The Wanderers | Page 2

you
in the days of trouble will be pay enough; only just say I may go,
master dear, and shure I'll be grateful to ye from the bottom of my
heart."
My father could not resist Tim's earnest entreaties, and so it was agreed
that he should form one of the party.
It was a sad day for us all when we set out on that rapid journey
southward in the waggon, without wishing goodbye to any one.
Baltimore, however, was safely reached, and without delay we got on
board the good ship the Loyal Briton, which immediately set sail.
My father seemed to breathe more freely when we were clear of the
harbour. Our chief consolation was, that Uncle Paul and Arthur would
soon rejoin us, as they expected to be ready for the next ship--to sail in
about a month--and they would not have the difficulty in getting off
which my father had experienced. It is a satisfaction to me to believe
that, had they not been able to remain behind to make arrangements
with his creditors, my father would not have left the country in the
secret way he did; but the laws in those days were very severe, and had
he not escaped, he might have been shut up in prison without the means
being allowed him of paying his debts, while we all should have been
well-nigh reduced to penury. Had such, however, been the case, I am
very sure that Uncle Paul and Arthur would have done their utmost to
support my mother and Marian, while I might soon have been able to
obtain employment. This is a subject, however, I would rather not
dwell upon. Whether my father acted wrongly or rightly, it is not for
me to decide; but I hold to the opinion that a man under such
circumstances should remain, and boldly face all difficulties.
We had a prosperous voyage, and my father and mother appeared to
recover their spirits. Marian and I enjoyed it excessively, as it was the
first time we had been on the sea. We took delight in watching the
strange fish which came swimming round the ship, or which gambolled
on the waves, or the birds which circled overhead; or in gazing by night
at the countless stars in the clear heavens, or at the phosphorescence
which at times covered the ocean, making it appear as if it had been

changed into a sea of fire.
At length we sighted the northern shore of the island which for a time
was to be our home. As we drew near we gazed at it with deep interest,
but were sadly disappointed on seeing only a lofty ridge of barren rocks
rising out of the water, and extending from east to west.
"Shure it would be a hard matter to grow sugar or coffee on that sort of
ground!" exclaimed Tim, pointing towards the unattractive-looking
coast.
"Stay till we pass through the `Dragons' Mouths' and enter the Gulf of
Paria," observed the captain. "You will have reason to alter your
opinion then, my lad."
We stood on with a fair and fresh breeze through the "Boca Grande,"
one of the entrances into the gulf, when a scene more beautiful than I
had ever before beheld burst on our view. On our right hand appeared
the mountains of Cumana, on the mainland of South America, their
summits towering to the clouds; on our left rose up the lofty precipices
of Trinidad, covered to their topmost height with numerous trees, their
green foliage contrasting with the intense blue of the sky. The shore, as
far as the eye could reach, was fringed with mangrove-trees, their
branches dipping into the sea. Astern were the four entrances to the bay,
called by Columbus the `Dragons' Mouths,' with verdant craggy isles
between them; while on our larboard bow, the western shore of the
island extended as far as the eye could reach, with ranges of green hills
intersected by valleys with glittering streams like chains of silver
running down their sides, towards the azure waters of the gulf.
We brought up in Chagaramus Bay, the then chief port of Trinidad, and
the next morning we went on shore at Port Royal; for Port of Spain, the
present capital, was at that time but a small fishing-village. Several
other vessels having arrived about the same time, there was much
bustle in the place; and although numerous monks were moving about,
no questions were asked at my father as to the religion he professed. It
was, as he had supposed would be the case, taken for granted that we
were, like the rest of the people, Roman Catholics.

He lost no time in selecting an estate at the northern end of the island,
near the foot