Voyage of the Liberdade

ailors-Buccaneers turned pilots-Sail down the river-Arrive at Ilha Grande the second time

ore than the sensitive Brazilians could stand-so chafing them that a retaliation fever sprung up reaching more than the heat of febre marello, and they decided to teach their republican cousins a wholesome lesson. However, their wish was to retaliate without causing war, and it was done. In fact, closing ports as they did at the beginning of Argentine's most

no answer. Thence we sailed to Buenos Aires, where I telegraphed again for instructions. The officers of the guard-ship, upon receiving my report from Brazil, were convulsed with laughter, while I--I confess it-could not see the joke. After waiting two days,

f one's misfortunes or even drive one to despair. I concluded, finally, to shake the lot of them, and proceeding up the Parana, moored again at the berth where, a few weeks before, we had taken in the cargo. Spans and tackle were rigged, and all was made ready to discharge. It was now, "

asoning to show me that the least expensive course was the safest one for me to adopt, and my merchant offering enough to pay the marketing, I f

charcoal, carrying it at first, to his credit be it said, on his back, and he was then a good fellow. Many a hard

myself finally less agitated in mind. My old friend, Don Manuel, se

less lamented. Among all the ship-brokers that I knew at Rosario, and I knew a great many, not one was taken away. They all escaped, being, it was thought, epidemic-

he ships. Crews were picked up here and there, out of the few brothels that had not been pulled down during the cholera, and out of the streets or from the fields. Some, too, came in from the bush. Mixed among them were many that had been let out of the prisons all over the country, so t

upon further acquaintance, he had probably merited. I could not make myself easy upon the first acquaintance of my new and decidedly ill-featured crew. So, early the first evening I brought the bark to anchor, and made all snug before dark for prudent reasons. Next morning, the Greek, instead of getting the bark underweigh, as I expected him to do, came to me demanding more pay for his services and thinking, maybe, that I could not do without him

all the pilots, while they hunched their shoulders above their ears, exclaiming, "No practico, no possebla!" This was my second trip down the Parana, it is true, and I had been on other rivers as wonderful as this one, and had, moreover, read Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi," which gives no end of information

van! So the duffers followed us, instead of our following them, and on we came, all clear, with the good wishes of the officers and the crews. But the pilots, drawing their shoulders up and repeating the refrain, "No practico, no p

dimmest outline of a headland through the haze. I knew the place, I thought, and Garfield said he could smell land, fog or coal-tar. This, it will be admitted, was reassuring. A school of merry porpoises that gambolled under the bows while we stood confidently in for the land, diving and crossing the bark's course in every direction, also guarded her from danger. I knew that so long as deep-sea porpoises kept wi

f our port was visible through the haze of grey morning. What Garfield had smelled, I may mention,

d into the harbour for the second time with this cargo of hay. It was still very foggy, and all

riends began to come in. They found us there all

o pratique in Rio, where we arrived May 11th, putting one more day between ourselves and our friendly competitors, who finally arrived safe, all except

ht to, all standing, on the bar; the tide running like a mill race at the tim

y to obey the orders of the port authorities which, however, should have been tempered with reason. It was easy for them in th

at a cost to the ship, if she were not American, of fifteen shillings for the first shot, thirty for the second, and six

ing again identified by the officers, we weighed anchor for the last time on this