CHAPTER EIGHT.
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUED--A SNAKE KILLED--ABUNDANCE OF ANIMAL LIFE--PAUCITYOF INHABITANTS--BLACK HERDSMEN--VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS OF THE CAUCAVALLEY--BEAUTIFUL SCENE NEAR CARTAGO--WE ENTER CARTAGO--A WRETCHEDPOSADA--MR. LAFFAN SEARCHES FOR CARRIERS--A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER--THESILLEROS--ARRANGEMENTS FOR CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS--THE OFFICER TELLS USOF THE ESCAPE OF DONA DOLORES--A MIDNIGHT ROBBER--LION KEEPS GUARD--WEHAVE CAUSE TO BE UNEASY--THE SPANISH OFFICER STARTS BEFORE US--OURJOURNEY OVER THE QUINDIO MOUNTAINS COMMENCED--A RUINED VILLAGE.
We left Calli at daybreak, before the rest of the guests were astir. Iwas not altogether satisfied that we had escaped detection; and from theappearance of some of the characters at the supper-table, I thought itpossible that an attempt might be made to rob us. How Domingo mightact, I could not tell; but I was very sure that, in the event of beingattacked by banditti, Mr Laffan would prove to them that they hadcaught a Tartar. The road we traversed was as bad as could be.Sometimes our horses descended the hills almost on their haunches; atothers we were compelled to dismount and lead them up the steepinclines. We had several streams to cross; some we were able to ford,others were spanned by wooden bridges. One of these was thrown over arapid river which flowed at the foot of some steep and huge rocks, abovewhich was a level space with inaccessible-hills on either side.
"That would form a good military post," observed Mr Laffan, pointing tothe spot. "Either our friends or our enemies will take possession of itone of these days, and it will prove a hard matter to drive them out."
I noted the spot, as well as his remark.
At the next stream we came to, which was a more tranquil one than theformer, we had an adventure. As we were crossing it, we observed alarge snake swimming towards us. On it came, with its head and part ofits body raised out of the water. On nearing us it stopped, apparentlywatching our motions. I then knew, by the black cross which I observedon its neck, that it was of the species called aquis, one of the boldestand most venomous of the serpents of that region. Mr Laffan, notliking the creature's appearance, and naturally thinking it intended toattack us, drew his pistol.
"You had better not, senor," cried Domingo; "you are very likely tomiss, and the brute will come after us. Let me take it in hand. Pleasehold my horse."
Domingo dismounting, ran a short distance, to a place where we saw anumber of bamboos growing. He cut one with his sword, and then advancedto fulfil his promise. The aquis had all the time remained perfectlyquiet, with its eyes fixed on us. As Domingo approached, the creatureput out its forked tongue, and raised itself higher in the water, as ifpreparing to make a dart at its enemy. On this, Domingo retired to adistance; but he and the snake continued to watch each other for someminutes. Suddenly the aquis turned round, and began to swim to theother side of the river. The moment Domingo observed its head turnedfrom him he rushed to the bank, and before it got beyond his reach gaveit three or four tremendous blows with the bamboo, which made it turn onits back. Then following up the attack, he succeeded in killing thecreature. On measuring it, we found that it was upwards of six feet inlength.
"It never does to run from these creatures," observed Domingo, as heremounted; "they will follow even a horse for a league or more, and moveas rapidly, provided the ground is not too dry."
In the meadows we observed large numbers of fine cattle.
"Ah, senor, you might have seen twice as many before the Spaniardspassed by," said Domingo; "but they slaughtered all they could get,sometimes merely for the sake of their tongues. It is a pity that thepeople should have rebelled against their lawful sovereign; and this isthe consequence."
Mr Laffan made no reply. It was as well, for our purpose, that Domingoshould appear so loyal.
In the woods, and often flying across the valley, we saw various kindsof birds, macaws and parrots; some of the latter had yellow plumage onthe breast, wings, and tail, and red feathers on the head. We also metwith wild turkeys, grouse, and partridges in large numbers; and wefrequently caught sight of deer scampering over the hills. Butsometimes, during a whole day, we did not pass a single house of anysize, while the cottages of the peasantry were scattered at longdistances from each other.
As we proceeded down the valley, however, we saw a number of neatcountry-houses and cottages; while the soil appeared to be fruitful inthe extreme, and nothing could surpass the beauty of the scenery. Thenumbers of the cattle also increased. They were under the charge ofblack slaves, who were riding about looking after them. We saw neitherCreoles nor Indians: the latter had made their escape to the forests andmountains, and the former had been carried off to serve in either theone army or the other. The appearance of the blacks on horseback wassingular. On their heads they wore large straw hats, while their bodieswere covered by a cloak made of rushes, which served to keep out boththe heat and the rain. Their legs were bare, but their feet wereprotected by sandals, to which were fastened spurs of huge dimensions.Each man carried by his left side a long manchette, or sword-knife,secured to his girdle. They were all galloping as hard as they couldgo, wheeling their horses round and then halting in a moment.
"Those fellows would make useful cavalry, if they could be got to facethe enemy; and I should like to find myself at the head of a thousand ofthem," observed Mr Laffan. "We should give a good account of any ofthe Spanish lancers we might fall in with."
Soon after this, on the shores of a small lake, we came upon a curioustree, which Mr Laffan pronounced to be the wax-palm, or the _Ceroxilonandicola_. From its appearance I should have supposed that it couldonly grow in the very warmest regions; but it is of so happy aconstitution that it flourishes equally well in temperate and in coldclimates. We afterwards found some on the mountains of Quindio. Theyare the most hardy of the Palm tribe: where others would perish, orassume a dwarfed or stunted form, the wax-palm raises its stem, in theform of an elegantly-wrought column, a hundred and fifty feet high, witha splendid leafy plume. From the leaves and trunk exudes a grey andacrid matter, which on drying assumes the nature of wax as pure as thatof bees, but rather more brittle. I have seen tallow-candles surroundedby a thin coating of this wax, which, not melting as rapidly as thetallow, prevents the candle from guttering.
The valley of the Cauca abounds with bamboo-cane, which serves a varietyof purposes. With the bamboo the inhabitants build their houses, anderect a pretty kind of fence around their farms. The peasantry makewith it sweet-sounding flutes; it furnishes them also withdrinking-cups, water-buckets, and bird-cages, chairs and baskets,blow-pipes and arrows. With the canes also large rafts are built forcarrying cocoa and other produce down the rivers even as far as theports of embarkation, where the rafts themselves are disposed of toadvantage. As cattle abound, ox-hides are made use of for all sorts ofdomestic purposes. Tables are covered with them, and also sofas,chairs, bedsteads, doors, and trunks. Cut into strips, they formlassoes, greatly in use among the cattle-keepers of the plains. Theyare formed into bottles, too, for wine and chica; and with them also,stretched on poles, hand-barrows are constructed for carrying earth andrubbish.
We met in this region a number of horses and mules without ears, andothers with their ears lying flat on their necks. On inquiring thereason, we found that this was occasioned by an insect like a wood-lousegetting inside them, and which is as prolific as the chigua in the toesof human beings. These insects gradually devour the nerves of the ear,which then falls off. To prevent this, the muleteers rub the inside ofthe animal's ears with hog's lard, to which the insect has a decidedaversion.
Even this paradise was not perfect. We caught sight of severaltiger-cats, jaguars, and pumas, which come down and commit depredationson the flocks and herds; and occasionally a huge black bear will descendfrom his mountain lair and pay a visit to the hog-pen, though he runs arisk of being shot by the watchful owner.
Having all my life lived in the high regions of New Granada, I was notprepared for the perfectly tropical scenery I now for the first timeb
eheld. I remember one spot by the side of the Cauca, just before wereached Cartago. The sepos, or rope-like vines, hung from the loftybranches of the trees, and beautifully-coloured parasitical plants weresuspended in the air. Gaily-tinted macaws flew across the blue sky, andother birds of the gayest plumage flitted here and there. There wereseveral plants of the cacti species on the borders of the stream, on theshores of which were seen the bamboo-dwellings of the inhabitants, withpalms and other graceful trees rising above them; while long-tailedmonkeys swung to and fro on the creepers, which seemed arrangedspecially for their amusement.
Soon after this we reached the town of Cartago, from which we were tostrike upwards over the Quindio mountains. The town was of considerablesize, and at one time, I have no doubt, was as flourishing as others inthe province. The curse of war had fallen upon it. Many of the houseswere empty,--their owners having been killed on their own thresholds, orcarried off to be shot, or sent to work at the fortifications ofCartagena or other places on the coast. I saw here a larger number ofslaves--negroes and negresses--than at any other place we had passedthrough. The latter were dressed in blue petticoats, without any othergarments. They came in numbers from the river-side, carrying hugepitchers or leathern bottles of water on their heads, and walkinggracefully and perfectly upright. I remember a group we passed in theoutskirts of the town, who appeared to take life very easily: the women,in the most scanty raiment, with huge necklaces, were seated on theground chatting and laughing; the men, their only garment a shirt, werelazily smoking their cigars. Forgetting that I was to be ignorant ofSpanish, I spoke to them, when, turning round, I saw a person passing inthe uniform of an officer. He looked at me for a moment, but making noremark, passed on, and I thought no more about the matter.
Only a very small remnant, I should say, of the ancient inhabitants nowremain, though the traces of their former existence are everywhere to beseen, showing that at one time they must have been very numerous. Theyhave been destroyed in vast numbers by the severity of their relentlessand avaricious taskmasters. Thousands and tens of thousands of poorIndians have perished from famine, the sword, and the pestilence, orhave died with hearts broken by the loss of liberty, or from beingcompelled to labour in the gold-mines with constitutions unequal to theperformance of their hard task-work.
We were, of course, anxious not to stay an hour longer at Cartago thanwas necessary; and yet it might seem strange to the inhabitants that anEnglishman, travelling for the sake of amusement, should not wish toremain a sufficient time in the town even to form a correct opinion ofit. The posada was a wretched one, but there were few people in it.The old woman who kept it declared that the Spaniards had carried offall her property; indeed, except a few red earthenware plates, I couldsee nothing on which our supper could be served. I sat down in a cornerof the room, and pretended to be reading an English book; while MrLaffan went out to arrange for guides, silleros, and peons, to enable usto travel over the Quindio mountains. From what our old landlady said,I guessed that she was a Liberal; but, of course, I thought it best notto trust her. The silleros are chairmen, the peons carry the baggage.It was not necessary, we found, to leave our horses behind, though itmight be dangerous to ride them. At the same time, if it had not beenimportant to keep up our character as travellers, I should not havehesitated to push over the mountains with a single guide to show theway.
While I was waiting for Mr Laffan's return, a Spanish officer enteredthe posada, and in a dictatorial tone ordered supper, although it was anearly hour for that meal. He then eyed me narrowly, and inquired of theold woman who I was. It struck me that he was the person I had seenwhile I was talking to the natives.
"An English milord going over the Quindio mountains to Bogota," was theanswer--being the information Domingo had given her.
Turning towards me, he inquired if such were the case. I was verynearly replying, when I remembered that I did not speak Spanish, and Imade signs to let him know that my companion would soon return andinform him all about the matter. Finding that he could make nothing ofme, he paced up and down the room, his sword clanking on the hard mudfloor. Whenever he came near me, Lion gave a low growl, and appeared asif about to spring on him. There was something in the tone of hisvoice, or the appearance of the man, which evidently the sagaciousanimal did not like. Soon after an orderly appeared, conducting asillero and two peons--the sillero was a fine strong-built man in aloose dress.
The captain told them that he meant to start next morning at daybreak togo across the mountains, and that they must reach Ibaque in five days.
"Impossible," was the answer. "Six is the least in which the journeycan be performed. Except with the greatest exertion, it requiresseven."
"I must start at daybreak to-morrow morning, and my orders must beobeyed. Go! the sergeant will look after you."
The soldier retired with the men, who, I found, were his prisoners; andin a short time Mr Laffan appeared, and said that he had arranged withtwo silleros and five peons, three of whom were to lead the horses, andthe other two to carry our baggage.
"Domingo will have to walk, and so must we, if we wish to push on fast,"he observed. "They can go on ahead, and we can overtake them at thefoot of the mountains," he added.
This was satisfactory intelligence. I then told him what I had heardthe Spanish officer saying; that he seemed an ill-tempered fellow; andthat we must be on our guard towards him.
The captain, after having discussed his supper, put the same questionsto Mr Laffan that he had put to me.
My tutor told him the story agreed on. "Oh!" he said, "you will followme, for I must carry intelligence of the proceedings of the rascallyrebels to Bogota."
"A pleasant journey to you then, colonel," said Mr Laffan, giving him ahigher title than was his due. "We Englishmen, unaccustomed to yourwild mountains, cannot travel so fast."
I begged Mr Laffan to inquire what news the officer could give us.
"Very satisfactory," he answered; "the rebels are everywhere defeated,and many of their leaders have been taken prisoners. The onlyunfortunate circumstance has been the escape of some of the prisonerswho were being sent to Bogota by the way of La Plata. Among othersrescued is that intriguing lady, Dona Dolores Monteverde."
I tried to keep my countenance as this was said.
"Never heard of her," observed Mr Laffan with imperturbable coolness."How did it happen?"
"Suddenly, as the guards who had her and others in charge were emergingfrom a defile, they were set upon by a small party of horsemen who hadremained concealed behind the rocks, and had allowed the larger force topass. Most of the escort were cut down, for their bodies were foundstrewed on the ground; and the prisoners, including Dona Dolores, werecarried off. Though hotly pursued by the cavalry, who, on hearing theshots, had returned, the rascals made good their escape."
I was delighted to hear this, and I had no doubt but that Juan by somemeans or other had heard of the capture of Dona Dolores, and had formeda plan for her rescue. I hoped also that her father had escaped withher, as he probably would be in her company. It relieved my mind of agreat difficulty; for although I had resolved to attempt her liberation,I could devise no plan for its accomplishment. I advised Mr Laffan toask no further questions, lest the officer might suspect that he hadsome object in view.
We slung up our hammocks as usual in the common room, and the dominieand I did our best to sleep soundly, knowing that Lion would awake us ifnecessary.
The captain had stowed himself away on a pile of straw and cloaks in thecorner, and just before I closed my eyes I heard him snoring loudly. Asmall oil lamp on the table shed an uncertain light through the room, sothat objects could be only dimly distinguished. Our valises, I shouldhave said, had been left on the ground a short distance from the headsof our hammocks.
How long I had been asleep I do not know, but I was awakened by a lowgrowl from Lion. He did not spring forward, however. Looking up, Ithought I distinguished a figure steal
ing along the wall. Lion stillgrowled. The person, if there was one, remained in dark shadow, or elsehad passed through some opening, which I did not remember to haveobserved. I lay awake for some moments watching, but could see no one.I tried to make out whether the Spanish captain was still asleep on hisbed, but, at the distance I was from the corner, I could not be certain.He was not, at all events, snoring, though he might be there.
Supposing that I must have been mistaken, I once more fell asleep.Strange to say, the same circumstances again occurred; but this time,forgetting at the moment that it was supposed I could not speak Spanish,and suddenly aroused from slumber, I shouted out, "Who goes there? Takecare, whoever you are, else I'll send a bullet through your head."There was no answer. Lion gave a suppressed bark, in addition to agrowl, and moved forward to where the valises lay, where he couched downwith his fore paws stretched out, and his head resting on them, watchingour property. From this I was convinced that some one had attempted tosteal them, or, at all events, to obtain some of their contents; for wehad carelessly left them both partly open. I was, however, now verysure that Lion would take care not to allow any one to touch themwithout giving us abundant warning.
This time I remained awake for some minutes, and clearly distinguished aperson creeping round to the captain's bed, on which he threw himself.It must have been the captain himself. Possibly his object was toobtain some money, which, supposing me to be a rich Englishman, he hadconcluded he should find; or he may have wished to get hold of ourletters to ascertain who we were. He had, during the evening,frequently cast suspicious glances at my tutor and me, as if he were notquite certain that the account we gave of ourselves was the true one.
Overcome by sleep, my eyes once more closed; but I dreamed that I sawthe captain reading our letters at the table, and making notes of theircontents; and that then Lion jumped up and seized him by the throat.The dominie and I sprang to his rescue, but could not find the letters.I thought that he addressed us both by name, however, and appeared toknow all about our affairs.
The captain got up at daybreak, and awoke us by shouting for hisbreakfast. During the meal, which he hurried over, he asked Mr Laffana number of questions; then suddenly turning to me he said--
"How is it that you, who have been some months in the country, cannotspeak Spanish?"
I looked at Mr Laffan and signed to him to reply.
"The young milord has no aptitude for learning languages," he observed."If you were to go to England, it might be some months before you couldmake yourself understood."
The Spaniard, smiling grimly, said, "That's strange, for I was awakenedduring the night by hearing him cry out, in very good Spanish,threatening to shoot somebody. I recognised his voice, and could not bemistaken."
I endeavoured to look perfectly unconcerned, as if I had not understoodwhat was said.
"You must have been dreaming, senor captain," observed Mr Laffan; "Iwas nearer to him than you, and did not hear his voice."
He then, turning to me, asked what the Spaniard could mean.
"Tell him that the young English lord is indignant at having suchremarks made; that he must apologise for venturing to say such things.It will be better to carry matters with a high hand."
The captain again smiled grimly, and muttered, "We shall see, we shallsee."
Having finished his meal, without even offering to pay the landlady heleft the house and joined his men, who were waiting for him at the doorwith the captive silleros and peons. I followed him out unobserved, andheard him remark "that they must push on as fast as they could go, andkeep ahead of the two English travellers."
"They are not likely to start for a couple of hours," answered thesergeant; "and if you wish it, we may find means to stop them."
Some further conversation ensued, when the captain took out a paper, onwhich he wrote several sentences.
"Give this to Major Alvez, and if he thinks fit he will despatch a partyto arrest them. You may accompany it, as you know them, and so therewill be no mistake."
Not wishing to be discovered, I returned into the house before I couldhear more. The captain, mounting a strong mule, rode off, followed bythe soldiers and the prisoners.
As soon as they were gone, the men whom Mr Laffan had hired made theirappearance. The two silleros were remarkably fine, intelligent--lookingIndians, dressed in loose trousers and shirt, the universal poncho ofsmall dimensions over their shoulders, and a large straw hat. They hadlong poles in their hands. The peons wore only hats and loose shorttrousers. The machine on which the latter carry the baggage is a sortof frame of bamboo about three feet long, with a cross-piece at thelower end, on which they rest the load. It is secured with straps,which first pass round the burden and then go over the shoulders andacross the breast; another strap passes over the forehead, and isfastened to the top of the bamboo at the back. The peons are careful toput a pad between the strap and the head and loins, to prevent chafing.The chair on which people are carried is much the same as the silla decargo, except that the chair has rests for the arms, and a step for thefeet. A peon will carry a load weighing a hundred pounds, but sometimesdouble that weight. Although neither Mr Laffan nor I intended to makeuse of our silleros unless in case of necessity, we thought it prudentto take them with us, that we might keep up our character as Englishtravellers. The sillero who had been engaged to carry me was awell-informed fellow, as I judged from his remarks to Domingo;--ofcourse, he did not address me.
Some time elapsed before the mules were brought to the door. Our horseswere led by halters; and, that they might be as unencumbered aspossible, their saddles and bridles were carried on the backs of peons.Everything being ready, we started; the porters, with the loads on theirbacks, keeping up easily with the mules. The road for about a league ofthe way was tolerable, but it then became so bad that we had frequentlyto dismount and trudge on foot. So steep were the hills in some places,that there was no little danger of our animals rolling over. The mules,however, accustomed to the ground, inspected it narrowly, then, plantingtheir four legs together, slid down on their haunches. All we could dowas to sit well back in our saddles, and trust to the sure-footedness ofour animals.
Our first stopping-place was in a ruinous village at the foot of themountains--the last we were to see until we reached Ibaque. We occupieda room in one of the houses, while our attendants formed sheds, andcovered them with large plantain-leaves, which they had brought fromCartago. From one or two of the very few people we met we learned thatthe Spanish captain had gone on ahead, the soldiers we had seen with himhaving returned to a fort in the neighbourhood. He must have trusted tothe terror which the Spaniards had inspired by their fearful cruelties.The Godos had indeed so cowed the natives that they would not have daredto molest him, else he would scarcely have ventured alone on such ajourney. He, of course, had no luggage or animals to impede hisprogress, and would be able to travel faster than we could. As,however, Mr Laffan and I agreed that he very likely suspected us, weresolved to push on as rapidly as we could, so that we might, ifpossible, reach Bogota before he would have time to warn the authoritiesagainst us.