IV.
GRAVES GAVE UP THEIR DEAD.
I was in the streets of Arica, Peru, when the earth began to rock andreel. Buildings surged and fell, with a crashing noise. The dust rosedense, and darkened the sky. The earth gaped and swallowed up many ofthe people fleeing to the hills back of the town. I followed to anelevation where an awful sight met the terror-stricken populace. Thehills of Arica had for centuries been the burying grounds of theancient Agmaras, a race of Indians who ages ago it seems werefishermen. The convulsions of the earth threw to the surface hundredsof the dried bodies of the Indians, still wrapped in their coarsegarments, the nature of the soil had prevented decay. When the peoplebeheld this they believed the world had come to an end, and they threwthemselves on their faces praying for mercy.
There was a thunderous roar from the sea, growing louder and louder aseach moment of terror sped on, and then, with one mighty crash, atidal wave fifty feet high,--the aftermath of the earthquake--struckthe shore, bearing upon its crest the U. S. Battleship Wateree, oneGerman and two British vessels, leaving them stranded far inland. Asailor from the Wateree was in a boat, and as he was swept past hisvessel he waved the Stars and Stripes in farewell to his comrades onboard.
The shocks had ceased and the storm that followed had spent its fury,when the pall of night came over the stricken city. Human wolves creptfrom their hiding places and began their work of prowling amid theruins and robbing the dead. All night long they held high carnivalamid the scenes of terror and desolation.
Through it all I had been a silent, bewildered spectator. I had fledto the hills only because others did, for I could speak but little ofthe language of the country. I was among the graves when morningdawned and I heard a voice in my own language. Going to the spot Ifound a man with a sprained ankle fighting away a thief. I seized arock and he ran. I aided the injured man to a place of safety, wherewe remained for several days until a conveyance took us back to town.
The man whom I had helped was John L. Thorndike, an American, wellknown in Peru and all over South America, as having built the higheststandard-gauge railway in the world, and a man who at once became mywarmest friend.
But to return to my ship. When the Aven of Aberdeen reachedValparaiso, the mate and a number of sailors immediately deserted thevessel in a boat. The Captain saw them leaving but was powerless tostop them. That night John Mitchell and I stood watch alone. Therebeing no boat it did not occur to them that we would attempt toescape, but about midnight Mitchell said to me, "Spriggings, I dareyou to run away."
"I'll take the dare," I said, "but how will we get ashore?"
"We'll launch one of the hatches," he replied.
It was no sooner said than we tied a rope around one of the heavyhatches, and bearing it to the side of the ship, we lowered itnoiselessly into the water, then let ourselves down the rope and byholding to the hatch, one on either side, we safely swam ashore.
We avoided the business streets of Valparaiso and made our way to thecountry, where we hid in a grove until night. We were without money,our clothes were such as we wore at sea, night was coming on, we werehungry and with no place to sleep. Our only thought had been to escapefrom the Aven, for we had imbibed the superstition of sailors, andnothing could induce us to remain aboard that vessel since the phantomship had crossed our bow.
I saw a light in a farmhouse in the distance and on our approach theinmates were aroused by the barking of their dog. The man was atypical Chilean, short and stout. He looked curiously at us and bysigns Mitchell made him understand that we were hungry. He entered thehouse and returned with his wife and two children. Mitchell repeatedhis signs and the woman went inside and returned with a cup of milk,which we drank greedily. The man then beckoned us inside where we hada supper of meat, bread and coffee. They collected a number of sheepskins, gave us two mats for covering, and we slept soundly.
The next morning we helped the man in his garden, drew water for thecattle and made ourselves useful in other ways. I went almost everyday for two weeks to the summit of the hill where I had seen asplendid view of the bay, to see if the Aven was still in port. Oneday I saw her spread her sails and I watched her until she was but aspeck on the horizon.
Our host by this time, I think, knew we had run away, for on oneoccasion he followed me when I making my observation, but if hesuspected anything he never took any steps to have us arrested, and infact treated us with great kindness. When we left he gave us a largepackage of food and some clean stockings and shirts which his wife hadmade for us.
It was nightfall when we entered Valparaiso. Near the plaza Victoriawe paused before an English boarding house sign. As we stood looking,a middle-aged man came out and asked us our business. Before we couldreply he said: "I bet you are the two boys from the Aven." Ourfrightened looks told him we were. He invited us in and gave ussupper.
We soon learned to our dismay that this man was the notorious CockneySpider, keeper of a runaway sailor's boarding house. At night Cockneywould start out to some vessel in the bay of Valparaiso, everythinghaving been pre-arranged, take off those sailors desiring to runaway,secrete them in the house and when opportunity offered, ship themagain. The amount of bounty paid by ships short of men was oftenlarge, and as Cockney always arranged to have poor runaways deep indebt for board and lodging, the sailor on being re-shipped was worseoff, and Cockney the gainer. He often took desperate chances instealing sailors, as the coast guard and other officials were sharp.Many in that traffic were captured, but Cockney always escaped.
After we spent the night in his home he asked me if I could write.Replying in the affirmative, I was installed as chief book-keeper ofthe notorious runaway sailor boarding house. My duties were toregister the sailors brought to the house, keep a record of theirmeals, charge so much a night for lodging, and present their bill whenthey were ready to leave. I held the position for two weeks, when onenight Cockney came home intoxicated and told me that he had shippedMitchell that night on a French bark. A sailor gave me a sly wink andwhispered, "Your turn will come next, he intends to ship you on awhaler." My experience with the ice on the Aven had given me a horrorof frozen seas, and that night I stole away from the boarding house.
I was in dread of Cockney Spider, and, in my determination to escape,I became a stowaway on a coast steamer and landed at Arica, with a fewdollars in my pocket, paid to me by Spider.
When I arrived at Mollendo in company with Mr. John L. Thorndike, heintroduced me to Mr. Hill, his general manager, as his "boy protector"and told him to give me employment and see that I was well providedfor.
In a short while I was in the railway shops, learning the trade ofmachinist, and later I was engineer on the railroad running from thesea port of Mollendo to Arequipa, more than one hundred miles in theinterior. The city is situated in a beautiful and fertile valley inthe heart of the Andes. The majestic volcanic mountain Misti somemiles away rises nearly four miles above the sea and smoke stillissues from its crater.
I had lately been transferred from the shops in Mollendo to Arequipa,when, hearing fabulous stories of rich gold finds in the Andes, andbeing imbued with an adventurous spirit, I resolved to try my fortunein the new El Dorado.