CHAPTER XXII.

WHAT THE STUDENTS SAW IN THE AZORES.

On the last day of the month, the academy squadron sailed into the harbor of Funchal, arriving from the Canaries in advance of the mail-steamer which sailed from Southampton six days before. The vessels anchored off the Loo Rock; for it was intended by the principal to remain only long enough to take on board the ship’s company of the Ville d’Angers, when the mail-steamer came in.

She did not appear till afternoon; and no one went on shore till that time, not even Don Roderigue, his wife and daughter; for they had been so hospitably entertained, that they were disposed to prolong their stay on board of the Marian as long as possible. The family were even considering an invitation of Judge Rodwood to visit the Western Islands in the steam-yacht. At two o’clock, when the mail-steamer came into the harbor, Mr. Fluxion and Mr. Pelham, each in the first cutter of the vessel under his charge, went to the packet, to receive his portion of the Ville d’Angers’ ship’s company.

The two vice-principals went on board of the steamer as soon as it was allowable to do so. Great was their astonishment when the purser informed them that no such passengers as those they described were on board of the packet.

“They went to Portsmouth in the steamer Ville d’Angers, towing the wreck of the Castle William,” added Mr. Fluxion.

“Oh, yes! I know all about them!” exclaimed the purser. “They picked up the steamer; and she was sold to settle the salvage. The odd gentleman they called a prince bought her; and the ship’s company which brought her there sailed in her for Funchal on the 21st of the month, three days ahead of this packet.”

Mr. Pelham was sent to the American Prince to report this news, while Mr. Fluxion hastened up to the city to see the agent of the principal, who was his banker. This gentleman informed the vice-principal that Capt. O’Hara had visited his office three days before; and, when the banker told him the fleet had gone to the Canary Islands, he had departed, leaving no intimation of his intentions. On inquiry later in the day, he learned that the Ville d’Angers had sailed for Santa Cruz, Teneriffe. Mr. Fluxion hastened to the principal with this intelligence. Mr. Lowington was confounded by it.

“Then they are still roaming over the ocean in that steamer,” said he. “I have no agent or banker in Santa Cruz; and I left no word there as to the destination of the squadron. O’Hara will not be able to obtain any information as to where we are, or are to be.”

“I don’t see that any harm can come to them: they are in a good vessel, and have proved, by their voyage to England and back, that they know how to handle it,” said Mr. Fluxion, laughing. “I suppose Mr. Frisbone is still with them; at any rate, Capt. Fairfield is; and they are attending to their studies, the same as they would if they were on board of the schooners.”

After thinking the matter over, Mr. Lowington was reconciled to the situation. The Ville d’Angers had been gone three days and a half from Madeira. It was time for her to return, even if she followed the fleet to Palma, which had been the last island the squadron had visited. The students were allowed to go on shore in the afternoon, and escort Don Roderigue and his family to their home. A feast was provided for them in the evening, and Dona Maria was as fascinating as ever. But in the evening they bade the family adieu, not expecting to see them again, for they had decided not to go to the Azores in the Marian.

At noon on the following day, as the Ville d’Angers did not appear, the squadron was ordered to sail at once for the Western Islands. The principal left orders with his banker for the steamer to follow him if she put into Madeira again. It was the first day of the month, and the offices were distributed on board of the Prince; but, as one-third of the ship’s company of the other vessels were absent, the award of positions was assigned to an early day after the arrival of the Ville d’Angers’ people.

“But what shall I do?” asked Judge Rodwood, when the principal had issued the order to sail at once.

“You can do as you think best, judge,” answered Mr. Lowington. “If you run over to the Canaries again, you may possibly find this truant steamer.”

“As we have just come from there, I don’t care to go again,” replied the judge. “I think I shall follow you; for I am sure the truants will find you in the end. I am out for a cruise; and I intended to visit all these islands on my way home.”

The Marian followed the squadron; and, after a comfortable run of four days, the fleet anchored off the town of Horta, in the island of Fayal. As the wind was east, the vessels had smooth water; and the students were assembled at once to hear Professor Mapps’s talk about the Azores.

“The Azores are about two thousand miles from Boston, the direction being a little south of east. And the Prince or the Marian would make the voyage in six days, while our schooners, with a smashing breeze all the way, would do it in eight or nine. These islands have received various names; and people now call them indifferently the ‘Western’ and the ‘Azores.’ They are the most western of the four groups of islands lying nearest to the Western Continent; and this explains the first name. The other word comes from the Portuguese _açor_, a hawk; and I suppose the early settlers found that bird here. The Portuguese word is _açores_, with a mark like a comma under the _c_, which makes it sound like an _s_. They have also been called the Flamingos, or Flemish, the latter being the Portuguese for the former. They were so called from the people of Flanders who settled here.

“It is a little odd that these islands, like those we have lately visited, were discovered by navigators who were driven off their course by heavy weather. In this instance it was one J. Vanderberg, a merchant of the city of Bruges, making a voyage to Lisbon, who had the unfortunate good fortune to discover these islands in the year 1431. When Vanderberg finally reached Lisbon, he was imprudent enough to mention his discovery. At this time Portugal was at the height of the wonderful prosperity I have before described to you; and she was ambitious to acquire all the territory she could. An expedition was immediately fitted out, which first visited the Formigas, near St. Mary, which we saw yesterday morning. In due time the Portuguese obtained full possession of all the islands of the group; and have held it to the present time. The revolutions of the mother country have extended to these islands; and it is said that the women displayed more of the spirit of resistance than the men in some of them.

“These islands lie between thirty-six and forty, north latitude, and twenty-five and thirty-two, west longitude. They are a province of the kingdom of Portugal, and are represented in the general Cortes, Madeira and the Azores having five deputies. The islands are subdivided into three districts,--the eastern, western, and central,--according to location. You observe that the islands are considerably scattered, and it takes more than a day’s sail for a fast steamer to go from one extremity of the group to the other.

“Corvo and Flores form the western district. The latter is the larger island, about ten miles by seven; and the other is about half its size. They are of volcanic origin, like all the group; and are mountainous, some of the peaks being about three thousand feet high. Santa Cruz is the chief town of Flores: it is seldom visited by ships, except whalers, which obtain supplies there cheaper than at the other islands.

“The central district is composed of five islands, of which Fayal and Pico are the principal. It is three and a quarter miles across the channel between them at the narrowest place. Fayal takes its name from _faya_, a beech-tree, and is about a dozen miles in diameter. Of its population of thirty thousand, one-third are here in Horta, and the rest in nine villages in the interior. This place is the capital, and it has the best harbor in the island; but it is exposed to winds from the north and north-east, and from the south-east to the south-west. The south-east gales are the worst ones, and they rake the anchorage so that it sometimes becomes necessary for ships to put to sea to keep out of danger.

“Of course you have noticed the high mountain to the south-east of us; it is the peak of Pico, from which the island takes its name. This island is twenty-five miles long, and from two to nine miles wide. It is covered with extinct volcanoes. The sugar-loaf peak of Pico is over seven thousand feet high. The kind of clouds which gather around the mountain indicate the coming weather, so that it is a barometer to those who have the skill to read the signs. The island contains a large population. By the Statesman’s Year Book, I find that the area of these islands is a little less than a thousand square miles, and the population about two hundred and fifty thousand. The grape disease, of which I have spoken before, extended to the Western Islands; and since that time the wine-trade has been very small. The principal production is oranges. The wine from this island was called Pico-Madeira; and it is still manufactured to some extent.

“St. George is thirty miles long, and five wide; and has a peak four thousand feet high in the centre. Griciosa is about seven miles in diameter, and noted for its fertility, producing all kinds of grain in abundance. Terceira was so called because it was the third island discovered by the Portuguese, the word being the feminine of the ordinal ‘third.’ It is about twenty miles in diameter, and exceedingly fertile. It has been called the principal island of the group. Angra was formerly the capital of the islands, and is a larger place than Horta, containing over ten thousand inhabitants, which is a quarter of the population of the island. Its harbor is sheltered from the west by the promontory of Monte Brazil, over five hundred feet high. It is one of the finest of the Atlantic cities.

“Sao Miguel, or St. Michael, is the largest and most populous of the Azores. Its length is variously given from thirty-five to fifty miles and from five to twelve miles wide. Like the other islands, it is full of volcanoes, and is remarkable for some curious changes in its surface; as a grassy plain, covered with trees and foliage, was raised two thousand feet by volcanic action in a year. Old craters become lakes; and I hope you will see an example of this kind here in Fayal. In 1811 an island rose out of the sea, less than two miles from the shore, and the English took possession of it; but when they came to look for their new territory, a few weeks later, it ‘had gone down to drink,’--had disappeared in the ocean.

“Ponta Delgada is considered the third city of the Portuguese Dominion, and is on the south side of this island; its population has been estimated as high as fifty thousand. It looks like most of the Portuguese cities you have seen. The island is very productive, making a large commerce for this city, which is its principal port.

“One of the principal industries of Fayal is basket-making; and stores for the sale of these wares are to be found in Boston and New York. Lace and fine needle-work are also specialties, for the wages of working-women are only a fourth of what they are in the United States. One hundred and fifty dollars a year will support a Portuguese family, but not an American. These islands are very much resorted to by people from our own country who are troubled with pulmonary complaints, though the climate is hardly so free from changes as that of Madeira, and certainly not as Orotava, in the Canaries. Some of us have seen the bark Kate Williams coming out of Boston Harbor, with her deck crowded with passengers for these islands; and one or two other vessels ply between the same city and Fayal.”

The professor finished his talk; and the next morning a boat expedition was organized, in which all the cutters and barges of the fleet took part. Wainwright and Scott, by changing with a couple of officers in the captain’s gig of the Prince, obtained places in the same boat with Dr. Winstock, Sheridan, and Murray. The view from the anchorage was magnificent, covering an expanse of green hill-sides and of burnt and blackened mountains, the highest in sight being the peak of Pico.

“Can you tell me where the Praca Constitution is, doctor?” asked Scott, as he gazed at the pretty white houses of the town.

“I think there was no square of that name when I was here before; but very likely they have one by this time,” replied the surgeon, laughing. “Of course a Spanish or Portuguese town cannot get along without one. On our right is the castle of Santa Cruz; and this name is quite as indispensable as that of the Constitution. Next to it is the mole, where you will land when you go on shore. The hills, which look so steep and rugged in places, are about five hundred feet high.”

“Here is a steep one on the starboard,” added Murray.

“That is only half the height I named. It is Monte Queimada, a volcano. Its sides look like a mass of cinders; but the streets and roads of this vicinity are of the same thing, as are many of the sides of the hills. Now we are approaching Monte da Guia. It is nearly five hundred feet high. That building on this side is a chapel.”

The boats pulled around the point, and soon came to an opening in the cliffs, not more than an eighth of a mile wide, into which the Prince’s gig, leading the way, entered, and proceeded about a quarter of a mile.

“Now we are in the crater of a dead volcano,” said the doctor, after the oarsmen had been directed to lie on their oars. “The inside of it has been blown out by the commotion of the elements, and one side of it has caved in so as to form a passage into it. You can see clearly the form of the crater on the land side. We call these extinct volcanoes; but they are liable to break out anew at any time. Nine years ago the earth was fearfully shaken by internal commotions, so that the people left their houses, under whose falling walls they were in danger of being buried, and lodged in tents. But the ground may open and draw them in at any time.”

The students gazed with wondering interest at the interior of the crater. The fleet of boats then pulled out and around the Point into Pim Bay, an enclosure formed by the peninsula at the end of which is the Caldeira Inferno, as the burnt-out volcano is called, meaning “the caldron of hell,” a name to which it is properly entitled. Pim Bay is only a quarter of a mile wide; but it is perfectly sheltered by the high hills mentioned, and the island, on three sides, but is open on the south-west. It has a castle for its defence; and the streets of the town of Horta extend over to it, so that the port is used for loading small vessels.

The boats returned by noon, and the students were well pleased with the excursion; but most of them were anxious to get out into the country, where the orange-trees were in their glory. After dinner they were permitted to land, and visit the town, or roam on the hill-sides, as they chose.

“Nearly two hundred whale-ships used to come into this port for supplies, and to unload their oil, which was shipped from here to the United States,” said Dr. Winstock, when the party had landed at the mole. “A great many of the people of these islands have engaged in the whale-fishery in our ships, which has induced them to emigrate to our country; and there is a part of New Bedford called ‘New Fayal.’”

“I think I should emigrate if the ground was liable to open and swallow me up,” said Scott.

“The people are used to that sort of thing,” added Murray.

“Used to being swallowed up in the earth!” exclaimed Scott. “I believe it would take me a long time to get used to that sort of thing; for I am inclined to think it hurts.”

“Used to the liability, I mean,” protested Murray.

“That is certainly the case,” said the doctor. “One does not heed danger after he gets used to it. There are thousands of people who would not risk themselves on the ocean, as you do every day of your lives without thinking any thing of it at all.”

The party walked all over the town without seeing any thing that particularly attracted their attention, or that was worth recording. The next day they went to the Caldron, which is an extinct volcano. The crater is five miles around, the sides sloping uniformly down to the depth of seventeen hundred feet, and being covered with grass and foliage of plants. At the bottom is a lake with a small island in the middle of it. This island is a hill having a hole in the top of it, from which the subterranean fires once poured out.

Another day was given to an excursion over to Pico; and then the regular work of the schoolroom was resumed. The squadron remained a week at the port of Horta, wondering why the Ville d’Angers did not come.

“I am afraid my ward has given you the slip altogether,” said Judge Rodwood, when all hands were out of patience at the non-arrival of the steamer.

“I do not think so now; though I had some painful suspicions to that effect in the first of it,” replied Mr. Lowington.

“Capt. O’Hara has certainly had time enough to get here,” added the judge. “It is not more than a three-days’ run from Teneriffe to these islands.”

“Unless the Ville d’Angers returned to Funchal, Capt. O’Hara would not know where to look for the squadron,” argued the principal. “I have no doubt the students are safe enough, and that they will join us some time.”

“There may have been a row on board,” suggested Dr. Phelps. “You remember the captain had some trouble with his crew, according to the English paper which gave us the news.”

“I do not apprehend any thing serious on that account; for the boatswain and the carpenter will obey the orders of the captain, whatever happens; and he has the means to conquer any rebellion with their help.”

“But we have heard nothing from them since the newspaper account, except that they had sailed for Funchal, and then from Funchal for the Canaries,” continued the judge. “Are we to wait here till they come?”

“It is a run of nearly eighteen hundred miles to the Bermudas, which is our next stopping-place; and I should like to see the Ville d’Angers before she sets out on this long voyage,” replied Mr. Lowington. “I have my doubts whether Mr. Frisbone, as he has the invalid sister of his wife with him, will care to go any farther than Madeira; and I depend upon him to assist in keeping things straight on board of the steamer.”

Another day passed, and the Ville d’Angers came not. Mr. Lowington began to be anxious, and the judge was more impatient than ever. At last, after a long conference, it was decided that the two steamers of the fleet should return to the Madeiras in search of the truants. Before night they were on their way; but they were not ten hours out of Horta when the fog settled down upon them, and they were buried in it till they were near their destination. They went into the harbor of Funchal; but the Ville d’Angers had not returned.