University of Virginia Library

7. CHAPTER VII.

Thus we continued with little alteration in our treatment
for three months, which appeared three hundred to
me! One afternoon, however, I heard the door open,
and thinking it was Dennis, I turned to look at him,
when I beheld not Dennis, but two men whom I had
never seen before with no very favourable indications to
judge from their looks. They appeared, however, to be
people of distinction, and speaking to me in the Spanish
language, enquired who brought me the books or how I
acquired them: but I made them no answer, although I
understood them perfectly, having learned a little of the
language from Dennis and from books which were sent
to me by his mistress. They stayed but a few minutes,
and in the course of an hour, by which time it was nearly
dark, four other men came in armed. These brought
with them a heavy plank, and laying me forcibly on my
back, chained me fast to the plank so that I could move
neither hand nor foot. In order to ascertain whether
or not I was to be starved to death, I pointed to some
food and desired something to eat; but whether they understood
me or not is immaterial, for they gave me none.
These savages not satisfied with this act of cruelty shut
all the doors and retired.

Next morning, about ten o'clock, a fierce looking
Spaniard came to me and fed me (or attempted to do so)
with a spoon, but I refused to swallow the wretched stuff,
which was a mixture of red pepper and fat of some description!
He gave me a few spoonfuls of water and
then retired. Wilson had likewise been visited by the
same men who first visited me, but though they had shut
him up in darkness and changed his food to bread and
water, he was still unchained. I suggested, however,
the possibility of his suffering a similar fate, as these
barbarians seemed to delight in cruelty. His liberty,
however, gave me some consolation, although I was myself
dying of hunger and thirst. I charged him to guard

with the strictest care our place of communication in the
wall, lest a discovery might subject us to still worse
treatment, if worse could be. My cruel keeper appeared
no more that day, and I suffered beyond description
both for food and water. Next morning he brought
me the same fare he had done the preceding day and
some water, which last I desired him by signs to give
me in the first place, but the monster gave me but a few
spoonsful before he left off and proceeded to feed me with
the nauseous stuff already mentioned, which hunger had
converted into palatable food. Thus was I used by these
detestable cold blooded Spaniards, with little abatement
for three months. But I shrink from the task (even at
this distance of time) to recapitulate such unheard of
cruelty; how nature sustained such immeasurable calamities
is incredible. In the meantime, I was again attacked
with a fever, which was attended with such dangerous
symptons that the tyrants unbound me: of this,
however, I had not the least recollection, being as formerly
deprived of my reason.

Upon recovering my senses, the first thing I saw was
Dennis and a tall figure dressed in a black gown, which
I took to be a priest; he was in the act of addressing
something to the D—l no doubt, as God could have nothing
to do with such a religion as their's. “Our Holy
Religion” was all that I could understand. As respects the
sanctity of his religion, I leave the world to judge. He
was standing over me with his hands spread out, while
Dennis, the good old man, was anointing the wounds inflicted
on my arms and legs by the chains. After muttering
something which I did not understand, the priest
withdrew. “Ah!” said Dennis, “it is a netarnel
shame to sarve a christian like a brute-baste, they would
no more do sich a thing at home thin they would make
me king of Ingland—Oh, the jezziuites for to go for to
massacre a body alive and to cut the flesh off the bones,
they are nothing but a parcel of hathens that ought to
be extreminated off of the face of the earth.” “I think
as you do,” said I, “Dennis, how do you do my friend?”
“And is it you that's spaking, and I'm glad to hear
that, why lord love your sowl and honour, you have been

a dying these two months, and starved to death and raving
and not able to howld up your head and famished.”
I interrupted him to enquire about his mistress and Wilson,
and how I came to be unbound—“Och! my-stars,
if you had seen my lady how she was distracted all the
time. She says she won't live in a country that the divil
himself would-nt live in, and sure it was I that arged
her on. I tould her about the green meadows and the
fares and the beautiful locks and growves in Ireland,
and says I to her, if you was to see that country my lady,
you would never live in this here savage land.”

Welcome as was the appearance of Dennis and the
sound of his voice, yet his tedious manner of coming to
the point was provoking, and bringing him back to the
question, he immediately mounted his hobby again.
“The man that kept the prison came to our house one
day, and so I ups and axes how you was—Says he to me,
my trouble will soon be over—Why the lord presarve
me, says I, the man aint agoin to die—I hope so, said
he, it will be better for him to be out of his misery at
once—Holy Virgin, says I, and my measter ought to
know that.” “And it is to your kindness I owe my
life,” said I “Stop till I tell you; where is the lint?
I'me sure I had it just now,” said Dennis, engaged in
binding up my sores, seemingly unmindful of what he
was going to say. “Och, there was the terriblest rout
ever you see; my master was had up before the Audinus,
and had like to a bin sint across the ocean to Spain, and
thin there was my lady a breaking her heart, and could'nt
ate for grafe itself. Och! there was the terriblest hubbleshoo
ever you heared in your born days. The first of
my knowin, here comes a parcel of great he fellows with
pistols and cutlasses and drags my master out of his
house, and my lady a hangin to him and scraming and
begin for to go with him. Calling to me, Dennis, where
are you, said she, and there was I between hawk and
buzzard, and so behold ye, to make short of a long story,
in the very hithe of the fray here comes orders from the
Spanish Consul in the States, not to lay the weight of
their finger on ye or they would be made to smoke for it;
and so my lads was obliged to come too. But do take a

drop of this wine, it 'ill help to strengthen you and hale
your inside.” “My outside I think is in more need of
healing,” said I.

“And you may well say that, for you was fairly rotten,
matchless alive! if you had a knowed what a pickle
you was in when I took you in hand, and my lady come
to see you, and nointed your sores with balsam, and put
lint on them and helped me to wash them, that's a lady
for you—catch them divils a doin sich thing, no they'd
rather cut your throat.—And if you had seen how cast
down she was, `Dennis,' says she, `save his life, if he
dies I shall never know a happy hour.'

“But for the love of God never let-on that I tould you
a word, for she would be displased with me if she knew
that. Plase fortune but I wish you were out of this
cursed place, and if it should turn out as they say, that you
are a great man and you and my mistress should—Well, it
doesn't signify talking—but after all, sich things has
happened, and I should be rejoiced—for thin we could
lave this country, and I might stand a chance to see my
native land once more. But this is all between ourselves:
if it wasn't for my lady I wouldn't care a haperth to lave
it to night.”

“But you havn't told me a word about Wilson yet,
Dennis, is he well?”

“Aye, you may well ask that whin he's bin in a dale of
trouble about you, and has bin sick too, but he's well
now, because I wint to see him every day, and carry him
victuals, since the orders I bin telling you about, come.
The orders said how one Bonnypart was married to his
cousin, and that he would make war upon the country,
and pull an old house over their heads, and play hob, and
be the ruination of us all. And I tould my lady that
you was attached to the young man—or maybe I should
a said he was attached to you: but I declare you look like
a shadow—do ate something.”

“Well, proceed Dennis,” said I.

“Well, I tould my lady that you were sworn friends,
and I'll be bound,” says I, “if the young man gets out
of prison by the help of this Bonnyface, (or whatever his
name is) he'll never laive his friend in the lurch—if he
did, he ought to be hanged

“The poor sowl grieved sore enough about you, and
said the whole States would be upon them and take away
their country—Lord sind how soon!”

Being somewhat gratified to learn that Government
had interfered in our favour, I enquired of Dennis what
figure that was standing over me when he came in.

“Love your sowl, it was father Antonio; my lady
tould him about you, and that you was a dying, and begged
him to come and see you. She wouldn't for the
world, that you should die without a praist, and so he
came.”

“I thank your lady, Dennis, but I have no faith in
these priests.”

“My lady wouldn't like to hear that, thin, for she
thinks the world and all of father Antonio.”

Not willing to enter into an argument with this warmhearted
Irishman, upon the subject of a religion which
held its votaries in such abominable ignorance, converting
the most sublime truths into the most palpable falsehoods,—I
enquired what had become of my cruel
keeper.

“Oh, the divil may care what is become of him! not
to give you an ill answer—I dont know, but my lady and
my master will be rejoiced to hear that you are getting
over it, and your honour had better be shaved and put on
some clane clothes and smart up a little. And my lady
will be here too, for she niver missed a day since I had
the management of matters.”

Finding myself too feeble to converse, I told Dennis
I would try to sleep a little, and to come in the course
of an hour or so, when I would try to be shaved and
dressed. After he left me I called Wilson, several
times, but received no answer: and thinking that perhaps
he was asleep, I gave myself no uneasiness, and
fell into a sweet slumber.

In the course of an hour Dennis returned, and several
other men with him. Perceiving from the smile in
Dennis' countenance, that something had occurred in my
favour. I felt no apprehension on the appearance of the
strangers.

“Plaise fortune,” said Dennis, “you may be lifted
up[1] now, this is the gentleman,” said Dennis to the
men, “you'll have to take him aisy, for he's as sore as
a piece of beef.”

Dennis, assisted by the others, took hold of me in the
tenderest manner, and carrying me out of the dungeon,
placed me on a carriage, or rather a bier, and conveyed
me into a clean comfortable apartment, where, to my
great surprise, I found Wilson.

We were soon left to ourselves and mutual congratulations
followed. Our raptures were such, upon this
sudden and unlooked for change in our treatment, that
our recent calamity appeared to be a dream. Wilson,
though emaciated, and much wounded by the chains with
which he had been loaded, was not in so deplorable a
condition as myself. It plainly appeared that the same
vindictiveness had not been extended to him which had
to me: from what reason, neither of us, from that day
to this have been able to discover, unless it was the overwinning
kindness of the Intendants daughter in combining
with Dennis to suppress the news of my recovery,
after my first illness.

Our prison, for we still were in one, was lighted with
windows, and furnished with beds, chairs, tables, and
looking-glasses. In short, we lacked nothing but our
liberty to make us happy. In a short time two servants
entered with wine and other suitable refreshments, followed
by Dennis with clean clothes, water for washing,
and razors for shaving. After partaking, together, of
the good things that were brought to us, we underwent
a thorough cleansing; and with the assistance of Dennis
got off our beards, which were full four inches in length:
being informed by Dennis that his master, the Intendant,
was to pay us a visit that evening. After putting our
room in order, he and the other servants withdrew.

In the meantime Wilson related to me the particulars
which had occurred during my last sickness, and the occasional
incidents connected with it—as follows:

“On the day that you were so barbarously chained
down to the floor of your dungeon, the same merciless
crew visited me; they stormed at me, in their language,
so loud that I was stunned by the noise. They seized
the lamp, which was burning at the time, blew it out,
and chaining me to the ring in the wall, left me hardly
room enough to stir. They then left me, sending nothing
but bread and water ever since. But my distress
on my own account was nothing, compared to that
which I felt on yours. I continued to console and amuse
you until you became insensible to every thing.”

In the evening we were visited by the Intendant, who
was a tall, slim, straight figure, between forty and fifty
years of age, of a very dark complexion, his face oval,
his visage thin, his eyes small and black, his countenance
mild and pleasing, though he saluted us rather stiffly.—
He addressed us in the English language and enquired
after our health. Supposing that he had a share in the
mitigation of our punishment, we, (at least I did) strove
to suppress the heartfelt grudge which rankled in our
bosoms—it would have been dangerous to vent our displeasure
at proceedings, over which this man, perhaps,
had no controul.

We replied to his enquiries in terms of politeness: and
he on his part lamented that it fell to his lot to augment
our misfortunes, but hoped they would soon be at an
end. The first opportunity that offered, I enquired
“whether he had heard any thing, lately, from Spain
or the United States, respecting our captivity?” He
replied.

“That he had seen a letter from the Consul resident
of his Catholic Majesty, stating expressly, that we must
be detained in custody until further orders; but must be
treated with mildness, and debarred from nothing to render
our situation comfortable—that it was in consequence
of this mandate that we had been removed to our present
place of confinement, and that it was the first and the
only official instructions they had received.”

I asked him “if he was aware of the cause which
gave rise to the inhuman treatment I received after my
first illness?” but he appeared (and no doubt was) ignorant

of the cause. He said the orders came exclusively
from the audiance, that he himself narrowly escaped
disgrace for conniving at the mitigation extended to us
in our confinement. though he was totally ignorant of
the particular circumstance which gave offence.

“He had” he said, “represented to the audiance that
one of the prisoners was sick, and perhaps dangerously
so. I was then ordered to take off your chains and send
some one, who understood your language, to attend you
until you recovered. I therefore sent a domestic of my
own, upon whose fidelity I knew I could depend. And
whatever it was that gave offence to the officers of the
Government in your case, must have been done by this
man, for I went no further than simply to comply with
my orders.”

Wilson asked to be furnished with pen, ink, and paper,
and for leave to write to his friends. To this the
Intendant replied,

“That he had no orders either to permit or restrict
us from writing: but was charged to suffer no communication
between us and any person whatever, without
leave from the Viceroy. But,” said he, “you can
write what you wish, provided you allow me to submit
the substance to the audiance.”

Upon enquiry respecting the time we might expect an
answer, should we despatch a letter that week, he informed
us it would be three months, at least. After some
desultary conversation he took his leave, assuring
us that every attention would be paid to our ease and
comfort.

Wilson and I were surprised at the silence and neglect
of our friends, though doubtless it was through them
that our imprisonment had been softened. For myself,
I had no friends to interfere, but I flattered myself that
Wilson's father would undoubtedly hear of his son's captivity,
and hazard every thing to relieve him. While
we were indulging in vain conjectures on this unaccountable
conduct of our friends, the door opened and Captain
T. stood before us!!