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FOREWORD
FOREWORD
The following pages contain the record of a journey made to islands and lands that border the Caribbean and to the less frequented parts of Venezuela and Colombia. Thanks to our trade relations with the Antilles, and the number of meritorious books that have been written about them during the last few decades, our knowledge of the West Indies is fairly complete and satisfactory. The same, however, cannot be said of the two extensive republics just south of us. Outside of their capitals and a few
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EASTER LAND
EASTER LAND
It was La Niña—the pet name of the young musician—that came as a special providence to clear up a question that seemed to be growing more difficult the longer it was pondered. The effect was magical, and all doubt and hesitation disappeared forthwith. La Niña, as if inspired, had, without in the least suspecting it, indicated the land of the heart’s desire. Yes, the writer would leave, and leave at once, the region of cloud and frost and chilling blast, and seek the land of flowers and sunshine,
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LA FLORIDA
LA FLORIDA
Nor were their accounts of this grateful feature of the country overdrawn. It is the same to-day as it was four centuries ago, when the European had just landed on these shores and found so many things—as novel as they were marvelous—to excite his delight and enthusiasm. It is something that is denied to us whose homes are in the North, and, to enjoy it in all its newness and freshness, we must perforce immigrate to tropical and subtropical climes. But the foregoing is only one of the delectable
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FONS JUVENTUTIS
FONS JUVENTUTIS
What Castellanos said might be repeated to-day. If the Fountain of Youth or the river Jordan, such as Ponce de Leon, Ayllon and de Soto sought, now existed, Florida would be the most frequented and most thickly populated country on the face of the globe. Vichy, Homburg, Karlsbad and other similar resorts would at once be abandoned, and there would forthwith be a mad rush for the Land of Easter. The Fountain of Youth would be worth more to its possessor than the diamond mines of Kimberley, more t
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THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES
THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES
Fortunately for the comfort of the traveler, there is now a through train from Havana to Santiago, so that one can make the entire five hundred and forty miles in twenty-four hours, and that, too, if one so elect, in a Pullman car. Columbus, in writing of his first voyage to Rafael Sánchez and Luis de Santangel, says that all the countries he had discovered, but particularly Juana—the name he gave to Cuba—“are of surpassing excellence,” and “exceedingly fertile.” “All these islands” he continues
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HAITI AND SAN DOMINGO
HAITI AND SAN DOMINGO
The cardinal’s prediction soon came true. In all parts of the Indies—in the islands of the sea and on Tierra Firme—there were massacres and uprisings and “servile wars,” without number, and both the colonies and the mother country had often occasion to regret the introduction within their boundaries of so dangerous and warlike subjects. But it was too late to rectify the mistake. It was impossible to drive them out of the country, or to return them to the land whence they had been brought agains
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PUERTO RICO AND CURAÇAO
PUERTO RICO AND CURAÇAO
We arrived in the roadstead of La Guayra early in the morning, after our departure from Curaçao, and our vessel was soon moored alongside a splendid breakwater, which extends out from the shore for more than a half mile, and gives this port a fairly good harbor, which even the largest ships may enter. We were now on the Spanish Main where we had our first view of the great continent of South America. As the phrase, “The Spanish Main,” has been given many and different significations since it was
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ON THE SPANISH MAIN
ON THE SPANISH MAIN
“Never did Ariel’s plume At golden sunset hover O’er scenes so full of bloom.” Away and beyond was the boundless, glimmering sea, ravishing in its thousand tints, and in its harmonious dance of vanishing light and color. So occupied were we in observing the beauties of the everchanging landscape, that, before we realized it, we were in Caracas. And so momentary was the twilight— a characteristic of the tropics—that the transition from daylight to darkness was almost startling. We found an unexpe
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THE PEARL COAST
THE PEARL COAST
It was to the Pearl Coast that Las Casas came, after he found, by sad experience, that his efforts in behalf of the Indians in Cuba, Española and Puerto Rico were frustrated by influences he was unable to control. It was here, aided by Franciscans and Dominicans, who had preceded him by only a few years, that he purposed laying the corner stone of that vast Indian commonwealth, for which he had secured letters patent from Charles V. For this great experiment in colonization, the greatest the wor
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THE PEARL ISLANDS
THE PEARL ISLANDS
A scene it was to swell the tamest bosom, a fairy realm where Fancy would “Bid the blue Tritons sound their twisted shells, And call the Nereids from their pearly cells.” Below us, beneath the dark depths of the crystal sea, illumined by the lamps of the sea-nymphs, were living flower beds of coral, the blooms and the palms of the ocean recesses, where the pearl lies hid, and caves where the gem is sleeping, the gardens, fair and bewildering in their richness and beauty, of Nereus and Amphitrite
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THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED TRINITY
THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED TRINITY
With the exception of a few scattered families, of more or less mixed descent, the visitor will find no evidence of the former existence here of that splendid type of Indian of whom the great navigator speaks so highly, and of whose race there were then on the island many thousands of souls. Here, as on the other islands of the West Indies, the aborigines have disappeared, never to return. In their place we find the most cosmopolitan agglomeration of people under the sun—English, Germans, Spania
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THE DELTA OF THE ORINOCO
THE DELTA OF THE ORINOCO
The names Serpent’s Mouth and Dragon’s Mouth were given to the two straits mentioned on account of the strong currents found there and on account of the danger Columbus experienced in taking his ships through them. His letter to Ferdinand and Isabella contains a graphic description of the dangers he encountered while passing through the Serpent’s Mouth. “In the dead of night,” he writes, “while I was on deck, I heard an awful roaring, that came from the south, toward the ship; on the top of this
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CHAPTER III THE GREAT RIVER
CHAPTER III THE GREAT RIVER
While the flora of the Orinoco, near the apex of the delta, is so varied and exuberant, but little is seen of its fauna, notwithstanding all that has been said and written to the contrary. In a recent work, for instance, written by one who pretends to have made the trip from Trinidad, is a sentence that will equal any of the extravagances of Jules Verne’s Le Superbe Orénoque . “The jaguar,” says the author, “will stop drinking, or the tapir look up from browsing on the grass, and the monkey paus
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CHAPTER IV IN MID-ORINOQUIA
CHAPTER IV IN MID-ORINOQUIA
In a more recent book, by another Englishman, it is stated that the Orinoco is the “paradise of mosquitoes, and the hell of travelers. There, insects of unusual size, and speckled in an ominous and snake-like manner, issued from the bush in millions and assailed every square inch of the exposed skin.... Moreover, they stung through the boots, coat and waistcoat, and drew blood wherever they penetrated.” 4 On looking over these works again, we found that the miseries referred to were endured chie
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CHAPTER V EL RIO META
CHAPTER V EL RIO META
“Having traveled many days in the manner above described, we finally reached the mouth of the much desired Meta. Every one rejoiced, thinking their gravest solicitudes were at an end. And although no human habitations were visible, nevertheless the land was of a bright and cheerful aspect.” Thus, in sonorous octava rima , does the illustrious historiographer of Tunja 2 give expression to the joy which Alonso de Herrera and his companions experienced on their arrival at what they fondly hoped was
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CHAPTER VI APPROACHING THE ANDES
CHAPTER VI APPROACHING THE ANDES
“Here the forest secular, decked with festoons of divers climbers, of beautiful and brilliant colors, and the broad meads carpeted with fragrant flowers, form an august temple, which creation raises to God, to whom it offers delicious perfumes for incense, and, as an oblation, brings the delicate fruit matured by the summer’s sun.” In these words of the Bolivian poet, D. Manuel José Cortés, might aptly be described the extensive forests and plains of which Orocué is the centre. Everywhere is tha
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CHAPTER VII THE LLANOS OF COLOMBIA
CHAPTER VII THE LLANOS OF COLOMBIA
The telegraph line to Orocué had only recently been put up—just a few weeks before our arrival there—and had never been in satisfactory working order. In fact, owing to a break in the wire, which lasted a fortnight, we had not been able to get into communication with Villavicencio—the place whence our mules were to come—until a few days before we started for Barrigón. Might there not have been another interruption in the line after we sent our second message? And did this message ever reach its
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CHAPTER VIII THE CORDILLERA OF THE ANDES
CHAPTER VIII THE CORDILLERA OF THE ANDES
Villavicencio, the capital of the National Territory of the Meta, is situated at the very foot of the Andes, and is an attractive town of about three thousand inhabitants, many of whom are Indians. Its altitude above sea level, according to our barometer, is slightly less than fifteen hundred feet. It is a little more than ninety-three miles from Bogotá and has an average annual temperature of 83° F. During our sojourn in the place the thermometer never rose above 76° F. in the shade, and it was
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CHAPTER IX IN CLOUDLAND
CHAPTER IX IN CLOUDLAND
Our plan, on leaving Villavicencio, was to reach Bogotá in three days. This we could easily have accomplished, had there not been a mistake in the telegram ordering horses to be in readiness for us on our arrival at Caqueza. The morning after arriving there, when we inquired for our mounts, we were surprised to learn that we were not expected until a day later, and that it would not be possible for us to get animals until the following morning. “Travelers usually take three days to make the trip
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CHAPTER X THE ATHENS OF SOUTH AMERICA
CHAPTER X THE ATHENS OF SOUTH AMERICA
The mean annual temperature is 60° F., but, owing to the rarity of the atmosphere, and to its being shielded from the wind by the mountains at whose base it is situated, it seems to be higher than this. During certain seasons of the year one may experience a penetrating cold, as long as one remains in the shade, but when one passes into the sunshine it becomes almost uncomfortably warm. During the rainy season, the newcomer feels the cold very keenly, but, after a short residence in the city, on
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CHAPTER XI THE MUISCA TRAIL
CHAPTER XI THE MUISCA TRAIL
The present financial condition of the republic is a striking commentary on the havoc wrought by the numerous revolutions that have devastated the country and ruined its credit. One of the most difficult of the many difficult tasks that confront the administration is that of restoring the nation’s credit, and of getting the rate of exchange back to par. It is, however, making a noble effort, and all well-wishers of Colombia trust its endeavors will be crowned with success. As one may imagine, it
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CHAPTER XII THE VALLEY OF THE MAGDALENA
CHAPTER XII THE VALLEY OF THE MAGDALENA
While in Guaduas we met a Scotch engineer, who was superintendent of a gold mine in the mountains west of Honda. Desiring to know the truth about the excessive temperature of this place, about which we had heard so many reports, we asked him if it was really true that the heat in Honda was as intense as represented. “You will,” he said, “find it the hottest place you have ever visited. It is certainly the most torrid place I know, and I have been something of a globe-trotter in my time. Hades, i
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CHAPTER XIII IN THE TRACK OF PLATE-FLEETS AND BUCCANEERS
CHAPTER XIII IN THE TRACK OF PLATE-FLEETS AND BUCCANEERS
— Byron , The Corsair . Barranquilla, a city of about sixty-five thousand inhabitants, is notable for being the chief port of entry of Colombia. It is estimated that two-thirds of the commerce of the republic converges at this point. To us, coming from the interior of the country, where comparatively little business is transacted, the place seemed to be a marvel of activity and business enterprise. It counts a large number of important business houses, the chief of which are controlled by foreig
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CHAPTER XIV THE RICH COAST
CHAPTER XIV THE RICH COAST
— Longfellow. The afternoon preceding our arrival at Puerto Limon, the captain of our steamer called our attention to a wonderful mirage due south of us. High above the water—apparently midway between the sea and the sky—was suspended one of the islands of the Caribbean that stand off from the Panama coast. So far away was it from our course that, had it not been for the peculiar atmospheric conditions then prevailing, it would have been quite invisible, even with the aid of the most powerful gl
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BIBLIOGRAPHY PARTIAL LIST OF THE WORKS CITED IN THIS VOLUME.
BIBLIOGRAPHY PARTIAL LIST OF THE WORKS CITED IN THIS VOLUME.
Boussingault, J. B. Viages cientifices á los Andes Ecuatoriales. Paris, 1849. Bürger, Otto. Reisen eines Natürforschers im Tropischen America. Leipzig, 1900. Burney, James. History of the Buccaneers of America. 1816. Cassani, Padre, J. Historia de la provincia de la compañía de Jesus del Nuevo Reino de Granada en la America. Descripción y relación exacta de sus gloriosas misiones en el reino, llanos, Meta, y rio Orinoco. Madrid, 1741. Castellanos, Juan de. Elegias de Varones Ilustres de Indias,
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