A Sentinel Was Stationed At
The Chapel, Another At The Governor's House, And A Few Soldiers Armed
With Bayonets, Looking Rather Ragged, With Shoes Out At The Toes, Were
Strolling About Among The Houses, Or Waiting At The Landing-Place For
Our Boat To Come Ashore.
The mountains were high, but not so overhanging as they appeared
to be by starlight.
They seemed to bear off towards the centre of
the island, and were green and well wooded, with some large, and,
I am told, exceedingly fertile valleys, with mule-tracks leading
to different parts of the island.
I cannot forget how my friend S - - - and myself got the laugh of
the crew upon us for our eagerness to get on shore. The captain
having ordered the quarter-boat to be lowered, we both sprang down
into the forecastle, filled our jacket pockets with tobacco to barter
with the people ashore, and when the officer called for "four hands
in the boat," nearly broke our necks in our haste to be first over
the side, and had the pleasure of pulling ahead of the brig with a
tow-line for a half an hour, and coming on board again to be laughed
at by the crew, who had seen our manoeuvre.
After breakfast the second mate was ordered ashore with five hands
to fill the water-casks, and to my joy I was among the number.
We pulled ashore with the empty casks; and here again fortune
favored me, for the water was too thick and muddy to be put into
the casks, and the governor had sent men up to the head of the
stream to clear it out for us, which gave us nearly two hours of
leisure. This leisure we employed in wandering about among the
houses, and eating a little fruit which was offered to us.
Ground apples, melons, grapes, strawberries of an enormous size,
and cherries, abounded here. The latter are said to have been
planted by Lord Anson. The soldiers were miserably clad, and
asked with some interest whether we had any shoes to sell on board.
I doubt very much if they had the means of buying them. They were
very eager to get tobacco, for which they gave shells, fruits, etc.
Knives also were in demand, but we were forbidden by the governor
to let any one have them, as he told us that all the people there,
except the soldiers and a few officers, were convicts sent from
Valparaiso, and that it was necessary to keep all weapons from
their hands. The island, it seems, belongs to Chili, and had been
used by the government as a sort of Botany Bay for nearly two years;
and the governor - an Englishman who had entered the Chilian navy -
with a priest, half a dozen task-masters, and a body of soldiers,
were stationed there to keep them in order. This was no easy task;
and only a few months before our arrival, a few of them had stolen a
boat at night, boarded a brig lying in the harbor, sent the captain
and crew ashore in their boat, and gone off to sea. We were informed
of this, and loaded our arms and kept strict watch on board through
the night, and were careful not to let the convicts get our knives
from us when on shore. The worst part of the convicts, I found, were
locked up under sentry in caves dug into the side of the mountain,
nearly halfway up, with mule-tracks leading to them, whence they
were taken by day and set to work under task-masters upon building
an aqueduct, a wharf, and other public works; while the rest lived
in the houses which they put up for themselves, had their families
with them, and seemed to me to be the laziest people on the face
of the earth. They did nothing but take a paseo into the woods,
a paseo among the houses, a paseo at the landing-place, looking at
us and our vessel, and too lazy to speak fast; while the others were
driving - or rather, driven - about, at a rapid trot, in single file,
with burdens on their shoulders, and followed up by their task-masters,
with long rods in their hands, and broadbrimmed straw hats upon their
heads. Upon what precise grounds this great distinction was made,
I do not know, and I could not very well know, for the governor was the
only man who spoke English upon the island, and he was out of my walk.
Having filled our casks, we returned on board, and soon after,
the governor, dressed in a uniform like that of an American militia
officer, the Padre, in the dress of the grey friars, with hood
and all complete, and the Capitan, with big whiskers and dirty
regimentals, came on board to dine. While at dinner, a large
ship appeared in the offing, and soon afterwards we saw a light
whale-boat pulling into the harbor. The ship lay off and on,
and a boat came alongside of us, and put on board the captain,
a plain young Quaker, dressed all in brown. The ship was the
Cortes, whaleman, of New Bedford, and had put in to see if there
were any vessels from round the Horn, and to hear the latest news
from America. They remained aboard a short time and had a little
talk with the crew, when they left us and pulled off to their ship,
which, having filled away, was soon out of sight.
A small boat which came from the shore to take away the governor
and suite - as they styled themselves - brought, as a present to the
crew, a large pail of milk, a few shells, and a block of sandal wood.
The milk, which was the first we had tasted since leaving Boston,
we soon despatched; a piece of the sandal wood I obtained, and
learned that it grew on the hills in the centre of the island.
I have always regretted that I did not bring away other specimens
of the products of the island, having afterwards lost all that I
had with me - the piece of sandal wood, and a small flower which I
plucked and brought on board in the crown of my tarpaulin,
and carefully pressed between the leaves of a book.
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