518 Adventures in Colombia. [Nov. 



respective garrisons. Such was the state of affairs in the eastern pro- 

 vinces of Venezuela at the latter end of the year 1817. How different 

 had been the operations of the " great army" (as it was called) under 

 the personal command of the " Supreme Chief !" Continual defeat, and 

 a succession of disasters the almost total want of every necessary 

 munition to which may be added a woeful laxity of discipline alto- 

 gether combined to create a feeling of despondency, which must neces- 

 sarily have proved fatal to the cause of liberty, had not the reported 

 near arrival of the English auxiliaries acted as a stimulant to revive the 

 drooping spirits of the patriot troops, at the same time that it furnished 

 Boh" var with an excuse to absent himself for a while from the scene of 

 his reverses. He longed to pluck from the brows of Marino and Piar 

 the laurels which they had gained in the east ; and the first moment of 

 his arrival at Angostura was occupied in the attempt to tarnish the repu- 

 tation of these two generals. He sought to obtain possession of their 

 persons either by stratagem or force. With Marino his efforts proved 

 unavailing : the young chief was not to be lured by the first, and evinced 

 a disposition to resist any aggression of the other. He had been fortu- 

 nate enough to discover, and render abortive, a plan which had been laid 

 for his assassination. Two officers of his personal staff had been tampered 

 with by Bermudez,* and offered high rank in the republican army as the 

 price of their crime. These men, however, spurned the proposal with 

 indignation, and lost no time in acquainting Marino with his danger, 

 who, in consequence, took steps to avoid it. Thus placed upon his 

 guard, when he received Bolivar's mandate to meet him at Angostura, 

 for the avowed purpose of holding a conference on political affairs, he 

 replied to the summons, by the messenger who had brought it, " that 

 he would have the honour of waiting upon his excellency, but he feared 

 his suite might be deemed too numerous, and suitable accommodation 

 inconvenient to be found, since his troops, to the amount of two thou- 

 sand men, had unanimously volunteered to accompany him." As it may 

 be easily surmised, the visit was dispensed with by Bolivar, who sent 

 General Urdanetta to propose terms, which were eventually acceded to. 

 Piar, less fortunate, and perhaps more confiding than his companion in 

 arms, fell into the snare laid for his destruction. Some confidential emis- 

 saries of the " Supreme Chief," who had been despatched for the purpose, 

 contrived to seize his person in the night ; and so sudden and unex- 

 pected was his apprehension, that the ill-fated general was bound, and 

 embarked in the gun-boat destined to convey him to Angostura, ere he 

 had time to make an appeal to his own party, who would otherwise 

 doubtless have attempted a rescue. 



We will now return to Edward Winton, whom we left indulging his 

 reveries on the platform. The raised position on which he stood gave 

 him a panoramic view of the " Almeida," or public promenade, which 

 extended for some distance along the banks of the river, until it was inter- 

 sected by a deep ditch or moat, which had been dug to act as a drain to 



* At a subsequent period, the author was present at an interview which took place at 

 a small village in the province of Cumana, between Marino and Bermudez ; and, being 

 aware of the circumstance above related, could not help (by his looks) testifying some sur- 

 prise at the apparent cordiality with which the latter general threw himself into the arms of 

 the former, as likewise at the friendly warmth of his expressions. Marino, who had noticed 

 this astonishment, embraced an opportunity of whispering, Las palabras sont talientes, 

 pero, el curazon es siempre frio. " His words are warm, but his heart is ever cold." 



