CHAPTER NINE.
OUR JOURNEY OVER THE MOUNTAINS--WILD SCENERY--A RIDE ON A SILLERO'SBACK--FEARS FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR SERVANTS AND HORSES--MAKING PROGRESS--MY SILLERO AND I GET AHEAD--THE CRUEL CONDUCT OF THE SPANIARD, AND ITSFEARFUL PUNISHMENT--OUR CAMP ON THE MOUNTAINS--AN ADVENTURE WITH AJAGUAR--I KILL A TURKEY FOR SUPPER--OUR ATTENDANTS REJOIN US--SOUNDS ATNIGHT--WE BEGIN TO DESCEND--DANGERS OF THE JOURNEY--WE PART FROM OURSILLEROS, AND PROCEED ON HORSEBACK--A VISIT TO THE FALLS OF TEQUENDAMA--THEIR MAGNIFICENCE.
The road was as bad as could be,--often so steep, that it was likeclimbing up steps; in some places, indeed, large trees had fallen acrossthe path. But our peons skipped over the trunks with as much firmnessas if they had been walking on level ground. Now on one side, now onthe other, were tremendous precipices, down which the traveller, by aslip of the foot, might be hurled, and dashed to pieces. We had cloaksand blankets, which we required during the night, for as we ascended theatmosphere became very cold. We also maintained good fires to keep offthe jaguars, which frequently, we were told, attacked the mules. Weheard them roar during the night; while a dismal howling was kept up bythe red monkeys which abound in these deserts. Added to this, our earswere saluted by the loud screeching of night-birds, which formed aserenade far from pleasing.
The mountains were clothed with gloomy forests, which ascend almost tothe summit of this branch of the Cordilleras. In a few places, wherethere were openings, we enjoyed extensive views, on either side, ofsuperb scenery--the mountain-tops concealed in the clouds. We also sawnumerous birds perched on the trees, or flitting among their branches--many of the most brilliant plumage, such as I had never before seen inthe neighbourhood of Popayan.
I generally kept ahead with my sillero, who led the way. One of thepeons following carried the chief load; then came Mr Laffan; Domingoand the rest of the people with the animals bringing up the rear. Mysillero, though an Indian, was called Manoel; being, as he said, abaptised Christian. As I was anxious to gain information, which heseemed willing to impart, I was tempted to break through the plan whichhad been agreed on, and to speak a few words of Spanish, so that I mightask questions. I began in a broken, hesitating sort of way, until atlength I forgot myself altogether, though Manoel did not appear at allastonished.
"El senor speaks Spanish better than I should have supposed possiblefrom the short time he has been in the country," he observed.
"I can understand what you say, and that is all I want," I answered. "Ihave heard other Indians speak as you do, and so I am more ready toconverse with you than I should be with a Spaniard."
I felt sure that I could trust Manoel, as, from one or two remarks hehad let drop, I was convinced that he was a Liberal, and had no love forthe Spaniards. While we were encamped at night, sitting round our fire,we all talked away until it was time to go to sleep; but whiletravelling, as we were compelled to move in single file, it wasdifficult to carry on a conversation, except with the person immediatelyin front or behind.
After we had proceeded some distance, we began to hope that I had beenmistaken in what I had heard the captain say to the sergeant, and thatwe should escape any risk of being captured and prevented fromcontinuing our journey. Still Mr Laffan continued anxious on thesubject.
We had been travelling for some time, and I was beginning to feel moretired than I had hitherto done. I had not as yet, indeed, quiterecovered my full strength, and was scarcely fitted to walk as I wasdoing.
Manoel at length persuaded me to get on the silla. "It makes nodifference to me," he observed; "you are as light as a feather. YouEnglish are very different from the Spaniards. They get on our backs asif they were riding mules, and will often use a stick if we do not gofast enough to please them."
I consented unwillingly, for I did not like the idea of any one carryingme.
From the position I had now attained, I could look down the steep ascentwe had mounted, and I had an extensive view. I saw Mr Laffan standinggazing back along the path we had come; the rest of the party werenowhere, in sight. We shouted, but no reply came. Could the Spaniardshave acted as the captain had advised them, and captured our people?
"Stop, Duncan," cried Mr Laffan; "I do not like the look of things."He soon overtook me, and expressed the same fears I entertained.
I asked Manoel what he thought.
"Very likely," he answered; "those ladrones would as willingly robEnglish travellers who honour our country by a visit, as they would theunfortunate Patriots or us poor Indians. The best thing we can do is topush on."
The peons carried our valises, the most valuable part of our property.We had our money in our pockets, with a brace of pistols apiece; and Ihad my gun, which I had brought in case I should see anything to shoot.
"But what shall we do for provisions?" asked Mr Laffan.
"We shall find game enough on the road to supply all our wants,"answered Manoel.
We agreed, therefore, to move forward as fast as we could. Domingo,with the peons and our animals, if not captured, could easily follow andovertake us at night.
"We are coming to the steepest part of our journey," said Manoel; "theSpanish soldiers will have a difficulty in climbing up the path ahead."
Every now and then Mr Laffan looked back, and I kept lookingoccasionally down the valley,--but not a sign of our attendants could Idiscover. In a short time Manoel said that he observed the marks offootsteps ahead. "They are those of a sillero carrying some person. Weshall soon overtake them."
Manoel, in his eagerness, soon distanced the other peon and Mr Laffan,whose anxiety made him stop to ascertain whether our attendants werecoming. We were at this time mounting an excessively steep and narrowpath, with a tremendous precipice on one side, down which it made megiddy to look: had I not had the most perfect confidence in my sillero,I should infinitely have preferred to walk. I begged him, indeed, tolet me get off; but he always answered, "You are no weight; it makes notthe slightest difference to me. I feel my footing more secure with youon my back." Shortly afterwards I heard him exclaim, "There they are!--the savage brute!"
"Of whom do you speak?" I asked.
"Of the Spanish officer. He is digging his spurs into the side of mypoor brother, to make him go faster."
I glanced round, although it was somewhat difficult to do so; and there,sure enough, I saw the captain whom we had met at the posada, seated ina silla, and striking, now with one leg now with the other, at hiscarrier, occasionally hitting him over the head with the back of hishand. The Indian went on, as far as I could perceive, withoutcomplaining; but the captain shouted "Go on--go on faster," and againdug his spurs into the poor Indian.
Manoel groaned. I could hear him grind his teeth.
"How can you bear it?" he muttered. "The Spaniard may repent hiscruelty, though."
At the foot of the precipice, I should have said, rushed a fiercetorrent, roaring and foaming down the side of the mountain. Presently Isaw the sillero buttress himself, as it were, firmly with the iron-shodstick with which he supported his steps. Again the Spaniard dug hisspurs into his side, asking him what he was doing, and, with a fearfuloath, shouted to him to go on. The Indian answered by a vigorous jerkof his back, when I saw the Spaniard shot off, as from a catapult. Thenext moment he was falling headlong down into the gulf, several hundredfeet below us. One fearful shriek rent the air; it was the only soundthe wretched man had time to utter before the breath, by the rapidity ofhis fall, was taken from his body. It was the work of an instant. Ishut my eyes. It seemed like some terrible dream. The Spanish captainwas gone, though his voice still sounded in my ear.
Manoel stopped. "He has met the fate he deserved," he said.
"But the sillero will see you, and suppose you will inform against him."
Manoel answered with a low laugh. "He is my brother, and knows that thesecret is safe in my keeping. Can I trust you? No other creature sawwhat has occurred."
"God saw him, and he is the avenger of blood," I answ
ered.
"Would you have had my brother patiently submit to the crueltiesinflicted upon him?" asked Manoel.
"We have no right to take the life of a fellow-creature, except inself-defence or open warfare," I replied. "But the secret is safe in mykeeping. I did not even see the face of the man who committed the deed,and I know not who he was. I love the Spaniards as little as you do,and I promise you I will not reveal the dreadful crime I have justwitnessed."
"I am grateful," answered Manoel; "for, to tell you the truth, had Ithought you capable of informing against my brother, I might have beentempted, though much against my inclination, to serve you as he servedthe Spaniard; but had I done so, I never should have been happyafterwards."
I scarcely thought that Manoel was in earnest, and yet I believe that hewas so. His fidelity to his brother sillero would have been paramountto every other consideration. Manoel was advancing as he spoke, butwhen I looked round the sillero had disappeared, though I afterwardscaught a glimpse of him bounding up the rocks on the left, having hurledhis chair over the cliff.
It was some time before I could recover from the horrible scene I hadwitnessed; and I debated in my own mind whether or not I should havegiven the promise I had made to Manoel. One thing was certain,however--I was bound to keep it.
When the path became less steep, I insisted on walking. Manoel, too,though he had boasted of his strength, was obliged to stop and rest; andat length the peons and Mr Laffan rejoined us. The latter was stillanxious about the rest of the party, and declared that it would beimpossible for the horses to mount the steep path by which we had come.He thought that even the mules could scarcely do it, supposing that theyhad not been overtaken by the Spaniards.
I had not, of course, told him how our chief cause of anxiety wasremoved, and that we need no longer fear discovery on our arrival atBogota.
"When the Spaniards are driven away, and a Liberal government isestablished, we must have a good road over these mountains," exclaimedMr Laffan. "It is a disgrace to a civilised country, that no bettermeans of communication exists between the capital and her most fertiledistricts."
At last, as evening approached, Manoel selected a spot for encamping,and we made the usual preparations. We enjoyed a magnificent scene. Asfar as the eye could range were mountains clothed with immense forests,into which man had never penetrated. About a couple of hundred feetbelow us ran a sparkling stream, towards which, while the peon wasemployed in collecting wood for the fire, Manoel made his way, to fill aleathern bottle with water. I accompanied him with my gun, followed byLion, hoping to shoot some birds for supper.
We had gone a little way along the bank, when a wild turkey got up. Ifired, and brought it to the ground. Manoel ran forward to secure it,but just before he reached it he stopped and beckoned to me. As he didso I saw a huge jaguar, which had been drinking at the stream, not twohundred yards from us. I had, as a sportsman should, reloaded my gunbefore moving. The only weapon Manoel possessed, besides the manchetteat his girdle, was his sharp-pointed staff,--not calculated for anencounter with so powerful a beast. The jaguar, having seen the turkeyfall, crept on to seize it. I advanced as rapidly as I dared, keepingmy gun ready for instant use. Lion would have rushed forward to get thebird had I not ordered him to remain at my heels, for, powerful as hewas, a blow from the jaguar's paw would have been too much for him.
The jaguar seemed determined not to be disappointed of the turkey, andwould probably, I thought, spring at Manoel. The difficulty was toavoid wounding him in shooting at the jaguar. Manoel stood ready foraction, with his staff in his hand. He dared not for a moment withdrawhis eye from the jaguar, which, had he done so, would immediately havesprung upon him. I called to him, telling him I was coming, in case hemight not have heard my footsteps. The jaguar was all the time creepingup, threatening at any moment to spring, and I was about twelve yardsbehind Manoel when the brute began to bound forward. Manoel leapt onone side. Now or never, I must gain the victory, or both my companionand I might lose our lives. I fired. The jaguar bounded into the air,then fell over on its side.
Manoel dashed forward and plunged his stick into the creature's neck,pinning it to the ground; then drawing his manchette, he quicklyterminated its existence. We left it where it lay, for we could nothave carried its skin, even had we taken the trouble of flaying it.
Near the top of the hill we met Mr Laffan, who had witnessed theencounter.
"Bravo, Duncan! you behaved famously; and Manoel too--he is a finefellow. All the same, the turkey is welcome, for I am terribly hardset."
We soon had the bird roasting before the fire. It was, however, but amoderate supper for four people and a dog, and I was sorry that I hadnot succeeded in killing another turkey.
Mr Laffan kept constantly jumping up and looking down the path by whichwe had come, in the hope of seeing our attendants; and just as theshades of evening were creeping over the mountains, he exclaimed, "Therethey are!--I hope I am not mistaken."
I could see several persons and animals winding round the side of thehill, so I called to Manoel, and asked him if he thought they were ourfriends.
"If they are Spaniards, senor, we shall be wise to move forward, forthey will treat you with but little ceremony, I suspect."
Manoel descended to a point from whence he could observe the approachingparty without being seen, and in a short time returned and relieved ouranxiety by assuring us that they were our friends. It was some time,however, before they reached our camp.
They had been delayed by their efforts to rescue one of the mules whichhad slipped over a precipice and got pitched in a tree; from which,wonderful to relate, it was drawn up uninjured. The Spanish commandant,we therefore concluded, had not thought fit to send in chase of us.
During the night we heard the roar of jaguars and other wild animals;but as we kept up a blazing fire, we were not molested. In the morning,just as we were about to start, I shot two wild turkeys; and had we hadtime to spare, I might have killed several more. As we proceeded we sawseveral tracks of bears and jaguars, perfectly fresh.
The next day we reached the Paramo, on the summit of the Cordilleras,thirteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. We caught sight ofnumbers of wild asses, which inhabit this mountainous region. The hoofof the animal is divided like that of a pig. They are very shy, so thateven the Indians are seldom able to approach near enough to kill them;and they are also very swift of foot.
We crossed the Paramo in safety, and continued our journey for severaldays without any further adventure.
The views, as we descended the mountains, were magnificent. We couldsee the Cordilleras on the opposite side of the plain of Bogota, seventyor eighty miles off; while north and south rose prodigious heights, withapparently perpendicular sides, their bases covered with thick, gloomyforests, which appeared perfectly impenetrable. As we looked back, itseemed impossible that we should have crossed the range. Frequently wepassed through dark gorges piercing the forests, two miles in length,and not more than three or four feet wide, the vegetation on either sidebeing most luxuriant.
We had to be on our guard against bruising our legs by pieces of rock;or getting our clothes torn by the long thorns of the bamboos; or beingknocked off our mules--for we had again mounted--by the branches oftrees. We met a party of peons conveying salt on the backs of oxen toCartage. The cargoes were small, and placed in such a manner as toenable the animals to pass through these narrow places. Fortunatelythere was an opening near the spot, or we should have been unable topass each other.
At last we reached a tambo, or shed, built for the use of travellers--the first sign of civilisation we had met since we left the western sideof the Cordilleras.
We were now once more in a warmer region. Butterflies of large size,covered with orange-coloured spots, fluttered about; and red monkeysleapt from tree to tree, frequently coming down to make grimaces at us.Another day's journey brought us to a cottage inhabited by peasants, whogave
us a satisfactory welcome.
At length we reached the place where we were to part from our sillerosand peons, and continue our journey on horseback.
"I hope that we shall meet again," I said to Manoel, who had won myregard.
"We shall, senor, it may be, if you do not soon leave the country,"replied Manoel, looking earnestly at me.
"I may stay longer than I at first intended," I said.
Manoel and the rest of our attendants were well satisfied with thepayment we had made them.
Mr Laffan and I, with Domingo, now continued our journey on horseback,the roads being tolerable. But, eager as we were to reach Bogota, weagreed that it would be wise, the better to keep up our assumedcharacter, to visit the waterfall of Tequendama, which was not far outof our direct road. It is formed by the river Bogota, which ishereabouts sixty yards in breadth.
As soon as we got within a mile or so of it, we obtained a guide to showus the way. At a height of six hundred feet above the plain of Bogota,we enjoyed a magnificent view, embracing the various windings of theriver, several large lakes, and enormous forests--the city in thedistance, backed by a range of bold mountains. Thence we began todescend towards the waterfall, the sides of the hill being abrupt andslippery. We passed through a grand, gloomy forest, the lofty boughs ofthe trees sheltering us from the rays of the hot sun. All was silent,except the deep, fine note of the tropiole, which was occasionallyheard; while through the openings we caught sight of other birds ofbrilliant plumage, which here live unmolested.
Leaving our horses, the dominie and I descended a couple of hundred feetto a spot where the "Salto," as it is called, burst on our view, rushingdown between two mountains until it attains the edge of a precipice,whence the vast body of water is precipitated into a mighty abyss below.The chasms through which such falls issue are known in the country asbarancas. The sides, consisting of reddish granite, rise almostperpendicularly. The height of the whole fall may be nearly onethousand feet, but the single fall in front of us was calculated to beabout six hundred feet.
We stood on the bank of the precipice for some minutes, not daring tospeak: indeed, the sound of the falling water completely drowned ourvoices when we made the attempt; the sensation in our ears being as if athousand pieces of artillery were discharged close to us. The groundtrembled beneath our feet, our eyes were dazzled by the sparkling spray,and our senses felt confused, as the mighty volume of water rushed downbefore us, between the perpendicular rocks, into the chasm at theirbase. The overwhelming body of water, as it left its upper bed, formeda broad arch, smooth and glossy. A little lower down it assumed afleecy form; and then shot forth in millions of tubular shapes, whichchased each other more like sky-rockets than anything else to which Ican compare them. The changes were as singularly beautiful as they werevaried, in consequence of the difference in gravitation, and rapidevaporation, which was taking place before the waters reached thebottom. Dense clouds of vapour rose for a considerable height, minglingwith the atmosphere, and presenting in their descent the most brilliantrainbows. From the rocky sides of the immense basin hung shrubs andbushes, while numerous springs and tributary streams added their mite tothe grand effect. The water at the bottom then rushed impetuously alonga stony bed, over which hung various trees, and was lost beyond a darkturn in the rock. From the level of the river where we stood, thehills, completely covered with wood, rose to a great height; whilethrough the only opening amid them we observed the distant mountains inthe province of Antioquia, their summits clothed with perpetual snow.Hovering over the fearful chasm were various birds of the most beautifulplumage, peculiar to the spot, and differing from any I had seen before.Our guide told us that some philosophical gentlemen, in order toascertain the tremendous force of the torrent, had once compelled anunfortunate bullock to descend it; but that, excepting a few bones, nota vestige of the animal could afterwards be found at the bottom.
"It is worth coming all the way from England to behold such a scene asthis," observed Mr Laffan to our guide, as he put a piece of money intothe man's hand. "The young milord is highly pleased."
The guide took care to inform some persons whom he found at the top ofthe hill, and who were going to Bogota, of the opinion I had formed; andthey of course entertained no suspicion that I was any other than ayoung English lord travelling with his tutor. This was a greatadvantage to us, as it prevented puzzling questions being asked.
Mr Laffan, however, continued to express his fears that the Spanishcaptain might have preceded us, and given notice to the authorities ofour coming.
I, of course, said nothing of having witnessed the man's terrible end,as I had resolved to keep the fearful secret locked in my own bosom.Probably, even had I mentioned it, very little trouble would have beentaken to search out the culprit and bring him to justice.