Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-04-01
THE PERILs OF $40
CERTAIN ENGLISH PRISONERS
CHAPTER III.
= AND THEIR TREASURE IN
WOMEN, CHILDREN, SILVER AND JEWELS

4 &
IT CHARLES Dickkss. 80 ssssaz
CHAPTER II 3 aaa
THE PRISON IN THE WOODS. -
CONTINUED.
Our sleeping arrangements, though
we had not single civilised comfort,
were, thanks to the flowers, simple and
easy enough. For the first time Ia their
Hives, the women and children laid dow NJ
together, with the sky for q roof, and
the kind earth for bed. We men
shook ourselves down, as well as we
could, all round them; and the Pirates,
relieving guard regularly, ranged them.
selves outside of all. In that tropical
climate. and at that hot time, the night
was only pleasantly cool. The bubbling
OF the stream, and, now and then. the
course of the breeze through the flow
ers, was all we heard. During the
hours of darkness, it occurred to me
andI have no doubt the same idea struck
tmy comrades-that a body of deter
minded men, making dash for it, might
l'now have stood a fair chance aofsesea-
Iping, We were still near enough to
the sea-shore to be certain of not losing
our way; and the plain was almost as
smooth, for . good long run, as a natu-
| raj race-course. However, the mere act
Of dwelling on such a notion, was waste
of timeaand thought, situated as. we
were with regard to the women and
children. They were, so to speak, the
hostages who insured oursubmissisn to
captivity, or to any other hardship that
might be inflicted on us; q result which
j have no doubt the Pirate Captain
had foreseen, when he made us all pris-
oners together on taking possession of
| the Island. 2g
We were reused up at four in the
morning, to travel on before the heat
set in; our march under Yesterdays
broiling sun having been only sunderta-
Ken for the purpose of getting us away
from the sea-shore, and from possible
help in that quarter, without loss of
time. We forded the stream, wading
through it waist deep; except the chill
dren, who crossed on our shoulders
An hour before noon, we halted under
two immense wild cotton trees, about
half mile from little brook, which
probably ran into the stream we had
passedin the morning. Late in the at
ternoon we were on foot again, and en-
eamped for the night at three deserted
lhuts, built of mud and poles. There
| were the remains of an enclosure here,
intended, as | thought, for cattle; and
! there was an old well, from which our
supply of water was got. The greater
part of the women were very tired and
sorrowful that night; but Miss Maryon
did wonders in cheering them up.
On the third morning, we began to
skirt the edge of a mountain, carrying
our store of water with us from the
well. We men prisoners had our full
share of the burden. What with that,
what with the way being all up hiil, and
iwhatswith the necessity of helping on
/ the weaker members of our company,
that days march was the hardest ] re-
member to have ever got through. To-
/. wards evening, after resting again in
the middle of the day, we stopped for
the night on the verge of the forest. A
dim, lowering, awful sight it was, to
look up at the mighty wall of trees,
stretching in front, and on either side
of us without a limit and without a
break. Through the night, though there
was no wind blowing over our encamp-
ment, we heard deep, moaning, rushing
sounds rolling about, at intervals, in the
great inner wilderness of leaves; and,
now and then, those among us who
slept, were startled up by the distant
crashes in the depths of the forest-the
death -knells of falling trees. We kept
fires alight, in case of wild animals
stealing out on us in the darkness; and
the haring red light, and the thick, wind.
ing smoke, alternately showed and hid
the forest-prospect in strangely treach-
erous and ghostly way. The children
shuddered with fear; even the Pirate
Captain forgot, for the first time, to jim
gle his eternal guitar. Z
When we were mustered in the morn
ing for the march, fully expected to
see the axes unpacked. To my sur.
prise they were not disturbed The In
dians drew their long chopping-k knives
(ealled machetes in the language ofthat
country;) made for place the trees
where j could see no signs of path;
and began cutting at the brushes and
shrubs, and at the wild vines and creep
ers, twirling down together in. all sorts
of fantastic forms, from the lofty branch
es. After clearing few dozen wards
inwards they came out to us again.
whooping and showing their wicked
teeth, as they laid hold of the mules
haltcrs to lead them on. The Pirate
Captain, before we moved after, took
out a pocket compass, set it, pondered
over it for some time, shrugged bis
shoulders. and screeched out SNlarch, .
as usual, We entered the forest, leav-1
ing behind us the last chance of escape
and the hope of ever getting back TO
abe regions ofhumanity and civilization.
By this time, We had walked inland, as
nearly as / could estimate, about thirty
miles.
The order of our march was now. of
necessity, somewhat changed. We all
followed each other in long line, shut
in, however, as before, in trent and in
rear, by the Indians, the Sambos. and
the pirates. Though none of us. could
see vestige of any path, it was clear
that our guides knew where they were
going: for, we were never stopped by
any obstaces, except the shrubs and
wild-vines which they could cut through
with theirchopping-kniv Sometimes,
we marched under great branches which
met like arches high oyer our heads
Sometimes, the boughs were so low that
we had TO stoop to pass under them
i ,,tar LIZ, r-c,. 4