White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-01-21
Bolivar smiled. "Yet the tale that

Excellency, having forgiven me, cares
to make use of a stupid clod would
offer service to him. can, at least,
furnish mans portion Of Drawn"
Now Bolivar took me by the hand
and smiled into my eyes. francisco
has told me much Of you. If Andrew
Jackson has looked upon you with
favor"
Francisco interrupted 81 have the
| proof, Excellency, here in my pocket."
He drew out the thin leathern wallet
| that had been in my possession when
had played so poorly the part of San
Isidro. In that wallet I had carried,
since few days after the battle of
Chalmette, piece Of paper torn from
the fly-leaf of my French grammar,
upon which Gen. Andrew Jackson had
written statement the night he had
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 1t very slowly:
Major Loren Garde has offered
valiant service to his country; he has
fought with conspicuous gallantry at
Talladega, at Horseshoe Bend, at
Pensacola, and at Chalmette. A
worthy son of worthy soldier IA
Their"
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," 1 cried, sit is too
much-it is more than l deserve.
cannot hope"
1T shall be DONE Major; Francisco
has said you will make good soldier,
and Franciscos 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. II 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
semed to be calling, calling, and /
have misunderstanding out her name
from dreams that were so real I
could almost have touched her. And,
because Of the desperation of my love-
l became better soldier, knowing
that this nightmare Of murder-as she
called it-would be over only when
Bolivar had won, for he was not a
man to stop short of victory. Then l
could seek her out.
I 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. Bedford Wilson,
veteran, and son of 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
highsounding rank and titles that
they carried took the place of pay
they didn't receive.
Under us were English, Irish fortu-
guese, negroes, half-breeds, Indians,
lean llaneros the mixed riffraff of
cities, and few American adventur-
ers from the States. A motley crowd
indeed, and hardly one that man
mlSHl PICK W VIII 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. l remembered well the last