In New Granada Part 23

"Friends," I asked, "what has happened lately in this town?"

"The G.o.dos have pa.s.sed through it, and as we were Patriots they burned down a large part, and killed most of us. Look at yonder woman; she alone survives of all her family. You see almost all the remaining inhabitants," and the speaker uttered a bitter laugh.

"I can feel for you, for I am a Patriot," I answered; "and I want to find my way to the army of General Bolivar."

"I would act as your guide, but I have no horse," answered the man; "and I could not sit one if I had; look here, senor,"--and he showed me a severe wound on his side. "Nor can we help you," he continued, "for there is no young man left in the place who would be able to go; but I can direct you on your road. And you will rejoice to hear, senor, that the last news which reached us is that the general has beaten the accursed G.o.dos; though whether it is true I know not. Good news never travels so fast as ill news."

I tried to cheer my new friend, and he undertook to obtain some refreshments for us.

"You may enter any of the houses you please, for most of them are empty; but to mine you are welcome."

While he went to find some food and fodder for our horses, I rode back to where I had left Mr Laffan.

On our return we found plenty of fodder for our horses, but the fare with which we were supplied was very scanty, almost everything having been carried off by the plunderers.

"If, however, we would wait," our host said, "he would find some fruit, and procure some fowls which had escaped."

As we were anxious to proceed, we begged that he would point out the road we were to take. This he did, and we bade him farewell.

We had still some hours to ride before nightfall, when we must, if possible, find shelter. As far as we could judge, it might take us three or four days to reach the Patriot camp, and some time must elapse before relief could be sent to Juan,--and what might not occur in the meantime?

Whenever we pulled rein, Mr Laffan stood up and took a survey of the country.

"It is wise to ascertain what's moving when traversing a country, or in our course through life," he observed. "We may thus know where to find our friends and avoid our foes."

Frequently, however, the view on either side was bounded by woods, the trees rising to a prodigious size. Many of them ran up to an amazing height in a straight line before they began to branch out. From some of the fig species, various shoots descended perpendicularly, where they took root, so that we had no little difficulty in making our way through these woody columns. Between the openings we caught sight of the mountains rising to the skies; and occasionally a stream crossed our path, or ran foaming along on one side or the other.

We had hoped to reach some friendly village or farmhouse, where we might rest during the hours of darkness, and obtain better food for our horses than they could pick up in the forest; but though we pushed on until an hour after sunset, no glimmering window-light appeared to beckon us towards it, and we had at last to look about for an open s.p.a.ce where we might bivouac. We accordingly dismounted, and tethering our animals, commenced searching for wood to light a fire. We ran no small risk, as may be supposed, of rousing up a venomous serpent, or disturbing a boa during its rest, while at any moment a jaguar or puma might pounce down upon us, or a bear make its appearance. We succeeded in obtaining fuel enough to make a pretty large fire, and by its bright flames we the more easily obtained a further supply of wood. We had, however, but scanty materials for a meal,--some fruit, and a few pieces of Indian corn bread. I gave part of my share to poor Lion, who looked up wonderingly at finding himself put on short commons in a land of plenty. There was sufficient gra.s.s, however, for our horses to obtain a feed, and as we had watered them a short time before, they were not so badly off.

Having collected fuel enough to last for the night, we cut a number of sticks, which we ran into the ground to form a shelter against any sudden attack of wild animals during the night; and then, pretty well tired out, lay down to rest. Every now and then Captain Laffan or I got up to change the position of our horses, but we dared not leave them far from the fire, lest some jaguar might spring out and kill one of them, although it might not be able to carry off its prey. Great as was our anxiety, we by turns got some sleep; and at dawn, again mounting, we rode forward. The sky, however, was cloudy, and we had greater difficulty than before in guiding our course.

We rode on for some hours, until the pangs of hunger and the necessity of resting ourselves made us resolve to stop. I was fortunate enough to kill a good-sized monkey, which was grinning down at us from a bough close above our heads; and we also found as much wild fruit as we required. So, having reached the banks of a stream, where we and our horses could get water, and where there was abundance of gra.s.s, we halted, and quickly had a fire lighted, and part of our monkey roasting before it. The other part I had given to Lion, who was quite ready to eat it uncooked.

We again moved forward, but we both felt very doubtful whether we were going right. For my own part, I know but few sensations so disagreeable as the idea that one has lost one's way. We were pa.s.sing along a low sandy spot, with high bushes and trees on either side, when Captain Laffan's horse gave a sudden start; and looking down, we saw a small shiny snake gliding away. The horse had evidently been bitten, for we could see the mark of the creature's fangs above the fetlock, and soon the leg began to swell. The poor animal proceeded with the greatest difficulty. What remedies to apply we neither of us knew, but we had heard of the existence of a small snake called the aranas, the poison from whose fangs is so subtle that animals bitten often die within an hour; and even when remedies are applied, few are ever saved.

"The creature might have bitten either of ourselves," I observed.

"I do not think this species ever attacks man,--though I should not like to put the matter to the test," answered Captain Laffan.

There was no use in our stopping, especially as there might be other snakes of the same kind in the neighbourhood. We therefore, as long as the poor horse could move, pushed forward; but its pace became more and more sluggish, as the limb continued to swell. At length the animal stopped altogether, and my companion, feeling it tremble, leaped off.

Scarcely had he done so when it came to the ground, and lay struggling in violent convulsions. Mr Laffan contrived to take off the saddle before it was damaged. In a few minutes, foaming at the mouth, the horse died, evidently in great pain.

"No use groaning over what cannot be helped," observed the captain.

"You take the saddle, and put it before you; I'll carry the bridle; and I must try to get another horse as soon as possible."

The delay was serious, but it could not be helped; so we moved along, Mr Laffan trudging by my side. I asked him to get up, but he positively refused to do so.

The belief that we had lost our road was still further depressing. I thought especially of the serious consequences which might ensue to Juan should we not soon obtain the a.s.sistance of which we were in search. At length my eye fell on a papaw-tree, and what appeared to be a hut just below it. Riding on, we saw a Creole peasant-woman walking along and spinning, evidently near her home. At first, on seeing us, she seemed disposed to fly; but on our calling to her and a.s.suring her that we were friends, she stood still, waiting for us to come up. Our wants were soon explained: we should be glad, of a horse, a guide, and especially of some food. Food she could give us. Her husband was out, she said, but he would soon return, and he would procure a horse, of which there were several broken-in on the farm; and perhaps he himself would act as our guide.

Eager to push on, our patience was greatly tried; though we waited and waited, the woman's husband did not appear. At last Mr Laffan proposed going out and catching one of the horses.

"But then you will not know in what direction to ride," observed the woman. "You have no right, either, to take the horse without my husband's leave."

"Might makes right," answered Mr Laffan; "however, we will not act the part of robbers, but will pay you handsomely for the horse."

This promise satisfied the poor woman.

Fortunately, just as we were setting out the husband returned, and was evidently well-pleased at the thought of getting a good price for one of his animals. He also undertook to guide us, if we could wait until the next morning at daybreak, and would promise him a reward. He took good care, indeed, that we should not start before then, as it was nearly dark before he returned with the horse. It was a tolerably good animal, though rather small, and we willingly promised him the price he asked.

He described to us feelingly the terror he had been in lest the G.o.dos should visit his farm; though, excepting a few cattle and horses, there was little they could have obtained. His wife had been in still greater fear lest they might carry her husband off as a recruit; but he had kept in hiding, and she had conveyed food to him from day to day, until the Spaniards had left the neighbourhood.

We managed to rest with tolerable comfort on heaps of Indian corn leaves, and slept securely, without the fear of being attacked by jaguars, bears, or other wild beasts, or being bitten by serpents.

Faithful to his promise, our host appeared the next morning with the horse for Mr Laffan, while he brought a smaller animal for himself.

His wife insisted on putting up a supply of food for the day, and was evidently unwilling to receive any reward. After a good breakfast we started, thankful to find ourselves on the right road.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

OUR GUIDE COMPLAINS OF OUR RAPID PACE--HE LEAVES US--WE MEET CAPTAIN LOPEZ--OUR DOUBTS AS TO HIS OBJECT--IN A DESERTED HUT--WE MEET UNCLE RICHARD AND A BODY OF INFANTRY--WE TURN BACK WITH HIM--A RAPID STREAM-- FINDING A BRIDGE--THE SPANIARDS ADVANCING--A RUSH TO GAIN THE BRIDGE--WE REACH IT FIRST--A FIGHT--THE SPANIARDS DEFEATED--NO PRISONERS TAKEN--WE APPROACH THE FORT--CAPTAIN LAFFAN AND I RIDE ON TO RECONNOITRE--SIGNS OF DISASTER--OUR MEN FIRE--A FLOCK OF GALENACHAS RISES FROM THE FORT, WHICH APPEARS IN RUINS--DEAD BODIES SCATTERED ABOUT--DISCOVERY OF THAT OF JUAN--WE RAISE A TOMB OVER HIS GRAVE--THE ARMY OF BOLIVAR--DESCRIPTION OF THE GENERAL--TREACHERY OF COLONEL LOPEZ--ATTEMPT TO a.s.sa.s.sINATE BOLIVAR--NUMEROUS ENGAGEMENTS--PRAISE FROM THE GENERAL--MY RETURN HOME-- AN INTERVIEW WITH DONA DOLORES--SHE JOINS THE ARMY--WAR THE GREATEST CURSE THAT CAN AFFLICT A COUNTRY--CONCLUSION.

We endeavoured to make up for lost time by galloping as fast as our horses would go, whenever the ground would admit of our doing so. Every moment might be of consequence. Should the Spaniards again attack the fort, we knew too well that our friends would have a hard matter to hold it. Our guide frequently exclaimed that we should knock up our steeds, or bring them to the ground.

"Never fear, my friend," said Mr Laffan; "if we do, we must pick ourselves up again."

"But your bones, senors, your bones; you will break them or your necks,"

murmured our guide.

"Never mind--we must do the best we can; you don't know what we Englishmen are made of," said Mr Laffan.

"But I may break my neck, and then what will become of my poor Margarida?" cried our guide.

"We will do our best to console her, and find her another husband. On, on!" cried Mr Laffan.

In vain were all the expostulations of our guide. The dominie lashed his little steed, and up hill and down dale we kept on. Probably Tomaso would have left us to pursue our course alone and find our own way, had not my friend wisely kept back a portion of the price of the horse, lest such a trick might be played us. At last Tomaso pointed out what he called the highroad, and a.s.sured us that by keeping straight on we should in time reach the Patriot camp. How far off it was, however, he did not say. He now begged hard for the sum we owed him.

"Here it is, my friend; you have well earned it, I own," said Mr Laffan, handing him the amount.

He was profuse in his expressions of grat.i.tude. "A fortunate journey to you, caballeros; and may the Patriot cause prove triumphant," he added, as, making a low bow, he turned his horse's head and rode back the way we had come.

We had not got far when we saw a horseman galloping in hot haste towards us; by his dress and accoutrements we knew him to be an officer. As he got nearer I recognised him to be Captain Lopez. He pulled up, and began to address us before he recognised either of us.

"Can you tell me, caballeros, if a division of the Spanish forces is stationed anywhere in the neighbourhood? I am told that such is the case."

"And what object, Captain Lopez, have you for wishing to know where to find the Spanish forces?" asked Captain Laffan, looking sternly at him.

"Surely you are not going to desert to them!"

Captain Lopez now recognised us, and looked very much confused. He answered--