Arriving At
The Entrance Soon After Sun-Down, We Found A Chilian Man-Of-War Brig,
The Only Vessel, Coming Out.
She hailed us, and an officer on board,
whom we supposed to be an American, advised us to run in before night,
and said that they were bound to Valparaiso.
We ran immediately for
the anchorage, but, owing to the winds which drew about the mountains
and came to us in flaws from every point of the compass, we did not
come to an anchor until nearly midnight. We had a boat ahead all the
time that we were working in, and those aboard were continually bracing
the yards about for every puff that struck us, until about 12 o'clock,
when we came-to in 40 fathoms water, and our anchor struck bottom
for the first time since we left Boston - one hundred and three days.
We were then divided into three watches, and thus stood out the remainder
of the night.
I was called on deck to stand my watch at about three in the morning,
and I shall never forget the peculiar sensation which I experienced
on finding myself once more surrounded by land, feeling the night
breeze coming from off shore, and hearing the frogs and crickets.
The mountains seemed almost to hang over us, and apparently from the
very heart there came out, at regular intervals, a loud echoing sound,
which affected me as hardly human. We saw no lights, and could hardly
account for the sound, until the mate, who had been there before, told
us that it was the "Alerta" of the Spanish soldiers, who were stationed
over some convicts confined in caves nearly halfway up the mountain.
At the expiration of my watch I went below, feeling not a little anxious
for the day, that I might see more nearly, and perhaps tread upon,
this romantic, I may almost say, classic island.
When all hands were called it was nearly sunrise, and between that time
and breakfast, although quite busy on board in getting up water-casks,
etc., I had a good view of the objects about me. The harbor was nearly
land-locked, and at the head of it was a landing-place, protected by a
small breakwater of stones, upon which two large boats were hauled up,
with a sentry standing over them. Near this was a variety of huts or
cottages, nearly an hundred in number, the best of them built of mud
and white washed, but the greater part only Robinson Crusoe like -
of posts and branches of trees. The governor's house, as it is called,
was the most conspicuous, being large, with grated windows, plastered
walls, and roof of red tiles; yet, like all the rest, only of one story.
Near it was a small chapel, distinguished by a cross; and a long, low
brown-looking building, surrounded by something like a palisade, from
which an old and dingy-looking Chilian flag was flying. This, of course,
was dignified by the title of Presidio.
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