors, armed with swords and lances, sta- 
 tioned themselves, ready to punish the first man who showed 
 a disposition to disturb the public peace. But no movement 
 showed that any such thing was intended quiet once more 
 reigned around the guards relaxed their vigilance, and 
 looking out toward the sea, amused themselves by watching 
 the boat, which had by this time reached the ship, and was 
 discharging her cargo on board. 
 
 This task performed, the boat once more turned her head 
 towards the shore she skimmed like a bird across the 
 waters, and the soldiers, as they watched the light and 
 arrowy course, forgot their necessary surveillance and their 
 prisoners. She came forth gaily for her living freight, the 
 strokes of the oars were distinctly heard, the soldiers and 
 sailors were exchanging question and answer, each so taken 
 up with the other that they had no attention to bestow else- 
 where, when all at once a sea of fire burst forth, and spread 
 with fearful rapidity on all sides. Behind before to their
 
 96 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 very feet, it advanced in its devouring fury pouring forth 
 its sheets of flame. 
 
 One of the Bibis having been able to free his hands from 
 his chains, had succeeded in igniting two pieces of dry wood 
 by rubbing them together behind his back, and throwing 
 them into the dry grass with which the earth was covered, a 
 fire was soon kindled, whose frightful progress was appalling 
 to behold. It rolled its fiery waves, like those of the sea, 
 over all that lay in its way, leaping forth on all sides, and 
 enveloping all in its blazing shroud and it seemed that 
 scarce a moment passed from the time of the first alarm 
 until it rolled from the shore until far in the island, only 
 stopping when there was nothing left to devour. It rolled 
 to the spot occupied by the manacled slaves and the free 
 limbed soldiers, but it spared neither the one nor the other ; 
 and the triumphal war cry of the Bibis rose above the 
 crackling and rolling flames, ascending even to the clouds, 
 mingling with the shrieks of anguish uttered by the pur- 
 veyors and their soldiers, who found their death with the 
 three hundred negroes whose oppressors they were. 
 
 Horror seized upon all who witnessed the sight, but no 
 one was so much affected as Gaitar. A fearful impression 
 was made upon him, less on account of the loss he had sus- 
 tained, than from a superstitious belief that such a disas- 
 trous beginning could forebode nothing but an unfortunate 
 ending. He resolved, therefore, to lift his anchor at once, 
 and without caring for the neighborhood of the English 
 cruisers, he left the coast of Zanzibar, and had reached the
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 97 
 
 broad ocean ere the daylight had faded. This bold stroke 
 succeeded better than they had dared to hope for. No 
 enemy met him on the high seas, no storm dismantled his 
 beautiful vessel, and fourteen days after this terrible scene, 
 calmly and quietly as though her voyage was not one to 
 tempt the anger of Him who commands the winds and the 
 waves, he sailed into harbor at the Isle of Bourbon. 
 
 It was in the middle of December, the second month of 
 the tropical winter, and just at the time when the storm and 
 tempest unite to form the desolating hurricane, and however 
 frightful in their devastating power on land, they are much 
 more so on sea. The rain pours down in torrents, the little 
 brooks swell into mighty rivers, whole districts in the low 
 lands are submerged in water with a rapidity hardly to be 
 imagined, and the waves that dash upon the shore, usually 
 from four to five feet high, now rise to sixty or an hundred. 
 The air is sultry and oppressive, the heavens are clothed 
 with dull copper-colored clouds, the wind sighs and wails as 
 though piping the world's elegy, or mourning the arrival of 
 the day of doom; nothing can resist it in its unbridled 
 course, men, animals, trees, and houses are overturned, and 
 its track is to be distinguished for miles, for all has been 
 swept as with the besom of destruction. 
 
 It was a hurricane like this, that in the year 1829 drove 
 a large ship out of the harbor at the Isle of Mauritius, and 
 carrying her up to the custom-house, left her on dry land, 
 and by the same tornado, the long pier at the haven of the 
 Isle of Bourbon was entirely torn away. Terrible, and 
 7
 
 98 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 greatly to be dreaded, as these storms are by the inhabit- 
 ants of those countries subject to their sway, as we have 
 already mentioned, to the sailor they come yet more fraught 
 with disaster. No creek can secure a ship from its fury, no 
 haven afford a place where she can safely ride during it 
 progress. As soon as the clouds threaten the approach of 
 this terrific visitant, in flight is the only medium of safety ; 
 it is necessary to secure a good offing at once to save ship, 
 and goods, and life ; and the sailor must crowd sail to reach 
 the open sea, without care as to what direction the wind 
 may drive him, so it only bears him and his craft to the 
 broad ocean. Groaning and creaking in the blast, the vessel 
 flies through wave and tempest at random at one moment, 
 mounted upon the heaving billow the next, she is in the 
 deep hollow formed by the angry waters. Woe to the im- 
 provident sailor whose ship is not fully prepared for such a 
 strife as this ! Woe to the fool-hardy mariner who, because 
 he has often ventured his life on the uncertain sea, now tempts 
 its fury in an unsafe boat ! Is the vessel new and perfectly 
 seaworthy ? is the crew sufficient and fearless ? is the cap- 
 tain experienced, calm and collected in this hour of danger, 
 she may come off conqueror in this tremendous battle with 
 the raging elements. After along suspense of alternate hope 
 and fear of life and death he returns to the haven he had 
 left with his ship, but not as she went forth, but with the 
 goodly vessel sadly dismantled, for masts and sails have 
 been yielded trophies to the tornado's power. 
 
 But he can only hope to reach a secure haven if, as he
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 99 
 
 dashes on his dangerous path, he is met by no whirlwind 
 or waterspout. For in these latitudes it is no uncommon 
 thing for a ship thus flying to be suddenly arrested by a 
 whirlwind, caught up for a moment, and, ere the affrighted 
 mariners have time to think, buried forever in the depths of t 
 the sea. Nor is there less danger from the waterspout. 
 Rising dark and threatening from the moaning ocean, the 
 watery pillar moves slowly onward ; and, unless able to get 
 out of its way, it bursts over the hapless vessel, and she is 
 crushed by its weight, even to the caverns of the deep. 
 
 The captain of the Satan stood upon the quarter deck 
 looking through his glass, when, after long observation, he 
 became aware of two dark spots on the edge of the distant 
 horizon; one was in the cloud that seemed to rest upon the 
 face of the waters the other on the ocean below. Both 
 seemed equally to claim his attention. He spoke not, but 
 continued to look with strained and fixed attention, until at 
 length, as if satisfied with the scrutiny, he removed the 
 glass from his eye, and turning to Gaitar, exclaimed in a 
 voice sufficietly indicative of alarm 
 
 "Look, there is the enemy and the storm." 
 
 He was not wrong in his conjecture. Two ships of war, 
 one a French frigate, the other an English corvette, came 
 looming forth from the distance, and bearing sail directly to- 
 wards the Satan, showing by their manoeuvres that they knew 
 her character, and plainly intimated what were their own in- 
 tentions. 
 
 The swiftness with which one ship overtakes or avoids
 
 100 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 another, depends entirely upon what position she occu- 
 pies with regard to the wind. In this respect the Satan was 
 greatly at disadvantage, and it was manifest. They on 
 board knew it, for they tacked instantly, and hore up 
 vith a side wind, still endeavouring to maintain their course 
 owards the Isle of Bourbon. The captain had commanded 
 this alteration to be made, and trusting to the lightness of 
 his vessel, hoped to be able to escape his enemy by outsail- 
 ing him. By some untoward circumstance, the changing 
 of sails occupied more time than was usually the case, and 
 the delay was productive of loss to the Satan. The ship, 
 while this manoeuvre was performing, of course made no 
 headway, and consequently lost an advantage which her 
 antagonist gained. The fugitive, therefore, could only hope 
 to distance her enemy by more vigorous sailing when once 
 head up upon the new tack they were about to take. The 
 captain took new measures and issued his orders accordingly. 
 But, alas ! he found his pursuer a swifter sailer than he 
 imagined so large a vessel could be ; for indeed at times so 
 rapidly did the frigate gain upon the fugitive, it seemed that 
 she outstripped the far-famed Satan in point of speed. 
 
 Two hours had elapsed from the commencement of this 
 doubtful race, when a cannon thundered from the frigate, 
 and sent forth a sheet of flame and smoke over that dusky 
 sea. A ball struck the main sail of the Satan, but without 
 doing much injury. The battery on board the slave ship 
 was in perfect readiness to return the salute had the captain 
 deemed it the more prudent course ; but at present no an-
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. -101 
 
 swer was given to the question so boisterously asked for on 
 this occasion " discretion was held to be the better part of 
 valor," and it was best to seek safety in flight. Besides, 
 under ordinary circumstances, the frigate was more heavily 
 armed and better manned than the light sailing slaver ; and 
 how much greater must her advantage in those respects b } 
 since the latter had lost so many of her people by the firt 
 kindled by the Bibis on the shore of Zanzibar. 
 
 The captain's situation became more critical every mo- 
 moment. The frigate and corvette gained on him until 
 scarce an English mile lay between them and the Satan. 
 The cannons once more thundered forth their fiery demands ; 
 but this time two balls reached the deck of the slaver, 
 bringing damage if not death with them. In great conster- 
 nation the captain and supercargo consulted with each other 
 what was best to be done ; but they could not come to any 
 conclusion. Their fears, their despair, increased with every 
 moment. They spoke of surrender on assurance that their 
 lives should be spared ; but the crew were not agreed as to 
 the expediency of this measure. 
 
 At this critical moment, as if to favor the Satan, an ally 
 unasked, unprayed for, but yet welcome, appeared and lifted 
 his dark and threatening shadow over the contending ves- 
 sels. The little black cloud that rested on the edge of the 
 horizon, at first no larger than a human hand, had grown 
 into gigantic dimensions, and now covered the greater por- 
 tion of the heavens with its fearful pall. From time to time 
 fierce gusts of wind swept over the sea and rent the clouds,
 
 102 * THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 dividing their dark array for a moment, and driving them 
 along the rack; but almost in the same moment others 
 deeper, darker, and more threatening were piled up in their 
 places, pregnant with tempest and fearful to behold. So 
 dense, so heavy these became at last, that the wind had no 
 longer power to sway them ; but moaning, wailing or raging 
 it continued to sweep over the broad surface of the sea, and 
 its mighty rule was soon manifest then. The waves swelled 
 to a fearful height ; and rising one above the other, each 
 one higher than the last, they interposed their towering 
 masses between the pursuer and pursued, and by irresistible 
 violence separated them from each other. The thunder of 
 the cannon was no longer heard it was drowned by the 
 voice of many waters, whose mighty echoes were mingled with 
 the roaring of the tempest ; the rain poured down in torrents, 
 and veiled the heavens in almost impenetrable darkness. 
 
 After the lapse of an hour or two, the rage of the storm 
 was diminished ; but the cruisers and the slaver troubled 
 themselves no further with each other they had enough to 
 do to battle with the still rolling sea. They scudded before 
 the gale almost under bare poles all the canvass having 
 been taken in except the fore sail and small jib. 
 
 In order to render the assistance necessary on the deck 
 of the Satan, whilst the hurricane was in its greatest fury, 
 the men appointed to guard the negroes in the hold were 
 withdrawn, and one single sailor occupied the post of danger 
 which, a few hours before, it was deemed requisite that 
 numbers should fill. The storm continued to rage fiercely
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 103 
 
 throughout the whole day, and in the anxiety to save their 
 lives and ship, the slaves were unthought of, and so uncared 
 for. The craven sailor, sent to keep guard, was afraid to 
 venture too near the unhappy blacks ; they were, therefore, 
 left without food or drink, while in the meantime, to render 
 himself deaf to their complainings, he cheered his lonely 1 
 watch with a flask of rum. 
 
 When at last released from the sterner duties imposed by 
 the threatened danger, the guards returned to their post 
 below, they found many of the negroes dead, and the rest 
 greatly exhausted. But they could not yet be spared to 
 remain. Yet although the negro traders, Gaitar and the 
 Captain, knew that the battle with the elements for life or 
 death was far from being ended, the demon of avarice was 
 not subdued ; in those moments of horror they yet found 
 time to calculate the probable loss on the profits of the cargo, 
 from which they had hoped to derive so much. They there- 
 fore resolved to bestow, in spite of the menacing deaths 
 which surrounded them, all possible attention on the slaves 
 that remained, and to the last minute. The boatswain, who 
 was an old and experienced sailor, and whose many years' 
 acquaintance with the sea forbade his giving up hope even 
 in dangers like the present, now showed himself particularly 
 active. He ordered the corpses to be thrown overboard, 
 and had the fresh air admitted as far as was possible, and 
 portioned good and strengthening food to the exhausted 
 sufferers. At the same time, he declared himself willing to 
 remain below with one or two others to whom he had spoken, 
 and keep watch over the negroes.
 
 104 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 The storm continued to rage for four days, with little 
 abatement, after the hurricane was over, until on the fourth, 
 when it rather increased, and they were threatened with a 
 new danger. The frigate and the slaver had been widely 
 separated, but the wind and the waves had brought them 
 once more into dangerous proximity. The high and mount- 
 ing billows had often hidden the one from the eyes of the 
 other ; but at the moment of which we are speaking, one 
 was seen rising on the top of a huge wave, the other directly 
 in the hollow below, so that they could closely scan each 
 other, as well as calculate the probability nay, almost cer- 
 tainty of their running into each other. The royal ship 
 had lost all her masts to keep her afloat, they had thrown 
 all the guns overboard, and as a last misfortune, a heavy 
 sea striking her rudder, carried it away. The Satan was 
 less injured. The masts with their tackle were still stand- 
 ing, and they had not lost their rudder, but from the want 
 of sails, which had been blown away, it was impossible to 
 guide the ship. Yet, under these circumstances, the negro 
 trader did not consider himself in any better condition than 
 his enemy, nor did the dismantled state of the latter remove 
 the danger of his near neighborhood for although there 
 was nothing now to be dreaded from his guns, pitched and 
 tossed as both vessels were by the unruly sea, there was 
 every reason to fear that the Satan would be crushed by 
 the frigate, or the latter be run into by the Satan. Thus 
 the Captain of the slayer looked out upon the threatening 
 peril without hope of deliverance, exeept from one source
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 105 
 
 his guns were yet in order, and they must be used now, less 
 as means of aggression, than as instruments for the preser- 
 vation of their own lives. Had the frigate possessed the 
 same advantages, the probability nay, without doubt 
 she would have used them as unscrupulously as did the 
 Satan. 
 
 Vainly, for a long time, the captain of the negro ship 
 endeavored to pierce the body of the hostile vessel with 
 bullets, so as to sink her ere she came closer in vain 
 cannon after cannon boomed heavily over the rolling sea, 
 and struck the hapless frigate, now without means of de- 
 fence the shot rattled on her sides, or swept over her dis- 
 masted hull but though sustaining some injury, she still 
 rode proudly on the swelling waves, as if, though powerless, 
 she was yet defiant. Yet still the waves on which she 
 mounted brought her nearer and more near each moment 
 the distance between the ships was rapidly lessening the 
 decisive instant had nearly arrived. One more surge of the 
 billows, and one or both of the ships must go down. But 
 this moment did decide the con test forever; the slaver poured 
 forth a whole volley of cannon shot from a side battery, the 
 concussion caused his ship to recoil from the death-threat- 
 ening embrace, but the frigate met it and was lost. The 
 noble vessel sank at once, and whilst she, with her gallant 
 crew of an hundred men acting in a cause approved of by 
 all lovers of humanity, went down to rest in the deep caves 
 of the ocean, the criminal slavers held on their iniquitous 
 way, rejoicing at such a scarce hoped for deliverance.
 
 106 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 On the same evening, the moon showed her bright cres- 
 cent in the heavens it was her first quarter, and clear 
 weather might now be expected. The storm ceased, the 
 waves sunk to their usual calm, and the Satan rode quietly 
 and without fear. The dark grey hue of the sea was 
 changed into the usual tint of blue green, and the leaden 
 clouds that for one whole week had veiled the heavens were 
 withdrawn. 
 
 All danger for the present being over, the Captain gave 
 orders for the necessary refitting of the ship. The sails 
 had either been blown away, or reduced to shreds by the 
 hurricane, and to supply their want, the sailors' hammock 
 cloths were stitched together, and answered the temporary 
 purpose well. They were fitted to the yards, and it being 
 now possible to guide the ship in a desired course, and the 
 wind being favorable, in the course of a week, the bleak 
 outline of the hills on the Isle of Bourbon were distinctly 
 visible above the horizon. 
 
 The landing of the cargo on this island was a work of 
 much greater difficulty than the business of lading at Zan- 
 zibar. A number of French cruisers hovered around this 
 coast as well as on that of Africa, and it was much easier to 
 discharge their duty successfully here than there. A long 
 line of coast, with various creeks and bays, affording only 
 too many facilities for the carrying on of the nefarious trade 
 it was their duty to prevent, made the task of watching 
 rather an arduous one, but here they moved in a kind of 
 circle, from which no point of survey was lost. Thus it re-
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. 107 
 
 quired great caution for the slaver to approach the island so 
 as to elude their vigilance, and to do this, it was necessary 
 to have co-operation with friends on the shore. In order, 
 therefore, not to fall into the hands of the cruisers, each 
 slaver had some trusty accomplice, who let him know by 
 signals when the coast was clear. By day a flag displayed 
 upon the heights, by night a fiery telegraph gave intelli- 
 gence of the number and position of the ships, and directed 
 the slavers when and where they might land without danger. 
 Enclosed by high and steep rocks that environ it like a wall, 
 the Isle of Bourbon possesses no haven, but only here and 
 there a few roadsteads where ships can anchor. But of 
 these, insecure as they are, the slaver cannot avail himself, 
 he dare only seek a landing place in spots which the honor- 
 able mariner would shun as too perilous to attempt. 
 
 With great joy the captain and his companion beheld the 
 distant hills. The sea was calm, and the vessel, notwith- 
 standing her dismantled condition, held boldly on her way. 
 The heavens were cloudless, and every point of the shore 
 being well-known to the crew, they kept off until night, 
 when their landing could be effected more safely than by 
 day. The watchers on the heights had already made their 
 signals as to what point they should steer, and they had 
 answered by turning the ship's head in the given direction. 
 The desired time had nearly arrived, and they now gave 
 themselves confidently to hope that the business on which 
 they were bound would end profitably and well, when the 
 boatswain, whom we have mentioned was keeping watch
 
 108 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 below, rushed into the cabin, where the captain and super- 
 cargo sat congratulating each other on the probable success 
 of the expedition. 
 
 " Captain !" he cried in wild alarm, " the ship has sprung 
 aleak ! Water in the lowest hold ! and it is increasing 
 every minute !" 
 
 " You mistake, boatswain," answered the captain, laugh- 
 ing, " my ship is too young and life-loving for this to be 
 possible. If she were not the noblest boat that ever was 
 built, how could she have resisted and outlived the fiercest 
 tornado ever known in the memory of man ? Even though 
 her copper sheathing were torn away, her oaken planking 
 is of the best and soundest, as you well know, since it is not 
 long since you examined it yourself. It is most likely that 
 in our late pitching and tossing, in that infernal storm, one 
 of the water casks has been upset, and spilled its contents 
 over the hold. Go down below and look more carefully, 
 and you will see that I am right." 
 
 These words had scarcely passed his lips, ere a great bus- 
 tle was heard sounds that reminded one of the clashing of 
 arms when contending armies meet. It was like the beat- 
 ing of waves, the shock of weapons, the rush of men and 
 horses, and, from time to time, reports like those caused by 
 the firing from a battery. 
 
 They listened for a moment, and with visible alarm 
 painted on every feature. 
 
 Now, captain, do you doubt any longer ?" inquired the 
 boatswain, pale with terror, " the copper is loosened from
 
 THESLAVESHIP. 109 
 
 the keel, and I fear the emperor's sword has already bored 
 through the oak, stout as it is." 
 
 The emperor, or sword-fish, the tyrant of the Indian 
 Ocean, is from twenty to thirty feet in length, and in thick- 
 ness four or five. His mouth, armed with many hundred 
 sharp teeth, is six feet long and an half foot broad, resem- 
 bles a two-edged sword, and is as hard as iron. With this 
 fearful weapon he is the most dangerous inhabitant of this 
 southern sea; and from his seeming unlimited sway, and 
 because no dweller in that same ocean, not even the raven- 
 ous shark dare venture to resist him, the sailors have given 
 him the name of the emperor. Unlike the other finny mon- 
 sters of the deep, who always pursue their course alone, the 
 sword-fish is never found without company, his female and 
 his young are useful assistants, and with the same avidity 
 with which hounds pursue the hare, they follow his lead in 
 quest of prey, of which the whale is the principal object. 
 
 The emperor is not contented only to destroy whatever 
 living thing comes in his way, but every object, planks, bits 
 of wreck anything, in short, that is seen floating on the 
 surface of the water, is sure to awaken his wrath. There- 
 fore, ships are not spared when they come in his way, and 
 he never fails to try his strength on her sides. If her cop- 
 per sheathing is not fast and firm enough to resist his furious 
 strokes, her destruction is certain, for the strongest oak pre- 
 sents no impediment to the fearful weapon provided for him 
 by nature. Inserting its serrated point between the small- 
 est seam found in the copper fastening, he bores his way
 
 110 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 through to the wood with all the skill of a mechanic, and 
 works with untiring industry until his saw is fully introduced. 
 His companions aid him, and in a short time a number of 
 small holes are made close beside the seam where he com- 
 menced his operations, and they do not leave off their work 
 until, out of many, one large opening is made, forming a 
 leak through which the water pours with a force too formi- 
 dable to contend with. Those on board are seldom aware 
 of the operations of this enemy until the mischief is com- 
 pleted ; the rushing of the waves, the piping of the winds, 
 the creaking of the ship's tackling, and the sounds of human 
 voices, as the various orders are given or received, mingling 
 with all, prevent those destructive efforts at first from being 
 heard. The chafing and thumping of the monsters, as they 
 beat the water or thrust against the ship's sides, is the first 
 intimation they have of the fatal disaster, for the noise is 
 ever comparatively slight, until the sword is fairly through. 
 
 The captain knew well what the sound meant, and no 
 longer doubted that the boatswain was not deceived. 
 
 "You are right, old boy," said he, " the ship must have 
 sprung a considerable leak. The quickest aid is necessary. 
 It is well for us that we shall soon see our friends' boats 
 putting off from the shore, for the day is now breaking. 
 Until then, it is no difficult matter to know what is to be 
 done. Let the pumps be set going pipe up all the sailors 
 and set them to work at once. In the meantime I will go 
 below with the carpenter, and examine the leak we can
 
 THE SLAVE SHIP. Ill 
 
 stop it, so as to prevent too much water from entering ; it is 
 well we are so near the shore." 
 
 The old salt's shrill whistle called the men together, 
 the captain gave orders that they should repair to the 
 pumps. In presence of this new danger they complied rea- 
 dily, and, under the boatswain's direction, in less than a 
 minute the pumps were in full flow. But the water still 
 streamed in from an unconquerable source ; the men worked 
 as for life and death, but the ship was not lightened, it 
 was evident that at each moment she sank deeper. 
 
 After an half hour passed in the most strenuous exertions, 
 the captain saw that, in spite of every effort, the ship must 
 go down. He looked upon the beautiful vessel which for so 
 long had been his home he thought of the living freight, 
 from the sale of which he calculated to derive so much pro- 
 fit, but what was all that in comparison with life. In the 
 anguish of his heart, he resolved to throw himself, together 
 with the supercargo, the boatswain, and two sailors, into the 
 shallop, and, unseen by the rest, privately make for the 
 shore, leaving the crew, who were working below, and the 
 hapless slaves to their fate. While they were letting down 
 the boat, he was standing with his companion by the gang- 
 way which led to the hold, and by which the boatswain must 
 necessarily pass in going to and fro as he issued his orders 
 respecting the pumps. 
 
 As the old man came near, the captain called him, and 
 in a whisper informed him of his intention. 
 
 " The leak is so large," said he, " that the ship cannot
 
 112 THE SLAVE SHIP. 
 
 hold out ten minutes more. Give order upon order, 
 swear, threaten, command until you get the men in con- 
 fusion. I will take advantage of the distraction, and while 
 it is yet dark, to get ashore with my friends here. Take 
 good care and save your life as we are saving ours. As 
 soon as we have the shallop launched, throw yourself in 
 after us. Then Satan, my goodly ship, farewell." 
 
 Two minutes later and the five men pushed off in the 
 shallop from the fated vessel. But long before they reached 
 the shore, the sea had closed over the 'Satan ship, crew, 
 and slaves were hidden in her insatiate bosom. A few 
 circling eddies for a short time ruffled the place of their 
 disappearing, and then gradually subsiding, the sun poured 
 his first beams on the mirror-like surface which now glared 
 as calmly and brightly in those early rays as if that vessel 
 had never been.
 
 THE lion differs from all beasts of prey belonging to the 
 cat kind in one respect : he never wantonly murders, but 
 --iy seizes upon men and beast when provoked or excited 
 by hunger. A proof of this is furnished by an account of 
 a Dutch Mis& : onary, who, having visited a friend, returned 
 by the way of a large pond, on the edge of which he hoped 
 to be able to saoot an antelope. -By the time he reached it 
 the sun was tolerably high, and as no animal nor living 
 thing was seen on its margin or elsewhere, he rested his gun 
 against a rock, at whose foot a small spring bubbled forth, 
 the whole overshadowed by a thicket which rose from behind 
 it. He went down to the water, and having refreshed him- 
 self with a draught, he returned to the rock where he had 
 left his gun, and being wearied with his travel, laid down 
 on the grass in the cool shadow, and in a few moments was 
 fast asleep. 
 
 After awhile he awoke with a sensation of oppressive 
 heat. He opened his eyes, and they fell on a huge lion that 
 but a step or two distant was lying beside him, and bending 
 over, surveying him with sparkling eyes. The fright nearly 
 robbed him of recollection, for the waiting animal stood over 
 him with open jaws. And as he looked upon the sharp teeth, 
 
 8 ( 113 )
 
 114 THE LION. 
 
 and into the very throat, he believed his destruction certain, 
 and he closed his eyes from the fearful sight. His presence 
 of mind at last returned. He looked toward his gun and 
 slowly stretched forth his hand to take it up. But at the 
 same moment the lion, who probably knew by experience 
 the power of a gun, raised his head and began to roar most 
 fearfully. This induced the missionary to withdraw his 
 hand. At this moment the animal, seemingly satisfied and 
 crouching down, lay as before with his head between his 
 fore paws. Believing his watchfulness for the present sus- 
 pended, the missionary made a second effort to grasp his 
 weapon ; but the crafty enemy was not so sound asleep as 
 he seemed, he raised his head as before and began to 
 growl; and when a third and fourth attempt was made, it 
 was attended with the same issue. 
 
 The sun beat with unrelenting rigor upon the naked rock, 
 which reflected his rays with equal severity, so that the poor 
 man, nearly fainting, was obliged to change his position 
 from time to time. His naked feet were scorched almost 
 to blistering; and the only relief he could know in his 
 painful position, was by laying the one over the other, and 
 changing them from time to time. The day faded into 
 night the night dawned into day, and the lion had not 
 moved from the spot. The sun rose once more and poured 
 down his rays most fiercely, and by midday the heat was 
 so intense that the half-roasted feet of the poor man had 
 lost all feeling. By noon the lion raised himself from his 
 recumbent position and went towards the pool, turning
 
 THE LION. 115 
 
 back at every step or two to see if the man had moved. 
 The latter made another effort to grasp his gun ; but the 
 lion noticed the movement, for, with gleaming eyes, he 
 turned towards him, and placed himself in an attitude to 
 spring. The poor prisoner again drew back his hand, and 
 the beast once more relaxed his watchfulness, and, as if 
 satisfied that no further effort would be made, went to the 
 pool and drank. Having quenched his thirst, he went back 
 and lay down in the spot he had at first occupied namely, 
 within a few steps of the missionary's feet. Once more the 
 night passed away, and the lion still maintained his post. 
 At noon he went as before down into the water to drink ; 
 but as he stood there, a loud noise heard in another direc- 
 tion, made him turn his head to listen. This was favora- 
 ble for our missionary. He was now forgotten, for the 
 animal springing into the thicket which lay behind the 
 rocks, was hidden in a moment by the dense foliage. 
 
 As the missionary remarked this, he resolved to make 
 the best use of his time ere his enemy should return. He 
 therefore, mustered up all his strength to reach his gun ; 
 but he found himself unable to stand his feet were too 
 painful, and his strength was exhausted. With the trusty 
 weapon in his hand, he crawled towards the pool and drank; 
 but as he examined his feet, which were sorely blistered, he 
 found his toes burnt as though they had been in the fire ; 
 and the skin had all peeled off them as he crept through 
 the grass. Unable to proceed, he seated himself beside the 
 pool, and determined to let the lion, whose coming he every
 
 116 THE LION. 
 
 moment expected, have the contents of his gun in his head. 
 But as hours passed, and the animal did not reappear, he 
 tied the weapon upon his back, and crept along his way on 
 all fours as well as he could ; but entirely exhausted, was 
 at last obliged to lie down, and would never have reached 
 home but for the timely assistance rendered him by a trav- 
 eller. He suffered for a long time from the consequences of 
 this adventure, but ultimately recovered still, however, re- 
 maining a cripple, for the loss of his toes made him lame 
 for life. 
 
 Another not less striking peculiarity belonging to these 
 "kings of the beasts," is the respect shown by the younger 
 lions for the old of their race. When a number meet 
 together to hunt for prey, one of the oldest is always chosen 
 as leader, and the others yield that preference most willing- 
 ly to him. When the prey comes in sight, the others crouch 
 down in the grass, leaving to him the honor of approaching 
 and seizing it. When the old leader has killed the animal, 
 for, as we have said before, they never destroy more than 
 they want for food, he retires from his victim and lies down 
 for a short time to rest. In the meantime, the others keep 
 at a respectful distance without showing impatience, or 
 making any attempt to approach the animal killed by the 
 old lion. When the latter has sufficiently rested, he returns 
 to his prey, seizes upon the breast and other tender parts, 
 and makes a good meal without any disturbance from the 
 rest. Having eaten a tolerable portion, he once more be- 
 takes himself to rest, and the others still lie quietly repos-
 
 THE LION. 117 
 
 ing in the grass. After a short time he returns to make a 
 second meal, lying down after it as before. The other lions 
 are carefully watching this last movement, and as soon as 
 the old one has retired, they are up, and seizing upon what 
 he has left, the carcase is soon demolished. 
 
 An English traveller, who was out collecting plants, tells 
 of a circumstance of which he was an eye witness. As he 
 sat upon an elevated rock, he saw a young lion start forth 
 from the thicket below, and seize upon an antelope that stood 
 unsuspiciously grazing on the edge of a brook. He had 
 already began to tear the animal with his claws, when an 
 old lion came up. No sooner had he approached the prey, 
 than the younger withdrew, and waited until his senior had 
 finished his repast, after which he returned and satisfied his 
 hunger with what was left. 
 
 Dangerous an enemy as the lion is considered to man, 
 there are some of the wild negro tribes who make his servi- 
 ces conducive to their comfort. Therefore the bushmen not 
 unfrequently make him their purveyor, and serve themselves 
 of his spoils to increase their own means of subsistence. A 
 traveller who once asked a bushman how he lived through- 
 out the year, seeing he had no fields nor flocks to yield him 
 anything, was answered 
 
 "Hive off the lions." 
 
 On being asked how this was, he replied 
 
 " I will tell you what I do. I watch the lion and let him 
 run down and seize his prey ; then he kills it and eats until 
 he is satisfied. I go up to the place where he is sitting by
 
 118 THE LION. 
 
 the carcase I go up quite close, for I am not afraid of him 
 when he is full and then I scream out, 'What are you 
 doing there ? Cannot you leave something for me ? Go 
 away and let me share in your feast I 'want meat as well 
 as you !' Then I begin to dance ; I jump and spring about 
 and shake my clothes. This disturbs him ; but he turns 
 about and goes off. True, he growls and is in a bad hu- 
 mour ; but he has eaten enough and does not want me, and 
 BO he goes away and gives me time enough to eat my fill 
 and carry off the meat he has left. I take it to my hut, 
 and then we have plenty of provision for a while." 
 
 This is not only another proof that the lion does not de- 
 light in carnage, nor attack men unless hungry, but that he 
 loves quiet above everything. The latter is plainly exhibited 
 in the last mentioned circumstance ; sooner than be dis- 
 turbed by the noise and mock play of his more rational ad- 
 versary, the dignified animal withdraws to another spot, and 
 leaves his enemy to feast on his spoils. But this sport may 
 be carried too far. Like the most forbearing among the 
 human race, whose anger, when roused, is always the most 
 fearful, so after many provocations which passed unheeded, 
 a slight one may awaken the wrath so fearful in its display. 
 The same traveller tells us that the same bushman had 
 played his ingenious game once too often ; for on one oc- 
 casion that he had followed a lioness, and sought in this 
 manner to drive her away from the carcase of a horse she 
 had killed and was devouring, he met a fate he little antici- 
 pated. He had not remarked that she was attended by her
 
 THE LION. 119 
 
 young, and whilst he was screaming and capering round the 
 dam, they sprang upon and tore him to pieces. 
 
 This account given by the hushmen, differs entirely from 
 the assertion of the Hottentots, who say that the lion, hav- 
 ing once tasted human flesh, prefers it to all other, and in 
 that case all their attributed consideration for the lords of 
 creation is forgotten, and he will make war on man singly, 
 even when the latter are in numbers. 
 
 A Caffre chief went out to hunt, accompanied by a troop 
 of his tribe, all well armed with bows and arrows. On the 
 first day, as they were following an elephant, they were met 
 by a huge lion, by whom they were at once attacked. To 
 save their own lives they were obliged to sacrifice one of 
 their horses, which the animal devoured immediately, and 
 whilst thus engaged, the hunters sought a hiding place in 
 the thicket, and beside a pool where they knew elephants 
 and herds of rhinoceros came to drink. 
 
 They were not disappointed ; numbers of the animals we have 
 mentioned came there, but as they were in the act of firing 
 on a rhinoceros, a lion sprang out from among the bushes, 
 seized one of the men, and carried him off. They sought to 
 rescue their unfortunate companion, but were unable. On 
 the next day they found a few of the bones of the feet, but 
 the body had been devoured at once. On the next night as 
 they sat round the fire they had kindled at the edge of 
 the wood, a lion came out of the thicket, seized one of the 
 party, dragged him through the fire, and tore a piece of 
 flesh out of his back. One of the men fired upon him, but
 
 120 THE LION. 
 
 the shot missed ; the animal dropped his dying victim, and 
 turning towards the men, roared so furiously, that not one 
 ventured to fire off his piece. E e then very leisurely took 
 up his booty, and retired with it into the forest. 
 
 Frightened by these dreadful occurrences, and dreading 
 a repetition of them, the troop now formed a barricade of 
 trees, within which they retired ; but in the evening they 
 sent one of the servants to the pool, which was but a few 
 paces distant, for water. The poor man had scarcely reached 
 it, ere he found himself within the grasp of a lion. His cry 
 for help was in vain in a moment he was dragged J arough 
 the wood, and on the next day his skull was found licked 
 perfectly clean by the rough tongue of his ravenous de- 
 stroyer. 
 
 As thus, in the course of three days, the chief had lost 
 three of his men, he determined to augment his party, and 
 instead of pursuing the other animals, as was his first inten- 
 tion, hunt only the lion. They followed the track of the 
 one by whom the slave had been carried off, and soon founu 
 two, and fired upon them ; but only succeeded in killing one, 
 and that the least. Having refreshed themselves with some 
 food, they once more set out to hunt the larger, which had 
 escaped into the thicket ; it was not long before they came 
 up with, and knew him to be, the same that had carried off 
 the slave. 
 
 They pursued him to a spot thickly overgrown with 
 sedges, where he had retreated to his lair, threw burning 
 matches into the dry grass, kindled it into a flame, and soon
 
 THE LION. 121 
 
 succeeded in driving out the lion. The guns were fired, and 
 the bullets having this time taken effect, the wounded ani- 
 mal retreated for a moment, when suddely turning, he ut- 
 tered a roar so fearful that the forest trembled, and dashed 
 through the burning sedges towards his assailants. The en- 
 raged animal broke in among the hunters, in no wise daunted 
 by the numbers, and before they had time to think, had 
 snatched a victim, it was the chiefs brother, and in an 
 instant the breast of the unhappy man was torn open, and 
 the blood streaming forth from his lacerated lungs. The 
 chieftain hastened to the rescue of his dying brother ; he 
 levelled his gun, but the faithless weapon flashed in the pan. 
 He threw it away, and in his despair seized the lion by his 
 tail. 
 
 Enraged and roaring, the fearful beast left his first 
 prey and dashed towards the new assailant, and striking 
 him with his fore paw, tore a large piece of flesh out of his 
 arm ; with a second stroke he laid him on the earth. The 
 chief, however, recovered his footing in a moment, but the 
 lion now caught him by the knee once more, threw him 
 down, and tore his left arm, nearly stripping the flesh from 
 the bone. Thus maimed and bleeding, the chief, with all 
 the voice his weakness allowed him, called out to his people 
 to shoot the animal ; many shots followed the command, and 
 a bullet lodged in the brain of their furioua adversary, settling 
 him forever. This unlucky hunt, which had cost a life each 
 day of its continuance, was now given up, and the hunters, 
 after burying the corpse of their mangled comrade, turned
 
 122 THE LION. 
 
 sorrowfully homeward, bearing their wounded chief by 
 turns. 
 
 Yet courageous and fierce as this king of the beasts is in 
 general, there are times when he is seized with panic, and 
 runs away from the danger he is too cowardly to meet. A 
 bushman once followed a heard of zebras, and had suc- 
 ceeded in wounding one with an arrow, when he made the 
 discovery that a lion was hunting the same. The latter 
 seemed displeased at this intrusion on his forest rights, and 
 was evidently disposed to chastise the bushman for poaching; 
 but as he approached for that purpose, ere he had time to 
 execute it, the poor fellow had reached a tree and climbed 
 up into the thick branches. Leaving the zebras to go where 
 they pleased, this lord of the forest seemed to care for no- 
 thing but to punish this infringement of his rights ; he fol- 
 lowed the culprit to the tree, roared until he shook the 
 forest, and looked with angry eyes up into the branches 
 where the bushman was seated. 
 
 At last he lay down, as if prepared to keep watch through- 
 out the whole night ; nor was the poor man in the tree less 
 vigilant ; he looked down from his leafy covert, but his ene- 
 my was still there. But at last overcome by weariness he 
 fell asleep and began to dream, and the apprehensions 
 which had filled his soul whilst waking, left their painful 
 shadows on it whilst sleeping. He thought that the tree 
 on which he sat was torn up by the roots, and that by its 
 fall he was thrown directly into the lion's mouth. Affrighted 
 by this vision, he started and lost the hold he had hitherto
 
 THE LION. 123 
 
 maintained ; he fell from the branch and came down with 
 his full weight on the lion's back. The animal sprang up 
 at this unexpected greeting, shook off the burden that had 
 so unceremoniously lighted upo i him, and uttering terrific 
 roars, ran away as fast as his legs would carry him. The 
 bushman lay for one moment completely bewildered, but 
 recollection soon returned, and gathering himself up as 
 quickly as possible, took his flight in the contrary direc- 
 tion. 
 
 How forgetful of their natural ferocity, and friendly these 
 animals are with men when they need their help, may be 
 learned from the following fact. An English ship, sailing 
 on the coast of Malabar, sent a boat's crew on shore for 
 wood and water. One of the sailors having proceeded so 
 far in the forest as to lose sight of his companions, saw, to 
 his great alarm, a lioness within a few steps of him ; nor 
 was it at all diminished when she approached him at a 
 quick pace. But fear gave place to astonishment when the 
 creature stretched herself at his feet, looked up into his 
 eyes, as if entreatingly, and then turning her head, looked 
 up into a tree that stood a short distance behind her. She 
 repeated this many times, until at length rising, she went 
 to the same tree, and appeared by her looks to invite the 
 sailor to follow her. He did so, and there sitting among 
 the very topmost branches he saw a great baboon, holding 
 two little animals in his arms, which he knew at once were 
 the cubs of his dangerous petitioner. It would have been 
 no very hard matter for him to climb the tree, and drive
 
 124 THE LION. 
 
 the baboon from his place, and so rescue the little prison- 
 ers, but he did not care to encounter this wily adversary too 
 closely, for he had heard too many tales of his muscular 
 strength to wish for an embrace, and did not care to be able 
 to tell from his own experience how dreadful his bite was ; 
 but he was provided with an axe, and thus he was enabled 
 to gratify the appeal of his mute friend, as well as serve 
 himself, by cutting down the tree. He began the work at 
 once, the lioness in the meantime watched him and the 
 robber of her young alternately, looking straight into the 
 eyes of each. A few powerful strokes, and the tree began 
 to totter a few more, and it fell to the earth, bringing the 
 baboon with it. Scarcely had the latter reached the ground, 
 until the watching lioness, making a powerful spring, had 
 caught and torn him to pieces, then having first licked her 
 recovered young, she went up to the sailor, and began to 
 caress him in the same manner as do cats. She rubbed her 
 head on his feet and knees for some time, looking up in his 
 face as if to thank him for what he had done, then taking 
 up one of her cubs, she carried it into the thicket, from 
 whence she returned quickly for the other. The sailor was 
 so confused by this uncommon scene, that when he returned 
 to the spot where his comrades awaited him, he was unable 
 to utter a word, and it was some time before he could tell 
 them what had happened. 
 
 It is a well known fact, that few of the ravenous animals 
 can be tamed as completely as the lion. The celebrated 
 Martin has succeeded in making them docile as dogs, teach-
 
 THE LION. 125 
 
 ing the largest and strongest of them to play all kind of" 
 tricks, and training them to such obedience that he could 
 take the food, given them when very hungry, away from 
 their mouths, without their exhibiting any resentment. Yet 
 examples are not wanting in which the best tamed animals, 
 forgetful of the love they have for their keeper, have killed 
 him in a fit of their natural ferocity. 
 
 Such an instance occurred in the beginning of the present 
 century in Dresden, to the keeper of a lion, whom he fed 
 daily, and was in the habit of playing with. This inter- 
 course between the keeper and his charge continued for a 
 long time, during which the lion exhibited every mark of 
 attachment for his master, who went in and out of his den 
 without fear in short, the most friendly intercourse sub- 
 sisted between them. When the animal was to be fed, he 
 always received his food from the same hand, namely, that 
 of his master, and on these occasions his dress was always 
 the same a green jacket was constantly worn. But on the 
 evening of one holiday, when rather late for the feeding time, 
 he made his appearance in the dress he had worn through- 
 out the day instead of the well known jerkin. The anger of 
 the lion was aroused ; he did not recognise his benefactor 
 in the strange black coat, but springing suddenly upon him, 
 buried his claws in the unhappy man's shoulder ; the latter 
 spoke to him kindly, and the well known voice seemed to 
 recall the lion to himself, yet he could not be brought to 
 submission at once that strange dress still made him sus- 
 picious, and he would not release him from his grasp. In
 
 126 THE LION. 
 
 the meantime the alarm had been given, and the wife and 
 children of the keeper screaming loudly, hastened to the 
 spot. Their cries awakened the attention of the soldiers 
 who kept guard before the castle ; they were soon ready to 
 shoot the furious creature, but the keeper still hoping to 
 mollify him, begged them to retain their fire, whilst he still 
 attempted to soothe. All was in vain the lion continued 
 to shake his mane, and lash with his tail, still holding his 
 unhappy victim in his grasp, and gazing on him with wild 
 and angry eyes. Not able to bear the weight of his power- 
 ful adversary any longer, the wretched man at length called 
 out to the soldiers to fire. They did so, and killed the ani- 
 mal on the spot ; but in the death-struggle, he pressed his 
 fearful paws so closely round the keeper's body, that spine 
 and breast were crushed together, and the poor man 
 breathed out his spirit at the same moment his enemy ceased 
 to exist.
 
 A Baltic
 
 ttntij n 
 
 ONE evening, after a fatiguing chase, a company of hunters 
 were assembled round a well spread table in the castle be- 
 longing to one of the party, where, as they enjoyed the 
 viands and circulated the bottle, they cheated the hour with 
 merry tales and jests. They passed through all the grades 
 of hunting life from narratives of hare, and hound, and 
 bird, to the more exciting themes of the chamois chase or 
 bear hunt, and as they proceeded, the interest grew more 
 and more absorbing, as the tales were those of adventure 
 and danger. Among those jolly sportsmen was one named 
 Robert, who, seemingly devoted to the good fare he was 
 enjoying, had until now sat silent, listening with stoical 
 indifference to the wonderful relations of perils and hair- 
 breadth escapes told by his companions. He was an old 
 man, perhapp ^ sixty years his life was one which must 
 have afforded opportunity for scenes of strange adventure, 
 but he was rather an apathetic person, and could but 
 seldom be induced to speak of scenes through which he had 
 
 "What now, Master Robert?" said one of the boon com- 
 panions, when the lively conversation they were carrying on 
 
 (12T)
 
 128 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 
 
 had come to a few moment's pause ; " have you nothing to 
 add to the general stock ? Me thinks such a life as yours 
 has been, ought to afford material enough for many a strange 
 tale, with which you might cheat the time on such an occa- 
 sion as this." 
 
 "I do not know anything worth telling," said the old 
 man. But scarcely had he uttered the words, when a change 
 was observed to pass over his face, he raised his head as if 
 struck by some sudden remembrance, and his features indi- 
 cated that the recollection was one of horror. 
 
 " It is nothing, my friends, it is nothing," he answered 
 to their inquiries if he was ill ; " it is only from the remem- 
 brance and it always brings on a chill of something that 
 happened to me thirty years ago. When you hear it, your blood 
 will not flow more warmly than my own ; the very thought 
 of the circumstance, which I will relate to you, makes the 
 little hair belonging to my old head, even now rise up on 
 end. My comrade, he who played the first part in this 
 strange drama, was an Englishman ; I made his acquaint- 
 ance in eighteen hundred and fourteen, in Bengal, where 
 the regiment in which he was a captain was stationed. He 
 was no common man, although at the time I speak of, he 
 was but the shadow of his former self, yet he still possessed 
 great strength, and bore the traces of having had the mus- 
 cular power of an Athlete. And even now, though greatly 
 diminished by the toil and hardship of years, he was able 
 to perform feats of uncommon activity, and exhibit great 
 strength of body when occasion demanded, and his reputa-
 
 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 129 
 
 tion for bravery in battle and skill in the chase, was une- 
 qualled by that of any other. 
 
 " The captain and myself were passengers in the same 
 ship, from. Calcutta to Batavia. After a tedious voyage, 
 and long before we reached our place of destination, owing 
 to want of a fair wind, or some other cause at this distance 
 of time I cannot remember we were obliged to cast anchor 
 on the coast. The large boat was manned, and ordered to 
 row to the shore to procure a supply of fresh water, of 
 which we were in need ; the captain and myself resolved to 
 accompany the sailors ; and accordingly, after the empty 
 water casks had been placed aboard, and we had plentifully 
 supplied ourselves with every requisite for a good meal, we 
 took our places with the rowers, and speedily reached the 
 land. By some accident or carelessness in landing, the 
 bottom came out of one of the empty tuns, and the sailors 
 had left it on the shore whilst they went further up in quest 
 of springs from which the remaining casks should be filled. 
 We wandered about at full liberty, until weariness reminded 
 us of its presence, and hunger forced us to think of meal 
 time ; and with two such urgent admonishers to drive us to what 
 was by no means distasteful, we began to look around for a 
 convenient place where we might breakfast. But this was 
 not so easy a matter as might be supposed. Not a tree was 
 there to protect us with its shadow, and the sun was fierce- 
 ly hot. At last the captain, who "was never at a loss for 
 an expedient, pointed to the empty tun, and we rolled it to 
 the spot that seemed most convenient. It answered the 
 9
 
 130 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 
 
 purpose for which we had brought it admirably, serving at 
 the same time for screen and divan ; and so, nicely pro- 
 tected, we went to work at once on our provision. The cold 
 fowl had suffered considerably from the inroads made upon 
 it, the ham diminished visibly under the vigorous applica- 
 tion of our knives, and as all this was washed down with a 
 tolerable modicum of good wine, the invigorating odor of 
 which inspired us, when the feast was ended, to continue 
 our enjoyment by drinking toasts. They were eloquent of 
 our feelings indeed ; and after we had exhausted the list of 
 our relatives and friends, we began to cast about in our 
 memories for some other, but most remote objects of hom- 
 age ; the captain at length remembered a gran J-nephew or 
 cousin, who lived in far distant Scotland, and on whom he 
 had never before thought since he left his home. We were 
 glad to have remembered him, for we wanted to drink the 
 toasts, and we did so. We pledged each other to the health 
 
 of this far off cousin, when permit me, gentlemen, here 
 
 to make a short pause. It is now thirty years since I heard 
 that terrible cry, the herald of the adventure I now relate 
 to you ; yet still it rings in my ear, that fearful shriek ; 
 there is no human tone to which it can at all be likened. 
 
 " The captain conquered his visible consternation so far 
 as to call out, < Take care of yourself, Robert !' With that 
 he made a spring, the activity of which would have done 
 honor to some mountain goat, or spirit out of some English 
 romance, where the latter are made to come and go like 
 rays of light, and stood on his feet behind the empty tun.
 
 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 131 
 
 By good luck I had sufficient time to jump up too, and take 
 my place by the side of my friend, before the frightful cause 
 of our sudden and prudent manoeuvre presented itself, -which 
 it did in close neighborhood, and in the form of a royal 
 liger. 
 
 " And now the frightful contest was to begin. Neither 
 of us, the captain, the tiger, or myself, had ever before 
 found ourselves in a similar condition. The waste was our 
 battle-field, an empty water cask our rampart, our only 
 weapons our dexterity, which we managed in manoeuvring 
 round our tun, in a manner I will not attempt to describe. 
 A faint hope sprung up within us, and made us believe that 
 the tiger would fall upon the meal we had left, and so satisfy 
 his appetite as to disdain the ruder fare of human flesh. 
 Two minutes delay beside the stores from which we had so 
 unceremoniously risen, would perhaps have given us time to 
 collect our thoughts, and plan some movement of defence. 
 Vain hope ! His savage glance pierced through our very 
 souls ; we were the only booty after which he longed. 
 
 " A considerable time passed, during which we continued 
 our evolutions round the tun, our only wall of defence. 
 But such exertions soon exhausted the sum of human 
 strength ; a few moments more, and the captain and myself 
 must yield to the enemy, with whom we no longer had 
 the force to contend. By good luck, the animal had less 
 patience than ourselves, and his irritable nature began to 
 show itself. It was plain he was tired of these useless gam- 
 bols. In one moment he stood motionless, as though he
 
 132 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 
 
 was meditating on some important movement. Mustering 
 all his strength for an onset, he made a sudden spring, as 
 if determined to overcome every hindrance that opposed his 
 reaching us. I had but one thought, the certainty of death, 
 and I fell upon my knees. One moment later, astonished 
 to find that I was still in this breathing world, I heard the 
 Toice of my friend calling out, * Robert, jump up here 
 quick.' Our good star was in the ascendant, and had so 
 disposed it, that the tun was standing with the bottom on 
 the ground, and the opening left by the broken head up- 
 wards. As the tiger sprang against it, it rolled, and my 
 resolute and courageous friend, who had not lost his pre- 
 sence of mind for a moment, now gave the tottering cask 
 such a direction that it turned directly over our savage 
 enemy. The tiger now found himself in a narrow cage, 
 and dark, except for the light that came through the bung- 
 hole. But how to keep him there ? My friend did not 
 take much time to consider, but with the same quickness 
 that characterized all his movements, he sprung up on the 
 top of his fortress, whither I climbed also as soon as I fairly 
 recovered my recollection ; and there we both stood, hoping 
 by our united weight to keep it down, and our terrible 
 enemy a prisoner, More mature consideration showed us 
 that we had not improved our condition ; we had no means 
 of communicating with the sailors, who had gone further up 
 the coast, and it was impossible that we could long remain 
 on top of this wooden citadel, under which growled an
 
 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 133 
 
 enemy who was sure to become our master the moment we 
 left it. 
 
 " The sun was declining, and as he gradually sunk to- 
 wards the west, so did our hopes of rescue. Although the 
 small space in which our enemy found himself enclosed 
 afforded no room for exercising his muscular strength, the 
 dull roaring and grumbling we heard from beneath our feet 
 reminded us of a volcano ready for an eruption. We stood 
 upon our tun as over a mine which might burst in a moment. 
 The resolute expression of the captain's features was changed 
 to one of uncertainty, which he vainly tried to conceal. But 
 all at once his countenance altered, a smile lighted up his 
 pale face, and he laid his forefinger on his lip as if to cau- 
 tion me to silence. He bent his knee, and stretched forth 
 his arm as cautiously as though he were fishing for trout in 
 some American lake, and before I could question him what 
 he meant by the movement, he was again standing upright, 
 and I saw the monster's tail in his hand ; he had pulled it 
 through the bung hole, just as he would have handled a 
 ship's rope, and now dragged at it with all the strength he 
 could master. I assisted him in this manoeuvre as well as 
 I could. It was true that while we had the wooden wall 
 between ourselves and the tiger, he would not be able to 
 harm us. And now we really began to count on him as a 
 treasure, if we could only succeed in dragging him to the 
 place where we knew we might expect help from the sailors 
 we had left ; we thought it possible to secure him alive, and 
 place him in 'Le Jardin des Plantes,' in Paris, or the
 
 134 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 
 
 * Zoological Garden' in London, with the usual inscription 
 above his cage : * Royal Tiger, presented by Capt. M. and 
 Mr. Robert.' That our thoughts were precisely the same, 
 I have little doubt, but we did not express them to each 
 other ; the impression was too momentary, we had enough 
 to do in thinking of the possibility of otir deliverance. 
 
 " With great caution we dismounted from our tun ; but 
 we soon found we had reckoned without our host, and over- 
 rated our own strength. For, although by pulling its tail to 
 its very root through the bung hole, we had deprived the 
 tiger of the use of his hind legs, instead of our regulating 
 his movement in the direction we wished, he dragged us 
 after him according to his pleasure. All our efforts to keep 
 him in one place, or draw him towards the shore, were una- 
 vailing ; he took his course for the interior, and we were 
 obliged to follow. In this way we had gone a mile from 
 the spot where our meal had been so unceremoniously dis- 
 turbed, the captain still holding the tail between his clenched 
 hands, and I clinging closely round the body of my friend, 
 and pulling with all my might and main. And now, gentle- 
 men, at this point in my story, truth obliges me to make a 
 confession, and I blush while I do so. I can show you 
 through the same, what miserable beings we men are when 
 the question of life and our own interest comes in competi- 
 tion with the claims of friendship or justice. Yes, I must 
 confess to you the devilish thought that flashed upon my 
 soul : I felt myself tempted to fly and leave my companion, 
 to whom I was indebted for being at that moment still in
 
 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 135 
 
 life, to the fate that was certain to await him on my defec- 
 tion. I have no other excuse to make for my own justifica- 
 tion than to say, that if I had had the tiger's tail in my 
 hand, and my comrade behind me clinging to my coat, with 
 all the chances of life in his favor, he would most likely have 
 had the same thought as that which tempted me. 
 
 Some inequalities of the ground, and many hindrances 
 from the roots of trees, very much diminished the speed of 
 our journey, and without doubt the delay thus caused ena- 
 bled my prudent friend to seize upon an idea which never 
 could have entered into the mind of any one less active 
 than himself. The plan which he hit upon, and originated 
 solely with himself, I would recommend to every one who, 
 in travelling, finds himself in such critical circumstances as 
 we were at that time. I recommend also the following 
 means of deliverance. If any man in a desert place, and 
 followed by a tiger, is so successful as to imprison the wild 
 beast under a tun the upper end of which is closed hath 
 that same man found means to pull the tail of that aforesaid 
 beast, like a rope, through the bung hole, thus holding him 
 fast as with a cramping iron, at the same time keeping the 
 tun between his enemy and himself. If hereupon it be ob- 
 served that the animal, stronger than the man himself, is 
 dragging the whole concern his own way, and the man has 
 no idea when he may halt, for the reason that he has no 
 idea of what the aforesaid beast may choose, the best thing 
 he can do is to tie a knot in the above mentioned tail, so 
 large that he cannot slip it through the bung hole when the
 
 136 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 
 
 man relinquishes his hold. If this is properly done, the 
 animal will still proceed, dragging his prison after him, and 
 not knowing that the man, who has thus an opportunity to 
 escape, has fled. 
 
 "This bold expedient was adopted by the captain, and 
 truly with distinguished success. Scarcely had the knot 
 been made in the tail of the tiger, ere my friend command- 
 ed me to yell in the most frightful manner ; and never did a 
 troop of savages utter a concert of more inharmonious 
 sounds than those we now sent forth from full throats. For 
 want of other instruments to add to the discordance, I 
 shattered two flasks of rum I had in my pocket against the 
 tun ; and then releasing our hold on the tail, we had the 
 happiness to see our plan succeed, and our enemy dash on, 
 pursued by as great terror as his presence inflicted on our- 
 selves. Our cries increased or diminished in proportion to 
 the swiftness of his flight, and it was so rapid that it was 
 not long until we lost sight of him altogether. 
 
 " With what joy we found ourselves once more on the 
 beach with our companions. The sailors had sought us 
 everywhere ; and as night was coming on, and all their 
 efforts to find us had proved vain, they began to fear some 
 disaster had befallen us. As they saw the traces of the 
 tiger's feet on the sand, and the debris of our disturbed 
 meal strewed around, they concluded we had fallen a prey 
 to the savage beast, and so were about to .put off for the 
 ship. 
 
 " As soon as we were all on board, the captain and crew
 
 A BATTLE WITH A TIGER. 137 
 
 collected round us, and we told them of our adventure, and 
 showed them the hair of the tiger, which was yet adhering 
 to our hands. My friend was lauded for ingenuity, and 
 overwhelmed with compliments of the most flattering kind. 
 As for myself, in consequence of the great fright I had 
 suffered, I fell into a dangerous sickness a brain fever, I 
 suppose for a time I was completely out of my senses. 
 Whilst in this state and it was a long time the atten- 
 dants could not keep me quiet in any other way than by 
 tying a thick rope by one end to the foot of the bed, and 
 giving me the other to hold in my hand. I passed many 
 hours thus, as though determined fully to pursue the 
 captain's experiment. But as I approached to convales- 
 cence, my physician ordered that a smaller cord should take 
 the place of the rope ; and I amused myself for a long time 
 by tying knots in this. At last I recovered ; but my re- 
 turn to health was very slow, and since then an apathetic 
 indifference, for which you gentlemen have often reproached 
 me, has taken the place of my former reckless gaiety. You 
 can now comprehend why I lend such a listless ear to tales 
 of common hunting exploits, and why I make so little ac- 
 count of what relates to the taking of rabbits and hares." 
 
 Mr. Robert had finished his story, and nothing more was 
 related of common sports at the hunter's feast that day- 
 Ills adventure had thrown all the rest into deep shade.
 
 & Ituttttg aimtm in tjri <0nit Sniua. 
 
 I HAD had many adventures in the forests of the East 
 Indies, where I lived for many years, but nothing that hefel 
 me savoured half as much of romance as that which occurred 
 to my friend Holm. We had arrived in Madras about the 
 same time, and after having lived together for many years, 
 were only separated by his being ordered to Darwar, and 
 myself to Bangalore. Having received a furlough, after an 
 absence of two years, to visit Bangalore, I met him once 
 more, and it was on this occasion he related the following 
 adventure, which, however seemingly improbable, he declared 
 to be true. 
 
 He had once so he said pitched his tent at the foot of 
 the rocky and sterile hill that rises above the ancient for- 
 tress of Drug. After spending the early part of the day in 
 surveying this fastness, the dwelling-place of the Rajah of 
 Mysore, and one of the strongest forts in all India, he deter- 
 mined to devote the long afternoon that was before him to 
 the chase, for he was a clever sportsman, and the best shot 
 in his regiment. At that time there was no garrison in the 
 place, for although the situation was beautiful, and the land- 
 scape around singularly romantic and picturesque, it was 
 looked upon as a spot particularly unhealthy. Water is not 
 
 (138)
 
 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 139 
 
 to be had in sufficient quantity, and what there is of bad 
 quality, and the plain which stretches ten English miles 
 from north to south, consists of a black, soft, spongy soil, 
 which the natives call " cotton earth," and insist that it is 
 prolific in engendering pestilence and plague. According 
 to the ancient custom of Asiatic fortification, this strong- 
 hold is encompassed by many walls, each one enclosing the 
 other, so that the outer may be taken by stratagem or force, 
 without the dwellers inside the castle ever dreaming of 
 danger. 
 
 On the sultry afternoon of the day already spoken of, 
 Holm directed his steps towards a thicket that lay on the 
 eastern side of the plain. He had instructed his servants 
 not to expect him before dark, but, during his absence, to 
 get everything in readiness for decampment at the early 
 dawn. 
 
 "I had," continued my friend, in his further relation, 
 " taken a young native lad with me, and was a little aston- 
 ished when the fellow utterly refused to follow me in a cer- 
 tain direction he insisted that tigers and panthers harbored 
 thickly in that place. Notwithstanding this obstinacy, the 
 boy rendered me good service, and my hunting succeeded so 
 well, that before five o'clock I had killed several bustards, 
 a brace of hares, and another large bird with a most singu- 
 lar name and beautiful plumage. I gave the latter to my 
 dark hued companion, and great was his joy at becoming 
 its possessor the rest I stuffed into my game bag, and as 1 
 did not wish to return to the tent at this early hour, I sent
 
 140 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 the boy, after he had directed me what course to take, to 
 carry the spoils to my servants, that they might prepare 
 them before my return. 
 
 As soon as he left me I threw myself down on the grass 
 to rest, among which thousands of bright hued flowers 
 breathed forth their fragrant odors. Here, beneath the 
 blue sky of India, refreshed by those soft perfumes, and 
 fanned by the cool breeze of the advancing evening, I should 
 have lain, indulging in sweet waking dreams, and building 
 castles in the air, until it was time to return to my tent, 
 had not the discordant scream of a peacock just behind me 
 disturbed the bright visions that were floating over my soul. 
 I raised myself up to look at this bird of Juna the glorious 
 creature raised itself for flight, and although it swung with 
 unsteady vibration scarcely two feet above the earth, it con- 
 tinued to do so until it had nearly reached the wood. 
 
 " Shall I seek after the vein of gold," thought I, "or 
 shall I pursue the wise bird that, unlike man, avoids it?" 
 for at that moment I remembered a popular superstition 
 among the Hindoos, namely, that the peacock has such an 
 abhorrence of gold, that in spite of its reluctance to fly, and 
 notwithstanding its unwieldy and difficult movements when 
 attempting the same, it yet never passes over the spot where 
 gold is buried, otherwise than by flight ; it never touches 
 with its feet the earth where the dangerous ore, for which 
 man often pollutes his hands and perils his soul, is hidden. 
 I thought, too, of the common belief, the truth of which was 
 attested by every day's experience, that where " peacocks 
 sojourn, there tigers dwell."
 
 ADVENTUKE IN THE EAST INDIES. 141 
 
 But then I had never shot a peacock, and the love of the 
 chase predominating over prudence, I dismissed my plea- 
 sant visions, and gathering myself up, I left my delightful 
 resting place, and was deeply buried in the recesses of the 
 wood before I remembered that it was the very spot to 
 which my Indian boy had refused to guide me. 
 
 Twice I had started the beautiful bird twice I had him 
 within range of my bullet ; and now, certain of succeeding, 
 I stepped across a deep gulley, through which a small rivulet 
 trickled, and over which he had gone, when my attention 
 was attracted by some foot-marks on the soft sand. My 
 eye was frozen to the spot these traces were the unmis- 
 takable impressions made by the tread of a panther. As I 
 knew that in spots like this deep dells, where cool shadows 
 and rivulets invited even man to repose it was that the 
 leopard and wild cat chooses to fix his lair, I had no mind to 
 intrude, so I gave up the chase after the peacock, and resolved 
 to retrace my steps as rapidly as possible. I had not mea- 
 sured forty paces on my backward path, when a loud roar- 
 ing plainly heralded that danger was near. And it was 
 close by ; in the very direction in which I was proceeding, 
 I saw a pair of fiery balls glaring upon me from between 
 the flower laden branches of an acacia. They were the 
 eyes of a crouching panther, that, meditating a leap upon 
 me, was beating, in token of his hostile intention, upon the 
 earth with his tail. 
 
 As nearly as I could calculate, the animal was at the dis- 
 tance of two leaps off. My fowling piece was loaded, but 
 
 tt*.
 
 142 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 not with ball; on my right hand was an open space, that 
 ended in a dense pine thicket that had every appearance of 
 having been lately overflowed ; for as far as I could see, 
 from this spot as well as between the trees, the grass had 
 been washed away, and the branches and twigs with which 
 the ground was plentifully strewed, showed that they had 
 been made acquainted with the mud of the brook. One 
 glance was sufficient to convince me that the trunk of the 
 nearest tree must be my place of refuge ; yet, at the same 
 time that I almost despaired of reaching it before the panther 
 made his assault upon me, instead of proceeding in the 
 direction from whence I came, I made a sudden spring to 
 the right, and in the next moment I had reached the desired 
 spot. In doing so, however, I met with a new and unex- 
 pected danger ; for as I rested one moment on the 
 ground that lay between me and the tree, I found that the 
 leaf strewn soil on which I stood was giving way, and grad- 
 ually caving in. I found myself half buried in a pit-fall. 
 At the next moment the pursuing panther was following in 
 the path I had left but one moment before ; and in another, 
 he stepped on the insecure foundation which had proved so 
 faithless to me. He made a leap, the huge beast, and 
 alighted one foot beyond the border of the pitfall where I 
 lay ; but scarcely had his feet touched the treacherous su- 
 perstructure, ere it gave way. He fell backwards ; but still 
 held fast to the edge of the ditch if so it may be 
 called by his fore paws, while he turned his head towards 
 me, and blew his hot and offensive breath full into my face.
 
 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 143 
 
 As if bound by some frightful spell of enchantment, in my 
 first amazement I gazed upon the fearful animal, and the 
 blood froze within my veins ; the huge and fearful frame, as 
 it hung over the side of the pit, the red eyes that glared 
 upon me with blood-thirsty fury, the foam covered jaws that 
 wide open disclosed a throat ready to devour, and from 
 which issued a low savage growl that sounded like a threat 
 of vengeance, filled me with horror, and well nigh deprived 
 me of the power of thought. At last he succeeded in rising 
 out of the cavity in which he had fallen. I knew that when 
 he was once free, my last hour had come. I mustered up 
 what strength I could, and raising my fowling-piece, which 
 was ready loaded, and I had not parted from, I aimed it 
 between those glaring eyes that still rested on me, and 
 fired. With a frightful yell the panther fell back into the 
 hollow ; and exhausted with terror and the efforts I had 
 made, I sunk upon my knees and uttered a prayer of sin- 
 cerest gratitude to heaven for my wonderful escape. 
 
 But there was no time for delay, for the evening was 
 coming on, and the shadows cast by the tall trees had in- 
 creased to almost gigantic length. In my chase after the 
 peacock I had wandered so far into the wood that I had 
 completely lost my way. Yet I went forward until I found 
 I was getting more and more astray ; path nor footmark 
 was nowhere to be seen. I stood still to consider what was 
 to be done. The sun was setting, and his golden rays, like 
 a troop of radiant spirits flitting between the lofty trees, 
 and playing among the dark green foliage, reminded me
 
 144 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 that I had come from west to east, and that I must turn 
 my face towards the sunset horizon, above which Night's 
 dusky brow was now plainly visible. But the thicket be- 
 came more dense, the trees stood closer ; and as I held on 
 my way, I found it full of innumerable clefts and pitholds, 
 which, covered with dry branches, swept over them by tem- 
 pest and tornado, and strewn with leaves, made procedure 
 extremely dangerous. I felt myself to be in a situation not 
 only very uncomfortable but highly perilous. I wandered on- 
 ward, until I found myself at the entrance of a kind of cav- 
 ern, but dreading it might be the lair of a panther, or some 
 other ferocious animal, I turned away and began to ascend 
 a little hillock that, covered with soft moss and creeping 
 vines, I judged might form the roof of the cave, if such the 
 hollow space below might be called. The acclivity, although 
 not high, was steep : and as I clambered up it on my hands 
 and knees, for it was too soft and slippery to afford a firm 
 footing, I thought I heard the hum of human voices below. 
 I stood still to listen, but my upright position was produc- 
 tive of bad consequence ; the earth all at once gave way, 
 and I found myself in a like predicament with my late ene- 
 my ; for I fell, and I knew not how or where I was going to 
 stop. Once more I was bewildered ; but soon found I was not 
 hurt, although I must confess I was a little frightened to 
 find I had alighted among a company even yet more alarmed 
 than myself. Screams, shouts and bitterest cursings met 
 my ears on all sides. 
 
 "A tiger a tiger !" shrieked one of the party, as, start- 
 ing up, he tumbled over the rest.
 
 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 145 
 
 " A goblin a ghost the devil !" shouted the others, as 
 they huddled into a nook. 
 
 By this time I had somewhat recovered my senses, and as 
 I gathered up my unhurt limbs, and my trusty gun, I found 
 myself in a subterranean hut, the occupants of which were 
 an old man, a woman, and a boy. All three had been busy 
 about a large fire, around which a number of the utensils 
 used by the natives in the distillation of arrach, lay scat- 
 tered. I did not know whether to congratulate myself or 
 not, on the companionship into which my sudden fall had 
 brought me ; for without doubt I was in the hiding-place 
 of an illicit distiller of ardent spirits. Determining, how- 
 ever, to make the best of it, I related my adventure with the 
 panther, and promised a reward to any one of them that 
 would guide me on my way. They were an innocent and 
 harmless kind of people, and expressed great joy on hear- 
 ing I had killed the panther ; he was particularly ferocious 
 they said, and a great terror to that part of the forest ; that 
 he had often been pursued by the hunters, and that his 
 female had been killed a few weeks before. They begged 
 me not to disclose the secret of their hiding-place, and 
 .directed the boy to place me on a path which led straight 
 in the way to the tent I was so desirous of reaching. 
 
 My young friend was soon ready, and we left the cavern ; 
 but the adventures and terrors of the night were not yet 
 over. It had now become perfectly dark. The short twi- 
 light, peculiar to this Indian climate, had come and gone 
 whilst I lingered in that subterranean dwelling, which I 
 10
 
 146 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 found was situated on the border of the plain, the hillock 
 that formed its roof being hidden by the last thicket which 
 fringed the forest. We had not passed over one of the six 
 miles which the old man told me lay between his hut and 
 the tent I wished to reach, when my little guide stumbled 
 over something that lay in the narrow and uneven path ; he 
 fell, and in so doing struck his knee against a sharp rock 
 that rose on one side. The wound bled considerably at 
 first, but I had a supply of adhesive plaster with me, and I 
 succeeded in binding it up so that he could walk ; but the 
 poor boy seemed to suffer so greatly from weariness and 
 pain, and longed so much to be at home, that, having been 
 placed in the right path myself, and after giving him a few 
 rupees, I dismissed him and proceeded alone. 
 
 He bade me keep on, but be very careful to observe a 
 perfectly straight course, if I wished to reach the spot where 
 we had encamped in safety ; but I deemed such strict in- 
 junction useless, for it seemed to me utterly impossible that 
 I could stray from the single path, that was so plainly dis- 
 cernible from the rugged and uneven ground that bordered 
 it. The moon was not yet arisen, but light enough remained 
 in the heavens to show the character of the place over which 
 I travelled. 
 
 The open plain was broken up by sand pits or deep gul- 
 leys, now dry, but in the rainy season served as beds for the 
 mountain streams that, at the time of the monsoon, swell 
 into torrents and inundate the lowlands, while here and there 
 a group of trees or thicket of shrubbery relieved the monot-
 
 ADVENTUKE IN THE EAST INDIES. 147 
 
 ony that otherwise had been so painful to the eye. Behind 
 me I could yet distinguish the dark outline of hill and forest, 
 but before me was only the wide and sterile plain, with 
 darkness resting upon it, save where, in the far distance, 
 the watchfire of some pilgrim served as a way-mark, or the 
 twinkling light of a taper that, burning in some low cot- 
 tage, or haply showing the sanctuary of the solitary fakir, 
 cheered the heart of the wanderer, and by its exhibition pro- 
 claimed that life was there. These were the beacons that 
 guided me on my lonely way, and as long as I kept them in 
 sight I did very well, but as I left the plain behind me they 
 vanished, and I saw them no more. 
 
 I sauntered along slowly, enjoying all the beauties of an 
 Asiatic night, which were plentifully grouped around me. 
 The air was delightfully cool ; myriads of insects, born only 
 of the night, floated in the light atmosphere ; but as the 
 hours wore on, the beauty was lost sight of in the annoy- 
 ances that accompanied them. The offensive green bugs, 
 peculiar to an Indian climate, fastened themselves in my 
 hair ; hungry musquitoes were humming their threatening 
 songs about my ears, and large white winged moths dashed 
 into my face, obstinately insolent, and as though deter- 
 mined to banquet on my eyes. Crickets and locusts filled the 
 air with their chirpings ; occasionally an owl would sweep 
 across the plain, and as if offended at the human being who 
 dared to invade his solitude, flapped her large wings in my 
 face, in testimony of her displeasure ; and, as I crossed a 
 little brook, a troop of white herons, that generally harbor
 
 148 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 in the damp low rice fields, rose up like a cloud from beside 
 the water, and flew screaming to their retreat. 
 
 To all this was added the cry of the bittern, that dwelt 
 among the rushes by the brook, and the croaking of innu- 
 merable frogs, while thousands of fire-flies made the firma- 
 ment luminous. Those beautiful insects danced and sparkled 
 round me like flying diamonds ; they covered the trees of 
 the forest, that now lay in my way, until every twig seemed 
 studded with fairy lamps every leaf bedewed with brilliants 
 more dazzling than rubies or emeralds ; and I stood still to 
 survey and admire the temple of nature thus brilliantly 
 illuminated, with which no enchanter's palace could compare. 
 It was wonderful suddenly, as they blazed forth in glanc- 
 ing brightness, as suddenly were they extinguished, one 
 moment the branches, twigs and leaves were all visible ; the 
 next all was once more veiled in deep night. 
 
 The darkness had by this time increased so much, that it 
 was with great difficulty I could discern the path ; I knew 
 that the moon would make her appearance ere long, and as 
 I could not stray whilst standing still, I resolved to remain 
 in a position that promised at least security until her 
 friendly light should enable me to proceed. I had clam- 
 bered up the side of a rugged knoll, at the farthest side 
 of which a small rill, scarce two steps wide, wound its 
 way through a deep chasm formed by some mountain tor- 
 rent, and lay down on the bank to rest. The refreshing 
 coolness of the breeze, as it swept lightly through the nar- 
 row chasm, the rich odors it bore on its wings from the
 
 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 149 
 
 flowers that bloomed in the neighboring thicket, the absence 
 of those tormenting insects which swarmed on the plain, and 
 :i very considerable feeling of weariness, combined to make 
 me drowsy. Careless of danger, I yielded to the irresisti- 
 ble demand of the leaden god. I slept soundly, when sud- 
 denly my slumber was broken by something that rushed 
 past me ; a rattling noise was heard, and I felt some sharp 
 instrument pierce my leg. Again a clattering noise, as if 
 a bundle of canes had been hastily thrown together, was 
 heard, and then silence as deep as though it had never been 
 interrupted, once more resumed her reign. 
 
 Not a little alarmed, I felt my leg with my hand in order 
 to ascertain if possible what had wounded me, something 
 like a pointed weapon had penetrated my trowsers, and blood 
 was flowing from my limb. I could not see what it was, so 
 thick was the darkness, but I pulled it out and threw it on 
 the earth. Had I a concealed enemy ? Was it an arrow ? 
 No, it was only a quill which an offended porcupine had shot 
 at me. This shy and retiring animal, so chary ever of 
 being seen, had come to the brook to drink, and alarmed 
 by the involuntary movement I made in sleep, mistaking me 
 for an enemy, had been robbed of one of his beautiful spot- 
 ted quills, from which the natives of India manufacture so 
 many ingenious articles of basket work. 
 
 The moon still delayed her coming, and it was yet dark, 
 but the pitchy blackness which a short time before had veiled 
 the horizon was vanished. I thought it was perhaps the 
 safer plan to get out of the neighborhood of the water. I,
 
 150 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 therefore, clambered up the steep and rugged side of the 
 rivulet, and returned to the plain, where I threw myself on 
 the rough prickly grass, determined to keep watch until the 
 moon should rise. But before I was aware, and even as I 
 watched the horizon where her first faint beam was becoming 
 visible, the god of sleep, too mighty for me to resist, over- 
 powered me, and I submitted to him. It was certainly so ; 
 I slept soundly and sweetly. Never had my slumbers in the 
 open air been so soft and pleasant as in that night ; but 
 their awaking was accompanied with unspeakable horror. 
 Before I was fully awake I had a singular presentiment ; 
 and this same foreboding fettered me to the earth, and 
 warned me against making the slightest movement. I knew 
 that some shadow was passing over me, and that it was most 
 prudent to remain perfectly motionless, as though I were 
 something inanimate. I felt that my feet were confined by 
 a weight like that of a living charm; but the benevolent 
 drowsiness by which my senses were partially benumbed 
 prevented any desire to move ; and it was not until con- 
 sciousness fully returned that I was aware of the presence 
 of a huge serpent that lay coiled up on my legs, reaching 
 even to my knees. 
 
 " Heavenly Father, I am lost !" I exclaimed to myself, 
 whilst every drop of blood in my veins seemed congealed to 
 ice. I shook like an aspen leaf, until the fear that the 
 trembling might awake my venomous neighbor checked my 
 agitation, and once more I resigned myself to lie quietly. 
 The snake appeared to be asleep, at least he remained with-
 
 ADVENTURE IN THE EAST INDIES. 151 
 
 out making the smallest movement. I know not how long 
 I remained in this condition, for to those enduring such 
 anguish as I did at that time, the shortest space of subdivi- 
 ded time is an eternity. 
 
 All at once the moon stepped forth from behind a cloud, 
 illumined the heavens, and flooded the plain with her silver 
 light, so that I could see everything as plainly as by day. 
 I lay still stretched out on my side as I had done whilst 
 sleeping, with one hand under my head, from whence I 
 dared not remove it: neither dared I look towards my 
 frightful sleeping companion, whom my evil genius had cer- 
 tainly sent to meet me. To add to my terror, some new 
 danger was approaching, for I heard a peculiar humming or 
 purring like that made by a cat, which was followed by a 
 few quick and firm steps close beside me. The snake heard 
 the noise too ; he roused himself instantly, and I felt him 
 move. He crawled upwards towards my breast. In this 
 same moment, when I had almost lost my senses from the 
 overpowering anxiety I suffered, believing that death in one 
 of its most horrible forms was ready to strike me, some 
 living thing jumped first upon my shoulder, and after rest- 
 ing there for a moment, sprang upon the snake. This new 
 assailant uttered a piercing cry as he commenced his ass-aulti 
 upon his huge enemy, who prepared to meet the onset with 
 a loud and far-sounding hiss. For one moment I felt them 
 racing over my body in the next they were near me on 
 the grass; then I saw them a few paces distant battling 
 vigorously with each other it was an Ichneumon and a 
 Cobra di Capella, or hooded snake.
 
 152 ADVENTURE ix THE' EAST INDIES. 
 
 Relieved from my worst fears, I sprang up to witness this 
 singular battle, for the moon was now high in the heavens, 
 and it was clear as day. The venomous fascination believed 
 to exist in the glance of the serpent, proved itself powerless 
 before the sharp eye of its little antagonist. I saw the 
 ichneumon, when bitten by his enemy, dart to one side to 
 seek the plant whose juice is the antidote to the poison 
 ejected from the fangs of this snake; and I wondered at 
 the power of instinct and wonders of nature when I saw 
 him return to renew the combat with fresh vigour, and how 
 the reptile resisted the attacks of his little antagonist, until 
 disabled from head to tail, he sunk from his half upright 
 position, and, with a faint hiss, fell lifeless on the ground. 
 
 Kind, benevolent little animal ! Since that time I have 
 always kept an ichneumon, and have learned to treasure him 
 as I would a faithful dog, having found him not less attached 
 and equally playful. 
 
 The adventures of the night, now pretty well advanced, 
 were ended with the defeat of the cobra. I set forward, 
 guided by the benevolent light of the moon, and had no 
 further difficulty in finding the way to my tent, where I 
 found my servants in no small anxiety concerning my pro- 
 tracted absence. I had no need to admonish them that, 
 after the fatigues of such a day, a good supper would relish 
 well. They had a meal which an epicure would praise ready, 
 and to which I did ample justice. After which I betook 
 myself to rest, and my slumber was too sound to be dis- 
 turbed by any shadow which the remembrance of my dan- 
 gerous adventures had left on my waking soul.
 
 I HAD left the hunting party for something more than an 
 hour, and was sauntering slowly along by myself, without 
 having found any game to enrich my bag or furnish a sub- 
 ject to boast of, when I came upon the path of my old 
 friend Konwell, who was with his dogs on the bloody trail 
 of a panther. The animal must have had one of his legs 
 broken ; this was indicated by the marks on the soft ground, 
 and it was plain that the tracks were made by three feet 
 instead of four, and accompanied by blood at every leap. 
 I determined to follow, and therefore as quickly as my feet 
 would carry me, and after a tramp of nearly an hour I 
 overtook my friend at the entrance of a cavern where he 
 stood waiting for me, for he knew that I must come upon 
 the path taken by himself, and that as soon as I had seen 
 the trail of the panther, would be sure to follow him. 
 
 The wounded animal had taken refuge in this cave, leav- 
 ing us to do whatever we thought best. He supposed, poor 
 beast, that within that murky recess he was safe from pur- 
 suit, but he was mistaken. Konwell informed me that he 
 had hidden a bundle of pine splinters in a gulley about half 
 a mile distant, and that if I would keep guard over the 
 mouth of the cave, he would go and bring it. 
 
 (153)
 
 154 THE PANTHER'S DEJT. 
 
 I agreed to this measure at once; and with ready gun and 
 drawn knife, prepared for any attack that might be made, I 
 lay down at the entrance of the panther's cave. I found 
 lying on the hard rock anything but pleasant ; and right 
 glad was I when my friend returned, which he did sooner 
 than I expected, bringing the pine as he had promised. 4 
 His next movement was to kindle a large fire at the mouth 
 of the cave at which we lighted the torches ; and having 
 taken the flambeau in our left hand, whilst we carried our 
 gun in the right, we cautiously entered the cave. I crept 
 on before, but the space within soon became so high and 
 roomy, that we could stand upright, and keep close to each 
 other. 
 
 Bending towards the left, the cavity extended a consid- 
 erable distance within the hill. After we had advanced 
 perhaps two hundred steps, we saw the glaring eyes of the 
 wounded beast, as he closed them from time to time ; and 
 then again opening them, they glared forth like two fiery 
 balls, reflecting most luridly the light of our torches. 
 
 The old man now took my flambeau and stepped behind 
 me. I levelled my gun in the direction of those flaming eyes 
 and fired; and after the report we heard a bustle, but could 
 not exactly make out what it meant. I reloaded my piece, . 
 resumed my torch, and the old man now took his place in 
 front. But as those flaming eyes were no more to be seen, 
 we felt ourselves obliged to go farther. Our guns ready 
 loaded, lay on our left forearm ; so we believed ourselves 
 prepared for everything. We proceeded carefully, and as
 
 THE PANTHER'S DEN. 155 
 
 men are likely to do when suspecting danger, when all at 
 once the panther started up from a hollow in which he was 
 lying quite close to our feet. It was a fearfully beautiful 
 sight to look upon him as he stood with ears laid back, his 
 white teeth set together as if in intense anger, and those 
 wide open eyes glowing and sparkling as they rested upon ua 
 his assailants. I can never forget his appearance. In a 
 moment the guns were discharged, the cave returned the 
 thundering echo. We had both fired so precisely at the same 
 moment, that neither of us could believe the other had shot. 
 We were certain that our enemy had been struck, but we 
 knew not whether killed or only disabled ; so, with the speed 
 of lightning, we dropped our guns and drew our knives from 
 the sheath. And haste was necessary, for the echo had not 
 relapsed into silence before we felt the weight of the panther 
 against us ; and we began cutting at him with our knives, 
 and at the same moment, in consequence of our hurried 
 movements, we saw our torches die out we were left in utter 
 darkness. Deafened by the noise, and utterly bewildered, I 
 turned mechanically to fly from the now raging enemy, and 
 only became perfectly aware of what I was doing when I 
 found myself standing beside the old man outside the cave 
 in the open air. I only know now, that enveloped in thick 
 darkness, and almost suffocated with the smoke of gun- 
 powder, I groped about not knowing what I wished or 
 intended, and that Konwell at last drew me forcibly to the 
 mouth of the cave. There we stood, each one brandishing 
 his hunting-knife in his right hand, and holding the extin-
 
 156 THE PANTHER'S DEN. 
 
 guished torch in the left ; and as we looked on each other, 
 we scarcely knew whether to laugh or be frightened at the 
 strange figures we made. We were black as Cyclops' with 
 powder smoke, covered with sweat and blood, and our 
 clothing torn to rags exposed our naked limbs. 
 
 The old man complained of pain in his breast. I opened 
 the bosom of his shirt and found two deep gashes made by 
 the panther's claws, extending from the left shoulder to the pit 
 of the stomach. I had also received a few scratches, but 
 our stout hunting-shirts were torn into ribbons. Until this 
 moment neither of us had felt that we were wounded; and 
 even now, before we began to think of dressing those wounds, 
 we made up a large fire at the mouth of the cavern, in order 
 to prevent the panther from coming forth. This done, we 
 sat down beside the genial blaze to wash and bind up our 
 scratches, and consult on what plan it was now best to pro- 
 ceed. 
 
 That the panther was still in the cave we were certain, 
 but whether living or dead we did not know ; at all events 
 he was wounded, for our hunting knives were covered with 
 blood quite up to the hilt. But we had no choice left we 
 must return, for our guns and Konwell's powder flask, which 
 the animal had dragged off with him, still lay within the hollow. 
 To kill him by making a fire within, so as to suffocate him 
 with smoke, was possible ; but it was not improbable but 
 that there was some vent by which it might escape, and in 
 that case our labour would be lost and our time wasted. 
 We, therefore, plucked up new courage; and having re-
 
 THE PANTHER'S DEN. 157 
 
 lighted our torches, we brandished our knives, and prepared, 
 though not without some heart throbbings, once more to 
 enter the panther's den. 
 
 With light and cautious steps, lest we might be as un- 
 pleasantly surprised as we had been when we made our 
 hasty retreat, we advanced, holding our torches before us, 
 to the spot where we had dropped our guns, and without 
 meeting with any hindrance from our enemy. I now became 
 sole torch-bearer, holding the old man's flambeau whilst he 
 loaded his gun; then giving him mine, I did the same. 
 Once more in possession of our trusty weapons, we stepped 
 fonvard with lighter hearts, yet still with great caution, 
 when all at once the old man exclaimed, as he raised the 
 flaming pine high above his head, and pointed with it in a 
 certain direction 
 
 " See there he is !" 
 
 This was the first word that had been spoken since we 
 re-entered the cavern. I looked in the indicated direction, 
 and there indeed lay the panther, stretched out at full length, 
 but no longer dangerous. His eyes were set, his limbs were 
 rigid the last agony was over. We skinned and cut him 
 up, even as he lay. All three bullets had struck him, and 
 both knives penetrated his body ; and it must have been in 
 the death struggle that he leaped upon us. 
 
 When our work was ended, and we again came to the open 
 air, the sun was low in the horizon, and all haste was neces- 
 sary that we should set out on our forest path without fur- 
 ther delay. Our wounds smarted not a little ; and although
 
 158 THE PANTHER'S DEN. 
 
 we took time once more to wash them, became so stiff that 
 our progress was both toilsome and tedious. We soon be- 
 came convinced that we should not succeed in reaching our 
 companions whilst the daylight remained, and we determined 
 to bivouac for the night at the foot of a rocky declivity, 
 which promised a good shelter from the cutting wind. To 
 add to our discomfort, hunger began to make itself painfully 
 felt; but this was soon overpowered by weariness, and hav 
 ing gathered up the dry pine branches that lay scattered 
 plentifully around, we kindled up a good fire and without 
 troubling ourselves to prepare anything for supper, we 
 stretched ourselves on the grass before it, and found the 
 warmth most grateful. 
 
 Worn out by the toils of the day, in a few minutes my 
 old comrade was fast asleep ; but although much inclined to 
 follow his example, I was prevented by the restlessness of 
 my dog, who seemed to wish to warn me of the presence of 
 danger. The faithful animal, cringing closely to me, laid 
 his nose on my shoulder, raising his head from time to time, 
 and whined as though he wished to communicate something, 
 and then for a few moments would remain quiet. Then all 
 at once he would rise up as in the attitude of listening, 
 occasionally uttering a low growl. 
 
 Completely awakened by this strange behaviour on the 
 part of the well-trained animal, it seemed to me as if I 
 heard a slight rustling among the dry undergrowth, and 
 rising up to a half sitting posture, I looked towards the rock 
 behind me, and, to my great astonishment, became aware of
 
 THE PANTHER'S DEN. 159 
 
 a pair of glaring eyes fastened upon me. As my head was 
 between the fire and those fearful eyes, I could plainly dis- 
 tinguish the fiery balls as, reflected on by the red light, they 
 peered above the naked rock at whose foot I lay. It was a 
 panther, and evidently, from the position in which I saw it, 
 was ready for a spring. Happily on this, as on every other 
 night, my trusty gun lay close beside me. I seized it, and 
 half rising, so that the fire behind me afforded light for 
 steady aim, I levelled it exactly between the two eyes. I 
 drew the trigger the bullet sped on its deadly errand, and 
 the crack of the noble rifle, thundering against the steep 
 rocks, returned with loud and prolonged echo. 
 
 Old Konwell, to whom the report of a gun was ever the 
 sweetest music, now started up as if roused by an electric 
 shock, and grasped his gun as a matter of course ; the dog 
 continued his barking, smelling all around, and looking in 
 my face as if to inquire in what direction he should go. 
 There was no rustling movement on the rock the bullet 
 must have told ; and pleased with the thought, I smiled as I 
 rammed down another charge into my gun. 
 
 My old friend shook his head as he inquired, " Why in 
 the name of Heaven I had shot ?" Without answering, I 
 went on with my task of loading ; this finished, I took up a 
 blazing pine brand from the fire, and proceeded to climb the 
 steep wall of rock that raised itself like a barrier, about 
 twenty steps distant from the spot upon which we rested. 
 Here I found an old panther, the largest I had ever seen, 
 lying dead my well-directed bullet had finished him. I
 
 160 THE PANTHER'S DEN. 
 
 flung the body over the rock, and my old comrade dragged 
 him to the fire. The ball had struck him directly in the 
 right eye, passing through to the brain. He was a fearful 
 looking animal, with terrible teeth and claws, and the more 
 to be dreaded as, when we cut him up, his stomach was 
 found entirely empty. I believed that hunger had driven 
 him so close to the fire, but Konwell thought he had scented 
 the fresh venison we had with us. Be that as it may, there 
 was little doubt but that he would have made a leap as soon 
 as the intervening fire had burnt down ; to its friendly pres- 
 ence, therefore, on this occasion, as a means of Providence, 
 we owed our lives.
 
 THE 
 
 HUNTERS OF THE WORLD; 
 
 WILD SPORTS 
 
 ADVENTURES IN ENCOUNTERS WITH WILD ANIMALS 
 IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD. 
 
 BY THEO. OIELITZ, 
 
 RINTHEBOYALINSTITUTE.BEBLIN. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, BT A LADY, 
 
 Illustrations on %tt>nt. 
 
 WILLIS P. HAZARD, 178 CHESTNUT STREET, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 1854.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 
 WILLIS P. HAZARD, 
 
 in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the Eastern District 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
 PRINTED BY SMITH & PETERS, 
 Franklin Buildings, Sixth Street telow Arch, Philadelphia.
 
 P40E 
 
 A PANTHER HUNT, .... 5 
 
 BEAR HUNTING, - ... 15 
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN, - .... 42 
 
 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD, ... 59 
 
 THE BUFFALO, ..... 73 
 
 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS, - - - 82 
 
 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, - - - - 89 
 
 THE CROCODILE, - 93 
 
 SERPENTS, .... 108 
 
 VALPARAISO, ... 115 
 
 SANJAGO, - - 122 
 
 THE OSTRICH HUNT, ... 126 
 
 ASCENDING THE ANDES, .... 131 
 
 THE SNOW REGION, ... 136 
 
 THE DESCENT, - - - - - 141 
 
 THE PAMPAS, - 148 
 
 SCENES IN RUSSIA, - - 154 
 
 (Hi)
 
 TRAVELLERS' ADVENTURES. 
 
 lutit. 
 
 YELLING and barking, three slender nimble-footed hounds 
 were scouring through the forest, their noses almost touching 
 the earth ; now peering through the undergrowth, now snuf- 
 fing the air or smelling the dry leaves, sometimes leaving 
 the track, sometimes losing the scent altogether, and then 
 starting off to renew it again. A lusty bark showed when 
 they were on the trail of some wild beast ; for, although 
 occasionally attracted by the swift-footed hare or timid rab- 
 bit that would cross their path, or snuffing round some fallen 
 tree or half decayed log, they never gave up the chase alto- 
 gether. Thus coursing, they at length reached a spot where 
 their prey must either have tarried for a time, or the trail 
 had been crossed, for yelping, they again stood still as if at 
 fault ; then once more they dashed forward, and with wild 
 and whining tones they sought through the undergrowth, 
 and sprung into the midst of thickets of climbing plants 
 with which the spot was enclosed. 
 
 All at once a rustling was heard in the bushes, then they 
 parted, and in the opening appeared a young man seated on 
 a small black horse, brandishing a large hunting-knife, with 
 which he hewed down the creeping vines and whatever else 
 opposed his progress, to the manifest danger of the dogs, 
 
 (5)
 
 6 A PANTHER HUNT. 
 
 who, apparently delighted with Jlis presence, made up to 
 him, and encircled him with toeir clumsy gambols, but only 
 for a moment or two, for that b^ing over, they renewed the 
 chase with greater zeal than ever. 
 
 " That's right, my brave dogs !" cried the young hunts- 
 man, while he reined in his horse, stuck his knife in its 
 sheath, and laid his long rifle, which he carried over his left 
 shoulder, on the saddle-bow before him ; " that is right 
 search, search ! You are on the track this time, and I 
 think we will not let the thief, who has carried off my pigs 
 so often, escape this time!" 
 
 " Hallo !" he cried, raising himself up high in his stirrups, 
 as he saw that the oldest dog had all at once found the 
 scent, and starting off in full cry before the rest, vanish in 
 the thicket. The young huntsman threw back his gun to 
 its first position on his shoulder, grasped his bridle rein in 
 his right hand, struck his spur into the side of his steed, 
 causing him to fly in bounding leaps over the path by which 
 the dogs had disappeared. Fallen trunks, spots thickly 
 covered with brambles, marshy pits and bog-holes lay in the 
 way, but they afforded no obstacle to the zeal which ani- 
 mated his cause. Forward he dashed, that foaming steed, 
 snorting and neighing as though he tried to echo the hunting- 
 cry, and shared in the joy of his exulting master. Once 
 more the dogs held up ; but this time their course was not 
 checked by the uncertainty of the way their enemy had 
 taken, for, barking and yelping, setting up a terrible outcry, 
 they made as if ready to climb up a tall oak that stood near,
 
 A PANTHER HUNT. 7 
 
 and failing of this, in their rage began to gnaw the roots 
 and rough bark of the mighty tree. 
 
 The young huntsman now appeared on the field of strife, 
 and without waiting for any solicitation from his dogs, sprung 
 from his saddle with all the agility of one well acquainted 
 ^ with forest life. With searching glance he peered up into 
 the thick leaved tree, up which the dogs seemed once more 
 determined to climb, and his practised eye soon discerned, 
 ensconced amidst the thickly interwoven branches, a living 
 creature that, as it crouched closely into its hiding-place, 
 rolled up like a ball, and evidently deemed itself hidden and 
 unseen. 
 
 The thick leaves that clustered there made the spot where 
 the animal harbored so dark, that it would have puzzled any 
 one less versed in woodcraft than our young acquaintance 
 to have named the creature that nestled in their deep 
 shadow. But to him such knowledge was easy. His sharp 
 eye at once discerned, in the rolled up figure, a young 
 panther, betrayed by the long tail it could not entirely con- 
 ceal. He had levelled his gun in the direction of the ani- 
 mal the dogs stood silent and immovable, looking anxious 
 and expectant, alternately towards the gun, waiting to hear 
 the report, and see the flash blaze forth, or gazing up into 
 the tree where they knew their enemy was seated. 
 
 At length they grew tired of his delay, and with low 
 whinings, that seemed like the language of entreaty, they 
 sought to urge him to fire upon the creature. But their 
 master seemed to have altered his intention he lowered his
 
 8 A PANTHER HUNT. 
 
 gun, and began anew to scrutinize the tree with even more 
 searching glance than before. After gazing up into it for 
 some time, as though he was considering some matter of im- 
 portance, he seemed at length to have found out what he 
 wanted, and placing his gun against the trunk of an over- 
 thrown tree that was not far distant from him, unloosed his 
 belt, in which was stuck both knife and tomahawk, threw 
 off his hunting-shirt, and then, with his girdle in his hand, 
 went back to the oak which the dogs were still watching, at 
 the same time that not the slightest of his movements was 
 lost upon them. 
 
 " I'll try it," he murmured at last to himself; " I'll try it, 
 and take him alive. I have only to carry him to the next 
 town, and I shall get ten or fifteen dollars for him as soon 
 as I ask it ; but, on the other hand, if I shoot him, his skin 
 will not bring me more than a shilling or so. The old one 
 must have gone clear off, for I do not see her any where up 
 in the tree, and any man would be willing to bear a few 
 scratches from the young devil for the sake of ten dollars ; 
 so young Mr. Panther, look out I am coming !" 
 
 As he concluded his speech, he went up to his horse, who 
 was quietly grazing on the soft herbage, and taking a rope 
 that served as a halter from around the animal's neck, 
 buckled his girdle tightly, and with his knife stuck into it in 
 backwood's fashion, he began to climb the tree. He was 
 unable to encircle its huge trunk with his arms, he therefore 
 threw the rope around it, took hold of both ends in such a 
 manner that it served as a support, and then with its help,
 
 A PANTHER HUNT. 9 
 
 and using his arms alternately, the one above the other, he 
 began cautiously to ascend the tree. The dogs seemed in- 
 stinctively to comprehend his movement, and whining and 
 barking, they gamboled gaily round the roots of the sturdy 
 oak, looking up from time to time, at the little enemy that 
 sat still hidden in the branches. It was slow work, but 
 sure. Using great caution, he climbed up the tall, rough 
 trunk, perhaps thirty feet, until he reached the first branch. 
 Here he stopped for a moment to rest and take breath ; at 
 the same time he tested the strength of his girdle, and felt if 
 his knife was secure, looked at the young wild cat that lay 
 still rolled up in a ball-like form among the embowering 
 leaves that belonged to this same branch, slung his rope, 
 the service of which he no longer needed, over his shoulder, 
 and continued to ascend. The slenderer branches crossing 
 each other, forming a natural ladder, greatly assisted his 
 progress, and brought him in close neighborhood with the 
 panther cub, that still remained lying in its first position, 
 and now, without moving, looked straight into the face of 
 the approaching enemy with eyes plainly indicative of its 
 ferocious nature. 
 
 But another glance, wilder and even more ferocious, was 
 resting on the young hunter, sent forth by a more danger- 
 ous neighbor, and one of whose proximity he had not the 
 slightest suspicion. This was none other than the mother 
 panther, who had made her lair in a neighboring tree, the 
 branches of which interlacing with those amidst which the 
 young one was sitting, made it an easy matter to pass from
 
 10 A PANTHER HUNT. 
 
 one to the other. There she was, stooping and crouching, 
 ready for a spring, waving her long tail, and apparently 
 waiting only until the enemy should come fairly within her 
 range ; and then, with one powerful leap she would throw 
 herself upon the bold invader who had the hardihood to ap- 
 proach her young, and fastening upon him with teeth and 
 claws, tear him to pieces. 
 
 Ignorant of this threatening danger, and careless of every- 
 thing hut how best to secure his prey, the youth swung from 
 limb to limb, until he came almost within touching distance 
 of the young panther, that now rose slowly from its crouch- 
 ing posture, and standing upon the limb with arching back, 
 in the manner usual with cats when rising from a recumbent 
 posture, looked down quietly upon the daring hunter on the 
 branch directly below. The latter once more stopped to 
 rest and consider, but one moment was sufficient for both 
 purposes ; taking the rope he had wound round his shoulders, 
 he made a running noose of it, with the intention of throw- 
 ing it over the young panther's head, then steadying him- 
 self by means of two other branches, he waited for the 
 proper moment to seize his prey. Whilst he was thus en- 
 gaged, the old one was also making her preparations ; and 
 as he was about to raise his hand to fling his noose, he 
 caught the glaring eye of his deadly enemy, just as she 
 stooped in readiness to make the decisive leap. 
 
 Inured, from earliest childhood, to the hardships of forest 
 life, and familiar with all the dangers that threaten the 
 hunter in the pursuit of his perilous calling, our young
 
 A PANTHER HUNT. 11 
 
 woodsman still retained his presence of mind, and in that 
 fearful moment was yet collected enough to step on the 
 limb below, and draw the branch, on the lower part of which 
 he stood, to serve as a screen between him and his enemy. 
 This was done swift as thought, and before the animaj could 
 conclude her spring ; the quick movement was successful. 
 At the very moment it was accomplished, the panther had 
 alighted on the spot he had so suddenly vacated, her gleam- 
 ing eyes gazing ferociously into those of the undaunted hunts- 
 man, who with his left arm twisted in the interposing branch, 
 and brandishing his naked knife in his right hand, still kept 
 his footing and his presence of mind, whilst with every 
 breath he drew, he expected his enemy to spring upon him. 
 It has been said the fiercest animals can be intimidated by 
 the glance of the human eye ; and the panther, at least, held 
 in check by that which now rested on her, began to busy 
 herself about the safety of her young ; yet still keeping 
 watch on every movement made by her enemy, lay not six 
 feet distant from him, and waving her long tail, which with 
 these animals as with all of the cat kind, is a symptom of 
 determined hostility. For a long time our youth deemed 
 himself lost; for although his knife was sharp, and had 
 often done him good service in his forest craft against a grisly 
 bear or dangerous wolf, the posture in which he stood made 
 any movement whatever highly perilous. The slightest swerv- 
 ing from his precarious foothold would have sent him to be 
 dashed to pieces on the earth below ; and such was certain 
 to be the consequence of a battle with his enemy. Finding,
 
 12 A PANTHEK HUNT. 
 
 however, the spring delayed, and that the panther contented 
 herself, for the present, with watching him, he quickly but 
 cautiously, dreading to provoke the animal, restored his 
 knife to its sheath, and began slowly to retreat. 
 
 The* panther, as she saw the distance gradually increase 
 between herself and the young hunter, began to follow on 
 in the same measure. The latter often laid his hand on the 
 haft of his knife when he saw the slender form crouch in 
 readiness for a spring ; but as he never for a moment with- 
 drew his steady eye from gazing into that of the animal, its 
 intimidating influence checked the deadly purpose. Proceed- 
 ing thus, he reached the lowest branch, and once more fling- 
 ing the rope around the trunk, he grasped the two ends as 
 he had done when ascending, and slid down as quietly and 
 swiftly as he could. By this time the dogs had discovered 
 the enemy in the branches, as she followed close on the 
 track of their master, and were now springing upon the 
 trunk as if resolved to climb the tree to his rescue, howling 
 and barking in wild rage as they found their efforts unavail- 
 ing. The din was terrific, but the bold youth still unmoved, 
 continued his course downward, and at length reached the 
 ground. His clothes were torn, the blood dropped from his 
 arms, for the rough bark had torn them, his strength was 
 exhausted, and his knees trembled. But he did not allow 
 himself one moment to rest, for at the same instant that his 
 foot touched the firm earth, he sprang to the place where 
 he had left his gun, and seizing it hastily, leveled it at the 
 panther, hoping, by one shot, to bring her down from her
 
 A PANTHER HUNT. 13 
 
 lofty lair. But in vain he tried to bring it to the proper 
 level ; his practised hand, unnerved by such severe exer- 
 tion, failed of its usual steadiness ; he could not call up 
 the necessary strength, not even for one second. His limbs 
 shook as in a fit of ague, and he found himself obliged to 
 throw his trusty weapon from him and sit down to rest. 
 But he turned not his eye from the panther, that still was 
 crouching as if meditating a leap, near her young one, while 
 the latter, no longer in fear of danger, stood up on the same 
 branch where he had first seen it, and with elevated back 
 and tail, and glossy skin, was a beautiful specimen of its 
 kind. 
 
 Our bold youth soon recovered ; once more he grasped 
 his gun, and this time his hand was steady, and his aim true ; 
 the bullet sped, and the report thundered through the forest, 
 calling up the echoes from the distant hills. 
 
 The panther pierced by the deadly shot, drew herself to- 
 gether, then springing up, clambered in wild haste from 
 branch to branch until she reached the very top of the 
 tree. The slender boughs bent beneath her weight, and the 
 frail twigs swayed as her feet rested upon them ; she gained 
 nearly to the topmost one, but as she prepared to leap upon 
 a higher, the faithless support gave way, and she fell dead 
 at the feet of the young woodsman, and in the midst of the 
 howling and expectant dogs. 
 
 There was now nothing to hinder his taking the young 
 one alive, and the task would have been comparatively 
 easy, for it had anxiously followed its dam to the lowest
 
 1-1 A PANTHER HUNT. 
 
 branch of the tree, but exhausted as he was, he dared not 
 trust his strength to make an effort to retrace the danger- 
 ous way. He once more loaded his gun, and the unerring 
 shot brought the creature within the circle of the hounds, 
 who filled the forest with their savage barkings as testimony 
 of the victory they had gained. 
 
 It was but a few minutes work to strip the skins from 
 both, and having thrown them over his saddle, the young 
 hunter mounted his horse and hastened away to seek new 
 dangers and secure other prey.
 
 Bear Hunting
 
 $ j n t I tinting. 
 
 OLD Rawlina, one of the most vigorous hunters in all Ar- 
 kansas, had gone out with many of his friends to hunt 
 deer. When the party reached the forest, and had divided 
 their force, they marched on with great circumspection, 
 every now and then stopping to listen if any sound indica- 
 tive of the animals they came to seek was to be heard. All 
 at once one of the hunters, a young man named Frederick, 
 stood still, and raising his gun, motioned to old Rawlins to 
 look to one side. Five noble stags, with branching antlers, 
 were quietly grazing scarce eighty steps distant, without any 
 dread that such enemies were near. Frederick levelled his 
 rifle, and was about to take aim at the finest one of the 
 herd, when Rawlins gave him a signal to desist. 
 
 " What do you mean, young man ?" said he, when he 
 came within such distance as that a whisper could be heard. 
 " Down with your gun ! Would you ruin the whole hunt 
 for the sake of shooting a poor miserable stag ? Do you 
 not hear that noise and crackling there in the cane brake? 
 If there is not a bear hidden in there, why, it is because 
 there are no bears in Arkansas. Look out now. I tell you 
 let these trifling deer alone," cried he, in a tone of vexa- 
 tion, as he saw the youth cast a longing glance toward the 
 
 (15)
 
 16 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 herd. " I say keep your eyes on the ground, and do not 
 be crushing those crackling branches under your feet ! Take 
 care of the dogs that none of them break loose before the 
 time, for if they do it will make hot work for us, I promise 
 you." 
 
 Whilst the two hunters were proceeding as cautiously as 
 possible, scarce daring to tread on the dry leaves and twigs 
 with which the spot was strewed, the rustling among the 
 canes which Eawlins' quick ear had discovered, grew ef ery 
 moment more distinct; Frederick at length distinguished it 
 too. They now ascended a little acclivity covered with oak 
 trees, and forming the bank of a river on one side ; at an 
 earlier period it might have separated the bed of the same 
 from the marshy ground that lay beyond it, but now the 
 growth of the hillock and swamp were strangely mingled. 
 Dark firs sprung up beside the cypress, and the oak united 
 his branches with the swamp pine, incongruously at variance 
 with the forest laws of nature ; just beyond it was a dense 
 thicket of young canes, in the midst of which sassafras 
 shrubs and thorny creepers raised their fragrant heads and 
 varnished leaves. It was from this point the rustling heard 
 by Rawlins proceeded, and now as the two men approached 
 it with stealthy step, several dark forms were seen moving 
 to and fro amidst the thick shrubbery and tall canes. 
 
 "What is all this are there wild hogs here?" whispered 
 Frederick to his companion, as he surveyed the agitated 
 reeds attentively. 
 
 "Be quiet for Heaven's sake, be quiet!" answered
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 17 
 
 Rawlins in a tone so low as to be scarcely audible ; " three 
 bears by all that's pretty ! My stars ! if we were only all 
 together !" 
 
 " Look at Dehart, where he comes crawling like a 
 snake," returned Frederick, laughing, as he saw the young 
 man dragging his " slow length" along in the manner pecu- 
 liar to the reptile he had named. 
 
 " That is well they must all three belong to us," asserted 
 the old hunter with as much positiveness as if he already 
 had the bears in his possession ; " here, Fred you stay at 
 this spot, and aim direct at the largest of the cubs ; Dehart, 
 since he is so fond of crawling, may slip up to that point 
 and take the other, and I will steal down into the hollow 
 and manage the old one. But do not fire until you hear 
 me shoot, or else we may only get the young devils, and miss 
 the old dam." 
 
 By signs to Dehart, which he well understood, the expe- 
 rienced old backwoodsman made him acquainted with the 
 presence and number of the bears, and bade him creep up 
 to them by the right side of the hollow. 
 
 " Had not I better creep up to him and whisper our plan ?" 
 'inquired Frederick. 
 
 "It is not necessary," answered Rawlins; "he knows 
 now that there are more bears than one here, so he must 
 understand also what we mean to do. Dehart has shot many 
 a one before to-day." 
 
 As he spoke, he beckoned to his dogs, and with them fol- 
 lowing, crept through the thick undergrowth towards the 
 2
 
 18 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 left. Dehart kept on to the right, as he had been directed, 
 and was soon lost to sight among the bushes, while Fred- 
 erick remained alone on the hillock, from whence he could 
 see all that was going forward. He could now plainly dis- 
 cern an old bear with two cubs of about six months old ; all 
 three appeared busy in trying to overturn a half decayed 
 log, in order to feast upon the worms and beetles that lay in 
 the mellow earth beneath, and singular indeed was the 
 manner in which they went to work. The old one raised 
 herself upright, and taking hold of it with her fore paws, 
 tried in this manner to roll it over, but not succeeding, sho 
 next placed her back against it, and the young ones were 
 forced to assist her and Frederick, who, scarce three hun- 
 dred steps distant, and from his elevated position, could see 
 all that was going on, was amused at the old bear's forcing 
 her cubs to work, which she did by pulling them up with 
 her fore paws, when they sat down beside the old log, in- 
 stead of helping to turn it over. At length it gave way 
 before their united strength, and the mother bear at once 
 became busy in scratching up the worms and other insects 
 for a feast she deemed worthy of all this trouble ; the cubs, 
 however, were soon satisfied, and played and gamboled 
 round like two puppies, still approaching nearer to the spot 
 where Dehart had crawled, and was concealed. 
 
 Frederick now began to think it high time to come some- 
 what nearer to the battle-ground, and was endeavoring to 
 keep a stout oak between himself and the old one, so that 
 behind this leafy barrier he could come within an hundred
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 19 
 
 paces unobserved. He had but half accomplished his pur- 
 pose, when one of the cubs raised himself on his hind feet, 
 looked sharply around into the thicket, and having lingered 
 for one moment in this position, began to climb a cypress 
 that stood close beside him. He had ascended six or eight 
 feet, and perhaps deeming that a sufficient height, from 
 which the thicket that lay below could be overlooked, he 
 turned his head with a most knowing look towards the spot 
 where Dehart lay concealed, and exactly within the range 
 of his fire. In a moment the crack of his rifle was heard, 
 the sound echoed far and wide, and with a loud outcry the 
 young bear fell back from the cypress trunk into the prickly 
 bushes below. Quick as lightning the other cub climbed up 
 to the top of a scrubby tree enraged and snorting, the old 
 bear, with ears laid back and mouth wide open, came storm- 
 ing forth, ready to battle in defence of her young. Dehart 
 heard her coming, and well knowing the dangerous predica- 
 ment in which he was placed, he fled as only one does who 
 is flying for his life. With wide leaps, he dashed wildly 
 over bush and briar towards the high ground, whilst the 
 bear, unheeding the spot where her young one lay wounded 
 and moaning, followed close upon his track, as if caring only 
 for revenge, and determined to punish the outraging enemy. 
 Almost deprived of his senses by the near and threatening 
 danger, for he heard the infuriated animal growling out her 
 wrath just behind him, Dehart threw down his gun, and 
 seeing Frederick, who, with his rifle ready to be discharged, 
 had sprung to the highest point of the hillock, and was now
 
 20 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 choosing a place from whence the shot would most likely 
 have the best effect he rushed past him like one demented, 
 exclaiming, " Shoot shoot ; for Heaven's sake, shoot !" 
 
 Frederick was not a little surprised at the sudden turn 
 matters had taken ; he remained standing on the same spot, 
 and levelled his gun at the foaming animal, to whose rage 
 he most likely would have fallen a victim for in such cir- 
 cumstances it was not likely that he could take a steady aim, 
 or send a bullet exactly as he wished, had not Rawlins and 
 his dogs appeared at that moment on the scene of battle. 
 He threw himself directly in front of the young hunter, not 
 fifteen steps distant from the infuriated bear, on whom he 
 made a fearless attack. She dashed up towards him, with 
 bristling hair and teeth ready to devour, but with one blow 
 from his clenched hand he flung her on the ground, and his 
 faithful dogs joining heartily in the fray, pinned her down 
 there until their master should have made some new move- 
 ment. Almost in the same instant, the old man discharged 
 his ready rifle, and just as the bear had succeeded in 
 freeing herself from the hounds, a bullet from his practised 
 hand found a mark in her breast bone, shattering it to 
 pieces. 
 
 The poor beast turned over on her back, and groaned 
 like a human being. Frederick hardly had time to pull his 
 broad hunting-knife from its sheath, until, with an effort 
 proceeding from the strength lent by the death struggle, she 
 once more dashed off the dogs, and springing upon her feet, 
 looked wildly around, and seeing her enemy so near pre-
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 21 
 
 pared to attack him. With a face pale as death, but firm in 
 its expression, the young huntsman stood with his bared knife 
 in his convulsively clenched hand, waiting for the certain 
 and deadly onset. But just as the rolling eyeballs of his 
 desperate enemy met his own, seeming in their wrathful 
 glancing to emit sparks of fire, the sharp crack of a second 
 rifle was heard, and the well aimed bullet striking her in 
 the head, shattered the skull ; she fell on the spot, leaving 
 the hunters masters of the field. 
 
 Before Frederick had time to recognize the fact of his 
 deliverance, Thomson stepped forth from behind a tree 
 where he had hidden himself, and laughing, called out to his 
 surprised companion, 
 
 " Thunder and lightning ! You are fixed nicely, with 
 nothing but bears around you ! That shot finished one of 
 them, any how !" 
 
 " Listen, Thomson," answered Frederick, " I am sure you 
 came in the very nick of time to save me, for even if I had 
 used the old savage up with my knife, she would hardly 
 have let me off with a whole skin. How wicked those crea- 
 tures are when they are driven to desperation." 
 
 "Is it not nice," rejoined Thomson, as he smiled wag- 
 gishly, " when you can no longer distinguish the animal's 
 ears, and the whole head seems to be nothing but teeth and 
 jaws, to send a couple of bullets right into the open throat? 
 Ah, Frederick, yo ought to have been by last year, when 
 we shot at an old bear three times, to see how she came snarl- 
 ing and snorting upon me."
 
 22 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 "But, my good Thomson," interrupted Frederick, "this 
 is no time to tell or listen to yarns, we are not through 
 our work here. There is another young one sitting some- 
 where among these trees." 
 
 " The devil there is !" exclaimed Thomson ; " well, let us 
 get at it. But where is Rawlins and Dehart ? I heard the 
 shot from Dehart's rifle first." 
 
 " Heaven knows where he is hidden at this moment !" 
 answered Frederick, laughing. " If he kept on running at 
 the same rate as he was when he rushed past me, his legs 
 have carried him over a good bit of ground before this time. 
 But there comes Rawlins ; and, by my faith, Dehart too." 
 
 And indeed both men now came in sight ; Rawlins, 
 without uttering one word, either of command or inquiry, 
 called the dogs together, and ran to the place where he 
 judged the remaining cub was concealed. The young one, 
 however, during the fracas with the others, had left the 
 tree, and taken to its heels ; but the hounds luckily came 
 on the warm track, and snuffing, whining, and yelping, they 
 followed the trail, and Rawlins expecting good sport, has- 
 tened after. Frederick started up prepared to join the 
 keen old sportsman, but Thomson held him back. 
 
 'Stay where you are!" said he, "if the cub he is after 
 is no bigger than the one that is lying there, Rawlins can 
 soon finish him without help. And besides Dehart's dog 
 must have fallen in with the hunt by this time." 
 
 " A fine fellow he is," cried Dehart, who just now came 
 up; "see therehe has treed the creature already. I
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 23 
 
 know the ways of my old hunting dog, when he has treed 
 anything ; he sets himself right down, and barks out every 
 half minute as loud as he can yell." 
 
 " Where is your gun, Dehart ?" inquired Thomson, aston- 
 ished ; " have you come here just to take a walk in the 
 woods for pleasure ?" 
 
 " It must be lying somewhere not far distant from here," 
 answered Dehart, looking rather foolish, whilst a very visi- 
 ble blush appeared on his embrowned visage; "a briar 
 bush dragged it out of my hand as I was coming here to 
 meet Fred." 
 
 " You must have been in a devilish hurry !" rejoined 
 Thomson, " if you could not take time to stop and pick up 
 your trusty rifle." 
 
 Fred bit his lips, and looked waggishly at Dehart. 
 
 " I'll tell you what," chimed in the latter, half angry, 
 half laughing, " I think it is no shame for a man to show a 
 clean pair of heels when, with an unloaded gun in his hand, 
 and no hunting knife in his belt, he knows a savage old she 
 bear is chasing him for his life. But I say, Fred, tell the 
 truth I did not run badly ? I made tracks to some pur- 
 pose ?" 
 
 "I can testify to that," said Frederick, laughing heartily. 
 " You did not let the grass grow under your feet. You 
 ran like an old turkey cock with his wings spread." 
 
 " I'll tell you," said Dehart, " there is no fun in being 
 chased by such an old bear as this, a man can run as swift 
 as a deer, and will not get tired."
 
 24 BEAR HUN TING. 
 
 At this moment a shot from a rifle echoed from the hol- 
 low, and the young men heard a sound as though some 
 heavy body had fallen. 
 
 " There," cried Thomson, " old Rawlins has fired off his 
 gun at last. But it seems to me, as things look in this 
 light, that we have not made a bad day's work, although 
 we have not shot a deer to carry home for supper, for when 
 we reach our tent we will be able to sup with greasy fin- 
 gers." 
 
 " I somewhat doubt that," said Frederick ; " the old bear 
 is as thin as one of Pharaoh's lean kine, the young ones 
 may be are in better keeping. But what are we going to 
 do ? stay here all night, or go and look after our horses?" 
 
 "We will wait until Rawlins comes, before we decide," 
 said Thomson ; " meanwhile, we will bring the young one 
 here, and strip the skin off the old one, since her flesh is not 
 fit to be eaten." 
 
 " Indeed," said Dehart, " I'll take the hind legs with me. 
 The old thing showed herself so eager to make a meal of 
 me, that I am determined to have a taste of her flesh, whe- 
 ther it be good or bad. But I must first hunt up my gun, 
 which cannot be very far from here. It will not be hard 
 to find, since the path made by the bear and myself is 
 plainly to be seen." 
 
 The young hunters followed the plan proposed by Thom- 
 son, they brought the young one to the hillock on which 
 we described Frederick as standing, and then proceeded to 
 skin the old bear ; and in a few minutes they were rejoined
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 25 
 
 by Rawlins, who came up with the other cub on his shoulder, 
 and followed by the bounding dogs. 
 
 Dehart soon found his gun, their work was speedily ended, 
 and loaded with a stock of bear's meat, and well pleased 
 with the sports of the day, and their successful termination, 
 the merry huntsmen left the forest, and took their way to 
 the tent where they had left their comrades and their 
 
 My friend John and myself had ascended to the high- 
 est point of the hill, where we wandered around slowly, 
 partly in hopes of discovering a new path, and partly on the 
 look-out for the troop of huntsmen from whose company we 
 had been thrown out, for often on those heights the barking 
 of the dogs is plainly to be heard, when they cannot reach 
 the ear, even at a short distance, in the valley below. 
 
 It was about two o'clock in the afternoon, and we had as 
 yet found nothing to encourage us ; when all at once my dog, 
 who until this moment had kept close beside me, began to snuff 
 the air, then raising up his nose, stopped for a few seconds 
 on the spot where we all were standing, and then, uttering 
 a short low growl, he bounded down the hill, followed by 
 the rest of the pack. 
 
 As John saw the movement he turned towards me, and 
 in a tone of great exultation exclaimed, 
 
 "Now we shall feast on bear's meat this evening !" and 
 scarcely allowing himself time to utter the words, he waited 
 not for an answer from me, but dashed off in the direction 
 the hounds had taken. I followed, and soon overtook him,
 
 26 BEARHUNTINQ. 
 
 arriving just in time to see the hunted bear breaking through 
 the bushes. A slight projection of rock arrested her pro- 
 gress for a moment ; but the next, as wounded by a bullet 
 sent by John's rifle she rushed swiftly past me, I gave her 
 another, which also told ; still she kept onward, and was 
 soon lost to our sight in the thicket of wild briars that 
 plentifully covered the ground. Encouraged by our pres- 
 ence, and smelling the fresh blood that dropped from the 
 poor animal on the path over which she passed, the hounds 
 pressed after her with renewed efforts, and after chasing 
 her for perhaps about four hundred paces, they again over- 
 took and baited her in her lair. 
 
 We remained looking at the chaste after we discharged 
 our guns ; and then we started for, and arrived at, the 
 place of combat just in time to see the roused up animal 
 turn upon her canine assailants. In her mad rage, and 
 with the same number of blows as she had feet, by the time 
 we had reached her, she had killed four of our best dogs ; 
 but the others, angry as herself, and not intimidated by the 
 manner in which she had treated her first antagonists, threw 
 themselves so closely upon her, that if our guns had been 
 loaded, we could not have fired without injuring them. 
 
 At this very moment, when we were ready to join in the" 
 fray, a large brown dog, who in grappling most furiously 
 with the bear was half torn to pieces, came up to us bleed- 
 ing and howling, looking up in our faces as if he would have 
 asked our aid. John threw down his gun, and drawing his 
 hunting-knife from its sheath, sprang forward to the bloody
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 27 
 
 knoll that was now the theatre of action. I followed his 
 example ; in the space of a second I stood by his side. The 
 bear looked up as we came forward ; and seeing opposers 
 she deemed more worthy of her prowess, exerting all her 
 strength to do so, she dashed off the dogs and rushed upon 
 us. My brave comrade stood the onset firmly ; he met her 
 with bared knife, and plunged it in her side. Swift as 
 lightning the enraged animal turning all her vengeance to- 
 wards him alone, made a second rush, and with such force, 
 that, uttering a fearful cry, he fell to the ground. I saw 
 his fall, and his cry roused me to desperation. With all 
 the strength of my body I now attacked her, parrying her 
 attempts to crush me by repeated thrusts from my knife ; 
 at the third blow I saw her stagger, but with a desperate 
 plunge she rushed upon me for a last assault. A thrill of 
 agony passed through my whole frame, and I sank senseless 
 on the ground. 
 
 When I awoke to consciousness, my dogs were beside 
 me, licking the blood, with which I was covered, from my 
 hands and face. I attempted to rest, but was not able ; a 
 violent pain shot through my left side, and I could not 
 move my arm, I believed it was broken. At last my 
 faintness decreased so that I could sit up. I did so, but 
 gracious heaven ! what a sight met my eyes. The bear lay 
 close beside me, and not three feet distant from her lay my 
 poor friend, seemingly a lifeless corpse. 
 
 With a cry of anguish I sprang upon my feet, for horror 
 now gave me strength. And it was only too true ; the poor
 
 28 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 man lay in a pool of blood, his face torn until scarce a fea- 
 ture could be distinguished, and his right arm nearly severed 
 from his body. Five of our best hounds, with broken bones 
 and frightfully lacerated bodies, lay around him ; and almost 
 in the midst of the circle where she had wrought such fear- 
 ful vengeance was the dead bear, so covered with blood that 
 the black color of her hide was entirely lost. I was weak 
 still, even to fainting, and could not move my left arm, which 
 I now discovered was not broken, but only dislocated. I 
 was at length able to go up to the spot where my poor 
 friend lay and examine the body. Not only was, as I have 
 said before, his face torn, and arm half severed from the 
 trunk, but great gashes, from which the blood had poured, 
 were in his breast ; and his leg, which the animal must have 
 seized as she threw him down, was in the same condition. 
 
 In the meantime the sun had gone down. I had all along 
 hoped that the hunters, from whom we had strayed, would 
 have heard our shots and the barking of the dogs ; but it 
 was now night, and no man came to my relief or answered 
 to my call. I shouted I cried in vain ! No one heard me. 
 I now thought of kindling a fire by rubbing bits of bark to- 
 gether, but my left arm was so much swelled that I found it 
 impossible to succeed by that plan. 
 
 The night was very cold, and to pass it in such a condi- 
 tion as I was, without fire, was sure to bring disease upon 
 me, if not death. I therefore renewed my efforts, and man- 
 aged to tear the back part of my hunting blowse, (for the 
 front was saturated with blood,) and having divided it into
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 29 
 
 shreds, I strewed powder upon them, and with my right hand 
 rubbed it in. Then putting some more into my gun, I rammed 
 it down, and firing it over the rags I had thus prepared, I had 
 fire at once. I heaped up some dry leaves upon the little flame 
 I had kindled, to which I added some sun-dried twigs that lay 
 profusely scattered around. In using my lungs for a bel- 
 lows, I at length, after great exertion and indescribable suf- 
 fering, succeeded in getting a fire to burn. 
 
 It was, by the time I had finished, perfectly dark. The 
 dogs were very hungry, and came up to me whining, as if 
 asking for the food they were wont to receive from my 
 hand. It was impossible for me, with my disabled arm, to 
 cut up the bear ; but, after some unsuccessful efforts, I at 
 last ripped up her body with my knife, and drawing out the 
 entrails, threw them to the dogs, who began at once to de- 
 rour them. Two of them, however, would not eat ; they 
 were the peculiar property and favorites of my friend John ; 
 and now sitting beside their dead master, they gazed into 
 the face made rigid by the touch of death ; and were not 
 attracted from their watching by the feasting of the others, 
 or my urging to a participation. 
 
 In hopes of obtaining help, I fired my gun again and 
 q gain ; the echoes died away in the distance, but no rustle 
 betrayed the approach of any living thing : the forest, in 
 its death-like stillness, seemed, to my excited fancy, but as 
 a wild and dreary sepulchre. 
 
 I felt that I was growing more and more unwell, and in 
 consequence became each moment more and more dis-
 
 30 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 pirited. My stomach was disturbed by severe vomiting, 
 and my shoulder was dreadfully painful. At length, after 
 the first revulsions were over, and I somewhat recovered, 
 I rolled myself in my hunter's blanket as well as I could, 
 laid myself down before the fire, and under the blind influ- 
 ence of the benevolent god of sleep, I lost all consciousness 
 of my unhappy condition for many hours. Whether I really 
 slept, or only lay in a half swoon, I cannot tell ; but I know 
 I dreamed I was at home, that I was lying in my own soft 
 bed, that my mother brought me warm tea, and laid her 
 hand on my breast ; I heard the children laughing as they 
 played in the street ; I saw snow on the roofs, and it seemed 
 to me as if it was very cold without, and the chill of winter 
 on everything. 
 
 I will never wish my worst enemy to have such an awak- 
 ing as it was my lot to experience. When consciousness 
 returned, I found my dog lying beside me with his nose 
 upon my breast ; the fire had nearly burned down, I was 
 shivering with chills that were the heralds of disease ; the 
 wolves were howling round in voracious anxiety to attack 
 the corpse, and only deterred by the natural fear all ani- 
 mals have of a living human being, from devouring it at 
 once. 
 
 With a desperate exertion I was at last able to rise to 
 move my stiffened limbs to gather up some wood and blow 
 up the glimmering coals into a blaze. As the fire glanced 
 and flickered upon the pale and blood-stained features of 
 the dead, I imagined I saw the mouth and eyelids move.
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 31 
 
 In fearful expectation, I started towards it, but only to dis- 
 cover how my fancy had mocked me. Each moment the 
 howlings of the wolves became louder and more frequent ; 
 and my dogs, of whose number five were yet living, answered 
 in tones scarce less appalling. Their cries were unlike those 
 ever uttered by them before neither the defiant bark with 
 which they joined in the chase, or note of pain from being 
 wounded, but they sounded like the boding of coming evil 
 to the living, or the death-wail over the slain. 
 
 Partly to keep the wolves away, and partly in the hope 
 of making myself heard, and so to bring help, with unspeak- 
 able pain and trouble I loaded my gun and fired three times ; 
 and who can describe my joy when I heard three shots in 
 the distance; that they were answers to mine I did not 
 doubt. Once more I loaded, and as I discharged my piece 
 this time, I felt that life or death depended on the issue, for 
 I had used the last grain of powder. 
 
 The gray morn had already begun to dapple in the east, 
 when I heard a shot not far distant. Could it be ? was I 
 not deceived ? No ; there was a second, then a third ; hu- 
 man help must be near. 
 
 The shipwrecked sailor, clinging to a plank in the open 
 sea as he drifts about, expecting every moment to be swal- 
 lowed up by the rolling waves, sees a ship in the distance, and 
 he puts forth all his strength to hail it ; they must hear or 
 he must die. And so I called I shouted for aid. A hu- 
 man voice answered me soon after. The dogs changed their 
 howlings to a low growl, betokening that some one was
 
 32 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 approaching ; the undergrowth crackled as if being trodden 
 upon, and the nextminute one of the Indians belonging' to our 
 party came forward from the thicket. As soon as he saw 
 me his countenance lighted up, and he uttered an exclama- 
 tion indicative of pleasure, but nearly in the same moment 
 it gave way to an expression of horror, and he started back 
 at the horrible sight that met his eyes. But those sons of 
 the forest despise the betrayal of human emotions ; and the 
 weakness was immediately subdued. He went up to the 
 lifeless body of my poor friend, and examined carefully to 
 see if any spark of vitality remained, then shook his head 
 without uttering a word. . Finding he could do nothing 
 there, he turned to me, looked at my swelled arm and felt 
 my shoulder, still maintaining the silence customary among 
 those children of nature ; then folding his hands together, 
 something in the shape of a horn, he placed them before his 
 mouth, and turning his face in the direction from which he 
 came, he gave a loud piercing cry. The call was answered 
 from no great distance ; and a few minutes afterwards I 
 found myself surrounded by the whole party of huntsmen 
 with whom I had set out. The meeting between myself and 
 my friends was sorrowful indeed. I shook them by the hand, 
 and related in as few words as possible what had happened. 
 My old host scolded, and said "it served us right." 
 
 "There is not much danger," said he, " when, in wound- 
 ing a bear with your knife, he falls and the dogs rush 
 upon him ; but if he lies a little while, and he sees a man 
 whom he knows is his worst enemy coming towards him, he
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 33 
 
 throws them from him, and dashes at his new assailant with 
 all the strength he is able to put forth ; and wo to the poor 
 fellow if he reaches him." 
 
 In the meantime the Indians had scooped out a hollow 
 with their tomahawks to serve for a grave; and having 
 wrapped the corpse in a hunter's blanket, they laid it within 
 it, and covered the whole with earth and heavy stones. They 
 next cut down a few young saplings, and out of their trunks 
 they planted a sort of fence the branches being interlaid be- 
 tween the openings, which inclosed and protected the grave 
 from the depredation of wild beasts. 
 
 This melancholy office for the dead was performed without 
 bustle, and in profound silence ; and during its noiseless 
 operation, I could not prevent a cold shudder from creeping 
 over me at the thought, that if it had been my lot to have 
 met the same destiny that had fallen to poor John, even so 
 coldly and quietly would these men have laid me in a forest 
 grave ; with the same apathy they would have piled the 
 stones above my head. What was it to them whether it was 
 he or myself ? Poor John ! He was alone, and, like my- 
 self, without a friend in this strange land; and it was most 
 probable that the relatives whom he had left behind, would 
 never hear of the fate that had befallen him. 
 
 Ah, how many thousands perish in this manner in America, 
 of whom no tidings is ever heard of whom, after a few 
 months, no man knows anything more than if they had 
 never existed. 
 
 The Indians, after having laid the dead to sleep in the
 
 34 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 quiet earth, and finished their work, came up to me. Two 
 of the oldest began to examine the state of my body one 
 moved my dislocated arm, the other looked me steadfastly 
 in the face. The movement gave me intolerable pain ; but 
 being well acquainted with the stoicism of these people, I 
 gave no indication of suffering by any sound, since I knew 
 they would esteem it a mark of puerility. After awhile 
 one of them took hold of my arm, and laid his hand upon 
 my shoulder, and while the other, going behind me, em- 
 braced my body, they both began to pull, the one my arm, 
 the other my person, with all the strength of which they 
 were possessed. I felt a sudden, sharp, almost unendurable 
 pain in my shoulder, that caused me nearly to faint ; and in 
 spite of all my heroic resolution to betray no sign of suffer- 
 ing, I could not prevent a loud cry from escaping. But 
 almost immediately the pain was gone, for I at once discov- 
 ered the bone had been drawn back to its place. 
 
 My old host now inquired if I felt strong enough to ride 
 on horseback to his house. I answered that I was; and 
 after he had thrown the skin and flesh of the bear to his 
 followers, he helped me to mount a pony, and we set out 
 slowly on our way to his home, leaving the place so fraught 
 with horror to me to the wolves and vultures. As we jour- 
 neyed, I had to bear most excruciating pain in my lacerated 
 body; but I murmured not, for I hoped soon to reach a 
 quiet spot where I could lay me down. 
 
 The day was now completely gone, and darkness had 
 come on, yet we had a full German mile between us and the
 
 BEAR HUN TING. 35 
 
 house we were so desirous to reach. My old host asked if 
 I could ride this distance, or should we encamp where we 
 now were the spot being particularly favorable, as posses- 
 sing abundance of wood and water. I had had enough of 
 night-watching, so I prepared to go on, and resolved to f 
 make every exertion to reach a home where I knew I could 
 rest. An hour's ride brought us to the desired haven. I 
 had become so stiff from riding in the night air, that they 
 had to lift me down from the horse. Having reached the 
 room I was to occupy, wearied almost to death, I threw 
 myself on the bed but the desired sleep came not ; a vio- 
 lent fever came on, and the whole night frightful imaginings 
 presented themselves before my wandering senses. Next 
 morning I was something better ; but for many days the 
 good care and nursing of my honest old host and his kind 
 family were necessary before I was restored to my usual 
 state of health. 
 
 Wayborne, a farmer in Missouri, went one day to look 
 after his horses that were grazing in the forest. He had 
 his gun with him as usual, but no ammunition, save the 
 single charge which was in it, but it was so much a matter 
 of course to carry his trusty rifle, that loaded or not it 
 seemed he must take it. As he pursued his homeward path, 
 near sundown, he saw a large bear run across the way, a 
 short distance before him. He fired the bear fell, but 
 almost immediately recovering himself, he started up, and 
 ran at full speed into a deep ravine bordering on the way, 
 and was at once lost to sight. Wayborue followed the trail,
 
 36 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 plainly marked by the blood of the wounded animal, as long 
 as he could see ; but the lateness of the hour warned him to 
 give up the pursuit, and in the hope of finding the animal 
 dead on his return in the morning, he took the nearest path 
 that led to his home, and reached it in safety. 
 
 He rose early, and having armed himself with a pitchfork 
 and axe, set out in company with his son, a boy of eleven 
 years of age, to seek the bear, not doubting but that he 
 should be able to find him, either dead or living. The dell 
 in which he had hidden himself was near ninety feet deep, 
 in the midst of which, and nearly hidden in places by the 
 thick bushes under which it flowed, was a brook ; the place 
 was solitary, wild, and dangerous in a high degree. The 
 farmer did not find the object of his search quite as soon as 
 he expected, but not discouraged, he went farther within the 
 hollow, and at length he saw him on the opposite side, sit- 
 ting on a flat rock that rose perhaps thirty feet above the 
 stream. He waded through the brook, and gained the 
 bank, coming quite close to the wounded animal, who never 
 moved from his seat on the rock, and without the slightest 
 mark of being disturbed, watched every movement of the 
 stranger. Wayborne having gotten within three steps of 
 him, made a thrust with his pitchfork, intending to pierce 
 his body, but at the same instant he found himself in the rude 
 embrace of his shaggy foe. Winding his hairy fore limbs 
 closely round him, Bruin pressed him as firmly as though 
 he had him in a vice, to his breast ; and although the farmer 
 resisted this dangerous demonstration of affection to the
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 37 
 
 utmost of his strength, the grasp was not released even for 
 the space of a second. In the struggle, the bear lost his 
 footing on the rock both rolled down the precipice into 
 the brook, where they lay, until Wayborne, having recov- 
 ered from the surprise occasioned by this unexpected onset, 
 had time to plan how he could best contend with his 
 enemy. 
 
 Greatly enraged, the latter had torn the flesh from his 
 left arm, and now with open mouth and greedy jaws, was 
 preparing to seize him by the neck. One moment more, 
 and he would have ceased to exist ; but with that presence 
 of mind, which none but men accustomed to danger are able 
 to call up, he managed to free his right arm, and thrust it 
 into the animal's throat as far as he could reach, with the 
 intention of strangling him. But in this he did not succeed, 
 and as they rolled over and over in the brook, he tried to 
 press his head under the water. Whether he would have 
 been able to accomplish this latter purpose, time did not 
 suffice to show ; for his son, having witnessed the strife from 
 behind the bushes where he was hidden, seeing the danger 
 that threatened his father, now sprang forth, and struck the 
 bear on the head with the axe which he carried, with so 
 much force that he shattered the skull. This blow freed 
 him from the embrace that would otherwise have proved 
 deadly, but although a man of uncommon strength, he was 
 so weakened by the loss of blood and the crushing he re- 
 ceived, that he was scarcely able to drag himself along. He 
 reached his home, however, without accident, but kept his
 
 38 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 bed for many weeks, and months elapsed before the arm 
 and shoulder, from which the bear had torn the flesh, was 
 healed. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this suffering, Wayborne yet remained 
 a passionate lover of the chase, and met with many perilous 
 adventures. One day on which he went out to the forest 
 to shoot a deer, he espied two young bears playing about, 
 but as soon as they saw him, they left off their sports and fled 
 for safety to a lofty pine tree, up whose trunk they clam- 
 bered. Seeing that the tree was easy to climb, and sup- 
 posing the old one was out on a foraging expedition, he 
 resolved, without delay, to take advantage of the time so 
 favorable, and carry off the cubs alive. Without much 
 trouble he gained the branches, among which they were 
 cowering, when Madam Bruin came trotting forward, and 
 after tarrying for a few seconds at the foot of the tree, pre- 
 pared to ascend. She looked up, and when she saw an un- 
 invited guest in the premises she considered her own, and 
 so near her cubs, she stopped, and seemed 'to consider in 
 what manner she could best punish the intruder. Way- 
 borne found his present situation by no means pleasant, but 
 he was a resolute man, and determined at once upon the 
 plan he should pursue to extricate himself from this painful 
 dilemma. He descended to the lowest limb, as being the 
 spot where he could best use his cutlass, for most unfortu- 
 nately he had left his gun below, as it would have incom- 
 moded him in climbing. The bear now mounted in all 
 haste to meet him, and when within striking distance, she
 
 BEAK HUNTING. 39 
 
 put ouf her paw to grasp him he met it with a blow from 
 his hanger, and cut it off. She now retreated as hastily as 
 she had advanced, but all at once she returned, and in 
 dreadful rage prepared to revenge the injury by attacking 
 the fearless hunter with her teeth. As she opened her jaws, 
 and displayed their frightful garniture, Wayborne coolly 
 thrust his cutlass down her throat ; she fell from the branch 
 like a dead weight, and lay at the foot of the tree for many 
 minutes without motion. But to the great consternation of 
 the hunter, she revived, and prepared to ascend again ; but 
 after climbing a few feet, she remained clinging to the 
 trunk, for she was too much wounded to proceed. She 
 continued in this position for some hours, when she slowly 
 retreated, and laid herself down quietly at the foot of the 
 tree. 
 
 The evening came on, but the animal moved not from the 
 place she had chosen to watch both the hunter and her 
 young, yet she lay so immovable that her enemy was often 
 on the point of descending, believing her dead. Perched 
 upon his high branch, he was ready to curse the destiny 
 that brought him into such a fearful predicament, for with 
 the young bears above him, and the old one below, he felt 
 himself anything but comfortable ; he was like a man be- 
 tween two fires, liable to be burned by either. But ho 
 trusted to his experience in bear hunting, that it would en- 
 able him to be secure, even in this close neighborhood with 
 the cubs and for the present he felt he had nothing to fear 
 from the dam, for she was evidently unable to climb. Yet
 
 40 BEAR HUNTING. 
 
 the prospect of having to pass the night in such discomfort 
 was horrible ; hunger and thirst began to make themselves 
 painfully felt, and, as if to make his situation more deplora- 
 ble, dark clouds, betokening a storm, began to curtain the 
 heavens. It soon became so dark that Wayborne could no 
 longer distinguish objects below ; but a few low growls occa- 
 sionally at the foot of the tree, served to remind him that 
 the grim sentinel was still keeping watch below. Each mo- 
 ment increased the horror of his situation ; the little bears 
 now began to be troublesome, but his thundering voice, and 
 a few blows from his hanger, brought them to submission. 
 The wind arose, rain drops began to fall, the lightning 
 flashed, and thunder rolled in the distance. Uneasy, but 
 not dismayed, the hunter listened, in hope that he should 
 hear nothing more of the enemy below; the growlings, 
 indeed, had ceased, but the flashes of lightning still exhib- 
 ited her at her post, with head upturned, and eyes fixed 
 upon him. The dreary night thus passed, whilst the poor 
 man, sighing and groaning, vainly endeavored to make the 
 best of his uneasy perch, by turning and twisting from side 
 to side ; and as sleep was not to be thought of whilst sur- 
 rounded with tempest and danger, he could find no better 
 means of driving time away than by keeping the cubs in 
 order, for they, uneasy as himself, did not appear to be better 
 pleased with their lodgings. 
 
 The storm passed over, and at last the gray dawn was 
 seen to lighten in the east, and Wayborne, rather than 
 remain any longer in his roosting position, resolved to
 
 BEAR HUNTING. 41 
 
 descend, and battle for life or death with his grim foe. As 
 he still sat considering in what manner this were best 
 accomplished, he heard human voices in the distance ; but 
 they were so far off that he had but little hope of being able 
 to make himself heard, and as he looked down, there at the 
 root of the tree was the bear still watching his every move- 
 ment with angry eyes. But at length the sound of human 
 voices was heard, and with what joy he heard his own name 
 called; his neighbors becoming uneasy at his protracted 
 absence, had come out to seek him. They came ,in sight, 
 next they advanced towards the tree ; the bear raised her- 
 self from her recumbent posture, and with snarling teeth 
 and gaping jaws, prepared to give battle to the new in- 
 truders. But she was too weak to attack, and her resistance 
 was but short ; several bullets pierced her at the same time, 
 and as soon as our brave woodsman saw that she was dead, 
 glad to be liberated, he descended from his night perch 
 not forgetting, however, to carry the young bears with him.
 
 AFTER having spent the whole morning in vainly endeav- 
 oring to come on the trail of a bear, one of our party, young 
 Smith, who had been scouting about, returned with the pleas- 
 ing intelligence of having found the track of a very large ani- 
 mal, and followed the footprints to its den. We at once set 
 about preparing pine splinters for torches, and having 
 finished this business, started off with all possible speed in 
 pursuit of the bear. At about two o'clock in the afternoon 
 we reached the spot designated by our comrade, and where 
 the footmarks were plainly visible. Our first operation was 
 to prepare a good meal, in order to strengthen us for the 
 task in which we were about to engage ; and whilst the others 
 who had kindled a fire were roasting meat on the coals, I 
 occupied myself in examining the outside of the cave, in 
 which there could be no doubt the animal had made his lair. 
 The place was every way suitable for a retreat for wild 
 beasts, the cavern itself being under a steep precipice of 
 limestone rock, at least thirty feet high and three hundred 
 long, and having four separate entrances, of which, how- 
 ever, only one was large enough to admit a man or a 
 bear., 
 
 I was called to partake of the meal now ready, and after 
 
 (42)
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN. 43 
 
 we had all refreshed ourselves, we prepared to invade the 
 cave, and encounter our grisly enemy. We took but one 
 gun, yet every one had his hunting-knife in his belt, in ad- 
 dition to which I buckled the strap of my powder horn round 
 my body. With my gun in my right hand, and a torch of 
 pine splinters in the left, I trod through the dark entrance 
 into the interior of the cave. I found it was of great depth, 
 reaching far within the hill in height four feet, and in 
 breadth two. We marched in Indian file I was fore- 
 most, young Smith just behind me, and to him his father 
 followed closely; the son carried a second torch, the latter 
 a bundle of finely splintered pine, with which we were to 
 renew the torches as they burned down. The walls of the 
 cave were entirely of rock, and its bottom quite even with 
 the ground. After advancing from seventy to 'eighty steps 
 without any inconvenience, the passage, hitherto quite 
 straight, now turned towards the right ; and after being at 
 first obliged to stoop as we advanced, it became so low we 
 had to proceed on all fours. The earth at the bottom, hith- 
 erto hard and dry, now became softer, and on the damp im- 
 pressible clay, the marks of bears' feet passing in and out, 
 and some of them so fresh as to show they had been quite 
 recently trodden, were to be seen. The farther we advanced 
 the more straitened' the passage became, and at last so 
 narrow that we had to crawl at full length, and at one spot 
 there was barely space for me to squeeze my body through. 
 This was a work of some difficulty, as I had to carry a torch 
 in my left hand, and a gun in my right, but I accomplished
 
 44 THE BEAR'S DEN. 
 
 it by lying flat down on my face, and stretching out my 
 hands before me, and only by doing this I forced myself 
 through. 
 
 This opening was round, and the rocks that formed its 
 walls were black and smooth, rendered so by friction from 
 the bodies of the animals that were continually pressing 
 through it, and this circumstance was sufficient proof that 
 for centuries they must have made this cave their den, re- 
 sorting to it in times of pursuit, or sleeping there throughout 
 the winter. 
 
 Most beautiful stalactites hung from the roof, whose sharp 
 and jagged projections not a little hindered our progress, 
 for in many places the free space was scarcely two feet high, 
 and in others so straight that it was with difficulty I could 
 force myself through at all. 
 
 It was very evident that we were the first men who had 
 ever penetrated this dreary abode of nature's forming, for 
 although the soft clay of the bottom retained the impress of 
 many tracks made by animals, no mark of human footstep 
 among them showed that of our race any had been as 
 daring as ourselves. In many places we found petrifactions 
 that bore the marks of bears' feet upon their stony surface, 
 and as it takes a long time to effect such changes, it was 
 most likely they had been made on what was soft earth cen- 
 turies ago. 
 
 It was a dismal place to be in, and more than once the 
 thought flashed through my brain that we might not be able 
 to find our way out of the labyrinth we had so thoughtlessly
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN. 45 
 
 entered ; and instead of taking the prey we intended, secure 
 a grave for ourselves. But I comforted myself with the 
 remembrance of the many adventures and dangers through 
 which I had passed without being harmed, and with great 
 confidence in my trusty rifle, which had never yet failed me, 
 I crept resolutely forward. It was remarkable to see what 
 numbers of bats were hanging by their hind legs from the 
 roof of the cavern, and when disturbed by the light of our 
 torches, they dropped from their pendulous position, and 
 with shrill cries flew wildly about, to the manifest danger of 
 our eyes and flambeaux. The one which I carried was 
 nearly burned down ; I stopped for a moment to renew it 
 with some of the splinters from old Smith's bundle, and as 
 I did so, I imagined I heard a noise like a gentle whining at 
 no great distance from me. I listened attentively it was 
 like the faint murmurings made by very young animals 
 whilst sucking, and as it was accompanied by a low grumb- 
 ling, I could not doubt but that we were approaching the 
 lair of a nursing bear. 
 
 I proceeded, and the next moment found myself in a 
 more roomy place than that over which I had lately passed, for 
 I could now raise myself half upright ; and as I was some- 
 what weary with the exertions I had been obliged to make, 
 I stopped to rest for a second or two, and turning to my 
 comrades, inquired if they heard anything. They whispered 
 an affirmative, and begged me to delay proceeding until we 
 should have consulted what plan was best to be pursued in 
 the present unexpected circumstance. We had certainly
 
 46 THE BEAR'S DEN. 
 
 reckoned on finding a sleeping bear within the cave ; but a 
 waking one, nursing her cubs, and with all the maternal in- 
 stinct alive, we had not calculated upon. 'It was a very 
 different matter, and made the undertaking look rather ugly. 
 So early in the season, we were altogether surprised at the 
 discovery, although old Smith told me afterwards, that in 
 Arkansas he had often come upon nursling cubs as early as 
 New Year. But for the matter in hand truly every one 
 who had ever seen a bear start up with bristling ears and 
 open jaws, ready to defend her young, may form an idea 
 of the danger we were about to encounter ; and we had been 
 too often engaged in bear hunts ourselves, not to be fully 
 aware of the peril of our present situation, enclosed in so 
 narrow a space as to hinder every movement. But we 
 were there, and so was the bear ; and not one of us was 
 cowardly enough to utter a single word that savored of 
 retreating. 
 
 I now examined my gun to see if all was in order, and 
 then set forward on my difficult path. As we crept along 
 slowly, old Smith gravely advised me to take a steady aim, 
 and make a good shot. 
 
 "It will be best for yourself if you do," he added, drily, 
 " since, if your gun fails, as you are foremost, the angry 
 beast will dispatch you first." 
 
 This was comforting ; but I had no response to make, for 
 we were gradually coming nearer to the growling mother, 
 who must have heard us long before, and now was listening 
 attentively to the bustle caused by our movements a bustle
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN. 47 
 
 so entirely at variance with the deep silence that had rested 
 for ages in that dreary place. At length I got so near that 
 I could hear the whining of the young bears, and the growl- 
 ing of the old one quite distinctly. I held the torch behind 
 my head, and saw the glowing eyes of the animal plainly by 
 the red glare. I then set about cleansing the barrel of my 
 gun from the clay that had got into it as I crawled along, 
 renewed my torch, and once more crept forward towards the 
 black shaggy bundle that I could now plainly distinguish as 
 it lay rolled up before me. 
 
 The decisive moment had come. As soon as I could 
 make out the head of the animal as distinct from the dark 
 mass, of which it formed a part, I made my preparations 
 for attack as well as defence. The bear had raised herself 
 half upright, and sat swaying with that undulating move* 
 ment peculiar to these animals ; but when I had brought my 
 gun to a position likely to bear successfully upon her, she 
 disappointed me by suddenly rising, and at the same instant 
 vanished in the darkness. We seized this opportunity to 
 press forward to the lair she had left, where we found three 
 cubs, nice, plump little fellows, that made rather a loud out- 
 cry when they saw the light. These expressions of their 
 admiration for a sight so novel, were not peculiarly pleasant 
 for us to hear, for we had our fears that, as the mother most 
 likely was not very far off, she would hear those cries and 
 return in great wrath. Still we would not silence them by 
 the only method by which we could easily have done so, 
 namely, killing them ; we were anxious to take them alive,
 
 48 THE BEAR'S DEN. 
 
 and so we begged old Smith to stay behind to quiet them, 
 and keep up our fire, whilst his son and myself should press 
 forward and find out where the old one had hidden herself. 
 The old man was quite pleased with the plan ; and cower- 
 ing down beside the little whiners, he stuck a finger in the 
 mouth of each, and letting them suck it, he soon had them 
 silenced. 
 
 Close behind the spot which the bear had chosen for her 
 lair, the cave showed two large openings, one leading to the 
 right, the other to the left. The soft clay in the right hand 
 aperture showed the freshly impressed foot-tracks made by 
 the object of our pursuit a few minutes before, and this we 
 followed. 
 
 Our first difficulty was from the renewed cries of the 
 cubs, who, not satisfied with old Smith's manner of nursing, 
 whined louder than ever, and made us consider in how truly 
 perilous a condition we were if the old bear, on hearing their 
 moanings, forgetting her cowardice, should be disposed to 
 return to the help of her young, and find the way blocked 
 up by our bodies. We had nothing else to expect but that 
 she would kill, and, in the truest sense of the word, eat her 
 way through us, for as no other opening either from above 
 or below was to be found, she could do nothing else. But 
 even as we consulted in a whisper concerning our dangerous 
 position, the cries ceased. We then crept on with renewed 
 courage, for from all that we had seen of the old bear, we 
 concluded she must be more than ordinarily cowardly, since 
 the most timid animal will battle for its young.
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN. 49 
 
 After we had advanced sixty or eighty feet farther, we 
 reached a spring that flowed for a considerable distance 
 through the cave, then losing itself in some kind of a sub- 
 terranean recess, seemed to be provided by the providential 
 care that watches over all for the comfort of the savage 
 beasts that had made this cavern their sheltering place for 
 so many centuries. This spring was, perhaps, one foot and 
 a half in depth, and its channel quite one foot in breadth. 
 As we advanced with our feet in the water, our progress be- 
 came considerably easier, and as from the narrowness of 
 the passage it was both painful and tedious, we felt no 
 small portion of relief from this circumstance. But our 
 comfort was of short duration, for the way once more 
 became narrow ; and after working my course through a 
 place particularly strait and inconvenient, as I stopped to 
 take such breath as the close cavern permitted, it s-eemed to 
 me as if I heard the deep, low growling of the bear at no 
 great distance from me. 
 
 Although I had listened many times before this to these 
 same sounds, and now that I expected to hear and 
 was waiting to catch them, yet the sudden announcement 
 that the enemy was so near, surprised me to such a degree 
 4 that I had nearly dropped my torch into the water. But I 
 soon recovered from my temporary confusion, and holding 
 the blazing flambeau as high as possible, and greatly to the 
 discomfiture of some innocent bats, who were hanging on 
 the rocky wall, I saw Madame Bruin quite plainly, sitting 
 upright, not ten steps distant from me, snapping her teeth, 
 4
 
 60 THE BEAR'S DEN. 
 
 and tearing up the earth with her sharp claws. Young 
 Smith, who was close behind me, now laid his hand upon my 
 foot, and whispered that he heard the bear. As I was in 
 possession of this knowledge to a more painful degree than 
 himself, I only signified to him to keep silent, and crept 
 quietly a few paces further until I came to a place from 
 whence I believed I could shoot successfully. Without 
 leaving my place in the channel, formed by the little spring, 
 I raised myself as well as possible, and laying my gun on 
 my left knee, prepared to fire. 
 
 My comrade, who was watching every movement with 
 great anxiety, now begged me for Heaven's sake to aim 
 truly, for if my shot should fail we were both lost. Al- 
 though, being foremost, I was nearer to danger than him- 
 self, yet I would not have exchanged places with him; for 
 as he could not in the least see what was going on, he very 
 naturally was ready to fear the worst, and suspense is harder 
 to bear than reality. For myself, let my perilous circum- 
 stances be what they may, I would always rather look 
 straight into the face of danger than remain tormented by 
 suspense. 
 
 The bear, perfectly aware of my near neighborhood, and 
 by no means pleased with it, now began snapping and snar- 
 ling furiously ; her eyes glowed like live coals, and with her 
 ears laid back, she swayed her body to and fro in restless 
 movement, indicative of her anger at the intrusion. For my- 
 self there was now no choice left but to aim at her head ; this, 
 as I sat bent down in the water, was easy to do, and if the
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN. 51 
 
 bullet failed of this mark, it would be sure to find one in her 
 breast. 
 
 As I lay there, directing my aim, the thought flashed 
 through my brain, how helplessly I was enclosed here, and 
 what my fate must be, in case the bullet missed ; and the 
 remembrance of my loved ones at home, shot with an inde- 
 scribable pang across my hitherto firm spirit. This weak- 
 ness was but for a moment ; my natural temerity returned, 
 and immediately danger, both present, past and future, were 
 all forgotten in renewed efforts to accomplish my purpose. I 
 aimed a long time without daring to fire, for the animal did 
 not remain quiet for one second ; and at last I drew the 
 trigger, and fired too quickly. 
 
 In an instant the cavern was filled with thick smoke, and 
 painful meanings proclaimed the animal to be wounded. We 
 did not, however, take time to stay to examine how far we had 
 succeeded, but crept backwards as quickly as the narrow 
 space allowed, until we reached a wider and higher spot 
 that afforded us room to reload our guns, intending, when 
 this was done, to return to the place of battle. 
 
 We had not crawled a hundred paces in this crab-like 
 fashion, until I was aware that the wounded bear, snorting 
 and gnashing her teeth, (and it sounded awfully in that 
 dreary cave,) was beginning to follow us. I believed I was 
 lost ; yet I called to my companion, telling him the danger 
 of the old one's coming, and bidding him make all the haste 
 he could to save his own and my life. It was altogether unne- 
 cessary to urge him to hurry ; for no matter how great was
 
 52 THE BEAR'S DEN. 
 
 our desire for retreat, we found it, owing to the straitness of 
 the way, a very tedious operation ; and to increase our per- 
 turbation, the snorting becoming more distinct each moment, 
 showed the bear was gaining rapidly upon us. I had been 
 obliged to leave my gun behind some time since as it hin- 
 dered my progress greatly, and in my present circumstan- 
 ces was of no use. 
 
 As I now, continually on the watch, looked steadfastly 
 before me, I saw the glaring eyes of the bear, who was by 
 this time but a few steps distant from me. At the s.ame in- 
 stant, in endeavoring to accelerate my retrograde movement, 
 I struck my elbow against one of the sharp projections of 
 the cave ; the torch fell from, my hand, and darkness, black 
 as the raven's wing, encompassed me, for although young 
 Smith had a torch, my body so completely filled the aper- 
 ture, that not a single ray from it reached me. 
 
 With the instinctive impulse which Nature prompts for 
 self preservation, I seized the still blazing pine, and threw it 
 right into the face of the approaching animal. She re- 
 treated for a short while, but soon recovering from the tem- 
 porary panic occasioned by the fiery messenger, especially 
 as it almost immediately died out, she again set forward, 
 and in a few seconds was as near as before. 
 
 In this critical moment my comrade all at once remained 
 motionless, and in a tremulous tone informed me he could 
 go no further, for the opening ended here. To make the 
 matter worse, as he groped about to find some way of 
 egress, he struck his right hand, in which he held the torch,
 
 THE BEAR'S DEN. 53 
 
 into the water, and then in a moment we were left in im- 
 penetrable darkness. 
 
 I had no time to answer him, for the bear, whose progress 
 had been more rapid than ours, had so gained upon us, and 
 was now so close to me, that by stretching out my arm I 
 could have touched her. I felt her hot breath in my face ; 
 a few moments now must decide the strife ; I therefore, with 
 my left arm somewhat advanced, and my right, in the hand 
 of which I grasped my trusty hunting-knife, drawn back- 
 ward, awaited her coming, and expected with every beating 
 pulse to feel the grasp of her claws. 
 
 The danger was now so near that it had lost all its ter- 
 rors. I certainly thought of nothing else than to sell my 
 life as dearly as possible, since I had given up all hope of 
 being delivered from this dreadful dilemma. 
 
 In the meantime young Smith had not been idle. In the 
 conviction that we could not remain without light, he had 
 speedily taken out his flint and tinder from his pocket, and 
 the first intimation I had of his intention, was the striking 
 of his knife against the stone. This was the only interrup- 
 tion of the death-like silence that reigned around, for at the 
 first stroke the bear ceased snorting, and now remained 
 immovable, as if to listen to the unwonted sound. 
 
 After the lapse of a few moments of painful anxiety, 
 Smith at length spoke, 
 
 " I have fire," said he, " quick, give me the powder-flask 
 and a few rags." 
 
 I cut the strap of my powder horn and loosed it, tore a
 
 piece out of my hunting-shirt, and handing both backwards to 
 him for I could not turn round in a few moments had 
 the comfort of seeing the torch re-lighted. With its first 
 gleams flickering upon the rocky sides of this sepulchral 
 recess, hope once more sprung up within our breasts, or, I 
 I should rather say in mine, for my comrade, as I after- 
 wards learned, had no thought of danger ; for in the first 
 place, he did not know how near the enemy was, and in the 
 second, was so busy in trying to rekindle his torch as 
 quickly as possible, that he had no time to think of any 
 thing else. Aided by its friendly light, in another moment 
 he was able to turn round, and his voice sounded like a 
 harp from heaven in my ears, as he called out to me he had 
 found the right opening. 
 
 Smith had now greatly the advantage of me, in that he 
 could creep head foremost, whereas I, who was obliged to 
 face the foe, had still to pursue my crab-like course. As I 
 thrust forward a few blazing splinters, which Smith had re- 
 kindled and handed me, into the bear's face, she renewed 
 her growling, and gnashing her teeth fearfully, retreated 
 some paces backward. The encouragement afforded by 
 this was however of short duration, for she soon resumed 
 her forward path, and so rapidly that our condition was but 
 little improved by the temporary interruption. 
 
 Necessity makes man ingenious ! To keep the animal 
 from throwing herself upon my neck, I laid a few splinters 
 of the burning pine on the earthy bottom of the cave, and 
 to my inexpressible joy I saw her stop the cowardly ani-
 
 mal could not venture through the flame. We took advan- 
 tage of this pause, and slid along with all the haste we 
 could towards the spot where we had left old Smith with the 
 cubs. My comrade reached the place a few minutes before 
 me ; I heard him call out to his father to give up his nurs- 
 ing, and get out of the way in as short a time as possible, 
 for "the bear was coming." These were the only words 
 exchanged, and indeed the snorting and puffing now again 
 coming nearer, we found we had no time to lose. The flame 
 had soon become extinguished on the damp earth, and the 
 bear, no longer in dread of a fiery enemy, had recom- 
 menced her pursuit of us. 
 
 We crept over the place where she had had her lair, and 
 from which the father and son were now withdrawn. Here 
 I found out how the old backwoodsman had so suddenly 
 quieted the cubs. They were dead ; he had knocked their 
 heads against the rocky wall, and to this forethought, cruel 
 as it was, we most likely owed our lives ; for one single cry 
 from those young ones whilst we were in the darkness occa- 
 sioned by the loss of our torches, would have roused the 
 wounded animal into actual madness, so that she would have 
 rushed upon at once and torn us in pieces, or else so wounded 
 us that we should have found a miserable death within that 
 dreary cave. 
 
 Having advanced perhaps an hundred steps from the lair 
 towards the entrance, I stopped to take breath and listen, 
 but I heard not the least sound. I called aloud to my two 
 comrades that they might wait for me, for there was now
 
 no symptom of the bear's coming. They stopped as soon 
 as they had reached a more roomy spot, and I soon joined 
 them, all three of us glad to rest, and have an opportunity 
 to hold counsel as to our future proceeding. 
 
 Old Smith was of opinion that the bear had certainly 
 gone back to her lair, and was now lying down beside her 
 young ones ; that one of us should creep to our tent at the 
 entrance of the cave, and get another gun, for it would not 
 be prudent to pass by the provoked animal in order to ob- 
 tain mine, which it will be remembered I had left behind. 
 
 But I determined, before I undertook to creep along the 
 narrow and difficult opening that led to the mouth of the 
 cavern, that I would go back quietly, and take a peep at 
 the lair, to see if indeed the old bear was living or dead, 
 for I could not but think that my bullet had told well. 
 But as I came near, and my torch fully lighted up the spot, 
 nothing of the wounded animal was to be seen. My loud 
 call brought my comrades ; we sought all around, and going 
 some distance further back we found by the profuse blood- 
 marks that the poor creature, instead of going back to her 
 old lair, had turned aside into the left hand passage. 
 
 My gun lay about three hundred steps distant in the 
 opening on the right, and it cost me no little trouble to 
 recover it. At last I found it, and having freed it from the 
 mud and blood with which it was covered, I loaded it and 
 went back to my comrades with as little delay as possible. 
 Although fairly worn out with the fatigue we had under- 
 gone, we were still too much excited to think of taking
 
 rest. We were all animated by one wish, namely, to end 
 the battle so hardly fought as speedily as possible, and to get 
 out of the damp, unhealthy atmosphere of the cavern, which 
 we now began to feel painfully oppressive. 
 
 The left hand passage was as narrow and impracticable 
 as the right, but happily the bear had not crept very far 
 into it. In a few seconds we reached the place where she 
 was sitting, and with foaming mouth and rage-glancing eyes 
 was awaiting our coming. I advanced until I was within 
 four or five steps of her, and then raising myself to as erect 
 a posture as the narrow opening permitted, I laid my gun 
 on the wrist of my left hand, in which I held the torch, and 
 touched the trigger just at the moment when she held her 
 head quiet for the space of a second. The cavern returned 
 a dull echo to the report, and the whole place was filled with 
 thick smoke. 1 could not see one inch before me, but I 
 heard the bear moving herself and moaning, and so I con- 
 cluded I had hit her in the right spot this time the bullet 
 was truly sped ; when the smoke had cleared away, she lay 
 just three paces from me quite dead. 
 
 We had conquered, but how sadly were we now convinced 
 of to how little purpose our troublesome and dangerous un- 
 dertaking had been, for we were all too weary to think of car- 
 rying the heavy carcase of this huge animal away with us. 
 Nothing, therefore, remained for us but to be contented with 
 our victory, and leave the trophy behind. 
 
 Our way back was pursued with as much speed as wr 
 exhausted bodies permitted, and in half an hour we had
 
 O. K & EAR O 
 
 reached the mouth of the cave. But in all that remains of 
 life, I will never forget the impression made upon me by 
 the pure cool night air, as I inhaled large breaths of the 
 sweet and balmy odors of the forest, and gazed upon the 
 blue heaven above me, whose clear calm brow, gemmed with 
 thousands of stars, offered so strong a contrast to the place 
 we had left, and the reckless sport in which we had been 
 engaged.
 
 SngjjlinrljunL 
 
 A HUNTER in Texas one day, in full pursuit of a roe, fell 
 into a deep funnel-shaped pit, which, worn away by the 
 washing of repeated rains, was found in the prairie, and to 
 his great affright he found it tenanted by a large gray bear, 
 who did not seem at all to relish his sudden intrusion. The 
 huge animal seized upon him ; a fearful battle ensued, in 
 which the poor hunter, together with a leg and arm broken, 
 was frightfully torn and bitten ; but at last had the good 
 fortune to kill his savage antagonist. He was obliged to 
 remain for many days in the pit, for he was too much 
 wounded to crawl out. During this time he lived on the 
 rough flesh of the bear, and kept his wounds open, that they 
 might heal slowly but effectually. His strength returned 
 gradually, and at last he worked his painful way out of the 
 chasm, and gained the open prairie. With great trouble he 
 crept to a deep dell, where he knew a brook flowed, for, for 
 many days, no drop of water had moistened his lips. He 
 found it at this time nearly dry, but enough remained in 
 the channel for him ; he lay down beside it, and as he swal- 
 lowed the cool pure element, he felt that new life was 
 infused. Far from home or any human habitation, he
 
 60 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 
 
 dragged himself from one pool to another, from which he 
 gathered frogs and small fish in order to sustain life. 
 
 One day whilst thus employed, he saw a wolf pursuing a 
 deer, which at length he hunted down and killed. He crept 
 out of the dell, where he had all this time remained, and 
 having frightened the wolf from his prey, laid himself down 
 near it, and made more than one good meal ere he left the 
 carcase. This was strong food, and he soon felt the revivi- 
 fying effects on his worn out frame. Returning to the glen, 
 he found himself able to travel slowly, and accordingly fol- 
 lowed the course of the brook until it was lost in a large 
 stream, of which he knew not the name, but trusting 
 to its calm current, he suffered himself to be carried down- 
 wards until it emptied itself in the Mississippi. Here he 
 found the hollow trunk of a tree, and having succeeded in 
 launching it, he entered within it, and gave himself up to be 
 carried, he knew not where, by the "Father of Waters," 
 and the mighty stream bore him onwards, until he came in 
 sight of a fort that formed one of the outposts on that wild 
 frontier. It was lucky for him he reached it in the day- 
 time, for had it been in the night, no watcher on that lonely 
 fortress would have been able to distinguish him, and far 
 distant as those places are from each other, he must have 
 perished in the wide waste of waters ere another could have 
 been reached. The sentinels, however, saw him a boat 
 was sent to his rescue, and, more dead than alive, he was 
 taken to the fort, where good medical attendance was pro- 
 vided ; his wounds soon healed, but his leg that was broken
 
 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 61 
 
 could never be properly set he therefore remained lame 
 for life. 
 
 As unpleasant an adventure as this, although less disas- 
 trous in its consequences, was experienced by an American 
 hunter, who describes it in the following manner : 
 
 " When I was a youth of perhaps eighteen years old, I 
 went to the woods with my axe, intending to cut down a 
 tree, and as I knocked about, examining the hollow trunk, 
 I felt pretty sure a bear was housekeeping inside. As I did 
 not want the animal to see or hear me, I clambered up into 
 the branches, intending to look down into the hollow open- 
 ing, in order to find out if the lord of the mansion was at 
 home ; and if he was, I intended to drive him out. I suc- 
 ceeded in reaching the top, and was just about to thrust my 
 head into Bruin's quarters, when all at once the rotten edge 
 of the trunk on which I knelt, soft as a sponge, gave way, 
 and instead of being a spy, I became a visitor, for I fell 
 right into the hole. Fortunately for me, I went feet fore- 
 most, so that my head remained upwards, for the aperture 
 was so narrow that it would have been a slow business to 
 turn round ; as it was accompanied with a considerable 
 shower of dust and rotten wood, I lighted right on Master 
 Bruin, who was lying at the bottom. I had come upon him 
 so suddenly, and pressed his head so closely as I fell, that 
 he was not in a condition to use his teeth, which doubtless 
 I would by no means have found pleasant. Besides, the 
 animal must have been as much surprised as myself, for
 
 he lay quite still, not daring to move under his sudden 
 burden. 
 
 " Things remained thus for a few seconds, when I began 
 to collect my thoughts, and consider how I might manage 
 to ascend to the top. The opening was only so wide, that 
 by placing my back against one side, and pressing my knees 
 on the other, I was able to work my way upwards. 
 
 " By this means, painful as it was, I at length succeeded 
 in reaching the top ; and having done so, I laid myself 
 across the opening in order to take breath ; but I had not 
 been more than a minute in this position, until I felt the 
 head of Bruin touch my feet. It was not often that he 
 was surprised by such sudden visits ; and it was but natural 
 that he should climb after me to see what the sudden distur- 
 bance meant. That he was displeased was certain, for he 
 looked so savage I felt I had not a moment to lose. I, 
 therefore, swung myself to the nearest branch, and without 
 waiting to venture another glance at him, or consider the 
 danger of a sudden leap, I jumped down to the earth at 
 once, although at a distance of twenty feet. I may say 
 I reached it happily, for, though much bruised, and my 
 muscles so strained that I could not move without pain, none 
 of my bones were broken. 
 
 " I lay for a considerable time at the foot of the tree in 
 order to recover breath after my hazardous leap; and I 
 would have been in no haste to rise, had not a certain omi- 
 nous growling reminded me of my old neighbor. I looked 
 up, and to my great terror saw that Bruin was coming
 
 dqwn the trunk of the tree, and only six feet distant from 
 the ground. Time was too precious to waste much of it in 
 consideration. I seized my gun, and aiming at the bear's 
 head just behind the ear, I shot him dead at the very mo- 
 ment he touched the earth with his feet. Since that time I 
 have never repeated the attempt to visit a bear in his own 
 dwelling being perfectly satisfied with this encounter." 
 
 A similar adventure befell a hunter in Ohio, which he de- 
 scribes in the following manner : 
 
 "Nearly twenty years ago I went with five of my comrades 
 across the Ohio to a famous hunting-place in Kentucky, 
 where, at that time, all sorts of game were to be found in 
 abundance, and bears ran about in such plenty as the 
 hogs now do with us. After we had had a merry hunting 
 spell for a few days we resolved to rest ; but one morning 
 whilst my comrades were sleeping I went to the forest, and 
 as I walked about quietly, I saw a tree not far from me that 
 seemed to be hollow, for it had a large opening at the top. 
 'Thunder!' said I to myself; ' that tree looks exactly as if 
 it was made for winter quarters for the fat black gentry.' 
 I went up and examined it on all sides, and there, sure 
 enough, I found plenty of marks to show that a bear had 
 climbed up and down. 
 
 " 'Well, then,' said I once more to myself, 'it will not be 
 hard for me to climb up and take a look at Bruin's quar- 
 ters. If it smells of bears it will be easy to call for help, 
 and we can throw fire down the opening and smoke him out; 
 but if there should be nothing within, it would be a pity to 
 waste the time.'
 
 " No sooner planned than done. By the help of a young 
 tree that grew close beside the hollow oak, I climbed up and 
 stuck my head into the opening. It smelt strongly of bears ; 
 but close above the spot where I then was, I perceived the 
 trunk had another aperture ; so I climbed still higher, in 
 order to thrust my nose into this also. I stepped rather 
 carelessly on the edge of the first ; a part of the rotten 
 wood gave way, and I fell ; like a bullet shot from the bar- 
 rel of a gun, I slid softly and swiftly down to the bottom 
 of the hollow tree. As I landed there without injury, my 
 first care was to examine the premises, and think over my 
 own condition for I was not particularly pleased with the 
 idea of sharing this narrow room with a bear. This was 
 soon done, and I was comforted nothing was within but the 
 soft rotten wood on which I was standing ; nevertheless the 
 interior showed me that the place either was occupied by 
 bears at present, or had been a short time before. In the 
 first place, the strong smell was not to be mistaken ; and 
 added to this, the inside, by the constant climbing in and 
 out, was scraped and polished as smoothly as if it had been 
 chiseled. 
 
 " As soon as I had satisfied myself with my survey, I began 
 to think of getting out ; but only imagine my horror when 
 I found my departure by no means easy, since to climb on 
 that smooth wall it was necessary to have the claws and 
 muscular power of a bear. I would not wish my worst 
 enemy such a moment of anguish as was mine when I made 
 this discovery. Drops of cold sweat burst from every pore
 
 in my body, as darkly brooding over the unfortunate issue 
 of my adventure, I cowered down at the very bottom of the 
 hollow to consider what I could do to effect my extrication. 
 Shouting would have been of no use, for there was no house 
 to be found within a circuit of eighty English miles, except 
 on the opposite bank of the Ohio ; and I could not hope 
 that by any lucky chance some one of my comrades would come 
 to my neighborhood and rescue, especially as on the day 
 before we had agreed to go farther down the river, and they, 
 on missing me, would naturally suppose I had gone on be- 
 fore. The thought that thus enclosed I must perish misera- 
 bly with hunger, shot like a flash of lightning through my 
 brain. I started up in terror at the horrible idea, and en- 
 deavored with a strength born of despair, to clamber anew 
 up the steep and slippery ascent. In vain I could not 
 accomplish anything. There was not the slightest projec- 
 tion or roughness on which I could lay hold ; and the trunk 
 that was narrow enough at the top, was too wide below for 
 me to place my back against it, and ascend in the manner 
 one would a chimney. I was almost frantic ; thoughts of 
 escaping by suicide flashed through my brain, and my 
 greatest comfort was my hunting-knife that hung at my 
 side. 'This,' thought I, 'shall at least save me from the 
 horrible pain of dying from hunger.' 
 
 " As I thus sa t and mused over my sad circumstances, fold- 
 ing my hands convulsively, it seemed to me as if I heard a 
 noise outside of my wooden prison. I held my breath and 
 listened. It sounded like something moving and scratching
 
 66 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 
 
 on the trunk of the tree. Yes, it was on the tree, and no 
 mistake ; it was higher than the place where I lay crouched. 
 I was about to cry aloud, but just at this moment the aper- 
 ture above me became closed as by some opaque body, and 
 I was surrounded by deep darkness. I could not doubt for 
 one moment what was the cause : it was the bear returning 
 to his den ! 
 
 " What was I to do ? Should I meet him in battle and 
 struggle for my life ? The issue of contending with such 
 an enemy was so certain, it was scarcely worth striving 
 for. Yet with that instinctive feeling of self-preservation 
 which nature prompts, even in the most desperate circum- 
 stances, I drew my knife from its sheath, and waited with 
 painful expectation the descent of the animal, who little 
 foreboding what kind of a guest he was to find below, was 
 coming as leisurely as if he were to have the premises all to 
 himself. All at once a different feeling came across me a 
 sudden thought flashed over my soul, and to this thought 1 
 owed my preservation from death. I replaced my knife in 
 its sheath, and in the same instant the bear was close above 
 me they always go backwards, you know, down a hollow 
 tree. I grasped the shaggy hide with both my hands, and 
 thus raising myself up a little, with an almost despairing force 
 I clasped him round the haunches, and taking hold of the 
 short tail with my teeth, I hung on to him like a leech. 
 What the bear thought of such a singular reception in his 
 own house I cannot tell ; but this I know, that in his first 
 fright for he certainly was taken aback he made a most
 
 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 6T 
 
 vigorous scratching in the rotten wood, and with a wonder- 
 ful effort of strength, since he had more weight to bear 
 than his own, in wild haste he hurried to work his way to 
 the top. There was a visible difference between it and the 
 leisurely manner in which he had come down. 
 
 "My greatest anxiety now was, that he would not have 
 strength enough to accomplish the ascent, burdened thus 
 with myself. But there was no need of fear he went as 
 though on wheels. Scarcely had I found myself with my 
 head above, breathing the pure air of heaven, when I let go 
 my hold both of teeth and hands, and freed the affrighted 
 animal from his unexpected load. My next effort was to 
 take a firm hold on the edge of the opening, as a second 
 descent was in no wise desirable, particularly as I had no 
 reason to calculate on the bear coming a second time to my 
 rescue. Like a flash of lightning he was down the tree, not 
 once looking round to see what had occasioned his fright ; 
 and before I could place myself in a secure position, and 
 free my mouth from the hair that I pulled from him in our 
 I ascent, he was vanished fairly out of sight in the thicket. 
 ! As I had nothing more to do above, I came down as quickly 
 i as I could, and went back to the place I had left." 
 
 That bears can behave with great decency when thrown 
 unexpectedly in human society, thereby exhibiting great sa- 
 gacity, is proved by the following narrative : 
 
 A settler in Missouri went down the river in his boat in- 
 tending to shoot elks. When he came to the place where 
 "he knew those animals were to be found, he rowed to the
 
 68 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 
 
 shore, fastened his boat, and went up into the woods, where, 
 in a short time, hearing the rustling of some animal among 
 the undergrowth, he lay down behind a fallen oak, where 
 concealed he could take a steady aim. He was rather a raw 
 backwoodsman ; and having never seen an elk in his life, 
 shrunk closely into his hiding place as a large animal, taller 
 than a horse, and with immense horns, came blustering 
 through the bushes, treading down whatever of bramble or 
 bush lay in his way. 
 
 " If you do not hurt me," said the affrighted hunter, " I 
 will not hurt you;" and as soon as the animal had passed 
 which he did without noticing him he arose from his hiding- 
 place and went back to his boat. " If there is no elk here, 
 there is likely a bear or two to be had," said he to himself, 
 by way of comfort. He had heard many marvellous tales 
 of bears with which at that time the country abounded 
 and now he was not particularly well pleased to remember, 
 as the more he thought of them the more cowardly he be- 
 came. They could run about, it was said, with half a dozen 
 bullets in their bodies ; and kill dogs by the dozen, as well 
 as hug men to death, and heaven knows what beside. But 
 in the worst case he had his boat, which in a battle would 
 give him a great advantage, or at any rate afford him a safe 
 means of retreat. 
 
 He had just taken his seat, and was about to put off, when 
 all at once he heard a plunge, and a sound of something 
 splashing in the water. He rowed quickly round the point 
 of an island, and there saw a large bear swimming over to
 
 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 69 
 
 the opposite bank. As he could advance touch faster in his 
 boat, he shot straight before the animal in order to cut off 
 his course ; and succeeding in this movement, forced him to 
 alter his direction, which he very quietly did, still endeavor- 
 ing, however, to reach the opposite shore by swimming 
 round the interposing boat. Our settler now placed himself 
 once more in the animal's way; but Bruin noticed the inter- 
 ruption no farther than by getting out of the way and con- 
 tinuing his course to the other side. 
 
 " He is a cowardly fellow, this big bear," said the back- 
 woodsman to himself ; and now grown more courageous, he 
 rowed his boat for the third time against his shaggy enemy, 
 so that he got him in a fair range to be brought down with 
 one shot. But as in turning for this purpose, he brought 
 the prow quite close to the bear, he seized hold of it with 
 his fore paws, and, to the great consternation of the rower, 
 very quietly climbed in. There he sat and looked in the 
 man's face as if it was quite a matter of course that, since 
 he was prevented from swimming, he should sail. 
 
 The poor hunter was now altogether dismayed he was 
 afraid to move ; he dared not venture to take up his gun, for 
 the instant he ceased rowing, the bear growled angrily and 
 showed his teeth. Had the poor fellow only known a little 
 more about killing bears before he went to hunt them that 
 one well directed stroke of a tough oak stick over the head 
 was a more effective way of conquering than by many 
 bullets, he might easily have killed him with a blow from 
 his oar. But, in the meantime, the self-constituted passen-
 
 70 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 
 
 ger gazed upon the boatsman with very apparent satisfac- 
 tion as long as he continued to row, and so there they sat, 
 the man and the bear, opposite and staring at each other. 
 At last the hunter having overcome his first fright, began 
 slowly to row back to the shore he had left ; but this did not 
 serve the bear's purpose as it seemed, for he moved closer 
 to him, and showed his teeth in such a manner as to say 
 he did not like the new direction at all. But as soon as he 
 turned the boat, and resumed his course to the opposite 
 bank, Bruin took his old place, and with the same grave 
 and contented mein sat as before at the prow, and so our 
 poor hunter was obliged to steer according to the pleasure 
 of his shaggy passenger. As soon as the skiff touched the 
 shore, the animal rose up and stepped leisurely on the 
 beach turned round once more and looked in the man's 
 face, then with a low growling sound peculiar to themselves, 
 he trotted off quietly towards the thicket and the hunter, 
 believing he had seen enough of him, let him proceed with- 
 out molestation from a bullet. 
 
 In the same neighborhood, too, there lived a farmer's 
 boy, who, having found a young bear in the forest, brought 
 him into the village, where he soon became the playfellow 
 of the children, and at last went with them to school. Per- 
 fectly harmless and playful, he became a great favorite, 
 and great was their regret when, after living a long time in 
 this harmony with them, he took it into his head one day to 
 go back to the woods, and returned to the village no more. 
 But like all other absent friends, he was soon forgotten.
 
 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 71 
 
 Things changed in this village, as they do every where else ; 
 the schoolmaster died, and his widow kept the school, and 
 wielded the birch wand in his stead. 
 
 On one cold winter's day long after young Bruin was 
 forgotten when much snow had fallen, and the frost was 
 intense the schoolmistress, with rod in hand, and spectacles 
 on her nose, sat in the midst of her noisy charge, endeav- 
 oring to drum the rudiments into some of the dullards. 
 One of the boys, coming in late, had left the door of the 
 schoolroom unlatched, when, greatly to the terror of both 
 teacher and scholars, a huge bear walked in with all the 
 confidence of an old acquaintance, and made his way up to 
 the fire. The children crowded around their teacher, who 
 had retreated to the farthest corner of the room, and 
 screamed with all their might, for they were certain that the 
 bear could do nothing else than devour the whole of them 
 at one meal. But the bear, undisturbed by the panic his 
 coming had caused, looked round quite complacently whilst 
 he warmed himself at the fire, and seemed to feel that he 
 was in very comfortable quarters. Meanwhile, the scream- 
 ing went on without interruption, but the outcry brought no 
 help, for the house was too distant from any other for it to 
 be heard, and so the bear was left to amuse himself or 
 frighten them without interruption. After he had sat 
 awhile and warmed himself, he raised up on his hind legs, 
 and took down all the hats and satchels that hung in a row 
 on the wall, one after another. He had not lost his 
 memory during his long absence he knew where the chil-
 
 72 BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. 
 
 dren were used to keep their dinners. After he had 
 devoured the bread, cold meat, apples, and other articles 
 of food that he found in the bags and baskets, he walked 
 up to the closet of the schoolmistress, remembering, doubt- 
 less, that eatables were also kept there, but finding it locked, 
 he walked out of the door as quietly as he had entered. 
 The children now ran out and gave the alarm the bear was 
 followed and shot, but greatly to the regret of the villagers 
 when, in the victim, they recognized their old friend and 
 former playfellow. 

 
 THE buffalo, or bison, sometimes designated as the wild 
 ox, with his large black head, his thick horns and threaten- 
 ing eyes, presents a perfect picture of savage wildness and 
 ferocity. The American bison differs from the Asiatic and 
 African buffalo, by having longer and more shaggy hair on 
 his head and neck, and a large hump between his shoulders, 
 and are found in herds of many thousands in the wild 
 prairies of Missouri and Mississippi, yet in the progress of 
 civilization, from day to day, becoming scarcer. In early 
 times they ranged in numberless herds over the whole 
 vast tract of country now known as the United States, with 
 the exception only of the eastern coast, or the swampy 
 region lying round the shore of the Mexican Gulf; in the 
 present day it is a rare thing to see a single one east of the 
 
 The wool of the Buffalo is fine, and is used in the manu- 
 facture of hats and other articles. His color is generally 
 dark brown, but some few are found, although very seldom, 
 spotted with white. His body is more strongly built than 
 that of the European ox ; his fore quarters are fashioned in 
 a rude unwieldy form, but the rump and hind legs are neat 
 and well proportioned. The great hump between the 
 
 (73)
 
 74 THE BUFFALO. 
 
 shoulders, with the addition of the rough tangled mane, the 
 bushy beard, and thick crooked horns that turn backwards, 
 give him an appearance well calculated to strike terror into 
 a beholder. They have a strong odor of musk, which they 
 send out profusely when pursued, and make a loud crackling 
 noise with their feet in walking. Their organs of smelling 
 is so extremely acute, that they can discover the approach 
 of hunters at a distance of three miles from the windward 
 side, and then they will snuff the air with evident tokens of 
 displeasure, and scamper off with great rapidity. 
 
 The hunters, aware of this, are always careful to approach 
 them on the other side, and are thus often able to come 
 quite close to them unperceived ; and the animals themselves 
 sometimes advance, seemingly without fear until within a very 
 short distance of their pursuers. This latter fact has been 
 attributed to their having feeble sight, and which is by no 
 means improved by the thick hair hanging over their eyes. 
 Although herds of elks and buffaloes are often found upon 
 the same prairie, they never feed together, rather showing 
 a kind of abhorrence to each other. 
 
 The buffalo troop is almost always followed by a pack of 
 hungry wolves, who do not, however, venture to attack them, 
 but only keep in the rear, in hopes of feasting upon the 
 spoils left by the hunters when some of the unlucky animals 
 shall have fallen by their rifles. 
 
 It is almost impossible to kill a bison by a shot in the 
 head or breast. The first is so well protected by the coarse 
 thickly tangled hair, that the force of the bullet is spent
 
 THE BUFFALO. 75 
 
 before it can reach the skull, and the latter in its strong 
 panoply of bones and muscles bids defiance to all the bullets 
 ever moulded. The experienced backwoodsman, therefore, 
 takes some pains to keep at the side of his victim, and kills 
 him by sending a shot from his gun or arrow from his bow, 
 just behind the shoulder blade. 
 
 These animals are found in such great numbers west of the 
 Rocky Mountains, that from these heights, as far as the eye 
 can reach, the herds can be seen like dark spots on the 
 landscape. They march with great regularity, always ob- 
 serving the same order the males in front, and the cows 
 and calves bringing up the rear. 
 
 It is sometimes very dangerous to meet such a troop on 
 its march ; for if they are frightened or made angry, they 
 will throw themselves into a line and rush upon the advanc- 
 ing party, overturning horses, wagons, and trampling every 
 thing that comes in their way under their feet, or tossing it 
 on their horns. This may seem incredible, but many of the 
 male buffaloes weigh from twenty to thirty hundred weight. 
 When game is abundant, and the hunters have bad a suc- 
 cessful hunting time of these animals, they cut out only the 
 choicest parts, the rib pieces, the tongue, the hump, not for- 
 getting the marrow bone for their own use, and leave all 
 the rest of the spoil for the wolves. Yet it is not seldom 
 that the enraged and hunted animal turns on his oppressor, 
 and if he be within reach of his horns, his destruction is 
 certain. 
 
 According to the statements of travellers who are worthy
 
 76 THE BUFFALO. 
 
 to be believed, no words can give an idea of the immense 
 herds in which the buffaloes wander through an unsettled 
 country. With that wonderful instinct that Nature has 
 provided in all animals, those marching troops always follow 
 the same paths trodden by former races centuries ago ; 
 showing, by continuing to climb the steep and rugged hills, 
 without deviation from one road, and by always crossing 
 rivers at but one, and that the most fordable place, their 
 knowledge of security and sense of danger. They observe 
 great regularity whilst moving over these mountain passes, 
 and thus being in so large a body causes no hindrance ; they 
 must go on, for if the rank were disposed to alter its course 
 it could not do so, being forced onward by the numbers in 
 the rear. Sometimes the number is so great, and they keep 
 so close together, that when crossing a river they dam up 
 the water with their bodies, and then the snorting and bel- 
 lowing of these wandering herds is to be heard at a distance 
 of several miles. 
 
 There are many tribes of Indians who live entirely on 
 the spoils of the buffalo chase. They hunt on horseback, 
 and kill the animal either with a bullet sent from a gun, or, 
 in the want of firearms, with an arrow, in the use of which 
 they are very expert. On the approach of the pursuers, 
 the affrighted creatures, for the American bison is naturally 
 rather timid than fierce, separate and disperse in wild haste 
 all over the plain, and thus the hunter can easily select the 
 best prey, choosing always the largest and fattest. If he 
 succeed in sending an arrow to lodge under the shoulder
 
 THEBUFFALO. 7T 
 
 blade, he does not trouble himself to stop to kill the animal, 
 but dashes off in pursuit of another, which he manages in 
 the same way ; and thus if he is mounted on a swift, strong 
 and tractable horse, he can easily take seven or eight buffa- 
 loes in a few hours. 
 
 Far wilder, however, and more dangerous to man than 
 the American bison, is the buffalo of the East Indies ; on 
 the face of no animal is the impression of its fierce and 
 vicious nature so clearly stamped as on his. But few of the 
 beasts of prey venture to attack him, except the tiger, and 
 he can only attempt the conquest when he is able to ap- 
 proach by stealth. Let the buffalo, however, but see the lurk- 
 ing tiger as he creeps from bush to bush, he raises his head 
 threateningly, scratches up the sand with his hoofs, and with 
 eyes flashing vengeance, watches every movement of his wily 
 enemy. Suddenly the latter, with a powerful leap, alights 
 on the back of the buffalo ; but he is at once shaken off, 
 and the huge beast taking him upon his horns, tosses him 
 aloft, each time he falls repeating the movement until his 
 bones are not only all broken, but his body literally bored 
 through. Even this does not satisfy him ; for when he is 
 tired of this sport, or sees that the tiger is dead, he tram- 
 ples him under his feet as though his rage is never to be 
 appeased. But if the tiger accomplishes the decisive leap 
 unseen and successfully, and so eludes the frightful thrust 
 from the horns, he buries his sharp claws in the body of his 
 victim, and tears the flesh from the neck with his teeth. 
 When the battle has progressed thus far, the fate of the
 
 78 THE BUFFALO. 
 
 buffalo is decided ; no effort of strength will enable him to 
 free himself from his fearful hurden. Finding all struggles to 
 extricate himself vain, he calls up all his remaining strength, 
 and throwing himself on the ground, as if in despair, and 
 still endeavoring to injure his enemy, he rolls over and over 
 until his life is yielded up with fearful groans. 
 
 The strongest and most savage of all the buffalo races are 
 those found in Southern Africa, in the land of the Caffres. 
 Their horns are so large that they cover the whole front of 
 the head. It is considered less dangerous to meet a herd 
 of these animals than a single one, for in the latter case the 
 animal never waits until he is molested, but rushes directly 
 upon whatever man he approaches, whether hunter or 
 traveller. Sometimes he conceals himself, and falls upon 
 his adversary so unexpectedly that neither bravery nor dex- 
 terity can effect an escape. They are so bold that even the 
 lions are afraid of them, and they have many fierce battles 
 with each other. When one buffalo has killed another for 
 they fight furiously among themselves he will stand for 
 hours over his victim, treading on him with his hoofs, stamp- 
 ing him with his feet, like the elephant, and lick him with 
 his rough tongue until his skin is torn off. It is not until 
 weary with these efforts that he gives up, and then often 
 goes back to vent his wrath anew on his dead enemy, con- 
 tinuing to trample on him until he has fairly crushed him 
 into the earth. 
 
 There was once a settler at the Cape Colony, who went 
 out with several of his neighbors to hunt buffaloes, of which
 
 THE BUFFALO. 79 
 
 a large herd had been seen grazing on a piece of swampy 
 ground, covered thickly with mimosas. They found that, 
 owing to the softness of the soil, they could not approach 
 near enough with their horses for they were mounted to 
 shoot, so they left them in the care of some Hottentots, and 
 went forward on foot. They believed that if attacked by 
 the herd, it would be an easy thing for them to fly, for the 
 marsh was quite firm enough to bear the weight of a man, 
 but not that of a horse, and much less of a buffalo. 
 
 They advanced accordingly, and concealed by the bushes, 
 succeeded in bringing down three of the finest animals in 
 the drove. They might have been contented with this, but 
 having wounded a large ox, the leader of the herd, so 
 severely that he sank upon his knees, as if disabled, and 
 began to roar loudly, they thought there could be no dan- 
 ger of his rising, for his case was certainly settled. One 
 of the hunters sallied forth from the covert, and loading his 
 musket anew, determined to finish the bellowing animal with 
 one well-aimed bullet. But no sooner had the enraged beast 
 seen the man approach, than he started up and rushed 
 towards him. 
 
 There was now nothing left for the poor fellow but to fly, 
 and throwing his gun from him, he ran with all possible 
 Bpeed towards the swamp, where, could he have reached it, 
 he would have been safe ; but finding the buffalo gain rapidly 
 upon him, he was obliged to alter his course. He there- 
 fore turned aside into the thicket, and having reached the 
 first mimosa began to climb it. But his enraged enemy was too
 
 80 THEBTTFFALO. 
 
 quick for him. With a fearful roar, such as our poor set- 
 tler had never heard in his life, the terrible beast came up, 
 and taking him on his horns tossed him high in the air. 
 He fell not, however, to the ground, but lodging in among 
 the forked limbs of the tree, his savage antagonist was 
 partly disappointed of his revenge. He walked round and 
 round the mimosa, and looking up into the branches where 
 the unfortunate man was lying, still vented his rage in loud 
 bellowings ; until at last exhausted by his efforts and the 
 loss of blood from his wounds, he once more fell upon the 
 ground. The party, who had seen the whole from the 
 thicket where they were concealed, now sent forth a shower 
 of balls that ended him at once ; but when they came to 
 look after their comrade, they found him lying among the 
 branches quite dead. 
 
 There is another account of this animal's fierceness in 
 giving battle, related by a Hollander, who was journeying 
 with a caravan into Caffre land. They were riding along 
 very leisurely through the forest, when in an open space at 
 a short distance he saw a buffalo lying down. Having 
 heard a great deal of the ferocity of these animals, he was 
 about to call a halt, hoping their approach had not been no- 
 ticed, but before he could utter the command the savage beast 
 was up and rushing towards him. He was foremost of 
 the party, and leaping from his horse he fled to a tree 
 and concealed himself behind it. He barely saved himself, 
 for the animal, roaring furiously, dashed up to the horse he 
 had left, and with his sharp horns pierced him through in
 
 THE BUFFALO. 81 
 
 an instant. Great was the consternation ; but there was 
 little time allowed to think. Attacking the next rider, he 
 dispatched his horse as rapidly as he had done that of the 
 first, and so a third, both falling dead at one thrust, the 
 back of one having been pierced quite through, the saddle 
 being no protection. The affrighted horsemen fled to the 
 trees, and happily succeeded in climbing beyond the enemy's 
 reach. 
 
 He next assailed the remainder of the party, who were a 
 little way behind, but they had witnessed the first onset, 
 and were by this time prepared for him. His attack was 
 met by a dozen musket balls, which told well, and brought 
 him to the earth sorely wounded, but not yet conquered ; 
 he rallied his remaining strength, and rising he once more 
 sought to press against his enemies. But the effort was in 
 vain he was met by more bullets, and was fairly pierced 
 through and through before he yielded up the contest and 
 his life together. 
 6
 
 1 tutting t ji j Eijitinr B rn s. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the rhinoceros is very large in size, possessing 
 great muscular strength, and with a skin nearly an inch 
 thick, is almost invulnerable to any attack from either 
 men or animals, is yet so timid and peaceful an animal that 
 rather than assail he goes willingly out of the way of his 
 enemies ; yet when his wrath is once aroused he is a fearful 
 antagonist, for the horn growing from his snout is as mur- 
 derous a weapon as a sword. His voice is like the grunting 
 of a hog ; but when angry he utters a dull roar like that of 
 the lion. He chooses the swampy forest for his dwelling 
 place, and feeds upon the tender twigs and green leaves ; 
 and, like the buffalo, his sight is very weak, but his sense 
 of smelling is also so acute, that the hunters never dare 
 approach him from the windward side. 
 
 An Englishman who once assisted at a rhinoceros hunt, 
 describes it in the following manner : 
 
 " We set out early one morning, and having spread out 
 our forces so as to encircle the large tract of land prepared 
 for the purpose, found that within that circumscribed limit 
 we had driven three rhinoceros and eight buffalos. The 
 place was first enclosed by a hedge, inside of which ran a 
 ditch of perhaps four feet in depth ; for it is well known 
 
 (82)
 
 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 83 
 
 that, whilst their great strength enables them to break 
 through any enclosure with great ease, they can be restrained 
 by a very small ditch. Little huts made of bamboo twigs 
 were placed at certain distances along the hedge, in which 
 the hunters were to be concealed, and thus fire under covert. 
 The Javanese hunters were seated on the high trees within 
 the circle, prepared with fireworks, which they were to throw 
 down in order to drive the imprisoned animals from the 
 thicket to the open space. 
 
 Each one of our party took his post, but scarcely had we 
 done so, ere a rhinoceros broke forth from his hiding-place 
 in the thick bushes, and with that peculiar low roar by which 
 those animals express their anger, rushed towards the frail 
 bamboo hut in which I was sheltered. The shower of bullets 
 with which our guns greeted him, many of which iron mes- 
 sengers lodged in his neck and sides, forced him to retreat 
 hastily, but meeting another and smaller rhinoceros coming 
 forward in this enclosed battle-field, in his rage he fell upon 
 him, and forthwith a bloody battle ensued between those 
 I colossal combatants. The lesser animal having received a 
 severe wound in the head from his powerful antagonist, fled 
 towards the hut where we were posted ; we gaVe him as 
 warm a reception as we had before done to his conqueror, 
 but this time our shots were better directed we killed him 
 at the first volley. 
 
 Whilst we were thus employed, the rest of the party were 
 not idle; but firing from the other huts, they had wounded 
 a third, and now, maddened with pain, the poor animal was
 
 84 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 
 
 using every effort of his great strength to break through the 
 enclosure. His success would have been fatal to us, and we 
 had now to bring all our force to bear, in order to dispatch 
 him as quickly as possible. We therefore fired a small 
 cannon we had with us, loaded with cannister shot, upon 
 him ; this salute induced him to change his course the poor 
 beast reeled backwards for a moment, but almost instantly 
 recovering, he ran along the side of the enclosure for a con- 
 siderable distance, venting his rage in frightful roarings, 
 until pierced by thirty bullets, and weakened by loss of 
 blood, he fell to the earth dead. 
 
 In the meantime, the first one we had wounded again 
 came forward, raging through the middle of the enclosed 
 space. A wild hog coming in the way of his career, was 
 thrown up by that fearful horn with such force into the air, 
 that he was dead as soon as he reached the ground. Next 
 he rushed upon an unlucky buffalo, and in an instant had 
 ripped up his body, and at last coming upon the rhinoceros 
 which, killed by our firing, was lying quite near the hedge 
 that bounded the enclosure, he fell upon him with as much 
 violence as he would have exercised upon a living antago- 
 nist. It was fortunate for us that he did so, since it gave 
 us time to fire upon himself. Several well directed shots 
 were lodged in his body ; nevertheless, though sadly 
 wounded, he ran round the battle-field once more, treading 
 down the tall bushes as if they had been straw, but at 
 length his immense strength being exhausted, he fell dead 
 on the ground.
 
 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 85 
 
 Still more fierce and warlike than this species, which is 
 called by some the White Rhinoceros, is the Black, found 
 in the middle and southern parts of Africa. Four Dutch 
 peasants from Cape Colony, went out one day to hunt a 
 Springbok ; they soon came upon the track of this animal, 
 which they followed, when all at once they discovered the 
 footmarks of a rhinoceros, and soon after saw the huge 
 beast lying near them in the thicket through which they 
 were about to pass. One of the men, named Henry, crept 
 behind a cluster of high bushes, where, entirely concealed 
 from the animal, he fired, and wounded him badly in the 
 fore foot. He rose in great fury, and prepared for an 
 onset, and as all four of the hunters were flying as best they 
 could for safety, he took after the one nearest to him, who 
 would have certainly fallen a victim to his rage, but just as 
 the beast was within touching distance, and began to turn 
 up the earth with his horn, as these creatures always do, 
 preparatory to the fatal thrust, with great presence of mind 
 the man sprung quickly to one side. 
 
 The blow aimed by the rhinoceros failed ; in such full 
 speed was he dashing forward, that he was not at once able 
 to alter his course and before he did so, all four of the 
 huntsmen had escaped him by climbing up into trees. The 
 huge enemy, however, did not retreat, but although limping 
 in consequence of the wound given by Henry, went round 
 and round, smelling at various spots in order to find his 
 enemy, but in vain. At last, one of the men, whose only 
 weapon was a javelin, which in this warfare was of no use, 
 said to his fellows :
 
 86 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 
 
 " I am tired of waiting here why do we waste time by 
 staying, and why don't you shoot?" 
 
 " If you are so fond of shooting," answered Henry, 
 "shoot, yourself; here is my powder-horn and shot-pouch, 
 and there under that tree is my gun !" 
 
 The man descended at once from his place of safety, 
 loaded the gun, and approaching the rhinoceros, sent a 
 charge of bullets into his lower jaw. He was stunned by 
 the sudden blow, and fell to the earth, where he lay for 
 some time as if dead. All believed him to be really so, and 
 descending from their several trees, approached him fear- 
 lessly, but the man who had given him the last wound, was 
 not a little proud of the exploit, and feeling quite like a 
 hero, began to expatiate on the peculiar manner of hunting 
 the rhinoceros, and was eloquent in his directions to his 
 comrades how they should proceed. All at once the seem- 
 ingly dead animal began to recover, and striking out 
 furiously with his hind feet, showed them that the victory 
 was not yet won. Henry called aloud to his fellows : 
 
 " Fly, boys fly for your lives ; whoever lingers is a dead 
 man !" and dashing forward with all the speed he was capa- 
 ble of, showed by his example that in this case he held 
 "discretion to be the better part of valor." 
 
 A few moments sufficed to restore the rhinoceros to his 
 feet and (if we dare say so) to recollection. He seemed to 
 have no wish to molest the other huntsmen, but seeking out 
 the one who had wounded him, and snorting with rage, he 
 set after him with all the fury of desperation.
 
 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 87 
 
 The poor man, although appalled by the roaring enemy, 
 did not yet lose all presence of mind. Finding that he 
 could not outmatch him by swiftness, he had recourse to the 
 same stratagem we have mentioned as being used by one of 
 his comrades during their first flight. He made a sudden 
 halt, then sprung to one side in expectation that the angry 
 animal would shoot past him as on the former occasion. 
 But the crafty beast was not to be fooled a second time he 
 took him upon his powerful horn, and first ripping up his leg 
 as with an axe, he tossed him high into the air. The un- 
 happy being fell directly in front of his still unsatisfied foe, 
 who in a moment was again upon him, and thrusting his 
 horn into his breast, tore it open even to his throat, and 
 tossing him again, seemed to wait patiently until he reached 
 the ground. This time he fell more heavily, for it was a 
 dead body that touched the earth; and the rhinoceros, as 
 though he knew his offender had ceased to exist, now gave 
 up all effort to wound him further, but running up to him, 
 trampled the body under his feet until it was literally crushed 
 to atoms. His vengeance at last satisfied, he limped slowly 
 back to the thicket the blood from his wounded jaw mark- 
 ing every step of the way. Henry and his friends, anxious 
 to avenge their lost comrade, now crept cautiously forward 
 and prepared to fire. Their movements, however, were not 
 unnoticed by the still angry beast ; he started up from the 
 spot where he had laid down in the thicket and rushed to- 
 wards the party. Another life would most probably have 
 been sacrificed had not an unfortunate dog come in his way.
 
 88 HUNTING THE RHINOCEROS. 
 
 He wreaked his re-kindled rage on this new victim ; but 
 with this effort his ability to effect further mischief was ended. 
 The bones of the foot, which had been wounded by Henry in 
 the beginning of the contest, now gave way, and weakened 
 by the loss of blood, he fell down heavily, and so became 
 an easy prey to the hunters, who finished him with their 
 bullets. 
 
 Although the great strength of the rhinoceros makes him 
 a formidable enemy, yet his gigantic force is often overcome 
 by the most cowardly of all beasts of prey, namely, the 
 hyena. On account of his unwieldy size, he cannot turn 
 round without considerable effort, and this circumstance is 
 taken advantage of by this inferior antagonist, who waits 
 with patience the proper moment to reach his aim. He 
 creeps behind him, and inserting his sharp teeth into his 
 flanks, bites and tears until muscle and sinew are torn away, 
 and the rhinoceros is thus obliged to yield. Lying down 
 he gives up to his cowardly foe, who literally feeds upon the 
 living body until he has eaten his way to some vital part ere 
 death releases the victim.
 
 THE hippopotamus is, except the elephant, the largest 
 animal that inhabits the land, being often found seven feet 
 in heighth, seventeen in length, and from thirty to forty 
 hundred pounds in weight. The body is plump and covered 
 with such a thick skin that a bullet can scarcely penetrate 
 it. The large head, scarcely to be distinguished from the 
 body, ends in a broad protruding snout. The jaws, uncom- 
 monly large, are provided with two rows of large and 
 frightful-looking teeth. The legs are so short that the belly 
 almost touches the earth ; and the eyes and ears are dispro- 
 portionately small. 
 
 The river horse is found in all the large rivers in middle 
 and South Africa preferring, although called a land ani- 
 mal, to keep mostly in the water, since he swims with great 
 swiftness, and diving below the surface, it is said he travels 
 for a long distance on the bottom of the stream. He feeds 
 principally on roots and aquatic plants ; but if he can reach 
 a rice field or plantation of sugar canes, his voraciousness 
 is satisfied only at the expense of great devastation. His 
 voice is variable ; sometimes he neighs like a horse, the next 
 moment roars like a bull, and then changes to the grunting 
 of a hog. 
 
 (89)
 
 90 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
 
 Nature has made him timid and fearful, but when pro- 
 voked, his rage is very fearful, and he then makes use of his 
 great strength and frightful teeth as means of aggression 
 or defence. When boats are sailing in those rivers, among 
 whose reeds and canes he had made his dwelling, he regu- 
 larly comes forth from his hiding place, splashing, snorting, 
 and diving, harmlessly as though at play, around the craft. 
 Should the voyagers not like this near vicinity and fire upon 
 him, they find he is not to be frightened by a shot, but 
 rather that others are attracted by it. If provoked to ani- 
 mosity by those in the boat, he seizes the latter in his tusks, 
 and either pierces it full of holes or drags it under the water. 
 Neither on land is he less vindictive, but follows his enemy 
 with great swiftness and fury. 
 
 As the hippopotamus is a great pest to many districts in 
 Africa, the natives seek by a variety of ways to release 
 themselves from this troublesome neighbor. One of the 
 least dangerous methods is this : on the way leading from 
 the river to the rice fields, they dig deep pits, wherein they 
 place strong stakes, the sharp points of which have been 
 hardened in the fire, and falling into these holes, while pur- 
 suing their depredatory rambles, they are in some sort em- 
 paled. The negroes also make a kind of palisading of similar 
 stakes on the bank of the river in places where they know 
 these animals are to be found ; they next assemble in the 
 woods, and with loud outcries frighten them so as to put 
 them to flight. The alarmed beasts turn naturally to the 
 water, and dashing into it, they rush with full force against
 
 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 91 
 
 those concealed stakes, the pointed ends of which penetrat- 
 ing the tough skin, they are killed at once. 
 
 Other tribes make a pastime of hunting them, and attack 
 them with lances. They conceal themselves at the end of 
 a thicket, and crouching down so as to be altogether invisi- 
 ble, they cut the sinews of their feet, being the v most vulner- 
 able part, as they pass along, and then as they lay on the 
 ground venting their impotent rage, they are easily dis- 
 patched with lances. But the most common manner of 
 hunting the river horse is the following : 
 
 One of the hunters is provided with a lance which is made 
 out of a harpoon with a wooden shaft. A long rope is fas- 
 tened to the iron, on the other end of which is fastened a block 
 of wood. When the hunter has succeeded in approaching 
 within seven or eight steps of the beast he throws his lance 
 with such force that the harpoon penetrates through the 
 skin into the flesh. The poor animal thus wounded, at once 
 seeks to bury himself under the water ; the lance breaks 
 but the rope remains fastened to the harpoon, and the block 
 swimming on the surface, shows the spot where the enemy 
 has retreated. The other hunters now come up, and as 
 soon as he shows himself on the top of the water, where he 
 is obliged to come for breath, thrust their sharp lances 
 through his head ; or if near enough, beat with heavy blows 
 on his skull. This manner of hunting is fraught with great 
 danger, for it is not seldom that the hippopotamus succeeds 
 in fastening his teeth in his enemy, crushing him to pieces 
 in his powerful jaws.
 
 92 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
 
 As a company of English travellers were once traversing 
 the country upwards from the cape, in sailing up one of the 
 rivers, all at once they saw themselves surrounded by a 
 number of these animals. At first they were not to be fright- 
 ened off, and it was not until after repeated firings that any 
 of them retreated. The continued discharge of many guns 
 at last sent all off excepting three, who were determined not 
 to be driven away, but stood immovable, stretching their 
 fearful jaws wide open and showing their teeth. The Eng- 
 lishmen, although at first amused, soon lost all kind of plea- 
 sure in this wild hunt ; they by no means liked these savage 
 intimations on the part of the foe, and at last were obliged 
 to make use of their weapons in self defence, for one of the 
 animals swam closely after the boat seeking to seize it with 
 his teeth and draw it under the water. They succeeded at 
 last in killing him, but out of thirty bullets discharged at 
 the distance of a few feet only, at his head, only one had 
 been effective ; that one had passed up the nostril into the 
 brain, all the others remained sticking in the thick skin 
 without one having penetrated into the flesh.
 
 CROCODILES are found in countries embracing warm lati- 
 tudes all over the earth ; everywhere abhorred, everywhere 
 dreaded; nevertheless the descriptions of their dangerous 
 propensities have been greatly exaggerated. They have a 
 long, hard head, a horribly capacious throat, and their jaws 
 are armed with strong and sharp teeth. Their backs are 
 covered with thick and hard scales, that like a coat of mail 
 serves to protect them from all missiles, rendering them im- 
 pervious to bullets which rebound harmlessly after striking 
 the horny substance which Nature has provided for their 
 defence. In order therefore to destroy them it is necessary 
 to wound them in the throat or belly, for in those parts 
 only are they vulnerable. Owing to the peculiar conforma- 
 tion of the neck, and the inflexible nature of those scales, 
 every movement, except those made in a straight forward 
 direction, are accomplished with difficulty. As it is almost 
 impossible for them to turn round, so men when pursued by 
 them do not find it hard to escape, as they have only to 
 dash suddenly to one side, which the creature when at full 
 speed is unable to do. 
 
 The whole genus embraces several species, distinguished 
 under various names, namely, the Crocodile, Cayman, or 
 
 (93)
 
 94 THE CROCODILE. 
 
 American Alligator, and the Gavial of Asia. The first 
 named are distinguished from the caymans by their larger 
 size and teeth. They inhabit the large rivers in Africa, 
 and a few have been found in. America, but very rarely. 
 
 The crocodile of the Nile is the most famous of all ; and 
 independent of his greater size, differs from the rest of the 
 species found in the same climate by the singular regularity 
 of his scales, which are of a four cornered shape, and are 
 invariably found in the same number placed along his back. 
 The ancient Egyptians adored them as divinities ; they erec- 
 ted temples for their worship, and nourished them within 
 those sanctuaries. Herodotus tells us of having seen croco- 
 diles in Memphis, with gold rings and chains on their noses 
 and round their bodies, taking their rest on couches of 
 purple silk. 
 
 The female crocodile lays her eggs, which have a tolera- 
 ble hard shell, in the sand on the river shore. She chooses 
 a dry place, where favored by the sun's heat, and protected 
 from accidents of wind or weather, they may be safely ma- 
 tured ; and scooping out a hole about a foot deep with her 
 claws, she deposits the eggs in regular layers one above the 
 other within it. Woe to the unwary one who approaches 
 too near or interrupts her at this time. Swift as an arrow 
 must be his flight, or a frightful and fatal battle will ensue. 
 Leaving them to be hatched by the sun, she yet watches 
 constantly over them, going only in search of food, and 
 never so far as to lose sight of them. When the young 
 ones crawl forth, she then takes charge of them, leading
 
 THE CROCODILE. 95 
 
 them abroad and watching over them with the same care 
 that a hen shows for her chickens. She guards them from 
 danger, is furious in attacking any enemy that approaches, 
 and never forsakes them until they are entirely able to do 
 without her services. 
 
 Being very hardy, the crocodiles would increase to fear- 
 ful numbers were it not that they had a powerful enemy in 
 a weak, gentle, but crafty little animal called the ichneumon, 
 or rat of Pharaoh. And they have another, the yellow 
 vulture. Hovering round, and watching until the old croco- 
 dile has retreated into the sedges or the margin of the river, 
 where she herself is waiting for prey, he pounces down upon 
 the scarcely covered eggs, and in a moment the half are 
 destroyed. The enraged mother is back in a moment. Her 
 frightful teeth and open jaws have little terror for this 
 .ravenous bird; he beats her off with his powerful wings, 
 and generally carries away a goodly portion of her treasure 
 as his lawful spoil. 
 
 Furious at the outrage, she attempts to follow the robber, 
 and for a few moments is forgetful of the eggs that are thus 
 left without protection. The little ichneumon, hidden under 
 some papyrus shrubs, in the meantime has been watching 
 the battle ; this is the time for him he darts forth, tears 
 up the eggs, breaks and devours them with incredible rapidi- 
 ty ; and when the poor crocodile has returned from her 
 fruitless battle with the gluttonous bird, to watch over her 
 immature brood, she finds nothing left of all her treasure 
 but the broken shells strewed upon the sand. At this sight
 
 96 THE CROCODILE. 
 
 she raises a loud cry of complaint, and betakes herself to 
 another and more distant spot on the shore, where she can 
 form her nest in greater security. 
 
 The caymans or alligators find their homes in America. 
 Those that live in the colder regions become torpid in the 
 winter season, sleeping through it like the snakes and bears ; 
 and in the warm latitudes it is said they are dormant in the 
 dry months. They creep into the swamps the mud of 
 which dries over them and they are only distinguished from 
 it by the point of their noses thrust forth ; in order to 
 breathe, they lie stretched dut in slothful enjoyment of the 
 summer sun. When the negroes of Cayenne discover one 
 thus snugly disposed of, they loosen the half baked earth all 
 round the body with a pole, in order to dislodge it, as we 
 have seen laborers do to remove wood or large stones. They 
 first of all free the hind feet, which they tie fast to the body 
 with ligatures of liana. They next proceed to secure 
 the fore feet in the same way; then they dig out the whole 
 body, taking care to keep at a sufficient distance to ensure 
 safety from the teeth and tail of the animal. The last act 
 of the process is to kill and drag him forth from the mud in 
 which he is imbedded, and then they feast upon the flesh 
 which they eat with great appetite notwithstanding its un- 
 pleasant smell. 
 
 The largest and most dangerous of the American alliga- 
 tors are the crowned cayman, found in Guiana, Brazil, and 
 Colombia, and the cayman of the Antilles. Both these 
 species grow twenty or twenty five feet in length, and infest-
 
 THE CROCODILE. 97 
 
 ing the banks of large rivers, frequently seize upon unwary 
 swimmers. The rivers, swamps, and savannas of South 
 America are alive with the smaller kind the largest of 
 which vary from six to eight feet in length.. 
 
 The traveller, riding along the shore of these rivers, may 
 see these caymans hidden under the water or in the rushes, 
 only made visible by the point of the nose, which is thrust 
 straight upward. Thus concealed, they are ready in a mo- 
 ment to dart upon anything in the shape of prey that ap- 
 proaches. Swift as lightning they seize upon the unsus- 
 pecting animal, and almost before it has time to know it has 
 been made prisoner, or resist, drags it into the water, first 
 drowning, then hiding it under the protruding root of some 
 tree, or else in the reeds, thus storing the carcass away to 
 feast upon when it is decayed, for they eat fresh meat very 
 unwillingly, and only when compelled by hunger. Others 
 lie stretched out on the sand, sleeping or basking in the 
 sun's warm rays, but all vanish when man approaches. In 
 the evening and advanced twilight, they call each other to- 
 gether with a soft protracted cry, something like the whining 
 bark of a young dog, and as soon as this cry is heard they 
 may be seen advancing in great numbers ; and if the spec- 
 tator happens to be in a boat, it is no unamusing sight to 
 see them swim and play around it. It is likewise -no un- 
 common thing to find the negroes going waist deep into the 
 rivers, whose waters are literally alive with these creatures, 
 for the purpose of taking them ; and it rarely happens that 
 they meet with an accident. But if one fellow, bolder than
 
 98 THE CROCODILE. 
 
 the rest, seizes the black man by the leg, as soon as the 
 latter finds himself taken hold of thus roughly, he turns 
 round and very coolly and dexterously thrusts his fingers 
 into the poor creature's eyes, which forces him at once to 
 give up his hold. 
 
 The negroes of Guyaquil hunt the caymans even in deep 
 water with incredible intrepidity. One of the party arms 
 himself with a lath-like piece of hard wood, about eighteen 
 inches long, and pointed at both ends. As soon as he dis- 
 covers a crocodile he swims towards him, dives under the 
 water, and as soon as the creature opens his mouth, he 
 thrusts his wooden javelin between his jaws in a perpendic- 
 ular direction. Feeling that he has something to close his 
 teeth upon, the crocodile does so, and thus the sharp points 
 of the stick penetrate his palate and throat. This renders 
 him helpless, and the negroes then draw him to land with a 
 rope, and binding him by the feet to the nearest tree, kill 
 him without farther trouble. Another quite common method 
 of taking them is with a large iron hook, baited with a piece 
 of putrid flesh. 
 
 The Gavials are natives of the warm countries of Asia, and 
 differ from all others of the crocodile species by a long thin 
 proboscis. Those of the Ganges are the largest of the race ; 
 they live upon fish, scarcely ever feeding upon human beings 
 or mammalious animals. 
 
 Like the ancient Egyptians, many of the natives of the 
 East Indies and the Isle of Sunda, worship the crocodile 
 even in the present day. The inhabitants of Borneo, at the
 
 THE CROCODILE. 99 
 
 time of their yearly festivals, bring them an oblation in order 
 to propitiate their favor. This is done in the following 
 manner : They make a little boat out of bark, in which 
 they place a quantity of prepared rice, some boiled eggs, 
 and a roasted fowl, together with a lighted taper at each 
 end. They give the little vessel to the stream, to be borne 
 away by the current to whatever spot chance may direct, 
 and in the deepening twilight, or in the night, hundreds of 
 these tiny lights may be seen sparkling like stars upon the 
 water. 
 
 A traveller tells us that a few years ago, in the neighbor- 
 hood of the Indus, he saw a pool in which a large number 
 of the sacred crocodiles were kept, and regularly fed by the 
 Fakirs. 
 
 "We had left," says he, "the Indus, and reached a se- 
 cluded valley, shut in on all sides by high hills ; on our 
 right hand lay a wood of magnificent palm trees, among 
 which were seen the white domes of the sepulchres where 
 the priests were buried ; on our left was a beautiful grove of 
 tamarind trees. After passing by a few miserable huts, 
 which looked rather pisturesque among the beautiful mango, 
 palm, and tamarind trees, we came to a large pool, of per- 
 haps two hundred feet in length and fifty in breadth, where 
 the sacred crocodiles, with their heads peering above the 
 water, opened their frightful jaws as if to threaten us for 
 our intrusion. A mineral spring, the waters of which are 
 so hot that no one can bear his hand in it a minute, gushes 
 from the rocks about a mile to the north of this spot, and
 
 100 THE CBOCODILE. 
 
 after running for a short distance in a narrow channel, dis- 
 appears, but pursuing a subterranean course, it again rises 
 to the surface, once more assuming the form of a spring. 
 A little basin is formed around it, and meeting with some 
 other rills, the united waters empty themselves into the 
 pool, on whose banks more than a hundred crocodiles of all 
 sizes are to be seen stretched out in lazy enjoyment of the 
 rays of the sun. Fakirs, whose only occupation is to feed 
 these creatures, now came forward to offer their services to 
 * the strangers,' and as we were once delighted in visiting 
 the carp pond at Charlottesburg, to see the fish leap out of 
 the water at the sound of a bell, so were we also diverted to 
 see these ugly creatures come from the pool at the bidding 
 of the Fakirs, and, like dogs, lie down at their feet to receire 
 their food. According to old usages, we brought a goat as 
 'our share of the usual oblation to the crocodiles, made the 
 Fakirs a present, and then hastened to pursue our journey, 
 and shut out this disgusting spectacle as soon as possible 
 from our eyes." 
 
 All travellers who have had opportunity of observing the 
 crocodile closely, coincide in the opinion that he is a much 
 less dangerous enemy to man than is generally supposed. 
 True it is that every year some human beings fall a prey to 
 them, but it is mainly attributable to their own carelessness, 
 in choosing to bathe in such places where many of these 
 creatures resort. There are instances related where men 
 delivered themselves by their presence of mind, when in the 
 very throat of a crocodile. Humboldt tells of an Indian
 
 THE CROCODILE. 101 
 
 girl, who, standing on the bank of the Orinoco, was dipping 
 water, when she felt herself seized and dragged into the 
 water by one of these animals. In an instant the courage- 
 ous maiden thought of self-defence, and turning round, 
 thrust her fingers so resolutely into her enemy's eyes, that 
 he instantly let go the hold he had taken of her arm. 
 Heedless of the pain and loss of blood, she swam to the 
 shore, where several men were assembled, who carried her 
 to one of their huts, and it was not a great while until she 
 had quite recovered. 
 
 The same mode of procedure is observed "by the negroes 
 in the interior of Africa, when exposed to similar danger. 
 When Mungo Park was travelling up the Niger in a boat, 
 his guide, Isaac, was suddenly seized by the thigh, and 
 dragged under the water by the huge animal. With aston- 
 ishing presence of mind he felt for the creature's head, and 
 thrust his finger into one of his eyes. Howling with pain, 
 he released his victim, and Isaac succeeded in reaching the 
 shore by swimming. Scarcely, however, had he reached it, 
 and was looking round for his companions, when the croco- 
 dile shot through the water a second time, seized him before 
 he had time to think, and dragged him down to the bottom. 
 Still Isaac did not lose his senses he knew there was but 
 one way of battling with his enemy to ensure his escape 
 he therefore used the same means as before, and with the 
 same success. The crocodile let go his hold, and after 
 splashing about for a short while on the surface of the water, 
 like one bewildered, he at last crept into the rushes that
 
 102 THE CROCODILE. 
 
 bordered the stream. In the meantime, Isaac had been 
 taken up by the persons in the boat ; he was much exhausted 
 by the loss of blood, for he had been dreadfully wounded by 
 the teeth of his voracious adversary, but after a few weeks 
 rest and care, he was perfectly recovered. 
 
 Modern travellers represent the whole species as much 
 less dangerous, than do the ancients. Gerstacker who 
 indeed tells only of the American Cayman speaks in 
 reference to this subject in the following manner : " Many 
 are the frightful stories told of the voracity of the alliga- 
 tors, that, greedy and blood-thirsty, they are always on 
 the watch for the approach of some human being, and that 
 none can come into their neighborhood without being seized 
 upon and devoured ! I have always viewed them as harm- 
 less, peaceable creatures, and have found great sport in 
 hunting them. Shooting at a great many, I found that 
 after swimming about for a little while they sank down to 
 the bottom, so that I lost my prey. At last I had recourse to 
 the harpoon as a better weapon ; to this I fastened a strong 
 rope, perhaps twenty feet long. I then would wade up to 
 my waist in water, and stand under one of the many cypress 
 trees that grew in the swamp, to await the coming of an 
 alligator, for in the glowing noon-tide heat they leave the 
 mud to swim about, or stretch themselves on some bank to 
 sun themselves. When one came within ten or fifteen feet 
 of me he was certainly mine, and then the principal sport 
 began, and capital sport it was, if he proved a fine large fel- 
 low, resolved to be not easily conquered. I threw my har-
 
 THE CROCODILE. 103 
 
 poon; he pulled the rope outwards, whilst I dragged it 
 inwards, and thus contended until, weakened with loss of 
 blood, he became my prey. 
 
 " But finding that standing in the sun during the heat of 
 the day was by no means pleasant, or improving to mv 
 health, I resolved to try the * fire hunt,' of which I had 
 heard a great deal. As I always loved exciting sports, I 
 was particularly charmed with what the Creoles told me of 
 this method of hunting the cayman, for they assured me 
 ' an alligator hunt was far more dangerous at night than bv 
 day, for then they were a great deal wilder and fiercer, and 
 fought the hunters with great fury.' " 
 
 The next evening I took my gun, a pan full of resinous 
 wood split up fine, and my harpoon, and thus equipped, 1 
 repaired to the place where I knew they were to be found, 
 and the sight that presented itself when I reached the 
 border of the swamp was so truly charming, that I was en- 
 abled to endure patiently the stings of thousands of mus- 
 quitoes that attacked me most unmercifully. 
 
 The dark expanse of water, the majestic cypress, with 
 their moss covered trunks, the thick and dusky forest that 
 surrounded the morass, the melancholy cadence of the bull- 
 frogs, and the hooting cry of the owls, all these were things 
 to which I was well accustomed ; but now I saw the water 
 teeming with living things, populous as a city, in a manner 
 I never could have imagined. Thousands of animated crea- 
 tures were splashing and tumbling about in this their special 
 domain, springing up and dashing the water about in high
 
 104 THE CROCODILE. 
 
 enjoyment, and as the bright flame of the burning resin 
 illumined the dark surface, it showed me hundreds of red 
 glowing eyes on all sides, sometimes gazing quietly on the 
 unwonted light, sometimes moving and glancing as their 
 owners swam around. These were the eyes of the alligators, 
 and they sparkled on the dark water like bits of red hot iron 
 in a smith's forge. 
 
 As I had only one hand free, I could not well manage 
 my gun and harpoon at the same time. I therefore shot 
 the animal in the head that came closest to me, and then 
 laying my gun down, I took the harpoon in its place, struck 
 it into the alligator's body, and dragged him with the rope 
 to the shore. 
 
 I had succeeded in disposing of two after this manner, 
 when I saw a pair of large red eyes coming towards me. 
 My gun was again loaded I aimed shot once more threw 
 down the gun, and raising the harpoon on high, I took ad- 
 vantage of the moment, when the wounded alligator turning 
 over in the water, showed his white belly, to hurl it with 
 certain aim into this vulnerable part. 
 
 At the moment of throwing my harpoon I was standing 
 on the border of the swamp, and the end of the rope was 
 fastened to my right hand wrist. Scarcely had the alligator 
 felt the probe of the barbed iron, than, maddened with pain, 
 he shot forth and dived down under the water, and before I 
 had time to think, had, by a sudden pull, drawn me after 
 him. The pan fell from my hand, the blazing resin was 
 extinguished with a hissing sound, and although with the
 
 THE CROCODILE. 105 
 
 best will in the world to do so, I could not release myself, 
 for the rope was wound many times around my arm. Twice 
 had I been dragged under water by the powerful efforts of 
 my travelling companion on this hasty journey, before I felt 
 firm earth under my feet. Luckily for me, the swamp was 
 not very deep, and so I was at last enabled to plant myself 
 firmly, and make a halt. The alligator, by this time, was 
 evidently weakened by loss of blood and his great efforts to 
 escape ; I had now but little trouble, as I drew the rope 
 lightly and cautiously to bring him towards the shore. As 
 we reached it, I pulled harder, in order to land him fairly, 
 but he had no mind to give up so easily, and collecting his 
 strength for a last effort, he drew back so violently that I 
 pitched heels over head into the black mud of the swamp. 
 Yet I was able to work my way out once more, and this 
 time without much trouble, for the water was scarcely four 
 feet deep ; and having brought the hideous creature who, 
 after this last plunge, made but weak resistance to dry 
 land, I killed him in a minute. 
 
 This being done, I had time to think of myself. I found 
 I was wet through to the skin, and in perfect darkness. 
 Happily I had left my tinder-box and matches, together 
 with some pine splinters, at the foot of a neighboring nut 
 tree, and it required but a few seconds to kindle up a bright 
 flame. 
 
 The huge alligator was about ten feet long, but after all 
 the pains I had taken to capture, I could make no use of 
 him he was too old to be eatable, and too poor to promise
 
 106 THE CROCODILE. 
 
 to yield fat enough to pay for the trouble of cutting him up ; 
 this last being much used among the planters for greasing 
 their cotton machines. The two first I had killed were from 
 four to five feet long ; I cut off the tails, and carried the 
 eatable parts home with me. Only a few of the Creoles and 
 negroes eat the flesh some loathing, others believing it to 
 be poisonous ; nevertheless, I have found it quite palateable, 
 and never experienced any bad consequences after eating 
 it. The meat is white and firm, and tastes like that of a 
 large fish ; but the tail must be cut off, and the back bone 
 taken out immediately, or else it will imbibe the musk- 
 like odor peculiar to these animals, so as not to be fit for 
 use. 
 
 Some time after this, I went with a comrade to hunt alli- 
 gators once more ; this was a better mode of procedure, for 
 as one shot, the other threw the harpoon, and the labor was 
 considerably lightened. 
 
 Anxiously as these creatures seem to avoid white men, they 
 nevertheless show great antipathy to the negroes, who, on this 
 account, greatly fear them. They have a singular hatred 
 of dogs, and pursue all that come near them with great, 
 fury. 
 
 I was standing one afternoon with my harpoon in my 
 hand, and up to my waist in water, waiting for one to ap- 
 proach, but although I saw many swimming about, none 
 came near enough for me to venture a launch. It struck 
 me that by imitating the barking of a dog, I could attract 
 them to a closer neighborhood. I had only to repeat the
 
 THE CROCODILE. 107 
 
 experiment two or three times, until I saw at least fifteen 
 stout fellows coming rapidly towards me. This was rather 
 more company than I judged it prudent to have, especially 
 as I was standing so deep in the water, that I was not en- 
 tirely master of my own movements. I worked my way out 
 as rapidly as I could to the shore, which was about two hun- 
 dred feet distant. Having reached it, I began anew to bark ; 
 but as I stood completely exposed to the view of the alliga- 
 tors, they kept at a respectful distance, and contented them- 
 selves with gazing upon me with open jaws, and swimming 
 round, but never once coming within range of my harpoon, 
 and so disappointed me of my anticipated sport.
 
 THE great plague of countries lying within the tropics ia 
 serpents, of which, some species are extremely dangerous, 
 either from their size, their muscular strength, or the swift- 
 ness of their movements ; whilst others, from their deadly 
 venom, are yet quite as much to be feared, being even more 
 destructive to both man and beast. 
 
 Among those not poisonous, 'but the largest of all, is the 
 boa constrictor or giant snake ; they are found in the trop- 
 ical regions of both the old and new world, always harboring 
 in large and dense forests. When waiting for prey, they 
 generally wind themselves round the trunk of a tree, from 
 which they unloose and dart themselves with inconceivable 
 rapidity upon the first animal that comes near. Having 
 crushed their prey to death, they lick it over with a gluti- 
 nous kind of spittle, and swallow it all at once for their 
 throats are capable of being distended to an incredible size ; 
 they lay immovable for days in order to digest this enor- 
 mous meal. During this time they can be approached with 
 perfect safety, and are easily killed, whereas nothing can be 
 more dangerous than to attack a hungry boa. Yet they are 
 often hunted both by daring sportsmen and the natives, 
 
 (108)
 
 SERPENTS. 109 
 
 either with guns loaded with large ball, and sometimes with 
 bows and arrows. 
 
 The anaconda, or water snake, belongs also to the giant 
 species, and sometimes grow to the length of forty feet. 
 They bury themselves under the broad leaves of aquatic 
 plants, which grow on the borders of the large rivers, to 
 wait for prey, or else lie coiled up like a huge cable on the 
 bank, enjoying the rays of the bright sun. It is not consid- 
 ered dangerous sport to hunt them, for they are a stupid 
 and timid race, and always flee at the approach of man 
 and therefore it is not uncommon to see the natives of South 
 America, when they find the hideous reptile endeavoring to 
 escape, swim after them until they get close to the head, 
 when they kill him with a long knife. 
 
 A Hollander who travelled in Surinam a few years ago, 
 gives the following account of the anaconda : 
 
 "As I was sailing up one of the large rivers, I saw some- 
 thing that looked like a large shining bundle or ball, lying 
 in the mud near the bank. Determined to see what it was, 
 I bade the boatmen row in that direction, but as we came 
 near, the negroes, by whom the boat was manned, begged 
 me to let them turn her in an opposite direction, for the 
 bundle was nothing more nor less than a rolled up anaconda. 
 I believed the reptile to be dead, or at least sick, as he lay 
 so motionless in the mud, for the splashing of our oars had 
 not disturbed him ; and when we got near enough, I gave 
 him a stroke with the rudder. This troubled him just so far 
 as to cause him to raise his head, but he soon returned it
 
 110 SERPENTS. 
 
 slowly to its place, and remained immovable as at first. I 
 now fired my gun, loaded with ball and coarse shot, at him, 
 aiming directly for the head. The charge struck him 
 wounding, but not killing him ; it roused all his fury ; he 
 raised up his whole length higher than our heads, and was 
 just about to throw himself into the boat, in which case our 
 destruction was certain. But just at this moment, our 
 steersman, with great presence of mind, turned the boat 
 one of the negroes struck him on the back with an oar, and 
 another fired a well aimed shot directly at his head ; he fell 
 back into the water dead. He was in fine condition, and 
 yielded a considerable quantity of fat, which the natives 
 esteem a valuable remedy for many diseases." 
 
 Another species of the boa is called the king's or idol 
 snake ; it is also found from thirty to forty feet long, and 
 swallows goats, calves, and it is said cows, with great ease. 
 
 " I have often," says a traveller from Guinea, " seen 
 them creeping through the plains and meadows, and amused 
 myself by watching the rising and sinking of the plants and 
 bushes over which they passed, and once very incautiously 
 stumbled over one that lay coiled up like a cable in my way. 
 He raised up his head in an instant as if to prepare for an 
 attack, but I was so happy as to escape. 
 
 " Armed only with a knife, the negroes seek the hiding 
 places of these snakes, and lying down with their legs 
 stretched out, they await the onset of the hungry reptile. 
 As soon as he darts upon him (for in this position of his 
 enemy he cannot wind,) the negro splits the head with his
 
 SERPENTS. Ill 
 
 knife, rips up the body and hanging it on a tree, strips off 
 the skin, which he considers quite a prize." 
 
 The black snake is found in great numbers in America, 
 and many wonderful tales are related of its powers of en- 
 chantment. A traveller adds his testimony to the truth of 
 this, by some deemed fabulous property, by the following 
 narration : 
 
 " One evening as I was making my way through a thick 
 forest on the borders of Florida and Georgia, my attention 
 was arrested by the singular cries of many birds. Looking 
 round I saw quite a number of various kinds perched on a 
 tree near a squirrel, which sat on a branch about twenty feet 
 from the ground. To my great surprise this naturally lively 
 little animal remained perfectly immovable for a time, but 
 he at length sprung to a lower branch, still accompanied by 
 his winged followers uttering the same outcry. A second 
 leap brought him still nearer to the earth. Astonished at 
 his strange manoeuvres I approached quite close to the tree, 
 and there at its foot coiled up lay a large black snake, which 
 with upraised head seemed gazing intently on the poor vic- 
 tim that the third leap had brought within one foot of the 
 devourer. My gun was ready loaded, it was but the work 
 of a minute to level, fire and cut the snake in two. I then 
 took up the squirrel, that cold and rigid seemed at first to 
 be dead, but soon reviving, in less than ten minutes he 
 hopped away as lively as ever." 
 
 The black snake lives mostly in the woods, hidden in deep 
 holes, and is, when at full size, from six to seven feet long.
 
 112 SERPENTS. 
 
 Although it is not venomous, neither dangerous from its 
 strength and size, unlike most other snakes it does not fly 
 from man, but seizes him boldly when it has opportunity, 
 and follows him closely. The negroes unheeding their bite, 
 which is perfectly harmless, amuse themselves by provoking 
 him ; they take him up in their hands, and he winds himself 
 round their arms and bodies and seeks to bite them, but 
 happily their anger is not to be feared. 
 
 The animosity which the black snake exhibits towards 
 the copper-head is remarkable, inasmuch as he dashes at 
 once upon this hated and dangerous enemy ; at sight of 
 which he is always enraged, and crushes him to death at 
 once by a superior strength. In Georgia, therefore, they 
 do not seek to extirpate them, but suffer them to increase ; 
 deeming them of great use in the plantations as the most 
 efficient enemy of the poisonous copper-heads. 
 
 In reference to this subject, the hogs, too, are very valua- 
 ble animals ; for, independant of their usefulness for domes- 
 tic purposes, they are potent enemies to the most poisonous 
 snakes, delighting to destroy them, and receiving no injury 
 from their bite, as the thick layer of fat between their flesh 
 and skin prevents the venom from making any impression 
 
 Of all the poisonous reptiles the rattle snake is the most 
 dangerous, although he seldom attacks man unless provoked. 
 Coiled up in a ring with his head erect he watches the 
 movement of everything that approaches him ; but before 
 he darts upon the intruder he always gives warning by 
 shaking his rattle, the sound of which is not unlike the
 
 SEKPENTS. 113 
 
 crackling of parchment when rubbed together, and is caused 
 by the movement of a number of horny rings, inserted one 
 into another and placed at the extremity of the tail. The 
 next moment he uncoils himself and darts upon his victim ; 
 but never shoots forward more than half his own length. 
 They are found in the northern latitudes between the tropics 
 as well as the southern, and in these separate climates they 
 differ in choosing their places of resort. In the north they 
 are found in high, dry and rocky regions, where, if undis- 
 turbed by the presence of man, they increase to a fearful 
 degree. This is well known to the settlers in the United 
 States, for it is not uncommon for those who have taken 
 possession of hitherto uncultivated lands, to form large com- 
 panies in order to hunt and extirpate them, and they have 
 often killed several hundred in a day. 
 
 In the South the rattle snake chooses some damp place 
 by the sea shore or some large river, and makes his home 
 under the spreading water plants or among the sea grass. 
 He also infests the fields of sugar cane, and the negroes 
 that work there are frequently bitten. 
 
 It has been remarked that those who have been wounded 
 by rattle snakes almost immediately become convulsed ; and 
 as the poison enters into the circulation, the spasms in- 
 crease in violence, and death ensues in an incredibly short 
 time. It is, therefore, a custom when one is bitten, at once 
 to tie a ligature tightly above the wound, and thus prevent 
 the poison from mingling with the blood. This experiment 
 has been tried, first on animals, and afterwards on human 
 8
 
 114 SERPENTS. 
 
 beings, and generally with favorable effect, for if a dog had 
 been bitten by a rattle snake, and the ligature immediately 
 applied as mentioned above, although he fell into convul- 
 sions, yet as the diffusion of the poison into the system was 
 thus prevented, they passed off without any great violence. 
 If the bandage was somewhat loosened, and the venom was 
 permitted to mix even but slightly with the blood, renewed 
 spasms were sure to follow ; but on its being again drawn 
 tightly, the animal again revived. In this manner, by let- 
 ting the poison mix gradually with the blood, the force of 
 its virulence is checked, and the spasms kept from following 
 each other too rapidly, and that which without the timely 
 and skilful application of the ligature, would have caused 
 instant death, falls only on a certain set of nerves, from 
 which affection the animal ultimately recovers. In this 
 manner men who have been bitten by rattle snakes are also 
 treated, and with the same success ; and although in earlier 
 days the bite of the reptiles were considered as certain 
 death, it is much less dreaded in the present. The rattle 
 snake, as well as the not less poisonous cobra di capelh, are 
 so easily wounded that they can be killed by a blow fronr * 
 rod.
 
 I WAS landed by an English corvette at Valparaiso, the 
 principal port for trade in Chili, and possessing, beside other 
 maritime advantages, the largest and most commodious ha- 
 ven on the western coast of South America. I had passed 
 a whole month in this beautiful ship, fitted out with all the 
 conveniences of European life, in the company of the most 
 polite and agreeable set of officers, enjoying with them not 
 only the most delightful intercourse, but enough of luxury 
 to make me believe a sea voyage the most charming thing 
 in the world. Passing my time so pleasantly, favored by 
 most glorious weather, and sailing on the most beautiful sea 
 in the world, it was not without regret that I felt myself 
 obliged to decline their kind invitation to sail with them 
 round Cape Horn. But I was young and strong enough to 
 bear the fatigue and hardships of a journey over the Cor- 
 dilleras and through the Pampas ; and believing I should be 
 rewarded by gazing on richly varied scenes of natural beau- 
 ty, spread out with lavish hand in those regions, I refused 
 the tempting offer ; and telling them I hoped to see their 
 hospitable flag flying when I reached Buenos Ayres, I bade 
 them farewell. 
 
 Valparaiso, notwithstanding its pompous name, is, con- 
 
 (115)
 
 116 VALPARAISO. 
 
 trary to what one would expect, a very ugly place; for no 
 one who has ever seen other vallies would ever dream of 
 calling this narrow rocky space, cut through dells between 
 the mountains and the sea, by such a paradisical name. In 
 many places the space is so narrow that there is scarcely 
 room for an house ; in others the buildings are piled up like 
 birds' nests, one above another, against the mountain. On 
 account of the many earthquakes the houses are only one 
 storied ; but within those modest walls, owing to the wealth 
 brought by the increasing commerce of the city, great 
 wealth is hidden. 
 
 During my stay in Valparaiso, two circumstances hap- 
 pened, unimportant in themselves, but worthy to be men- 
 tioned here, as serving to throw some light on the character 
 of the people. A principal feature in the latter and seem- 
 ingly the same in all grades of society, is an unbounded 
 avarice, that has its foundation in an unbridled passion for 
 gambling and strong drink. Owing to this and to the discov- 
 ery that, since the working- of the rich gold and silver 
 mines of their country, the condition of the primitive in- 
 habitants has sadly degenerated. The Indian natives, not 
 daring to work them themselves, refuse to tell the covetous 
 Europeans, as they did in earlier times, where the rich 
 veins of gold and silver lay, or direct them to the hills 
 where shafts have been opened. 
 
 Many years ago a rich owner of a mine, who suspected 
 that many valuable beds of ore lay hidden in the neighbor- 
 ing mountains, sent a young man to search the whole region,
 
 VALPARAISO. 117 
 
 bidding him leave no means untried to find out where the 
 earth's rich treasures were to he found. The youth was 
 worthy of his office ; and knowing that more could be ob- 
 tained from the knowledge possessed by the natives than by 
 exploration, he went to a village near the mountains and 
 took up his abode in the cottage of an Indian shepherd, to 
 whom he was, as may be supposed, silent as to the motive 
 of his coming among them. His host had a daughter, and 
 after a short time the young man succeeded in gaining her 
 affection and confidence, and trusting to the love of woman 
 what he feared to make known to the suspicion of man, he 
 at last desired the maiden, in proof of her love, to show him 
 the entrance to what he had found out really to exist, an 
 old and long disused rich silver mine. 
 
 Trusting him, nor deeming one she loved so well could be 
 a deceiver, she bade him follow her the next morning when 
 she was to lead her flock to the hills, and watch where she 
 dropped her woolen apron, for there would be the entrance 
 to the coveted spot. The young man did as she desired, 
 and the Indian maiden, faithful to her promise, gave the 
 signal. He began at once to dig, and there, at no great 
 depth from the surface, he found a shaft which led to rich 
 veins of silver. 
 
 Highly delighted, he pursued his occupation heedless of 
 the toil, and had secured several lumps of ore, when- he was 
 surprised by the old shepherd, who coolly wished him joy 
 of his good luck and offered to assist him. They worked 
 together in seeming amity for a few hours, when the old man
 
 118 V ALPARARAISO. 
 
 stopped, and inviting the young adventurer to partake of a 
 mug of chicha, an intoxicating beverage made of rice, bade 
 him drink and be refreshed. The latter did so ; but soon 
 after feeling the most deadly sickness come over him, he 
 began to suspect he was poisoned. He gathered up his bits 
 of silver ore, and hastened with all speed to his master's 
 house. He had only time to relate the adventure and 
 describe the place were the mine was to be found, ere his 
 senses failed, and shortly after he died. 
 
 .Scarcely waiting until the breath had ceased, men were 
 sent to find the place. They sought every where ; they used 
 every means to discover what had been so plainly described, 
 but in vain. The old Indian and his family had left the 
 village; and of the lately opened shaft not the slightest 
 vestige was to be seen. 
 
 Less tragical is another story. A Franciscan monk, pas- 
 sionately addicted to play, was used, when his money was 
 all gone, to apply to the neighboring Indians, by whom he 
 was greatly beloved, for the means to renew his funds. One 
 day when he had lost all, (for it must be confessed, that 
 among the priests in Chili and Peru, the love of play is a 
 ruling passion,) he called upon one of his Indian friends for 
 aid. The man promised to assist him ; and accordingly on 
 the next evening brought him a bag full of silver ore. This 
 was repeated several times, until the monk, not satisfied to 
 have it dealed out to him in this manner, begged to be shown 
 the source from which this rich treasure flowed. Even this 
 prayer was granted, and a day appointed for the visit, and
 
 VALPARAISO. 119 
 
 certainly on that day three Indians made their appearance 
 in the cottage of the Franciscan. They insisted, however, 
 that he should submit to be blindfolded, to which, however 
 unwillingly, he found himself obliged to consent ; and then 
 taking him upon their shoulders, his Indian friends carried 
 him over a distance of several leagues into the heart of the 
 mountain. There they set him down, and led him to a shaft 
 not far below the surface of the earth, and showed him veins 
 of brightly glancing silver ore. 
 
 After collecting as much as he needed for his present 
 purposes, they once more bandaged his eyes, and carried 
 him back to his home. But the crafty priest was deter- 
 mined not to be thus baffled, and determined to visit and 
 appropriate the treasure as he might wish or need, made 
 use of an expedient which would serve to guide him to it, 
 without the help or knowledge of his dusky comrades. Slyly 
 unloosing his rosary, he dropped a bead every here and 
 there on the ground, intending to use them as waymarks to 
 the place where the silver, of which he had so much need, 
 lay buried. With great self-congratulations, he betook 
 himself to rest; but he was not a little astonished on the 
 following morning, when the three Indians came to him, 
 and handing him the collected beads, said, with a quiet 
 smile 
 
 " Worthy father, you have lost your rosary by the way, 
 and we have brought it to you." 
 
 The tragical history of the Spaniard Salcedo, who, a 
 short time before the South American colonies threw off the
 
 120 VALPARAISO. 
 
 Spanish yoke, fell a victim to his own great wealth ; and 
 the covetousness of the viceroy is well known. He came 
 from his native country to America a poor man ; but having 
 become acquainted with an Indian maiden, he resolved to 
 make her his wife. Greatly pleased with this proposal, the 
 young girl's mother promised to show him a silver mine 
 the riches of which was inexhaustible; and true to that 
 promise, he soon found himself master of wealth greater 
 than ever he dreamed of. He found veins of the purest 
 silver ore ; he worked his mine to the best advantage, and 
 with the most brilliant success. 
 
 This success was, however, fatal to himself, for it awak- 
 ened the envy and cupidity of the viceroy. Salcedo was a 
 benevolent, generous man ; and treating the Indians ever 
 with a kindness they never met with from the rest of the 
 white men, he was greatly beloved by them ; and this cir- 
 cumstance was made use of in the complaint lodged against 
 him before the higher powers. He was represented as cor- 
 rupting the natives by gifts, and encouraging them to an 
 insurrection. His enemies were successful : he was impris- 
 oned, and with scarce the formality of a trial, condemned 
 to death. From his cell he wrote to the viceroy, entreating 
 that he might send a statement of the whole proceedings to 
 Madrid, and permission to appeal to the grace of the king, 
 and if he (the viceroy) should grant this request, he would 
 give him a bar of pure silver every day until the ship which 
 bore the petition should return. 
 
 When it is remembered that at that time a voyage to and
 
 VALPARAISO. 121 
 
 from Spain could not be accomplished under twelve or four- 
 teen weeks, some estimate may be formed of Salcedo's 
 wealth. His prayer, however, was not granted, and he was 
 executed. As soon as this was over, the v/ceroy set about 
 finding out this rich mine, determined to make it his own, 
 but his cruelty was destined to be disappointed in its hoped- 
 for reward. The mother-in-law of the condemned, together 
 with her relations, had gone to the spot, destroyed all the 
 works, and closed up the entrance to the shaft so effectually 
 that it never could be found. The Indians in the neighbor- 
 hood were questioned, threatened, promised with reward if 
 they would show the place, but all in vain ; they had loved 
 Salcedo too well to be moved by any thing. They continued 
 obstinately silent even under the torments of the rack, and 
 to this day the place of Salcedo's mine remains undiscov- 
 ered.
 
 THE summer had begun before I left Valparaiso, and not- 
 withstanding it was the time of the trade winds, the heat 
 was dreadfully oppressive ; it took me, therefore, although 
 mounted on an excellent horse, full twenty-four hours to 
 ride to the capital, San Jago, although the distance from the 
 seaport is but sixteen miles. 
 
 Owing to the remarkable transparency of the atmosphere, 
 all objects within sight appear at a less distance than they 
 really are. When I looked toward the gigantic peaks of 
 the long chain of the Cordilleras it seemed to me that I 
 could reach them in an hour or two, and yet they were, in a 
 straight line, more than twelve miles distant. This illusion 
 is very harrassing to travellers, but still more so to the 
 horses ; for believing the places will be reached immediately, 
 the poor animals are kept at a pace which in that hot cli- 
 mate is exhausting. 
 
 San Jago presents a truly beautiful appearance to the > 
 traveller's view. Built against the rocky wall forming one 
 side of the Andes, it is surrounded with blooming and taste- 
 fully laid out gardens that are spread out like a dark green 
 carpet, and reaching even to the coast. The fruitful earth 
 is everywhere seen carefully cultivated, and the beholder is 
 
 (122)
 
 SAN JAGO. 123 
 
 gratified with the evidences of wealth and prosperity that 
 plainly mark a happy people and a thriving State. 
 
 The Alameda or mall is perfectly charming, and presents 
 a lively appearance in the evening, for here half the city 
 assembles to enjoy the shade and fresh air, or a cheerful 
 chat with friends and acquaintances. Here numbers of men 
 mounted on noble Andalusian horses were seen riding about, 
 their picturesque dress, coats of grey, or gayer colors em- 
 broidered with silver, and broad hats ornamented with long 
 tassels or a feather, gave great effect to the scene ; there 
 wandering in the broad alleys, groups of beautiful women in 
 the graceful Spanish dress, laughed, jested or flirted with 
 companions or lovers ; children were running every where, 
 and all seemed given up to the sweet influence of the sum- 
 mer evening and unrestrained enjoyment. 
 
 Although my stay in this charming city was truly plea- 
 sant, I dare only tarry a short time or else the whole plan 
 of my journey must be disarranged. I engaged a guide and 
 three mules, and true to his promise to be ready to set out 
 early, I was awakenened on the appointed morning by the 
 clanking of his large spurs upon the stairs. Whilst I was 
 dressing, he carried down my portmanteau in which I had 
 packed some clothing, a compass, and the necessary money 
 for the journey ; and by the time I was ready had it fast- 
 ened behind the saddles. My hostess then made her ap- 
 pearance, a kind old lady, who was not a little troubled that 
 I would undertake a journey she deemed so dangerous; and 
 as she gave me the last cup of chocolate, she said with many
 
 124 SAN JAGO. 
 
 tears : " It grieves me, indeed, my dear son, that you are so 
 resolutely bent on running into dangers that may cost you 
 your life ; but if it cannot be otherwise, go, and may God be 
 with you." 
 
 Moved by her sincerity, and feeling it was something, 
 stranger as I was, to have her good will, I thanked her as 
 well as I was able, and in ten minutes afterwards I was out- 
 side the gate of San Jago. 
 
 Immediately on leaving the city we entered into a valley 
 that might well be called glorious, for it was not only highly 
 cultivated but naturally more fruitful than any place I had 
 yet seen, and presenting the loveliest landscape, it is said, in 
 America. The trees bent under the loads of fruit until their 
 branches touched the earth, and no one gathered it, for plenty 
 was every where diffused. The road through the middle of 
 this valley led over a hanging bridge constructed out of hides 
 and ropes, which in the firmness of its structure and beauty 
 of design, reminded one of wire bridges of Europe. From 
 this point the ground began gradually to rise, and owing to 
 the illusive transparency before spoken of, one could almost 
 believe the crests of the Andes could be touched by the 
 hand, whereas the real distance to the foot of the mountains 
 is fourteen miles. 
 
 I had now time to make a closer acquaintance with my 
 guide. Antonio was a handsome fellow of five and twenty; 
 his face and all his movements betokened carelessness and 
 self-dependence. We were scarcely out of the streets of 
 San Jago ere he requested a match of me to light his cigar,
 
 SAN JAGO. 125 
 
 and then riding slowly before me he alternately smoked and 
 sung a Spanish song, which in that wild romantic region 
 made an indescribable impression upon me. But reckless 
 as he now seemed as he sat sideways on his mule and hum- 
 med his ballad, even so courageous, as I afterwards experi- 
 enced, was he in the moment of danger, and exhibiting a 
 presence of mind and faithfulness in the performance of his 
 duty which at this time I could not have imagined and 
 which I will never forget. 
 
 After a five hours' ride my guide suddenly stopped and 
 turning round to me declared it was time for the mid-day 
 halt. After we had spread our tent, he took a small pie, as 
 he called it, from his portmanteau, and with true Spanish 
 courtesy invited me to a participation of his meal. It looked 
 inviting and I took a piece ; but no sooner had I tasted it 
 than I threw it as far from me as I could; the first mouth- 
 ful had made my throat to burn like fire. The pastry was 
 made of two pieces of bread with a layer of the strongest 
 cayenne pepper between them. Antonio laughed loudly when 
 he saw my grimaces and declared this to be part of his daily 
 food and that he could not comprehend the strange taste of 
 the gentleman not to like what was considered so palatable 
 by his countryman. I sought in vain to get rid of the ef- 
 fects of the pepper by swallowing a few glasses of wine, but 
 it would not do, my throat smarted as if I had swallowed a 
 live coal for many hours afterwards.
 
 (Dstrirlj Itmt. 
 
 WE had prosecuted our wearisome and monotonous jour- 
 ney over the illimitable plains for eight days, when we 
 reached a post-house, which promised us better lodgings 
 than we had had since we entered upon the Pampas. As 
 soon as I was dismounted from my horse, I prepared to 
 obey the irresistible demands of my stomach, which forcibly 
 reminded me that it had been empty since morning. I 
 inquired of our Gaucha host, " what was to be had," if his 
 larder was well provided, and received for answer the un- 
 varying assurance, "Every thing is to be had every thing 
 good." In order to find out the true meaning of these 
 rather mysterious words, I penetrated into the culinary 
 region, where I saw a whole lamb, rolled up in its skin with 
 the wool on, roasting in the ashes ; this dish is true " meat 
 in the hide." Singular as this preparation at first seemed 
 to me, I must confess it was uncommonly juicy, tender and 
 savory, so that we really enjoyed the meal with a relish to 
 which we had long been strangers. 
 
 As we arose at the break of day, and prepared for our 
 journey, I learned that the Gauchas were going on an 
 ostrich hunt, in a direction but a short distance from the 
 road by which our journey was to be pursued. 
 
 (126)
 
 e- 
 
 Hunting the Ostrich.
 
 THE OSTRICH HUNT. 127 
 
 As I was an entire stranger to this kind of sport, I begged 
 the courier to leave me with the hunters for this day, and 
 promised to re-join him at night if he would appoint a place 
 of meeting. To this he good naturedly consented ; and I 
 parted from him to join the troop of half savage riders, 
 who, with a leader and many unladen horses, set forth to 
 hunt those birds of the plain, scarcely less wild than them- 
 selves. 
 
 We had not ridden far, until we saw a little brook that, 
 after many tortuous windings, was lost in one of the salt 
 lakes. The ostriches generally seek the neighborhood of 
 water; and with wild joy the Gauchas now mounted fresh 
 horses, in expectation that the sport would soon begin. My 
 greatest concern was to know what to do with the bolas they 
 had given me, a long rod with a ball on one end of it, which 
 I did not at all know how to handle. Nevertheless the 
 ability to imitate, which is practicable by all, drove away 
 my hesitation, and I swung my bolas over my head as 
 boldly as the rest. 
 
 All at once we heard a light rustling among the reeds 
 that fringed the margin of the nearest lake, and two noble 
 ostriches emerged from the covert. The moment they saw 
 us, they took to flight, running with inconceivable speed. 
 Their appearance was the signal for the onset. In a mo- 
 ment each horse was urged to his swiftest pace ; and the 
 Gauchas, bending to their saddle bows, swung their bolas 
 over their heads, filling the air with shrill cries. It seemed 
 that each moment would bring them up with the ostriches ;
 
 128 THE OSTRICH HUNT. 
 
 but the swift-footed birds, with outstretched necks and ex- 
 tended wings, ran with the velocity of the wind. A few of 
 the Gouchas, who were better mounted than most of their 
 comrades, several times got within twenty steps of them ; 
 but just as they were about to throw their bullet-headed 
 bolas, the wily birds started to one side, and fled in a differ- 
 ent direction. After every unsuccessful throw, the hunts- 
 man still keeping his horse at a full run, picked up his bolas 
 from the ground, and continued the chase. 
 
 I was so inconsiderate as to keep among the foremost of 
 the pursuers; and in spite of all my skill as a practised 
 rider, as the ostrich started suddenly before my horse, and 
 he swerved slightly from his course, I lost my equipoise, and 
 fell heavily on the earth. The Gauchas laughed immoder- 
 ately at my awkwardness; but self-love, which ever mocks 
 at reason, induced me to re-mount almost immediately, and 
 press forward with my wild companions in the very front of 
 the chase, which, as I was completely ignorant of, was to 
 me highly dangerous. 
 
 The huntsmen now pursued their sport with unabated 
 zeal ; several ostriches were killed by blows from the bolas, 
 but still many showed themselves in different directions. 
 The Gauchas divided themselves into various parties to 
 follow them, and filled the air with their cries. Ofttimes 
 when the crafty birds had exhausted all their cunning, and 
 completely wearied, found escape impossible, they turned 
 round on their pursuers, and ran under the feet of the hor- 
 ses, flapping and beating with their wings, as if it was their
 
 THE OSTKICH HUNT. 129 
 
 intent to frighten them off. And very often, too, they 
 accomplished their aim; at the sudden attack the horses 
 started to one side, and threvr the riders from their saddles ; 
 but in the next moment some of the others came up, and 
 irritated by the cunning and resistance of the poor birds, 
 pursued the chase with unrelenting fury. As soon as the 
 bolas struck the leg of the bird, he fell; the fortunate 
 thrower then sprung from his horse, cut off the wings with 
 his knife, and hung them as trophies to his saddle. 
 
 The chase ended, not for want of game, but that the 
 horses were completely exhausted. When the first heat of 
 their running is over, there is no further hope of their over- 
 taking the swift ostrich. One by one the Gouchas dropped 
 off, until at last but three or four remained to follow, with 
 desperate zeal, one of the birds that had been separated 
 from the rest of the herd. Perfectly exhausted, the poor 
 creature altered its course every moment, and at last ran 
 Straight towards me. 
 
 At this time, an unlucky determination to secure the vic- 
 tory came into my head. I seized my bolas, swung it 
 furiously over my head, threw it, and in the next instant, 
 lay sprawling on the ground not the poor bird, but my 
 horse, on whose head the blow I intended for the ostrich 
 had fallen. So I had gotten two falls in one day it was 
 quite enough for me ; and now, quite convinced of my utter 
 incapacity for ostrich hunting, I sprung upon another 
 horse, and bade my lowly hunting companions nn eternal 
 farewell. 
 
 9
 
 130 THE OSTKICH HUNT. 
 
 The Gauchas eat the eggs of the ostrich, and the upper 
 part of the breast ; they sell the feathers in Buenos Ayres 
 to such great advantage that, to a skilful hunter, chasing the 
 ostrich is a source of considerable profit. 
 
 According to my agreement with Rodriguez in the morn- 
 ing, I now galloped to meet the caravan, from which I had 
 separated myself, and find a night's lodging ; I had no diffi- 
 culty to rejoin the party, but the night's lodging it was 
 on the thick grass, and under the clear star-gemmed canopy 
 of heaven. 
 
 When I awoke in the morning, to my great terror, I saw 
 a snake that had made its way to our tent. The venomous 
 reptile had most likely crawled in, in the night, and now 
 lay coiled up in a ring, close to the sleeping courier. I has- 
 tened to greet this unbidden guest by a pistol shot, thereby 
 shattering his head, and awakening my comrade. He 
 started up, and still more than half asleep, ran off with all 
 his might, believing the Indians were at his heels. But I 
 soon made him comprehend the cause of the disturbance, 
 and quietly saddling his horse, we soon found ourselves once 
 more on our journey to Buenos Ayres.
 
 tju 
 
 AFTER resting for a few hours we again set forth toward 
 the mountain peaks, and soon struck into a narrow road 
 that at every progressive step hecame more steep. Our 
 third mule, intended for alternate changing, or carrying our 
 baggage, with a bell hung round his neck, went on before 
 as our leader, and without troubling ourselves about guiding 
 those we rode, we suffered them to follow at their leisure. 
 Around us rose huge and rugged walls of granite, between 
 which appeared at intervals small patches of verdure, or a 
 few stunted shrubs. Many small cascades, sparkling in the 
 sun like silver, fell from the heights into the ravines below, 
 where foaming into rushing mountain streams, frequently 
 overflowed our path and made the way hazardous in the 
 extreme. All these, and the wild magnificence of the whole 
 rocky region, announced that we were fairly beginning to 
 ascend the Cordilleras. The further we progressed the 
 more steep and dangerous the path became, more dreary 
 and desolate the country and at every onward step some 
 new phase of savage grandeur or scene of gloomy horror 
 would present itself. 
 
 An inexpressible feeling of dread and reverential awe 
 overpowered me ; my heart was oppressed my breathing 
 
 (131)
 
 132 ASCENDING THE ANDES. 
 
 painful and irregular, and my vision clouded. And yet, 
 with sensations like these, and surrounded by images of 
 such wonderful influence, it was necessary to maintain the 
 utmost composure and presence of mind, every movement 
 of the mules required an undivided attention, for every 
 deviation from the narrow path was attended with danger, 
 and a false step was certain death. One irregular move- 
 ment of the animal would bring him to the verge of the pre- 
 cipice, and one more would precipitate him with his luckless 
 rider into the fathomless abyss that lay below. 
 
 Sure-footed and cautiously, with stretched-out necks and 
 wide-spread nostrils, the sagacious animals strained pain- 
 fully on the upward path, clambering over spots seemingly 
 incalculable, and with astonishing patience and dexterity 
 following all its tortuous windings. Panting and breath- 
 less, they stopped from time to time to rest, but as soon as 
 they had recovered from the temporary weariness they again 
 set forward, without any urging from their riders. No one 
 who has not seen the mules of the Cordilleras, can have any 
 idea of the wonderful sagacity they possess. With incredi- 
 ble activity, cautiousness and deliberation, they choose the 
 safest steps on the narrow road, which often runs along a 
 precipice from six to eight hundred feet in depth, while on 
 the other side rise walls of perpendicular rock, so that not 
 seldom the poor laden mule, as he passes over the narrow 
 way, often not more than three or four feet wide, is pressed 
 against it. This path is principally spread with loose 
 stones of slate, and from the aptness to give way under the
 
 ASCENDING THE ANDES. 133 
 
 feet of the animal, makes the procedure as wearisome as the 
 rough and sudden windings are dangerous. 
 
 In these latitudes the twilight is very short, for scarcely 
 has the last border of the sun's disk disappeared below the 
 horizon until it is night. But if the traveller in these tro- 
 pical climes regrets the lovely and soothing influence of the 
 interval between sunset and darkness, as seen in the beauty 
 of a Spanish or Italian evening, he is rewarded for all he 
 has lost by the beauty of the night ; nothing in Europe can 
 equal it. The moon sheds a soft silvery light on the dark 
 and rugged points that stand like tall towers above the way, 
 and it is too dangerous, inviting as are her beams and the 
 cooler air, to journey after sunset among the winding 
 labyrinths of the Andes. 
 
 After toiling up a peculiarly steep ascent, we reached a 
 little plain, or rather a level spot, which seemed to offer a 
 resting place before attempting to scale the yet steeper 
 acclivity that lay beyond it. Antonio declared his inten- 
 tion of making this our place of bivouac, and accordingly 
 dismounted, and with great industry began to make arrange- 
 ments for pitching our tent. 
 
 I was not particularly pleased with this decision, for there 
 were neither bushes nor grass for our mules ; but to my 
 objections my conductor opposed his determination to pass 
 the night there, partly because he feared we might stray, 
 and partly because he did not wish to expose his weary 
 mules to the pernicious influence of the moon. 
 
 I acknowledged the legitimacy of the first reason, but all
 
 134 ASCENDING THE ANDES. 
 
 attempts to combat his firm belief in the baleful influence of 
 the moon on animals were in vain. As I could do nothing 
 better, I therefore gave in to his proposal to remain where 
 we were. The bridles were taken off the mules, the saddles 
 and cushions turned up against the rocks, and after eating 
 our very frugal supper, consisting of some bread and dried 
 figs, we smoked our cigars, aud laid ourselves down on a 
 hard bed of moss and granite. Sleep, the great comforter 
 in all troubles, soon sealed our weary eyelids. 
 
 Scarcely had the first rays of the morning broke on the 
 cloud-covered Cordilleras, than Antonio was up and moving. 
 I would have followed his example, but all my efforts to do 
 so were fruitless. Neither the grandeur of nature, the 
 mighty mother, as here displayed every where around me, 
 nor the harmonious song of the birds, that chanted their 
 matin to the morning from the valley below, nor even the 
 necessity there was to make use of every moment of time, 
 could enable me to burst from the leaden chains, or con- 
 quer the extreme drowsiness by which I was overpowered, 
 and which was caused by the unwonted exertions of yester- 
 day, making the hours allotted to sleep too few. 
 
 At length I mustered up sufficient resolution, and without 
 waiting to reason with myself, whether or not I had slept 
 enough, I started up, and running to a little brook that 
 flowed down from a neighboring glacier, I plunged my whole 
 head into the cold water. Such an ablution as this creates 
 at the time anything but a pleasant feeling it is, however, 
 strengthening and healthful; the very best remedy for fatigue
 
 ASCENDING THE ANDES. 135 
 
 and drowsiness. When thus refreshed I returned to my 
 guide. I found, to my great joy, that he had kindled a fire, 
 over which he was cooking some chocolate, which was truly 
 welcomed by my empty stomach. 
 
 Immediately after breakfast we resumed our journey. 
 The morning was raw and cold the ascent very laborious, 
 and nearly at every step, lumps of clay or stones rolled 
 down from the heights above. Out of compassion for my 
 mule, who seemed to toil painfully over the rough crooked 
 path, I dismounted and clambered up a steep acclivity ; but 
 when wearied with the great effort I had made, I would have 
 once more seated myself in the saddle, the ungrateful animal 
 snorted, laid back his ears, and began to trot at the very 
 moment I had placed my left foot in the stirrup. My situ- 
 ation, on a narrow path, close by a steep precipice, was 
 anything but enviable. The malicious animal was evidently 
 determined to throw me, and, at last, succeeded so well that 
 I fell to the earth, with the pleasant prospect of rolling from 
 one precipice to another. Antonio shook his sides with 
 laughter, as he threw his lasso over me to prevent my falling 
 any lower. Anger gave me strength ; I gathered myself 
 up, ran after my mule, and reaching him at last, swung 
 myself, in spite of all his resistance, into the saddle. Firmly 
 seated on his back, I could now laugh over the occurrence ; 
 but between the feeling caused by the sharp points of the 
 rock where I fell, and the bottomless abyss that lay below 
 it, the thing in reality was no jest. About midway we 
 reached one of the small chalets, which are built for the
 
 136 THE SNOW REGION. 
 
 protection of travellers against the sudden snow storms that 
 are always occurring in this lofty region. Here we halted 
 for our noontide rest, and after a light meal and short siesta, 
 we again set forward on our further progress to scale the sum- 
 mit. The way became still more perplexing, and number- 
 less bones and carcases of animals, seen all along the road, 
 told plainly of the danger which threatened the traveller in 
 this inhospitable region. 
 
 WE now came upon the boundary claimed from primor- 
 dial times by the snows, as peculiarly their own. The cold 
 increased very sensibly as we advanced, and we could dis- 
 tinguish the elevation of the passes, but on what remained 
 of this day, we could not hope to make their ascent ; the 
 evening was coming on, and our mules were tired. Antonio 
 expressed his determination of passing the night at the next 
 chalet, and we reached it at last, ourselves as much worn 
 out as the poor animals we rode. My cheerful guide, 
 however, according to his constant custom, at once set 
 about seeking for some dry twigs no easy matter, for 
 they are only to be found in the clefts of the rocks and 
 soon a bright fire was blazing beneath our modest kettle. 
 Whilst the crackling flame lent warmth and cheerfulness,
 
 THE SNOW REGION. 137 
 
 and the kettle, as it sung above it, promised refreshment, I 
 took a survey of the house where we found an asylum, which, 
 dreary as it looked, was most gratefully appreciated by our- 
 selves. It was built of baked clay and mountain stones, 
 from ten to twelve feet high, with thick walls, in which were 
 small crevices to serve in place of windows, and admitted 
 the light but faintly. 
 
 Even now, in the heat of summer, the dreary twilight that 
 reigned within reminded me of a prison ; what then must it 
 be in winter, when the snow storms sweep over this inhos- 
 pitable desert, and the frightful avalanche threatens every 
 moment to overwhelm. Antonio looked at me as if he read 
 my thoughts, and putting on a more solemn face than I 
 could have believed it possible for him to wear, he approached 
 to where I sat beside the fire ; taking a seat near me, he 
 thus began : 
 
 " Did you ever hear, sir, of the sad event that happened 
 here about four years ago ? In the place where we now are 
 sheltered, eight men died of hunger. It was in winter that 
 a party of merchants from Buenos Ayres travelled over the 
 Cordilleras, leaving Mondega to go to San Jago. Their 
 I business was sorely pressing, and against the advice of men 
 t the most experienced in these matters, they resolved to 
 attempt the dangerous journey. Every thing went on well 
 enough until they reached this region, but at a short dis- 
 tance from this hut they were overtaken by a fearful snow 
 storm. No help was to be expected from any one in these 
 desert mountains, and they could do nothing better than to
 
 138 THE SNOW REGION. 
 
 remain in this poor hut, and wait for better weather. Their 
 store of provision was soon exhausted, cold and hunger 
 pressed them sorely ; they were obliged to kill their mules, 
 and cook the flesh with the wood of the door, for the snow 
 covering every spot, no fuel was to be had. This, their last 
 means of preserving life, was also their death warrant. The 
 snow now drifted without hindrance inside the hut, and 
 they perished, without one being spared to tell the sad tale 
 of what they suffered ere released by death. The first 
 Chilian courier that passed over the Cordilleras in the 
 beginning of spring, found all as I have related the eight 
 corpses, which still bore the marks of the frightful combat 
 they had had with torment and death. The bones of the 
 mules are still lying near the house, as you may see if you 
 have a mind." Owing to the absence of moisture in this 
 climate, it is astonishing to see in what a state of preserva- 
 tion dead bodies remain. A traveller says : " On examining 
 the carcases of some mules that looked as if they had only 
 died on the preceding day, the skin seemed as if it were 
 baked, but adhered to the bones, leaving a mere skeleton 
 covered with skin so very light that I could with ease lift up 
 any one of them in my arms." 
 
 With looks gathering additional sadness as he proceeded 
 in the relation, Antonio told of many other occurrences, not 
 less gloomy than the last, which had happened quite lately 
 in this portion of the Andes. All these disasters harmo- 
 nizing with the first, gave fuller force to the frightful con- 
 viction that, in case of disaster, no help was to be obtained
 
 THE SNOW REGION. 139 
 
 here, and that the traveller, after a journey of three or four 
 days, distant from any human dwelling, could, happen what 
 might, have any hope of success from a fellow being. The 
 sound of the bell, the encouraging sight of the hospitable 
 monastery, the benevolent monk of the Alps, with his com- 
 forts and cordials, offered no cheering in this dreary spot ; 
 no sound or prospect like these revived the embers of 
 expiring hope. Although it was in the midst of summer, 
 and I had neither snow storm nor avalanche to fear, I must 
 confess that the night was pretty far spent before I could 
 close my eyes ; my imagination dwelt incessantly on the 
 former fated occupants of this hut, and painted their tor- 
 ments with a pencil dipped in horror. At length weariness 
 asserted its power and I slept, but frightful visions floated 
 round me, robbing the " sweet restorer " of half his renova- 
 ting influence. 
 
 We arose early the following morning, in order to ascend 
 the last and highest peak. On the Chilian side of the Andes 
 the limit of the snow region extends farther than on the 
 eastern slope, and as on the highest point of the pass where 
 the temperature is changed by the elevation, there is there- 
 fore, in the heat of summer, very often no snow to be seen. 
 This is is not wonderful, for on the Himalayas in India, 
 which lay within the same latitude, the summits are found 
 perfectly bare at an elevation of twenty thousand feet ; and 
 an English traveller tells us he has himself seen the tops of 
 several mountains that were entirely free from snow, at a
 
 140 THE SNOW REGION. 
 
 height, according to his own measurement, of twenty-three 
 thousand feet. 
 
 As we were about to begin the ascent of the highest pass, 
 for greater security, I mounted the strongest mule. The 
 acclivity was so steep that we were obliged to hold by the 
 manes of the animals we rode, to keep ourselves from fall- 
 ing, and the windings round the different crags were so sud- 
 den and laborious, that the poor creatures seemed more 
 than once on the point of tumbling head-foremost over the 
 precipice, but with astonishing sagacity they would stop to 
 take breath, and then, without urging, patiently set forward 
 once more. After two hours of the most painful exer- 
 tion, we reached the highest point of the pass called La 
 Cumbre, and there a panorama of all that was sublime, 
 glowing and beautiful in nature, spread itself before us, 
 fully indemnifying us for all we had suffered in the ascent. 
 All the peaks which, seen two days before from the valley 
 below, and seemed inaccessible, now lay at our feet crowned 
 with light and the storm clouds, whose muttered thunder 
 had many times threatened our heads as we journeyed, now 
 floated calmly along the cliffs that were far below the spot 
 from whence we surveyed the glorious scene. 
 
 A number of volcanoes, pouring out their columns of dark 
 smoke, arose amid the white peaks of those wondrous moun- 
 tains which speak the greatness of Creation, and added to 
 the magnificent grandeur of the scene. Although I 
 remained for a long time wrapt in astonishment as I sur- 
 veyed this glorious prospect, I yet recollected one other
 
 THE DESCENT. 141 
 
 point of the Andes which exceeds even this ; a gorge of the 
 Cordilleras, in the neighborhood of Quito, from whence one 
 looks down on the lovely valley of Chillo. Here the eye 
 wanders over the plain which forms the richest belt of lux- 
 uriant vegetation in all the tropical world, where lofty 
 palm trees, fields of sugar cane, and the odorous vanilla are 
 blooming, to the wilder regions where Alpine plants rear 
 their hardy heads amid eternal snows, and lofty glaciers 
 intermingle with smoking volcanoes, that pour out streams 
 of glowing lava between the snow-crowned peaks ; all tell- 
 ing the wonders of creation, and exhibiting the power of the 
 Mighty Hand, as every where displayed in the simpler 
 beauties as well as the stern and sublime features of nature. 
 
 PAINFUL and toilsome as was our experience of the ascent 
 of the Cordilleras, we found it infinitely more so in descend- 
 ing. The mules mostly tread one in the footsteps of the 
 other, and owing to this peculiarity, deep holes are made in 
 the snow, which render the way precarious and difficult. 
 The sufferings of the poor animals, compelled to carry heavy 
 burdens up these wearisome paths, was fully attested by the 
 spots of blood seen in many places, contrasting with the 
 white snow. One of our mules stepping on a sharp point
 
 142 THE DESCENT. 
 
 of rock, concealed by the snow, had severely wounded his 
 foot ; we therefore held it expedient to get on as fast as 
 possible to the nearest cabin, in order to rest and bind up 
 the wound. This was the more necessary as, in the course 
 of the day, we had to proceed over some of the most dan- 
 gerous passes in the whole range of the Andes ; the so-called 
 Cow-stream, for instance, being a place of terror to the 
 traveller, and a source of perplexity to the guide. 
 
 The water ofttimes swells so suddenly, that it is impossi- 
 ble to cross it, and the parties are obliged to wait four or 
 five days until they subside sufficiently to make the advance 
 safe. Although the mules are accustomed to battle with 
 such difficulties, it is necessary to urge them by the spur or 
 enter the brook, where often bits of rock and loose stones 
 are driven against them by the rushing force of the current. 
 
 When we arrived at the dreaded spot, Antonio dismounted 
 from his mule, and having partly undressed himself, and 
 waded half way into the ford we were about to cross, he 
 threw his lasso over the head of his mule, and calling the 
 others by their names, endeavored to drive them into the 
 stream. The mule that led the van refused obedience in 
 spite of all our shouting, and the stones Antonio threw 
 at him, the stubborn animal would not venture into the 
 water. The same resistance on the part of all continued 
 for a short time, when, to make an end of the matter, I 
 struck my spurs into the sides of the one I rode, determined 
 to urge his advance. This was not without effect. Although 
 I drew up my feet as quickly as I could, they were com-
 
 THE DESCENT. 143 
 
 pletely wet by the sudden plunge made by the animal ; I 
 found myself in the middle of the brook. 
 
 Without other inconvenience than this wetting, I gained 
 the opposite bank, from whence I sought to assist the 
 wounded mule by throwing him my lasso. What I feared 
 now really happened. Scarcely had the poor creature 
 stepped into the stream, than a large stone, rolled onward 
 by the force of the current, struck against his wounded foot; 
 he lost his equipoise, began to stagger, and, although he 
 tried to recover his footing by every means in his power, he 
 was in a fair way of being swept off by the dashing flood. 
 Antonio had watched his every movement with anxious 
 looks. In the critical moment, with sure and practised 
 hand, he threw his lasso over the animal's head, and fasten- 
 ing the end of it to a firm rock on the bank, without giving 
 a thought to the danger he was incurring, dashed into 
 the brook to attempt the rescue of the mule. The water 
 was up as high as his breast, and he might easily have 
 drowned ; but unheeding all precaution for his own safety, 
 all his care was for the deliverance of his mule. After the 
 most strenuous exertions, he succeeded in setting him on his 
 legs again. And now the poor animal, a perfect model of 
 patience and practised dexterity, forced his way through the 
 current, placed himself beside his long-eared comrades, and 
 quietly shook off the water that dripped from his mane 
 the blood, in the meantime, streaming from his wounded 
 foot. 
 
 I pursued my way forward, leaving Antonio to dress him- 
 
 >
 
 144 THE DESCENT. 
 
 self and follow. In half an hour he overtook me ; he was 
 as cheerful as though no difficulty had occurred, and appa- 
 rently well pleased with himself, smoked his cigar, sung a 
 merry song, and said, with a smile of sly meaning, that be- 
 fore evening we should have seen something worth while. 
 And, indeed, some time before nightfall, we reached a pecu- 
 liarly steep precipice along which ran a more narrow path 
 than we had yet traversed, for nearly three hundred yards. 
 The cliffs rose almost perpendicularly above our heads, and 
 the waters rushed down with fearful velocity from the heights, 
 bringing with them large lumps of earth, and loose masses 
 of rock. Huge blocks of granite hung over our heads 
 threateningly, and ready to be dislodged at the slightest 
 disturbance. Along this dizzy precipice, the path was so nar- 
 row that, whilst on one side the shoulder of the rider nearly 
 touched the rocky wall, on the other his feet hung over the 
 foaming torrent above which this fearful precipice arose. 
 We exchanged but few words until after we had passed 
 this dangerous place, when Antonio, assuming a look of 
 importance, remarked that the pass was called the cow's 
 stairs, and that it was a perilous spot for mules heavily laden. 
 In the passage of a very large caravan, several mules were 
 lost. Frightened at the wild raging torrent, they pressed 
 closely to the wall of rocks, and their burdens pushing them 
 once more to the projection, they lost their equilibrium, and 
 were precipitated into the flood below. It is said that in 
 the last twenty years, more than six hundred mules have 
 been lost in this way.
 
 THE DESCENT. 145 
 
 Antonio had told me all this before we reached the dan- 
 gerous spot, at the same time advising me to throw the bri- 
 dle on the mule's neck, and let him take his own course. I 
 obeyed his counsel, and I had no reason to regret having 
 done so. The prudent animal, with outstretched neck and 
 dilated nostrils, sought his way over the rugged pass as 
 carefully as could have been done by reasoning man, and 
 bore me in safety over the dreaded and dangerous cow 
 stairs. 
 
 On this day we passed over several almost inaccessible 
 points of the Cordilleras, and formed our bivouac at Upsa- 
 lata, which lies in a valley where a small silver mine is worked, 
 and seems to form the foundation of this the principal chain 
 of the Andes. Never did I see any where in all my wide 
 journeyings, such a dreary, barren spot. Some miners 
 whom I met, told me that no rain had fallen here for two 
 years. With a great deal of trouble, I was able to procure 
 a little grass for our exhausted mules, and a half-starved kid 
 for ourselves for which I had to pay nearly their own 
 weight in gold. 
 
 We set out at an early hour in the morning in order to 
 reach the warm baths of Vincenza, where we intended pas- 
 sing the night. We had one or two steep hills still to en- k 
 counter; but Antonia assured me they were the last hin- 
 drances being the dividing line between the Cordilleras 
 region and the Pampas. After a six hours' ride, we reached 
 the summit of the highest, which looked like a dwarf in 
 comparison with the gigantic peaks, with their inaccessible 
 10
 
 146 THE DESCENT. 
 
 walls of rock and ice, that lay like a frowning bulwark of 
 nature's own forming behind us. 
 
 We stopped on this peak for a few moments, and here 
 the prospect opened upon the immeasurable range of the 
 Pampas. In the first moment one believes themselves to be 
 looking on the ocean, for blinded by the magical effect of 
 the aerial transparency and the boundless horizon, the wan- 
 derer can but dimly discern the distant city of Mendaza, or 
 distinguish the green shadowing of the Pampas' vegetation, 
 from the dark and level surface of the sea. 
 
 One last steep ascent, which our mules successfully climbed, 
 and we were at Vicenza, once more enjoying the comforts 
 of human society, refreshing baths and nourishing food, to- 
 gether with the real luxury of a good bed, all these being 
 productive of a night of sound sleep. On the following day, 
 instead of the chilly and oppressive air of the Andes, we 
 were visited by the softest, blandest zephyrs. With feelings 
 of real bliss we inhaled the balmy odors that floated from the 
 verdant and flowery plains of the Pampas, and our hearts 
 that for a long time had seemed bound with a circlet of ice, 
 now opened, and gradually expanded before the sweet influ- 
 ences of benevolent nature. 
 
 By mid-day we reached Mendaza. In vain would I at- 
 tempt to paint the delightful emotions one must experience 
 on exchanging the prospect of the rugged crags and dreary 
 ice fields of the inhospitable Andes, where we had been so 
 long, for the glowing and glorious landscape which now sur- 
 rounded us. None but those who have wandered in such
 
 THE DESCENT. 147 
 
 savage scenes, or passed many monotonous weeks on ship- 
 board, can imagine it. But not more invigorating to me was 
 the intercourse with refined and intelligent society, and the 
 enjoyment of the conveniences of European life to which, 
 at this time, I had for many weeks been a stranger.
 
 Campus. 
 
 I FOUND Mendaza so pleasant that I should most likely 
 have lingered there for a long time, had not the royal 
 courier of Chili disturbed me from the tranquil rest I was 
 BO well disposed to take. As he too was going to Buenoa 
 Ayres, and it was every way desirable I should perform the 
 long monotonous journey under his safe escort, I now bade 
 adieu to my late pleasant guide, the faithful Antonio, 
 mounted a fleet horse, and with the courier for my compan- 
 ion, dashed forth in a gallop over the wide plains. 
 
 The Pampas lay in all their grandeur of illimitable ex- 
 panse before me, stretching from the La Plata, like a smooth 
 sea, to the foot of the Cordilleras, over a space of nine hun- 
 dred miles, and to the north and south, as calculated by 
 Miers, at no less than 130,000 square miles. The eye rests 
 upon a level flat, in some parts covered with grass and 
 clover, in others overgrown with thistles. Here a rast extent 
 of plain, the monotony of which, is unrelieved by any forest 
 whose shade would invite the traveller to repose ; there a 
 few miserable hovels tell of the neighborhood of man ; but 
 no cultivated fields give evidence of industry or thrift ; no 
 bush nor tree shelter those dwellings from the noontide heat 
 or give evidence of any advance from primitive barbarism. 
 
 1481
 
 THE PAMPAS. 149 
 
 Millions of horses find grazing on those vast prairies ; some 
 of which belong to the inhabitants, others roam about in 
 primitive wildness in troops of from ten to twenty thousand. 
 Horned cattle are found in still greater numbers ; for al- 
 though much diminished by the demand occasioned by the 
 wasting effect of the Revolution, they are still reckoned to 
 consist of several millions. 
 
 The dwellers on the Pampas are either Spanish herdsmen 
 called Gauchas, or the different tribes of native Indians. 
 The Gaucha spends half of his life on horseback ; at the age 
 of six years he is an expert rider, and throws his lasso with 
 unerring hand. Growing up to manhood amongst his herds^ 
 he is as indifferent to the comforts and conveniences of 
 civilized life as he is ignorant of all the noble emotions by 
 which the soul of man is swayed. The wild steppe is his 
 constant home, the grassy hillock his bed, and the skeleton 
 head of some slain horse his only pillow. Hfe household 
 goods accord with his savage life and the miserable hut he 
 calls his own ; the hides of slaughtered cattle serving for 
 doors, window-shutters and beds, the horns of oxen forming 
 cups and drinking vessels for his table. 
 
 Among many vices, the principal of which is gambling 
 and drunkenness, the Gaucha also possesses some virtues, 
 and not a few good qualities ; and his hospitality is un- 
 bounded and disinterested. 
 
 In passing over the Pampas the traveller is accompanied 
 by a Gaucha, who conducts him from one station to another, 
 driving a number of unequipped horses before him. Should
 
 150 THE PAMPAS. 
 
 the one on which he gallops across these plains (for no 
 other gait is known here) grow weary, his Nomadic conduc- 
 tor at once throws his lasso over the head of another, and 
 removing the saddle from the first, the rider is instantly 
 mounted and they set off at the same fleet pace as before. 
 We had ridden in this manner for five or six hours, when 
 our eyes were greeted by the sight of some tall poplars and 
 a spot of cultivated ground lying at a short distance. My 
 guide announced this to be the post-station, and on coming up 
 more closely, I perceived a miserable cabaret with a number 
 of Gauchas sitting or lying about the door steps. They 
 bestowed not the slightest mark of attention on our arrival, 
 but continued to smoke and talk Spanish, scarcely giving a 
 glance to our movements. We enquired whether horses 
 were to be had ; one of the company pointed, without speak- 
 ing, to a man, whom from the movement I supposed was the 
 postmaster. Rodriguez, for that was the name of the courier, 
 dismounted, and without bestowing any more notice on the 
 lazy loungers than they did on ourselves, went up to the so- 
 called postmaster, and said with a courteous manner and 
 good natured smile : 
 
 " Quickly, quickly, my good friend ; I am in great 
 haste." 
 
 All traces of laziness now vanished from the postmaster ; 
 in a moment he was in the saddle, ready to go after his 
 horses, and in an incredibly short time all was ready. This 
 was a matter of surprise to me, but long experience had 
 taught Rodriguez that, however rude these men were them-
 
 THE PAMPAS. 151 
 
 selves, he was not likely to gain anything by roughness. 
 After we had reckoned with our host, and paid him for his 
 horses, we set off as before in full gallop. These post-sta- 
 tions were formerly maintained by the viceroys of Peru and 
 Buenos Ayres ; at the present time, however, they are to be 
 found only on that part of the Pampas inhabited by 
 Gauchas, to whose guidance the traveller may confidently 
 commit himself. But if he has once travelled over these 
 plains, he must not expect to find these post-houses at the 
 same distances a second time. In consequence of the love 
 of wandering of these Nomadic dwellers, no regular stopping 
 place is to be depended upon ; so the traveller, in expecta- 
 tion of not finding a station where he had procured a relay a 
 short time before, always takes a few supernumerary horses 
 with him. 
 
 The heat increased in full measure as we proceeded over 
 the steppes, and at noon was more than commonly oppres- 
 sive ; but abating as the afternoon advanced, the evening 
 was accompanied by a cool invigorating breeze. We found 
 it, therefore, much pleasanter to travel only in the morning 
 and evening, although the short twilight afforded an obsta- 
 "cle, for night trod so closely on the heels of day, that dark- 
 ness came on before we were aware of it, and our horses 
 frequently stumbled or fell into holes made by the numerous 
 Bischacas, to the imminent danger of our necks and limbs. 
 These little creatures, resembling our Marmots,* are found 
 in great numbers in the Pampas, and, like the ants, live in 
 * The Alpine rat.
 
 152 THE PAMPAS. 
 
 communities in holes which they dig in the ground. It is 
 to be wondered at, that more accidents do not happen from 
 the frequency of these holes, and I cannot now conceive 
 how I escaped with only a few bruises, when I consider the 
 constant danger to which both life and limb was exposed. 
 These cavities are mostly covered with grass or twigs, and 
 it is impossible for the horse, in his wild gallop over these 
 plains, to avoid them the first notice he has, is by falling 
 in. In such cases, the rider is mostly flung over the ani- 
 mal's head, but he must be up in a moment, and on the back 
 of his horse, or he will continue hia gallop without him. It 
 happened more than once that I was obliged to practise 
 these gymnastic movements I cannot, however, say I de- 
 rived any pleasure from the exercise. To the undaunted 
 Gaucha, these feats are only productive of amusement ; like 
 a cat, he always falls upon his feet, and ere you have time 
 to laugh at him, he is in his saddle, galloping forward as 
 lively as before. 
 
 By the time we reached the third station, I was altogether 
 exhausted. We had dashed over twenty miles at this rapid 
 gait, and we should still be obliged to travel at this same 
 rate for twelve days, in order to reach our place of destina- 
 tion. To any one whose bodily frame is not prepared for 
 hardship, by suitable regimen and long habit, such rapid 
 and continued movement is anything but pleasant. 
 
 The simple fare of the Gauchas, consisting principally of 
 beef, with but little admixture of bread, and no vegetables, 
 together with their living in the open air, renders them
 
 THE PAMPAS. 153 
 
 capable of enduring the greatest fatigue ; and if the Euro- 
 pean will accustom himself to the same kind of diet for a 
 short time, he will be surprised at the invigorating effect of 
 this primitive fare. 
 
 Rodriguez remarked my pale face and complete exhaus- 
 tion, and compassionately proposed that we should stop and 
 pass the night here. I threw myself and my saddle on the 
 ground, and almost in the same instant, the benevolent god 
 of sleep placed his leaden seal upon my weary eyelids. But 
 I did not enjoy his sweet influence without interruption ; a 
 swarm of musquitoes came with the night, settling on my 
 face, hands, and neck, and worse than an army of hungry 
 locusts, threatened to devour me. I covered up my head in 
 a blanket ; this protected me from their stings, but I was 
 nearly smothered with heat. Half mad with pain, and 
 fairly desperate, I started up and ran to the hut, where I 
 threw myself on the floor. Fleas and bugs now preyed 
 upon me, feasting on my poor body, as though they had 
 never made a meal before. Nevertheless, so great was my 
 exhaustion, I yielded myself a quiet victim, and slept in 
 spite of them until morning. 

 
 in JUssin. 
 
 A WINTER journey from Sweden to Finland over the 
 frozen Gulf of Bothnia, is not less troublesome than rich in 
 scenes of frozen beauty, and presents a spectacle of rare 
 interest to the traveller from the South. 
 
 When, "with both my compagnons du voyage, and two ser- 
 vants, I reached the coast at Grislehamm, to our great 
 astonishment, the postmaster brought us no fewer than 
 eight sleighs, insisting that we could not possibly do with a 
 less number. We regarded this at the time as an excuse 
 to draw money out of the pockets of travellers, but we soon 
 had reason to change our opinion, for we found it was a 
 wise and necessary provision for our comfort, and called 
 for gratitude towards the worthy host, rather than repro- 
 bation. 
 
 It was on a bright winter morning that we left Grisle- 
 hamm, to begin our journey over the ice that covered the 
 Gulf of Bothnia. My imagination had been busy in pictur- 
 ing the unpleasantness of the way that lay for fourteen 
 miles across a flat plain of ice the dull monotony of the 
 enowy waste, where every station was like the one we had 
 just left ; but those anticipations soon gave way to brighter 
 realities, that increased as the distance widened between 
 
 (154)
 
 SCENES IN RUSSIA. 155 
 
 ourselves and our last night's quarters. The way, at first 
 smooth and even, gradually grew more rugged ; masses of 
 ice still retaining the form of the waves that ruffled its now 
 frozen waters, as if the breath of winter had congealed them 
 in an instant ; and as we advanced, huge blocks, driven to- 
 gether until piled up like towers, awoke our strongest admi- 
 ration. Some of them, resting on a small base and widening 
 to the top, seemed to be suspended in the air others 
 assumed the forms of pyramids. The whole presented a 
 picture of extreme confusion, as if nature had been at play 
 blindfolded ; and with its brilliant and novel aspect, filled 
 the beholder with reverence and wonder. It was an im- 
 measurable chaos of ice blocks, thrown into all imaginable 
 figures ; and now, glancing in the bright morning rays of a 
 winter's sun, almost blinded us with the brilliant and pris- 
 matic effect of its coloring. 
 
 It was a work of no small difficulty to find a road for 
 sleighs and horses, safely through these wedges of ice. At 
 times, and with great trouble, we were obliged to assume a. 
 retrograde movement, in order to avoid some huge blocks 
 that, piled up like pyramid or tower, lay directly in our 
 way, and round which it was impossible to turn. In spite 
 of all our efforts to choose the smoothest way, our sleighs 
 were every moment upsetting ; and the feet of the over- 
 turned, taking that place in the air which ought to be occu- 
 pied by the head, was a signal for the whole cavalcade to 
 stop. 
 
 But a more important source of danger and inconvenience
 
 156 SCENES IN RUSSIA. 
 
 to us travellers ensued from the following circumstance: 
 Our horses were made exceedingly skittish from the sight 
 and odor of our coats and cloaks, which were made of skins 
 that had once helonged to some Russian wolf or bear. If 
 any person tumbled out, the horses, taking fright at what 
 they could not doubt was one or the other of these animals, 
 since they were clothed in the garments nature had be- 
 stowed on them, dashed over the uneven ice at full flight, 
 to the great anxiety of both travellers and drivers. The 
 peasant-guide, dreading to lose his horse in this icy desert, 
 held on to the reins with all his might ; suffering the animal 
 to drag himself and sleigh over the rough fragments that 
 lay all around, at the risk of breaking, not only the vehicle, 
 but his neck. Even when conquered by his master's reso- 
 lute presence of mind, and wearied by his own rapid flight, 
 he was brought to a stand still, we could not resume our 
 places in the sleigh until the driver had thrown a covering 
 over his eyes. 
 
 In more than one case, it happened that some of the 
 more spirited horses obtained the mastery over his guide. 
 The peasant, after being thus dragged along for some time, 
 no longer able to endure the pain and bruises caused by 
 blows against the sharp points of the ice blocks, would let 
 the lines fall from his hands ; and the animal, thus freed 
 from his load, feeling himself at full liberty, ran at full 
 speed, overcoming all hindrances. The sleigh, which 
 danced, as it were, behind his heels, increased his terror, 
 and increased the speed of his flight which he continued,
 
 SCENES IN RUSSIA. 157 
 
 until in the far distance he appeared like a dark speck, that 
 still grew smaller on the white plain, until at last it was lost 
 to sight altogether. 
 
 It was now that we experienced how necessary was the 
 care exercised by our host at Grislehamm, in providing us 
 with supernumerary horses, and how hazardous a journey 
 over the frozen gulf of Bothnia would be without such a 
 provision. The owner of the runaway at once mounted one 
 of the other sleighs, and set off in pursuit the track being 
 easily ascertained by the traces left by the overturned ve- 
 hicle as it was dragged along. 
 
 We continued our journey as well as we could under such 
 circumstances, towards the Islands of Aland, although meeting 
 with every danger, as we were constantly upsetting, or the 
 horses running off. During our whole travel over the ice, 
 we did not meet a single living thing, neither man, animal, 
 nor even a bird. The death-like stillness that reigned over 
 this desert, was broken only by the wind as it rushed through 
 the crevices of the ice, or swept against its jagged projec- 
 tions, moaning and howling like some disturbed spirit that 
 might be imprisoned there. Sometimes a report was heard 
 like that of a pistol, occasioned by the unloosening of some 
 large block from the principal mass, and gave additional 
 solemnity to the picture by which we were surrounded. 
 From between the chasms made by the masses of ice thus 
 disunited, large open spaces of water were seen, and over 
 these abysses we were often obliged to lay a temporary 
 bridge of boards, brought with us for that purpose. The
 
 158 SCENES IN RUSSIA. 
 
 only living creatures we saw upon this icy desert, were a few 
 seals who occasionally crossed our path, but slipped into the 
 water when we tried to take them ; no other animal can find 
 a fitting ahode amidst this scene of desolation. 
 
 After contending with unspeakable hindrances, and of 
 the most dangerous kind, stopping only at intervals to refresh 
 our wearied horses, we at length reached the little island of 
 Signilscar. On this desert spot, neither tree nor field is 
 seen ; it is inhabited only by a few peasants and the inspec- 
 tor of the telegraph, which is placed here for the advantage 
 of a direct correspondence with Grislehamm. It is one of 
 the smallest among the many clusters of islands which are 
 scattered about this part of the gulf, which are known by 
 the name of the Isles of Aland. In a straight line, Grisle- 
 hamm lies only five Swedish miles from Signilscar; but 
 from the devious windings of the road, more than double 
 that distance is passed over, and every step is attended with 
 danger. 
 
 During the whole of our journey to this island, we were 
 not a little troubled about our runaway horses ; and had 
 scarce a doubt but that they had lost their way over this 
 illimitable waste of ice, or else plunged with our sleighs 
 trunks and baggage into some air hole, and by this time 
 were food for fishes. But we found that Signilscar, although 
 a barren spot, was able to furnish us with fresh horses ; and 
 in our preparations for proceeding, they were already being 
 harnessed to our sleighs, when, to our great satisfaction, we 
 saw our peasant guide returning with the runaways, our
 
 SCENES IN RUSSIA. 159 
 
 baggage all safe, and the sledges, although broken, still fit 
 for the road. 
 
 The poor animals were in a pitiable condition; their 
 whole bodies were covered with foam, and enveloped in a 
 cloud of steam ; and notwithstanding the exhaustion conse- 
 quent on their race, as soon as they saw us they were ready 
 to begin it again. As much frightened as before at the 
 sight of our wolf-skin cloaks, they reared up with loud 
 neighings, prancing and stamping on the ice and snow, and 
 had nearly tore loose from their driver again ; but when we 
 withdrew, and they lost both sight and smell of the dreaded 
 travelling robes, they were as tractable as dogs. 
 
 The last half of our journey was prosecuted without any 
 untoward incident happening; but the way was now much 
 easier found, and following the direction which was indicated 
 by poles inserted in the ice, we reached our place of desti- 
 nation in safety. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Stereotyped by SLOTE & MOONET, Philadelphia.
 
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