Chapter VI.
It was three days after the rain had ceased, before we could embark on the river, and even then its current was angry and turbid, and filled with floating trees. We hugged the banks in our ascent, darting from one side of the stream to the other, to avail ourselves of theback-sets, or eddies, sometimes losing, by an unsuccessful attempt, all we had gained by half an hour of hard paddling. The banks were much torn by the water; in some places they had fallen in, carrying many trees into the stream, where they remained anchored to the shore by the numerous tough vines that twined around them. Elsewhere the trees, half undermined, leaned heavily over the current, in which the long vines hung trailing in mournful masses, like the drooping leaves of the funeral willow. The long grass on the low islands had been beaten down, and was coveredwith a slimy deposit, over which stalked hungry water-birds, the snow-white ibis, and long-shanked crane, in search of worms and insects, and entangled fish.
We were occupied the whole day, in reaching the first settlement on this river—a picturesque collection of low huts, in a forest of palm, papaya, and plantain-trees. Near it were some considerable patches of maize, and long reaches of yucas, squash, and melon-vines. There were, in short, more evidences of industry and thrift than I had yet seen on the entire coast.
As we approached the bank, in front of the huts, I observed that all the inhabitants were pure Indians, whom my Poyer boy hailed in his own tongue. I afterward found out that they were Woolwas, and spoke a dialect of the same language with the Poyers, and Cookras, to the northward. As at Wasswatla, nearly all the inhabitants crowded down to the shore to meet me, affording, with their slight and symmetrical bodies, and long, well-ordered, glossy black hair, a striking contrast to the large-bellied, and spotted mongrels on the Wawashaan. I produced my “King-paper,†and advanced toward a couple of elderly men bearing white wooden wands, which I at once conjectured were insignia of authority. But no sooner did they get sight of my “King-paper,†than they motioned me back with tokens of displeasure, exclaiming, “Sax! sax!†which I had no difficulty in comprehending meant “take it away!â€So I folded it up, put it in my pocket, and extended my hand, which was taken by each, and shaken in the most formal manner. When the men with the wands had finished, all the others came forward, and went through the same ceremony, most of them ejaculating, interrogatively,Nakisma?which appears to be an exact equivalent of the English, “How are you?â€
This done, the men with the wands beckoned to me to follow them, which I did, to a large hut, neatly wattled at the sides, and closed by a door of canes. One of them pushed this open, and I entered after him, followed only by those who had wands, the rest clustering like bees around the door, or peering through the openings in the wattled walls. There were several rough blocks of wood in the interior, upon which they seated themselves, placing me between them. All this while there was an unbroken silence, and I was quite in a fog as to whether I was held as a guest or as a prisoner. I looked into the faces of my friends in vain; they were as impassible as stones. I, however, felt reassured when I saw Antonio at the door, his face wearing rather a pleased than alarmed expression.
We sat thus a very long time, as it appeared to me, when there was a movement outside, the crowd separated, and a man entered, bearing a large earthen vessel filled with liquid, followed by two girls, with baskets piled with cakes of corn meal, fragments of some kind of broiled meat, and a quantity of a paste of plantains, having the taste offigs, and calledbisbire. The eldest of the men of wands filled a small calabash with the liquid, touched it to his lips, and passed it to me. I did the same, and handed it to my next neighbor; but he motioned it back, exclaiming, “Dis! dis!†drink, drink! I found it to be a species of palm-wine, with which I afterward became better acquainted. It proved pleasant enough to the taste, and I drained the calabash. Another one of the old men then took up some of the roast meat, tore off and ate a little, and handed the rest to me. Not slow in adaptation, I took all hints, and wound up by making a hearty meal. The remnants were then passed out to Antonio, who, however, was permitted to wait on himself.
I made some observations to Antonio in Spanish, which I perceived was understood by the principal dignitary of the wands, who, after some moments, informed me, in good Spanish, that the hut in which we were, was thecabildoof the village, and that it was wholly at my service, so long as I chose to stay. He furthermore pointed out to me a rude drum hanging in one corner, made by stretching the raw skin of some animal over a section of a hollow tree, upon which he instructed me to beat in case I wanted any thing. This done, he rose, and, followed by his companions, ceremoniously retired, leaving me in quiet possession of the largest and best hut in the village. I felt myself quite an important personage, and ordered up my hammock, and the various contents of my canoe, with a degree of satisfactionwhich I had not experienced when waging a war against the pigs, in the “King’s house†at Wasswatla.
I subsequently ascertained that all of the ideas of government which the Indians on this river possess, were derived from the Spaniards, either descending to them from former Spanish establishments here, or obtained from contact with the Spaniards far up in the interior. The principal men were called “alcaldes,†and many Spanish words were in common use. I discovered no trace of negro blood among them, and found that they entertained a feeling of dislike, amounting to hostility, to the Mosquito men. So far as I could ascertain, while they denied the authority of the Mosquito king, they sent down annually a certain quantity of sarsaparilla, maize, and other articles, less as tribute than as the traditionary price of being let alone by the Sambos. In former times, it appeared, the latter lost no opportunity of kidnapping their children and women, and selling them to the Jamaica traders, as slaves. Indeed, they sometimes undertook armed forays in the Indian territory, for the purpose of taking prisoners, to be sold to men who made this traffic a regular business. This practice continued down to the abolition of slavery in Jamaica—a measure of which the Mosquito men greatly complain, notwithstanding that they were not themselves exempt from being occasionally kidnapped.
The difficulty of entering the Rio Grande, andthe absence of any considerable traffic with the natives on its banks, are among the causes which have contributed to keep them free from the degrading influences that prevail on the Mosquito Shore. They rely chiefly upon agriculture for their support, and fish and hunt but little. They have abundance of maize, yucas, cassava, squashes, plantains, papayas, cocoa-nuts, and other fruits and vegetables, including a few limes and oranges, as also pigs and fowls, and higher up the river, in the savannah country, a few horned cattle. I observed, among the domestic fowls, the true Muscovy duck, and the indigenous hen orchachalaca.
The people themselves, though not tall, are well-made, and have a remarkably soft and inoffensive expression. The women—and especially the girls—were exceedingly shy, and always left the huts when I entered. The men universally wore theule tournou, or breech-cloth, but the women had in its place a piece of cotton cloth of their own manufacture, striped with blue and yellow, which hung half-way down the thighs, and was supported above the hips by being tucked under in some simple, but, to me, inexplicable manner.[2]The young girls were full and symmetrical in form, with fine busts, and large, lustrous, black eyes, which, however, always had to me a startled, deer-like expression. I sawno firearms among the men, although they seemed to be acquainted with their use. They had, instead, fine bows and arrows, the latter pointed with iron, or a species of tough wood, hardened in the fire. The boys universally had blow-pipes or reeds, with which they were very expert, killing ducks, curlews, and a land of red partridge, at the distance of thirty and forty yards. The silence with which the light arrow is sped, enables the practiced hunter frequently to kill the greater part of a flock orcovey, before the rest take the alarm.
My life in the cabildo was unmarked by any adventure worth notice. I received plantains, fowls, whatever I desired, Aladdin-like, by tapping the drum. This was always promptly responded to by a couple of young Indians, who asked no questions, and made no replies, but did precisely what they were bid. Neither they nor the alcaldes would accept any thing in return for what they furnished me, beyond a few red cotton handkerchiefs, and some small triangular files, of which old Hodgson had wisely instructed me to take in a small supply. They all seemed to be unacquainted with the use of money, although not without some notion of the value of gold and silver. I saw several of the women with rude, lightbanglesof gold, which metal, the alcaldes told me, was found in the sands of the river, very far up, among the mountains.
Among the customs of these Indians, there is one of a very curious nature, with which I was made acquainted by accident. Nearly every day I strolledoff in the woods, with a vague hope of some time or other encountering awaree, or wild hog (of whose presence in the neighborhood, an occasional foray on the maize fields of the Indians bore witness), or perhaps apeccary, or some other large animal. As the bush was thick, I seldom got far from the beaten paths of the natives, and had to content myself with now and then shooting acurassow, in lieu of higher game. One day, I ventured rather further up the river than usual, and came suddenly upon an isolated hut. Being thirsty, I approached with a view of obtaining some water. I had got within perhaps twenty paces, when two old women dashed out toward me, with vehement cries, motioning me away with the wildest gestures, and catching up handfuls of leaves and throwing them toward me. I thought this rather inhospitable, and at first was disposed not to leave. But, finally, thinking there must be some reason for all this, and seeing that the women appeared rather distressed than angry, I retracted my steps. I afterward found, upon inquiry, that the hut was what is calledtabooedby the South Sea Islanders, and devoted to the women of the village, during their confinement. As this period approaches, they retire to this secluded place, where they remain in the care of two old women for two moons, passing through lustrations or purifications unknown to the men. While the woman is so confined to the hut, no one is allowed to approach it, and all persons are especially cautious not to pass itto the windward, for it is imagined that by so doing the wind, which supplies the breath of the newly-born child, would be taken away, and it would die. This singular notion, I afterward discovered, is also entertained by the Mosquito people, who no doubt derived it from their Indian progenitors.
The course of life of the Indians appeared to be exceedingly regular and monotonous. Both men and women found abundant occupation during the day; they went to bed early, and rose with the dawn. Although most of them had hammocks, they universally slept on what are calledcrickeries, or platforms of canes, supported on forked posts, and covered with variously-colored mats, woven of the bark of palm branches. I observed no drunkenness among them, and altogether they were quiet, well-ordered, and industrious. In all their relations with me, they were respectful and obliging, but exceedingly reserved. I endeavored to break through their taciturnity, but without success. Hence, after a few days had passed, and the novelty had worn off, I began to weary of inactivity. So I one day proposed to the principal alcalde, that he should undertake a hunt for thetilbia, mountain cow, ortapir, and thepeccary, or Mexican hog. He received the proposition deferentially, but suggested that themanitus, or sea-cow, was a more wonderful animal than either of those I had named, and that it would not be difficult to find one in the river. I took up the hint eagerly, as I had already caught one or two glimpses of the manitus, which hadgreatly roused my curiosity. The drum was thereupon beaten, and the alcaldes convened to consult upon the matter. They all came with their wands, and after due deliberation, fixed upon the next night for the expedition. Boats were accordingly got ready, and the hunters sharpened their lances and harpoons. The latter resembled very much the ordinary whaling harpoons, but were smaller in size. The lances were narrow and sharp, and attached to thin staffs, of a very tough and heavy wood. Notwithstanding that Antonio smiled and shook his head, I cleaned my gun elaborately, and loaded it heavily with ball.
Before narrating our adventure in the pursuit of the manitus, it will not be amiss to explain that this animal is probably the most remarkable one found under the tropics, being amphibious, and the apparent connecting link between quadrupeds and fishes. It may perhaps be better compared to the seal, in its general characteristics, than to any other sea-animal. It has the two fore feet, or rather hands, but the hind feet are wanting, or only appear as rudiments beneath the skin. Its head is thick and heavy, and has something the appearance of that of a hornless cow. It has a broad, flat tail, or integument, spreading out horizontally, like a fan. The skin is dark, corrugated, and so thick and hard that a bullet can scarcely penetrate it. A few scattered hairs appear on its body, which has a general resemblance of that of the hippopotamus. There are several varieties of the manitus, but it is ananimal which appears to be little known to naturalists. Its habits are very imperfectly understood, and the natives tell many extraordinary stories about it, alleging, among other things, that it can be tamed. It is herbivorous, feeding on the long tender shoots of grass growing on the banks of the rivers, and will rise nearly half of its length out of water to reach its food. It is never found on the land, where it would be utterly helpless, since it can neither walk nor crawl.
It is commonly from ten to fifteen feet long, huge and unwieldy, and weighing from twelve to fifteen hundred pounds. It has breasts placed between its paws, and suckles its young. The male and female are usually found together. It is extremely acute in its sense of hearing, and immerges itself in the water at the slightest noise. Great tact and caution are therefore necessary to kill it, and a manitee hunt puts in requisition all the craft and skill of the Indians.
HUNTING THE MANITUS.
HUNTING THE MANITUS.
HUNTING THE MANITUS.
The favorite hour for feeding, with the manitus, is the early morning, during the dim, gray dawn. In consequence I was called up to join the hunters not long after midnight. Two large pitpans, each holding four or five men, were put in requisition, and we paddled rapidly up the river, for several hours, to the top of a long reach, where there were a number of low islands, covered with grass, and where the banks were skirted by swampy savannahs. Here many bushes were cut, and thrown lightly over the boats, so as to make them resemblefloating trees. We waited patiently until the proper hour arrived, when the boats were cast loose from the shore, and we drifted down with the current. One man was placed in the stern with a paddle to steer, another with a harpoon and line crouched in the bow, while the rest, keeping their long keen lances clear of impediments, knelt on the bottom. We glided down in perfect silence, one boat close to each bank. I kept my eyes opened to the widest, and in the dim light got quite excited over a dozen logs or so, which I mistook for manitee. But the hunters made no sign, and we drifted on, until I got impatient, and began to fear that our expedition might prove a failure. But of a sudden, when I least expected it, the man in the bow launched his harpoon. The movement was followed by a heavy plunge, and in an instant the boat swung round, head to the stream. BeforeI could fairly comprehend what was going on, the boughs were all thrown overboard, and the men stood with their long lances poised, ready for instant use. We had run out a large part of the slack of the harpoon-line, which seemed to be fast to some immovable object. The bowsman, however, now began to gather it in, dragging up the boat slowly against the current. Suddenly the manitus, for it was one, left his hold on the bottom, and started diagonally across the river, trailing us rapidly after him. This movement gradually brought him near the surface, as we could see by the commotion of the water. Down darted one of the lances, and under again went the manitus, now taking his course with the current, down the stream. The other boat, meantime, had come to our assistance, hovering in front of us, in order to fasten another harpoon the instant the victim should approach near enough to the surface. An opportunity soon offered, and he received the second harpoon and another lance at the same instant. All this time I had both barrels of my gun cocked, feverishly awaiting my chance for a shot. Soon the struggles of the animal became less violent, and he several times came involuntarily to the surface. I watched my chance, when his broad head rose in sight, and discharged both barrels, at a distance of thirty feet, startling the hunters quite as much as they had disconcerted me. It was the Lord’s own mercy that some of them did not get shot in the general scramble!
The manitus, after receiving the second harpoon, became nearly helpless, and the Indians, apparently secure of their object, allowed the boats to drift with him quietly down the river. Occasionally he made an ineffectual attempt to dive to the bottom, dashing the water into foam in his efforts, but long before we reached the village he floated at the surface, quite dead. The morning was bright and clear when we paddled ashore, where we found every inhabitant of the place clustering to meet us. When they saw that we had been successful, they set up loud shouts, and clapped their hands with vigor, whence (as this was the only manifestation of excitement which I had seen) I inferred that the capture of a manitus was regarded as something of a feat, even on the Mosquito Shore.
Ropes were speedily attached to the dead animal, at which every body seemed anxious to get a chance to pull, and it was dragged up the bank triumphantly, amid vehement shouts. I had been somewhat piqued at the contempt in which my gun had been held, and had been not a little ambitious of being able to say that I had killed a manitus, and as, after my shot, the animal had almost entirely ceased its struggles, I thought it possible I had given it the finalcoup, and might conscientiously get up a tolerable brag on my adventure, over Mr. Sly’s punch, when I returned to New York. It was with some anxiety, therefore, that I investigated its ugly head, only to find that my balls had hardly penetrated the skin, and that the hide of themanitus is proof against any thing in the shape of firearms, except, perhaps, a Minié rifle. And thus I was cheated out of another chance for immortality! Lest, however, my story that the hide of the manitus is an inch thick, and tough as whale-bone, should not be credited, I had a strip of it cut off, which, when dried, became like horn, and a terror to dogs, in all my subsequent rambles. I suspect there are some impertinent curs here, in New York, who entertain stinging recollections of that same strip of manitus-hide! Dr. Pounder, my old school-master, I am sure, would sacrifice his eyes, or perhaps, what is of equal consequence, his spectacles, to obtain it!
But while my balls were thus impotent, I found that the lances of the Indians had literally gone through and through the manitus. The harpoons did not penetrate far, their purpose being simply to fasten the animal. The lances were the fatal instruments, and I afterwards saw a young Indian drive his completely through the trunk of a full-grown palm-tree. This variety of lance is calledsilak, and is greatly prized.
MANITEE HARPOON AND LANCES.
MANITEE HARPOON AND LANCES.
MANITEE HARPOON AND LANCES.
There were great doings in the village over themanitus. Beneath the skin there was a deep layer of very sweet fat, below which appeared the flesh, closely resembling beef, but coarser, and streaked throughout with layers of fat. This, when broiled before the fire, proved to be tender, well-flavored, and altogether delicious food. The tail is esteemed the most delicate part, and, as observed by Captain Henderson, who had a trial of it on the same shore, “is a dish of which Apicius might have been proud, and which the discriminating palate of Heliogabalus would have thought entitled to the most distinguished reward!†The better and more substantial part of the animal, namely, the flesh, was carefully cut in strips, rubbed with salt, and, hung in the sun to dry, made into what the Spaniards calltasajo. The other portions were distributed among the various huts, and the tail was presented to me. When I came to leave, I found that the cured ortasajoedflesh had also been preserved for my use. Broiled on the coals, it proved quite equal to any thing I ever tasted, and as sweet as dried venison. And here I may mention that the flesh of the manitus, like that of the turtle, is not only excellent food, but its effects on the system are beneficial, particularly in the cases of persons afflicted with scorbutic or scrofulous complaints. It is said these find speedy relief from its free use, and that, in the course of a few weeks, the disease entirely disappears.