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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^^^ ^iaZIE'SS^ SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC. »BBB!5S! LONDON : GIIiBEBT AM> KIVINOTO\, I'KINTKRS, ST. JOHK's SqUAKB. ■» ij!iui ___ ■ ■., I I 'Hf .J&^-»^ ■4 ^^^^ SrOHTLN DVKN'K HJ TN TIM': PACIFIC W'lilU^i ,\* u mimmmmmmmm pp^ipil^HII I 11,1 tp.l IH,I Willi I j^ll'i ':'."' SPOETING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC, WHILST IN COMMAND OF THE "REINDEER." BT v. CAPTAIN W. R. KENNEDY, R.N. ftonHoii : » SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON, CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET. 1876. * lAll rights reserved.l TO VICE-ADMIRAL ARTHUR FARQUIIAR, LATK COMHANDEH-IN-CniKF ON TItR PACIFIC STATION, Ct)tt 14 SPORTING ADVENTURES Bleaker Island, where we anchored for the night. The ship being secured, a large party of sports- men went ashore. Attaching myself to the go- vernor and Captain Packe, we first visited a small lake close to the beach, where we shot at least a dozen ducks in half as many minutes ; we then went in search of wild pigs, as their tracks were plainly to be seen. Packe and I entered some long pampas grass, accompanied by our two dogs, Niger and Turk. The latter soon gave tongue, and bolted into the thick scrub, whither we followed as fast as we could, guided only by the sound, as nothing could be seen at any distance. Presently I caught sight of a pig, and fired a snap-shot at it through the rushes. On going to the spot, I found to my horror, not. only the pig lying dead, but my poor faithful dog Niger lying near it, killed by the same ball. I never saw the dog when I fired, and can only suppose that the poor beast must have jumped up at the moment, receiving the ball through his head >-^^Mf IN THE PACIFIC. 15 before it reached the pig. I was much grieved at this sad accident, for, besides the value of the dog as a retriever, he was a great pet with all on board, and a most amusing, intelligent creature. Thoroughly disgusted with the day's work I returned on board. Some of our sportsmen had been successful, and had bagged two large sows, which must aave afforded good sport ere they succumbed, judging by the way their bodies were riddled with balls. On the 9 th we left Bleaker Island, a fit name for such a place, and, touching for a short time at Speedwell Island, where an eccentric indi- vidual, supposed to be sheep-farming, lived, we anchored the same evening at Fox Harbour. The next day several parties landed, with rod and gun, and another went to haul the seine. Taking a light fly-rod I fished a small stream at the head of the harbour, and killed upwards of three dozen small trout, besides putting as many back. These fish are somewhat similar to the common English trout, with the same •^1 'I :B 16 SPORTING ADVENTURES pink spots ; they are not so well shaped how- ever, being long, narrow fish, in poor condition. Most of the land about Fox Harbour is the property of Captain Packe, who kindly supplied us with excellent mutton and beef for the officers* and ship's company; there are also three or four settlers living there, sheep-farm- ing— some on their own account, and some in Captain Packe's interests. The shooting here was very indifferent, but the seining party had fine sport; they spread the net across the entrance to a creek which was well stocked with mullet. The creek being a cul de sac hardly a fish escaped, and the result of the first haul was about 500 mullet, averaging from 1 lb. to 10 lbs. each, and some as much as 14 lbs., besides a quantity of small fry. Leaving Fox Harbour, November 11th, we steamed through Falkland Sound, but a gaie springing up obliged us to seek shelter under the be of Swan Island, where we anchored, to wait the turn of the tide. There are some sheep on this island, which were landed by IN THE PACIFIC. 17 Mr. Cobb some years ago, and whicli have since gone wild; having a few hours to spare, we went in search of them. Starting across country we came to a lake swarming with duck and teal, and a few geese. A volley soon scattered them, when the sport began. There was another small lake not far off, and the birds kept flying from one to the other, giving us the most splendid shots. Elton stood at one place, I at the other. After some twenty minutes' shooting we gathered up the slain, amounting to twenty brace of teal, besides several ducks, and a few geese. We now went after the sheep, a flock having been spied some way off; so, joining Cobb and Packe, we pro- ceeded to stalk them, having first changed our cartridges to ball. The sheep saw us approach- ing, and bolted at once, but stopped to feed in a valley some distance off ; so we made a long detour to circumvent them. Favoured by the ground, we had no difficulty in getting to within 200 yards of them, but could not approach nearer without being seen ; however, by crawl* c I .M I n I k f ri 8 '1 ? 1 S, F ^ Pi I ,^ 1 iM 18 SPORTING ADVENTURES ing through the grass we got a trifle closer, when they either saw or winded us, and went off at a gallop. Thinking it likely they would make for the beach I ran down to cut them off, and posted myself in view of a pass I expected them to take. I had hardly reached this when the flock came in sight, headed by an old ram. They saw me instantly and stopped, while the old fellow took stock of me, but I cut short his delibera- tions by a ball through the head; the rest bolted, but had not gone far before the second barrel rolled over another, which I also secured. The flock meanwhile ran right against Packe, who killed one and wounded another, which we afterwards got. We killed altogether five, but four of them were in such poor condition as to be not worth taking back. The old ram I had first killed was tolerably fat, so we took him on board; the ball had entered his eye, and gone out at the back of the head. It was now getting late, so we retraced our steps towards the ship, shooting a few rabbits IN THE PACIFIC. 19 and some beautiful pink-breasted gulls on our way. Leaving Swan Island we reaclied Port Howard the same evening. This is one of the most desolate spots in the West Falklands ; the har- bour, however, is a good one, being completely land-locked. We remained there all the next day, Sunday. There are many wild cattle in the neighbourhood, and we were promised some good sport if we remained, but we could not spare the time. From Port Howard we steamed across to a small island near the opposite shore, where we landed and shot twenty couple of rabbits in a very short time, and from thence proceed- ing through the northern entrance of the sound, anchored the following morning at Port Stanley. Sport in these islands is not altogether unat- tended with danger, on account of the bleak and desolate nature of the country. On two occasions naval officers have lost their way, and perished from exposure during the night ; but c 2 20 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PAOIPIO. tiow an Admiralty ordor forbids parties of less than three from going out shooting together. On the 16th of November we sailed from Port Stanley for Valparaiso, and the following day touched at Keppel Island, where there is a mission station for instructing the natives of Terra del Fuego. The head-quarters of the mission are established at a wild spot on the southern shores of Terra del Fuego. This branch is under the charge of Mr. Bartlett, in whose hands it seems to do well. Whilst getting in supplies of potatoes, Sog., I took my gun and started off for a lake some miles inland, in hopes of getting a shot at a wild swan ; a Fuegian leading a horse to carry game accompanied me. On my way to the lake I shot several brace of geese and some snipe and rabbits ; no swans were to be seen, and I re- turned on board, after an absence of four hours, with twenty geese, fifteen snipe, eight ducks, and three rabbits. Putting to sea the same night we steamed clear of the land, which at daylight the next morning was no longer in sight. CHAPTER II. The passage from the Falklands to the Straits of Magellan is usually a stormy one ; so we con- sidered ourselves fortunate when at daylight of the fourth day, after leaving Keppel Island, we sighted Cape Virgin at the entrance to the straits, and by eight o'clock were fairly in the channel. In the first narrows we found the current running so swiftly that, although going eight knots by the log, we were scarcely moving past the land ; by putting the canvas on we increased the speed to twelve knots, and pushed through, and, without stopping at Sandy Point, anchored in Port Famine the following morning. The scenery up to this part of the straits is very tame; low, sandy shores, desti- ^j 22 BPOKTINa ADVENTURES tute of vegetation, are on either side, but west- ward of Port Famine it alters completely; rugged, snow-clad mountains tower up on all sides, so that it is difi&cult to make out the channel without reference to the chart. Port Famine is not by any means the sort of place one would expect from such a name ; we had some capital sport amongst the wild fowl and snipe, which are to be found in great numbers a mile or so to the westward of the anchorage. We killed some very beautiful geese, of a different sort to any we had seen at the Falkland Tslands. I also bagged a wood- cock, the only one seen; although, from the nature of the ground, I have no doubt they breed there. Whilst having our luncheon on the banks of the river we were rudely disturbed by a 1601b. shell whistling over our heads, and bursting in the mud on the opposite side. This was followed by another, upon which we de- camped. On board the ship they were practising at a mark with great guns, and we had incau- CAPli: rKOWABDj IN THE PACIFIC. 23 tiously approached the very spot where we had agreed the guns should be pointed. From Port Famine we pushed on to the westward, but being unable to round Cape Fro- CAFJi: IKUWABD, blKAlXii Olf HAOELLAN, THE bOUTHEUNMOST POI.Nl' OJT SOUTH AMERICA. ward, owing to the gale in oar teeth, we bore up and anchored for the night in Nicholas Bay : the next morning we made another attempt, and succeeded in doubling the Cape, the southern- u SPORTING ADVENTURES most point of South America., and a magnificent headland. • Soon afterwards we had our first introduction to the inhabitants of these desolate regions ; a canoe-full of Indians came off from the Fuegian shore, bringing with them some arrows and other trash, which they wished to exchange for Tum or tobacco, the only English words which they seemed to have acquired. Notwithstanding the extreme cold they were almost naked, their sole covering being a guanaco robe about their loins. These wretches are probably about the lowest in the scale of humanity, and would seem to supply the missing- link between man and monkey; they subsist chiefly on seals, whales' blubber, or whatever garbage they can find along the shore. Passing through Crooked Reach, we anchored in a lovely little harbour called Playa Parda Cove. This small port, though perfectly land- locked and secure, is so confined as to be only fit for small vessels. It is a picturesque spot, surrounded by lofty and inaccessible mountains, IN THE PACIFIC. 2^ with a waterfall at the head of the harbour. The entrance is exceedingly narrow, and is difficult to distinguish. On the 26th of November, four days from entering the Straits, we sighted the Pacific Ocean for the first time. The ocean looked anything but pacific just then, for it was blowing a gale from the westward, sending in a heavy sea. The advantage of the route by Smyth's Channel was now manifest, for had we put to sea at Cape Pillar, the western entrance to the Straits of Magellan, we should have placed a verv daijgerous, iron-bound coast under our lee, whereas by proceeding up Smyth's Channel wc Insured smooth water for another 400 miles or so, with the advantage of being so much nearer to our destination when we emerged from it into the open sea. We anchored for the night in Shell Harbour, a desolate, miserable place, and a bad anchorage, but conveniently? situated for putting to sea, or going up Smyth's Channel, according to the judgment of the commander. IN 26 SPORTING ADVENTURES Leaving this inhospitable place at daylight, we entered the channel, threading our way between lovely islets; and passing Welcome Bay we reached Columbine Cove fcLe s^-^to A GLACIER IN SMYTH'S CHANNEL. evening. The anchorage at this place is quite unsafe ; it is so limited in extent that one cannot veer rorich cabl*^ for fear of UPmg or. the rocks, and with a short scope one is apt to drag, as the squalls blow with great violence. During IN THE PACIFIC. 27 P tlie night we dragged right out of the cove, but fortunately along shore, and we soon brought up with a second anchor. From this place we went on to Mayne Harbour, into which we groped our way about midnight ; it was so dark and the entrance so narrow that we expected to touch the rocks on either side at every moment ; once inside, however, the harbour is snug enough. From thence we proceeded to Puerto Bueno, which is rightly named, being a safe and commodious harbour, where, to our surprise, we found H.M.S. ** Chanticleer," the vessel we had come out to relieve. The " Chanticleer " sailed for England the next day, and we continued our course to the northward ; our coal was now beginning to run short, obliging us to be ver^ economical. I was in hopes of reaching Port Grappler the same night, but darkness overtook us, and, passing Bold Head by mistake, we entered what proved to be Eyre Sound, a regular cul-de-sac, nor did we discover our error until we found ourselves surrounded by ice, and unable to i-'m 28 SPORTING ADVENTURES proceed in any direction. A boat wliich we sent away, to endeavour to ascertain where we y v-v , ^Y if there was any place we could anchor in, ii umed, stove in by the ice, so there was AHONQST THB ICE IN EYUE SOUND. ■ nothing for it but to remain stationary for the night, which we did, with the ice grinding alongside us. The scene as day broke was magnificent; on all sides were lofty snow- clad mountains with several glaciers in sight, IN THE PACIFIC. 29 but daylight showed us also where we were; BO letting fall our topsails we ran out of the Sound as fast as steam and sail could carry us. Our whole energies were now devoted to steering clear of the drift ice, extra look-out men were placed round the ship, the master and myself being on the bridge ; notwithstand- ing the.^e precautions we ran into a mass of ice which was level with the water, and could not be seen until we were on the top of it.. The shock brought the ship up, all-standing, but recovering herself with the previous momentum she continued on her course, whilst a huge piece of ice, with a cleft in it, showing where the stem had struck, rolled by alongside. The same evening we anchored in Eden Harbour. ■ We remained in this beautiful and secure harbour four days, cutting wood for steaming purposes, our coal being nearly expended, and filling up with water from a neighbouring stream. An examination of the bows show^. d that the stem had been smashed in by the ice. ,nf ^K 30 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC. but as far as we could see no further damage had been done. During our stay here we had some sport, shooting ducks and geese, and our seining party were also very successful. Leaving Eden Harbour we passed through the English narrows, one of the most beauti- ful spots in Smyth's Channelj and anchored in Connor Cove, which we found to be placed too far north on the chart. Liku most of the harbours in the Straits, Connor Cove has a river running into it at the head; the stream ran £C swiftly out of this that it interfered considerably with the ship answering her helm. We obtained plenty of excellent wood here, and laid in a supply which carried us on to Island Harbour, a very secure anchorage, and the last port visited before clearing Smyth's Channel, which we did the following day. CHAPTER III. Thebe can be no question that this channel is of great benefit to men-of-war, whether outward or homeward bound, especially to small and handj ships, but for the long steamers trading to the Pacific the advantage is very question- able. The harbours are generally too small for them to turn in, there is no anchorage in the main channel, and it is not always safe to proceed during the night, the tides are strong and irregular; consequently, beyond securing more comfort to the passengers, and a saving in wear and tear to the ship, they would gain little ; on the other hand, they run considerable risk, and probably lose time. In the Magellan Straits there are no difficulties or dangers, and KP \ 32 SPORTING ADVENTURES excepting at one or two places the channel is of sufficient breadth to enable vessels to proceed during the night. The climate of the Straits is wretched ; although we were there in summer we had constant gales, accompanied by snow, sleet, and hail. The scenery, especially in Smyth's Channel, is very fine. On entering the Pacific we met with a heavy gale, which detained us for three days in the Gulf of Penas, but a slant of wind enabled us to bear away for Valparaiso, where we arrived six days afterwards. The town of Valparaiso is built on the slope of a hill overlooking the bay, the streets are clean and well laid out, and there are some capital shops; there is also a good club, which is generally placed at the disposal of naval officers. The port is about the worst on the coast, and in the season for Northers is altogether unsafe. Ships have to anchor in from thirty to thirty-five fathoms of water. There is no doubt but that the town ought to have been built at Quii^tero, an wel IN THE PACIl-10. 33 excellent harbour twenty miles to the north- ward. Stores of all kinds can be procured at Valparaiso, but the water is bad, and ships do well not to water from the shore. Santiago, the capital of Chili, is distant about 100 miles by rail from Valparaiso : it is supposed to be a very beautiful city, but to my mind the low, flat-roofed houses and dusty streets are very uninviting. On the 30fch of December, 1871, having com- pleted our coaling, refitting, &c., and repaired our damaged bows as well as we could, we sailed for Arica, where we arrived a few days after- wards. Arica is the principal seaport in the south of Peru. It was once a pretty little town, with au esplanade, shaded by an avenue of trees; now it is a mass of ruins, with one solitary palm- tree standing. This devastation was caused by the terrible earthquake some years ago. There were only two houses in existence at the time of our visit, the Custom House, and that be- longing to Mr. Nugent, the English Consul. D 34 SPORTING ADVENTURES Both of these had been rebuilt since the cata- strophe. An American paddle-wheel steamer, which was carried inland by the tidal wave at the same time, and deposited unhur^b half a mile from the sea, still remained. Certainly one must witness the awful effect of an earthquake to be able to comnrehend it. It struck me as a singuk>r coincidence that the morning prayers for the day on which we were at anchor off this place (viz. the 9th) should be so remarkably appropriate to the scene of desolation before us. See Psalm xlvi. verses 1, 2, 3, and 8. From Arica we continued our course down the coast to Islay, a miserable place ; the anchorage is safe, being protected from the swell by some outlying rocks, and the wind never blows home. A few miles to the southward of Islay is MoUendo, the seaport of Arequipa, an open roadstead exposed to wind and sea : there is a mule track between the two places, and it is proposed to connect them by a railroad, in which case Islay will become of more importance. IN THE PACIFIC. 35 The railway between Arequipa and MoUendo is the work of Mr. Henry Meiggs, the railway king of Peru, and is among the most successful of his operations ; it was commenced in 1868, and completed in two years. After a very short stay at Islay we proceeded to the Chincha Islands, oflf which we stopped for a few hours only, ab there is no good anchorage. These islands, once so celebrated for their guano deposits, are now nearly exhausted ; the late discoveries of enormous quantities of guano on the mainland, as well as on the Guanape, Lobas, and Macab^ Islands, have somewhat tended to raise the credit of Peru; and in December, 1873, a commission was appoiT>ted to inquire into the matter. The result of their investigations, which were subsequently verified by Captain Cookson, of H.M.S. ** Petrel," proved that the amount of guano estimated to exist was nine millions of tons, of the value of £55,000,000 ; the greater portion of which was considered to be quite as good as that of the Chincha Islands. D 2 ft ■ i ^1 S\ 30 srOIlTING ADVENTUFIES From tbo Chinclias wo went to Callao, where we anchored on the 17th of January, 1872. Callao, the seaport of Lima, is one of the most important places on the Pacific coast; it is capable of accommodating a large number of ships, and there is generally a considerable flp of shipping loading or discharging in the b«,^ . The harbour is perfectly sheltered by a long spit, vvhich runs out towards the island of Lorenzo, forming a natural breakwater from the heavy swell which breaks incessantly along the shores. Some magnificent docks have lately been constructed to facilitate the loading and unloading of ships trading to the port; these docks, which are justly considered the greatest work of the kind in South America, were con- structed by Mr. James Hodges, the eminent engineer who built the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence. To give an idea of the magni- tude of this undertaking, I have quoted the following particulars from the Smith Pacific TimeSy a most ably-conducted journal. IN THE PACIFIC. 37 "Mr. James Hodges, representing the con- tractors, Messrs. Brassey, arrived in Callao in August, 1870, for the purpose of carrying out the contract. *' Upon taking borings, it was found that the foundations instead of being upon gravel, as represented, were upon mud about twenty feet deep ; in consequence of this it was necessary to excavate the bed of the bay to the depth of some sixteen feet. The space so excavated was filled up with rubble, stone, and gravel up to within twenty feet of low water mark, thus forming an artificial foundation, upon which the concrete blocks forming the dock walls were built. " The total length of these walls is 4520 feet ; they enclose a space of nearly fifty- two acres, and J)rovide over 5300 feet of berthing accommoda- tion, sufficient for twenty-five to thirty large ships. In addition to the dock a long sea-wall was built, which reclaimed from the shallow waters of the bay about thirteen acres. This space has been drained, formed into streets, and < » ,1 ml 38 SPORTING ADVENTURES paved, and it is intended to erect upon it bonded warehouses and stores. "34,000 concrete blocks, each of which weighed ten tons, were ased in the construction of the dock, and the water space enclosed is of the depth of twenty-six feet at low water. " A parapet wall surrounds the whole of the works on the sea side, and the accommodation has been rendered as complete as upon works of a similar character in any part of the world." Callao is a dirty town, and entirely destitute of any system of sewerage, in consequence of which one is often assailed with the foulest odours on landing. On board ship, even whilst laying at anchor in the bay, one is not altogether free from un- pleasant smells, though from a different cause. There is a phenomenon called the "Painter," known only at Callao and one or two of the neighbouring ports, caused by the escape of sulphuretted hydrogen gas from the bottom of the sea, which taints the air, and covers every- thing with a chocolate-coloured slime ; the water a S IN THE PACIFIC 39 at the time becomes of a reddish colour : it is said to be not unhealthy. The town is very strongly fortified, many of the forts being armed with 5001b. Rodman, and 300 lb. Armstrong guns, and the Peruvian fleet is also provided with the latter weapon. Lima, the capital of Peru, is a fme old town, situated on the river Rimac. Many of the houses are very handsome ; they are not generally lofty, on account of the earthquakes, but cover a great deal of ground. The cathedral is a noble pile, and the new Exhibition building is also a very beautiful structure. The remains of Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru, and the fouraler of the city, are said to be preserved in tl>e cathedral. A sceptical in- dividual, on being shown the skull of the con- queror, remarked that he had seen it before at another place ; but the priest who was exhibiting the relic observed that that must have been his skull when he was a boy, but that this was when he was grown up. Lima is connected by railway with Callao, its B>???l 4./ if 11 • Jfl 40 SPORTING ADVENTURES sea-port, also with Chorilloiis, a popular Uratering-place, and with Ancon and Chancay, two small ports to the northward; a line to Pisco, 145 miles to the southward, is also projected. The greatest undertaking of this kind is the Oroya railway, across the Andes ; it is not too much to say that this is the most wonderful railway in the world. Starting from Callao, the line follows the course of the Rimac valley, rising gradually until at St. Bartolem^, forty-seven miles, it attains a height of nearly 5000 feet. From thence, winding among the gorges and precipices of the mountains, it spans a chasm at Verrugas, by a bridge 700 feet long, the height of the bridge above the water way being 300 feet, after which, piercing the Andes at the enormous altitude of 15,645 feet, the line descends to Oroya the terminus, 12,178 feet above the level of the sea. This great work is justly considered Mr. Meigg's chef-d'oeuvre; the object of the rail- Wi a coi wii IN THE PACIFIC. 41 way is to open up the country north cf Oroya, a region abounding in mineral w^ealth, and to connect the head-waters of the Amazon river with the Pacific Ocean. m m% -:0 m I ■ ^rprs ■■■-. CHAPTER IV. We had been but a few days at Callao, during whicb time a happy couple had been united in marriage on board the " Reindeer," when a tele- gram reached us from the A J , 1,1,', i'A 46 SPORTING ADVENTURES through the shoulder. Firing at a third we noticed it to stop suddenly, turn round and bound along at an incredible rate, considering the nature of the ground ; having secured the two dead goats we followed as fast as possible in the direction of the third, which we thought was wounded. After scrambling along the beach, climbing huge boulders and seeing nothing of it, we concluded that it must have escaped, when we came upon the animal lying down, with the blood streaming from a wound in the head. It sprung up and bolted, giving me only a stern shot with apparently no result ; however by following it up we at length caught and despatched it. The first ball had cut a deep groove across the forehead, and the other had raked it lengthways, or, as we say, " Fore and aft." The vitality of these animals is extra* ordinary, and I can quite credit what I heard of one having nearly escaped with seven rifle- balls in his body. The next morning I started up the mountains on foot, accompanied by one of the officers and ol( the bril us I of IN THE PACIFIC. 47 my coxswain and steward, in hopes of getting an old billy goat. We had seen some fine specimens the previous evening, standing on the very brink of the precipice, many hundred feet above us and watching us with much curiosity ; some of these must have been regular patriarchs, judging by their long grey beards and fine horns. "We had not gone far before we heard the most frightfiil yells and shouts for assistance ; on going back we found my steward hanging over a precipice, and nearly exhausted. Having relieved him from his unpleasant position, we climbed up the mountain, and in about forty- five minutes had the satisfaction of reaching the top. From this elevation we had a fine panoramic view of the whole island, with its hills and valleys spread out at our feet : far below us the two ships lay peacefully at their anchors in the bay, looking like toy boats floating in a pond. With our glasses we could see some goats feeding on the opposite side of a ravine, so r m I' w > ^ I ','1 mL"Mi.«l 48 SrOHTlNG ADVENTUKEH having recovered our wind we started in pursuit. It took us nearly an hour to cross the ravine and climb the opposite side, but when we reached the spot where the goats had been feeding they were no longer in sight; these animals being gifted with an acute sense of smell and vision, had probably either seen or winded us, and taking the hint had decamped. My coxswain now joined us from reconnoiter- ing a neighbouring height, with the report that a herd of goats were feeding not far off, and they "look as big as donkeys," he added. Cautiously following in that direction we soon spied the herd, which certainly were as big as donkeys, being no other than those noble animals, a few of which run wild on the island. As there were no goats in sight we amused ourselves stalking the donkeys for practice ; we got close up to them unobserved, and having watched them for some time, fired a shot over their heads, when they scampered down the valley. Soon afterwards my steward, whilst lighting IN THE PACiriC. 49 his pipe, accidentally set fire to the dry grass ; in a moment the whole place was in a blaze, and the flames spread so rapidly that we had to hasten down the valley and take refuge in a wood. Upon emerging from this wood on the opposite side from which the flames were approaching, we caught sight of a small herd of goats, led by one fine old ram ; they galloped off on seeing us, and made towards the cliffs, where they have paths where no man could follow them. By running to cut them off I reached the edge of the cliff just in time to see the old fellow leading his flock along a narrow path below me : a lucky snap shot sent a ball through his head, and tumbled him over the precipice to the beach, many hundred feet below. We were unable to see the spot where he had fallen, but some of our people were fishing not far from the place, and hearing the shot, and seeing what had happened, they landed and secured the goat. He proved to be a fine old fellow with grey beard and long horns, which latter, strange E m n IfT 60 RPOTITTNO ADVENTUBES to say, were not damaged, although every bone in his body was broken. Meanwhile the fire had extended down the mountain side, crossed the valley and swept over an extent of ground fully a mile square, destroying everything in its course, and making an awful noise : the path by which we had ascended in the morning was intercepted by the flames, and we had to find our way down by another way. In the evening two oflBcers returned from a hunting expedition ; +hey had ridden many miles beyond where we had been, and had killed three fine old rams, with which they were returning, when they were horrified to find their retreat cut off by the fire. The path was completely obliterated, and it was getting dark and almost impossible for them to find their way, when most fortunately they hit upon a trail which brought them to the settle- ment. The following day we made an expedition to the top of a hill, called Selkirk's look-out, where Alexander Selkirk used regularly to watch for passing vessels. A sharp climb took us to the b( isi IN THE PACIPTO. 61 top, from whence wo had a glorious view of both sides of the island and of the adjacent island of Santa Clara. The man in charge of the settlement told us that there were nearly 1000 goats on Santa Clara, that there was no water on the island, and that the goats came down to the beach and drank the salt water. I suspect, however, that they find sufficient for their wants in the dew, and such water as may collect in the hollows of the rocks during the rainy season. On our return to the settlement the overseer, a Chileno, complained that the fire had burnt a quantity of stacked wood, and destroyed property to the amount of several thousand dollars. This we knew could not be the case, as we had seen this wood and knew that the fire had not gone within a mile of it ; however. Captain Boxer wisely decided to see the extent of the damage for himself. The next morning, taking the Chileno (native of Chili) as a guide, we rode all over the ground which had been traversed by the fire, the stacked E 2 I «! BB )k. SrORTING AUYENTUEES wood had not been touclied, and the man was obHged to admit that no damage had been done, in fact the drv grass ard underwood only had been burnt, which would improve the crops for another year. The man seemed satisfied, and we dismissed him with a few trifling presents. It was most fortunate that we took the precaution of per- sonally investigating the matter, as otherwise heavy damages might have been obtained, for on the departure of the " Reindeer " for Val- paraiso, this same rascal asked if two of his men might be given a passage to that port. The request was readily granted, and the men were fed, taken care of, and in due time landed ; they proved to bo the bearers of letters to their master, Sefior Lopes, who forthwith brought a claim against us for damages done to the island, which he rents from the Chilian governmert. T attended at the English Consulate at "Val- paraiso on several occasions, on purpose to meet Mr. Lopes by appointinent; he, however, found i\, more convenient not to appear, but on the d cj c| c\ V IN THE TACIFIC. 53 departure of the ship he inundated our worthy consul, Mr. Drummond Hay, with a voluminous correspondence on the ss abject, the result of which I apprehend has been rather to fill the consular waste-paper basket than his own pockets. The morning of our departure from Juan Fernandez we paid a visit to Selkirk's cave, about three miles south-west from the anchorage, where we found much to interest us : the place bore unmistakeable traces of having been in- habited for some time, and there is no doubt that Selkirk lived there during his residence on the island. As his story may not be familiar to all, I will repeat it : — In the year 1709 Captain Rogers touched at the island, and found Alexander Selkirk living on it, having been landed upwards of four years before from the ship " Cinque Ports :" curiously enough Dampier was both in that ship and in the one which afterwards took him off. Selkirk subsequently related his adventures to Defoe, ' iiti 54 SPORTING ADVENTUEES who from them framed the romance of Robinson Crusoe. Juan Fernandez is one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific : it was discovered by a Spaniard of that name in the year 1563, and the goats which abound in such numbers were then introduced. The island was afterwards used by Lord Anson to recruit his scurvy- stricken crew, and subsequently as a convict settlement by the Chilian government. A few people only live there now to look after the interests of Sefior Lopes, and to supply the whalers, which occasionally call, with water and provisions. The climate is delightful, though somewhat moist, and owing to the high land very heavy squalls are of common occurrence ; the anchor- age is safe except during the season for Northers at Valparaiso, and ships lie within a cable's leng*^,h of the beach. There is first-rate sea-fishing in the bay and neighbourhood, and any quantity of cray-fish can bo caught. On shore there are many kinds IN THE PACIFIC. 55 of wild fruit-trees, ferns, and wild flowers, and quiet dells, the haunt of the humming-bird and the turtle-dove. Altogether it is a delightful and romantic island, and it was with much regret that we took our departure. The distance from the island to Valparaiso is 360 miles, which may be done in thirty-six hours, as the wind blows pretty regularly from the south-west, a fair wind for that port. We were not so fortunate, however, as it happened to be the season for hght and variable winds. Two days before we reached our destination, we sighted the range of the Andes at the amazing distance of 180 miles. This seems incredible, but is not so astonishing when the height of the mountains, some of them over 20,000 feet, and the clearness of the atmosphere are considered. The sun risiug behind the range afforded us this splendid sight, but, as the orb rose higher in the heavens, it gradually faded from our view. We arrived at Valparaiso on the 24th of i'i e ''1 I v^' ' ^ '¥ 56 SrORTINCx ADVENTURES February, in time for the sliooting season, which opens on the 1st of March, corresponding with the 1st of September at home. Few sportsmen go out till after the rains, as the heat is very great, and there is no scent or water for the dogs ; but naval officers cannot afford to be so particular, and must take their chance when it comes, provided of course that it is the proper season. 'On the 2nd of March I took the train to Llaillai, about half way to Santiago, accom- panied by O , one of oar officers, and a first-rate shot and sportsman. Putting up at the hotel for the night, we started the next day at daylight, and worked round some nr^'gLbouring hills; it was pleasant enough till about nine o'clock, when the heat became terrible; however, by working hard we made a fair bag, and returned to the hotel at dark, with fourteen brace of partridges and a few pigeons. These partridges are fine birds, they look larger than our English ones, but are not so in reality. I weighed several, and found IN THE PACIFIC. 57 them to average one pound each, which cor- responds with our birds ; they have little or no tail, their beaks are longer than the English bird, and they are difficult to flush without a do^% preferring to run; and when they rise they generally do so singly, presenting an easy shot. We met with the greatest civility from the native proprietors on whose land we were shooting, especially when they found we were English naval officers shooting for sport and not for the pot. On the 4th of March we sailed for Quintero, where the " Scylla " was refitting ; the dis- tance is twenty miles, which we accomplished in a couple of hours under sail, and after a short stay there returned to Valparaiso for a ball given by the merchants to the In- tendente. During the remainder of our stay at Val- paraiso I made several shooting expeditions to Llaillai and other places, invariably meeting with civility from the hospitable Cliilenos, and making; fair bags considering the season, and kf% f i 58 SPORTING ADVENTURES that I had no dogs. The shooting is, I believe, much better when the weather gets cooler, and the Lag is more varied, as wild geese, ducks, snipes, &c., arrive in the country. Our stay in Chilian waters was the more agreeable from the kindness and attention we received from the officers of the United States ship " California," a fine fiigate, bearing the flag of Admiral Winslow of " Kearsage '* renown: the gallant Admiral was accompanied by his wife and daughter. We sailed from Valparaiso on the 30th of March, and touching at Islay anchored once more in Callao harbour on the 10th of April, whither the " California " followed us in a few days. Going on board to pay my respects to Admiral "Winslow, the flag captain received me at the gangway, at the same time ofleririg to relieve me of my sword as the weather was rather hot. I handed it to him, when he re- marked in fun that it was the first time an English officer's sword had been delivered up to him. I turned the joke against him, however, IN THE PACIFIC. 59 soon afterwards, for going asLore together in the " California's " boat we had occasion to go under an arch which would have broken the ensign staff had I not unshipped it, and turning to the captain remarked, " and this is the first time I have had the honour of hauling down the American flag." A few days after this we sailed for Changay, to recover a boat which had been stolen from H.M.S. "Fawn:" Dr. Hutchinson, H.B.M. Consul, accompanied me. We reached Ancon the same evening, and having paid our respects to President Balta, who hap- pened to be staying there, we went on to Changay. This place is a very bad anchorage; so having recovered the boat, we returned to Ancon, and remained there a few days to give our men a run on shore. Ancon is a very snug little harbour, and the beach is well adapted for hauling the seine ; we also had some good sea fishing with rod and line, the bonita and albacore giving as much sport as a salmon. There is a little shooting at a marsh between Ancon and Callao, but the ducks are 60 SPORTING ADVEiNTURES wild from being constantly disturbed by pro- fessional sportsmen. Returning to Callao to meet the mail, we sailed again to visit some small ports to the northward, and after a pleasant run down the coast anchored at Huacho, a wretched place and a bad anchorage. There is some sport to be got at a place called San Lorenzo; but the best shooting is at a lagoon about fifteen miles from the port. I rode over to this place accompanied by two of the officers, and guided by a native; there were plenty of ducks in the lagoon, but it seemed impossible to get at them, owing to the immense height of the reeds, which were from fifteen to twenty feet high. It seemed as though we should return empty-handed ; we could see the ducks swimming about in open spaces in the middle, out of reach of our guns : at length we hit upon a plan which succeeded. Cutting down several bundles of reeds . we made them into a couple of rafts, or bolsas as they are called, and sitting astride of them, one on each, we paddled out into deep water and had some 53 « m OQ ■ ill CM^ ^ IN TJIE rAClFlC. Gl very pretty shooting, as the ducks and teal kept flying overhead. In this way we made a very fair bag, and lost as many more, which foil into the rushes, and could not be retrieved. For this style of shooting a breech-loader is in- dis} onsablo, and my companion who had only a muzzle-loader was soon placed ho7's de combat On our way back we killed ome doves which abounded in the neighbourhood, and also several couple of jack-snipe ; so numerous a\ ore the latter that we bagged fourteen out of a wisp of them, with four barrels. Our birds proved most acceptabl^^, for on our return to Huacho, we found that heavy rollers had set in, render- ing communication with the ship impossible ; and we were detained on shore for two days until the sea subsided. The hotel where ^vo put up was totally unprovided with food, so we set to work, plucked and cooked our game and made an excellent pie. The native boatmen refused to go off for love or money; my gig was capsized in the surf and lost lier anchor, which was recovered !fl ' r ;i J I' I 62 SPORTING ADVENTURES covered by one of the boatmen ; the man, how- ever, refused to give it up, except for more money than it was worth, but the captain of the port gave him a sound flogging instead, and returned the anchor. On May the 12th we sailed for Supe, where we arrived the same day; to all appearance both this port and Huacho are perfectly safe, and in fine weather they are so, but the anchorages are open, the ground foul, and rollers set in without the slightest warning or apparent cause; the wind has nothing whatever to do with it, but we noticed that the rollers were more likely to . appear at full and change of the moon. At such times it is better for ships to avoid these ports, or, if they be in them, to have steam handy, and put to sea at the first warning. On these occasions a very heavy sea rolls in, and the mail steamers remam outside, communication being kept up by surf boats or bolsas, which cannot well be capsized; even then accidents sometimes occur. At Supe the shooting is eixcellent ; there is a large marsh quite close to th IN THE PACIFIC. 63 the anchorage, in which, during one day and part of another, I bagged thirty-six ducks and teal, besides several kinds of waders. It is very hard work, and there are some dangerous holes in the swamp, in one of which my coxswain nearly disappeared ; I was unable to go to his assistance at the moment, from being in the same predicament myself. The land near Supe belongs to a wealthy Peruvian gentleman, Don Domingo Loas, who sent us a most cordial invitation to breakfast at his hacienda, "We afterwards visited his sugar and cotton factories, which are worked entirely by Chinese coolies, many hundreds of whom are employed on the estate. Much has been said and written about the atrocities of the coolie traflBc from Macao to Peru ; doubtless there is some truth in it, and also a great deal of exag- geration. The condition of the coolie depends very much into whose hands he may fall on his arrival; in some cases I fear they are badly treated, but in general I believe they are as well off or better than in their own country. It is . Hfl !•'!( 'i Ifl V^l G4 SPORTING ADVENTD'iES well known that the men who are brought over are selected from the lowest class, they are no better than slaves in China ; whereas in' Peru many of them become domestic servants, and in some cases they have acquired corsidcrablo wealth, and are doing business on their own account. It is itecessary for Peru, which is very thinly populated, to seek elsewhere for labour, and China, with its superabundant population, is naturally the country to apply to ; but there is uo reason why these emigrants should not bo brought over of their own free will, and not smuggled as they undoubtedly sometimes are. As for the horrors of the " slave-ship," I fancy they liave been very much overstated. During our stay at Callao several of these coolie ships arrived, and I went on board one of them, a beautiful clipper called the " Camilla Cavour," on her arrival with a cargo of coolies from Macao, ostensibly to buy cigars, but in reahty to judge for myself on this subject. The captain, V, ')c ./as justly proud of his c^'aft. showed me all ?f IN THE rAClFIC. 65 Over the ship. She was beautifully clean, and the coolies seemad happy and contented, laugh- ing and talking amongst themselves, not at all as though they had been smuggled on board or forced from their homes ; only one death had occurred on the passage. No doubt the late mission to China with especial reference to this traffic will be of great benefit, both to Peru and to the Chinese emi- grant : the object of the treaty which has been concluded is : — "Firstly, that the emigrants should leave China direct for Peru, instead of by way of Macao, as heretofore." " Secondly, that they should leave of their own free will, so that they may dispose of their services as they please," and, *' Lastly, that they should leave with the full sanction of their Government, so that they may count on its protection." To insure the first of these objects the Peruvian Government has offerea to subsidize and support any steam -ship company which w"ll '^i '!#« It 66 SPOKTING ADVENTURES organize and establish a direct line of steamers between China and Peru. On the 24th of May we gave a ball on board the " Reindeer " in honour of Her Majesty's birthday : the ship was gaily dressed for the occasion, all the elite of Lima and Callao wer*. present, and dancing was kept up for several hours, the fine band of the Peruvian ironclad " Independencia " being lent for the occasion. In the midst of the festivities, the American surveying vessel " Hassler " arrived, having on board the illustrious Professor Agassiz. On the 28th Mr. Meiggs invited the professor to an excursion up the Oroya railway, and a party of ladies and gentlemen were included in the invitation. A special train, consisting of two saloon carriages and a refreshment car, was provided for the occasion. Starting from Lima at nine a.m. we arrived at St. Bartoleme in about two hours, where we stopped for luncheon. After due justice had been done to a magnificent repast we proceeded about two miles further to Surco, a part of the line which had never been IN THE PACIFIC. 67 traversed before, and where we attained an elevation of 5350 feet, or more than a mile high After a short stay here we returned to Lima, much pleased with our excursion and the libe- rality of our host. The scenery throughout was of the grandest description. A few days aftervjards a party of us met on board the " Hassler," at the invitation of Monsieur Agassiz, for a trip to Ancon, and whilst there an expedition was made to some neighbouring Jmiacos, or Indian burial-g^.'Ounds ; some hundreds Df skulls were collected, and brought on board for transmission to a college in America. These relics may pos- sibly prove of much interest to the distinguished members of the ii.nthropological Society, but to me it seemed a ghastly and disgusting cargo. The "Hassler" was to leave for the north the next day, and the professor was desirous of procuring a kind of fi.^h called the pec-a-rey, found only ri the Rimac river ; so I undertook to obtain some for him. Taking our seine and a party of men, I landed at daylight and had F 2 ■m rJi 68 SPOUTING ADVENTUUKS two or three hauls in the river, securing some fine specimens, with which one of the men was returning to Callao, when he was met by Doctor R — — , a keen fisherman. The doctor's disgust may be well imagined when he saw the fish, and heard that we had been dragging some of his favourite pools, nor was he pacified when told that it was in the cause of science. The worthy professor's delight at his prize was worth any- thing, and as the doctor and I had many a day's fishing together in the river afterwards, I do not think the netting did much damage. The pec-a-rey, though a voracious fish, will not take a fly : they take a bait readily, also the artificial minnow. There are myriads of tiny fish in the Rimac which take a fly as fast as you can throw it, and these little fellows make an excellent bait for the pec-a-rey. On one occasion we took seven brace one evening ; they average about three quarters of a pound, and run up to one pound and a half, arxd are game fish, giving good sport, but are not much good for the table. IN THE PACIFIC. 69 The neiglibourhood of the Rimac is not considered altogether safe, and people have been robbed and occasionally murdered there ; so it is as well to carry a revolver with one. There is little or no shooting in the immediate neighbourhood of Callao; there is a likely- looking swamp near Chorilloi s but it is so much shot over by profession.als as to be not worth visiting. During our stay at Callao, the president, Balta, paid a visit to the " Reindeer," and >>as received with the honours due to his rank, including a salute of twenty -one guns. This visit was regarded as a special compliment, as it is not customary for one of his Excellency's position to visit a ship of the "Reindeer s" -'"t:. It was also of especial interest, as it proved to be the last time the president was destined to go afloat. Our time, meanwhile, passed pleasantly by, enjoying the hospitality of oar friends on shore; dances, dinner parties, and picnics succeeded each other, varied occasionally by the attractions of the opera or bull-fight, i I I m KO Vi 1 70 SPORTING ADVENTURES according to taste ; when our gaieties were cut short by an order from Admiral Farquhar to meet him at Arica on the 20th of June. Leaving Callao on the 10th we reached our rendezvous on the 19th, and on the 22nd the Admiral arrived in the mail steamer, and shifted his flag to the " Reindeer." The next day I accompanied him to Tacna, where we were hospitably entertained, and passed three days very pleasant^, when we returned to the ship, and proceeded in her to Islay. Whilst there a party of us rode over to MoUendo, a miserable place with a very pre- tentious railway station, the terminus of the Arequipa railroad. Several fine clipper ships were at anchor in the roads ; one of them, the " Champion of the Seas," was bound for Callao, and as we were also going there we looked forward to a race with this celebrated ship. We left Islay the next afternoon, and the " Champion " sailed about the same time from MoUendo ; at eight p.m. we were bowling off twelve knots an hour under every stitch of IN THE rACIFlC 71 canvas, and by noon the following day \vc had scored 252 miles since three p.m. the day before: the clipper was nowhere in sight. Our pro&pects of making a quick run were, however, ruined by the wind falling light, and the morning of the 5th July we were becalmed within sight of our port. Whilst steaming up for the anchorage wc observed an American barque drifting into Chorillons Bay and showing signals of distress ; so taking her in tow we gave her an offing, and running through the Boqueroo Channel reached Callao soon after dark. The ** Champion" came in the next morning, and her skipper was not a little disappointed to find us in before him, though, of course, it was not a fair beating. The American barque which we had assisted also arrived, and her captain came on board to thank us. The poor fellow was greatly reheved, and somewhat surprised to find that there was nothing to pay. The admiral took up his quarters at the house of Mr. Petrie, the manager of the Pacific I 1 i I'i < ' : '. 72 SPOUTING ADVENTURES Steam Navigation Company, and the next few days were devoted to festivities, all Callao being desirous of doing honour to our popular Com- mander-in-Chief. On the 18th of July the admiral and his seccetary embarked on board the mail steamer ** Araucania," one of the magnificent fleet belonging to the Pacific Steam Navigatiofn Company, to rejoin his flag-ship at Coquimbo. The estimation in which he was held by the residents in Callao may be gathered from the foUoYidng extract from the South Pacific Times : — ** From our harbour, in the P.S.N. Co. ship Araucania,* on the 18th inst., departed one, who has during a short ofl&cial visit contrived by means innate to himself to leave an impression not easily eradicated from the minds of all who have had the good fortune to call upon or be presented to the British Commander-in-Chief. If kindness of heart, amiability, intellect, and the social requirements of a gentleman, coupling the suaviter in modo with the fortiter in re, as especial qualifications for an officer of responsi- Il r :'i^ IN THE PACIFIC. 73 bility, ever existed in one individual, ttey are to be found in Admiral Farquliar. During his short stay in his temporary flag- ship the * Reindeer,' he has endeared himself to the circles amongst whom he moved, and the just appreciation of the representative of the gi^eatest naval power has been evidenced by the way in which all who had an opportunity feted him. " On the * Araucania ' passing the ' Reindeer,' the gallant tars of that vessel manned the rip^ging and cheered as lustily as Jack knows how to cheer." On the 22nd of July, 1872, or four days after the Admiral's departure, the most disastrous and bloody revolution ever witnessed in Peru broke forth without the slightest warning. I was on the point of stepping into the train for Lima that evening, but seeing the people running to and fro, and shops hurriedly closed, I thought it better to remain and allow the train to go without me. Rumours soon reached us that a revolution had broken out in Lima, and that President Hj.::^ ^Mr^' 74 SrORTlNd ADVENTURES Balta bad been tbrown into prison. Tbis turned out to be true, tbe principals engaged in tbe transaction being General Tomas Gutierrez and his two brothers, Silvestre and Marceliano ; the former issued three bombastic proclamations, to the citizens, the army, and the navy, calling upon them to support him, and proclaiming himself " Dictator " and supreme chief of the republic. The meeting of Congress had already taken place, when, in consequence of these events, the House of Deputies drew up a protest condemning the action of Gutierrez, and declar- ing him and his accomplices out of the pale of the law. In Callao the naval commanders met together and unanimously resolved to ignore the Dictator and his Government; the immediate result of their consultation being that the Peruvian fleet, consisting of the " Independencia " and " Huas- car," ironclads, the " Apurimac," wooden steam frigate, and the " Chalaca," paddle-wheel steamer, left their moorings in the bay during the night of the 22nd of July, and anchored off IN THE PACIFIC. 75 San Lorenzo, out of reach of the batteries at Callao. By this loyal and energetic behaviour Gutierrez "was deprived of an arm ho greatly relied on; the ** Independencia " the next day proceeded to Chilca, a small port to the south- ward of Callao, where she embarked Seiior Don Manuel Pardo, the popular civil candidate for the presidency. One of the first acts of Gutierrez had been to order the arrest of Pardo, but he escaping from Lima made his way across country disguised as a car-driver, and reached the coast in safety. Gutierrez, having secured the person of the president, endeavoured to induce many of the principal officers of the army to recognize him as their future chief, but to their credit they one and all declined to do so, preferring to resign their commissions instead. In Callao everything remained quiet up to this time, although the shops were closed and business was completely suspended. The Prefect, Don Pedro Balta, brother of the president, gave up his command, and the soldiers usually quartered at Callao ^ii S^' !■ ;J IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3} 1,0 I.I 11.25 M 12.5 a ^... 1^ 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sdaices Corporation 73 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (71«) •73-4503 4^ ^ \ 6^ m 76 SPOItTING ADVBNTUKES were exchanged for others sent down from Lima, under the command of Silvestre Gutierrez ; but many of these i>:on, who only wanted the oppor- tunity to join the cause of the people who were opposed to the usurper, deserted during the night of the 23rd. A few stray shots were fired in the streets of Callao the same night. The captain of the port and other officials now sent in their resign- ations, which did not tend to allay the excite- ment ; and the foreign merchants consequently formed themselves into a guard for the pro- tection of their property. At this time I thought it advisable to offer H.M.S. " Reindeer " as a refuge for any who might wish to seek the protection of the British flag. In consequence of this many people came on board, amongst them Colonel F. Balta, another brother of the president, who arrived on the morning of the revolution in the mail steamer ** Limena." Gutierrez being in want of funds to pay his soldiers seized whatever money happened to be in the Mint, and also threatened several Bank IN THE PACIFIC. 77 managers with imprisonment unless they ad- vanced him what money he required. An arrange- ment was therefore made by which the Banks agreed to furnish a loan of $300,000, the first instalment of $1 50,000 being paid down ; the ba- lance, owing to subsequent events, was never paid. On the evening of the 24th of July sharp firing commenced in Lima and in Callao, the soldiers shooting indiscriminately at all they saw. The inhabitants, arming themselves with muskets, cutlasses, and pikes, resisl^ed the soldiers as well as their limited means would allow ; the fighting continued all night, several being killed on both sides. On the 25th the city of Lima was placed under martial law, the rails between it and Callao were torn up, the telegraph wires cut, and communication between the two places became impossible. The same night there was heavy firing in Callao, some of the forts being taken by the soldiers and re- taken by the people; the civJj guard, composed mostly of English gentlemen, behaved with great courage and moderation. 78 SPORTING ADVENTURES Many of the soldiers having deserted during the night of the 25th, on the following morning Silvestre Gutierrez rode back to Lima for rein- forcements, leaving orders to his men to shoot every man, woman, or child they might see; and assuring them that he would return in a few hours, and burn the town of Oallao. He was, however, destined never to return, for whilst at the railway station at Lima he was fired at by the people and killed. His brother Marceliano, hearing, of this occurrence, determined to wreak his vengeance upon the unfortunate president, and calling the ofl&cer of the guard, they proceeded to the prison where Balta was confined. Marceliano accused him of being the cause of his brother's death, and fired his revolver at him as he lay upon his couch; the ofiicer of the guard followed his example, and the soldiers completed the work with their bayonets. Having perpetrated this atrocious murder, Marceliano escorted by a body of soldiers re- turned to Callao, telling his men that they IN THE PACIFIC. 79 sliould have one hour for cutting throats, and two more for sacking the town. Most providentially this, bloodthirsty villain never lived to carry out his threat, for the same evening, whilst pointing a 300 P' gun for the destruction of the town, he was killed by a rifle- shot, and soon afterwards the fort fell into the hands of the people. Whilst these events were taking place we were not altogether idle spectators on board the " Reindeer." On the evening of the 25th a deputation of gentlemen waited upon me on behalf of the English residents of Callao ; they said that all authority and order were at an end, and that the town was at the mercy of an armed and lawless mob, Jind they requested me to protect them in their difficulties. It was not in my power to assist them to the extent I should have wished without compromising myself, but to give them a feeling of security I landed a few picked men after dark, and distributed them in the houses of the principal residents. These men were % d li m*'" 8Q SPORTING ADVENTURES armod with revolvers only, and were supplied with signal rockets to keep up the communi- cation Avith the ship ; their instructions were to confine themselves strictly to the protection of the houses in which they were lodged, and not to interfere in any way with the contending parties. On the following morning I landed to see how things were going on, and also, if necessary, to escort any who might be desirous of coming on board to the ship. My coxswain accompanied me, carrying the boat's white ensign to show that we were on a peaceful mission. The streets seemed quite deserted, and we traversed them without molestation, until after visiting several houses we reached that of Mr. Grace. This house from being in a very exposed position had been frequently struck with rifle balls, which had pierced the walls in several places : and the guns from the castle, only a few hundred yards dis- tant, were also directed towards it. The ladies of the party were naturally much alarmed, and were desirous of going on board ship ; but while IN THE PAOinO. 81 the necessary preparations were being made for their departure sharp firing recommenced between the contending parties, the street in front of the house was raked with rifle shots, several of which also came through the walls and dropped into the rooms, and it became impossible to leave the house. In that country the houses are built of very light materials in consequence of earthquakes, and the walls ofPer no resistance to a rifle ball. We therefore placed the ladies in an inner room for extra security, until a temporary lull in the firing enabled us to sally forth ; when with our colours flying we at length reached the boat, and were soon safely on board. It was fortunate that we left the house when we did, for on our return, at the restoration of peace, we found thct a shell had pierced three of the walls, and had lodged in the very room where the ladies had been sitting. By the death of Marceliano the safety of Callao was insured, and order was soon re- established. At the same time the news of the death of Tomas Gutierrez was received in Callao 0 82 SPORTINQ ADVENTUBES IN THE PADIFIO. with muob rejoicing; the dictator, deserted by his soldiers, retreated to the fort of Santa Gatalina, but being attacked there he endeavoured to escape in private clothes : he was speedily recognized, dragged from a shop where he had taken refuge, and slaughtered by the populace. The bodies of the brothers Gutierrez were hung up naked and disfigured from the cathedral toners at Lima, after which they were cut down and publicly burnt in the plaza. With this closing scene of the drama the Revolution ended as suddenly as it began, and peace and order were restored. On the return of the " Independencia ** to Gallao Seiior Pardo was received with the greatest enthusiasm, and was at once elected President of the Republic. CHAPTER V. Nothing of importance occurred during the remainder of our stay at Callao until we were relieved by the " Fawn ** in October. During the time we had been stationed on the Peruvian coast we had received the greatest kindness and hospitality from the residents both in Lima and Callao, many of whom were espe- cially endeared to us from our having been associated with them during the exciting days of the revolution, and it was with much regret that we now prepared to bid them adieu. During our long stay in Peruvian waters we had an opportunity of judging of the condition of the country, its climate and resources. The climate is necessarily varied according to the o 2 S4 SPORTING ADVENTURES elevation and geographical position of the places. At Callao it is pleasantly cool in winter, and in summer is not so hot as one would suppose from its position in 12° S. ; this is owing to tlie fa&t of the sun being almost always obscured. Between the Anded sKnd the sea coast no rain falls, though this want is partially supplied by a kind of Scotch mist which prevails ; in con- sequence of this absence of rain a great part of the country west of the Andes is little better than a desert, and is destitute of vegetation, but in the valleys and along the banks of rivers sugar, cotton, rice, and maize flourish, and in the hilly parts coffee and tobacco are grown. Several kinds of wild animals eidst in the mountainous regions, the most common being the llama, of which there ai'e four kinds, tho alpaca, llama, guanaco, and the vicuna. Perhaps the most valuable of these is the vicuna, on account of its wool: this animal is also used as a beast of burthen, and carries a load of about 100 lbs. IN THE PACIFIC. 85 Pumas, jaguars, bears, deer, and also many kinds of smaller animals are to bo found in the interior, and the rivers swarm with alligators. Almost every kind of tropical fruit abounds in Peru; among the most esteemed are the granadilla and the cherymoya. Although the principal sources of wealth are guano and nitrate, yet sugar, coffee, bark, copper ore, &c., are largely exported. In mineral wealth Peru is inexhaustible, its wealth only requires to be developed, and the country to be opened out, which is being done as fast as possible, for in 1872 there were over 2000 miles of railways either completed or in course of construction. We sailed from Callao on the 9th of October, 1872, bound for the coast of Mexico, and had been at sea three or four days when, owing to the illness of one of the officers, we put into Payta for the purpose of invaliding him. This is the most northern port in Peru, it is 86 SPOBTINO ADVENTURES a wretched place, without any attraction what- ever ; but the harbour is a good one, and the anchorage very secure. Whilst waiting the arrival of the mail stea^ner I made an expedition to the opposite shores of the bay, accompanied by some of the officers. After being nearly capsized in the surf, on landing, we made our way to a neighbouring village, one of the few remaining inhabited by pure Indians, where we passed the night, and the next morning pushed on to a river twelve miles off. A long and fatiguing walk through heavy sand brought us to the river's bank ; several large alligators were basking on the mud, some of which we killed, but in no case did we bag any, as these creatures invariably manage to reach the water, even when mortally wounded. After bagging a number of pigeons and parrots, but seeing no game, we came to a ranch, where we slept, and returned to the ship the following day. The mail steamer having arrived, we took a fresh departure, and after three days of very pleasant IN THE PACIFIC. 87 sailing before the S.E. trade wind, we sighted the Gbtlapagos Islands. These islands are directly upon the equofor, and are due west of Ecuador, to which country they belong ; the current runs very swiftly padt them to the N.W., so it is necessary to be very sure of one's position when steering for them. The first land we made out was Charles Island, the southernmost of the group, on the north side of which there is a good harbour called Post Office Bay, where we anchored. The same afternoon I landed with the doctor to explore the island ; we found the place one mass of cinders and lava, which made it extremely difficult walking. Afler scrambling about for some time, getting our clothes torn by the dense and thorny jungle, we came across a path which evidently led up to the mountains ; Init as it was too late to prosecute the search, we returned on board, prepared to follow it up in the morning. During our absence a quantity of excellent fish had been caught, some of which we enjoyed for supper. At sunset we fired a 88 SPORTING ADVENTUBES gun, to attract the notice of any inhabitants who might be on the island, and who would guide us to the settlement which we understood existed in the interior. At daybreak our party, consisting of the doctor, C E , and myself, accompanied by the sergeant of marines, my coxswain, and two bluejackets, started on our expedition. We were P.11 armed with guns or rifles, and well provided with provisions and water. Striking the trail we had discovered the previous evening, we followed it in single file, and had not gone far when we met two men, one of them on horseback, with a pack of dogs, coming to meet us; they had seen the ship coming in the day before, and had also heard our gun. The principal man introduced himself in broken English as the commandant of the island. Colonel M. Zerda by name; he was poorly dressed, and seemed in bad health, but was evidently delighted to see us, as a visitor in this out-of-the-way place was a rarity. He IN THE PACIFIC. 89 explained to us that the route we had chosen was not the best, the path being bad and the distance great, and advised us to go back and land at another place, called Black Beach Bay, on the west side of the island. We therefore again took to the boat, and pulled round in that direction. On our way we came across shoals of large mullet swimming on the surface of the water, several of which we killed by firing into them. The sea was alive with fish and turtle, and so clear was it that we could see every stone on the bottom, although it was several fathoms deep. Dropping our lines over the side, we immediately isaught some immense rock cod, weighing from twenty to thirty pounds each ; these fish were quite unsophisticated, and would rush at anything, we even caught some on a bare hook. Having half filled the boat, and being tired of the sport, we signalized to the ship to send another boat, and, having transferred the fish into her, continued on our way. We had a long pull to the landing-place, passing multitudes of seals, penguins, turtle, &c., whilst m-- '•^^fmfmm 90 SPORTING ADVENTURES \f an occasional iguana blinked at us from the black scoriae with which the whole coast was surrounded. All the islands of this group bear unmistakeable marks of fire, and many extinct craters are visible, but only on Albe- marle Island is there a volcano in active operation. Landing abreast of a deserted hut on the beach we started for the interior, the colonel lead- ing the way. The path, gradually ascending, led through the same desolate sort of waste we had traversed the day before, with cinders under foot and thorny jungle around. After an hour's sharp walk we reached a hut, where we rested for a few minutes ; firom this place the country improved in appearance, trees showed signs of Hfe, and wild flowers grew here and there, and the fresh trade wind made our walk more pleasant. "We presently reached a plateau of about 1000 feet high, where the whole style of the country changed, and we emerged from a wilderness into a beautiful park-like country, surrounded by hills and valleys, with trees IN THE PACIPIO. 91 laden with fruit, rich grass under our feet, and many varieties of flowers to greet the eye. The temperature also changed in a remarkable degree, in fact we were in a different climate, THE COLONBIi's HIJT. and it seemed difficult to believe that we were in the same island. We at length reached the settlement, con- sisting merely of two or three huts, into one of which, the colonel's own abode, we were heartily - elcomed, and refreshed with coffee, whilst a couple of nimble damsels umimmmmm 92 SPORTING ADVENTURES prepared a more substantial repast. A better site for a settlement could hardly be found ; in front of the hut was a pond of good water, on which a flock of wild ducks were dis- porting themselves; at the back was the colonel's garden, which he showed us with great pride; and where splendid potatoes, lettuces, maize, bananas, oranges, lemons, coffee, and tobacco all flourished in profusion. In answer to our eager inquiries as to the chances >f sport, we were assured that there were plent/ of wild cattle, pigs, and goats, and whilst we were resting after our long walk we saw some of the cattle browsing on the hill-sides and shading themselves in the neighbouring woods. After our repast, I despatuned the sergeant and two bluejackets to give an account of a cow which we saw not far off, bub they presently returned, after firing several unsuccessful shots. The colonel told us that towards evening the beasts would come down to the pool to drink, and at night they fed close to his hut, and IN THE PACIFIC. 93 sometimes broke into the garden; as it was now fom* p.m., and the rest of the cattle had taken alarm at the firing, we went in search of others. We presently came across a bull and cow, but they made off before we could get a shot at them ; we then separated so as to cir- cumvent a herd of cattle which we saw in a valley near at hand, one party going round to stalk them, whilst the rest of us posted our- selves in the track we supposed they would take on being alarmed. From our position we had a good view of the stalk, we could see the other party creeping in on the cattle. Presently a rifle-sho*^^ rang out sharp and clear, then another* and away scampered the herd, leaving one beast on the ground and another wounded ; the first rose again, but dropped to a second shot, the other got away, and the whole herd galloped off without giving us a chance. On joining the others we found they had killed a fine young bull ; it was now getting late, so we retraced our steps to the settlement. There was just light enough remaining to go to the pool after ! 94 SPORTING ADVENTURES the ducks, seven of which I bagged in as many minutes. After a hearty supper of beef and potatoes washed down with grog, we wished the colonel good-night, and prepared to turn in; but we had hardly finished our cigars, when he rushed into the hut in a great state of excite- ment, flourishing the stock of a revolver over his head. He was followed by the two girls, who were crying bitterly ; from what we could gather it appeared that on the way to their sleeping hut they had met a man with whom the colonel was on bad terms ; this ruffian had expressed his intention of killing his master the first opportunity. The colonel seeing the man approaching him with a knife in his hand, wisely took the initiative and broke his revolver over his head. This blow caused the six barrels to explode simultaneously, and the man fell, as they supposed, dead. It was difficult to make head or tail of the story, as the two girls were screaming in Spanish, and the colonel swearing in broken English ; but as far as we could make IN THE PAOinO. 96 out some one had been killed, so we sallied out with a lantern to look for the body ; we could see nothing, however, so we concluded that the Indian's skull had been proof against a blow which would have brained any ordinary mortal. Order being at last restored, we retired again to our respective huts : we were soon aware, from sundry noises outside, that a beast of some sort was feeding within a few yards of us; cautiously stealing out with our rifles ready, we peered into the darkness, which was so intense that we could see nothing, although we could hear an animal breathing and cropping the grass within five yards of us. At last the brute either saw or winded us, and with a loud snort bolted ; the sergeant fired, and declared he hit it, when we once more retired to rest. We were disturbed in this way several times during the night, but nothing came of it as darkness favoured the animals ; at daylight we found, by their tracks, that the cattle had. been feeding ail round the hut. We were all astir as soon as we could see. i'i 96 SPOETING ADVENTDRE8 and after a cup of coffee formed ourselves into three parties and started for the hills: the sergeant and my coxswain accompanied me. The morning was cold and raw, with a thick fog and rain, which soon wetted us to the skin. We went cautiously along, examining every yard before us, as we expected to come upon the cattle at any moment. After crossing a well-timbered valley, and mounting the opposite hill, we heard the lowing of beasts below us ; presently we heard shouts from the hill-side abreast of us, and then several rifle-shots, a ball from one of them coming unpleasantly close to us : the sergeant now said he saw the animals, and rushed forward to get a shot, calling to me to come also. I could, however, hear the crashing of boughs beneath where I stood, and judging that the beasts were coming my way I stood still and kept a sharp look-out below. It was an exciting moment, for though we could see nothing, it was evident from the crashing of timber that the beasts were close by; we were standing on the slope of a hill IN THE PACIFIO. 97 covered with tangled brushwood and small rotten trees, none of which would bear a man's weight. I had my double-barrelled smooth- bore loaded with ball, and my coxswain stood behind me with a Winchester repeating rifle as a reserve. Presently I espied a fine brindled bull coming up the hill, not forty yards off : getting a good sight of him through the trees, I gave him a ball behind the shoulder ; he dropped instantly on his knees, but was quickly up again, looking round for his enemy, when a second ball crashed through his ribs, and he rolled over never to rise again. I had hardly reloaded when an immense black bull came in sight, and received a ball in the shoulder, which dropped him in his tracks ; he was succeeded by two others, at both of which I fired, but with what success I could not tell, as they turned and charged down the hill, and were lost to sight. Reloading my gun, a snap-actioned breechloader (Powell), we went up to where the first bull was lying dead ; we were about to " gralloch** him, and Ricketts, H Ji 98 SPORTING ADVENTURES my coxswain, Lad put down the rifle for that purpose, when he suddenly called out, "Look out, sir I here comes the other." I turned round in time to see the black bull which I had wounded, and thought was dead, in the act of charging, not more than ten yards ofl^; he was in truth a desperate-looking brute, as he came at us head down, the blood pouring from his side ; he had seen us for the first time, and gave a grunt of satisfaction as he charged ; a ball between the eyes at point-blank range, however, stopped him, and the huge beast rolled over dead, almost at my feet. ^ We now hailed the party in the valley to come and help us, as we had more than we could manage; this brought up a couple of bluejackets, with whose assistance we dragged the two bulls down the hill, where wo found a third beast, also a bull, lying. It seeins there had been five of them in the valley, one of which had been killed by E 's party, and the other four came up to me, as already de- scribed. There was considerable arguraent as • IN THE PACIFIC. 99 to who killed this beast, several laying claim to haying given him the coup de grace ; the sergeant vowed that he had shot it in the act of charging, but this statement must be taken ctim grano salis, seeing that the beast was h' . in the stern ; it was even reported that the sergeant had been seen to fire into the carcase after it was dead : be that as it may, we had killed three bulls before breakfast, not a bad bag. We were now joined by the doctor, who also had some adventures to relate ; he had made a brilliant stalk to within about fifty yards of a bull and cow without being observed by them. Taking a careful rest in the fork of a tree, up which he was prepared to mount in case of accidents, he took aim at the bull ; but alas I as he was about to fire, the ball rolled out of the muzzle, and fell harmlessly to the ground ; the bull took the hint and skedaddled. It was now eight a.m., so we adjourned to the hut for breakfast ; some ducks had mean-^ while returned to the pond, out of which I bagged five. These birds were a large and hand- H 2 I r. I '4 100 SPORTING ADVENTURES some kind of teal, with red beaks, and bronze green on the wings ; they were excellent eating ; the colonel said that they came in such quanti- ties during the winter that he had killed them with a stick. We were glad of a spell after our exertions, and enjoyed our coffee and cigars, both of them the produce of the place, whilst the colonel entertained us with an account of his life on the island. From what he told us we concluded that he was a political refugee from Guayaquil, his native town ; and being compelled to leave his country he accepted the post of governor of these islands, acting in the interest of Seiior Valdesan, who rented them from the Govern- ment of Ecuador. Mr. Valdesan paid an annual rent of 4000 dollars, a mere nominal sum when the value of the land is considered. The prin- cipal source of profit is the orchilla weed, from which a beautiful dye is made, and which grows abundantly on the shores of all the islands in this group. The colonel, who had no remuneration for # IN THE PACIFIC. 101 his services, complained bitterly of the lone- liness of his Ufe, and of his need of more assistance. He had only six men under him, of whom three were sick, one having been lamed by a bull, and of the other three one wis the rascal I have already mentioned, whose presence ou the island was a constant source of peril to the poor old colonel. He assured us that one or the other must be dead in a day or two, as the fellow had sworn to stab him, and now that his revolver was broken he would be placed at a disadvantage. He begged me to take the man off the island and land him elsewhere. This, of course, I was not prepared to do, but we gladdened his heart by telling him that his pistol should be repaired, and a pair of handcuffs be given him, and we advised him to lose no time in placing his unruly subject hors de .combat. After breakfast we sent a party to cut up the meat, preparatory to Bending it down to the ship on donkeys. In the meantime 0 returned from an unsuccessful hunt after cattle ; he had come across a herd, pm 102 SPORTING ADVENTCEES but in the excitement of stalking them his rifle went off, and so did the beasts. Having rested and refreshed ourselves, E and I, after taking a turn round, to see how the men were getting on with the carcases, and giving directions for preserving the heads, struck into a thick wood, on the chance of gettiLg a shot at a bull. We had not gone far before a red bull, which had been lying down, sprang up within twenty-five yards of us, and, after running a short distance, turned and stood at hay, as though contemplating a charge, and giving E a point-blank shot at his head. No result followed the shot, beyond the speedy retreat of the bull ; perhaps it was just as well he did so, for had he charged us in such a place, surrounded as we were by dense jungle, which would have retarded our escape, though it would have offered no obstacle to a heavy beast, we must have either killed him or he one of us. On our return to the hut we sent the meat down to the ship, and the Doctor and 0 , with two bluejackets, also fi *''. h^ IL IN THE PACIFIC. 103 returned on board, leaving E and myself with the sergeant and the others to continue the campaign. Towards evening the cattle began roaring all around, but declined to come out into the open, on account of the reception they had met with already ; so, after waiting for them till nearly dark, I went down to the pool and bagged three and a half brace of teal. The natives seemed greatly astonished at seeing birds killed on the wing ; and they gi*eeted each shot with shouts of ** Caramba." At night the women retired to their own hut, but the colonel preferred to stay with us ; he slept in a grass hammock, with three dogs on the top of him; one, a fawn- coloured mastiff named Boxer, weighing about half a hundredweight, lay across his stomach, a white bnr terrier on his chest, and a mongrel on his feet ; he said they sersed to protect him, as no doubt they did. During the night we were constantly disturbed by the cattle which were feeding close by, but it was too dark to see to shoot them ; the sergeant fired at one by "' ) I I 104 SPOETING ADVENTURES the water, and, supposing him to be wounded, gave chase. It was just beginning to get light, and with my night-glasses I could distinguish the beast galloping away with the sergeant and a bluejacket in full chase. Presently the gunner's mate, who had remained with me, reported two fine bulls coming across the open, and requested leave to fire on them, at the same time dropping on the knee in the most approved fashion. I told him to hold on until I had examined them with the glasses; they turned out to be the sergeant and his com- panion returning from their fruitless chase. By daybreak we were ready for a start, and fortified against the wet morning with strong coffee and bread, the sergeant and another went after cattle, whilst I took another direction, accompanied by Ricketts, in search of pigs. A native armed with a spear came with us as guide. "We walked from daylight imtil ten o'clock without seeing a single pig, although their tracks were everywhere to be seen, and we had good dogs, but we came across numbers of f IN THE PACIPIO. 105 cattle, some of whicli plunged into the th'cket, others stopped in the open to take a look at us. I could easily have killed several of them, but did not care to do so, as we should have had some difficulty in getting the meat back to the hut, and we had already as much as we required. We also saw a herd of wild asses, and our guide said there were horses and goats, besides domestic fowls wild on the island, but we worked hard in a drenching rain for several hours, and saw none of them, and we were at length obliged to return to the hut, as we had a long walk to the boat the same afternoon. The colonel told us that the year before our visit there had been a great drought, and that about a thousand head of cattle died ; he estimated the remainder at about two thousand. His men usually killed one a week for their own use ; their plan was to wait at the water where they came to drink; this custom, though a tolerably sure one, is not unattended with danger, for one of the men had been gored to death by a bull which he had wounded, and [V W 106 SPORTING ADVBNTUKES another had been pinned by the ankle whilst attempting to climb a tree, and was on the sick list at the time of our visit. These cattle were originally introduced by the Spaniards three or f oiu" hundred years ago ; their numbers have of course increased enormously since then ; they appear not to have assumed any particular shade of colour, but every variety was repre- sented as in the tame sort ; in size they were even superior to domestic cattle, which might be accounted for by the excellent pasturage on the island. The time had now come for us to be off, so collecting our traps we started for the beach, the colonel and the two damsels accom- panying us. We failed to observe any of the terrapin or land tortoise for which these islands used to be BO celebrated, and the colonel informed us that they had been taken away by the whalers in such quantities that they were well-nigh exter- minated, but that a few were still to be found on some of the islands, more especially on IN THE PACIFIC. 107 Albemarle. On our way down to the boat we noticed tbe tobacco and cotton plant growing wild, and orange, lemon, and mango trees were common enough. We stopped for a short time at the same hut where we rested on our way up, and where a somewhat stormy interview took place between the colonel and one of Lis subordinates, the one, I imagine, who had the revolver broken over his head. The colonel chased the latter round the hut with a rifle, trying in vain to get a shot at him, whilst the wretched fellow, who was armed with a knife about two feet long, showed his agility by dodging about the premises to avoid the colonel's aim; the women meanwhile set up a melancholy howl, while we smoked our cigars and watched this ridiculous spectacle. At length, after consider- able theatrical display, and a great deal of bad language, the parties were apparently reconciled, and we all started for the boat, which we reached without further adventure. We found the boat's crew comfortably quartered in the -'4 108 SPORTING ADVENTURES small hut on the beach, where we had landed two days before. The colonel told us that his son had died near this place some time ago, and thrusting his hand into the thatched roof of the hut he pulled out a human thigh bone. ** Ah,*' said he, " dis is de bone of my poor leetle boy,'* and, overcome by his emotions, he dropped it on the ground. Boxer and another dog immediately seized it and commenced to worry it, but a kick in the ribs made them drop it, when the colonel reverently replaced it in the thatch. Whilst the boat was being got ready, one of the girls, the best-looking of the two, retired into the inmost recesses of the hut, and presently reappeared en grande tenue, with gold earrings and brooch, and wearing a flowing bright-coloured garment. As she evidently wanted to see the ship, I invited her to accompany the colonel on board, which she willingly agreed to. A couple of tars carried her into the boat, and away we went with a flowing sheet, reaching the ship at four p.m. The colonel dined with me, and we passed a v| h y ■aairiTTrirT-iiii IN THE PACIFIC. 109 very merry evening, the difficulty of repaying him for his hospitality, and for the provisions, &c., we had received, was got over by giving him such things as would be useful to him on the island. Money was of no use, but the officers, one and all, contributed such things as they could spare, and the result was a goodly hamper of old clothes, shoes, flannel, serge, knives, scissors, and soap, besides needles and thread, and a looking-glass for the Senorita. The poor girl looked the picture of delight as she sat in my cabin admiring her treasures, with her lap full of gilt uniform buttons, and a " Eeindeer '* ribbon in her hair. As for the colonel, words could not express his gratitude ; but what gave him the greatest delight was a bran new revolver and case, and a pair of hand- cuffs for his unruly subjects. The pistol was fingered to such an extent that it went off in my cabin, lodging the ball in a beam overhead, and as for the handcuffs, he sat up all night clinking them together, occasionally chuckling and cracking his fingers, evidently thinking how ^1 .1 i. M h) Si': 110 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC. he would serve his troublesome subordinates when he landed. My impression is that the rascals must have had a rough time of it when the colonel again trod his native heather. The next morning a boat was provided to take our guests back to Black Beach Bay, so as to save them the long walk from the anchorage to the settlement. The poor old colonel was quite overcome at leaving the ship, and declared he would never forget the "Rein- deer,** and " Felice ** seemed to be of the saiue opinion. We soon afterwards got under weigh, and, having picked up our boat, we filled away on our course, and the last thing I could make out as I looked back at the island was the figure of the old colonel, and the little girl beside him, standing on the beach where they had been landed, still looking wistfully after the ship as she tjped through the water before the fresh trade wind, leaving them far astern in their solitary home. MHai HMWI.IIWWMf CHAPTER VI. * A WEEK of favourable winds carried us to the Mexican coast, and after a quick passage of fifteen days from the Galapagos Islands we anchored at Mazatlan. This place, though an indifferent harbour, is the principal seaport on the west coast of Mexico. During the fine season, from November till June, the anchorage is quite safe, the climate is then delightful, a fi^esh breeze blows daily with great regularity, giving place to a gentle land breeze at night. Rain seldom falls during this season ; and fogs are of very rare occurrence. From June till November is the rainy season, during which time heavy gales, accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, prevail, and the 'ft ■4 ■ I nMt M 991 112 SPORTING ADVENT JRES ancliorage is then very insecure : all ships leave the coast at this time, and the small schooners, which carry on a brisk trade during tl.e fine season, are dismantled and laid up. Hurricanes, known by tlie local name of cordonazo, literally the lash of a whip, may be expected any time after the middle of June, and ships must put to sea 8,t the first warning, to avoid being driven on ehore. These gales commence from the south-east, which is a fair wind for leaving the port, they then suddenly shift to the south-west and blow dead on shore, causing a very heavy sea. The appearance of the town is decidedly pleasing; the white houscis interspersed with cocoa-nut trees give it a bright, refreshing look, especially in the rauiy season, when the densely- wooded mountains are covered with the brightest emerald hues. The principal streets are well laid out and contain some very fine houses, and there is a plaza where all the beauty and fashion assemble to hear a military band, which plays there IN THE PAUIFIO. 113 occasionally of an evening. The Custom-house, facing the landing-place, has a very imposing look from a distance, but will not bear a close inspection. A considerable trade is carried on between Mazatlan and the European ports, and the mail steamers call" there on their way to and from San Francisco and Panama. The regular traders from Europe seldom come direct into port, but remain outside until satisfactory arrangements have been made between the owners of the ship and the Custom- house authorities ; hence it is no uncommon thing for a ship to remain outside, standing off and on for days and weeks together. This delay is owing to the unsettled state of the country, for the merchant, who has already paid the necessary dues on his expected cargo, naturally objects to paying a second time on account of the Custom-house having changed hands, which it often does : a compromise is usually arranged, and the ship comes into port to discharge, failing which she goes to another place. I '41 114 SPOIiTINO ADVENTURES The export duty on silver is 9^ per cent., while that on imported goods is 100 per cent., and sometimes more ; the result of this suicidal system is most damaging to the interests of the country, and is calculated to encourage smuggHng, which is carried on to va very great extent. Notwithstanding the profits arising from these monstrous charges there is never any money forthcoming, when required, to feed, clothe, or transport troops, or for any other purpose. The wretched soldierfj are badly fed, poorly clad, and seldom paid. If it is necessary to move a body of troops from one place to another a requisition is made upon the foreign merchants for the money, with the understand- ing that if it is not paid the soldiers will probably help themselves ; as a necessary con- sequence the merchants prefer to advance the money to the alternative of having a lawless, half-starved rabble let loose upon them. To a sportsman Mazatlan presents unusual attractions; a long chain of lagoons extend from IN THE rAClFIO. 115 the back of the town for several miles parallel to the sea-beach ; some of these lagoons are brackish, others quite fresh, but in all of them many varieties of duck are to be found, besides snipe, curlew, ibis, spoonbills, coots, &c. Leaving the ship at daylight, it was no un- common thing for one gun to bring back from six to eight brace of ducks before breakfast, by which time the sun is generally too hot to make shooting agreeable. There are a few alligators in these lagoons, but we never found them molest us, although they would occa- sionally take down a wounded duck or a dog. Notwithstanding that many native sports- men, who make a living by shooting, frequent * these places, and kill a great quantity of ducks, there is always sufficient left to satisfy a sportsman who goes out for exercise and plea- sure, and is contented with a moderate bag. There is also good flight- shooting to be had, by posting oneself in the line of flight about sundown, when the ducks come in from the sea to the pools. I 2 116 SPOUTING ADVENTURES The native sportsman, armed with a risty old musket heavily charged, takes his place amongst the rushes by the waterside about daybreak, and disdaining single birds, or flying shots, he waits till he sees a good flock of duck on the water, when, stripping off every vestige of clothing, he glides into the water like an alligator, which indeer' ne somewhat resembles. Sinking himself till only his head is visible, with his right hand he grasps the gun, holding the barrel horizontal, and just clear of the water, and in this way, propelling himself Tvith his legs on the bottom, he stealthily approaches the ducks liill within fifteen or twentv yards, when a dose of slugs into the brown of them often kills a dozen and wounds as many Fiore. Three or four such shots make up a heavy bag, with which the Indian trudges oack to the town, and sells them in the market for one ** bit " each, or eight for a doliar. I was out one evening with a companion, who mistook one of these fellows in the twilight for an alligator, and gave him a charge of No. 5 '\ IN THE PACIFIC. 117 as he was stalking some ducks ; a few of the pellets took effect in the most prominent part of his person, which happened to be awash at the moment ; there was a lively scene, and some compliments exchanged, among which a choice selection of Spanish oaths could be plainly- heard. My friend, who was an Irishman, wisely moved on, before the fellow had time to dress himself, and we heard no more of it. In the neighbouring woods there are deer, hares, rabbits, armadillo, Californian quail, and chachalacas (the Mexican pheasant), but the v/oods are so infested with garrapatos, a species of tick, which burrows into the skin, that it is best to keep clear of them. Parrots and macaws abound in countless thousands, though not immediately near the town ; it is a pity to kill them, although they are not bad eating, unless one wants the feathers for salmon flies. • One day whilst shooting quail not far from the town, accompanied by my coxswain, we were surprised by the report of artillery and 118 SPORTING ADVENT UKES [| li a round shot pitching close to us ; this was followed by a shell which burst in a bush within a few yards of us, upon which we moved on ; it appeared that the Mexican artillery were exercising their one field-piece in antici- pation of an attack from some rebel troops who were supposed to be in the neighbourhood. In the harbour and estuaries sharks and turtle abound, besides many kinds of fish, which may be either caught with a seine or killed by torpedoes of dynamite powder; blie latter is very destructive, but is a most danger- ous amusement, and many people have lost their lives or limbs by using them. There is a kind of rock cod called the mar Of which attains a prodigious size, fre- quently being killed with the hand-Hue over 200 lbs. weight, and they have been known to reach as much as 300 lbs. Devil-fish are alsD occasit 'rally seen In the harbour, and we once managed to harpoon one from a boat ; the beast towed the boat round tbf^ harbour at a great rate, and finally broke adrift. M I IN THE PACIFIC. 119 y Mazatlan is not unhealthy, notwithstanding the mangrove swamps in the nt ighbourhood ; these are flooded with each tide, and in the rainy season become one large lake, but the town being built on a promontory gets the benefit of the sea breeze, and is not affected by the malaria, like many other places on the coast. The natives living in the ranches scattered about the country are as a rule most civil, and /Kfifeful for the smallest remuneration; they J., e very poor, and live almost entirely upon i MilaSy a pancake made from Indian com, and frijoles, the brown bean of the country : on this simple fare a Mexican will go anywhere, especially if it be washed down by a glass of Mescal, a spirit made from the cactus. The native women are not bad-looking, and all have beautiful dark eyes and hair, and small hands and feet. :, I ^,m^ ■-'•3 rl ■H« CHAPTER VII. At the time of our arrival on the ':oast there were ruTnours of a disturbance at Tepic, a city of considerable importance about fifty-six miles inland from the port of San Bias. A celebrated rebel chief of the name of Lozada had governed the province of Tepic for several years, and on being ordered to tender his submission to the Government of President Le do he declined to do so, and in order to gain time, in the event of a rupture, he despatched a deputation to the city of Mexico, in charge of Sefior Don Manuel Zelayetta, the chief of the customs at Tepic, to endeavour to make terms with the Government. At the same time he warned his people to be SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIITO. 121 ready for a campaign, and he issued a pro- clamation to the residents in Tepic, to the effect that if there was a rupture of the peace it would not be his doing, and that in the event of war he would not be answerable for the conduct of his men, nor would he guarantee the safety of those resi'lmg in the city. This proclamation naturally caused much alarm amongst the residents, and the foreign merchants addressed me a letter, requesting me to support them by bringing the ship to San Bias, and coming to Tepic to consult with them as to the best steps to be taken in the matter. With this object we proceeded to San Bias on the 16th of December, and arrived there the following day, when I immediately went to Tepic, accompanied by some of the officers of the " Reindeer." A coach drawn by six mules starts from San Bias every alternate day, and occupies from ten to eighteen hours on the journey, according to the season of the year ; the distance is about fifty-six miles, and the road the worst I ever Ac\i I z 122 SPORTING ADVENTURES saw, being more like the dry bed of a Highland river than anything else ; in the rainy season it somewhat resembles the river itself. On our arrival at Tepic we were lodged in the magnificent house of Messrs. Barron, Forbes, and Co., where we were most hospitably entertained during our stay by Mr. Heaven, the energetic manager of the house. The deputation pent to Mexico was not expected back for some time, so we had ample leisure to enjoy ourselves pending their return, when the question of war or peace was to be decided. Horses and carriages were placed at our disposal, and nothing was forgotten which could contribute in any way to our comfort or amusement. Tepic is situated in a valley 3000 feet above the level of the sea, and contains some 20,000 inhabitants ; the climate is far superior to that on the coast ; although hot in the middle of the day, the mornings and evenings are cool and pleasant, and there are no mosquitoes or sand- flies as at San Bias. IN THE rACIFlO. 123 The valley in whicli the city lies is surrounded on all sides by lofty mountains, among which San Juan and San-Juan-quey stand conspicu- ous ; at the foot of the former is a curiously- shaped hill called " Cuchillo," evidently an extinct crater, near which is tho village of San Luis, at that time the head-quarters of Lozada. A pretty river winds through the valley, and passes close to the town ; by following up this stream to its source some excellent duck and snipe shooting may be had. The river is spanned by a bridge on the road to Guadlajara, and we found that the best sport was to be had from the bridge upwards. The variety of duck we got here was quite astonish- ing ; we frequently bagged five or six different kinds in a day, including mallard, widgeon, teal, pin-tail, shovellers, black duck, &c., besides snipe, ibis, and many kinds of waders. The shooting was of the prettiest description ; by following along the windings of the river one could come suddenly upon a flock of duck, or else spy them along a leach and stalk them. H i ..m ' t\ 124 SPOUTING ADVENTURES Here and there, where the river had overflowed its banks, a marshy patch would yield a few couple of snipe, and so a very pretty bag could be made. My last day at this place with another gun was nine couple of snipe and eight brace of ducks before breakfast. It was always advisable to carry a revolver, owing to the disturbed state of the country, but we were never molested. There are deer, wild boars, and jaguars or tigers as they are called, in the woods, also turkeys, pheasants, and other game, but they are diflBcult to get at, and we could not spare time enough to make an expedition to any distance from our head-quarters. Besides sport there is very much to interest and amuse one at Topic ; a favourite rendezvous of ours was the cotton factory of Jauqa, belonging to Messrs. Barron, Forbes, and Co. The house looks more like a baronial mansion than a factory ; it is surrounded by trees, and has a beautiful garden, through which the river runs; the stream turns the machinery of the factory. IN THE PACIFIC. 125 The garden is beautifully kept, and is well supplied with fruit and flowers. Jauqa is one of the principal cotton factories in the country, and supplies all the chief towns in Mexico with THE COrrON FACTOHY OF JAUi^A, NEAE TEJ'IC. mantas, a species of cotton garment ; several hundred operatives are employed on the works. The sugar estate of Puga, also belonging to Messrs. Barron, Forbes, and Co., is well worth a visit ; it is situated about two leagues from Tepic; the building is a fine one, in the old Spanish style. 1 H p I .^J 126 SPORTING ADVENTURES I :2i with a patio or courtyard in the centre, at the back of the house is a lovely garden, well stocked with orange-trees and limes, under the shadow of which a swimming-bath is temptingly placed. The machinery on this estate is worked by steam, as they have no water power as at Jauqa. The sugar manufactured at Pugja is of very superior quality; it is almost all sold in the country. There is another sugar estate near Tepic, called Bella Vista, belonging to Messrs. Agierrez; this is also a lovely spot, as the name implies ; the view from the top of a hill over- looking the factory is magnificent, the valley below being entirely under cultivation with acres of waving sugar-cane and rice, which affords a pleasing contrast to the surrounding scenery. Excellent coffee is grown on some of these estates, and tobacco of the finest quality. There is a large cigar manufactory at Tepic, and another at San Bias, where very fair cigars may be bought for twenty to twenty-five dollars a thousand. IN THE PACIFIO. 127 Not far from Tepic there is a large plain called the Laguna. This was once a lagoon, but was drained by Mr. Barron some years ago at a great expense; by this not only is the sanitary condition of the city much improved, but a valuable tract of country reclaimed, on which many hundred head of cattle and horses are pastured. These animals, from being allowed to roam about undisturbed, have be- come almost wild, and when any of them are wanted they are hunted down and lassoed. We went one day to the laguna to see some colts branded, and had a good opportunity of witnessing the skill and horsemanship of the Mexican rancheros, for which they are so cele- brated. "We saw several gavage bulls lassoed, and thrown very cleverly ; but the most won- derftil performance was to see a ranchero ride at full gallop alongside of a bull, seize the beast by the tail whilst going at the top of his speed, and by a clever twist throw the animal on to the ground, where he lay looking very foolish. ■Mm Mm m m 128 SPORTINQ ADVENTURES On this occasion several hundred young mares were driven into a corral, where they were lassoed, thrown, and branded. Several of these poor beasts were very roughly handled by the natives, who had no regard whatever for the feelings of the animals. There was one half -wild mare, which had never had saddle or bridle put upon her, and looked as if she never intended to have. One of Lozada's chiefs, who happened to be present, volunteered to mount this creature for our especial edification. She was in the corral with the others, when three or four Indians lassoed her, and after some desperate struggles threw her down, with such force that blood poured from her nose. The next operation was to get the bridle on, which took about a quarter of an hour, when she was allowed to rise. Another display of kicking and biting then took place, but at last the heavy Mexican saddle was firmly secured and the mare was led forth. T'leanwhile, the Indian who was to ride her had strapped on a pair of spurs as big as a saucer, and was smoking his IN THE PACIFIC. 129 cigarette, and when all was ready he patted the mare and sprang lightly into the saddle. Im- mediately a lively scene ensued, the beast rear- ing, kicking, bucking, and trying to jam the rider's leg against the wall of the corrai; but finding all these fail, she threw a somersault in the air, landing on her back. The Indian, who had taken it very coolly, was prepared for this manoeuvre, and threw himself clear, ready to mount again as soon as the mare was on her legs. This performance was repeated two or three times, till we stopped it, as it was quite evident that the man would conquer. The poor beast — sweating, bleeding, and trembhng in every limb — was then allowed to go, with scarcely strength or energy left to rejoin her comrades in the plain. A Mexican gentleman also gave us an exhi- bition of his skill with the lasso, never faihng to throw it over the head or horns of an animal whilst going at full gallop ; his horse also seemed to enter into the sport with much gustOf like an old hunter. !5: ■ r» ^^:';!i 130 SPORTING aDVENTUBES A well-mounted and fully-equipped Mexican is certainly a. fine sight, with his saddle, bridle, and accoutrements richly mounted with silver, and his broad sombrero and slashed trousers ornamented with the same costly material. All carry a rifle, sword, and pistol, very necessary additions to one's outfit in that country. We rode one day to the coffee plantation of La Fortuna, and were most kindly received by the proprietor, who showed us over the estate. One of the great difiiculties which planters in these countries have to contend against is the ants. Some of these insects are nearly an inch long; they will strip a tree of its leaves in a singla nighi., and completely ruin a coffee plantation if precautions are not taken to defeat them, I have, whilst hunting m the woods of Central America and Mexico, come across these insects travelling along a beaten path as broad as a man's thigh, made by themselves. There were myriads of them going to aul fro, and all of those going in one direction would be carry- ing a leaf, or part of a leaf, plucked from some IN THE PACIFIC. 131 unlucky tree in the neighbourhood. There are several ways of preventing their depredations. Perhaps the simplest is to dig a trench round each plant and fill it with water. It is said that corrosive sublimate sprinkled .icross their path will drive them mad, when they attack and destroy one another. Coal tar will also turn them ; and another plan is to tie Tasps of grass round the trees wi^h the points down- wards ; the ants endeavoui to pass the obstacle and lose themselves amongst the blades. Whenever an ants' nest is discovered near any plantation it is at oice destroyed. These nests are generally five or six feet undfT-ground ; and it is a curious fact that they invariably contain a snake, or one or more scorpions, living in harmony with the ants. What they are doing there I cannot say ; probably the ants provide them with food, and in return are piotected against a ccnmon enemy ; but it certainly seems as though they had some understanding between each other. We had been at Tepic nearly a month, when K 2 w ?■!: p fii ■■ : ■ is!! • mil I 132 SPORTTNO ADVENTDRES it became apparent that a pacific arrangeinent between Lozada and the Government would be highly improbable, and I was given to under- stand that hostilities would be likely to com- mence about the middle of January. I there- fore made arrangements to return to the ship on the 13th, and warned all those who were desirous of securing their own safety to accom- pany or follow us to San Bias, where they would be under the protection of the British flag. Before daylight of the 13th I left Tepic, accompanied by Mr. Heaven and as many of the officers as happened to be then staying there. Oiu* departure had already been delayed long enough, for we found the roads in the possession of Lozada's soldiers, who imme- diately stopped us outside the city, but on ascertaining that we were English officers they allowed us to proceed, and we reached San Bias without further molestation. The road between San Bias and Tepic is not considered a safe one, as a band of brigands IN THE PACIFIC. 133 infest the neighbourhood, and frequently rob and abuse passing travellers. These cowardly rascals sometimes catch a Tartar, as the follow- ing story will show : — Mr. S , a member of a well-known family in Mexico, had, it appears, given offence to a band of brigands, who determined to settle accounts with him. He lived in a hacienda not far from Tepic, and on? morning, 1 >t'o he was out of I A, he received a visit from thirty or f o^ty of the brigands. Fortunately he heard them coming, and placed his revolver under the bed- clothes. Presently one of the robber chiefs came in, and, wishing him good morning, entered into conversation. The man, seeing a rifle leaning against the wall, suddenly pos- sessed himself of the weapon, and concluding that his victim was at his mercy, he coolly in- formed him that he meant to kill him. Mr. S , to gain time, asked if money would not do as well, at the same moment cocking his revolver under the clothes. The brigand said no, that he must have his blood, and cut short If s 134 SPOUTING ADVEiNTUllES any further parley by firing at Mr. S as Le lay in bed. The latter, who was prepared for something of the sort, avoided the shot by dodging, and quickly returned the compliment by sending a ball through the scoundrel's he id. Another brigand, who was waiting outside, now came in laughing, supposing Mr. S to be killed ; but he also was disposed of by a ball between the eyes. Mr. S then got up, and finding the rest of the gang in the yard, he shot two more, when the remainder bolted. Shortly after our departure from San Bias, some of these scoundrels attacked and murdered an unoffending merchant of that place. The poor fellow defended himself in the most gallant manner, and killed four or five of the brigands before he succumbed. For a day or two after our return to the sliip I anxiously awaited news from Tepic, but the telegraph wires had been destroyed, and the coach stopped, by order of Lozada ; his soldiers lined the roads, and all direct communication was cut off". In a few days I received a letter I IN THE PACIFIC. 135 I by special messenger from Mr. Heaven, who had returned to Tepic. The bearer of this despatch had contrived to evade the sentries during the night, and, running all the way, had readied the coast by a circuitous route. This letter informed me that Lozada had declared war against the Government (a number of bombastic proclama- tions, as usual in like cases, announced this event), and that he had despatched 5000 men to attack Mazatlan; while Lozada himself, at the head of another 5000, had marched on Guadal- jara, a large city in the interior. Mr. Heaven added that all wfs quiet in Tepic, a>v^ they con- sidered themselves safe for the present. Under these circumstances it seemed to me that the ship would be of more service at Mazatlan than at San Bias. I therefore re- turned an answer, informing the residents of my intention of proceeding forthwith to Mazatlan. When on the point of sailing I received another letter, signed by the leading merchants in Tepic, to say that affairs had assumed a very Ml ¥":■'. i 136 SPORTING ADVENTURES threatening attitude in the city, and begging that the ship might remain for the present at San Bias. The difficulty now was to satisfy all parties ; in point of fact, to be in two places at the same time. It was ervident we could not well leave San Bias, and equally plain that we were wanted at Mazatlan, where the foreign mer- chants would be in need of assistance in the event of the city being captured by Lozada's men. I adopted a compromise. The troops which had already started, would, I was aware, take five or six days of rapid marching to reach Mazatlan, whilst we could do it in twenty-four hours by sea. I therefore sent back a reply to say that the " Reindeer " would remain forty-eight hours longer at San BlaSj so as to allow time for any families to leave the city, after which I should proceed without further delay to Mazatlan. As nothing more could be done for the present, I went out shooting. San Bias is one of the worst places on the coast ; the anchorage IN TUB PACIFIC. 137 is simply an open roadstead, and is only safe during the fine season. There is an inner harbour suitable for very small craft, where the coasting schooners lay up during the hurricane months. On landing, one is imme- diately attacked by myriads of sand-flies and mosquitoes, and the only remedy is to keep continually smoking j fortunately cigars are plentiful and good. A considerable amount of cedar, rose, ebony, and other fancy woods are shipped from this port. The old town formerly stood on a hill about a quarter of a mile from the present straggling village ; it was destroyed by an earthquake many years ago, and the ruins may still be seen. The present place is unhealthy at certain seasons of the year, owing to the malaria arising from the mangrove swamps in the neighbour- hood, the haunt of aUigators, snakes, and other noxious creatures. There is no shooting in the immediate vicinity of the port ; but by following up a river, the Lsy& ]38 SPORTING ADVENTUKES moutli of which is a short distance to the south- ward of the anchorage, some very good sport may be had. Accompanied by Doctor S , I ascended this river to its source, seventeen miles from the sea, and starting by night in a canoe paddled by two Indians, we accomplished half the distance by daybreak. The scenery was most mono- tonous ; nothing was to be seen but mangrove bushes which overhung the water on both sides. Our Indians paddled silently along, driving the frail craft swiftly through the muddy stream. Occasionally an alligator would glide off the mud-bank where he had been reposing, and rise again close to the canoe, with only his eye and snout above water, presenting a tempting though difficult shot, and we passed so many of these reptiles that the smell which they emitted was quite sickening. We killed and wounded several, and nearly capsized the canoe whilst trying to haul one on board. At one place there were at least a dozen of them in sight at the same time, and whilst I was blazing away IN THE PACIFIC. 139 at them with a repeating rifle, my dog " Rose," thinking there must be something to retrieve, jumped overboard in their midst; fortunately we dragged her into the canoe before any harm was done. The firing unfortunately disturbed a large flock of pato real, (royal ducks), which F led away overhead. After this the river gradually became narrower, until there was barely room to work the paddles, and we pre- sently reached our destination, a large swamp with rushy patches and pools, whereon many kinds of duck and teal were to be seen. "VYe now landed, and waded over the marsh, picking up duck, snipe, and a couple of brace of geese. We also saw and bagged for the first time a species of duck called the " pichichi." These birds go about in large flocks, and are not so wild as the other sorts ; they are handsome birds, with rich brown breasts and long yellow legs ; they move their wings slowly and make a whistling noise whilst flying, and altogether are more like miniature geese than ducks. With a good mixed bag we returned to our canoe, and ™^^^ 140 SPOUTING ADVENTURES reached the ship the same night, none the worse for our expedition. On returning on board, I found a letter from Mr. Heaven, to say that he was going to make the attempt to reach San Bias with his wife and family on the following day, and that in all probability several other families would follow his example. On receipt of this news several of us decided to ride part of the way to meet them. The next morning on landing we found the custom-house deserted by the employes, who, one and all took refuge on board the " Rein- deer." The captain of the port had disappeared, and his place was filled by one of Lozada*s officials. Almost all the horses and mules had been either stolen by Lozada's soldiers or hidden away to avoid being taken, and we found it impossible to procure any conveyance. A good-natured Frenchman, however, lent me his mule, and, taking a young Mexican as guide, I started on the road leading to Tepic. After riding twenty-one miles, we halted at a village IN THE PACIFIC. 141 to rest, and whilst there Mr. Heaven and his family drove up in a coach. They had left Tepio before daylight, and fortunately had met with no interruption on the road. We returned to San Bias together, where they took up their quarters, at a house belonging to Mr. Barron. That evening Mr. Heaven dined with me on board. We had parted for the night, and I was about to retire, when he came alongside again in a canoe, having been warned by a friendly Indian, in Lozada's service, that orders had been sent irom Tepic to arrest him and take him back to the city. Under these circum- stances I thought it advisable to make him comfortable on board for the night, and to send an officer with a guard of bluejackets to pro- tect the house. The next morning Lozada's people called for Mr. Heaven, and were not a little disappointed to find that the bird had flown, and a party of English seamen, armed to the teeth, were in possession of the premises. As Mr. Heaven was the representative of a wealthy house, and moreover possessed of almost '*.-';« 142 SPORTING ADVEXTORES unlimited powers, it was of the highest import- ance to Lozada to obtain possession of him, and it was said that he calculated on getting a million dollars from the firm for his ransom. Had the money not been forthcoming, that gentleman's life would in all probability have been forfeited. A Mexican gentleman in business in Tepic had already been imprisoned b^ the orders of Lozada for some imaginary offence, and his death-warrant had been read to him. He was, however, eventually released on payment of a large sum of money. The morning after the attempted arrest of Mr. Heaven, I went on shore to see the official who had given directions for his capture. I found him at his office with his " secretary," and a more rascally-looking pair it would be difficult to find. The captain, as he was called, was a dark, sulky-looking Indian, who evidently could not write, hence the necessity of a secre- tary. The latter had a club foot, and a diabolical-looking squint. They sat together IN THE PACIFIC. 143 at the table, each with his revolver loaded and capped by his right hand, with the barrels pointing across the table; they had the de- cency, however, to turn them away from me when I sat down. In reply to my remark that " I was astonished that an English gentleman v'hilst on a visit to San Bias, and my guest, had been grossly insulted by being searched for and ordered to return to Topic," they replied that they were merely subordinates, and had to carry out their instructions, and that they in- tended to do so if possible. I informed them that Mr. Heaven was safe on board the " Reindeer," and likely to remain there ; but that should he think fit to come on shore, he should do so, and he would be protected. In answer to my ques- tion regarding the safety of the ladies and chil- dren, they said they did not intend to molest them. The same night a reinforcement of soldiers was sent down fi'om Tepic, and our guard at the house was doubled. Meanwhile the forty-eight hours* grace had nearly expired. During this time many families had left Tepic, } I, i)j m- 14 '■^M 144 SPORTING ADYENTUEEo and made their way to San Bias, to seek the protection of tlie British flag. I was now anxious to reach Mazatlan, anu net liking to desert these poor people, I made arrangements to embark the whole of them and carry them to that port. With this object in view, I landed on the morning of the 25th January, leaving orders for steam to be ready at two p.m. On landing I was handed two letters from the officials before mentioned, forbidding any refugees to embark on board the " Reindee^r," and coolly request- ing me to comply with the demand. The letters, being wi'itten in Spanish, required the aid of an interpreter, and also time for con- sideration, before an answer, which was re- quested, could be returned. This unavoidable delay enabled me to send word of the position of affairs to the senior lieutenant, who with commendable alacrity sent all our boais ashore manned and armed. The people flocked do»7ii to the beach, and in a wonderfiilly short time, thanks to the admirable arrangements of the IN THE PACIFIC. 145 officers in charge, upwards of 100 men, women, and children, together with a quantity of baggage, were embarked, and at the time appointed the " Reindeer " was steaming out of the harbour with her head pointed for Ma- zatlan. Fortunately, we had a quick and pleasant passage, the water was as smooth as glass, and the monotonous thumping of the screw was rehoved by the squalling of babey and the Avrangling of their nurses. As we had no accommodation for so large a number, the greater part had to remain on deck, no great hardship in such a climate. We spread sails for them to sleep upon, and with awnings sloped over them, and the flags of England and Mexico draped around, the deck presented a very cheerful and homelike appearance. The ladies occupied my cabin, and many of the officers gave up theirs to accommodate the gentlemen. Tbe difficulty of feeding so large a party was got over by rigging a long table on deck, where relays of " square meals " were continually L if 1 1 tl m ml iU , If -^^ 146 SPORTING ADVENTURES served for the better class of our guests, while the bluejackets took care of the remainder. My coxswain was placed in charge of the cabin where the ladies were sleeping, with orders to admit no one on any pretence whatever ; and well he did his duty, for from the bridge I could hear several anxious husbands clamouring in vain for admission, and the last seen of the faithful fellow he was stretched across the threshold, apparently overcome by his feelings, but true to the last. Our reception at Mazatlan waff most cordial, and we were glad to find that our friends there were in no immediate danger, as L ^iada's forces had met with a repulse at Rosario, several leagues distant from the city, in consequence of which many of his men had deserted and returned to their homes. Lozada in person was soon afterwards defeated by General Corona, before the walls of Guadalajara; his forces, always disaffected, were now thoroughly demoralized, and a general stampede was the result. Lozada himself, with a handfril of follower^t as des- IN THE PACIFIC. 147 perate as himself, retreated to the mountains, where he was eventually betrayed and captured by one of his oldest companions. He was tried by court-martial in Topic, and sentenced to be shot, but refusing to have his eyes bandaged, he knelt down with his face to the firing party and died with great courage. ■ Thus perished the robber-chief of Mexico, the " Tiger of Tepic," as he was appropriately called, one of the most celebrated bandits of his day. For fourteen years Lozada had defied the authorities, and eluded such bodies of troops as were sent to capture him, only leaving his mountain retreat to kill and torture with the most horrible cruelty. There was no crime which he had not committed scores of times, and his name will ever be associated with the most diabolical outrages and unrelentiug cruelty. L 2 CHAPTER VIII. We remained another three weeks at Mazatlan, to see that affairs were thoroughly settled, during this tine I made an expedition in the company of some friends, to a place called the "Presidio," a cotton factory some leagues distant from the town. We had a pretty drive of three hours to the factory where we slept, and at daylight the next morning we started for a neighbouring marsh, where we made a good bag of ducks and snipe, besides a few quail and rabbits which we found in the scrub. After breakfast, a bath and siesta, we drove to a lagoon, celebrated for wild fowl, several miles farther on. When we reached this place we observed a very remarkable optical delusion. SPORTING ADVENTUKES IN THE PACIFIC. 149 "We saw before us apparently a large sheet of water, in which mountains, trees, horses, and cattle were plainly reflected. On a nearer approach the scen'^ changed, and nothing remained but a dry plain of mud, cracked by the heat of the sun, and over which a gaseous vapour floated. Driving on, the effect was repeated, the animals, the trees, and the moun- tains really existed, but not the water. At last, after many disappointments, we came to a pool of brackish water, where all the birds in the country seemed to have collected. We got at this one spot nearly fifty head of duck, snipe, and various kinds of waders, which, added to our bag of the morning, made up a very good score. On the 19th February, 1873, we sailed from Mazatlan, bound to Panama and iatermediato ports. We had already overstayed our time on the coast, owing to the disturbed state of the country, but there was no longer any need of our services. A pleasait sail of three days, with fair winds and smooth water, brought us if ■ 'f i if s ' ^1 ^ 1 t 1 I 150 SPOETING ADVENTUfiES to Manzanillo, a pretty little port and a good harbour, but where we remained only a few hours, as the place is very unhealthy, especially in the summer months, when some large lagoons at the back of the town are almost dry. At night the land breeze wafts ofE an odoriferous bouquet from these swamps, which is neither wholesome nor agreeable. The day before we arrived an attempt had been made to purify one of these lagoons by connecting it with the sea, and allowing the tide free access to it; but the only immediate result had been to drive out a quantity of alligators, fish, and lumber into the sea, amongst which was a valuable lot of cedar cut in baulks ready for shipping. One of these pieces, weighing some three tons, we hoisted in and secured. Manzanillo is the seaport of Colima, from which it is distant ninety miles, and a consider- able trade is carried on between the two places. From thence we ran down the coast to Acapulco, where we anchored two days after- wards. The harbour of Acapulco is the finest ^m IN TEE PACIFIC. 151 on the west coast of Mexico ; it is perfectly land-locked, spacious, and secure. It was formerly celebrated as the rendezvouz for the Spanish galleons trading to Manilla, and in those days Acapulco must have been a thriving place; but now it is in a dilapidated condi- tion. The houses have sloping thatched roofs, which afford protection from the sun and rain, and all have a verandah round them, where the owner may generally be seen reclining during the heat of the day. The town, being shut in by the mountains on all sides, is excessively hot, but there is a gap in one of the hills, through which the sea breeze blows like a funnel. By anchoring abreast of this place, and springing the ship broadside to the breeze, we managed to keep cool, whilst those on shore were sweltering. There is some good shooting to be had not far from the anchorage, if one does not mind hard work and exposure to the sun. Accompanied by E , I went to a place called Marques, about five miles by sea from • i 5. {I 152 SPORTING ADVENTURES the ship : we landed at the head of the bay, where there were a few huts ; at the back of these was an unhealthy -looking mangrove swamp, where numerous alligators lived un- disturbed. Taking a canoe, we paddled through the mangrove bushes, which were so thick that their branches met overhead, shutting out the light of day ; the water was stagnant and of a deep chocolate colour, and emitted a foul stench on being stirred up by the canoe. Not a breath stirred the leaves, and perfect silence reigned in this gloomy spot. Occasionally the head of an alligator would show itself above the surface, and, having " fixed " us with his wicked- looking eye, as though he wondered what possessed us to disturb the solitude of his sanctuary, would sink slowly down again; iguanas blinked at us from the branches over- head, and rattlesnakes glided away through the rotten underwood. We felt inclined, whilst con- templating this scene, to question the monstrous assertion that " only man is vile," but we found that cigars and brandy were of more practical ' ■RH IN THE PACIFIC. 153 use in such a place, than poetry, and were absolutely necessary to enable us to proceed. After paddling for some distance, we came to a clearer space, and the scene became generally more cheerful, many kinds of cranes, ibis, boat- bills, &c., were congregated in the bushes on either side, and flew lazily away at our approach, flocks of macaws, parrots, and parroquets, passed over our heads on the way to their feed- ing grounds, filling the air with their discordant cries, while from the depths of the neighbouring woods the tapping of the woodpecker or the cooing of the turtle-dove could occasionally be distinguished. We presently landed, hauled up our canoe, and made our way to a lagoon not far off*, a most sequestered spot surrounded by trees ; a flock of " pichichi " ducks rose on our approach and circled round us, leaving a couple of brace to be transferred to the bag. The water of this lagoon was so thickly covered with a species of lily that we found it difficult to wade, and my poor old retriever could make no headway, as she could neither walk nor swim. i[ , r. 154 SPORTING ADVENTUKES We bagged a few brace of the " Pato Real " or Royal Ducks, the finest ducks in Mexico or indeed anywhere ; they appear to be the original wild stock of the Muscovy duck, and have the same red wattles over the beak and eye, their plumage is a lovely bronze green with a white bar on the wings, their claws are of great length, and they perch on trees, as the "pichichi" also do. One fine old cock bird which we weighed turned the scale at six pounds, and we were told that they reached as much as nine pounds. Besides these we killed several kinds of ibis, and some lovely little water-rails, which latter are common in all the marshes of Mexico; these httle fellows, though not bigger than a blackbird, have almost the plumage of a pheasant, their breasts and backs are of a rich, ruddy brown, with bright yellow under their wings, beak and eyes red, and a sharp red spur on the joint of the wing ; the female is less briUiantly marked. They have long yellow legs and very long toes, which enable them to tread lightly over the leaves of the water-lilies, and when they alight they keep IN THE PACIFIC. 155 their wings poised upwards for a few moments to steady themselves; we only shot a few of these little birds for spi nmens. In the woods we saw many beautiful varieties of jays, pigeons, and woodpeckers, which we did not molest as we had a good bag, with which we returned on board. Having completed our coaling, wo left Acapulco and steered for the Gulf of Fonseca, where we had orders to call ; whilst steaming down the coast in a flat calm, we passed great quantities of turtle asleep on Die top of the water. I sent away a boat with a clever harpooner to secure some of them, and he returned in about an hour with twenty-two, enough for all hands ; we could have got any number of them, as the sea was dotted with them in all directions, but we could not afford the time. It was very amusing to watch the boat stealthily approach the sleeping victim, sometimes the turtle was asleep with one eye open, and would dive in time to save his bacon, but generally the harpooner was too quick for \' M i:&.i M i,,i m % 166 SPORTING ADVENTURES him, and speared him through back and breast. On many of these creatures' backs sea-fowl had taken up their temporary abode, and occasion- ally the fact of the bird flying away would rouse the poor turtle to a sense of his danger in time to save himself. On the 18th of March we steamed into the beautiful Gulf of Fonseca, and anchored off" the town of La Union. Fonseca Bay is one of the hottest places on the coast ; it contains two ports. La Union, belonging to the Republic of Salvador, and Amapala, to that of Nicaragua. The anchorage at both places is excellent, as the water is always perfectly smooth; at La Union the ship lays on the mud at low water. The bay is enclosed by magnificent volcanic mountains, which accounts for the numerous earthquakes that periodically devastate the country; it is studded with islands, some of considerable size and all of remarkable beauty. We had been two days at La Union, and were on the point of starting for Panama with steam up, when a rumour reached us that a fearful IN TUE rACiFrc. 157 earthquake had taken place at San Salvador, iho capital of the state, and that the city had been completely destroyed during the night of the 19th of March. I could gain but little information from the authorities on shore ; and those I consulted were inclined to dis- credit the story. Wliilst I was endeavouring to arrive at the truth, the American mail steamer " Winchester " arrived from the south- ward, and her captain told me that he had met with very bad weather outside; and that on leaving the port of Realejo, the sea was so con- fused that his ship was almost unmanageable. This convinced me that some great convulsion of nature had taken place, and I determined to proceed at once to La Libertad, the seaport of San Salvador, to see for myself what had hap- pened, and to render any service in our power. The " Winchester " was also going to touch there on her way up the coast ; she sailed an hour before us, but the " Reindeer," putting her best foot foremost, passed her during the night, and arrived at La Libertad the following morning. -. .i-j lfT--Ji 158 SPORTING ADVENTURES From ti)e captain of tlie port we learnt that the account of the earthquake was too true, and that, as he expressed himself in Spanish, the city no longer existed ; he kindly undertook to provide me with a coach, in which, accom- panied hj Doctor Smyth, the surgeon of the ship, and Mr. Davey, assistant-paymaster, I started for the capital. The distance from La Libertad is only about thirty-six miles, but as the roads were heavy, being a foot deep in dust, and the hills were so steep, our progress was painfully slow, and by nightfall we only reached a village half way, where we obtained comfortable quarters lond supper. A native family flying from San Salvador to the coastj magnanimously insisted on our occupying the only beds in the house, whilst they slept in the open air. In the morning we expressed our gratitude for this disinterested kindness, when they coolly explained to us that they preferred the open air, as thev fully expected that the house, which had been much shaken ^.rsd IN THE PACIFIC. 159 cracked by the earthquake, would fall during the night. Refreshed by a cup of excellent coffee, we again started in our coach, and reached Santa Tecla, a considerable town, three leagues distant from the capital, by eight o'clock. This place showed signs of having been severely shaken; many houses were cracked, but none wore actually thrown down ; the town and all the roads lead- ing to it were crowded with poor families leaving San Salvador, carrying all their worldly goods with them; the bullock-drivers were doing a roaring trade, chargir g ten dollars for what they would do for one under ordinary circumstances. Driving through Santa Tecla, we pushed on for the oipiial ; partaking in the coach of a good breakfast which had been provided for us by the thoughtful kindness of Captain Searle of the " Winchester." As we approached the city, signs of de- ati'uction became apparent, a massive aqueduct which had spanned the road, and by which the IGO SPORTING ADVENTURES city was mainly supplied, was broken down, its ruins almost blocking up the road, so that we had some dijSiculty in passing. From this place till we reached the suburbs of the city, our progress was constantly interrupted by the debris of the fallen houses which had once lined tlie road on either side, till at last the driver stopped and declared he would go no farther. By alternate threats and persuasion, however, we got him to drive into the plaza, where the President and many of the inhabitants were encamped. We at once waited upon his Excellency, and made known to him the object of our visit, assuring him of the sympathy of her Majesty's Government, and placing our services together with the ship at his disposal. The President, Field Marshal Santiago Gonzales, a fine old soldier, received us with much cordiality, and exprcssf'd in the warmest terms his gratification and astonishment at the offer of assistance from so unexpected a quarter. Having paid our respects to the President, we IN THE PACIFIC. 161 made our way, with considerable difficulty, to what had once been the British Consulate, but what was now a heap of ruins, with the Englisli flag flying from a flagstaff in the midst. Here we found the acting Vice-Consul, Mr. Blair, assisted by a few other English gentlemen, fi,i THE ENGLISH CONSULATE AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE OF SAN SALVADOR. working with a will to save what they could out of the wreck. They gave us a hearty welcome, and insisted on our taking up our quarters with them in a rude kind of tent which had been pitched in the M M 162 SPOUTING ADVENTURES courtyard of the Consulate ; we then proceeded together to make an inspection of the ruins. It was indeed a sad scene of desolation : the once thriving city, containing originally 40,000 inhabitants, was completely destroyed; as the captain of the port truly said, it no longer existed. Curiously enough, the only two houses left standing were built of wood, showing very clearly the great advantage of that material over stone for withstanding earthquake shocks: one of these was an hotel and the other a clerical institution, and they were completely gutted. The palace, built partly of wood and partly of stone, was completely destroyed ; the wooden part still remained, but the stone had fallen, leaving great gaps in the building. All the substantially-built stone buildings, including several churches and the cathedral, the walls of which w^ere of immense thickness, were a ma<^s of ruins ; the spire of the latter remained in the pc iition I have endeavoured to represont in my sketch. One of the bells must have been IN TUB PACIFIC. 1G3 swung completely round, and remained mouth up. It appeared that the first violent shock took place on the 4th of March, destroying many ^s^a THE CATHEDRAL, SAX SALVADOR, At'lEU THE KAItlllQUAKK. houses, and that the quaking of tJie earth con- tinued at intervals till the 19th when at two a. m. there were two slight shocks, fol- lowed soon afterwarxls by a very violent one, which completed the degitrurtion uf the ci; \ . « '^ II. 164 SPORTING ADVENTURES Fortunately, owing to the previous shocks, many of the residents had left the place, and the others were mostly living in the courtyards of their houses, or had camped out in the plaza, so that the loss of life, though considerable, was not nearly so great as it might have been. Mr. Biddle, the resident minister for the United States, had a very narrow escape ; his house had fallen like the rest, and he had barely time to save himself and his five little children by rush- ing into the patio ^ before the walls fell. An English lady had also a miraculous escape ; she was sleeping in the consulate when the great shock took place ; the walls fell, and the room she was in was completely wrecked, she must have been killed but for some of the beams which lodged diagonally across the room, and thus prevented the walls from crushing her. Accounts differed as to the number killed and wounded, and the truth could not be ascer- tained, as many bodies lay buried under the ruins. In the hospital many poor wretches owing to their infirmities were unable to escape, 1 ' IN THE PACIFIC. 105 and were killed by the falling walls ; and some prisoners, who were being removed from gaol, were killed in the same way. In some places the earth had opened, leaving great yawning fissures, and many graves had been renfc asunder and the bodies exposed ; in consequence of this it was at one time appre- hended that an epidemic would be added to the other horrors. The action of the Government during this terrible time was most praiseworthy. The President having removed his family to Santa Tecla established himself under canvas in the plaza, and by his admirable regulations, and the discipline which he enforced, main- tained order. The city was placed under martial law, and by a Government decree citizens were authorized to shoot any one inter- fering with their property, or oven being found witli property in their possession of which they could give no satisfactory account. These may soom severe measures, but any one acquainted with the lawless condition of such countries must be aware of their necessity. Sentries were 166 SPORTINQ ADVENTURES placed at the corners of the streets, with orders to fire at any one lurking about after dark ; and judging by the way the rifle balls whistled about during the night they must have kept a bright look-out. During our stay in the city — some forty-eight hours — we experienced seven or eight shocks of earthquake of more or less severity; they seemed to come on about sunset and again at daybreak. These did no further damage, indeed there was not much more that could be done, unless the earth opened and swallowed us all up ; with this we were actually threatened, some of the cracks being of considerable width and depth. Notwith- standing these warnings, a decree was issued by order of the President on the day following the disaster, saying that the city would be rebuilt upon its old site. One cannot help admiring the pluck of the old soldier, — a quahty, however, which when carried to excess smacks somewhat of obstinacy. The city of San Salvador had already been entirely destroyed by earthquakes no less than eight times within 150 years, IN THE PACIFIC. 167 besides being partially ruined every nintb year ; the last time it was destroyed was in 1854, and now again in 1873. The ground on which the city is built is a mere shell, and produces a hollow sound when struck by a heavy object ; it is said that the Indians would never build on that site, and it is certainly tempting Providence to do so. San Salvador has no less than seven volcanoes within a radius of thirty miles of it ; the mountain of Ysalco was in full blast during this time, but the suppressed volcano of St. Thomas was supposed to be the one which did the mischief. The effect produced upon the nervous system by these constant shocks was such that several persons became insane, and upon animals and birds it was remarkable; many horses and mules were rendered useless from fright, and trembled at the slightest sound; at every shock cpcks crowed, and pigeons left their resting- places and wheeled wildly in the air. During these calamities considerable sym- pathy was shown for the poor Salvadoriana r 1 1G8 SPORTING ADVENTURES from all parts of tlie country, one city alono contributing 100 cart-loads of provisions and 3000 dollars in cash. It was not much that wo could do in this way, as we were already running short of provisions, but we landed all that we could spare, reserving for ourselves barely sufficient to carry us to Panama. The services of Doctor Smyth were happily not needed, most of the wounded having been re- moved into the country; the President, the American Minister, and the English Consul pU gratefully declined to take shelter on board, or to be removed to another place, bravely pre- ferring to remain at their posts; so, as there was no object in remaining longer in the city, we prepared to return to the ship. Already carpenters were at work erecting temporary sheds in the plaza, the people were recovering from the depression into which they had been thrown, and a military band played in the evening as if nothing had happened. It was arranged that Smyth and Davy should return by the coach, and that Mr. Blair, the . IN THE PACIFIC. 169 Vice-Consul, and myself should ride. Saying farewell to the gallant old President and our assembled friends, we n^ounted our horses and rode clear of the city. A^ 3 first wont to the sugar estate of Monte Christo, where wo re- ceived a hearty welcome from Mr. Bogen, the proprietor ; his house had been destroyed and the chimney of the factory had fallen down, and the family were camped out under the trees. Mr. Biddle, the American Minister, was stay- ing here with his children, the httle ones were playing about, happily unconscious of the terrible danger they had escaped. After an excellent breakfast we took leave of our hospitable enter- tainers, and accompanied by Mr. Biddle, reached La Libertad after a ride of five hours. The country betw^een San Salvador and the coast is mountainous and thickly wooded, many of the trees are of immense size, but the timber is of little or no value ; wherever the hill sides have been cleared, sugar, coffee, tobacco, and maize have been planted, and seemed to thrive luxu- riantly. i J I I : if' IJ i I r IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 >^|I| 12.5 I.I ?v^ li^iJ^iyii -" 6" ► <^ V. y] / Photographic Sciences Corporation -^^^ 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTH.N.Y. 14SS0 (716) •72-4S03 4" ts 170 SPORTING ADVENTURES Daring our absence the sea had risen con- siderably, and we found the ship rolling heavily at her anchor, warning us that it was time to be off. The American Minister and Mr. Blair spent the night on board, and landed the next morning under the salutes due to their re- spective ranks. The same day, having em- barked a few refugees, we sailed for Fonseca Bay, and anchored off Amapala the following morning. The town, or rather village, of Amapala is built on Tiger Tsland, one of the largest in the bay; it was selected as the terminus of the railway, projected across the continent of Nicaragua, but if one might judge from the condition of the railway plant which was lying about, it will be a very long time before the undertaking is completed. We were told that game was to be found on the island of Zacate Grande, the largest of the group, and conveniently near to the anchorage ; so I took the opportunity whilst the coaling was going on to pay it a visit, accompanied by B and mv coxswain. We left the ship i IN THE PAOIPIO. 171 I before daylight, taking with us two Indians, a pair of ill-conditioned looking fellows, as guides. Landing at daylight, we commenced the ascent of the mountain, leaving one of the Indians be- hind to join us afterwards, as we understood. There was no path whatever, so we followed up the dry bed of a water-course : it was terribly hard work, and our progress was continually interrupted by large boulders and dense thorny jungle. After toiling upwards for several hours we reached an open space near the top, where the sun poured its fierce rays upon us ; no game or even trace of any could we see, so after anathematizing our guide we commenced the descent. This proved to be nearly as bad as the ascent, and to make matters worse we lost our way and suffered a good deal from want of water. The heat was so great that the Indian vomited; but what concerned me more was that my retriever Rose did so likewise; however, after blundering about for some time we caught sight of the boat and reached the beach thoroughly exhausted, and profoundly disgusted with om* s-'i 172 SPORTING ADVENTUttES excursion and the incapacity of our guide. Our complimentary remarks in the choicest Spani^ah were quite lost upon this individual, and to the terms of endearment which we applied to him in English he was equally impervious. "We found also that the other Indian had played us false, and taking his gun had gone hunting on his own account, leaving his clothes to show that he meant to return ; the rascal no doubt knew where the game was likely to be found, and had sent us off on a fool's errand in the opposite direction. I think, however, that we squared accounts with him in the long-run, for leaving a ship's biscuit and a bottle of water by the side of his clothes, we took to the boat and returned on board, leaving him to reflect upon the base ingratitude of his conduct, and of the advisa- bility of being more civil bo Englishmen in future. We were given to understand that his wife used some rather strong language when she found that her lord and master was left on the island, but as we sailed the next morning before IN THE PAOIPIO. 173 daylight we never heard how or when this interesting couple were reunited. After touching for a few hours at the small port of Realego to land a mail we proceeded on to Panama, where we arrived on April 3rd. "We found orders awaiting us from Admiral Hillyar, our new Commander-in-Chief, to refit, and to proceed to Vancouver's Island, a prospect which we all hailed with delight after our long spell in the tropics. We had not been twenty -four hours in port before a revolution broke out on shore, and the rifle-balls were flying about the streets in all directions. Fortunately order was restored without much bloodshed, a few black soldiers only being killed. There are few places more beautiful than the Bay of Panama. Seen on a calm day, with its lovely islets reflected on the water, it will bear comparison with the finest tropical scenery in the world. The anchorage, though perfectly safe, is a bad one, for although the bay is of gi-eat extent, there are so many rocks and ! 174 SPOBTINO ADVENTURES i shoals in it, that the actual anchoring space is limited ; it is, moreover, so shallow, that large ships have to anchor three or four miles from the town ; and eren in the " Reindeer," drawing only fourteen feet of water, we could not approach nearer than one mile. The City of Panama is a picturesque, tumble- down old place ; it is very dirty, and is seen at a great advantage from a distance. The town was originally built some miles to the eastward of the present site, but was destroyed by Morgan, the buccaneer; and the ruins may still be seen. The climate is hot and unplea- sant all the year round, and the place has the reputation of being unhealthy, although we did not find it so. Indeed many of the ailments common to Panama are, I suspect, more often due to " cocktails " (a mixture of brandy, ice, bitters, sugar, and lemon) than to climate. Now cocktails are very insinuating things when cleverly prepared, and, with the ther- mometer at 90° in the shade, are not to be despised. They should, however, be indulged 1 IN THE PACinC. 175 in moderately. The question is what is con- sidered moderation. One indiTidatd assured me that he was obliged to be very abstemious, and that he seldom indulged in more than dght cocktails before breakfast, though he admitted to have taken fourteen on one occasion. The distance between Fanamit and Colon by rail is forty-seven miles, and the scenery c?« route is very fine. Starting firom Panama, the line gradually ascending winds its way through dense forests, until the summit is reached, at the village of Matachin, when it descends to the Atlantic shore. The stations on the line are excessively pretty ; they are built of wood, with broad verandahs around; each has its little garden ta3tefully laid out with fi-uit-trees and flowers. Colon is a miserable place, and is more un- healthy than Panama, owing to the swamps at the back of the town. A little excitement is created on the arrival and departure of the mail steamers, when many "cocktails" are con- ?■ 176 SPOETINO ADVENTURES sumed, after which the place relapses into its usual stagnant condition. After a short stay at Panama we ran down to Taboga to coal and give leave to our men. This lovely island is about nine miles from Panama; it is generally resorted to by her Majesty's ships, as the anchorage is good, and vessels may lie within gunshot of the shore in safety. The town has fallen to decay since the Pacific Steam Navigation Company have withdrawn their works to Callao, and the inhabitants are of the lowest class. A supply of coal is usually kept here by the above Company for the use of her Majesty's ships, for which they are charged from twenty-five to thirty doUars.per ton. Considering that coal could be brought out from England and placed alongside her Majesty's ships in the Bay of Panama for seven- teen dollars per ton it must be admitted that we pay dearly for the accommodation. This is no random statement, but is based on calculations made by myself, and includes freight from Cardiff, the cost of discharging at Colon, trans- IN THE PACIFIC. 177 porting across the isthmus by rail, storing at Panama, and lighterage for bringing it along- side. I am, of course, supposing the prices to be the same as at the time of our visit. Taboga is mountainous, and well wooded; here and there spaces have been cleared away on the slopes of the hills for the cultivation of pine-apples, which grow to great perfection, both on this island and on the neighbouring one of TaboquiUa. From the flag-staff at the top of the island a fine view may be obtained of the Bay of Panama, and on a clear day the Pearl Islands may also be seen. . ^ys»s N .._s — . CHAPTER IX. I ?1 S ^^ *^® ^^^^ ^^ April we sailed for Vancouver's Island. There are several ways of making this passage, depending upon the season of the year, the style of vessel, and the fancy of the captain. With an auxiliary steamer, carrying a good sup- ply of coal, probably the quickest way would . j, after clearing the Gulf of Panama, to steam along the coast of Central America until suffi- cient northing had been made to insure picking up the north-east trade wind, when one should stand out from the land ; the trade would pro- bably be picked up about 200 miles r<*om the coast, and the ship placed under canvas. This plan would necessarily entail a considerable ex- penditure of coal, — a rare and expensive article in the Pacific. srOKTINO ADVENTURES IN TUE I'ACIFIC. 179 Tho other routo, and the one generally adopted, is to stand to the noutliward after leaving the Bay of Panama, until the south-cast trade is met with, even though you may have to cross tho equator to do it : having picked up the south-cast trade, run along parallel to the line until sufficient westing is made, when haul up to the north"- rd for the northern trade. The "Reindeer" being a smart ship under canvas, with but little capacity for carrying coal, we preferred the latter route. The great object in either case is to make westing, and an intermediate course between the two routes would entail a tedious passage, owing to the vexatious calms and contrary currents which prevail in and about the latitude of Panama. A strong current sets out of the Gulf of t'anama on its western shore, and a corre- sponding one sets in on the eastern, so that either of them can be made use of, according as one is bound in or out of the galf. Ten days after leaving Panama we found ourselves be- calmed one lovely morning in sight of our old N 2 m m iAM«K^St: 180 SPOnTfyo ADVENTURES acquaintances the Galapagos Islands. As tho sun rose, dispelling the hr zo which often hangs over the high land of this group, we were able to make out the different islands more distinctly. Indefatigable Island lay right ahead, with James* on the one bow, and Barrington on the other. Charles Island we could . not see, on account of the distance. A breeze springing up enabled us to head up for the latter, and we looked forward to visiting our old quarters in Post-Office Bay, and seeing the Colonel again, but the wind drawing ahead, combined with the strong current sweeping us to leeward, pre- vented this arrangement ; so we bore away, and running imder the lee of Indefatigable, anchored in Conway Harbour the same afternoon. This island is one of the largest of the group, being second only to Albemarle ; it is nearly round, mountainous towards the centre, and sloping gradually to the sea on all sides. Like all the islands of this group, with the exception of Charles, Indefatigable is uninhabited. The anchorage at Conway Bay is exceedingly good. IN THE PACIFIC. 181 and tho water is so clear that wo could hpo our anchor laying on the bottom in ten fuaioms. The shore looked rather inviting, a,vC I landed with the Doctor and 0 to examine it; but after clambering about over cinders and decom- posed lava, we were glad to take to the boat again and fish. We had capital sport, and caught numbers of large rock cod and other beautifully-marked fish, but the sharks and dog- fish were so numerous that they carried off all our gear, obliging us to return on board. The next day several shooting and fishing parties were organized and despatched in all directions. Many beautiful doves were seen, of a kind peculiar to these islands, and so tame were they that several might have been killed at a shot. We found two sorts of iguanas, the marine species and the land; the former t^re most repulsive-looking reptiles ; they feed almost en- tirely on sea-weed, and are always to be found basking on the rocks near the water; their colour so closely resembles that of tho black scoriaa that it is very difficult to distinguish Ikl feilRl 182 SPORTING ADVENTURES them. The other kind are handsome creatures, very much like an ordinary lizard on a large scale, and very brilliantly marked; this sort feed on cactus, and both kinds are excellent eating. We saw no terrapin, although they ave said to be on the island ; probably they inhabit the higher parts, where they find moisture. From Conway Harbour we ran down before the brisk trade wind to James' Island, and dropped our anchor in James' Bay. On our way across we passed through an immense, herd of sea-lions and seals, they were gambol- Ung about and evidently enjoying themselves, and seemed greatly astonished at the ship as she rushed through their midst. James' Island is by far the prettiest of the group ; unlike the others, the mountains are densely wooded from the summit to the base, excepting at one place where the burning lava has evidently poured down the mountain side into the sea, destroying every tree and shrub in its course. The anchorage in James' Bay is a good one, though not so good as at Conway PIPPP IN THE PACTPIC. 183 Harbour; several extinct volcanoes can he seen, some of fantastic form and of great height. Accompanied again by the Doctor and C , I landed for a stroll with the gun ; there was a belt of mangrove bushes along the beach where we landed, behind which was a salt-water lagoon. Peeping through the bushes, we saw, to our surprise, a flock of teal, and two lovely rose- coloured flamingo; a right and left soon dis- posed of the latter, when I waded into the lagoon after the teal, with Rose swimming alongside me. The birds, probably never having seen a human being before, were absurdly tame, and kept flying overhead and around me, keeping my breechloader actively employed, and giving my coxswain and Rose ample occupation in gathering the slain. There were four more flamingo in the lagoon, three of which were brought to bag, the total result being twenty-four teal and five flamingo. The Doctor and C not having their guns with them were unable to join in the battue. The 184 SPORTING ADVENTUBES teal were excellent, and the flamingo are said to be also very good eating ; but of tliis we were not aware until too late, when their bodies had been thrown away, only their beautiful skins being preserved. The tongue of the flamingo was esteemed as a great delicacy by the Roman emperors, and we had the five tongues cooked, but we failed to discover any- thing particularly recherche about them. The next day a party of sportsmen landed and disposed of eight or ten brace more teal, whilst I, with the same companions, ran down the coast, to see if we could find fresh water where it was so marked on the chart. We found the place, but no water, although in the rainy season there must be plenty, as the rocks bore unmis- takeable traces of having been swept by a mountain torrent. Pursuing our course in the boat, we came across what is called a seal rookery, where several of these animals were basking; with our rifles we killed seven or eight of them before they reached the water, but we had some difficulty in getting them into IN THE PACIFIC. 185 the boat, owing to the heavy swell breaking on the rocks. One young seal defended its mother*s dead body with such bravery and determination that I could not pass it to bend the line on to the carcase. This touching incident, kdded to the fact that their skins though extremely pretty were not of great value, made me regret that we had killed any of them, and I determined from henceforth never to shoot another. We succeeded in capturing one young seal alive, notwithstanding a very vigorous resist- ance; he was transferred to the ship, and comfortably established in the copper punt, which was prepared for his reception. The seals which we shot were females, with one exception ; this one was so heavy that it took four men to lift him. The fishing here was even better than at Indefatigable Island, and we were not so much troubled with sharks ; many of the fish were so heavy tl t they broke our tackle or straightened the hooks. We caught one beauty of a bright I 186 SPORTING ADVENTURES canary colour, weighing twenty pounds ; I tried to preserve this fish, but the colour faded. Whilst we were at anchor off a point fishing we heard a gi'eat commotion in the water to seaward, and looking in that direction we saw a shoal of gar, or pipe fish, making towards the boat in a succession of frantic leaps, closely pursued by two enormous fish, which seemed intent upon their capture; so terrified were the wretched gar fish that they rushed head- long against the boat, rattling on her side like a shower of grape shot, and leaving many of their number dead upon the surface. "We soon afterwards returned on board, and getting under weigh we ran through the channel separating James* Island from the adjacent one of Albem'-rle. Our seal lived for ten days in the punt, which was regularly filled witl salt water every morn- ing and drawn off after it had had its bath. It refused the only food we had to ojBTer, indeed it was not to be expected that it would take kindly to a regimen of salt beef and biscuit, and ^■■i IN THE PACIFIC. 187 it must havo died of starvation had it not escaped overboard one dark night when we were more than 1000 miles from the nearest land. During the animal's residence on board we had ample opportunity for observing its habits ; it was apparent to us that these crea- tures prefer to be dry and warm, and only take to the water in search of food. This one spent most of its time sleeping in the bows of the punt, occasionally scrambling out to have a look round the ship or gazing wistfully over the side as though it longed to plunge overboard, but feared to do so on account of the water ashing so swiftly past. The hind flippers are not unlike a pair of black kid gloves tied together at the wrists, and when moving about the deck the seal looked ridiculously like a man laying on his stomach with his feet tied together, propelling himself forward by his elbows. These creatures are known to be very affectionate, and this one frequently sighed and looked at us in the most sentimental manner, as though longing to be restored to the bosom of its family. I 188 SPORTING ADVENTURES was not sorry when it escaped, although I question very much if it ever found its way home again. After a pleasant run of forty days from the Galapagos we sighted Cape Flattery Light, at the entrance of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, and on the 22nd of June we anchored in the snug harbour of Esquimalt, Vancouver's Island. To my mind Vancouver is one of the most delightful of our colonies, combining as it does the rare attractions of pleasant society, lovely scenery, and good sport with rod and gun. It is true that we arrived there at the very best time of the year, when the climate is perfect, and picnic and dinner parties were the order of the day, to be followed in due season by salmon and trout fishing and deer, grouse, and wild- fowl shooting. To us the mere fact of hearing English spoken, meeting Erglish people, and rosy-faced girls and children, was refreshing after a long spell in tropical climates, where we had been heartily sick of the everlasting black hair and eyes of the senoritas, and the constant IN THE PAaFIC. 189 talk of dollars, cocktails, and revolutions from morning till night. "We came to Vancouver prepared to be pleased, so no wonder it was all couleur de rose with us. The road from Esquimalt to the town of Victoria is pretty enough, but is sadly dis- figured by the numerous poUshops which line each side of it, offering irresistible temptations to poor Jack when he goes on shore. There are some good shops in the town, and many pretty villas standing in their own grounds, with well laid-out gardens in the neighbourhood. The Government house is substantially built, and commands a magnificent view of the straits and of the adjacent island of San Juan, with the mountains of British Columbia in the back- ground. The harbour of Esquimalt is perfect, and so well sheltered that the day after our arrival we placed the ship on the beach and thoroughly repaired her stem where it had been damaged by the ice in the Straits of Magellan. About the month of July the salmon make mifmirmm 190 SPORTING ADVENTURES r their appearance in the harbour in chace of shoals of herrings. The usual way to take salmon in these waters is to troll with a spoon bait, veered about sixty to eighty yards astern of the boat; the pace should not exceed two or three miles an hour; the best time is about daybreak, cind again at sundown. The Indians use a herring bait, and they bend the line on to their paddle, which communicates a twist to the bait at every stroke ; for herrings they use an iron rake, which they plunge into the shoal, and literally rake the fish into the canoe. There is capital sea-trout fishing at the mouths of the lagoons, with fly ; the fish take best at the turn of the tide, and good trout may also be taken in any of the numerous lakes in the island. Grouse-shooting commenced on the 1st of August, but long before that date the popping of guns might be heard in the woods round about Esquimalt; the midshipmen of course had the credit of this, and probably they were not altogether guiltless, but most of it was due to the Indian pot-hunters, who armed with an IN THE PACIFIC. 191 old musket skulk about the woods, shooting grouse on the trees, and disposing of them in the market at Victoria. These Indians are a very degraded race, more especially near the towns, where civiliza- tion in the form of whisky and disease have been brought to bear on them ; the women are repulsively ugly, and heighten their loathsome appearance by painting their faces vermilion. The Indians of the interior are said to be very superior to those near the coast: they are wonderfiiUy clever at carving in wood ; their canoes are the most beautiful models, and it is supposed that the lines of the first American clipper ship were taken from one of them. They are also expert in the manufacture of gold and silver ornaments, and are capital miners, and among some of the tribes cannibalism may be added to their other accomplishments. Two kinds of grouse are to be found in the woods of Vancouver's Island, the blue and the willow grouse; the former are fine birds of a dark slate colour ; they are generally to be met with 1 192 SPORTING ADVENTURES on the high ground, and give excellent sport if shot on the wing and not potted on the tree, to which they invariably fly when flushed. The willow grouse is a smallei* and handsomer bird, and inhabits the low, swampy ground; it is said to be the best eating of the two. Black-tailed deer are also plentiful, especially about the neighbourhood of Green or Skirt Mountains, and indeed everywhere except in the immediate vicinity of Esquimalt, where they are much disturbed. I have seen as many as eight to ten in a day's shooting within a few miles of the ship. They may be killed either with the rifle or smooth bore. I prefer the latter, one barrel loaded with ball, the other with buck shot, for a snap shot in the woods. The deer lay very close, often jumping up out of the bracken at one's feet, when the buck shot will generally roll them over ; but should that fail, they invariably run for the highest ground, and stand still for a few moments, giving time for the second barrel. Should they not do so of their own accord, a shrill whistle or shouting IN THE PACIFIC. 193 ""^ at them will often stop them. These animals are so much the colour of the surrounding rocks and bracken that unless one is accustomed to their appearance and habits it is often not easy to distinguish them, especially as they frequently stand perfectly still, looking at one, until the danger is passed. There are several ways of killing deer in Vancouver ; some gen- tlemen in Victoria keep hounds, and drive them to the guns, which are posted to command the passes ; another way is to drive them into tl: water, where they are easily killed ; the settlers also lay in wait for them at night, and shoot them when they come to feed on their crops ; but the most sportsmanlike plan is to stalk them on the bare hill-tops, where they resort in the early roomings and evenings, or go into the woods, where they are to be found during the heat of the day, and take the chance of springing them. During the beginning of August I had several days* shooting in com- pany with one of the officers of the flagship, a capital sportsman and a good shot; we usually , 194 SruBTINO ADVENTURES brought back from ten to fifteen brace of grouse, and a few duck, and now and thou a deer ; this may be considered a good bag for two guns : a dog is indispensable, probably a close-working retriever is about the best. In the middle of August we proceeded in the ship to Horseshoe Bay, about fifty miles from Esquimau, to collect and bring down spars for the dockyard. Streaming through the channel which divides the Island of San Juan from Vancouver, we threaded our way amongst lovely islets and romantic scenery, and arrived in a few hours at our destination. Horseshoe Bay, as one would suppose from the name, is an excellent harbour, sheltered from all winds; one solitary house and a saw- mill are alone visible from the anchorage ; the settlement at Chemainus is about three miles distant. The timber at this part of the island is as fine if not superior to any on the coast, many of the trees are 200 feet high and as straight as a candle ; one not far from Chemainus measured fifty-seven feet in circumference. . IN niE rACIFIO. 195 ton fcot from the ground ; the top of this tree had been blown off, otherwise it would have been fully 300 feet high. The biggest irees are by no means the best for ships* use ; tho one selected for a fore yard for the " Repulse " was a beautiful spar, without a branch, and scarcely a kuot for the first 100 feet from the ground; the price asked for this spar was only 25Z. the same tree would have been worth 400^. at Valparaiso. There is good sport to be had in the neigh- bourhood of Chemainus, both deer, and grouse ; and ducks are to be found in great numbers on the flats at the mouth of the river; but the best sport is to be got on "Admiral" and " Thetis " Islands, a few miles from the anchor- age at Horseshoe Bay, as the grouse are not often shot there, and the deer swim off to them to escape from panthers, which infest the woods on the mainland. One day whilst shooting with an officer of the " Repiilse," who had come with me for the trip, WB happened to look in at a farm-house to ask o 2 196 SPORTING ADVENTURES for a glass of water, or milk if we could get it. The old lady of the house was busy making butter, and had apparently turned out the wrong side, so our reception was not of the most cordial character. My poor old dog Rose was the first to catch it, she had taken up her quarters under the table, from which she was speedily ousted with the butt end of a broom- stick, which we half expected would be applied to our shoulders afterwards. However, after bfting well rated for a pair of poachers, we were given a glass of skimmed milk, and took our departure. The next Sunday after this many of the neighbouring farmers with their wives and families came on board the ship at my invitation to attend Divine Service, and dine with me afterwards. To our great amusement, among the earliest of the arrivals was our excitable hostess, aiTayed in her holiday best ; the poor old lady's horror and astonishment at finding that the two dirty-looking poachers were officers in her Majesty's service was amusing. But to make matters worse, whilst IN THE PACJFIC. 197 we were at dinner a dog was reported to be swimming off to the sL:; , I gave orders to receive the animal and give him some food; presently a big shaggy poodle, dripping with wet, came down into the cabin, wagging his tail and evidently much pleased with his recep- tion. The old lady at once recognized her favourite dog, and exclaiming, " Why it's my Peter,** went off into hysterics. Her apologies for having treated us so shabbily were rather embarrassing. However we pacified her by promising that we would look in again, should we ever pass her door. Some tiiue afterwards we did pay her a visit ; needless to say we met with a very different reception : old Rose was treated to as much milk as she could stow, and my coxswain sent away staggering under a cargo of fruit, eggs, and butter enough to last us a fortnight. There is good trout-fishing in the Ohemainus river, and salmon also frequent it. One of the settlers showed us the water, and also the latest style of fly-fishing. Having hooked a trout of two pounds, he turned his 198 SPORTING ADVENTURES jback upon the river and walked up the bank / with his rod over his shoulder, dragging out the / fish by the " hair of the head." In one pool we saw several large salmon, which we tried in vain to catch ; my companion C rose one to the fly and hooked it, but it broke away. This proves that salmon in Vancouver will rise to a fly, a fact which has always been dispute i. As soon as our spars were ready we shipped all the smaller ones, and making a raft of the others, towed them astern and returned to Esquimalt. Our experience of the sport to be obtained at Horseshoe Bay induced me, not long after this, to go back there on a fortnight's leave of absence. On this occasion I \/as accompanied^ by C , of her Majesty's ship "Repulse," my coxswain, and old Rose; we embarked on board a small steamer plying between Victoria and Nanaimo, taking with us a light skiff to carry us across to the islands. During this visit we were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Askew, of Horseshoe Bay, and enjoyed some excellent sport, bagging in one day i IN THE PACIFIC. 199 twenty-two brace of grouse, and two deer on Thetis Island; we also had some good duck- shooting and trout-fishing at Chemainus, re- turning to Esquimalt much pleased with our expedition and the hospitality of our kind host and hostess. By this time the grouse had been pretty well thinned in the neighbourhood of Esquimalt; so I turned my attention more especially to the deer, and spent much of my spare time hunting in the woods, accompanied only by my coxswain. "We generally landed before daylight, and by going very quietly to work and firing at nothing but deer we often managed to bag one before we had been many hours fi'om the ship. One evening I wounded a deer near Tyler's farm, where I was putting up; so we went back to the house for a dog which they had there. Putting the animal on the trail he led us to a thick clump of bushes, when out jumped a beautiful buck, which I shot ; this deer weighed 136 pounds clean : the wounded one escaped. On another occasion we had hunted all the morning without success, when 200 SPOETING ADVENTURES finding ourselves on the top of Green Mountain, we dislodged a large boulder, which bounded from ledge to ledge into the valley below ; the noise startled a splendid buck which had been lying down below us, and which we never should have seen but for this ruse; unfor- tunately I only got a glimpse of the beast's head, and missed it clean. A retired army officer used to live at Elk Lake, some miles from Victoria, and I paid him a visit at his invitation to have a day's hunting together. He lived in a small hut built with his own hands, on the borders of the lake ; the site was well chosen with a view to sport, at the back of the hut were dense woods extending in every direction, and reaching down to the water's edge. The lake was well stocked with trout, and wild fowl frequented it in the winter. I received a cordial welcome from the captain, and two magnificent hounds greeted my arrival with howls of dehght. It was arranged that I should take a rickety old canoe which lay on the beach, and paddle into the middle of the IN THE PACIFIC. 201 lake, while the captain hunted in the woods. Taking up my position I had leisure to admire the scene, which was most beautiful ; the lake was as calm as a millpond, and every rock and tree was reflected as in a mirror ; the old craft, however, leaked so badly that I had to devote my attention to keeping her afloat. Presently I heard the h unds baying and the captain swearing, at least so it sounded to me, then the dogs gave tongue again, their voices echoing from shore to shore ; the sound gradually died away, and I concluded that a deer had been started, but had gone in the wrong direction, away from the water. I waited patiently, listening for the slightest sound, and at last, long after I had given up any hope of getting a shot, I heard a crash among th6 rushes at the far end of the lake, and presently saw some- thing gliding along the water, leaving a long ripple behind it. Knowing that it must be a deer I paddled in a direction to intercept its course, and coming nearer made it out to be a buck swimming boldly for the opposite shore. i 202 SPORTING ADVENTURES Deer present but a small mark in the water, as only the head and horns are visible, and the only result of the two barrels which I fired was to turn the animal back towards the shore he had just left. The deer swam so fast it was hard work to keap up to it, and the canoe leaked so badly that it was doubtful if it would float much longer, but there was no time to bale, so I worked hard with my paddle, and just as the deer was striking soundings, I crammed in a couple of cartridges and rolled it over as it was leaving the water. The captain came up soon afterwards and was pleased with the result, as he had lost the trail and was going home. I paid him another visit shortly afterwards, when I was posted down by the sea shore with my coxswain, as the deer sometimes took that way, the captain hunting in the woods as before. The hounds socn started a deer, which led them away from where T wa,s posted ; hours passed, the rain came down in torrents, and we were consoling ourselves for our bad luck with a pipe, when we saw a deer come out of the wood half i i I ! IN THE PACIFIC. 203 a mile off, and deliberately walk into the sea ; he then trotted along towards us, keeping in the shallow water, evidently to throw the dogs off the scent. Now and then he would stop and listen and then trot on again. We kept per- fectly still and the deer passed within forty yards of where we were sitting, when I shot him ; he proved to be a nice young buck with fair horns ; we had a hard job to carry him back through the woods to the hut, turn and turn about, over our shoulders. I tried for several nights lying in wait for deer in the paddocks where they came to feed on the farmers' crops ; but though I frequently heard them jumping the pab'ngs and feeding within a few yards of me I never succeeded in getting a shot, owing to the darkness of the night. On a moonlight night it must be a sure and easy way of killing them. It is, however, cold work, and one is very apt to get a touch of fever and ague, as I did, for my trouble. An invaluable recipe for shooting in marshy coun- tries is a bottle of she>Ty and quinine mixed, a 204 SPORTING ADVENTURES preparation which our surgeon thoughtfully provided me with on all such occasions. To any one fond of yachting Vancouver presents unusual attractions. There are many excellent harbours on the east coast ; the water is always smooth, and the scenery cannot be surpassed ; game is abundant, and easy to pro- cure. To my mind there is nothing to equal the intense enjoyment of wandering, gun in hand, in those glorious woods, unfettered by the presence of an over-fed, velveteen-coated gamekeeper ; there is a freedom about it which cannot be obtained in the old country. As regards settling down, I should hardly consider Vanppuver to be the best place to choose. Land is difficult to procure, except at a great distance from Victoria, and labour is not to be had, unless it be an occasional China- man, or a rascally Indian ; so that unless a man be prepared to work with his own hands he had better go elsewhere. Our colonies are all more or less thronged with broken-down gentlemen, who go out with IN THE PACIFIC. 205 the vague idea of getting something under Government, or else on the chance of something turning up. Too often they fail, and are re- duced to earning their bread in any way they can. Vancouver's Island is not singular in this respect. On one of my shooting expeditions I came across two poor fellows, encamped under a rude kind of tent ; one had been an officer in the army, the other in the navy : their present employment was breaking stones, or something equally honest and remunerative. The class of men wanted in Vancouver are carpenters, black- smiths, &c., any of whom can earn ten dollars a day ; even at sawing timber a man can get forty to forty-five dollars a month in the season. This fact is the great drawback to the place, from a naval officer's point of view, for the temptation to desert is so great that it is almost impossible to prevent it. Many a silly fellow, after running all sorts of risks to reach the American side of the Straits, finds to his cost that he was far better off on board his ship on 206 SPORTING ADVENTDIIE8 I his comparatively small but certain wage. At Nanaimo there are some extensive coal-mines, which promise a good return to the fortunate proprietors ; the coal is cheap and good, but burns quickly, and makes a terrible smoke. Doubtless the completion of the railway pro- jected across the continent of North America, to connect Canada with British Columbia, will infuse new life into Vancouver's Island, but at present there seems to be little probability of its fulfilment. Towards the latter end of October we received orders from the admiral to proceed with all despatch to Panama, to meet some supernumeraries who were expected there. It was with much regret that we bade adieu to our friends in Victoria, for from the popular governor, Mr. Trutch, as well as from those of a less exalted position, we had experienced much kindness and hospitality during our stay of four months in the colony ; but so it is always in a sailor's life ; one makes friends at every port, only to part, and seek for new ones elsewhere. IN THE PACIFIC. 207 In compliance with our instructions we took our departure on the 28th of October, and steaming out of Esquimalt Harbour found our- selves in a dense fog in the Straits of San Juan de Fuca. The fog accompanied us almost all the way to San Francisco, where we arrived after a quick run of four days. These fogs are a very serious drawback to the navigation of this coast. The shores of California, more especially in the vicinity of San Francisco, are often enveloped in them for weeks together, and many a good ship has been lost in consequence when almost at her destination. The coast is admirably supplied with lighthouses and power- ful steam fog-horns ; the latter may be heard ten miles off on a calm day. So thick was the fog off the entrance to the port that we passed through the Golden Gates without seeing the land on either side, and anchored in the harbour at daylight of the 1st of November. The fog cleared away soon afterwards, showing us the harbour in all its noble proportions, with crowds of clippers waiting for their cargoes of grain for a 208 SPORTING ADVENTURES Europe. The appearance of San Francisco from the anchorage is rather disappointing, and it is not until one has landed and traversed some of the principal streets that one can realize the wonderful energy by which a city, second only to New York or Chicago, has been raised in the short space of twenty-five years. A consider- able part of the town is built on land reclaimed from the sea; many of the finest houses are built of stone faced with iron, which gives them a handsome and substantial appearance. There are many first-class hotels ; perhaps about the best is the " Grand," where the charge for board and lodging is only three dollars a day, or five if a sitting-room is required. In this respect the Americans are far ahead of us ; there is not, to my knowledge, any hotel in England which can compare with a first-rate house in New York or San Francisco. Owing to the extra- ordinary temptations offered to seamen to desert, it is quite out of the question to give leave to the men to go on shore at San Fran- cisco. There are hundreds of crimps and land- IN THE l'A> IFIC. 209 sluirks of every sort, ready to pounce upon the unfortunate sailor directly he lands, and he seldom gets beyond the first grog-shop, where he is speedil;y drugged, robbed, and smuggled on board an outward-bound merchant-ship, and the first thing the poor fellow discovers on coming to his senses is that he is in blue water, bound he knows not where, and with but little chance of redress, as he is branded as a deserter from her Majesty's service. The following is a recipe found upon the person of the proprietor of a Californian drink- ing saloon. For whisky — ( Ten gallons of kerosene, < 3 lbs. of potash, ( 1 oz. of strychnine, mixed with soft water. If gin is required, add quantum sufBcit of oil of juniper ! ! ! r CEAFTER X. There is much to be seen at San Francisco, but our very limited stay prevented our visiting everything; and as soon as the coaling was finished we sailed for Mazatlan, where we arrived on the 16th of November, after a pas- sage of eleven days. "Whilst shipping a small freight which awaited us, I took the opportunity of paying another visit to the lagoons, accom- panied by two of the officers ; our united bag amounted to twenty brace of ducks. We were unable to get any coal here, so we touched at San Bias, and laid in a quantity of wood instead. I took advantage of this delay to run up to Tepio with Lieutenant B to see our friends again. The last time we were* at Tepic was SPORTING ADVENTUfiES IN THE PACIFIC. 211 immediately before the Revolution, when many of the principal families were away, and those that remained were somewhat triste. Now all was changed; Lousada was dead, and 3000 Government troops were estabHshed in the city under General Ceballos. We met with a very cordial reception; our old quarters in Mr. Barron's house were prepaz'ed for us, and a banquet was given in our honour, followed by a ball and garden party at Jauga. On taking our departure the general provided us with a guard of cavalry, unrler whose escort we returned to San Bias, and putting to sea the same night arrived without further adventure at Panama. The unfortunate supernumeraries for whom we had been sent had not arrived, having caught the yellow fever at Jamaica ; we consequently had to T-econcile ourselves to a delay of some months at Panama, awaiting further instruc- tions from the commander-in-chief. During this delay I had leisure to examine the different propositions for constructing a canal across the isthmus of Panama. 212 SPORTING ADVENTURES There hviYe been numerous projects for con- necting the Pacific with the Atlantic Ocean. Among the schemes which are now considered to be impracticable are those proposed across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec ; the Ohiriqui route, in the northern part of the province of Panama ; the Afcrato, and the Darien routes. An exhaus- tive survey has lately been made by Captain Selfridge, of the United States Navy, of that part of the isthmus south of Panama. His plan, which is commonly called the Napipi route, has many supporters, ^ut the general opinion is that even if this route be practicable, the ex- pense attending it would be so great as to prevent its ever being carried out. There are two routes which find favour ; the one by the lake of Nicaragua, and the other by the Isthmus of Panama, in the immediate vicinity of the railway. With regard to the first, it is maintained that the land aboUi/ J a>.^ Nicaragua is lower than on the Isthmus of Panama, that there is in the lake itself an ir ex- haustible reservoir, and an excellent seaport at IN THE PACIFIC. 213 San Juan del Sur, the proponed terminus on the Pacific side. Mons. Lesseps is said to be in favour of this plan ; he considers that a canal with weirs can be easily constructed, and he is, I believe, of opinion that it is impossible to construct a canal without weirs in any part of the American continent. Against this project it may be said that to construct a canal with weirs is a most expensive operation; that they are liable to get out of order ; that the distance between the two oceans is greater at Nicaragua than at Panama; and that there is no good port available on the Atlantic side. If .?. canal with locks be thought practicable, there seems to be no reason why one should not be constructed across the Isthmus of Panama in the vicinity of the railway ; a survey is now being made to ascertain the best point where the Chagres River can be dammed up, so as to form a reservoir, with this object in view. Another plan has been proposed; namely, to --" ppw" 214 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC. construct a tide-level canal from Colon to Panama. It is ^ » \llj considered that the difference in the rise .id fall of the tide at these places offers no serious obstacle to this project. In fact, the question resolves itself into one of money ; there can be no doubt about the success of the undertaking when once the canal is con- structed. A glance at the map is sufficient to show the immense amount of traffic which would be turned through this channel. Much of the commerce at present carried round Cape Horn or through the Straits of Magellan would go through the canal, which would be the most direct route for ships bound to Australia, China, Japan, and all ports on the Pacific coast. . CHAPTER XI. DuBiNG our stay in Panamanian waters I made several expeditions in search of sport and adventure. One of these was to a place called Obispo, on the Panama Railway. Having through the courtesy of Mr. Corwine, the agent for the railway company, obtained a free pass for E and myself, we started by the one o'clock train from Panama, and an hour afterwards drew up at the pretty bungalow called the Obispo Railway Station, where we received a hearty welcome from the hospitable station-master and his wife, who had kindly invited us to stay with them, as there was no hotel at the place. It was too late to shoot that evening ; so we strolled down the banks of 216 Sl'ORTlNG ADVENTURES the Chagres River, disturbing a party of dusky senoritas who were enjoying a bath. Following along the course of the stream, we picked up some very fine jaspers ; these stones, though, of THE OBISPO STATION ON THE PANAMA KAILWAY. no great value, are very handsome, and take a fine polish. There are some very large fish in the river, and our host told us that he had seen them taken up to 100 lbs. weight. I have no doubt that good sport might be had with rod IN THE PACinC. 217 and line. After a pleasant evening at the station we turned in for the night. The next morning I was surpiised to find my lip swollen to a great size, and I could not imagine what animal had so unceremoniously refreshed him- self upon me. A huge spider, with a body as big as a walnut, got the benefit of the doubt, and was killed, though I really believe the poor fellow was innocent. Our hostess said it was probably done by a vampire bat^ as they some- times came in through the Venetians during the night. After a cup of coffee we started for the woods, and, guided by a native, followed a trail through the thick jungle for several miles. The heat was intolerable, notwithstanding that the trees met overhead, completely obscuring the sun's rays ; not a breath of air stirred the foliage, dripping with the rain of the previous night. The only signs of life were a few humming- birds and some magnificent butterflies of a deep cobalt blue, as large as the crown of one's hat. Presently the rain came down in torrents ; the 218 SPORTING ADVENTURES lightning flashed ; thunder rolled amongst the hills ; and we were not sorry when we espied a solitary hut, where we took refuge from the storm. The tenant of this hut was a poor Irishman, who told us he was prospecting the country for gold ; unlike the generality of his countrymen he seemed of a sulky disposition, but a glass of whisky made him more com- municative. He told us that gold was to be found in considerable quantities in the moun- tains near; and he volunteered to show us where he had been working. Shouldering a pickaxe he led the way to a secluded spot in the depth of the forest, a tiny rivulet trickled along the bottom of the dell, and on each side the earth had been cleared away. The miner told us there was plenty of gold far up the hill sides, but that an hydraulic pump was required to raise water up to the desired level, to make it pay for being worked. He then proceeded to initiate us into the process of gold- washing ; driving his pickaxe apparently at random into the bank, he shovelled the loose earth into a pan , IN THE PACIFIC. 219 and then washed it in the stream. It was most interesting to watch how little by little he got rid of the superfluous rubbish, until nothing remained but fine black sand interspersed with tiny specks of gold. The miner washed several pans of earth, and all contained more or less of the precious metal ; we also washed a pan or two ourselves, but should certainly have lost the gold at the last moment had not the man saved it by a clever turn of the pan. "We returned soon afterwards to the station, and caught the train for Panama, taking with us some gold dust as a memento of our visit. We saw no game on this occasion, but we found traces of deer, pig, and jaguars, which the impenetrable nature of the bush made impossible to follow up. There can be no doubt that gold exists in considerable quantities on the Isthmus of Panama, although probably it would not pay for working it ; besides which, there is so much trickery practised that one cannot believe half what dne hears, and not always what one sees. 220 SrOBTINO ADVENTUKE8 1 heard of an individual who sent a sample of earth to New York to be essayed ; great was his indignation when the answer came back to say that it was worthless, for said he, "I salted it myself," meaning that he had distributed an ounce or two of gold dust amongst the eanh before sending it. This was a smart trick, but the Yankee was the smarter man of the two. A gentleman living near Panama keeps a pack of hounds, with which he hunts in the neighbouring woods; he kindly gave me an invitation to a chasse. We drove from the city before daylight, and arrived at the rendezvous just as day was breaking, where we were met by the huntsman and hounds I They were, perhaps, not exactly what an English fox-hunter would have expected to have seen. The hunts- man, who was on foot, was a withered old native, armed with a " machete," or big knife, with which to cut a trail through the woods; his dress was of the lightest description con- sistent with decency, being no more than a cloth tied round his loins; no doubt it was BF IN THE PACIFIC. 221 admirably suited to the climate, and the work he had to perform. The hounda were the most nondescript pack I ever saw; there were two English fox-hounds, who seemed rather ashamed at being seen in such company, a greyhound, a bull-terrier, and half a dozen mongrels, some with curly tails, some with stumpy tails, and one with no tail at all. However, as their worthy owner assured me, although they were not much to look at, they were devils to go I and he guaranteed them to hunt anything from a tiger to a cat. Our first beat was one of the savannahs, or large open plain, a few miles distant from the city. The guns being posted, the hounds were turned into a wood near at hand. We were all on the tiptoe of expectation, when a frightful din commenced, the old native shouting, and the dogs giving tongue : presently a deer bounded out, close to where my coxswain was placed, pursued by the greyhound, the bull-dog, and the rest in succession. Ricketts being merely placed as a stop, had no gun ; so he "I ' 222 SPOETINO ADVENTURES turned the deer towards me, and I rolled it over as it bounded into the bush. Great was the rejoicing over this beast, the hounds crowded round ; the old native came out of the bush, perspiring freely, and scraping the " gar- rapatos" or ticks off his skin with his "machete." This beginning seemed to promise well for a good day's sport, but much to my disappoint- ment the deer was hoisted up into the carriage, and we drove back to Panama to breakfast. 1 subsequently had several other days' hunting with this wonderful pack ; the different animals brought to bag was most amusing, and fully bore out the character their owner gave them. On one occasion, after waiting at my post for at least an hour, a deafening chorus burst forth, apparently close at hand. Come I I said to myself, a tiger at least this time, but nothing appeared, and as the noise seemed to be con- centrated at one spot I went to the place. I found my host and his dogs assembled round a hole in the ground, into which some animal had evidently bolted. The scene was most ludicrous, ^ TN THE PACIFIC. 223 the larger dogs, including the greyhound and the bull-dog, stood off, ready for anything to bolt, and keeping up an awful din ; the rest of the pack were in the hole, and their tails, those that had any, could just be seen. The old native had cleared away the bush with his " machete," as though he expected a Bengal tiger to come out, and one of the party stood ready to fire whenever the beast should appear. In answer to my inquiries as to what kind of a beast was expected, I was told that possibly it might be a "cornejo pintado," literally a painted rabbit, a species of animal I have never yet seen. A little diversion was created by an unfortunate armadillo, which bolted out of the scrub and was rolled over in the open by the whole pack ; the greyhound first caught it, and I could hear the poor creature's shell crunching under his powerful jaws. Meanwhile the old native had dug down upon the hole, from whence a low moaning could be heard ; the yelp- ing of the dogs was now redoubled, and one of the sportsmen approached the spot with his tM Ka lis.' ! 224 SPORTING ADVENTURES gun, after taking a look rourd to see tho coast clear. Presently a mass of yellow fur was descried, into which both barrels were dis- charged, and a miserable harmless ant-eater was dragged forth in triumph; the poor creature had bravoly refused to desert its young one, which was soon afterwards ignominiously pulled out I tried to keep this little fellow alive, but he pined away and died in a short time. Some days afterwards I made another expedition, in company witli one of our officers, to a country house called Limon, belonging to Seiior A , some twenty miles distant from Panama. We started durin«]j the night, so as to insure landing at high water, and after a pleasant sail of three hours arrived at a small village on the beach, where we procured horses, and reached the house at two a.m. Notwithstanding the un- seasonable hour our host and hostess were awaiting us, and we received a warm welcome from these kind-hearted people. We spent a couple of days most pleasantly at this place, bathing in the river, shooting ducks on the t IN THE PACIFIC. 225 pools, and lying out for deer during the night. This last occupation was by no means agreeable, owing to tl e swarms of mosquitoes, ticks, and other vermin, which gave us no peace. Our host told us that he usually built himself a plat- form in a tree, under which the deer came to feed during the night, and in this way hd had killed hundreds without being molested by mosquitoes ; suca luxurious kind of shooting is certainly excusable in these countries, but we had no time to enjoy it. The country about Limon is most beautiful, resembling an English park, with fine timber and rich grass on which many hu idred head of fat cattle are pastured. Not iar from the hacienda is the village of Choreros, a favourite bathing-place of the Panamanians during the hot season. Declining the kind offer of our host to stay and have some deer and wild pig shooting, V e returned on board. Notwithstanding the immense importance of the Port of Panama, and the large number of vessels trading to it, there is not a single Q I;' all m ^■■r^ 226 SPORTING ADVENTURES lighthouse on any part of the coast. The attention of the Government of Panama having been called to this fact by the Government of her Britannic Majesty, their Congress voted the sum of 35,000 dols. (7000Z.) for the purpose of erecting lighthouses where they were most needed, and applied to H. M. Charge-d'AfFaires at Bogota for assistance in the matter. In consequence of his representation, I was ordered by the Admiral to proceed in the " Reindeer," upon the arrival of his flag-ship, to examine the adjacent 'coasts, and to report upon the best sites for erecting lighthouses, and placing buoys and beacons in the Bay of Panama. Whilst waiting the arrival of the " Repulse,'* I took the opportunity of consulting wrth the captains of the English and American mail steamers, whose local knowledge was of great use to me on this subject. One morning, whilst we were at anchor off Taboga, we saw the flag-ship coming up from the southward, so we got under weigh and ran down to meet her, and accompanied her to the •"•^ IN THE PACIFIC. 227 anchorage off Panama. We had hardly anchored when we observed a great glare in the town, and it soon became apparent that a fire of no ordinary magnitude had broken out/ The flames rose on high, lighting up the spires of GREAT FIKE AT PANAMA — B.H.S. " REPULSE" AND "RKINDEER" AT ANCHOR IN THE BAY. MJ the Cathedral, which stood out in bold relief against the dark background, throwing out sparks and volumes of smoke. "With our glasses we could see the houses falling in all directions. The sight was a very grand one, but there was iio time to be lost, and we Q 2 "^ 228 SPORTING ADVENTURES prepared to render every assistance in our power. As soon as the flag-ship's steam launch could be got ready, we started for the scene, with boats and fire-engines, and a strong party of officers and men, under the immediate super- intendence of Captain Wilson of the " Repulse." Unfortunately the tide was out, and we could not approach nearer than a quarter of a mile from the landing-place, so we had to get out, and wade through the mud to the shore. Placing guards over the British and American Consulates, we made our way to the Plaza, where a terrible scene presented itself. The Grand Hotel had already been destroyed, and about one-third of the city was blazing fiercely, the picturesque old cathedral had fortunately, escaped. Owing to the absence of water our fire-engines were useless, and all that we "ould do was to pull down houses, and thereby pre- vent the further spreading of the flames. This occupied us till 2 a.m. when all further danger was over, and we returned on board. Panama has on several occasions suff'ered * IN THE PACIFIC. 229 severely by fire, and in all probability will continue to do so until steps are taken to organize an efficient fire-brigade, and arrange- ments made to insure a good supply of water. On this occasion, even had water been pro- TIIE OKAND HOTEL, PANAMA, AFTER THE FIRE. curable, the fire-engine belonging to the town was out of order, and the nearest one was at Colon, nearly fifty miles away; a locomotive was sent for it, and returned at 4 a.m., by which time the fire' had burnt out, and a million dollars' worth of property had been 230 SPOBTING ADVENTURES destroyed. The native police and the soldiery distinguished themselves during the fire by getting drunk and preventing those who were endeavouring to save their property from being able to. A day or two after this event we sailed to carry out the Admiral's instructions relative to the lighthouses ; two officers of the flag-ship came with me for the sake of sport or any amusement they could get. The next morning we were off Cape Mala, a headland terminating the western shore of the Gulf of Panama. The current sweeps round this cape with gi'eat velocity, and carried us rather past it, but as this was one of the most important places for a lighthouse to be fixed, we beat back, and anchored under the lee of the point foi the night. Cape Mala is rightly named, it is a low rooky, and most dangerous hieaclljind, witt reefs extending for nearly a mile, on which a heavy sea continually breaks. • All steamers approachmg Panama from the IN THE PACIFIC. 231 northward have to round Cape Mala, and those coming from the south generally sight it. I was particularly anxious to examine this place, and tried in vain to effect a landing, but the heavy siu-f prevented me, and I was obliged to content myself with a sketch of the point. Thinking it possible that we might be able to get on shore lower down the coast, and so reach the point, we ran down to the south- ward, and anchored off the mouth of the river Juera. A heavy surf was breaking across the bar, at the entrance of the river, and as far as we could see on either side ; but at length, after considerable difficulty, we succeeded in landing on a precipitous part of the coast, and scrambling up the cliffs overhead. From this place we found it impossible to penetrate in- land, on account of the dense and thorny jungle ; after struggling for several hours, and getting our clothes torn, we had to give it up, and effect an ignominious retreat by way of a precipice, down which we came with more expedition than we cared for. So steep was 232 SPORTING ADATENTCBES this place, that one of our party was veiy nearly added to the bag, whilst performing the flying trapeze from tree to tree, and a brace of wild turkeys which he had shot were lost from his belt. Leaving this inhospitable coast in disgust, we made sail and stood over to the eastern shore of the Gulf, and anchored in Pinas Bay the following day. This side of the Gulf is far superior to the western in every respect, the harbours are good, the water generally smooth, and the scenery more beautiful. Pinas Bay is an excellent harbour ; two lovely islets, called the * Sentinels,' guard the entrance, and are a guide for making the port. The harbour abounds with every description of the finny tribe; with one haul of our seine we captured a most wonderful draught of fish, the net was so full as to be in danger of bursting, and several boat-loads had to be taken out before it could be drawn ashore. There must have been many thousands of every size, shape, and colour, including the corvino, IN THE PACIFIC. 233 a fish scarcely inferior to a salmon in beauty and excellence, also rock-cod, mullet, gard-fish, Spanish-mackerel, and many others. Whilst we were fishing, the natives of the place came down to the beach to see what they could get. I never beheld such a miserable, unwholesome-looking lot; they all appeared to be afflicted with the leprosy, and one old woman seemed by the look of her skin to be a kind of cross between a toad and an iguana. We of course allowed them to take as much fish as they wanted, as we had enough and to spare, and after they v/ere satisfied, dogs, pelicans, and turkey- buzzards also crowded to the feast. When we left che bay the water was still covered with dead fish, the refuse of our haul. From Piiias Bay we worked along the shore to the northward, so as to take advantage of the current which sets in that direction on the eastern side of the Gulf; the water was smooth, the breeze fresh, and the ship tore through the water ten knots an hour. By sunset wo had 234 SPOETING ADVENTURES overhauled a schooner which we had seen at noon ten miles dead to windward. There is a dangerous reef between Cape Escopardo, and Galera Island, called the San Jose Bank, one rock of which is nearly awash; the strong current running out of the river San Miguel, sets directly upon this reef, and it is necessary to be particularly cautious in approaching it. During the night the wind dropped, and we found ourselves being drifted unpleasantly near the shoal, so we anchored to avoid being set upon it. The vicinity of the reef was indicated by large shoals of fish, including sharks, porpoises, &c. ; several whales were also in sight. As soon as the tide had turned, we weighed our anchor and stood over to the Island of San Jos^, one of the Pearl group, and anchored in a fine bay on the east side of it. The next morning I ran down in the gig to examine the southern point of the island, with a view to the erection of a lighthouse upon it. A heavy surf broke upon the rocks near the IN THE PACIFIC. 235 point, but we found a good landing-place in a sandy cove close at hand. This point is only second in importance to Cape Mala, and a light upon it would be of especial benefit to ships bound to Panama from the south- ward. "With these two places lighted, one with a fixed light, the other a flashing, to distinguish them, the navigator would have no diflficulty in making the port of Panama in any weather. The engineering diflBculties of placing these lighthouses would be but slight, and the expense of keeping the lights going might be met by a trifling tax on all ships coming to the port. From San Jose we stood over to the Isla del Rey, the largest of the Pearl Islands, and from thence to Pedro Gonzales, where there is a capital harbour. There is no sport to be got at these islands, except seining, but still they have much to recommend them. An artist would find ample occupation among the lovely islets and fantastic rocks of this archipelago; all the islands are 'B/'l 236 SPOUTING ADVENTURKS thickly wooded, and their bright sandy beaches, fringed with cocoa-nut trees, give them a particularly picturesque and pleasing appear- ance. Altogether we enjoyed our short visit to these beautiful islands, combining pleasure with duty ; for if ever sailing is pleasant, it is so when one has the rare combination of fine weather and lovely scenery, a fresh breeze and smooth water, with secure harbours in every direction under one's lee. From Pedro Gonzales we worked our way to the northward, and anchored off the mouth of the Pacora river, twelve miles east of Panama. The coast here is so flat that we had to anchor five miles from the shore ; a long line of surf breaks constantly on the beach, and on the bar at the river's mouth, so that it is difficult to make out the entrance. Being anxious to explore this river, I started in the gig, accom- panied by my two guests from the flag-ship. We got over the bar with some difficulty, and pulled up the river for several miles, shooting at the alligators which swarmed on the banks, J 5 1 1 if U m ! i:, III 'II I 03 o Hi <) B H >', O c K O O P 0 IN THE PACIFIC. 237 "^ & !i I « O -0 w Hi H) •^ m H cS J'- O •< o o o B CO M o U n and in tlio water. We killed or wounded several of these brutes, but they generally managed to reach the water, and sank before we could secure them. We made an example, however, of one old rascal that we caught asleep on the bank with his mouth open. G , a capital shot, first gave him a ball down i-'s throat, which somewhat astonished him, and before he had time to recover, we landed and despatclied him with several more shots at point-blank range, besides digging a long knife into him below his armour-plating; at each stab he turned his head round and snapped his jaws together with a horrid crash. We left him apparendy dead, and yet when we passed the place the next morning, his body had disappeared, having probably been dragged away and devoured by his companions. When night came on we lit a fire, and lay down to sleep on the bank of the river ; but what with the cold, the heavy dew, and the mosquitoes, we had a wretched time of it, and were not sorry when the approach of day rl ■n ' -t It - - ill-:' 5 1 i li 248 srOIlTINO ADVENTURES of the affair until we reached Mazatlan a month afterwards, too late to be of any assistance. But the most extraordinary thing was, that two days after passing San Josd, the American mail steamer " Costa Rica," passed us on her way to San Francisco. She had left St. Jose the day before, and the passengers on board of her were desirous of communicating with us, and inform- ing mo of the outrage ; they had in fact a letter for me on the subject, but for some unaccount- able reason the captain of the vessel passed on without taking any more notice than the usual ceremony of dipping his colours. Owing to this unfortunate blunder it was several weeks before a man-of-war reached St. Jose to demand satis- faction for the outrage and the moral effect which would have been produced by the appearance of the English flag within forty- eight hours of the perpetration of the insult was lost. I felt it my duty to report the conduct of the commander of the " Costa Rica " (so contrary to the usual courtesy of the captains of mail IN THE PACIFIC. 249 steamers) to the company's agent. His excuse was that he did not stop because we did not heave-to or lower a boat, which of course we should have done had I any idea of the im- portance of his news. It is not in accordance with the custom of her Majesty's ships to stop a mail steamer belonging to another nation, without having good reasons for doing so. A day or two after this occurrence we observed two fine water-spouts, which did not approach witl in gunshot of us, but near enough to see clearly of what they were composed. In common with many others, I had always been under the impression that these so-called water- spouts consisted of a column of water, drawn up from the sea, and meeting a corresponding depression in the clouds overhead ; the agitated condition of the sea at the base of the column would tend to confirm this view, which, how- ever, is an erroneous one. I watched very closely the formation of these phenomena, which are produced by a whirlwind, causing the cloud to draw to a point, which, presently assuming a !l :-ii i '] '■H m •I ^ a,! 250 SPORTING ADVENTURES spiral foj'm, descends and meets the sea beneath, causing the agitation of the water, and drawing up quantities of spray, which gives it the ap- pearance of a solid body of water. The column, rapidly revolving, presently sways to and fro, and ther gradually fades away. During the time we were watching the water- spouts the sea was alive with whales, porpoises, sword-fish, devil-fish, and shoals of smaller fry, which last were attended overhead by pelicans, albatross, frigate bh'ds, and other birds of prey. Whilst crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepee we experienced the usual " norther," which blows almost without intermission across the isthmus from the Gulf of J Mexico. This wind, amount- ing sometimes to a fresh gale, blows with such regularity that the navigator can always rely upon it, and, by previously hugging the coast so as to place the ship well to windward, can make a fair wind of it, whether bound up or down the coast. It blows across the low land like a funnel,y ai ' ^ kept in by the mountains on cither sids ot the isthmus, consequently ic com- IN Tilt: I'ACiFir. 251 racnces very suddenly, and letv\ es off in the same manner. It appears soon to exhaust itself on leaving tlie land, so that the farther one is from the shore the weaker it becomes, and I believe that at a couple of hundred miles off it would not be felt at all. This part of the coast is admirably lighted by volcanoes, many of which may be seen burning during the night ; these not only afford a magnificent spectacle, but are also of use to the mariner, whilst navigating these seaS; where the coast line is not very ac- curately determined, and if moreover lighted in no other way. On the 29th. April we anchored in the small but sheltered harbour of Guatuico ; this port is very difficult to distinguish, and would be still more so if it were not for a cave, with a hole at the top, at the entrance; this rock, called the " Bufadero," or bellov/s, spouts up water like a whale, and the noise can be heard at a considerable distance. Guatuico is only interesting from having been visited by Sir Francis Drake, more than 300 years ago : it is a IH 4 m 'M mi 252 SPORTING ADVENTURES ii, n! lii very snug anchorage, and is convenient for cutting wood, any quantity of which can be got close to the ship. From thence we proceeded to Acapulco, where we arrived three days after- wards. "Whilst the coaling and refitting was going on T accepted the offer of one of the merchants of a mount for E and myself, for the purpose of visiting a marsh, at a place called Tied-de-la- questa, about twelve miles over the mountains, from the town, where we heard there was capital shooting. Our departure was somewhat delayed by the behaviour of my steed, which showed his de- cided objection to the journey by bucking me off, guu cartridges and all, into the middle of the plaza. His owner assured me that this was his regular practice before starting, but that once under weigh he was as quiet as a lamb. I prefixed to take his word for this, and ex- changing the animal for another, we took a fresh d( parfure. We were accompanied on this occasion by a Yankee loafer, who was reported iiii IN THE PACIFIC. 253 to be the best sportsman in the place, but he proved to be a better hand with the bottle than with th3 " scatter-pellet," as he called it. He told us confidjntially that he came with us because the next day was a fast day, and that he always made a point of getting drunk on those occasions. Leaving Acapulco about three p.m., we followed our guide over the mountains in single file ; a worse bit of travelling it would be difficult to imagine, the track was merely a water-course, intercepted by rocks and roots of trees, and it was wonderful how our horses kept their feet. After riding through a forest for some miles, we reached the top, and descended into the valley below, reaching the village of Pied-de-la-questa about sundown. We put up for the night at a ranch, kept by an aged crone and two buxom daughters, and we passed a pleasant evening over our pipes and grog. Our guide entertained us with an amusing account of his adventures, in all of which he was the hero. By his own account he was a deserter from an American man-of-war, had distinguished I- I IS. pi i 254 SPOUTING ADVENTURES himself in fights, both afloat and ashore, scalped more Indians than Mayne Eeid ever heard of, and killed bears, buffalo, and elk, by the cart- load. As the night wore on he got drunk and offensive, and as his language was not edifying he was put to bed. We also retired to the couches prepared for us, the women dispersed themselves about the ranch, and several dusky brats lay promiscuously on the ground. The crowing of numerous cocks roused us before daylight, and we were soon ready for a start. Near to the village was a large lagoon, about twenty miles long by five broad in the widest part, extending from the village in a line parallel to the sea, from which it was separated by a strip of beach. It was arranged that E , piloted by the Yankee, should make his way along this beach to a runch called " Casa- dero," and that I should go by water to the same rendezvous. A native who rejoice*], in the name of " Walk-in," or what sounded lika it, accompanied me to assist in paddling tho canoe. Launching our rotten old craft, we pad'li':d IN THE rACIF'lC. 255 quietly along the margin of the lake, occasion- ally landing to shoot a noisy " Chachalaca " that would insist in calling our attention to his whereabouts. These birds are not unlike our English hen pheasant, but are not so large; they are exceedingly stupid, and sit on the trers gazing at one, and uttering a cry like that pro- duced by running a stick sharply acrc-.ss a " shingle " roof or paling. Now and then a duck would rise from the rushes, when the paddle was quickly exchanged for the gun to bring him to the bag ; or a rabbit would scuttle away into the bush, giving one only a snap shot ; besides these there were hundreds of cranes, ibis, curlew, bitterns, boat- bills, spoonbills, and flamingo to be seen, and alligators in every direction. We arrived in due time at " CJasadero," a solitary ranch by the water-side ; by this tiine I had three brace of ducks, a rabbit, and a couple of chachalaca in the canoe, besides a few ibis and curlew. To my disappointment E did not appear, so after waiting two hours for i' st and !■ l-i • us. ^ 1 1 ■. J|: 1 •5* - • Vf 256 SPORTING ADVENTUEES refresliment, I took to the canoe again, and pushed on for the upper end of the lagoon, where " "Walk-in " declared there were any number of ducks. For an hour or more we paddled along under a burning sun, disturbing the alligators which were basking on the banks, sometimes eight or ten of them would glide into the water together, and rise again close to our frail craft, as though they would like to improve the acquaintance of its occupants ; occasionally one would become too familiar, when a charge of buck-shot delivered into the eye at three yards, generally had the desired effect, and sent him off, lashing the water with his tail and staining it with his blood. At length we reached the head of the lagoon, and, peeping through the rushes, we saw a largo swamp, wherein many thousands of duck, widgeon, and teal were feeding in fancied security. Pushing the canoe through the rushes, we launched her in this sanctuary, when the sport began. ' ' Walk-in,' ' naturally a man of few words, now showed himself to be not wanting in intel- TN THE PACmC. 557 ligeiice ; lie had never seen birds killed on the wing before, and the rapidity with which a snap-actioned breech-loader could be loaded and fired quite astonished him ; lea\fing the canoe, he danced about the marsh, picking up the ducks which were falling in all directions. The shots alarmed all the birds in the neighbour- hood, and the place seemed alive with duck and teal, which kept flying overhead presenting every variety of shot. There was shooting enough for a dozen guns, and I hoped that E , hearing the shots, might join me, but as it turned out, he was at that moment many miles away. I blamed away until mj gun was hot, and the ammunition beginning to give out, when we set to work to gather np the slain. Wliilst I had been shooting, the alligators had not been idle, and all my birds which had fallen in deep water had disappeared, many of the cripples also had escaped in the rushes ; how- ever, we picked up at this one place fifteen brace of ducks, and a couple of teal. The sun was sotting as we turned our faces towards s :1 '■ > >si k-'! i'Pl ' 258 SPORTING ADVSNTUEES IN THE PACIFIC. home, and the sky was still darkened by im- mense flocks of ducks preparing to settle in their favourite retreat. Our canoe leaked so badly with the additional weight she carried, that it was with difficulty we kept her afloat ; and darkness had long set in, when, after paddling for four weary hours we again hauled her up on the beach near the village. On joining E , I found that he had never reached Casadero, the Yankee having lost his way, and so lost him a capital day's sport ; he had, however, bagged a magnificent "pato- reale," weighing fully eight pounds. We slept at the ranch that night, and the next morning were in the saddle before daylight, on our way back to the ship. As we rode through the woods the chacalacas were calling in all directions, and hopping from tree to tree; E bagged five without going off the path, and we might have got many more had we cared to do so. il CHAPTER XII. From Acapulco we went to Manzanillo, where we shipped a qut^ntity of wood, and several tons of the husks of the Coquilla nut for fuel. This palm grows in great abundance in the woods near Manzanillo; the nut is used for making oil, and contains such a quantity that it will burn like a candle. We found the husks sufficient for our purposes; they throw out so great a heat, that we could steam by their aid alone, without using coal or wood. Our chief engineer reported so favourably of them, that I ordered a large supply to be ready for us on our return; the only expense attached to this kind of fuel is the labour of collecting it. Whilst here I rode over to a lagoon a few miles from the s 2 IP. m is* i, w K IH M 2G0 SPOUTING ALVENTUliES village, in company with 0 and a friend who kindly supplied us with horses. The marsh we went to has the reputation of being extremely unhealthy, and is no doubt the cause of the town having such a bad name ; the water of the lagoon is of a dirty cocoa colour, and emits a foul stench ; notwithstanding which we waded over most of it, and made a fair bag of ducks, and some roseate spoonbills ; the latter were most beautiful birds. A day or two after leaving Manzanillo we anchored in our old quarters at San Bias. I fear the morality of this place is at a very low ebb. On one occasion I gave a passage to an individual residing not 100 miles off ; this man had been to San Francisco on special business, and was returning home. He told me he had done pretty well, and showed me with great pride and satisfaction a number of labels to be pasted on cigar-boxes, the said cigars being manufactured on his premises. Every well-known Havana brand was repre- sented, having been very exactly forged in IN Till'] PACIFIC. 2G1 San Francisco, so that, as ho explained, his customers could be supplied with the best article at the shortest notice and at the lowest possible price. Besides these, he had a large collection of assorted wine labels, fac- similes of the most famous brands, to be placed on his own bottles, containing the most abominable compounds. On ray asking him if he considered this style of dealing to be honest, he said, "Well, captain, fact is, when I was in California, I went to a phrenologist, who examined my head carefully for some time without remark ; at last he exclaimed, * Why, sir, you must be a scoundrel I ' and he added, with ingenuous candour, *I am a scoundrel.'" Whilst here, I took another run up to Tepic, accompanied by one of our officers, and a couple of bluejackets as a guard. We took our places in the dilifjonce before daylight, and were consequently unable to see the faces of our fellow-passengers, until we arrived at Navaretti, where we stopped to breakfast. We m \m ! i ' •i •' 1 ; I ) ■K '' ^•i| I l\ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ^ 1^ 12.2 I.I ^^ 1^ m 1.25 1 = IIh W / V Hiotographic Sdences Corporation ■-s^.V" 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTIR.N.Y. )4sao (716) •73-4S03 '^ ,4 ,^ ^ 262 SFOllTINO ADVENTURES then found, to our dismay, that the other seats were occupied )?y a Mexican, and his wife and children, all in the worst stage of small-pox. This disease had been raging at Mazatlan and San Bias for some time, but was said to be passed. There was no help for it, as we could not stop where we were, nor go back ; and as they were not likely to do so, we travelled together for the rest of the journey, some thirty miles. During this time we smoked without ceasing, so that we could hardly see each other's faces, and fumiga'^ed ourselves so thoroughly, that we felt no evil effects from the contact ; it is to be hoped that our fellow- travellers were all the better for it. During the three days we stayed at Tepic we enjoyed some good sport at the river, bagging twenty brace of ducks on two succes- sive days. On our arrival at Mazatlan from San Bias, a few days afterwards, we found that there was no freight ready for us, and that none was expected for a month. I therefore decided to employ this time in visiting some IN THE PACIFIC. 263 places of interest in the Gulf of California, including Guaymas, and La Paz, where we had orders to call. We accordingly sailed for La Paz on 3rd of June, and two days afterwards sighted the lofty and barren island of Ceralbo, on the western side of the gulf. Off the north end of this island there is, according to the admiralty chart, a group of rocks, marked " dangerous," but which in reality do not exist in the spot mentioned. We kept a particularly good look-out for them from the deck and the mast-head, but no signs of rocks, shoals, or even discoloured water were to be seen. The navigator is cautioned not to place too much reliance on the charts of this part of the coast, as the survey was a " run- ning" one, it might rather be called an imaginary one, for points, bays, and shoals are marked which do not exist, save in the imagi- nation of the surveyors. The coast-line on the eastern shore of the gulf is also notoriously inaccurate. At one place we were several miles inland by cross bearings ; the recent 264 SPOETINO ADVSNTUBES most excellent survey of the gulf by the United States* S.S. " Naragunsett," will, how- ever, supply this want. There really was an islet, apparently ten or twelve feet high, not marked in the chart, off which an American schooner was anchored, superintending the operations of a fleet of small craft, engaged in the pearl fishery. Passing this little fleet, we steered through the Lorenzo Channel, and anchored off the town of La Paz, within pistol- shot of the pier. La Paz is the brightest, prettiest Uttle seaport in Mexico; the houses are painted blue, yellow, and pink, and rows of trees are planted along the streets, giving the town a picturesque appearance, not common in these latitudes. It is very hot on shore during the day, and no one stirs out till about five or six p .m. The nights are deliciously cool. On board ship it is pleasant enough, although the thermometer ranges between 90° and 100° in the shade, as a strong wind blows regularly through the day, until sunset, and always fi^om the same direction. The anchorage is very ¥• IN THE PACIFIC. 265 secure, but is not suited for ships drawing more than fifteen or sixteen feet of water, and the passage leading up to it is so intricate, that it is advisable to take a pilot ; whilst steaming through this channel we could see the bottom the whole way, and frequently had not more than six inches of water under our keel. After a stay of four days at La Paz, we ran down to Pichilinque Harbour to coal, stopping on our way to assist an American schooner, which had run ashore, in attempting the passage without a pilot. This is one of the best harbours on the coast; the anchorage is slieltered and spacious, with plenty of water in it. The morning after our arrival, I landed abreast of the ship before daylight, accom- panied by E , to see what chances of sport there might be. We soon found abundant tracks of deer, hares, and quail, so after arranging upon a rendezvous, we separated, each following up a valley leading inland. We found the country to be barren and desolate, little better than a sandy desert, covered with 266 SPOBTINQ ADV2KTDB£S cactus bushes and thorny scrub. Tho heat was intolerable, and there were no signs of water. On reaching the rendezvous, I found Ricketts (my coxswain), who had come suddenly upon two fine deer, a buck and a doe, but his gun missed fire. I had seen one deer, but only caught a passing glimpse of it, as it bounded away. E had seen nothing. We now took the shelter in a ranch, from the heat of the sun ; owner oi the ranch told us that there were plenty of deer in the neighbourhood, and that they drank no water, the cactus supplying all their wants in this respect. This we found to be the case. He said there was no water near at hand, except in a well by the house for their own use, and even that was brackish. The fruit of the cactus is so juicy and nourishing, that not only can animals subsist on it without other food or drink, but the natives will travel all day under a burning sun, with no other provision than a few of them tied up in a handkerchief or carried on a stick. In the cool of the evening we made a fresh IN THE PACinC. 267 start, taking the native as a guide, when I bagged a fine deer, and Ricketts wounded, but lost another. We slept at the ranch that night, and hunted again the next day, but without suc- cess, although we saw several splendid bucks ; and the coaling being completed, we returned on board. The coal which we obtained here was anthracite, from Philadelphia, a description not suited to our furnaces; the result was, that when we tried to steam out of the harbour, we were unable to do so, and had to anchor again ; but when once it was well alight, it burnt po furiously that there was no getting it to burn out, and we steamed for several hours without putting fresh coal on the fire. Passing by the Island of Espritu- Santo, we anchored the following day on the north-west side of the Island of San Joseph. This island is barren and mountainous, like the adjacent coast, from which it is separated by a channel from three to four miles wide. Abreast of where we anchored was a salt-water lagoon, abounding in turtle and fish 268 SPOBTINQ ADVBNTUEES of every doscriptioD, from sharks to sprats; our seiDing party had capital sport, getting enough fish to last us for a week. From the numerous tracks, it was evident that there must be many deer on the island, so all our sportsmen who could muster a gun or riflb landed in search of them. Ascending the mountains in different directions, we hunted in all the likely places, but with very poor success, several deer were seen, but only one bagged, by 0 . The heat was terrific, and the labour very severe, owing to the total absence of water, the heavy sand, and the mountainous character of the island. In the afternoon I ran down in the gig, and landed at another place, where, after toiling for several hours, I killed another small deer. Some years ago deer were far more nume- rous on San Joseph than they are at present ; but immense numbers were slaughtered by an American professional hunter, or rather butcher, for the sake of their hides. I was told, by the man who bought the skins, that this individual IN THE PACinC. 269 killed from 160 to 160 deer in a week, and that the ah" reeked with their putrefying carcases ; I can quite credit this, from the quantity of bones and horns which we found in all direc- tions. San Joseph shows traces of mineral wealth, and shipments both of gold and silver have been made from this island to San Fran- cisco. From thence we ran along the coast to the northward, enjoying the pleasant breezes and smooth water which prevail in the Gulf of California during the fine season. The moun- tains on the western shore of the Gulf are destitute of vegetation, and of fantastic form, showing unmistakable traces of some great terrestrial convulsion of ibrmer times. Nearly abreast of Guaymas, is Mulege Bay, a spacious harbour with plenty of water; but there are several rocks about the entrance, which are not marked on our charts ; they are, however, easily avoided, as the sea breaks con- stantly over them ; the rocks marked on the chart are placed in a wrong position, and are apt to mislead one. I was desirous of visiting 270 SPORTINO ADVENTURES Muleg^, to obtain possession of a boat, which had been stolen from the coal-agont at Pichi- linque, and conveyed thither. The anchorage is to the northward of the bay, and is very diffi- cult to be distinguished, a cluster of palm- trees off thn mouth of a river being the only guide. The town of Mulegd is situated about a mile and a half cr this river, and cannot be seen from the anchorage ; it is a miserable place, composed of about 120 adobe huts; but there are a few edifices of a better class in course of construction. On a hill closn by is the old mis- sion of Muleg^ ; the buildiu^ has now fallen to decay. The town was formerly supported by the pearl fisheries, which have declined; but the discovery of extensive copper-mines has infused new energy into the place. These mines are said to yield a fair profit to the owners, the ore varies in richness from ten to fifty per cent., and consists of black oxide and sulphates, it lies in horizontal strata, very much broken. About 500 operatives are em- ployed on the works. IN TOE PACIFIC. 271 The river between the town and the sea is so shallow that only boats of light draught can aseend it, and then at high water; there is but one tide each way in the twenty-four hours ; the mouth of the river is well adapted for hauling the seine, and our people got in a few hauls enough fish to supply the ship and half the town as well. It has been proposed to form a settlement at a place some few miles to the northward of Mulegd, and I was given to understand that a company had been formed to colonize it. This spot has been christened by the high-sounding title of El Paradise, and described as a land flowing with milk and honey ; but in the opinion of men living on the spot, well qualified to judge of the merits of this " Paradise," it is a wretched country, without any recommenda- tion, and any unfortunate emigrants would starve there, as they did at Magdalena Bay. Not far from Mulegd is the island of San Marcos, from whence large quantities of gyp- 272 SPOTITINO ADVENTURES sura have been shipped to San Francisco ; and about 100 miles to the northward of this, near the Californian shore, is the small island of Rossa, where an enterprising Englishman has established himself. This individual is export- ing in large quantities a substance called "Phosphate of Ammonia," but which is by some considered to be another name for guano ; he claims that the article is a mineral, and has " denounced ** the island as a mine which he has discovered. The mining laws of Mexico provide that any one who discovers a mine shall have the exclusive right to it, upon payment to the Government of a few trifling fees, and a small sum to the nearest judge, for giving judicial possession. In about the same latitude, but nearer the coast of Sonora, is another island, named San Georges, on which a large quantity of the same substance has been discovered. There are also other islands in the Gulf, knowii to possess guano in considerable quantities, but which have not as yet been disturbed ; on the largest IN THE PACIFIC. 273 of them, ** Tiburon," there are Indians living in a savage state. From Muleg6 we sailed lor Guaymas, the most important port ir he Gulf of California. As we approached the f»a^^em shore, the temperature increased in a marked degree ; in this respect there is a great diflferenc^ between the two sides of the gulf, although they are not more than 150 miles apart in some places. We reached Guaymas on 20tb of June, and anchored oflF the town. This is one of the hottest places on the coast ; during our stay the thermometer averaged 96° in the shade, and in August and September it is much hotter. By springing the ship broadside to the sea-breeze we managed to keep her tolerably cool during the day, but at night, when the wind died away, it was most oppressive. A story is told of a lawyer of Guaymas who, having departed this life, found it ao compara- tively cold in his new habitation that he sent back for his blanket. The town is built at the foot of a barren and T ' 274 SPORTING ADVENTURES rugged range of mountains, whicli encompass it on all sides ; it is a wretched-looking place, and has been likened to a churchyard turned upside down. The harbour is spacious, but shallow, and only fit for small ships ; it is studded all over with islands, two guarding the entrance, and is so well protected by nature that in the hands of any other nation it would be made impregnable. It is a curious fact that all the drinking water at and about Guaymas Is quite brackish, and, to our taste, was most un- palatable ; our friends on shore declared that it was particularly wholesome, but I noticed that the old hands invariably qualified it with a suspicion of the barley bree. There is excellent shooting in the neighbour- hood ; deer, hares, and duck ; it is as well to be cautious whilst shooting, on account of the rattlesnakes, which infest not only the main- land, but all the islands in the gulf. These reptiles come out of their holes about early dawn, and again at sundown ; they are fond of lying about the paths, and are, therefore, most IN THE PACIFIC. 275 dangerous. On one occasion, whilst looking for deer on the top of some mountains not far from the town, my retreat was fairly cut off by a rattlesnake which commanded the narrow path by which I wished to descend ; whenever I advanced I could hear the warning rattle, although I could not see the creature to shoot it, on account of the thick scrub, and as I had only thin shoes and trowsers on, I had to go round by another way. Shooting at Guaymas in the dry season is rather a labour, owing to the excessive heat and lack of water, obliging one to carry a supply, which soon becomes so heated as to be quite nauseous. We bagged some hares and other small game, but were unlucky with the deer, in consequence of which a chasse was arranged by some friends on shore. About three a.m. a boat-load of sportsmen called along- side for me ; they were accompanied by an officer of the garrison, two drummers, and a couple of buglers, carrying their instruments, and a bundle of hand-rockets, the use of which will be presently seen. T 2 276 SPOBTING ADVENTURES Our destination was an island a few miles outside the harbour, on which deer had been sometimes seen. We reached the place about daylight, and having landed the musicians at the back of the island, we took up our position in the boats, between the island and the nearest beach, so as to intercept any deer or other animal which might take to the water. Presently a rocket gave the signal to advance, the band immediately set up a most hideous uproar, occasionally varying the entertainment, when they could spare the wind, by a selection of the choicest Spanish oaths ; the general effect was most peculiar, and was sufl&cient to scare any beast that might be on the island. Unfor- tunately they were not at home that day, so we had to content ourselves with blowing up fish with torpedoes of dynamite, and such like innocent amusements, imtil it was time to return on board. One great drawback to hunting in the northern division of Mexico is the presence of the Apache Indians who infest that part of IN TBir PACIFIC. 277 tlie country. Tiiese fiends, who are no bettor than wild beasts, commit the most horrible atrocities, murdering travellers, burn- ing haciendas, and generally devastating the country. Treacherous and cowardly, they are so swift in their movements that it is almost impossible to capture them, and long before the troops who are sent after them are on their track, they are sec are in their mountain fast- nesses. Truly it may be said that their hand is against every man, and every man*s hand against them. Whenever any of these wretches are by chance caught, they are, in the signifi- cant phraseology of the country, made " good Indians;" it is to be hoped that when the railway now projected to Guaymas is completed this tribe will become a thing of the past. After a stay of ten days at Guaymas, we pre- pared to retrace our steps towards the south. We had now traversed the west coa.st of Mexico from one end to the other, and visited every port of any consequence ; everywhere we heard the same old story of revolutions, 278 SPORTING ADVENTURES brigands, murders, robberies, and wholesale smuggling. No wonder that the unfortunate country does not advance. The natural re- sources of Mexico are immense, her gold, silver, and copper mines are among the richest in the world, and the soil will produce the finest crops of sugar, coffee, tobacco, maize, rice, cotton, &c. Emigration is wanted to open up the vast resources of the country. The present popula- tion is about eight millions, of whom six millions are Indians, who are useless, and won't work. There is abundant field for the emi- grant, in thousands of acres uncultivated, hundreds of mines unworked ; but before emi- grating, people naturally expect some guarantee for the safety of themselves and their property, and that cannot be said to be the case at present. Without railways, or even good roads, it is impossible for any country to progress; the first step in the right direction is the comple- tion Oi the Vera Gruz Railway, which is pro- nounced financially a success. It is intended IN THE PACIFIC. 279 to extend this line to Acapulco, on the west coast, and another line is to connect the city of Mexico with San Bias. It will probably be long before these railways are completed ; but when they are, it is to be hoped that peace and order will be restored to this beautiful but unhappy country. CHAPTER XIII. Leaving Guaymas, we recrossed the gulf, and stopped off Mulege, to pick up the boat we had been in search of, from thence we went to Carmen Island, and anchored in Salinas Bay, on the south side of the island. Near to the anchorage is a salt lake, several miles in circum- ference; the. deposits of salt are formed by natural evaporation, the lake replenishing itself by invisible channels from the sea. The salt is of excellent quality, and is so abundant that thousands of tons are annually taken away, and yet there is no perceptible diminution. It is difficult to calculate the amount obtainable from this source ; but the estimate of persons familiar with the subject place it at a million tons annually. SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC. 281 Carmen Island also contains copper in con- siderable quantities, and shipments of small lots have been made to Europe and the United States. The ore varies in richness from ten to forty per cent., and possesses traces of gold ; but as no regular veins have been discovered, the works have been abandoned. The anchor- age at Salinas Bay is an open one, and exposed to the southward, so we only remained there a few hours, and then stood over to the main- land, to examine a small port called Escondito, or the Hidden Port. This place is scarcely mentioned on our charts, and has certainly never been properly surveyed. The entrance to the port is most difficult to distinguish, and it is necessary to approach it with caution, there is an outer anchorage, with deep water and good shelter, wherein we dropped anchor. The entrance to the inner harbour is only thirty yards across, and has a depth of sixteen feet at high water in the channel; the tide rushes through this gap with great velocity. Inside is a splendid sheet of water of a nearly ■;;■£ 11 ■in 282 SPOETINQ ADVENTURES circular form, about a mile in circumference, and very deep ; small coasting vesfl^ls lie up here during the hurricane months, t . i bo per- fect is the shelter that a vessel might be at anchor inside without any chance of being seen by passing ships. A long well- wooded valley extends up from this harbour towards the mountains. It looked a likely spot for game, so I landed to explore it, accompanied as usual by E . We found many tracks of deer and other animals, but we had not time to penetrate far inland before darkness overtook us, and we returned on board. Our seining party had good sport, hauling the seine in the gap, and capturing some fine fish. Before daylight the next morning we were off again in the gig, and landed on a part of the coast about six miles to the southward of the port. We soon came upon tracks of deer in the sandy soil, especially round the cactus-bushes, where they had been feeding during the night; one wai speedily started, but escaped, and soon afterwards two IN THE PACIFIC. 283 more jumped up, one of which I killed. Having grallocked the deer, and sent it on board, we continued hunting all day, but with- out any further success. Towards evening we came to a ranch, where we took shelter for the . night. The Meidcan who owned it gave us a hearty welcoine to his humble abode, and oflfered to go with us in the morning. After supper we all retired for the night, E and myself upon a couch in the open air, the boat's crew rolled themselves up in the boat's sails, and the children of the establishment were passed up, one by one, on to the flat roof of the hut, where they stowed themselves amongst the thatch. Before daylight we were again astir, and, guided by our host, started for the mountains. "We toiled for several hours, seeing many deer, but without getting a shot, until on our return home, when Ricketts killed a fine buck, and I had a snap shot at another. "We then returned to the ship, and, getting under weigh, left Escondita, and stood to the southward. 284 SrORTING ADVENTURES At daylight next morning we were off tlio island of Catalina, a most precipitous place, with no good anchorage, so we merely dropped a kedge for a few hours. This island also possesses several veins of copper, which have been partially explored. There are some wild goats on the island, as on most of the others in the Gulf; also some sheep, which are said to be wonderfully fat and well-flavoured; the natives occasionally come over from the mainland and hunt them with dogs. From Catalina we returned to San Joseph, and anchored in a snug bay on the south-west side of the island. We found some pearl-fishers established here, and several small craft engaged in the same trade were anchored near. They seemed to be doing a good business, one firm belonging to La Paz having cleared 40,000 dollars in the season. I was given some of these pearls, both white, black, and pink ; they seem to be in no way inferior to the oriental ones. From some specimens of pearl oyster-shells which were given me, I noticed that wherever IN THE PACIFIC. 285 there was an accidental depression in the outer shell, causing a corresponding rise on the inner surface, the fish had covered it over, thereby forming a half pearl, from which it would appear that the animal readily accommodates itself to the presence of a foreign body. I believe that whole pearls could be manufactured in the same way by the introduction of a small substance, such as a shot, or seed, for the fish to operate upon. We had another day*s shooting at San Joseph, and bagged a deer, besides catchmg immense quantities of fish. From thence we went back to Pichilinque, and a iew days afterwards returned to Mazatlan. Whilst waiting for our freight, which was daily expected from the mines, I took the opportunity of spending a few days on shore in the comfortable house of Messrs. Kelly and Co. During this time one of our men was attacked in the suburbs of the city by a Mexican, who inflicted some terrible wounds upon him with his machetd. On being apprised of the circum- 286 SPOETINO ADVENTUEES stance, I went to the house where the poor fellow had been carried, accompanied by our surgeon. The man had already been attended by a Mexican doctor, and most kindly treated by the humble owners of the house. Some Mexican gentlemen acted with most praise- worthy energy on this occasion. They rode after and captured the ruffian within a few hours of the assault. He was brought before the authorities and committed to prison, pending his final examination. The Prefect assured me he would be shot, and said he was only too glad of the chance, as he had not shot any one for a long time, and he begged me to wait a few days to witness the execution. I could not oblige him, however, as the rainy season had set in, and I was^ anxious to get off the coast without delay. A day or two after this I was returning from a visit to Palmyllias, a very pretty spot some leagues from Mazatlan, where I had been with my friend O'Ryan, when we met Mr. Kelly and two officers of the "Reindeer." They had IN TUF PACIFIO. 287 thoughtfully driven out to give mo the first news of my promotion, which they had just seen in the Gazette. Saying farewell to our friends at Mazatlan, we sailed once more for Acapulco, where we found Commander Anson waiting to relieve me. The cruise of the " Reindeer," as far as I was concerned, was now ended; and, having transferred the command of the ship to my successor, I took my passage on board the Pacific mail steamer " China " for San Fran- cisco en route for England. ■ & CHAPTER XIV. Although natarally overjoyed at the prospect of returning home after an absence of three years, it would be untrue to say that I parted from my shipmates without regret. Even for the ship herself I had r^n affection; she had carried us safely for 60,000 miles or more, and it was with a sad heart, for the moment, that I took a last look at the bonnie little craft, as the old " China " steamed out of Acapulco Bay, and the wash from her paddles drowned tLc strains of " Auld Lang Syne." The steamers of the Pacific mail are not celebrated for speed, and the most the old " China " could score was 200 miles a day, and sometimes not that, so it took us ten days to reach San Francisco. SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC. 289 During a short stay in tlie city I enjoyed the hospitality of the Union Club, a most excellent institution, anu had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Mr. Booker, our popular and esteemed Consul, who has lived in San Francisco ever since it was built. Having been so fortu- nate as to have met with an agreeable companion going the same way as myself, we started by the Union Pacific Railway for New York. Travelling by this route is most luxurious, the charge for a Pulman sleeping berth is three dollars a day, in addition to the ordinary first- class fare, this secures a comfortable bed at night, and, if a party of four can be arranged, a snug little drawing-room during the day. For these long journeys the American form of carriage is a decided advantage, it is pleasant to be able to stretch one's legs by walking from one end of the train to the other, or, if one prefers it, to enjoy a cigar on the platform, watching the magnificent and ever-changing scenery. Leaving San Francisco, the line passes over u :M 290 SPORTING ADVENTURES a level, park-like country as far as ^lacramento, from whence it rises gradually to Colfax, where the train staps for the passengers to dine. The fare at these places is excellent, and enough to satisfy the most fastidious, except in the matter of wine, but with good coffee, tea, or milk, one is better without it. The charge for a good " square " meal is from half a dollar to a dollar, according to the distance from a terminus. We reached Cape Horn in time to see this magnificent pass before dark, and arrived at what is called the " Summit," or the highest point of the Sierra Nevada, crossed by the railway, the same night that we left San Francisco. This point is 7000 feet above the sea, but the mountains tower another 3000 feet higher still. The view of Donner Lake, with the full moon shining on it, was one of the most beautiful sights I ever saw, and one could hardly realize the terrible tragedy which oc- curred near this peaceful spot, and from whence the lake takes its name. The facts, as related to me by the conductor of the train, are as follows: — IN THE PACIFIC. 291 In the year 1846, a party of emigrants, con- sisting of a Mr. Donner, with his wife and four children, and about a dozen others, encamped near the lake whilst on their way fiom one of the Eastern States to seek for a new home in California. They had a number of cattle with them, which were lost in a snow-storm the first night, leaving the unfortunate emigrants to face thehorrors of starvation in addition to other perils. Some of the party made a desperate effort to reach the nearest settlement, and, after encoun- tering many hardships, they succeeded, but Mr. Donner was too ill to undertake the journey, and his wife and children, with one other, a German, remained with him in the wilderness. The storm continued for several weeks, and nothing was heard of the family till the spring of the following year, when a party of men started out in search of them. They reached the camp with infinite difficulty, and found but one survivor, the German, and he was mad. The rest of the family had perished from starvation, the German had kept himself alive by eating the bodies of the V 2 292 SPORTING ADVENTURES others, and, when discovered, was greedily de- vouring a human arm. A good deal of fine scenery about the summit is shut out by snow-sheds, of which there are some forty miles completed. Descending from the Sierra Nevada moun- tains, the line traverses in succession the forty- mile desert, the valley of the Humbolt river, and the great American desert to Ogden, where passengers who wish to visit Salt Lake City have to change. From Ogden to the city is two hours by rail, the line skirts along the borders of the great Salt Lake for thirty or forty miles, passing many beautiful and thriving villages, and giving one a view of the lake on the one hand, and the Wasatch Mountains on the other. The city is pleasantly situated at the foot of this range, it is exceedingly pretty, and the streets are broad and clean, with rows of trees on either side. There are several good hotels, some kept by Mormons, others by " Gentiles," as those who are not Mormons are designated. IN THE rAOIPIC. 293 We put up at the " Townshend House," kept by a Mormon with three wives. As we arrived on Sunday we went to hear service performed at the Tabernacle, an immense building capable of accommodating 8000 people ; we heard some very fine music and good singing, and a very indifferent sermon, after which we went, ac- cord ng to custom, to pay our respects to the President, Brigham Young. I have copied out verbatim an extract from one of Brigham Young's sermons, which I clipped from a Salt Lake paper, and which will probably give a better idea of the character and eloquence of this remarkable man than any description of mine. " Brigham's ultimatum to his wives, from one of his recent sermons : — " I wish my women to understand that what I am going to say is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here to tell theii' sisters, yes, all the women in the community. I am going to give you from this time till the 6th October next for reflection, that you may deter- 294 SPORTING ADVENTUBES mine whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not^ and then I am going to set every woman at liberty, and say to them, Now go your way. And my wives have got to do one of two things, either round up their shoulders to endure the affliction of this world, and Hve their religion, that is polygamy, or they must leave, for I will not have them about me. I will go into Heaven alone, rather than to have scrutching and fighting about me. I will set all at liberty. What ! first wife too ? Yes I liberate them all. I want to go somewhere or do something to get rid of the whiners. " I do not want them to receive part of the truth and spurn the rest out of the doors. " Let every man thus treat his wives ; keep- ing raiments enough to cover his body, and say to your wives. Take all I have and be set at liberty; but if you stay with me, you shall comply with the law of tjod in every respect, and that, too, without any murmuring or whining. You must fulfil the law of God, and IN THE PACIFIC. 295 round up your shoulders to walk up to the mark, without any grunting." From this it would appear that perfect har- mony does not always prevail in the Prophet's seraglio. In fact it is high time that this gigantic swindle should be suppressed ; there is no doubt, however, that the days of Mormonism are numbered. Brigham Young, by repudiating his wives, has done more to effect this than any amount of oppression could have brought about. The women are decidedly plain, and are evidently of the servant-girl class; most of them are brought out from Europe, especially from "Wales, Sweden, and Norway, under false pretences, and, I quite believe, would gladly return to their native countries if they could. Leaving Salt Lake City, we returned to Ogden in time to catch the train going east. To the westward of Ogden the best money to have with one is American gold, or eagle dollars, as one loses by the exchange in OaUfornia on all other coin ; even on English sovereigns there is considerable discount. To the eastward of 296 SPOETING ADVENTURES Ogden, greenbacks are the best to take. From Ogden the track again ascends rapidly, passing through the " Devil's Gate," Weber and Echo canons, including some magnificent scenery, until the summit of the Bocky Mountains has been reached. In the neighbourhood of Ogden, Corinne, and Evanstone, we saw immense quantities of wild fowl. Either of these places would be good he<2d-quarters for a sportsman ; there is excellent trout-fishing at the latter place. Echo and '* Sherman " are also celebrated for sport of all kinds. After leaving Laramie; the highest point on the Rocky Mountains, and of the entire route, is reached at an elevation of 8240 feet ; from thence the line descends gradually to Omaha. Whilst crossing the prairie we saw many herds of antelope, which seemed not the least alarmed by the passing train, often feed- ing within rifle-shot. We also put up several packs of grouse or prairie chicken. Laramie is a good central spot for sport IN THE PACIFIC. 297 of all kinds, wapiti, antelope, and bears being found in the neighbourhood. Grand Island and Loup-Fork are also good places for shooting. I mention these, places from the amount of game we actually saw near them, and not from hearsay. At Omaha the line crosses the Missouri river by a magnificent bridge, to Council Bluffs, from whence to Chicago the scenery is very uninteresting. Our short stay at the latter place prevented us from taking more than a run through the streets of this wonderful city. Chicago, after having been twice burnt down, contains 300,000 inhabitants, and yet is but forty years old. The breadth of the streets and the magnificence of the houses is surprising, and scarcely any traces of the late fire are to be seen. On that part of the route between Omaha and Chicago known as the Burlington route, a dining-room car is attached to the train, this is a very great convenience, and does away with the necessity of stopping for meals. As /Hi 298 SPOBTINO ADVENTURES good a dinner can be bad in tbis car as in any first-rate hotel, including wines ; the cost is about tbe same. From Cbicago we travelled by the Michigan Central Railway to Detroit, where the whole train is embarked on board a ferry steamer and disembarked again at Windsor, on the Canadian shore; from whence we continued by the Great Western Eailway of Canada to Buffalo. Here my companion was unfortunately taken ill with a sudden attack of cholera. It was night-time, and there was no doctor handy, but I got him round by applying fourteen mustard plasters to his stomach, combined witli brandy and chloro- dyne inside, and he was able to go on with me the next morning to Niagara. How any one can pretend that they are disappointed with the Falls is to me in- comprehensible. I can only attribute it to ridiculous affectation ; to my mind, anything more majestic it would be impossible to con- ceive. The finest view is undoubtedly from the Canadian side. The groat drawback to IN THE PACIFIC. 299 the place is the crowd of touters, car-drivers and vagabonds of every degree who throng the tourist at all points. Whilst contem- plating some magnificent view, a scoundrel appears and shouts in one's ear, " Take yer to the rapids for half a dollar!'* One gets cheated at every turn. After being swindled on the American side, we endeavoured to escape by crossing over to the Canadian, where we were fleeced in the most systematic, though not so objectionable a manner. We were induced to go to the top of a house, to see the best view of the Falls, "free of charge." This was all very well, but on descending we were hustled into a side room, surrounded by a bevy of pretty girls, and not allowed to depart until we had invested in a heap of trash, in the shape of agate earrings, necklaces and brooches, which could be bought at any seaside watering-place for half the money. To add insult to injury, we were expected to pay duty on our purchases on re-crossing to the American shore. The bridge- M 300 SPOETINQ ADVENTURES keeper, however, had some conscience, as he allowed us to go by, merely remarking that " he guessed we*d paid enough already." After a couple of days spent most pleasantly at Niagara, we took the train for New York. We were delayed for a few hours by a broken bridge at Rochester, but this delay enabled us to^ see the Hudson river to great advantage. Here again, though unmolested by touters, much of the romantic beauty of the river is spoilt by the numerous advertisements of quack medicines, which are posted up on every con- spicuous point, rock, or tree, and deface the whole landscape. Vvhat can be more ridi- culous, not to say disgusting, than, when following with your eye some lovely bend of the river, to come suddenly upon " Gargling Oil," " Vinegar Bitters," " Try Jones's Pills," &c., painted in such staring letters that but little else can be seen. Not but what many of the American advertisements have great humour and originality in them. For instance, an individual recommends his opening medicine IN THE PACinC. 301 on account of itB wonderful effect upon an Indian, wlio had accidentally swallowed a clasp knife ; when one dose of this medicine opened the knife and killed him. On reaching New York we put up at the "Windsor Hotel," and on the 9th September, 1874, we embarked on board the Cunard steamer " Russia " for England. On leaving America I left many good friends, more especially amongst the ofiBcers of the United States' Navy, with whom I had had much intercourse in the Pacific. They are, as a rule, most courteous and hospitable, and above any petty prejudices against the old country. Indeed, I have always found the best people in America are proud of their connexion with tlje old country, and of her glorious deeds in days gone by, as Englishmen may well be of the advancement of America. The wholesale abuse occasionally heaped upon the English by the American Press by no means represents the feeling of the better class, but is written to pander to the taste of the rowdy 302 SPORTING ADVENTURES Fenian blackguard, who is neve: so ^appy as when abusing his native land. A rapid and prosperous voyage across the Atlantic brought us safely to Liverpool, where we arrived on the 19th of September. Appended is my bag whilst in command of the "Reindeer." SpecidS of Gatne. Where killed. 2 Wild bulls . . . Galapagos Islands. 1 Wild pig . . . Falkland Islands. 3 Wi\d sheep . »> »» 1 Guaoaco » >» 49 Rabbits » >» 4 Goats . . . . Juan Fernandez. 64 Pigeons . Chili. 2 Spur-winged plover » 69 Partridges . • if 1 Woodcock . Straits of Magellan. 14 Deer . Vancouver's Island and Lower California. 175 Grouse . Vancouver. 8 Chachalacas . Mexico. 6 Hares . . • »> 108 Wild geese . Falkland Islands.and Mexico. 528 Duck, teal, and widgeoc ^ »» » >» 40 Parrots and macaws . Mexico and Central America. 23 Californian quail . . Lower California. 96 Snipe . Mexico and Vancouver. mim IN THE PACIFIC. 303 Sppciefl of Game. 28 Curlew 41 Ibis 4 Roseate spoonbills 5 Scarlet flamingo . Where killed. Mexico. >» » Galapagos. 112 Other birds, names not known. Also a varied assortment of seals, sea-lions, ant-eaters, armadillos, and alligators, &c. Note. The guns I used were built for me by Messrs. Powell and Son, of Carr's Lane, Birmingham. They saw much service during the three years I was in the Pacific, and were never out of order. The snap- action is simple, and always to be depended on. - W. R. K. THE END. tow DON : OrLBKIlT ANP BIVINGTON. rKlNTEHS. BT. JOHN'S 8QTT*WF.