THE RETURN

Hokitika Guardian, 12 February 1921, Page 4

THE RETURN

AN ACCOUNT OJF THE VOYAGE HOME. (By Charles Parham, of the N.Z.E.F.) (Continued.) p The ship tied up to the wharf at Balboa, where permission was given for ~H t 0 go ashore. Numbers of cars were waiting to be hired along the road by

{he wharf, but very few of the drivers could speak any English, though ours knew enough to make known how much an hour he wanted to charge. “Gasoline” hero is very cheap and so is lab-, our, hence the prices were extreme y low. It was arranged that we shoulc K o to the ruins of Old Panama. The road ran through the busy American port of Balboa, past the cemeteries to Panama City. Although this place is really within the Canal zone, ,t remains under the Panamanian Republic, an in spite of the civilising influence (01 rather the modernizing influence) of the Americans it is still a. typical ► panis \ American town. -The people seem to retain their old way of living thoug there are electric lights, and trams and telephones, and though lord cais buzz everywhere. Quitting the city the road led in a north-easterly dnpotion through some fertile looking cultivated country before it reached th jungle. This is all tangled together with creepers and parasites, reminding one of the native bush, but mostly the trees are very different in appearance as they bear suck bright flowers. It is a rather curious fact that several species erf New Zealand plants grow wild in South America, thus supporting the theory that these countries were at some remote time connected by land I The common tutu and the fuchsias

Ilourish there, while I noticed ninny specimens of a beautiful flowering tree extremely like kowhai. Small green, wild bananas aiul other fruits grew along the track where flow (locks of noisy green parrequets. John crows (a kind of vulture) hovered about looking for carrion, while often the old rattle trap car scared crowds ot birds so tiny, that I took them for humming birds. It was Sunday, and the- driver explained that with the inhabitants it was a great holiday.' All sorts of “festas” were held, and games and bull fighting were great atraetions, but the hoys mostly went bird hunting. In this they were very ingenious, both »n the way in which they constructed dainty little bamboo cages, and in the way in which they decoyed the wild birds into their traps hv means of tame birds. Numbers of the boys raced along beside the ear shouting in their own language that they wanted to sell their birds and hunches of wild flowers. The site of Old Panama is completely deserted, and is overgrown with scrub. Large trees have taken root on the ruined stone walls of the building. Nature lias completed the work that the buccaneer Morgan, began. One « can scarcely realise that a flourishing city, so famous in history, ever stood here. Even the substantial stone bridge that spans the river has been al-

lowed to become overgrown with scrub, so that all the traffic (that has lately sprung up of visitors) has to cross on a flimsy wooden construction. hour hundred years ago the city was founded by Pedro Arias de Avila. Being the entrepot of trade from Peru, it soon became very wealthy. Tile gold and treasure was brought up the coast by sea and transported across the Isthmus. For many a year the pirates and buccaneers had longed to attack this fabulously rich town but it was almost inaccessible on account of the jungle which lay between it and the Atlantic. At last Henry Morgan collected a large party and set out to capture the place. He belonged to a respectable and not unfamed family in Wales, but lie was kidnapped in Bristol, which bad in olden times an unenviable reputation for its slave traffic, and sold while a lad, to a planter in the West Indies. When he gained his liberty he joined the buccaneers in Jamaica.

A Dutchman named Euquemeling, who was a member of Morgan’s gang of pirates, wrote an account of his leader’s exploits, which make him. out to Ire a most blood-thirsty ruffian. For instance his account of the taking of Peurtobello, and of the 15 days of debauchery that followed would scarcely be considered pious enough to Ire given as a Sunday school prize book. Es({uemeling was, however, jealous of his leader, and probably painted him blacker than he really was. No doubt man yfearful things were done, though possibly not by his orders. Towards the end of. 1670 Morgan set sail from Port Royal, with his fleet of piratical vessels. Strangely enough the Government of Jamaica had given him a sort of Commission with the title of iCom-mander-in-Chief, and sanctioned his harrying the Spaniards. As there was no pay given, the buccaneers were told they could keep any booty thov might obtain. Capturing the fortress of Chagres, they followed the river up ns far as they could in canoes, and then set out through the jungle. In ten days they reached Panama City, having endured excessive suffering as they had carried no food with them. The Spaniards had cavalry and artillery as well as infantry, and outnumbered the buccaneers three to one. They also had a huge mob of wild bulls', which they tried to drive over Morgan’s little band. The buccaneers, however, stood last and shot then) down as quickly as they advanced. Soon the maddened beasts turned and galloped over the Spanish, trampling them to death or scattering them in confusion. What a stirring picture the brawny buccaneers must have made in their ragged finery, lighting desperately at close quarters. They were accustomed to dress in the height of fashion, and most extravagantly in the silks and satins, and velvet clothes decked with gold' lace, buckles and jewellery, which they had captured from their enemies. Coming through the tangled bush they had been glad to eat their leather belts and pouches. In fact they reckoned a bit of old shoe-leather wasn’t so bad when they couldn’t get anything better, pro- j vided it was first wetted and then j pounded between two stones to make it tender.

The din of battle must have been terrific, for these days, as added to the thunderous reports of their old muzzle leaders, would ho the shouts and taunts of the pirates, the yells of the Indians driving the maddened mob of wild

bulls, bellowing and trampling, and goring one another; while in rear and in fancied security the Spaniards contented themselves with hurling execrations, and in calling down the wrath of their saints against their enemies. When the bulls turned,' Morgan’s men followed on their tails cheering and chasing them and completing the confusion and slaughter they had begun. The same afternoon they had possession of the city. The plundering lasted for three days, and then the proud city was burnt down. Some say that Morgan himself set fire to it for the sake of safety, as .his men had all gone mad with'drink and would have been easily overcome by a few resolute enemies. It is more probable, however, that some of the men did it accidentally as it was their pleasant little custom to light great fires in the streets wlieie tlic.t would roast oxen whole, or perhaps torture some unfortunate captive to make him reveal the hiding place of

the treasure be was supposed to have, while they drank and danced and sang round them' Esquemeling says there were eight monasteries, two stately churches, and a hospital. They were a H thicklv ornamented with altar pieces and paintings, and there was a ; lume quantity of gold and silver and other precious things. There " C,C A •JOOO houses built of cedar, and they burnt for four weeks. Nothing no.v remains except a few crumbling rums of calcined stone, standing mnongs the scrub on the desolate coast o n muddv sea. Of its former teeming hie there’is no sign, perchance you might

run across a snake or a mournful f “John Crow,” or at any rate a c« thousand mosquitos. But unless you „ av a visit to the shanty where the> i soil drinks, you won’t see any, bar a I lew intrepid sightseers off your own ship. Morgan’s end was in accordance with the traditions of popular no\eists of a certain school. He was put m the Tower where he became a reformed character, was pardoned, and was made Governor General ot where he “lived happily ever aftei.

On the way hack to town we passed the local “hull-ring,” where a bull hgh was in full swing. The gaily dressed crowds put one in mind of a fancy diess , )all . The colours of the senora s dresses ought to be sufficient to scare nnv bull. Late that night the ship cast off and set out oil the last lap of hci voyage While the lights oil Ancon Hill, and round the busy port, faded away m the distance, the fortified islands of Fla mongo, l’orioo. and Naos, loomed llp darkly on the left. Though there is little use in raking up old bitterness one can’t help remembering the " : >y in which the American Government repudiated the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, and how thev broke the Hay-Baunccfote agreement, by building these same forts and by giving preference to their own ships in the matter of tolls and dues. Many British ships trading with Australia and NZ. prefer to go via S UPZ or round the Cape, on account of the heavy charges made on vessels passing through the Panama canal. The cheap coal to he had at Newport News being what attracts most ships: and the coal strikes in England are no doubt adding to the number which follow this route; in addition, of course, to the fast mail boats that in any case try to save a few days. Tt seems a pity that Britain didn’t build a canal across Nicaragua as they .at. one time talked of doing. The scheme appears to bo quite a feasible one, for bake Nicaragua, and the San Juan River would help to form the route.

During the night the “Old Tub passed the famous Peail Islands, where it is said that, Drake captured a great haul of booty from the Spanish when he first circumnavigated Ihe globe round Capo Horn. A couple, of days later the Galapacos Islands hove in sight. They are of some interest as there is still undiscovered treasure buried there. Situated some 600 miles from the coast of South America and almost directly on the Equator, they are owned by the Republic of Ecuador. They were first discovered by an Inca of Peru in the loth Century, and were visited by the Spaniards some 50 years later. Towards the end of the 17th Century these islands became a favourite rendezvous of the buccaneers, who found it io he a handy place in which to share their plunder, and where they could relit their ships and take in water or provisions without being disturbed. Here also they could conveniently meet and plan fresh expeditions. A great deal of treasure was buried by them then, but only a part of it bite been dug up. fn the group tiiere are six large islands and nine small ones, as well as many islets and rocks. The largest is called Albermarle, and is about 72 miles long, the highest part being close on 5000 ft above sea level.

According to the captain, the currents in the sea round these islands are remarkable for their velocity and for the surprising difference in temperature of bodies of water moving a few miles apart. The variation on opposite sides of Albermarle has for instance been found to lie as much as 20 degrees fnhrenheit. Probably this is caused by Humboldt's current flowing from the south to the north and west, meeting the warmer water of the equitorial regions.

The islands are of volcanic formation. Darwin reckons that there are no fewer than 200() orators, of which only two are active. Most of the native birds and reptiles are unknown in any other part of the world. Tortoises are now scarce, and the giant tortoise is rarely to he met with,.hut formerly the principal production of these islands was the terripin or land tortoise known to scientists as the testuda indices. The common turtle however, still is often to he seen floating asleep on the surface of the sea. Teal, ducks, heron, flamingo, etc., are found in the salt lagoons. On two of the islands, Chatham and Alhermarle, there are settlements. Cotton, sugar cane, fruit, vegetables and various grains (except rice) are produced. A number of years

ago, cattle, horses, goats, asses, and swine were landed on these two islands and on a smaller one named Charles IThough they have greatly increased they are very wild, and being difficult of access are not exported. Crossing the Equator is usually the occasion of a great deal of fun and merrymaking at the expense of tbe nn- j initiated. This trip, however, Old | Father Neptune must have been other-, wise engaged, for he failed to put in an j appearance, though it was credibly an-

liounced that an “unusually early bird had seen the “line” before breakfast, and had actually felt the hump as the ship passed over it. The general public are, nevertheless, warned against placing too much reliance in rumours, whether from tho captain’s table or otherwiso.