The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-12-18
The Vale Of Araso1n
BY Fred McLauehlin
e-41db0r of ''Tbe Blade Of Pearay"
Copyright by MmC

stayed at my fathers house; state
ment, which, worthless in itself, has
been my dearest possession. May
read, Excellency, what have found in
the wallet of young Garde?"
Bolivar turned to me. Aye, Excel
lency, if it will make of me soldier
under your banner
SO Francisco, bearing, in mind the
generals limited knowledge of Eng
lish, read it very slowly:
Major Loren Garde has offered
valiant service to his country; he has
fought with conspicuous gallantry ut
Talladega, at Horseshoe Bend, at
Pensacola, ard at Chalmette. A
worthy son of q worthy soldier ia
ther."
1T is signed, Excellency," Francisco
said, ANDREW Jackson"
Zone could not have come to me-"
said Bolivar, more highly recon-
mended. If General Jackson has seen
fit to commission you major, surely
can do no less"
But, Excellency," I cried, sit is too
mpch-it is more than I deserve. /
cannot hope"
1T shall be done, Major; Francisco
has said you will make good soldier,
and Francisco's judgment is never at
fault"
Such was my first meeting with the
Liberator, to whom half of South
America owes it's independence, and
all of the western world offers homage.
Colonel PM, the sophist, extended
his hand. 81 congratulate you, Major"
Intuition told me that PM would
never be my friend, contingency
which worried me not at all.
The weeks that followed my first
meeting with General Bolivar were
busy weeks indeed, for La Tore was
massing the forces of Spain to break
the ever tightening republican lines,
and the LiberatOr moved to meet him.
My days, filled with feverish activ-
ity, went by, and quiet nights under
the stars were given over to worship
at the shrine of Love, for the face of
Dulce was ever before me. She
seemed to be calling, calling. and I
have awakened-crying out her name
from dreams that were so real |
could almost have touched her. And,
because of the desperation of my love,
I became a better soldier, knowing
that this nightmare of murder-as she
called it-woJld be over only when
Bolivar had won, for he was not
could seek her out.
l met, during those days, Gen. Dan
iel O'Leary, Irish soldier and Outstand-
ing figure of the British legion, to
whom Venezuela today renders
homage; Moore, Bolivar's doctor, a
vivacious English gentleman; Marino,
his chief of staff, Gen. Belford Wilson,
veteran. and son IF Sir Robert Wilson
of Peninsular fame; Paez, chief of the
llaneros. and later President of Vene-
Zuela more than once, and CedenO,
Bermudez, Plaza and Urdaneta. The
they carried took the place Of pay
they didn't receive
UndeI us were English, Irish, Portu-
guese, negroes. half-breeds Indians.
lean llaneros. the mixed riffraff of
cities, and a few American adventur-
ers from the States. A motley crowd
indeed, and hardly one that man
might pick 70 win an empire, yet the
genius of Bolivar won them over.
touched them with the divine spark of
patriotism, and made of this composite
crew an army that finally crushed the
power of Spain in Venezuela.
One mild May morning, as the sun
stood an hour above the heights of
San Casimiro, we broke through the
CarabObo hills and descended upon
the little city of Cura. Having no gar
rison it fell readily into our hands,
then we deplOyed, east and west and
north, to invest the town of Maracay,
for that was our goal, that the first
long stride in the race for Puerto
Cabello. | remembered well the last
words of Bolivar to him who COM
manded the center of our attacking
lines. He had embraced our colonel
and had said, Remember, PM, we
take the town of Maracay-and hold
it." And Colonel PM, had saluted,
proud of this glorious mission, for
PM, however much he may have
failed, had no lack of courage
On the broad fertile valley that lies
to the east of Lake Valencia we met
the enemy; Paez, east of US. and