The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-08-09

! RIoWs upUh HIS siSh. lio CtI uouDt no lonS
er. 1t IS boat which he behods-it brings
with it savage enemy-,he fierce cannibal Of
the Caribbean Sea He drops his spear, and
his cross. how ; his hand grapples, not his knife,
but his rosary. He falls upon his knees-he
counts the beads with hurried hand and failing
memory. He clutches the agnus Del; he
stains it to his lips, and with many a broken
invocation to some favori,e saint, he hurrics
away op put himself in shelter.
His search has fortunately enabled him TO find
many places Of temporary hiding, such as would
probably suffice for safety during the stay
which was evidently brief always-of the sava.
yes by whom The islel was visited. Al first,
he thought of occupying a dense piece of copse
whic', lay al little distance in the rear ofthe
elevation in which he cavern was found. Bul
doubt whether this would not be penetrated
in Gesullory ramble of the intruders after fruit,
and a curious desire to be in some situation
which would enable him TO watch their pro.
ceedings, led him 10 abandon this idea. The
| cave itself was obviously one Of their places Of
greatest resort. Ii was here thai their ligious
rites were performed The isle! itself was I'm.
employed. 1t was place SET apart and sacred
to some special and superior purpose. The
vaued chamber was the place OF their myste.
rics. He determined that il should be the place
of his concealment. He had sought out all its
secret places. He lad seen that certain Of
their remains, their shreds of hair, their baskets
of she'll, their broken arrows. had been undis.
turbcd for a long season; and behind these, in
convenient assures Of the rock, which were
wholly unighted by the day, he prepared to be.
stow himself The suggestions ofthe natural
ly timid person. under consciousness ofap.
preaching danger, are usually pronptsenough.
Lopez de- aLerya hurried to execute the plan he
had conceived. Ae entered the cave ere YET
The strangers could behold any movement on
tbe shore. His provisions, supply for several
days al least, had been already transferred 10
The saf: kccpin. of the vaued apartment.-
These were al. disposed Of conveniently 10 his
reach, in the crevice oi 'he rock in which his
own person wa. to find security. And, all pre-.
pared. he planted himself within the mouth Of
til" cave, auxiousIy looking lorlh-yet not so as
I" be SEEN Tor lhe unknown object Of his ap-
prehension.
The strange ohjec, is indeed boat-a large
canoe with two banks of oars-one ofthose
long aud stately barges in which The Caribbean
was wont to 90 ior'n for wat or ceremonial.
lis sides was gaudily and richly painted. Its
poop was raised will, Il triumphaI canopy OF
dyed cotton above it. ls PROV was lofty and
sharp, aud bore, Tor IL figure. head ,he savage
Jaws OF CrynIau. or mrIcan crocodile. The
foWers OF the boat were men, but all besides
were women. These were eight in number
seven who sal forward, and near the Prov, and
one who sat in the stern, alone and under the
canopy. The course OF the boat was resIila.
led by The oars rmen. The women al the prov
wee all richly clad in stained cotton garments.
Their heads were 'res>ed with strands OF pear;
their necks, which were bare, were covered
with similar dccoraions Each, in her hand,
bore Il bunch OF arrows and n ba>kekl OF arro-
manic gums, and bundles OF wood similarly
arromaAlic These tt:malcs were all evidently
ma'lons, none of them being less than thirty
years olage. and all flhem wearing the cxpe.
rience OF look and bearing which is common to
those vino have been lnmhers. Bnt she who
SAT alone at the stern was evidently none oi
these. She could not have been more than
lneen years old and louked wild and startled
as young lawn, for the frat lime venluring
forth without lis dam in company. She WAS
quite as beautiful It's she was Young; her skin
less dark than WAS usual among the Carr bean
In'lilns-not much more dark, indeed, than was
that oi' The Spaniard aud The red blood cours'
iug III moments. from her her heart into her
cheeks sIIiiu>ny 4, with he most exquisite tints
II, 'nnucenc, aud youth. She was well iormeu
and tall. Her hair streamcd down over her
buck am! shoulders. Her bosom was quite
bare. without pca.l or any other ornament.-
Her dress WAS Of white cotton, purely While,
without any Of those rich and saudy dyes, which
were so freely used by her people. Before her
was i srna;: carlhen vessel half covered, Houi
which >,ighl srIuke continued 10 ascend. rs II
from h"icn ire below. lnlo this, at inter.
vas. The n'I'd'n might be sean to fling hnc
powder which she scooped out OF gourd that
lay beside her. Numerous baskets oI flowers
and shris lay ii her lcc, aud Il bunch ol arrows
led upon her lap. The ours.ucn were all
tlabilcd rs warriors. Their hrows were grave.
No words passed among 'hcm or among the wo'
men: until. as they drew nigh me shore, the
laller suddenly broke oul into a wild, aud mol
unmuscaI chaunl, which made our Maroon re-
coil within his vaulled chamber, with al lndeh.
mite sense OF terror. AL this sound the rowcrs
dropped their oars; lhc boa lay upon her cen.
ire, and the women prepared to leave her, tho
they were still more than thirty PAGES from The
shore. Hut The wafer was exceedingly shallow