The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-07-28

This was the road over which Al
varado and Mercedes had come and ON
the lower end of which they had been
captured. 1t was now barred for the
young soldier by the detachment of
buccaneers under young Teach and
LOllonois, who were instructed to
hold the pass where the road crossed
through or over the mountains. Ow
ing to the confguratlon of the mss
those fifty could hold 1t against q thou
sand. 1t was not probable that news
OF the sack Of La Guayra would reach
caracas before Morgan descended upon
IL, out TO prevent the possibility or to
check any movement Of troops toward
the shore 1t was necessary to hold that
ROAD The man who held it was In
position to protect or strike either city
at Will. 1t was. in fact, the key to the
position.
Morgan. of course, counted upon sur
prising the unfortified capital as he
had the seaport town. 1t was the
boast Of the Spaniards that they need.
ell no walls about Caracas since ma.
ture had provided them with The
mighty rampant Of the mountain
range, which could not be surmounted
save In that one place. With that one
place In the buccaneers possession.
Caracas could only rely upon the
number and valor Of her defenders.
10 Morgan's onslaught could only be
opposed rampant Of blades md
hearts. Had there been n state of
war In existence it is probable that the
FVlceroy would have fortified and gar
risoned the pass, but under present
conditions nothing had been done. As
soon as n messenger from Teach in
FORMED Morgan that the pass had been
occupied and that all seemed quiet
Ill Coracas, fact which had been
learned by some bold scouting on the
Farther side Of the mountain, he was
perfectly easy as to the work of the
morrow. He would fall upon the un-
walled town at night and carry every
thing by a coup de main.
fortunately for the Spaniards in this
instance, 1t happened that there was
another way Of access to tho valley Of
caracas from La Guayra. Directly I'D
ana over the mountain there ran q
narrow and difficult trail, known first
to the savnges and afterward to wan
dering smugglers OF masterless out
laws. Originally and until the Span.
1ards made the wagon road 1t had been
the only way Of communication be-
tween the two towns, but the path was
SO difficult and so dangerous that 1t
mad long since been abandoned even
by the classes that had arst discov-
cred and travelled 1t. These vagabonds
had formerly kept it III such state Of
repair that 1t was fairly pasSable, but
no work had been done OH 1t for near
ly 100 years. Indeed, in some places
the way had been designedly obliterat-
ell by the Spanish government about
century since. BY nearly all the In
habitants its very existence had been
forgotten.
II was this trail that Alvarado de-
termined to ascend. The difficulties
Ill his way even under the most favor
able circumstances might we'll have ap-
palled the stoutest hearted mountain
eer. In the darkness they would be in
creased q thousandfold
Along the base of the mountain the
trail was not difficult, although it was
pitch dark under the trees which; en-
cept where the mighty cliffs rose sheer
In the air like huge buttrcsses Of the
range, covered the mountains for the
whole expanse Of their great altitude.
Alvarado made his way upward with
out trouble or accident ut first, and he
made good progress for several hours
In spite Of darkness.
1t had been long past midnight when
he started, and 1t was not until day
break that he passed above the famil-
lar and not untrodden way and en-
tered upon the most perilous part Of
his journey. The gray dawn revealed
to him the appalling dangers he must
face.
Sometimes clingng with iron grasp
to pinnacles Of rock he swung himself
along the side of some terrific preci-
pice, where the slightest misstep meant
rush into eternity upon the rocks q
thousand feet below. Sometimes he
had to spring far across great gorgcs
In the mountains that had once been
bridged by mighty trunks of trees, long
since moldered away. Sometimes there
was nothing for him to do but to
scramble down tho steep sides Of some
dark canyon and force himself through
cold tOrrentlal mountain streams that
almost swept him from his feet Again
his path lay over cliffs green with moss
and wet with spray, which Afforded
most prccarious support to his grasp
Ing hands or slipping feet. Sometimes
he had to force a way through thick
tropic underground that tore his cloth
ing into rags.
Had he undertaken the ascent In q
mere spirit of adventure lie would have
turned back long since from the dan
gers he met and surmounted with such
hardship and difficulty, With the pale,