gga CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Gift of HERBERT FisK JOHNSON ’22 acai iii Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031275575 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. MACMILLAN AND CO., Limrrepd LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Lr7p, TORONTO : WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA THE NORTH-WEST OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE. ANTILLES IN THE YEARS 1812, 1816, 1820, & 1824 With Original Instructions for the perfect preservation of Birds, Etc. for Cabinets of Natural History BY CHARLES WATERTON, Esq. NEW EDITION Edited, with Biographical Yrtroduction und Explanatory Index BY THE REV. J. G. WOOD WITH ONE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN’S STREET, LONDON 1909 RicHaRD CLay AnD Sons, LimirEp, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK, First Edition (Medium 8vo), 1878. Reprinted (Crown 8vo), 1879, 1880, 1885, 1889, 1893, 1905, 1909. PREFACE. Many years ago, while barely in my “teens,” I had the good fortune to fall in with Waterton’s Wanderings, then newly placed in the school library. The book fascinated me. Week after week I took it out of the library, and really think that I could have repeated it verbatim from beginning to end. It was a glimpse into an unknown world, where I longed to follow the Wanderer, little thinking that I should ever have the privilege of visiting him in his wonderful Yorkshire home. I looked upon Waterton much as the pagans of old regarded their demi-gods, and not even Sinbad the Sailor was so in- teresting a personage to me as Waterton the Wanderer. But there was one drawback to the full enjoyment and comprehension of the book. It mentioned all kinds of animals, birds, and trees, and I did not know what they were, nor was there any one who could tell me. I did not know what a Salempenta was, except that it vi PREFACE. was good to eat. It might be a monkey, a fish, or a fruit. Neither could I identify the Couanacouchi, Labarri, Camoudi, Duraquara, Houtou, or Karabimiti, except that the three first were snakes and the three last were birds. It was certainly pleasant to learn that the traveller in Guiana would be awakened by the crowing of the Hannaquoi, but there was no one who could tell me what kind of a bird the Hannaquoi might be. Then, as to trees, I did not know the Siloabali, or the Wallaba, or even the Purple-heart, nor how the last mentioned tree could be made into a Woodskin. I wanted a guide to the Wanderings, and such a guide I have attempted to supply in the “Explanatory Index.” I believe that there is not a single living creature or tree mentioned by Waterton concerning which more or less information cannot be found in this Index. The Wanderings I have left untouched as Waterton wrote them, not adding or altering or cancelling a syllable. They constitute, so to speak, the central brilliant of a ring, round which are arranged jewels of inferior value, so as to set off the beauty of the principal gem. The plan of arrangement is as follows: First comes a short biography of Waterton as the Wanderer, and then a memoir of Waterton at home. Next come the Wanderings, exactly as he wrote them. Then there is an Explanatory Index, and lastly a few remarks on the PREFACE. vil system of Taxidermy which he created, and in which he gave me personal instruction. I have much pleasure in recording my obligations to Edmund Waterton, Esq., who kindly permitted access to the old family records, which he is now arranging for publication. Also to A. R. Wallace, Esq., and Dr. P. L. Sclater, Secretary of the Zoological Society, for the assistance which they rendered in identifying several of the birds; and to J. Britten, Esq., of the British Museum, for the great pains which he took in ascer- taining the names of some of the Guianan trees, with- out which names the work would have been imperfeet. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION I orFER this book of Wanderings with a hesitating hand. It has little merit, and must make its way through the world as well as it can. It will receive many a jostle as it goes along, and perhaps is destined to add one more to the number of slain, in the field of modern criticism. But if it fall, it may still, in death, be useful to me; for, should ‘some accidental rover take it up, and, in turning over its pages, imbibe the idea of going out to explore Guiana, in order to give the world an enlarged descrip- tion of that noble country, I shall say, “fortem ad fortia misi,” and demand the armour; that is, I shall lay claim to a certain portion of the honours he will receive, upon the plea, that I was the first mover of his discoveries; for, as Ulysses sent Achilles to Troy, so I sent him to Guiana. I intended to have written much more at length; but days, and months, and years, have passed away, and nothing has been done. Thinking it very probable that I shall never have patience enough to sit down and write a full account of all I saw and examined x PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. in those remote wilds, I give up the intention of doing so, and send forth this account of my Wanderings, just as it was written at the time. If critics are displeased with it in its present form, I beg to observe, that it is not totally devoid of interest, and that it contains something useful. Several of the unfortunate gentlemen who went out to explore the Congo, were thankful for the instructions they found in it; and Sir Joseph Banks, on sending back the journal, said in his letter, ‘I return your journal, with abundant thanks for the very instructive lesson you have favoured us with this morning, which far excelled, in real utility, everything I have hitherto seen.” And in another letter he says, “I hear with particular pleasure your intention of resuming your interesting travels, to which natural history has already been so much indebted.” And again “Tam sorry you did not deposit some part of your Jast harvest of birds in the British Museum, that your name might become familiar to naturalists, and your unrivalled skill in preserving birds be made known to the public.” And again, “You certainly have talents to set forth a book, which will improve and extend materially the bounds of natural science.” Sir Joseph never read the third adventure. Whilst I was engaged in it, death robbed England of one of her most valuable subjects, and deprived the-Royal Society of its brightest ornament. CONTENTS. BIOGRAPHY. CHAPTER I. PAGE Autobiography of Waterton—Descent from Sir Thomas More—Twenty- seventh Lord of Walton, and sixteenth in descent from John Waterton—Religious faith of the family—Persecutions of Roman Catholics and confiscation of the estates—Double taxes and fines— Birth and early life—Escapades at Tudhoe—The cow and the wash- ing-tub—Removal to Stonyhurst—Birds’-nesting, a chase and a pig- styye—Good advice from one of the fathers—Parting with Stonyhurst —First voyage to Cadiz—The apes at Gibraltar—Habits of the animals—Stay in Malaga—Acquirement of Spanish— Projected visit to Malta—Advent of the plague—Seized with the disease and recovery—Closing of the ports—A hazardous and carefully-planned escape—Preparations on board ship—The opportunity seized— Escape successful—Death of an uncle—Discovery of an old friend ~—Failing health—Voyage to Demerara—Death of: his father and succession to the family estates . . . ‘ , 3 1—14 CHAPTER II. Journey to Orinoco with despatches—Adventure with a venomous snake —An involuntary bath—A huge Cayman—The Labarri snake— Dinner paity in Angostura—A too liberal table—The Governor’s uniform—Dining in shirt-sleeves—A more sensible uniform—Publi- cation of the Wanderings—Reception by the critics—Sydney Smith—Swainson’s criticism upon the cayman—Truth in the garb of fiction—Waterton’s style of writing—Quotations—His favourite authors—Sense of humour—How he answered the critics—Charge of eccentricity—How he was eccentric—Travels on the continent— Shipwreck—Gallant conduct of Prince Canino—Lost by gold —Fall into Dover harbour and narrow escape—The lancet and calomel— Judgment of the vampire—A bad wound—Bare feet and bad pave- ment—Mode of cure—Accidents at home—Gunshot wound—Severe fall and dangerous injuries—Crowther the bone-setter—A painful operation— Ultimate recovery—A characteristic warning . » 156-34 xil CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. PAGE Magnificence and money—Waterton’s mode of life and personal ex- penses—Sleeping on planks—His visits to the chapel —The “ morning gun ”—The razor and the lancet—Reduction of the family estates— His work at Walton Hall—Natural advantages of the place—The wall and its cost—Bargees and their guns—lInstinct of the herons— Herons and fish-ponds—Drainage of the ponds—The moat extended into a lake—Old Gateway and Ivy-Tower—Siege by Oliver Crom- well—Tradition of a musket-ball—Drawbridge and gateway in the olden times—Tradition of a canon-ball—Both ball and canon dis- covered—Sunken plate and weapons—Echo at Walton Hall—West view of lake—How to strengthen a bank—Pike-catching—Cats and pike—Spot where Waterton fell : ; é é . 85—48 CHAPTER Iv. Love of trees—Preservation of damaged trees—How trees perish— Wind and rain—Self-restorative powers of the bark—Hidden foes —The fungus and its work—Use of the woodpecker and titmouse— How to utilize tree-stumps—The cole titmouse—Owl-house and seat—Dry-rot—When to paint timber—Oaken gates of the old tower—Command over trees—How to make the holly grow quickly —The holly as a hedge-tree— Pheasant fortresses — Artificial ' pheasants —The poachers outwitted—Waterton’s power of tree climbing — An aerial study — Ascending and descending trees— Church and State trees—The yew—A protection against cold winds —Yew hedge at back of gateway—The Starling Tower—Familiarity of the birds—The Picnic or Grotto—Waterton’s hospitality—* The Squire ”—A decayed mill and abandoned stone—The stone lifted off the ground by a hazel nut . : a F , . 49—71 CHAPTER V. The Squire’s ‘‘ dodges””—The “ cat-holes”--The dove-cot—Pigeon-shoot- ing matches and mode of supplying the birds—Waterton’s pigeon- house, external and internal—Pigeon-stealers baffled—Arrangement of pigeon-holes—Ladders not needed—How to feed pigeons econo- mically—Rats and mice in the garden—The poison-bowl and its safety—Sunken mousetrap—Gates and chains—The carriage-pond —Waterton’s antipathy to scientific nomenclature—Advantage of such nomenclature as an assistant to science—Popular and local names—Colonists and their nomenclature—Zoology gone mad— Complimentary nomenclature—The fatal accident in the park— Waterton’s last moments and death—The last voyage and funeral — Epitaph written by himself—The new cross, and place of burial, 72—86 CONTENTS. xiii FIRST JOURNEY. CHAPTER I. PAGE Object of the Wanderings—Demerara R.—Saba—Toucan—Forest Trees —Parasites—Bush-rope—Red monkey—Wild animals—Sloths— Venomous snakes— Lizards — Bell-bird — Houtou — Insects — Dog poisoned with Wourali—Falls—Essequibo R.—Rapid decay—Falls of the Essequibo—Macoushia—A white recluse—The Watermamma —A savage financier—The Jabiru—Ants’ nests—Fort St. Joachim —Lake Parima . 7 . : : ‘ ae . 87—125 CHAPTER II. The Macoushi Indians—Poison vendors—apparent failure of poison— Collecting materials for wourali-poison—Treparing the poison— Superstitions—The blow-pipe gun—The Ourah—The Samourah— Silk-grass—Acuero fruit—Coucourite palm—Wild cotton—Arrows — Quivers—Jaw of Pirai — Packing the arrows — Cotton basket — Gun sight made of Acouri teeth—Poisoned fowl—Suspending the guns—The bow—Ingenious arrows—Small quivers—A wild hog shot —Utilization of indigenous products. . . . . . 126—139 CHAPTER III. Operation of the Wourali—lIts effects on the Ai, or Three-toed Sloth— Death resembling sleep—A poisoned Ox—Poison proportionate to size of animal—Alleged antidotes—An Indian killed by his own arrow—Ligatures and the knife—Descent of the Essequibo—Skill of the boatman—The Buccaneers—Tertian ague—Experiments with Wourali—Value of a ligature—Artificial respiration—Long life and quiet death of Wourali—When _ ae Arthur ruled this land— Return of health F f i ° ‘ 140—147 Remarks . : ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ % F ‘ 7 . 148—153 SECOND JOURNEY. CHAPTER I, From Liverpool to Pernambuco—Stormy petrels—Tropical zoology— Flying-fish — Bonito, Albicore, and “ Dolphin” — Frigate bird— Arrival at Pernambuco—The expelled Jesuit—Pombal, the Captain- General—Southey’s history of Brazil—Botanical garden—Sangredo Buey—Rattlesnake—Narrow escape—Rainy—Sail for Cayenne— Shark-catching . A s ‘ : ‘ J : : . 154—168 xiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. PAGE Arrival at Cayenne—Flamingos—Curlews, &c.—Vegetable productions of Cayenne—La Gabrielle—Cock of the Rock—Grand Gobe-mouche —Surinam—The Coryntin—NewA msterdam— Stabroek, now George Town—Produce of Demerara—Slavery—A traveller’s necessaries— Walking barefoot—The best costume—Humming-birds—Cotinga— Campanero, or Bell-bird — Toucans, or Toucanets — Beak of the Toucan—Evanescence of the colours—The only mode of preserving them . a ee 169—-184 CHAPTER III. The Houtou—Curious habit of trimming. the tail and feathers—its habits—The Guianan Jay—The Boclora—Slight attachment of the feathers—The Cuia—Rice-birds—Cassiques, their habit of mockery —Pendulous nests—Gregarious nesting of different species—W ood- peckers of America and England—Kingfishers—Jacaniars and their fly-catching habits—Troupiales and their songs—Tangaras—Mani- kins—Tiger-birds—Yawaraciri—Ant_ Thrushes—Parrot of the Sun —Aras, or Macaws—Bitterns—Egret, Herons, etc.—Goatsuckers— Whip-poor-Will—Superstitions—Tinamous—Powis and Maroudi— Horned Screamer—Trumpeter—King Vulture—Anhinga—Dangers ~ of travel—Quartan ague_ . a ‘ . A F . 185—207 : THIRD JOURNEY. CHAPTER I. From the Clyde to Demerara—Yellow fever—A deserted Plantation— Black John—Medicines for tropical climates—Bats—The lancet— Severe accident and recovery—A primitive spear—History of the Sloth—An inhabitant of the trees—Structure of the limbs—A domes- ticated Sloth—aA life of suspense—Structure of the hair—Mark on the back—Capture of a Sloth—Release and escape—Ants—Ant- bears—The great Ant-bear—Its powers of defence—Attitude when standing—How it catches its prey—Glutinous saliva—The Vampire and its habits—Bleeding gratis—Coushie Ants—Armadillo and its habits—Tortoise—Eggs of Tortoise and Turtle. . . , 208—23) CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER II. PAGE The Vanilla—Meaning of the word—Small Cayman—Daddy Quashi— ‘Wasps—Venomous reptiles and wild beasts—Poison of the Labarri snake—Experiment with a Labarri—The Béte-rouge—The Chegoe —Its nest—Ticks, and how to get rid of them—The five tribes— Their habitations and mode of life—Piwarri—The Pee-ay-man—A nation without a history—Runaway negroes—Mr. Edmonstone and his services—Wounded warriors—Valour rewarded—Education— Character of the native—Skill in hunting—A bead almanac—The sun as a compass—Thinness of population. . . . . 232—-247 CHAPTER III. Discovery of a large Coulacanara snake—A Bush-master—Stag swail- lowed by a Boa—Negroes and the snake—Arrangements for the attack—The snake struck—Carrying off the enemy—A snake in a bag—An unquiet night—Dissection of the snake—Daddy Quashi and his dread of snakes—Capture of a Coulacanara—Vultures and their food—Habits of Vultures—The Aura vulture—Black vultures —Severe blisters—An inquisitive Jaguar—Fish shooting—Goat- suckersand Campanero . . . . + «© « « 248--262 CHAPTER IV. Fishing for a Cayman—A shark-hook useless—Sting-rays—Turtle and Guana nests—-Numbers of eggs—Another failure—Meeting a Jaguar —Guard against fever—More failures—A native hook and way of baiting—The Cayman’s dinner-bell—Caught at last—How to secure the reptile—Mounting a Cayman—An improvised bridle—Skin and teeth of the hs ala eeauaata rah for England—Collision with the Custom House. . 1 eee 268-284 FOURTH JOURNEY. CHAPTER I. Three years in England—Sail for New York—Nomenclature—Altera- tion of scenery—A sprained ankle—Magnificent cure—Feats of climbing — Quebec — Irish emigrants — Ticonderoga — Saratoga— Philadelphia—White-headed Eagle—Form and Fashion—Climate —Forebodings of the civil war—Sail for Antigua. g . 285—309 xvi CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. PAGE Arrival at Antigua—Dominica—Frogs and Hamming-birds—Martinico —Diamond rock—Barbadoes—Quashi and Venus—The Alien Bill— Sail for Demerara—More about the Sloth—Scarlet Grosbeak— Crab-eating Owl— Sun-heron—Feet of the Tinamou— Vampires again—The Karabimiti Humming-bird—The Monkey tribe—The Red Howler—Roast monkey—The Nondescript—Altered physi- ognomy—Gold and silver mines—Changes of Government—Politics —India-rubber—An ingenious deception . . . + © 810--334 ON PRESERVING BIRDS FOR CABINETS OF NATURAL HISTORY. Faults .n bird-stuffing—Tools required—Knowledge ef anatomy-- Attitudes of birds—Flow of the plumage—How to skin a bird— Inserting cotton—Killing wounded. birds—Stuffing a hawk—The first incision—The skin to be pushed, not pulled—Arrangement of wings—Moielling the body—Spreading the tail—Constant attention required—Strength and elasticity—Value of corrosive sublimate— Experience and patience . a> oo. - « 835—350 EXPLANATORY INDEX . . . . 2. »© «~~ 5 851—494 TAXIDERMY , ‘ é a 2 . . ° . . - 495—510 INDEX. . 2 © © 2 «6 8 ° ° - 511—520 BIOGRAPHY. CHAPTER I. Autobiography of Waterton.—Descent from Sir Thomas More.—Twenty- seventh Lord of Walton, and sixteenth in descent from John Waterton. —Religious faith of the family. —Persecutions of Roman Catholics and confiscation of the estates.—Double taxes and fines.— Birth and early life. —Escapades at Tudhoe.—-The cow and the washing-tub.—Removal to Stonyhurst.—Birds’-nesting, a chase and a pigstye.—Good advice from one of the fathers.— Parting with Stonyhurst.—First voyage to Cadiz.—The apes at Gibraltar. — Habits of the animals. —Stay in Malaga.—Acquirement of Spanish.—Projected visit to Malta.—Advent of the plague.—Seized with the disease and recovery.—Closing of the ports.—A hazardous and carefully-planned escape.—Preparations on board ship.—The opportunity seized.—Escape successful.—Death of an uncle.—Discovery of an old friend.—Failing health.—Voyage to Demerara.—Death of his father and succession to the family estates. In the introductory prefaces to Waterton’s Wanderings, the author has afforded but little account of himself, but in the volumes of his Essays, and some of his Letters, he has fortunately given a sufficiency of information to furnish a tolerably unbroken biography from his birth to his death. His was a very long life, and as he considered that life as a sacred trust, he never wasted an hour of it. Waterton was the representative of one of the most ancient English families, and was justly proud of his G B 2 BIOGRAPHY. descent from Sir Thomas More. A clock which had be- longed to that great ancestor is still in existence, and occupied a place of honour on the upper landing of the central staircase of Walton Hall. It is but a little clock, and has only a single hand, but it keeps time as well as ever, and the sound of its bell is so clear, that it can be heard at a considerable distance from the house. He mentions in his own quaint way, that if his ancestors had been as careful of their family records as Arabs are of the pedigrees of their horses, he might have been able to trace his descent up to Adam and Eve. The following account of the Waterton family is taken from the Illustrated London News of June 17, 1865, and has been revised by a member of the house. “The good and amiable old Lord of Walton, Charles Waterton, better known for miles around his ancestral domain as “the squire,” was the representative of one of our most ancient untitled aristocratic families, and, what is more deserving of record in these days, in the male line. “His ancestor, Reiner, the son of Norman of Normandy, who became Lord of Waterton in 1159, was of Saxon origin. The Watertons of Waterton became extinct in the male line in the fifteenth century, when their vast possessions passed away, through Cecilia, wife of Lord Welles and. heiress of her brother, Sir Robert Waterton, to her four daughters and co-heiresses, who married, respectively, Robert, Lord Willoughby de Eresby, Sir Thomas Dymoke, Thomas Laurence, Esq., and Sir Thomas Delaware. “Sir John Waterton was high sheriff of Lincoln in 1401, and master of the horse to Henry V. at Agincourt. Sir Robert, his brother, whose wife was a lady of the garter, was governor of Pontefract Castle while Richard IT. was BIOGRAPHY. 3 confined there: he had been master of the horse to Henry IV. Sir Hugh, another brother, held high oftices of state. Charles Waterton, in whom the representation of his ancient house was vested, was descended from Richard, second son of William Waterton, Lord of Waterton, who died in 1255. In 1435 John Waterton married the heiress of Sir William Ashenhull, and became Lord of Walton and Cawthorne, jure uxoris, “Walton formed part of the Honour of Pontefract, of which Ashenhold, a Saxon thane, was the Lord, and which was held by his son Ailric, in the reign of 8S. Edward the Confessor. At the Conquest it was given by William the Norman to one of his followers, Ibert de Lacy, who granted it back again to Ailric, father of Suein. Adam, the son of Suein, Lord of Brierley, Cawthorne, and Walton, was the founder of the priory of Monk Bretton, and left two daughters and co-heiresses, Amabil and Matilda. The former had Walton and Cawthorne, and became the wife of William de Nevile. They had one daughter and heiress, who married Thomas, the son of Philip de Burgh. Walton and Cawthorne remained in the possession of the De Burghs for seven generations, and then passed with the co-heiress of Sir John de Burgh to Sir William Ashenhull, whose heiress conveyed it to John Waterton in 1435, “Thus Mr. Waterton was twenty-seventh Lord of Walton, and sixteenth from John Waterton, who acquired that lordship. There was a grant of free warren at Walton in the reign of Edward J., and a license to crenellate in 1333. Without reference to the numerous distinguished alliances of his ancestors, it may be interesting to state that Mr. Waterton, through distinct sources, traced his descent several times over from 8. Matilda, Queen of Germany ; S. Margaret of Scotland, 8S. Humbert of Savoy, S. Louis of France, 8. Ferdinand of Castile, and Wladimir B 2 4 BIOGRAPHY. the Great, called S. Wladimir of Russia, and Anne, called S. Anne of Russia. Through his grandmother he was ninth in descent from Sir Thomas More.” The Watertons fared but badly in the stormy times of the Reformation, and, preferring conscience to property, they retained their ancient faith, but lost heavily in this world’s goods. The many coercive acts against the Roman Catholics naturally had their effect, not only on those who actually lived in the time of the Reformation, but upon their successors. A Roman Catholic could not sit in parliament, he could not hold a commission in the army, he could not be a justice of the peace, he had to pay double land-tax, and to think himself fortunate if he had any land left on which taxes could be demanded. He was not allowed to keep a horse worth more than five pounds, and, more irritating than all, he had either to attend the parish church or to pay twenty pounds for every month of absence. In fact, a Roman Catholic was looked upon and treated as a wholly inferior being, and held much the same relative position to his persecutors as Jews held towards the Normans and Saxons in the times of the Crusades. Within the memory of many now living, the worst of the oppressive acts have been repealed, and Roman Catholics are now as free to follow their own form of worship as before the days of Henry VIII. They have seats in parliament and on the bench, they hold commissions both in the army and navy, and all the petty but galling inter- ferences with the details of their private life have been abolished. Still, Waterton was, during some of his best years, a personal sufferer from these acts, and they rankled too deeply in his mind to be forgotten. Hence, the repeated and mostly irrelevant allusions in his writings to Martin Luther, Henry VIII, Queen Bess, Archbishop Cranmer, BIOGRAPHY. 5 Oliver Cromwell, Charles Stuart, “Dutch William ” (mostly associated with the “Hanoverian” rat and the national debt), and other personages celebrated in history. Deeply as he felt the indignities to which he and his family and co-religionists had been subjected, and fre- quently as he referred to them, both in writing and con- versation, he never used a worse weapon than irony, and even that was tempered by an underlying current of humour. He had felt the wounds, but he could jest at the scars. On principle he refused to qualify as Deputy-Lieu- tenant and magistrate, because he had been debarred from doing so previously to the Emancipation Act. His son, however, serves both offices. Born in 1782, he spent his childish years in the old mansion and grounds of the family, and at a very early age displayed those powers of observation, love of nature and enterprise, which enabled him to earn a place among the first order of practical naturalists both at home and abroad, At ten years of age he was placed under the Rev. A. Strong’s care, in a school just founded at Tudhoe, a village near Durham. From Waterton’s reminiscences, his in- structor seems to have inclined to the severe order of dis- cipline, and to have been rather liberal of the birch, of which instrument Waterton had his full share. His account of storming the larder for the support of hungry inmates; of the anxious glances which he cast in the morning to judge by the master’s wig of the state of his temper; and of being captured in the very act of getting through a barred window, is exceedingly humorous. He also relates two anecdotes, both telling against him- self, and both prospective, as it were, of the celebrated fact of riding on the back of a cayman and of his ship- 6 BIOGRAPHY. wreck. He was “dared” by his comrades to get on the back of a cow, which he did, but less fortunate than in his cayman adventure, was ignominiously thrown over her horns. He also took it into his head to get into a washing-tub, and take a cruise in the horse-pond; but lost his balance at the sudden appearance of the master, and was overturned into the muddy water. The whole of the account of his Tudhoe school ex- periences is given in a cotlected volume of his Essays and Letters (F. Warne & Co.), edited by Mr. N Moore, who had the sad privilege of being with him when he met with his fatal accident, and by his sofa when he died, about thirty-eight hours afterwards. Tudhoe then being only a preliminary school, though it has since developed into Ushaw College, Waterton was re- moved at fourteen years of age to Stonyhurst, where he was one of the first pupils. This establishment, then a comparatively small one, was conducted by the English Jesuits who had been driven from their home at Lidge. Of them Waterton always spoke with reverence and affection, and his life at Stonyhurst was a singularly happy one. At first, his ingrained propensity for enterprise led him into trouble, and one adventure is too good not to be narrated in his own words. His account of it is another example of the way in which he enjoyed telling an anecdote against himself. « At Stonyhurst there are boundaries marked out to the students, which they are not allowed to pass; and there are prefects always pacing to and fro within the lines to prevent any unlucky boy from straying on the other side of them. “ Notwithstanding the vigilance of the lynx-eyed guar- dians, I would now and then manage to escape, and would BIOGRAPHY. 7 bolt into a very extensive labyrinth of yew and holly trees close at hand. It was the chosen place for animated nature. Birds, in particular, used to frequent the spacious enclosure, both to obtain food and enjoy security. Many a time have I hunted the foumart and the squirrel. I once took a cut through it to a neighbouring wood, where I knew of a carrion-crow’s nest. The prefect missed me; and judging that I had gone into the labyrinth, he gave chase without loss of time. After eluding him in cover for nearly half an hour, being hard pressed, I took away down a hedgerow. “Here (as I learned afterwards) he got a distant sight of me; but it was not sufficiently distinct for him to know to a certainty that I was the fugitive. I luckily succeeded in reaching the outbuildings which abutted on the college, and lay at a considerable distance from the place where I had first started. I had just time to enter the postern gate of a pigsty, when, most opportunely, I found old Joe Bowren, the brewer, bringing straw into the sty. He was more attached to me than to any other boy, for I had known him when I was at school in the North, and had made him a present of a very fine terrier. “‘Tve just saved myself, Joe,’ said I; ‘cover me up with litter.’ “He had hardly complied with my request, when in bounced the prefect by the same gate through which I had entered. “*Have you seen Charles Waterton?’ said he, quite out of breath. “My trusty guardian answered, in a tone of voice which would have deceived anybody, ‘Sir, I have not spoken a word to Charles Waterton these three days, to the best of my knowledge.’ “Upon this, the prefect, having lost all scent of me, 2 -BIOGRAPHY. gave up the pursuit, and went his way. When he had disappeared, I stole out of cover, as strongly perfumed as was old Falstaff when they had turned him out of the buck basket. “Once I had gone into the labyrinth to look into a magpie’s nest, which was in a high hollow tree; and hearing the sound of voices near, I managed to get a resting-place in the tree just over the nest, and there I squatted, waiting the event. Immediately the President, two other Jesuits, and the present Mr. Salvin of Croxdale Hall, passed close under the tree without perceiving me. “The good fathers were aware of my predominant pro- pensity. Though it was innocent in itself, nevertheless it was productive of harm in its consequences, by causing me to break the college rules, and thus to give a bad example to the community at large. Wherefore, with a magnanimity, and excellent exercise of judgment, which are only the province of those who have acquired a con- summate knowledge of human nature, and who know how to turn to advantage the extraordinary dispositions of those intrusted to their care, they sagaciously managed matters in such a way as to enable me to ride my hobby to a certain extent, and still, at the same time, to prevent me from giving a bad example. “ As ‘the establishment was very large, and as it con- tained an abundance of prey, the Hanoverian rat, which fattens so well on English food, and which always con- trives to thrust its nose into every man’s house when there is anything to be got, swarmed throughout the vast extent of this antiquated mansion. The ability which I showed in curtailing the career of this voracious intruder did not fail to bring me into considerable notice. The cook, the baker, the gardener, and my friend old Bowren, could all bear testimony to my progress in this line. By a mutual BIOGRAPHY. 9 understanding I was made rat-catcher to the establishment, and also fox-taker, foumart-killer, and.crossbow-charger at the time when the young rooks were fledged. Moreover, I fulfilled the duties of organ-blower and football-maker with entire satisfaction to the public. “T was now at the height of my ambition. I followed up my calling with great success. The vermin disap- peared by the dozen; the books were moderately well thumbed ; and, according to my notion of things, all went on perfectly right.” One of those wise teachers did him an inestimable ser- vice. He called the lad into his room, told him that his roving disposition would carry him into distant countries, and asked him to promise that from that time he would not touch either wine or spirits. Waterton gave the promise, and kept it to the hour of his death, more than sixty years afterwards. Once, when returning from one of his foreign expeditions, he took a glass of beer at dinner, but, finding the taste, from long disuse, unpleasantly bitter, he put down the glass and never touched beer again. At the age of eighteen he left Stonyhurst with much regret, and after a year spent at Walton Hall amid the pleasures of the field, he started on the first of his jour- neys abroad. It was during the Peace of Amiens, and Spain was chosen as the country which he should visit. After staying a short time at Cadiz, he sailed for Malaga, and had the good fortune to visit Gibraltar just in time to see the celebrated apes. Gibraltar was the last place in Europe — apes lived wild. How they got there no one knows, but Waterton suggests in one of his Essays that they belonged originally to Africa. “Let us imagine that, in times long gone by, the pre- sent Rock of Gibraltar was united to the corresponding 10 BIOGRAPHY. mountain called Ape’s Hill, on the coast of Barbary ; and that, by some tremendous convulsion of nature, a channel had been made between them, and had thus allowed the vast Atlantic Ocean to mix its waves with those of the Mediterranean Sea. “Tf apes had been on Gibraltar when the sudden shock occurred, these unlucky mimickers of man would have seen their late intercourse with Africa quite at anend. A rolling ocean, deep and dangerous, would have convinced them that there would never again be a highway overland from Europe into Africa at the Straits of Gibraltar. “Now as Jong as trees were allowed to grow on the Rock of Gibraltar, these prisoner-apes would have been pretty well off. But, in the lapse of time and change of circumstances, forced by ‘necessity’s supreme command, for want of trees, they would be obliged to take to the ground on all-fours, and to adopt a very different kind of life from that which they had hitherto pursued.” The animal here mentioned is the Barbary Ape, or Magot, a species of Macacque. At Gibraltar it feeds largely on the scorpions that have their habitations under the loose stones. Ido not think that Waterton’s sugges- tion as to its altered habits is carried out by facts, for the magot is quite as much at home among rocks or among trees, as are the great baboons of Southern Africa. I have seen a number of magots in a large cage, or rather, apartment, in the open air. They were supplied with rock-work and trees, and of the two seemed to prefer the former. Their colours harmonised so completely with that of the rough stones on which they sat, that many persons passed the cage, thinking it to be untenanted, while five or six magots were seated among the rocks, and almost as motionless as the stones themselves. Generally, the Gibraltar magots keep themselves so BIOGRAPHY. 11 much aloof, that they cannot be seen without the aid of a telescope, but Waterton was fortunate enough to see the whole colony on the move, they being forced to leave their quarters by a change of wind. He counted between fifty and sixty of them, some having young on their backs. After staying for more than a year in Malaga, and having apparently in the meantime acquired the Spanish language, of which he was totally ignorant when he en- tered Cadiz, but in which he was afterwards a proficient, he projected a visit to Malta, but was checked by a ter- rible obstacle. This was the “ black-vomit,” which broke out with irresistible force, accompanied with cholera and yellow fever. The population died by thousands, and so many were the victims of these diseases that graves could not be dug fast enough to keep pace with the mortality. Large pits were dug—much like our plague-pits—and as they could not accommodate the coffins, the bodies of the dead were flung promiscuously into the pits. An uncle of Waterton died of the disease, his body was taken out of its coffin and thrown into the pit, and just beneath him lay the body of a Spanish marquis. No less than fourteen thou- sand people died in Malaga, notwithstanding that fifty thousand persons had fled from the city. Waterton did not escape scatheless. He was seized with the black-vomit, but, although it was thought that he could not live until the following day, his great strength of constitution, aided by his simple mode of life, enabled him to conquer in the struggle. As if to add to the terrors of the time, earthquakes followed the plague, and every one who possessed another home was anxious to leave a spot which had been stricken with such plagues, and among them was Waterton. But the authorities had mean- while laid an embargo on the shipping, and it was next to 12 BIOGRAPHY. impossible to get away. At last, at the risk of imprison- ment for life, he escaped by the daring and forethought of a Swedish captain. He took on board Waterton and his younger brother, the former being entered on the ship’s books as a Swedish carpenter, and the latter as a passenger. How carefully the escape was planned, and how skilfully it was executed, must be told in Waterton’s.own words :— “We slept on board for many successive nights, in hopes of a fair wind to carry us through the Straits. At last, a real east wind did come, and it blew with great violence. The captain, whose foresight and precautions were truly admirable, had given the strictest orders to the crew that not a word should be spoken whilst we were preparing to escape. We lay in close tier amongst forty sail of mer- chantmen. The harbour-master having come his usual rounds and found all right, passed on without making any observations. “ At one o’clock, P.M., just as the governor had gone to the eastward to take an airing in his carriage, as was his custom every day, and the boats of two Spanish brigs-of- war at anchor in the harbour had landed their officers for the afternoon’s amusements, our vessel worked out clear of the rest, and instantly became a cloud of canvas. The captain’s countenance, which was very manly, exhibited a portrait of cool intrepidity rarely seen: had I possessed the power, I would have made him an admiral on the spot. “ The vessel drove through the surf with such a press of sail that I expected every moment to see her topmasts carried away. Long before the brigs-of-war had got their officers on board, and had weighed in chase of us, we were far at sea; and when night had ‘set in we lost sight of them for ever, our vessel passing Gibraltar at the rate of nearly eleven knots an hour.” BIOGRAPHY. 13 It was indeed fortunate for Waterton that he succeeded in making his escape, for in the following spring the plague returned with increased violence, and no less than thirty- six thousand more victims perished. Waterton never dwells on the hardships and sufferings which he under- went in his travels, but he remarks that his constitution was much shaken by the Malaga illness, and that in all probability he would not have survived a second attack. He had tried to persuade another uncle to take part in the escape, but he declined, and was carried off by the second outbreak of the pestilence. So ended Waterton’s first experience of foreign travel. It was not by any means an encouraging tour, for he had lost relatives, friends, and health, while he had gained little except a knowledge of travel, and the sight of flamingos, vultures, and apes at liberty. It was characteristic of Waterton that when he found himself at Hull, forty-four years after he started on his travels, he made inquiries about the captain of the ship in which he took his first voyage, discovered that he was alive, sought him out, and renewed the acquaintance begun so many years before. His weakened state caused him to take cold as he was sailing up the Channel ; the cold settled on the lungs, and he was scarcely in less danger in England than he had been in Malaga. However, he again rallied, and was able once more to join the hunting-field. Still, the shock to the system had been very great, and to the end of his life, though he could endure almost any amount of heat, he was painfully sensitive to cold, and especially:to cold winds. The chilly climate of England did not agree with his health, and he found himself again obliged to go abroad. He longed, he said, “ to bask in a warmer sun.” Some estates in Demerara being in possession of the 14 BIOGRAPHY. family, Waterton went to superintend them, and in the interval before starting, made the personal acquaintance of Sir Joseph Banks, who at once appreciated the powers which the young traveller was afterwards to develop. He gave Waterton a piece of most excellent advice, namely, to come home for a time at least once in three years. He continued to administer the estates for eight years, when, as both his father and uncle, the proprietors of the estates, were dead, he handed over the property to those who had a right to it, and thence began his world-famed Wanderings, the account of which will be given exactly as he wrote it; without the change or omission of a syllable, or the addition of a note. CHAPTER IL Journey to Orinoco with despatches.— Adventure with a venomous snake. —An involuntary bath.— A huge cayman. —The Labarri snake.— Dinner party in Angostura.—A too liberal table.—The Governor’s uniform,—Dining in shirt-sleeves.—A more sensible uniform.—Pub- lication of the Wanderings.—Reception by the critics. —Sydney Smith. —Swainson’s criticism upon the cayman—Truth in the garb of fiction. —Waterton’s style of writing. —Quotations.—His favourite authors. — Sense of humour.—How he answered the critics.—Charge of eccen- tricity.—How he was eccentric.—Travels on the Continent.—Ship- wreck.—Gallant conduct of Prince Canino.—Lost by gold.—Fall into Dover harbour and narrow escape.—The lancet and calomel.—Judge- ment of the vampire.—A bad wound.—Bare feet and bad pavement.— Mode of cure.—Accidents at home.—Gunshot wound.—Severe fall and dangerous injuries. —Crowther the bone-setter.—A painful operation.— Ultimate recovery.—A characteristic warning. Durine his stay in Demerara, he was selected as the bearer of despatches to the Spanish Government in Orinoco, and received the first commission which had been held by any one bearing the name of Waterton since the days of Queen Mary; the commission being dated August 2, 1808. While passing up the Orinoco river in the fulfilment of this mission, an adventure occurred which had well- nigh deprived the world of the Wanderings. “ During the whole of the passage up the river, there was a grand feast for the eyes and ears of an ornithologist. In the swampy parts of the wooded islands, which abound in this mighty river, we saw waterfowl innumerable; and 16 BIOGRAPHY. when we had reached the higher grounds it was quite charming to observe the immense quantities of parrots and scarlet aras which passed over our heads. The loud harsh screams of the bird called the horned screamer were heard far and near; and I could frequently get a sight of this extraordinary bird as we passed along; but I never managed to bring one down with the gun, on account of the difficulty of approaching it. “While we were wending our way up the river, an accident happened of a somewhat singular nature. There was a large labarri snake coiled up in a bush, which was close to us. I fired at it, and wounded it so severely that it could not escape. Being wishful to dissect it, I reached over into the bush, with the intention to seize it by the throat, and convey it aboard. The Spaniard at the tiller, on seeing this, took the alarm, and immediately put his helm aport. This forced the vessel’s head to the stream, and I was left hanging to the bush with the snake close to me, not baving been able to recover my balance as the vessel veered from the land. I kept firm hold of the branch to which I was clinging, and was three times overhead in the water below, presenting an easy prey to any alligator that might have been on the look-out for a meal. “ Luckily a man who was standing near the pilot, on seeing what had happened, rushed to the helm, seized hold of it, and put it hard a-starboard, in time to bring the head of the vessel back again. As they were pulling me up, I saw that the snake was evidently too far gone to do mischief; and so I laid hold of it and brought it aboard with me, to the horror and surprise of the crew. It measured eight feet in length. As soon as I had got a change of clothes, I killed it, and made a dissection of the head. “T would sometimes go ashore in the swamps to shoot BIOGRAPHY, 17 maroudies, which are somewhat related to the pheasant ; but they were very shy, and it required considerable address to get within shot of them. In these little excursions I now and then smarted for my pains. More than once I got among some hungry leeches, which made pretty free with my legs. The morning after I had had the adventure with the Labarri snake, a cayman slowly passed our vessel. All on board agreed that this tyrant of the fresh waters could not be less than thirty feet long.” I ought to state that the Labarri snake here mentioned is one of the most venomous serpents of Guiana, but as it will be fully described in a subsequent page, I shall say no more about it at present. ‘Waterton never feared snakes, even though knowing that their bite is certain death, but the coxswain of the boat, not having such nerve, might well be excused for taking alarm. A rather amusing incident took place when he had reached his destination. “On arriving at Angostura, tlie capital of the Orinoco, we were received with great politeness by the Governor. Nothing could surpass the hospitality of the principal inhabitants. ‘They never seemed satisfied unless we were partaking of the dainties which their houses afforded. Indeed, we had feasting, dancing, and music in super- abundance. “The Governor, Don Felipe de Ynciarte, was tall and corpulent. On our first introduction, he told me that he expected the pleasure of our company to dinner every day during our stay in Angostura. We had certainly every reason to entertain very high notions of the plentiful supply of good things which Orinoco afforded ; for, at the first day’s dinner, I counted more than forty dishes of fish and flesh. The governor was superbly Cc 18 BIOGRAPHY. attired in a full uniform of gold and blue, the weight of which alone, in that hot climate, and at such a repast, was enough to have melted him down. He had not half got through his soup before be began visibly to liquefy. I looked at him, and bethought me of the old saying, ‘How I sweat! said the mutton-chop to the gridiron.’ “He now became exceedingly uneasy; and I myself had cause for alarm; but our sensations arose from very different causes. He, no doubt, already felt that the tightness of his uniform, and the weight of the orna- ments upon it, would never allow him to get through that day’s dinner with any degree of comfort to him- self; I, on the other hand (who would have been amply satisfied with one dish well done) was horrified at the appalling sight of so many meats before me. Good- breeding whispered to me, and said; ‘Try a little of most of them.’ Temperance replied, ‘Do so at your peril; and for your over-strained courtesy, you shall have yellow-fever before midnight.’ « At last the Governor said to me, in Spanish, ‘Don Carlos, this is more than man can bear. No puedo sufrir tanto. Pray pull off your coat, and tell your companions to do the same ; and I'll show them the example.” On saying this, he stripped to the waistcoat; and I and my friends and every officer at table did the same. The next day, at dinner-time, we found his Excellency clad in a uniform of blue Salempore, slightly edged with gold lace.” His tropical Wanderings came to an end in 1825, in which year he published the now famous volume. At first, he received from the critics much the same treat- ment as did Bruce and Le Vaillant. Critics would not believe that Bruce ever saw a living ox cut up for food, o1 BIOGRAPHY. 19 that the Abyssinians ate beef raw in preference to cooked. Neither would they believe that Le Vaillant ever chased a giraffe, because, as they said, there was no such animal, and that therefore, Le Vaillant could not have seen it. Similarly, some of Waterton’s statements were received with a storm of derision, more especially his account of the sloth and its strange way of living; of the mode of handling deadly serpents, and above all, his ride on the back of a cayman. There is however one honourable exception in the person of Sydney Smith, who devoted one of his wittiest and happiest essays to a review of the Wanderings and fully recognized the extraordinary powers of Waterton. According to Sydney Smith, Waterton “ appears in early lite to have been seized with an unconquerable aversion to Piccadilly, and to that train of meteorological questions and answers which forms the great staple of polite con- versation. “The sun exhausted him by day, the mosquitos bit him by night, but on went Mr. Charles Waterton. .... happy that he had left his species far away, and is at last in the midst of his blessed baboons.” Nothing can be better than Sydney Smith’s summary of the life of a sloth, who “ moves suspended, rests suspended, sleeps suspended, and passes his whole life in suspense, like a young clergyman distantly related to a bishop.” Or, than his simile of the box-tortoise and the boa, who “swallows him shell and all, and consumes him slowly in the interior, as the Court of Chancery does a large estate.” Or, what can be happier than the turn he gives to Waterton’s account of the toucan ? “ How astonishing are the freaks and fancies of nature! To what purpose, we say, is a bird placed in the forests of c 2 20 BIOGRAPHY. Cayenne, with a bill a yard long, making a noise like a puppy dog, and laying eggs in hollow trees? The Toucans, to be sure, might retort—to what purpose were gentle- men in Bond Street created? To what purpose were certain foolish, prating members of Parliament created ? pestering the House of Commons with their ignorance and folly, and impeding the business of the country. There is no end of such questions. So we will not enter into the metaphysics of the toucan.” Perhaps the oddest thing to be found in criticism is that which is given in Lardner’s Cabinet Cyclopedia. Waterton’s statements having been proved to be true, the writer now turns round, and tries to show that after all there was nothing very wonderful in the achieve- ment. “The crocodile in fact, is only dangerous when in the water. Upon land it is a slow-paced and even timid animal, so that an active boy armed with a small hatchet might easily despatch one. There is no great prowess therefore required to ride on the back of a poor cayman after it has been secured, or perhaps wounded; and a modern writer might well have spared the recital of his feats in this way upon the cayman of Guiana, had he not been influenced in this and numberless other instances by the greatest possible love of the marvellous, and a constant propensity to dress truth in the garb of fiction.” Putting aside the fact that the writer received some of his earliest instructions from Waterton, who was always ready to impart his knowledge to those who seemed likely to make a good use of it, the assertion is absolutely unaccountable. No man was less influenced by a love of the marvellous, and none less likely to “ dress truth in the garb of fiction.” ' His knowledge of Nature was almost wholly obtained BIOGRAPHY. 21 from personal observation, and not one single statement of his has ever been proved to be exaggerated, much less shown to be false. He might sometimes discredit the statements of others. For example, he never could believe that any races of men could be cannibals from choice, and not from necessity or superstition. But, whether at home or abroad, his investigations were so close and patient, and his conclusions so just, that he is now acknowledged to be a guide absolutely safe in any department of Natural History which came within his scope. No one now would think of disputing Waterton’s word. If he denied or even doubted the statements of others, his doubts would have great weight, and could lead to a closer investigation of the subject. But, if he asserted anything to be a fact, his assertion would be accepted without scruple. As to the meaning of the sentence about truth and fiction, I fail to understand it, except as a poetical way of rounding a paragraph. In the first place, if truth be truth, it is essentially opposed to fiction, and cannot borrow her garb. In the next place, the writer gives no instance of this remarkable performance, except a reference to the capture of the cayman. Now, nothing can be simpler or more straightforward than Waterton’s account of the whole transaction. He does not glorify himself, nor boast of his courage. He leaped astride the animal, being sure, from a knowledge of its structure, that he could not be reached by the cayman’s only weapons, namely, its teeth and its tail, and he never repeated the feat. Even the peculiar style in which Waterton wrote, could not justify such a charge as was made by Swainson. It was, perhaps unconsciously, formed on that of Sterne, many of whose phrases are employed almost verbatim. Then, his mind was saturated with Horace, Virgil, Ovid, 22 BIOGRAPHY. Cervantes, Washington Irving (himself a disciple of Sterne), Chevy Chase, and literature of a similar character. In the days when he first took up the pen, it was the rather pedantic custom to introduce frequent quotations from the classics into writings, speeches, and sermons, and Waterton followed the custom of the day. Moreover, it is an old Stonyhurst custom to employ such quotations both in conversation and writing, and Waterton could never shake it off. But, when he came to descriptions of scenes in which he had taken part, nothing could be more simple, terse, and graphic, than his style, especially when his sense of humour was aroused. Take for example the very scene which Swainson assailed. There is no fine language init. There are a few of the inevitable quotations, which might be omitted with advantage, but all the descrip- tion is couched in the simplest and most forcible English, without a redundant word.