Antigua and the Antiguans Volume I Part 24

Peterson? Life is sweet! The second in command saw his friend stretched at his feet with the red blood gurgling around him, and fearing the same fate, he obeyed Lord Camelford, and took the watch.

Oh, duty! what a stern G.o.ddess thou art! or else how much art thou belied, for the deed was laid to thy charge. He disobeyed his superior officer, and in the midst of health, of buoyant feelings, and without, perhaps, time to think of a _hereafter_, he was to _die_. I can never more pa.s.s those sunken anchors which mark the tragic spot, without thinking of the mournful fate of this self-deceived mutineer, poor Lieutenant Peterson, or fancying I can see him in his death throes, stretched upon that sandy ground by the hand of him who had been once his friend.

This circ.u.mstance was not the only one that caused Lord Camelford's name to be well known in Antigua. Upon another occasion he went to Mr. Kitto, then superintendent of the naval-yard, and informed him he wanted certain alterations made on board the vessel of war he commanded. Mr. Kitto, in the mildest terms, acquainted his lords.h.i.+p that he could not oblige him, as it would be going beyond his warrant. To this refusal the angry officer made no reply, but immediately going on board his s.h.i.+p, he summoned his boatswain to his presence, and ordered him to provide himself with a cat-of-nine-tails, and hold himself in readiness to accompany him ash.o.r.e.

In the course of a short time, Lord Camelford, the boatswain, and his mate, and a few of the crew of the "Favourite," proceeded to the dockyard, and a message was despatched to Mr. Kitto, desiring his attendance.

Upon the arrival of the superintendent, Lord Camelford again demanded to know if he would accede to his wishes, at the same time giving a pretty broad hint that, in case of refusal, his back should be visited by the "Cat." Mr. Kitto once more observed, "It would be going beyond my warrant," when, as he uttered these words, at a signal from his lords.h.i.+p, the unfortunate superintendent was seized, and twelve dozen lashes inflicted with no unsparing hand by the boatswain of the "Favourite."

This illegal and brutal conduct was not, however, pa.s.sed over; a complaint was laid against Lord Camelford, and the case was investigated at the court house. Upon the day of trial, as may be supposed, the court was thronged with spectators; the a.s.sault was proved, and bail was about to be demanded, when his lords.h.i.+p begged permission to retire for a short time. His request was complied with; but no sooner had he gained the outer gate of the court house, than, seizing a horse which some gentleman visitant had fastened to the iron palisading, he mounted, and rode away in direction of English Harbour as fast as the animal could be urged.

In a moment all was confusion. "The prisoner's escaped!" was the universal cry; and as the truth became known within the court house, various were the individuals who hurried forth, mounted their horses, and joined in the pursuit. The Honourable Edward Byam was then president of the island, and with the same high spirit of equity which has ever marked that family, and unbia.s.sed by the rank of the offender, he immediately threw up one of the windows of the court-house, and shouted-"A hundred pounds for his recapture-a hundred pounds for his head!"

On kept Lord Camelford, (almost overtaken by one of the constables, a very athletic man, of the name of White,) until at length the horse he was riding fell down from exhaustion, and obliged his lords.h.i.+p to take refuge in an adjoining cane-field.

Upon the party who were in pursuit gaining the place of his retreat, a sudden stand was made. The rabble who had joined the party, and some of the hors.e.m.e.n, were stationed around the cane-field; while the constables, with a few attendants, and several dogs, entered the precincts of the field, and literally hunted the offending lord through its tangled mazes, until, overcome with fatigue, and unarmed, he was taken by his pursuers.

In the escape, Lord Camelford's hat had fallen off, and he was therefore placed upon a horse bareheaded; and in this manner, surrounded by the officials, and followed by all the riff-raff of "St. John's and its environs," he was brought back, and once more placed before the court. Lord Camelford was ordered to find bail for his appearance at the sessions. The amount of his recognisances was 5000l.; Walter Colquhoun and Walter Riddle, Esqs., standing sureties for his forthcoming. Upon his lords.h.i.+p's return to English Harbour, he drew bills for the amount, (for which his sureties would have been liable by his departure, had he not taken this precaution,) and then proceeded on board his s.h.i.+p "Favourite," made sail, and quitted the sh.o.r.es of Antigua, with no very enviable feelings, it is to be supposed.

The forfeited money was devoted to the purpose of sinking wells, (or springs, as they are termed in the West Indian idiom,) for the accommodation of the inhabitants of St. John's; and accordingly, a party of negroes were employed to prosecute the work.

They commenced their labours at the head of the town, opposite to where the Scotch kirk is now building; but after digging to a great depth, and still finding no appearance of water, they became seriously alarmed, and unanimously refused to proceed, giving as their excuse, "that dey heard all de c.o.c.ks crowing in de oder world!"

To return to the incidents of our day's journey to English Harbour. After leaving the scene of Lieutenant Peterson's death, we once more walked round by the superintendant's residence, admiring as we went the neat manner in which the ponderous anchors and various-sized buoys were arranged; and then bidding the dockyard farewell, proceeded on our way to the Ridge, which, as its name implies, is the upper ground of a gentle ascent, appropriated to the erection of barracks, and other military establishments, for the accommodation of her majesty's troops.

Before I proceed to describe the rest of the Antigua "_lions_," I must be allowed to remark, that, although in my life I have visited many public buildings in England, as well as in other parts of the globe, I never met with more politeness, from the lowest to the highest of the officials, than I experienced at this English Harbour naval establishment.

A few paces from the dockyard, on the road to the Ridge, we pa.s.sed the ordnance, consisting of two separate departments, divided from each other by an arm of the sea-one used as a store-place for guns and b.a.l.l.s, the other for the reception of powder. These deadly weapons were so neatly arranged, the different sizes forming different tiers, and the b.a.l.l.s were so prettily packed in the form of pyramids-the day was so fine, the sea so blue, and the buildings themselves so spruce, in their uniform of light yellow picked out with black, that I was quite enraptured with the picture-forgot the _use_ they were intended for, nor thought how many heart-broken wives and desolate orphans had wept, with tears like blood, the carnage such instruments had effected.

The road wound up the ascent, which is continued until the Ridge is gained. On one side stands a very pretty residence, known as "Clarence House," belonging to the queen, and one of the dwellings the superintendent of the naval yard has under his control; and on the other side of the road rises "Dow's Hill,"

surmounted by the country-seat of the governor. In this part of the road, a stone, marked with an anchor, points out the boundary of the naval ground; and on the other side of the stone, the land appropriated to the military commences.

Still following the ascent, in process of time we gained the engineers' quarters, the first building which marks the Ridge; and opposite to it is the victualling office. Pa.s.sing by the officers' quarters, the barracks for the privates, the several storehouses, and the iron hospital, for the reception of invalid soldiers, we stood upon the utmost verge of the place bearing the t.i.tle of _s.h.i.+rley_ Heights, so named after one of the former governors, Sir Thomas s.h.i.+rley, Bart. A very beautiful view may be obtained from this spot, well worthy of a painter's study. Hills and dales clothed in tropical luxuriance; rocky precipices and lonely glens, where nature sits enthroned; steep mountains and ample solitudes, that look as if the foot of man never disturbed their primeval silence; and gentle slopes, dotted here and there with neat-looking dwellings. Below, on your right, lies the dockyard, with its uniform buildings, and the lovely harbour, forming a complete basin, encircled with its white sands; while beyond, the ocean presents one level sheet of burnished gold, over which the fis.h.i.+ng-boats were gaily bounding, and throwing the shadow of their simple sails and slender masts far before them. The mouth of English Harbour, which is 113 fathoms across, was formerly defended in times of warfare by an immense iron chain. That, however, is now no more; but the staples by which it was secured still remain in the ma.s.sive rocks, to prove the truth of this a.s.sertion. It is now protected by two forts placed on each side of the opening: Fort Charlotte, mounted with four guns, 18 and 24 pounders; Fort Berkley, mounting twenty-four guns. At the latter fort is a magazine.

After leaving the Ridge, we turned down a slight declivity, by the victualling offices, on our way to Bat's Cave, and the Savannah. Our road lay through groves of loblolly, manchineel, and acacia, which, twining their long arms together, formed various natural colonnades; while the ground was strewed with their matted leaves, in all stages of decay. Having alighted, we walked through the interwoven path, carefully avoiding as we went the different varieties of cactus, which spring up on all sides, and guarding our faces from the long sharp thorns of the acacia, and the boughs of the poisonous manchineel. The ground, rugged and broken, was plentifully sprinkled with disrupted portions of spar, which glittered in the sunbeams like so many gems, and put me in mind of Sinbad's walk in the "Valley of Diamonds." Immense ground-lizards were trailing their long bodies about, in search of their daily food, so amply provided for them by the great Benefactor of all; while others were basking upon these dazzling fossils, to imbibe the heat of the meridian sun.

After taking many devious routes among the impending bushes, in order to discover the wished-for cavern, I was well pleased to hear the cheerful voice of our pioneer shouting forth "Come this way; I've found the right path." Scrambling, as best we could, over a huge bed of p.r.i.c.kly pear, (one of the cactus family,) we gained an opening in the copse, and stood before the mouth of the cave. Two large trees, which grew on each side, extended their gnarled roots (from which the earth had been washed) across the opening, forming natural steps, by which we descended, and stood within the cave.

Huge ma.s.ses of the rock which forms the cavern have fallen in, and in great measure blocked it up, so that it now only presents an arena of about 50 feet in circ.u.mference, although in time past it was of considerable extent. From the main cavern, two pa.s.sages branch off in opposite directions. They are perfectly dark, the only means of exploring them being by the use of flambeaux; but to what length they extend has never been discovered. Mr. McLane, a late resident of English Harbour, (now of Canada,) has made several attempts to that purpose, all of which proved fruitless; the greatest distance he ever proceeded was to the extent of two sea-lines, about 120 yards. The only known occupants are bats, which breed there in immense numbers, and often attain the size of a common pigeon. A dank unhealthy vapour is emitted from these openings, proceeding, no doubt, from the carbonic acid gas they contain. This vapour soon extinguishes the light of a torch, which is one reason this cavern has never been further explored.[88] A streak of dark green runs down one side of the cave, which was pointed out to me as indicating the existence of copper; but upon examining a portion of the rock I brought away with me, I found that the colour was occasioned only by a vegetable substance adhering to the stones.

In former times, Bat's Cave was a great place of concealment for the tribes of erratic Caribs, when visiting Antigua on their predatory excursions; and tradition still points it out as the scene of a barbarous carousal among that wild and savage race, in one of their attacks upon this island. As, however, I am now giving the narration of a day's journey, I will proceed to mention the other spots we visited, and leave the Legend, which is rather lengthy, for the next chapter.

Emerging from "Bat's Cave," and wending our way amid the same rugged impediments, in process of time we reached our vehicle, and stepping into it, proceeded to visit the ruins of the old government house in the Savannah, the scene of the attack narrated in the "Legend of Ding a Ding Nook," and of a similar attempt in 1654. After driving for a short distance over pasture land, exhibiting a dreary view of brown and withered herbage, the effects of the late dry weather, (rendered more striking by the contrast of the deep green of the different trees,) which crackled under the horses' feet, we arrived at another tangled maze of shrub and brushwood, where it was again necessary to proceed on foot, in order to prosecute our intended search.

Forcing our way through this almost impenetrable thicket, rendered in some places more impervious by the twinings and intertwinings of the withe, (a native parasite,) stooping to avoid some straggling branch, or springing over a th.o.r.n.y bank, we gained an open glade; and walking up the gentle acclivity, stood by the side of the ruins.

They consist of what appears to have been a cistern, probably the first built in the island, and a low wall of stone, marking the foundation of the government house. Within this last-mentioned ruin stand two tombs, the inscriptions upon which are as follows:-

Antigua.

Here lieth the body of Mrs. Elizabeth Warner, Late wife of Edward Warner, Of this island, Esq.

She was a woman of exemplary piety; She was the best of wives, The tenderest of mothers, The faithfulest of friends, And of a most charitable, compa.s.sionate disposition, Whose death was generally and deservedly lamented By the good people that knew her.

She departed this life the thirteenth of August, 1723, In the 37th year of her age.

Here lies the body of Mr. Henry Warner, Who died on the 17th day of Sept, 1731, In the 39th year of his age, Much beloved and lamented By all that knew him.

In memory of whom, his Affectionate brothers, Edward and Ashton Warner, Erected this Monument.

About these tombs grew many a sweet and fragile flower, and many a gaily painted b.u.t.terfly hovered around, and sported in the blaze of the "great luminary;" while the "Turk's caps" (another species of cactus) shewed their crimson crests in all directions.

A broken bottle, the relic of some former maroon (_fete champetre_) lay upon one of the tombs-not more fragile or fickle in its nature than the mouldering dust which slept beneath, or those who in the heyday of life stood looking on.

Leaving the tombs and ruins to their usual solitude, we retraced our steps; but in doing so, I could not help thinking that the name "_Savannah_" was misapplied, or Dr. Johnson was wrong in his etymology, for I am sure there is wood in abundance of one kind or the other. A great number of wild cattle inhabit this part of the country, deriving, it is said, a plentiful supply of nutriment from the herbage found there.

On our return to English Harbour, along the same road, we had a glimpse of "Indian Creek," so famous in "story," which meanders through verdantly-decked sh.o.r.es in a picturesque manner. It derives its name from an engagement which took place upon its banks, between a party of Caribs, (or Indians,) narrated in the following "Legend."

Once more entering the village of English Harbour, we proceeded to the house of W. C. Brooks, Esq., where we rested for some time, experiencing those nameless acts of hospitality for which the Antiguans are noted; and where I willingly laved my burning temples with the fragrant "Eau de Cologne." Really, this marching and counter-marching, beneath a tropical sun, is no slight matter, let my readers think as they may. "Sol" visits the face with many a fiery mark, and if he _kisses_, he leaves his _sting_ behind. I felt glad when we once more took our way to town; and although no lovely moon was abroad,

"--the floor of Heaven Was thick inlaid with patines of bright gold,"

which sufficed to light us gloriously on our way, and bring us in safety to Spring Gardens.

[84] It may be necessary to remark, for the benefit of my English readers, that although Sat.u.r.day is the princ.i.p.al _market-day_, Monday is more generally used by the labouring cla.s.s for coming into the capital to provide their weekly supplies. So much is this the case, that where you may see fifty labourers employed upon a plantation upon the other days of the week, on Monday you will scarcely find twenty.

[85] As it may amuse the reader, we here transcribe an original letter, written by our great naval hero at this period, which is carefully preserved by its proprietor as an invaluable relic:-

"English Harbour, Aug. 3rd, 1784.

"As the captains of the navy at this port mean to establish a mess for the hurricane months, by their desire I write to beg that you will send us round, by the first opportunity, the undermentioned articles-viz., one hogshead of port, one of the best white wine that you have, twelve dozen of porter in bottles, fifty pounds loaf sugar, one firkin of good b.u.t.ter, two baskets of salt, two pounds black pepper.

"I have the honour to be, your humble servant,

"Horatio Nelson.

"P.S. As we only wait for these things to begin our mess, the sooner they arrive the better. Mr. Druce, the agent victualler is a going to send provisions round for the Fury which will be a good opportunity.

"Addressed to --- Kerr, Esq."

[86] It may be necessary to remark, that roses are very choice flowers in Antigua, the climate not appearing to agree with them.

This is strange, as in the East Indies, where the heat is even greater, whole fields are planted with this beautiful shrub, in order to get their leaves to distil the far-fame "Attar."

[87] Of which island he was a native.

[88] It is supposed that these pa.s.sages extend to the sea-sh.o.r.e, a distance of about a quarter of a mile.

CHAPTER XXIII.