The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-12-28
From GleaSon'S Pictorial. I
ELDORADO.
Madame Godin's Voyage, Continue,
No. X.
BY THOMAS BULFINCH.

e Madame Godin's Voyage, Continued.
THE unfortunate travellers had now
: but the choice of two desperate expedi-
ents, either TO wait where they were the
termination of their wretched existence,
n or try the almost impossible task of pen
etrating along the banks of the river,
through the unbroken forest, till they
$ might reach Andoas. They chose the
, latter, but first made their way back to
their lately forsaken hut to take what
little provisions they had there left. Hav-
ing accomplished this, they set out on
their most painful and dangerous journey.
They observed when they followed the
; shore of the river that its windings length
ened their way. To avoid this: they en-
deavored, without leaving the course of
the river, to keep straight course BY
this means they lost themselves in the
entangled forests, and every exertion to
find their way was Intellectual. Their
clothes were torn to shreds. and hung
dangling from their limbs, their bodies
were sadly wounded, by thorns and briers,
and as the scanty provision of food was
almost gone, nothing seemed to await
them but to sustain their wretched exis-
tence with wild fruit, seeds and buds of
the palm trees
At last they sunk ua7er their uninter-
mitted labor. Wearied with the hard
ships of such travel, torn and bleeding in
every part of their bodies, and distract
cd with hunger, terror and apprehensions,
they lost the small remnant of their en-
crgy, and could DO no more. They sat
down, and had no power to rise again.
In three or four days one after another
died at this stage of their journey. Mad
anne Godin lay for the space of twenty
four hours by the side of her exhausted
and helpless brothers and companions;
she felt herself benumbed, stupefed, sense
less, yet at the same time tormented by
burning thirst. At last, Providence, on
whom she relied, gave her courage and
strength to rouse herself and seek for a
rescue, which was in store for her, though
she knew not where to look for it.
Around lay the dead bodies of her
brothers and her other companions,
sight which at another time would have
broken her heart! She was almost max
ed. The scanty remnants Of her cloth
ing were SO torn by the thorns as to be
almost useless. She cut the shoes from
her dead brothers feet, bound the soles
under her own, and plunged again into
the thicket in search Of something to al
lay her raging hunger and thirst. Ter
ror, at seeing herself so left alone in such
fearful wilderness, deserted by all the
world, and apprehension of dreadful
death constantly lowering before her eyes,
made such an impression upon her that
her hair turned gray.
It was not till the second day after she !
had resumed her wandering, that she |
found water, and little while after some
wild fruit, and few eggs of BIRDS
But her throat was so contracted By long
fasting that she could hardly swallow. !
These served to keep life in her frame
Eight long days she wandered in this
manner hopelessly, and strove to sustain
her wretched existence. If one should
read in a work of fiction anything equal
to it, he would charge the author with
exaggerstion and violation of probability.
But it is history; and however incredible !
her story may sound, it is rigidly con-
formed to the truth in all its circum-
stances, as it was afterwards taken down !.
from the mouth of Madame Godin her
self.
On the eighth day of her hopeless wand
ering, the hapless lady reached the banks
of the Bobonosa, stream which flows into
the Amazon. Atthe break of day she heard
at little distance a noise, and was a.
harmed at it. She would have fed, but
at once reflected that nothing worse than
her present circumstances could happen
to her She took courage, and went to-
wards the place whence the sound pro-
ceeded. And here she found two Indi- /
ans, who were occupied in showing their
boatinto the water.
Madame Godin approached, and was
kindly received by them. She conveyed .
to them her wish to be conveyed to An
doas, and the good savages consented to
carry her thither in their boat. They
did so, and now behold her arrival at
that place which the base and infamous
treachery of Mr.. r. was the only cause
of her not having reached long ago. This
base fellow had with unfeeling cruelty
thrown to the winds his promise to pro-
cure them a boat, and had gone on bust
ness of his own to Omaguas, a Spanish
mission station, without in the least troub-
ling himself about his pledged word, and
the rescue of the unfortuna ates left behind.
The honest negro was more true to duty
though he was born and bred heather,
and the other Christian. What a con-
trast
While the civilized and polished French
man unfeeliDgly went away and left his
and her companions to Ian
guish in the depths of misery, the sable
heathen ceased not his exertions till be
had procured two Indians to go up tho
river with him and bring away his de-
serted mistress and her companions
But most unfortunately be did not reach
l,.A L. LII &1oc1 haForo