52 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
lean villainous physiognomy, supported a lank, long-armed 
and long-shinned carcass, in lieutenant’s epaulettes, replied 
in French, u Ah^ mon frere Frangais ,” and immediately 
gave orders for us to land. The boat therefore ran through 
the surf, grazed upon the rocks, and lay dry on the beach. 
CHAPTER IV. 
Mother Earth—Revolution—Americans and British in Prison—A Guard— 
A Governor—An Interview—An Alcalde—A Passport—A running Sa¬ 
lute—Cries for Air and Water—Despair—A Horrid Night—Starvation 
—Dungeons—A Demand—Signals—A course adopted—A Leaf of His¬ 
tory—General Echuanda and his Deeds—A Tennessean Hunter and a 
Clerk—A Camp Formed—A League—A March—An Attack—A Ban¬ 
ishment—Independence—An old Method of Rewarding Friends—A No¬ 
tification—A Junto—Wagers and Senoritas—A Stratagem and its Con¬ 
sequences—Names of Prisoners. 
On the land ! The human frame derives its vital elements 
from the generous land ! The earth is our mother, and she 
seems to rejoice when her children tread her threshold and 
ask her for bread and happiness. 
We inquired the cause of the reported tumult in the coun¬ 
try, and were answered in brief whispers ! The speakers 
looked cautiously around them for listening ears and Spanish 
rapiers. It was difficult to find a man with an English tongue 
and a white skin, who dared converse alone with us on any 
subject. Indeed, it was impossible to do so. For whenever 
the attempt was made, some Spaniard drew stealthily near to 
listen! And when the gentleman from the ship left the land¬ 
ing for the town, in company with some American and British 
residents, the government officers mingled among them, and 
changed the conversation as often as it turned upon what they 
