CHAP. XII.

STATE OF EXTREME DISTRESS AT THE MOUTH OF THE ARAUCA.

Island at the mouth of the Arauca to which they were to retire;-The British ordered to pass last;-Scene on crossing to it; Skirmishes with Spanish infantry;-Vegetable food still wanting, and carnivorous voracity of the Creoles; -Purchases at last two biscuits which should have been served as rations;-Alarm of tigers raised by Creoles, to plunder the fugitives;-Ordered to return to Caugral, in consequence of a report that the Spaniards had re-crossed; -Recross the Arauca, ordered to halt, and suffocated with sand;-Anecdote of an Irishman;-Dreadful bowel-complaints prevalent;-Ordered to return to the Island, on hearing that the Spaniards had not re-crossed at Caugral, but fast approaching; and consequent scene of confusion; -Reflections on such proceedings;-Starvation and debility;-Extreme thirst, inability to crawl to the river, and fraud of a Creole who is paid to bring a little water ;Relieved by an Irishman with coarse spirit;-Prepare to cross to the Island, and mode of conducting mules;-Anec, dote of the Creoles and the yoking of horses or mules ;Crossing to the Island now unnecessary, the report of the Spaniards advancing being untrue;-Takes up residence

in the bush, and advised to return to Angostura, but leave refused;-Reflections on the seduction of British troops into such a country ;-Various and harassing reports;— Incapability of the Creoles to liberate themselves;-Passport to return at last granted;-Difficulty of finding a vessel; A flechero at last found;-Sinks on the sand, unable to reach it, and is carried on board ;-State when on board;-Sad reflections ;-Recovered by nourishment.

THE Arauca discharges itself into an arm or branch of the Orinoco, here about a mile in breadth, which assists in forming the island, to which we were now retreating. Paez, on former occasions, took possession of this island when driven to the greatest extremities, because there the Spaniards (having no vessels on the Orinoco) cannot follow him. Orders accordingly came from the general that the boats should first convey the emigration to the island, and that none of the English were to pass till they received further orders.

Here about a dozen of us, and one English soldier's wife with two infant children, were left on a very large bank of sand, as hot as fire, without any kind of shelter from the sun's rays; and, for some time, we were at a loss what to do. I advised the poor woman to go into one of the boats, with her children,

which she did; but the master insisted on her leaving it. The wretched woman, fell on her knees and implored of this man to give her a passage on account of her infants, as they were both dreadfully scorched with the heat, and she was afraid the youngest of them would die; but commiseration was unknown to the inhuman mind of this monster, and he peremptorily ordered her to quit the boat.

There was one of the English gentlemen, who spoke tolerable Spanish, and he told the master that the poor woman was very unwell, that most of us were in the same condition, that he was a medical man, and that it was at his peril, therefore, if he refused to admit us into his boat. He talked of having positive orders to prevent the passage of the English till the emigration had all got to the island; but the brute did not seem to be sure if these orders extended to the sick, and finding him thus wavering, we took possession of the boat which we would on no account leave. We thus effected our escape from these unsheltered burning sands to the

island (called the island of Urbana) which is always sheltered by the thickest foliage.)

Paez continued to guard our retreat, and had several skirmishes with the Spanish infantry; but their cavalry, which we understood were very bad, never made their appearance.

Still we were deprived of every kind of vegetable food; and, by the insolence of the Creoles, even the tasteless carne was obtained with difficulty. The very great quantity of fresh beef, which these fellows consume, is truly wonderful. There were four of them, partly Indians, and partly Creoles, stationed in the next bush to me, and I hesitate not in saying that they scarcely ever ceased eating fresh beef from day-break till bed-time, with which they were plentifully supplied by their countrymen; yet they were lean and sickly

This evening there were a few biscuits offered for sale, at half a dollar each, two of which I purchased, and consumed with a degree of pleasure, far beyond what I ever thought I should experience from eating a

dry biscuit. These were the very biscuits, which had been stolen at Caugral, and sold in this island when they ought to have been served out as rations, according to the instructions of the Supreme Chief.

and cry,

About 9 o'clock (at night, after we had gone to rest, we were alarmed with a howl which issued from various parts, of a tiger having made his appearance among the hammocks. This produced great alarm, especially among the women; and, as it is always right to defend ourselves, we drew our swords, and loaded our pistols, while the women ran in every direction, scarcely knowing whither. After some time, we found that there were indeed tigers in the neighbourhood, but none among us at the time. Some of the villainous Creoles had raised the cry to terrify as many as they could, while another party watched the places which had been evacuated, and stole every kind of property they could lay their hands on. They tried the experiment a second time, but we collected together, and gave the whole party a sound beating, which settled the tiger.