Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-12-06
CHAPTER XI.

CHAPTER XI.
The Spanish gold mine was hell in
the midst of a paradise, loathsome
canker on the fairest piece of earth's
bosom. The air was loaded with saaet
perfumes and foul with Castilian
oaths. 1t murmured with the songs
of beautiful birds and shiyered with
the crackings of slave drivers whips.
The humming music Of the waterfall
was marred by the discord of clanking
fetters. Nature had done her best.
Man, as if in jealousy, had done his
worst 1t was the garden of Eden,
but in the midst Of it yawned a loath-
some chasm, sirdled with unsightly
debris and alive with swarms of filthy.
ragged slaves.
For eight horrid months Alec and |
and 20 OF our men worked in the
chain gangs at these mines. and of the
torments we endured no words of mine
are strong enough to give conception.
To the human fiends who were our
taskmasters no pleasure was like
that of making IN Eu-liSAH.an suffer
pain and no spectacle 50 humorous as
TO see him undergo indi=aity. They
drove us like cattle 70 the work; they
made US toll when the fierce heat Of
the day wouiI almost choke the lungs;
they fed rs Oh pU.rid meat and sour
maize bargoo when sweet goats flesh
and delicious fruil clusters were to b"
had as c..rap!y: they iiiled us at night
in sIuali. A.lh .uUt'd Envel aud
cha med us up like wild braS;S. 50 that
in the end ticy took frolI rE even the
power to restore our j,,.,.' energies
with sleep.
Once during moouipss night Wa
broke the fptters ana tried 10 escape
Once on a rainy day we rose on the
guards and made for the woods. but
both efforts were in vain. and those
that did uoj get cut down OF shot out
Of their E..>rry were logged till the
bleeding flesh hung in shreds from
their backs. And of our fellow slaces.
the mild eyed Indian peasants mar
veled in stupid wonder at our foolish
daring. and the fierce eyed Spanish
thieves and murdererS glOated over
our recaptu;p and punishment
Tortured. rpvIcd. Gespised. we lived
for eight months within sight of the
beauties of a paradise. enduring the
agonies of a hell and then came n
change.
We were summoned one morning not
TO work. but to toe a line before the
treasury Great skin covered packs OF
metal. as much as a man could stagger
under, were brought out and strapped
on our shoulders. Then we were all
linked to a chain and driven off down
a narrow trail Where IL led to we did
not know. and 10 one would tell us,
but. long though the way was, we
marked every inch Of II with sweat
from our brows. with blood from our
blistered feet and with muttered curses
against our mercless captors. Could
we but have snatched arms and liberty
for n few moments there would have
been q bitter reckoning among those
tyrants.
They knew ii. too. and taunted US
with our helplessness. but the light of
hatred in our eyes must have scared
them a little. else why did they half
starve us If not TO keep down the
growth of superabundant muscle? High
mettled horses are not fed too well
when they are set to do farm work.
After a march Of 20 days, during
which one poor Mlnehead lad died
through sheer exhaustion. we arrived
within view of the blessed sea once
81. s;,ylf Of IL
ergy pulsing through the veins of ev-
cry man OF us This our Spanish mas
ters observed and grimly bade us mod
crate our joy. for the inqulsition had
need OF ns. hereticos maldettos that
we were
And then they laughed at their own
wit and playfully clicked us with the
slave whips.
But the freedom of the sea breeze
had entered into our brains, and we
were sanguine, though heaven knows
there was but little cause for hope
The man next behind me in the chain
gang. whose shoulders We're smarting
from one of those humorous lash cuts
whispered. "We'll get to windard of
then
| nodded my head, and, absurd
though it seemed, had feeling that
he was right and that we should have
our turn soon.
Dipping into deep ravine where the
tree tops arched above our heads, we
camped for the night beneath their
oh
some spark Of pity touched them, per-
haps only because they were tired OF
torturing us the Spaniards did not pre-
vent us from trying to cool our hot,
bleeding feet with the juice OF such
leaves as were within our reach. With
but little sleep we wore through the
night and next day passed the fortif-
cation and entered the town.
Treasure trains were evidently not an
everyday occurrence, for the whole
town turned out TO look at us, and
when they saw we were English n
movement went through the crowd,
and the hootlngs and reyilings made the
echoes ring again. OF noble spirited
pity for a fallen foe there was no
trace. All faces were cruelty exultant.
Even the women laughed with mock.
ing glee at our wretchedness and bade
our drivers lash their cattle into trot
for the last stage"
And at this there came into my eyes
that which all the lashings could not
bring, for in my folly | had fancied
that a woman's heart must needs be
soft.
The gold was unstrapped from our
weary shoulders and stored in the
treasury, and then those of us who
we're English, all except two that was.
were marched TO a building whose
grim and forbiddng front needed nc
signpost to tell US what went on with
in its stern white walls. We passed
through an iron studded gate, whose
dismal clanliing as it closed behind us
sounded like a warning voice telling
that life ana hope were now barred out
from MS forever and so across a court
yard into which opened a great bare
room with high, closely barred win
dows where for little time we were
lcft to our own reflections, and these
we're none Of the pleasantcst.
Before pighuali 4 guard Of soldiers
ramc and unlinked US from our chains.
Alec and |. as the leaders of our party,
were separated from the rest of the
brave fellows. small supply Of wa.
ter In dirty earthcn jars and "A handful
az coarse brolpu cruSts were given ia