Part 3

_Sunday, May 24._--The necessary operation of heaving in on our stern-fasts was early attended to. The hull had, during the night, been labouring heavily, and was a good deal displaced from her position of yesterday: the wind was northerly, and the rollers broke so heavily, that the surf passed over its usual mark, and rolled far up towards the mound of sand on which we were encamped; moving the boats, and several articles which were laying, as was supposed, on a spot free from the approach of the surf. This day had been set apart as a day of rest; and we were about to make arrangements for performing divine service, when a party of horsemen were seen approaching from the direction of Arauco. They proved to be twelve men belonging to the militia established there, under the charge of Don Bernardino Hermosillo, a captain in that corps, who brought a letter for Captain Seymour from Mr. Jagoe, one of the officers despatched to Concepçion, reporting their progress, and that every facility would be given in the further course of their destination. It appeared that our shipmates were received at Arauco with great kindness by the Chilian authorities, who immediately ordered to Molquillo (the place of wreck) the above party, with a view, as the Spanish despatch of Don José Bustermente to the minister of the interior afterwards expressed, “to prevent robbery and extortion, and to advise and aid in resisting any attack that the Indians might be induced to make from the attraction this misfortune might present to them for pillage.” To send a force capable of ensuring protection to us was not in their power. This party was accompanied by the Cacique Pinoleo, his wife and daughter, with an escort of several Indians, all mounted; he presented the captain with a small ox, supposing us to be straitened for provisions. We offered them a little rum and water, and biscuit; and, after a long interview, the cacique and party retired to the tent of Rafael Lobo, and eventually to the hills. Pinoleo is a fine powerful-looking man, but understood to be very absolute and passionate. The captain had, in thanking him for his present, regretted his having nothing to offer him in return for his kindness; which caused him to rise, and, with great vehemence of expression, in his Indian language, to declaim against the supposition that, in our condition he should seek for a return. Pinoleo is the brother of Colissi, the cacique, who, with the aid of 100 carbineers of Arauco, was fighting and keeping in check Cadin, the hostile cacique of Jucapel and Tirua. He was the most civilised-looking of the caciques which we had occasion to meet. He wore a cloth cap with a gold-lace band; had a very large set of bolas round his waist, under his poncho, with the usual knife. His wife (who, we were informed, was one of many) and daughter were much ornamented with glass bead necklaces, and small silver plates, bits of brass or other metal, strung round their heads and necks: they wore, over their feet and legs, boots made of the skins of a colt’s legs, the hair inside, the knee part forming the heel of the foot, and the rest so shaped as to prove a convenient part of dress. A small handkerchief bound round their heads, and a band of braided beads in the form of a crown, confined their hair. They managed their horses equally as well as the men, riding in the same manner. The captain, and one or two of the officers, found a few presents for the ladies, which caused much pleasure to their party. We shortly after heard that, in a fit of drunkenness, Pinoleo had killed this wife, by knocking her on the head with his bolas: this occurred at the hut of a poor Indian, who had taken pains to entertain Pinoleo and party, as liberally as his means would allow, at supper. On this Indian he called for an indemnification for the loss of his wife, and the payment of a sum of dollars, which had led to the misunderstanding with his wife; but, not having it in his power to satisfy the cacique, he was forced to fly from his lands, his property of cattle becoming the prey of Pinoleo. Such is the present state of justice between man and man in the province of Arauco.

Our worthy shipmate, Mr. Sarjeant, the purser, with his intimate knowledge of the Spanish language, was the source of all our communication with the Chilinos, and, through an interpreter, with the Indians: his valuable assistance was of vital importance to all; but his patience was sadly tried, from the unceasing calls made on his attention as spokesman.

A tent was erected outside our line of camp for our new force of Chilinos; who zealously commenced the important service of establishing a line of scouts, in the direction of the hostile Indians, amongst the hills to the southward. Don Bernardino liked not the vicinity of our Indian look-out, aware, as he stated he was to us, of their frequent acts of treachery. To his party we spared a daily proportion of our provisions, which, in addition to an occasional forage to the northward, which some of them made, fully satisfied their wants. Through Don Bernardino we were enabled to obtain, from some one of the caciques, a bullock or two, which were driven down to our camp for beef; and from the hills were brought, by the daily straggling Indians, a moderate number of fowls, with potatoes and apples, for which the officers and crew bartered whatever they had to spare that attracted the rapacity of the Indian. The weather, towards night, became thick, the surf sounding loud and heavily. Our usual precautions were taken in watching through the night.

_May 25._--We were roused just before one this morning by Don Bernardino, who came to the camp with information, brought by a horseman just arrived, that the Indians had yesterday been fighting near us, and might shortly be expected; recommending us to be on our guard against their insidious mode of attack, particularly about daybreak, and, like them, “to sleep by day and watch by night.” The seamen and marines were instantly under arms. The captain made his disposition of our force, by putting the seamen in quarter watches, the marines forming a fifth body, each under an officer. Rockets and blue lights, and fire-balls, which we had made, were in readiness to throw amongst the horses. Fires were kept in, torches burnt, and all hands paraded the camp till daylight, when tea was made for the ship’s company, and an hour or two of rest permitted. The party on board, under the second lieutenant, were equally on the alert, firing an occasional great gun, double-shotted, to aid the demonstration of our watchfulness. The ship had been so uneasy during the night, that the best bower-anchor had been dropped, to steady her bow to the surf. Anxiety was expressed by the party of Chilinos for us to move from our present encampment to the entrance of a small river, twenty miles to the northward of us, as adding much to our safety from the Indians, from its defensible situation, and being the nearest spot from which any approach could be made from sea to afford us relief; the difficulties of a more distant land journey being impracticable under the circumstances in which we were placed, and the necessity of only moving with our arms, provisions, and several sick. Don Bernardino had, in the first moment of his arrival, urged our moving, pointing out the danger of remaining, not only on account of the hostile Indians, but the liability of the flat on which we were being overflowed by the sea, as well as flooded by the heavy rains which, at that season of the year, might be hourly expected to fall; also stating that, though they might possibly be able to collect horses and mules, to assist our movement, whilst the weather remained dry, yet that, as they must necessarily come from a great distance, and from the neighbourhood of Arauco, the first rains would drive them to their homes again, fearing the impassable state of the country. At night a strong armed watch was on the look-out in the camp, and scouts kept at the distance of a few miles, in the direction of the hostile Indians.

Light winds from the southward, with occasional fog. The evident necessity of strengthening our position, as a precaution against the liability of an attack from the Indians, caused all hands, after attending to the cables attached to the wreck, to be employed in forming such a barricade around our tents as might prove at least a check to the approach of cavalry. The result of this day’s labour, to those who witnessed it, will long be with proud satisfaction called to mind, as a proof of what the stimulated energies of British seamen can accomplish: they forgot their former fatigue, and, “turning-to” with a good will, boats, cordage, casks, and every description of stores useful for defence, were carried on their shoulders, or laboriously dragged over the heavy sand; and the fortified state of our camp, by digging trenches, constructing barriers and platforms for our two boat-guns, which we had got out of the ship, and bringing aft the long-bow guns on board, so as to flank our encampment, reflected the greatest credit on every individual who shared in this day’s labour. Our works were afterwards improved; and, though the known bravery of the Indians is not to be despised, they would have bought a severe lesson by attacking us. Still, regret must have attended any sacrifice in such bootless warfare; and we have just reason to conclude that their knowledge of our prepared state constituted our security from molestation. The surprise of the numerous straggling Indians, who were lookers-on at our laborious efforts, was evidently very great, and, it is certain, excited a strong feeling of respect towards us.

It has been already observed, that the seamen were divided into four quarter watches; three of them commanded by a lieutenant, and the master in charge of the fourth. A fair and equal division of the fire-arms was made: those who had no musket had a pistol, cutlas, or pike. Each quarter watch had their appointed station, to form in when called out under arms. The marines formed in the centre of the camp, and intended to act, as necessary, in support of the weakest point.

It was understood that silence was strictly to be kept, and not a shot fired until orders were given from the captain. All were regularly mustered, under arms, every night before supper; the arms discharged and reloaded, and the necessary steps taken to ensure their readiness for use. The two boat cannonades were each in charge of a quarter watch. At night every body slept with their arms by their side. Besides the sentinels, who called out the half hours throughout the night, a watchword was established, and an officer and midshipman were constantly moving about the encampment and visiting the posts. Such were the precautions used in our endeavours to secure our camp. The Indians, who brought from the hills each his grass-net of apples, potatoes, or fowls, to exchange with us for whatever we had, were requested to carry on their marketing in a small mound of sand, about 100 yards from us; and we put up a staff, with a cross, to indicate the spot, getting an interpreter to explain what we wished: for it was of infinite consequence to prevent an acquaintance with our camp. They smiled at our arrangement, but were not displeased, and for some time they adhered to our desire with tolerable regularity. The Indians had brought each day some supply of poultry, which the crew obtained from them, at first, at an easy rate of exchange, and they willingly received buttons or bits of metal in return: the eagerness, however, of the sailor to add the luxury of a fowl to his mess of salt meat caused the cunning Indian to demand articles of dress: an old shirt was what they coveted much; and a jacket was also among the articles eagerly sought for. On each of our batteries was fixed a flag-staff, to which a union-jack was secured, and kept constantly flying. A full supply of grape, canister, and round shot was piled on each platform, which was composed of cannonade slides sunk into the sand. These guns, as well as those on the stern of the wreck, were almost every evening discharged and reloaded, preparatory for the night. None could go in or out of the encampment without being seen by the sentinels; and at night the watchword was demanded of all who moved out of their tents. Don Bernardino kept us constantly on the alert with regard to the Indians. He had, with the consent of Captain Seymour, despatched an express to the governor of the frontier town of Arauco, begging him to use his authority in collecting seventy horses and thirty mules, to be driven down to the coast to assist in transporting our provisions and baggage to the Rio Leubu, that being the spot from whence we could alone hope to be relieved.

_Tuesday, May 26._--Light north-westerly winds and clear weather. Observations were taken, by means of a false horizon, by the master and master-assistant, for a latitude and longitude of the encampment, which gave the latitude 37° 48′ 48″ s., and longitude 73° 34′ 30″ w. The wreck bore from the camp s.w. by w. We now felt a great satisfaction and security in our barricade. Our sick list numbered about ten, who were unfit for active work. Several of the ten were laid up from over work or rheumatic attacks, the result of their being constantly wet in labouring at the wreck.

On board the Challenger, at the time of her disaster, was a Spaniard, who had been engaged in the affair of the Falkland Islands, and was one of the Gauchos who had been taken as concerned in the murders committed there in 1833. He had been released, and was a passenger from Rio de Janeiro, to be landed at Valparaiso; but he had frequently exhibited such symptoms of mental derangement, that it became necessary to secure him in his hammock. On the day the evening of which we were wrecked, he had been unusually unruly, and was therefore placed under restraint. In the moment of the greatest danger, on the striking of the ship amongst the breakers, one of the first who ran on deck was the Spaniard, with scarcely any covering on him. He must have broken away from the lashings which secured him, appeared perfectly sane, and prepared to assist in the duties of the ship; and, singular to relate, on no occasion afterwards, during the whole time of our stay on the shores of Chili, was there observed any return of wildness. He was very useful in the camp, from his skill in cutting out and applying the hides of the bullocks to the fabrication of moccassins.

_Wednesday, May 27._--The wind northerly, with thick weather and fog. One watch was occupied at the wreck, getting out any undamaged articles of provisions, private property, or stores that could be got at. The quantity of water in the holds, however, prevented much being done. About mid-day, the Cacique Pinoleo, with his wife and daughter, and several followers, arrived at our camp. He was on his road to join his brother, the Cacique Colissi, who had sent for more assistance to make head against the hostile Indians, with whom he had been fighting. After collecting and mustering the Indians around our camp, and treating us with their war-whoop, he left us to join his brother, strengthening his force with the greater part of Rafael Lobo’s Indians. The daily routine of mustering under arms, with every precaution against a surprise during the night, was duly attended to. The night was damp and foggy.

_Thursday, May 28._--The weather moderate, the wind northerly, with a damp fog. Except the necessary attention to the stream-cable fasts, and the working of the pumps, the crew were allowed a respite from their previous daily hard labours, the occupation of to-day being the arrangement of the interior of the tents, and the examination of their clothes and bedding, and likewise cleaning and sweeping inside the barricade, and making storage of the provisions. By the captain’s order a survey was taken by the second lieutenant, Mr. Collins, Mr. M’Donald, the master, and Mr. Barclay, the carpenter, to ascertain, if possible, the principal damage received in the hull of the wreck. Towards sunset it was observed that the stern-post was left dry in the drawback of the surf; and, from the forming of a sand-bank outside the ship, the iron stock of the best bower-anchor was at times visible about half the ship’s length ahead of her. The current through the surf to the southward along shore appeared unusually strong; the weather to seaward dark and gloomy, with the appearance of an approach of a strong northerly gale. At 5 A.M. mustered under arms, and supplied what ammunition was necessary; discharged the arms, and reloaded; and likewise on board the wreck. A messenger arrived from the governor of Arauco to Don Bernardino, acknowledging our request to have horses and mules collected for our removal to the banks of the Rio Leubu, and promising the exertion of all his authority to forward so important an object. The wind increased as the night advanced.

_May 29._--The weather dry, but with strong breezes, and cloudy from the northward; an unusually heavy surf rolling in on the beach, breaking with great violence and height on the breakers to seaward: the ship very uneasy, so much so as to threaten a separation of the decks from the lower body of the ship; to relieve her the foremast was cut away, and driven up on the beach to the southward, and the larboard sheet-anchor let go, the mainmast and bowsprit being the only spars now standing. A second small anchor was got on shore to assist in steadying the wreck, with the fore-gaugers and chain-messenger bent to it and hove taut. As the duty permitted, the officers and men were allowed to stroll to some little distance from the camp; and, with one of the Chilinos as a guide and interpreter, a party was occasionally made, in accordance with inclination, as well as appetite, in search of game of any description that might assist in adding to and varying our dinner. Persuaded by Don Bernardino, who furnished horses, the captain, with Mr. Sarjeant and a guide, rode for an hour two or in the direction of the ground pointed out by Rafael Lobo, and as far as the Cacique Cheuquante’s residence, over the hills north of us, distant about two leagues. There they found one of Pinoleo’s wives and a daughter, and attendants. They passed on their road one of the few evidences of a burial-ground which was seen by us. It was a spot of ten or twelve yards square, securely fenced by trunks of large trees piled round, the ends being rudely morticed into each other. The beauty and luxuriance of the country on the hills was a great contrast to the barren sandy flat on which we were situated. The variety and size of the evergreens were most striking. Many trees which bore fruit were also pointed out as much esteemed and eaten by the Indians: some cranberries were also gathered. Abundance of partridges were seen. At 4 P.M. Mr. Lane, the assistant-surgeon, arrived from Concepçion, bringing the welcome intelligence that his companion, Mr. Jagoe, with the consul, Mr. Rouse, were on their road to us, and hoped to reach our camp on the next day. Mr. Rouse was bringing with him several mules laden with articles which he considered we might have need of, as spirits and bread; not knowing of our success in saving out of the ship sufficient provisions for the present support of all. These mules delayed his movements; he, therefore, very properly, had pushed Mr. Lane on with a safe guide to convey to the captain, with as little delay as possible, a reply to his letter, naturally supposing the anxious suspense we were under to hear from him. The consul was also bringing some presents, to conciliate the good-will of the caciques on the road and around our encampment. Towards sunset our camp was put in movement by the appearance, through the distant haze to the southward, of an approach of several groups of horsemen, and a mounted scout was sent by Don Bernardino to reconnoitre. They turned out to be some of Cheuquante’s Indians, who were returning from the late battles fought by Colissi against the hostile Indians. Towards night it blew a heavy gale: its effect on the sand, which we were on, was most inconvenient and annoying, finding its way into every thing inside the tents.

_Saturday, May 30._--Strong gales from the northward, with heavy rains, which penetrated the tents a good deal, causing many attempts on the part of the sleepers, during the night, to discover the driest spot inside to lie down on. Daylight saw a crowded group huddled together in the centre of the tent, as being the most free from rain. It was necessary to turn all hands on the pumps to clear the holds of as much water as possible, in order to endeavour to get at the remainder of the provisions, which might have escaped injury. The heavy surf which broke this day on the ship made her very uneasy. Amongst the articles secured to-day, out of the after-hold, were a quantity of salt provisions and other articles, many of which were too much damaged for use, the whole of the lower frame of the ship having been a long time under the influence of sea-water. The provisions and spirits were carefully transported to the camp; the latter placed in the officers’ tent; the former ranged outside of it, in a trench, and covered with sand, thus securing and steadying the tent.

At 12 30′ P.M. we experienced a severe shock of an earthquake, causing a very strong vibration to every article in our tents, and instantly arousing several who were asleep, resting from fatigue. An account of the whole of the provisions saved was carefully taken, and such daily issues made to the crew, under the management of Mr. Sarjeant, the purser, as the quantity of the various species would admit of. The precaution of securing a large proportion of our bread, at the moment of our disaster, and putting it into casks, proved of the greatest consequence to us; for, although it ran short, the third, and afterwards, as long as it lasted, a fourth, of the established daily allowance was of infinite service to us. The powder cases from the magazines, many of which were got out, were discovered not in every instance to have resisted the wet; yet we fortunately had an ample supply for all our necessities. The weather broke a little towards the evening, but with frequent squalls, attended by heavy rain.