The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-04

possession of the Island
| 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 undertaken 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 children. who crossed on our
shoulders. An hour before noon, We halted
under two immense wild cotton. trees, abou,
half mile from little brook, which probably
ran into the stream we had passed in the morn
| ing. Late in the aftersoon We were on foo,
again, and encsmped for the night at three de.
serted huts, built of mud and poles There
were the remains of an enclosure here, intend
ed, 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 Mary.
on did wonders in cheering them up.
On the third morning, we began to skirt the
edge Of mountain, carrying our store of va
ter with us from the well. We men prisoners
had our full share of burden. What with that,
what with the way being all up hill, and what
with the necessity of helping on the weaker
| members of our company, that days march
was the hardest l remember to have ever got
through. Towards evening, after resting again
in the middle of the day, we stopped for the
night on the verge of the forest. A dim, lower.
ing, awful eight it was, to look up at the mighty
wall OF trees, stretching in front and on either
side OF us without q limit and without break
Through the night, though there was no wind
blowing over Our encampment, We heard deep,
moaning, rushing sounds, rolling about at in.
tervals, in the great inner wilderness of leaves
and, now and then, those among US who slept,
were startled up by 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 faring red light, aad the thick, winding
smoke, alternately showed and hid the forest
prospect in strangely treacherous and ghostly
way. The children shuddered with fear; even
the Pirate Captain forgot, for the frat time, 10
jingle his eternal Guitar.
When we were mustered in the morning for
the march, l fully expected to see the axes I'M.
packed. To my surprise, they were not dis.
turbed. The Indians drew their long choppinp.
knives, (called mschetes in the language Of that
country,) made for place among the trees
where could see no signs of path, and began
cutting at the bushes and shrubs, and at the
wild vines and creepers, twirling down together
in all sorts of fantastic forms, from the lofty
branches. After clearing . few dozen yards
ihwards, they came out to US again, whooping
and showing their wicked teeth, as they laid
hold Of the mules halters, to lead them on.
The Pirate Captain, before we moved after,
took out pocket compass, set it, pondered
over it fol. some time, shrugged his shoulders,
and screeched out March, as usual. We enter.
ed the Forest leaving behind us thelas chance of
escape, and the last hope of ever getting back
to the regions Of humanity 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 neces-
sity, somewhat changed. We all followed each
other in long line, shut in, however, as before,
in front and in rear, by the Indians the Sam.
Dos, and Pirates. Though none of rs could see
guides knew where they were gong. for we
were never stopped by any obstacles, except
the shrubs and wild vines which they could cut
through with their chopping knives. Sometimes
we marched under great branches which met
like arches high over our heads. Sometimes
the boughs were so low that we had TO stoop to
pass under them. Sometimes we wound in and
out among mighty trunks of trees, with their
gnarled roots twisting up far above the ground,
and with creepers in full flower twining down
in hundreds from their lofty branches. The
size of the leaves and the countless multitude
of the trees shut out the sun, and made
solemn dimness which it was awful and with.
out hope to walk through. Hours would pass
without our hearing sound but the dreary
rustic of our own feet over the leafy ground.
At other times, whole troops of parrots, with
feathers of all the colors of the rainbow, chat
tered and shrieked at us; and PROFESSIONS Of
monkeys, Fifty or sixty at time, followed our
progress in the boughs over head, passing
through the thick leaves with sound like the
rush of a steady wind. Every now and then, the
ID H. .co
three feet long, running up the trunks of the
trees as we passed by them; more than once,
swarms of locusts tormented US, startled out OF
their hiding places by monkeys in the boughs.
For five days we marched necessarily through
this dismal forest region, only catching clear
glimpse of the sky above US on three occasions
in all tina: time. The distance we walked each
day seemed to be regulated by the position Of
springs and streams in the forest, which the
Indians knew of. Sometimes those springs
aud streams lay near together and our DAYS
work was short Sometimes they were far
apart; and the march was long and weary.
On all occasions, two of the Indians, followed by
two of the Sambos, disappeared as soon as we
ercamped for the night; and returned, in a
longer or shorter time, bringing water with
them. Towards the latter part of the journey,
WEAKNESS had so completely mastered the
weakest among our company. that they ceased
to take notice of anything. They walked with
out looking to the rignt or to the left, aad they
eat their wretched food, and lay down to sleep,
with q silent despair that was shocking. Mr.
Pordage left off Numbering now, and Sergeant
Drooce was so quiet and biddable, that Tom
Packer had an easy time of it with him at last
Those among rs who still talked, began to get
habit of dropping our voices to whisper.
Shorts jokes languished and dwinded; Miss
Maryon's voice, still kind and tender as ever,
began to lose It's clearness and the poor
children when they got weary and cried, shed
tears silently, like old people. 1t seemed az if
the darkness and the hush of the endless forest
had cast its shadow on our spirits, and had
stolen drearily into our Utmost hearts.
On the sixth day, we saw the blessed sun
shine on the ground before US, once more.
Prisoners as we were, there was feeling of
freedom on stepping into the light again, and
! on looking up, without interruption, into the
clear blue heaven, from which no human crea-
| ture can keep any other human creature, when
the time comes for rising to it. A turn in the
path brought rs out suddenly at an Indian vii.
lags-a wretched place. made up of two rows
Of huts built with poles, the crevices between
them stopped with mud, and roofs matched in
| the coarsest manner with palmleaves. The
savages, squatted about, jumped to their feet in
terror as We came in view; but, seeing the In,
dams at the head of our party, took heart, and
began chattering and screeching, Just like the
parrots we had left in the forest. Oar guides
answered in their gibberish some lean, half
Wild dogs yelped and howled necessarily; and
the Pirates discharged their muskets and load.
ed them again, to make sure that their powder
had not got damp on the march. No want of
mIakeis among them nsgl The noise and the
ness, and discipline, that we had heen used to
for the last Eve days, 40 hexildared IA air &c.