The World of Waters - Mrs. David Osborne
"'I remember in the course of the day, going to the side of the
boy's hammock; and, on laying my hand upon his breast, being
astonished to find it still warm; so much so, that I almost imagined
I could feel the heart beat. This, of course, was a vain fancy; but
I was greatly attached to my little companion, being then not much
taller myself, and I was soothed and gratified, in a childish way,
by discovering that my friend, though many hours dead, had not yet
acquired the usual revolting chilliness.
"'Something occurred during the day to prevent the funeral taking
place at the usual hour; and the ceremony was deferred until long
after sunset. The evening was extremely dark, and it was blowing a
treble-reefed topsail breeze. We had just sent down the top-gallant
yards, and had made all snug for a boisterous winter's night. As it
became necessary to have lights to see what was done, several signal
lanterns were placed on the break of the quarter-deck, and others
along the hammock railing on the lee-gangway. The whole ship's
company and officers were assembled; some on the booms, others in
the boats; while the main-rigging was crowded half-way up to the
cat-harpings. Overhead the mainsail, illuminated as high as the yard
by the lamps, was bulging forwards under the gale, which was rising
every minute, and straining so violently at the main-sheet, that
there was some doubt whether it might not be necessary to interrupt
the funeral in order to take sail off the ship. The lower-deck ports
lay completely under water, and several times the muzzles of the
main-deck guns were plunged into the sea; so that the ends of the
grating on which the remains of poor "Dolly" were laid, once or
twice nearly touched the tops of the waves, as they foamed and
hissed past. The rain fell fast on the bare heads of the crew,
dropping also on the officers during all the ceremony, from the foot
of the mainsail, and wetting the leaves of the prayer-book. The wind
sighed over us amongst the wet shrouds, with a note so mournful,
that there could not have been a more appropriate dirge.
"'The ship pitching violently, strained and cracked from end to end;
so that, what with the noise of the sea, the rattling of the ropes,
and the whistling of the wind, hardly one word of the service could
be distinguished. The men, however, understood by a motion of the
captain's hand, when the time came, and the body of our dear little
brother was committed to the deep.
"'So violent a squall was sweeping past the ship at this moment that
no sound was heard of the usual splash, which made the sailors
(naturally superstitious) allege, that their young favorite never
touched the water at all, but was at once carried off in the gale to
his final resting-place!'"
GEORGE. "Oh! how very melancholy. It seems much more dismal to be
buried in the sea than on the land:
"'For the dead should lie in the churchyard green,
Where the pleasant flowers do spring.'"
EMMA. "I shall be grateful to Captain Hall if his pathetic
description of the funeral of 'Dolly' checks your desire to become a
sailor, George; for I cannot bear to think of it. We are now to sail
along the coast of South America, and the first gulfs in the north
of this coast are the gulfs of Maracaybo, Coro, Trieste, and Paria,
by the island of Trinidad, where----"
CHARLES. "Stop! stop! Emma. Out of four gulfs there must be
something to be had worth fishing for, is there not?"
MR. BARRAUD. "You may fish for melancholy in the Gulf of Trieste,
Charles, if you are so disposed, for it is a dreadful place. Here,
in the midst of furious waves, enormous rocks raise their isolated
heads, and scarcely, even with a fair wind, can ships overcome the
strength of the stream."
CHARLES. "We will not angle in _that_ gulf; but I have fished up an
island in Maracaybo, or Venezuela Gulf. It is called Curacoa, and is
arid and sterile. There is very little water, and only one well in
the island, and the water is sold at a high price. Its capital is
Williamstadt, one of the neatest cities in the West Indies."
MRS. WILTON. "The entrance to the Gulf of Paria on the north side is
called Dragon's Mouth, on the south, Serpent's Mouth. This gulf
separates Trinidad from South America. Trinidad is about 70 miles
from east to west, and nearly 50 from north to south. The most
remarkable phenomenon there is a bituminous lake, situated on the
western coast, near the village of La Brea. It is nearly three miles
in extent, of a circular form, and about 80 feet above the level of
the sea. Small islands, covered with plants and shrubs, are
occasionally observed on this lake, but it is subject to frequent
changes, and the verdant isles often disappear. Trinidad is
important on account of its fertility, its extent, and its
position."
EMMA. "The next bay in our course is the Bay of Oyapok."
MRS. WILTON. "And the next country in our course is Guiana, washed
by the Atlantic. This country is subject to annual inundations. All
the rivers overflow their banks; forests, trees, shrubs, and
parasitical plants seem to float on the water, and the sea tinged
with yellow clay, adds its billows to the fresh-water streams.
Quadrupeds are forced to take refuge on the highest trees: large
lizards, agoutis, and pecaries[12] quit their watery dens and
remain on the branches. Aquatic birds spring upon the trees to avoid
the cayman[13] and serpents that infest the temporary lakes. The
fish forsake their ordinary food, and live on the fruits and berries
of the shrubs through which they swim,--the crab is found upon
trees, and the oyster multiplies in the forest. The Indian, who
surveys from his canoe this new chaos, this confusion of earth and
sea, suspends his hammock on an elevated branch, and sleeps without
fear in the midst of so great danger."
[Footnote 12: Animals similar to the wild boar of Europe, but very
small.]
[Footnote 13: Cayman: a species of alligator.]
GRANDY. "Emma will have more than she can accomplish to-night, if
she wishes to enter all the bays around South America, for no
country in the world is so famous for its enormous gulfs."
MR. WILTON. "Yes; we must make a division for another meeting.
To-night we will sail down to Cape Horn, and sojourn there until the
21st of this month. We could not choose a more favorable time than
March for our visit."
EMMA. "Very well, then, we will merely mention some of these bays,
viz.:--Pinzon, Maripani, Gurupy, Turiassu, Cuma, Paraiba, All
Saints, Camanu, and St. Salvador Bay, near Rio de Janeiro."
MR. WILTON. "Well, Emma, you have certainly manoeuvred well to bring
us over the equator without the usual visitation of Neptune and
Amphitrite, and we must all thank you for landing us, without a
ducking, in the principal town of Brazil. So now we will walk about
and see the lions."
GEORGE. "We can go and fill our pockets, papa; for it is said that
through the whole of this country, at the depth of twenty-four feet
from the surface, there is a thin vein of gold, the particles of
which are carried by the springs and heavy rains into the
neighboring rivers, from the sands of which they are gathered by
negroes employed for that purpose. There, too, we might happen to
find some diamonds"
CHARLES. "You would find it not so easy to collect gold and diamonds
as you imagine, and I expect you would come back poorer than you
went."
MRS. WILTON. "Rio de Janeiro possesses one of the finest harbors
known, having at its entrance a bar, at the extremes of which rise
two rocks. This bay is twenty-four leagues in length, and eight in
width, and has in it many islands; some are cultivated and possess
sugar-works. The most celebrated of them is named De Cobra, off
which island ships cast anchor. On the opposite side of this city, a
natural wall of rocks, called Los Organos, extends itself as far as
the sea, and forms a perfect line of defence independently of the
neighboring fortresses."
EMMA. "Paraguay is the adjacent coast, and derives its name from the
Payaguas, a treacherous and deceitful people, who subsist by
fishing. It is a fertile district, and produces a species of
ilex,[14] which makes the tea so much used in South America. The
laborers, who esteem it vastly more than we do our Chinese tea,
will refuse to work if deprived of it. The twigs are steeped with
the leaves, and the tea is taken through a silver or glass tube. The
gulfs along here are not very important. I have no account of them."
[Footnote 14: Ilex: a species of oak.]
MRS. WILTON. "Monte Video is the next coast, and derives its name
from a mountain near the city; it is completely enclosed with
fortifications. The inhabitants are humane and well disposed. The
ladies in general affable and polite, and extremely fond of dress,
and very neat and cleanly in their persons. They adopt the English
costume at home, but go abroad usually in black, and always covered
with a large veil or mantle. Provisions here are very cheap; and
such is the profusion of flesh-meat, that the vicinity for two miles
round, and even the purlieus of the town itself, present filthy
spectacles of bones and raw flesh at every step, which feed immense
flocks of sea-gulls, and, in summer, breed myriads of flies, to the
great annoyance of the inhabitants, who are obliged, at table, to
have a servant or two continually employed in fanning the dishes
with feathers to drive away these troublesome intruders."
EMMA. "Between Monte Video and Buenos Ayres are many bays: False
Bay, Brightman Bay, and Union Bay are the principal."
MRS. WILTON. "Buenos Ayres was founded in 1535 by Don Pedro de
Mendoza, who gave it that name on account of the salubrity of its
climate. This town is in many respects the most considerable of all
the commercial towns in South America. Bread is by no means the
staff of life here, for meat and the great variety of roots and
grain with which the country abounds, afford to the poor inhabitants
an equally healthy and even more nutritious substance."
EMMA."--South of Buenos Ayres are Antonio Bay, Nuevo Gulf, Ergano
Bay, Gulf of Vera, and Gulf of St. George, which last runs into the
country of the gigantic Patagonians."
MR. BARRAUD. "The bays here afford good anchorage for ships; but
there are neither inhabitants, wood, nor fresh water in the adjacent
country: a few aquatic birds and sea-wolves remain unmolested on
these dismal shores."
MR. WILTON. "Patagonia is inhabited by wandering tribes of Indians.
From their extraordinary size they have given rise to many
remarkable tales. Fernandez de Magalhanes says, that one day, when
the fleet was anchored at Port San Julian, a person of gigantic
stature appeared on the shore. He sang, he danced, and sprinkled
dust on his forehead: a sailor was sent to land, with orders to
imitate his gestures, which were considered signals of peace. The
seaman performed his part so well, that the giant accompanied him to
the commander's vessel. He pointed to the sky, wishing to inquire if
the Spaniards had descended from heaven. His size was such that the
sailors' heads did not come up to his waist."
GEORGE. "But are they really giants, papa?"
MR. WILTON. "Not exactly _giants_, my dear; not men who could travel
in seven league boots: but they are really large people; many of
them seven feet high; and such men seen through a traveller's
microscope, would be magnified to huge giants!"
CHARLES. "Now, here we are in the land of Fires! and yet it is very
cold. Emma, you are surely not going to name all these little bays?"
EMMA. "Do not be alarmed, Charles: I will not so far tax your
patience; but we must see Terra del Fuego. It is divided into three
large islands,--South Desolation, Clarence Island, and King
Charles's Southland; besides which there are hundreds of smaller
isles, habited and uninhabited."
MRS. WILTON. "Having reached the southern extremity of the American
continent, we may take an excursion to some of the neighboring
islands; for although they are not all subject to America, still
they are nearer to it than to any other country. To the south of
Patagonia there is a number of cold, barren, and mountainous
islands; volcanoes which cannot melt, brighten and illumine the
perpetual snow in these dismal regions. Here it was that the sailors
observed fires on the southern shores of the strait, for which
reason the land on that side was called Terra del Fuego."
GEORGE. "Mamma, I wish to know why March is a favorable month for
visiting Cape Horn?"
MRS. WILTON. "Because midsummer takes place in February, and is the
best time of the year. July is the worst month, for then the sun
does not rise until nine o'clock, and it sets at three, giving
eighteen hours night; and then, also, snow and rain, gales and high
winds are in abundance. Charles, will you favor us with some account
of the islands?"
CHARLES. "Staten is a detached island, which may be considered as
forming part of the archipelago of Terra del Fuego. It was
discovered by Lemaire.
"The Falklands are two large islands, separated from each other by a
broad channel of the same name. We are now nearly out of the
Atlantic."
MR. WILTON. "Yes; we had now better clear the decks, and pipe to
supper."
GEORGE. "One question more, dear papa. Can any one tell the depth of
the Atlantic?"
MR. WILTON. "The depth is extremely various, and in many places
wholly beyond the power of man to fathom. The greatest depth that
has ever been reached, was effected by Captain Scoresby in the sea
near Greenland, in the year 1817, and was 7,200 feet. Many parts of
the Atlantic are thought to be three times this depth. How much is
that, my boy?"
GEORGE. "21,600 feet, papa."
MR. WILTON. "Well done! Now go and discuss mamma's _realities_, and
try and remember as much as possible of our imaginary wanderings,
that they may prove of _real_ utility to you in your journey through
life."
CHAPTER VI.
The water of the vast ocean,
When it has raged with all its fury, becalms itself again;
This is the course of the world;--and likewise still to forget.
_Kalmuck Song_.
There were no disappointments on the twenty-first; but there was
evidently some cause of uneasiness, for there was a great deal of
whispering between George and his sister, and a great many
significant glances at papa, which plainly indicated that some
important disclosure was about to be made. But muffins and tea
appeared, and disappeared, and still not a word. George fidgeted,
and Emma looked uneasy, which Mr. Wilton observing, he said: "I
apprehend there will be no business done to-night, unless I set
these anxious little folks at rest, by informing the present company
of the events which have transpired since our last meeting. I
believe you were aware that it was my intention shortly to visit
Jamaica. During the past week I have been bringing affairs to a
crisis, and it is now finally arranged, that, should nothing
intervene to the prevention of our plans, we sail for that island on
or about the thirtieth of next month. This, of course, will preclude
the possibility of meeting many more times; but I think we may
promise ourselves one farewell debate. I regret our separation
principally on account of our little society, for it has been the
means of passing our evenings, not only agreeably, but profitably.
Should our lives be spared, I trust we shall again assemble under
the same roof and again enjoy the advantages of each other's
researches."
This news spread a gloom over the little party, for they could not
contemplate a separation from their kind friends without feelings of
deep regret, and there were more tears than smiles in their usually
bright eyes.
Grandy looked from one young face to another: all wore the same
expression. Thoughtful, sorrowful, and silent, they sat around the
table where they had enjoyed so many happy hours; and she, too, felt
that, although it is delightful to possess the affection of friends,
yet too often that affection is the cause of much anxiety and deep
enduring sorrow.
A separation of 5000 miles was not a trifling cause of grief; but it
was a pity to tinge the next month of their existence with
unavailing melancholy: it had been better that it had remained a
secret, than to have caused such unhappiness to cloud their serene
and cheerful days; and Mrs. Wilton endeavored to make them view the
matter in a brighter light. "At all events," she said, "we must not
render each other miserable, because we are called upon to exercise
this self-denial. It is wrong to waste in unavailing regrets the
time we have still to be together, and be gloomy and sad for a whole
month. No! that cannot possibly improve our affairs, and will only
unfit us for the performance of our duty, and increase our misery.
Come, wipe away those glistening tears, my children, or they will
freeze on your cheeks; for, if I mistake not, we are supposed to be
somewhere about the sixtieth parallel of south latitude, and the
thermometer somewhat below Zero. Come, see who will find the
situation first. George, try what you can do."
The children commenced their search, and before George exclaimed
"South Shetland, dear mamma!" every eye, although still dimmed with
tears, was eagerly in quest of the desired parallel.
MRS. WILTON. "Right, George! I fear it will not be prudent to
venture any further south, as we may encounter some ice-islands, for
there are several in this vicinity; but I should like to hear, if
any of you can tell me why Deception Isle (one of the South Shetland
group) is so called?"
DORA. "It is so called from its very exact resemblance to a ship in
full sail, and has deceived many navigators. This island is
inhabited only by penguins, sea-leopards, pintadors, and various
kinds of petrels. It is volcanic, apparently composed of alternate
layers of ashes and ice, as if the snow of each winter, during a
series of years, had been prevented from melting in the following
summer by the ejection of cinders and ashes from some part where
volcanic action is still in progress; and that such is the case
seems probable, from the fact of there being at least one hundred
and fifty holes from which steam issues with a loud hissing noise,
and which are, or were, visible from the top of one of the hills
immediately above the small cone where Lieutenant Kendall's ship was
secured, to whom I am indebted for this information."
MRS. WILTON. "The only habitable islands near here are the Sandwich
Isles (not Captain Cook's) and Georgia; but they are neither large,
numerous, nor important: we will, therefore, round the Cape and
enter the Pacific Ocean."
DORA "According to Emma's chart we are to follow the coast, calling
at as many of the islands as are worthy of notice; but, previously,
here are the bays to be enumerated, and such a number of them! I
could scarcely have imagined it possible for any shores to be so
indented."
EMMA. "I need not read all the names, as with your maps you can each
read for yourself; but the following are the largest: Gulf of
Trinidad. Gulf of Penas, Gulf of Ancud by the Island of Chiloe, and
Conception Bay on the coast of Chili."
MRS. WILTON. "Here is a part for me to play, I perceive. The natives
of the coast of the Gulf of Penas are descendants of the
Araucanians, a warlike people, who, observing the great advantages
the Europeans possessed from the use of gunpowder, tried in vain to
learn its composition. They saw negroes among the Spaniards, and
because their color was supposed to resemble that of gunpowder, they
imagined they had discovered the long-wished-for secret. A poor
negro was caught by them and burnt alive, in the full belief that
gunpowder would be obtained from his ashes."
GEORGE. "Poor man! what ignorant people they must be. Are we to stop
at the Island of Chiloe?"
MR. BARRAUD. "Most certainly, as you will agree when you hear what I
have to say. It lies near the south coast of Chili: its length is
120 miles, average breadth 40 miles. It is mountainous and covered
with cedar, which is exported in great quantities to Peru and Chili.
The climate is healthy, but damp, as it rains ten months out of the
year. Money is here almost unknown, and traffic is conducted by
barter, or payment in indigo, tea, salt, or Cayenne pepper. All
these articles are much valued, particularly the indigo for dyeing
woollens, for the weaving of which there is a loom in every house.
According to Captain Blankley, the golden age would seem to be
revived in this part of the world. 'Murders,' says he, 'robbery, or
persons being in debt, are never heard of: drunkenness is only known
or seen when European vessels are in port: not a private dwelling in
the towns or country has a lock on the doors, and the prison is in
disuse.' The inhabitants are cheerful, and passionately fond of
music and dancing."
EMMA. "I think we had better remain at Chiloe: it must be a
delightful place to live in, where all the inhabitants are so
upright and honest."
MRS. WILTON. "Yes, my dear; but business must be attended to before
pleasure, and we are bound for Chili.
"Chili is an independent State, and includes the country of those
same ignorant Araucanians; who, notwithstanding their attributed
ignorance, have proved themselves equal in some respects to
Europeans; for _they_ have tried in vain to subdue this warlike race
of men. The shores of Chili are mostly high, steep, and rocky. The
whole country is extremely rich in metals: silver is there found
nearer the surface than in any other country. Nearly all the rivers
wash down gold and there are copper, lead, and even _coal_ mines.
The Chilians are good potters, and make light, strong, earthenware
jars, which ring like metal. Chili is _specially_ subject to
earthquakes; shocks are felt in some parts almost daily, and the
country is continually desolated by them."
MR. WILTON. "The little island of Mocha on this coast was once
celebrated as a resort of buccaneers, and thickly peopled; but it
was found deserted by Captain Strong in 1690; and appears to have
remained uninhabited since."
EMMA. "The most memorable island near our course is Juan Fernandez,
110 miles from the coast. I ought rather to have said islands, for
there are two. The largest was discovered by a Spaniard in 1563, and
has been so much praised by early navigators, that it has been
thought an earthly paradise. Its chief advantages arises from its
being a good resting-place for ships. This island is called
Mas-a-terra, because nearest the continent. There are many Spanish
settlers there, who have erected a battery, and built a town. The
smaller island is generally called Mas-a-fuero, because further from
the continent."
MR. WILTON. "Juan Fernandez has lately been taken on lease from the
Chilian Government, by an enterprising American, who has taken
thither about 150 families of Tahitians, with the intention of
cultivating the land, rearing cattle, and so improving the port of
Cumberland Bay, that it may become the resort of whalers, and other
vessels navigating the Pacific Ocean."
CHARLES. "Oh! for the imagination of Daniel de Foe to conjure up the
delightful pictures of his Robinson Crusoe. The poet Cowper has done
much towards handing the event down to posterity, in his touching
account of the feelings of the poor outcast when he found himself on
the desolate shore."
GEORGE. "Oh! you mean Alexander Selkirk's soliloquy. I think I can
remember some of the verses:--
"' I am out of humanity's reach,
I must finish my journey alone,
Never hear the sweet music of speech,
I start at the sound of my own.
The beasts that roam over the plain
My form with indifference bee;
They're so unaccustomed to man,
Their tameness is shocking to me.'
"'Religion I what treasure untold
Resides in that heavenly word!
More precious than silver or gold,
Or all that this earth can afford;
But the sound of the church-going bell,
These valleys and rocks never heard,
Ne'er sigh'd at the sound of a knell,
Or smil'd when a sabbath appear'd."
"'Ye winds, that have made me your sport,
Convey to this desolate shore,
Some cordial, endearing report
Of a land I shall visit no more.
My friends--do they now and then send
A wish or a thought after me?
Oh! tell me I yet have a friend,
Though a friend I am never to see!'"
EMMA. "A life of solitude must be very dreadful: we cannot conceive
such an existence while surrounded by our dear friends, and all the
luxuries of civilized life. How long was Alexander Selkirk on the
island?"
CHARLES. "Four years and four months, I believe."
DORA. "In sailing along the coast of Peru we must pass close to
Lima, its capital, which is a magnificent city. Like other Spanish
cities of America it is laid out in quadras or squares of houses,
and through the centre of nearly all the streets runs a stream of
water three feet wide, which carries away a good portion of the
refuse of the city."
MR. BARRAUD. "The ladies of Lima are celebrated for beauty and
fineness of figure. They wear a very remarkable walking dress,
peculiar to this city and Truxillo. It consists of two parts, one
called the _saya_, the other the _manto_. The first is an elastic
dress, fitting close to the figure down to the ankles; the other is
an entire envelope, disclosing scarcely more than one eye to the
most scrutinizing observer. A rich colored handkerchief or a silk
band and tassel are frequently tied around the waist, and hang
nearly to the ground in front."