Sketches From My Life | Page 9

with the
Paraguayans that I saw an instance of want of tact which struck me as
most remarkable. Fighting being over, diplomacy stepped in, and a man
of somewhat high rank in that service was sent to make friendly
overtures to the authorities. Can it be believed (I do not say it as a sneer
against diplomacy, for this blunder was really _unique_), this big man
had scarcely finished the pipe of peace which he smoked with the
authorities, when he proposed to introduce vaccination and tracts
among the people? Badly as the poor fellows felt the licking they had
received, and much as they feared another should they give trouble to
the invaders, they so resented our representative's meddling that he
found it better to beat a hasty retreat, and to send a wiser man in his
stead. But their fate was sealed, and from the moment the stranger put
his foot into this interesting country dates its entire change. The system
that the Jesuits established was quickly done away with. Paraguay is
now a part of the Argentine Republic, it is generally at war with some
of its neighbours, and its inhabitants are poor, disorderly, and wretched.
As I shall have, while telling the story of my life, to relate more serious
events, I will, after recounting one more yarn, not weary my readers
with the little uninteresting details of my youthful adventures, but pass
over the next three years or so, at which time, after having returned to
England, I was appointed to another ship going to South America, for
the purpose of putting down the slave trade in the Brazils. The
adventure to which I have referred was one that made a deep
impression on my mind, as being of a most tragic nature.
While at Rio de Janeiro we were in the habit of visiting among the
people, attending dances, &c. I always remarked that the pretty young
Brazilian girls liked dancing with the fresh young English sailors better
than with their mud-coloured companions of the male sex, the
inhabitants of the country.
At the time I write of the English were not liked by the Brazilians,
partly on account of the raid we were then making on the slave trade,
partly through the usual jealousy always felt by the ignorant towards
the enlightened. So with the men we were seldom or ever on good

terms, but with the girls somehow sailors always contrive to be friends.
It was at one of the dances I have spoken of that the scene I am about to
describe took place.
Among the pretty girls who attended the ball was one prettier perhaps
than any of her companions; indeed, she was called the belle of Rio
Janeiro. I will not attempt to portray her, but I must own she was far
too bewitching for the peace of heart of her many admirers, and
unhappily she was an unmitigated flirt in every sense of the word.
Now there was a young Brazilian nobleman who had, as he thought,
been making very successful progress towards winning this girl's
heart--if she had a heart. All was progressing smoothly enough till
these hapless English sailors arrived.
Then, perhaps with the object of making her lover jealous (a very
common though dangerous game), Mademoiselle pretended (for I
presume it was pretence) to be immensely smitten with one of them--a
handsome young midshipman whom we will call A.
At the ball where the incident I refer to occurred, she danced once with
him, twice with him, and was about to start with him a third time, when,
to the astonishment of the lookers-on, of whom I formed part, the
young Brazilian rushed into the middle of the room where the couple
were standing, walked close up to them and spat in A.'s face.
Before the aggressor could look round him, he found himself sprawling
on the floor, knocked by the angry Briton into what is commonly called
'a cocked hat.' Not a word was spoken. A. wiped his face, led his
partner to a seat and came straight to me, putting his arm in mine and
leading me into the verandah. The Brazilian picked himself up and
came also into the verandah; in less time than I can write it a hostile
meeting was settled, pistols were procured, and we (I say we, because I
had undertaken to act as A.'s friend, and the Brazilian had also engaged
a friend) sauntered into the garden as if for a stroll.
It was a most lovely moonlight night, such a night as can only be seen

in the tropics.
I should mention that the chief actors in the coming conflict had neither
of them seen twenty years, and we their seconds were considerably
under that age. The aggressor,