Part 51 (2/2)
The man, who still breathed, was hoisted on deck, and placed under the surgeon's hands.
Strange to say, he seemed next morning to outward appearance not much the worse for his accident.
From that day, however, he was in reality a changed man. Once among the most high-spirited and joyous of the crew, he became melancholy and silent, though he went through his duty as usual. About a month afterwards, as Adair was going forward, he saw a whitehaired man sitting on the coamings of the fore-hatchway.
”Where did that old man come from?” he asked of s.n.a.t.c.hblock.
”I never saw so strange a thing in all my life, sir,” was the answer.
”Last night when he turned in his hair was as black as mine, and this morning, when the hammocks were piped up, it was as you see it. _That man, sir, is Ned Somers_!”
Adair could scarcely believe what he heard till he spoke to poor Ned, who, however, not having a looking-gla.s.s, did not seem to be aware of the change. After this he grew weaker and weaker; his nervous system, when he fell overboard, had received a shock which was too much for him.
Murray had resolved to send him home, when the surgeon reported that the poor fellow had not many hours to live. Before night he breathed his last, and was buried in the seaman's wide sepulchre, the Ocean. He survived the accident scarcely three months.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
UP THE PARANA--MURRAY'S FOREBODINGS--BATTLE OF PUNTA OBLIGADO--ATTACKED BY FIREs.h.i.+PS--SCHOONER BLOWS UP--JACK AND MURRAY PERFORM A GALLANT EXPLOIT--MURRAY WOUNDED--THE BATTERIES STORMED--TOM AND GERALD CARRIED OFF BY GAUCHOS.
”Hurrah! my boy, there is a prospect of more glorious or, at all events, more exciting work than slave-hunting,” exclaimed Adair, as he came on board the _Supplejack_ from the _Tudor_, both vessels then lying in Rio harbour.
”When? where?” asked Jack.
”Up the Parana, and immediately, as far as I can make out. Murray has just received his orders, and you will get yours before the day is many hours longer. I conclude that small vessels are wanted for the work, so you are certain to be sent.”
”Has Murray heard what we are to do when we get there?” asked Jack.
”Yes, to force our way up the river, which a certain General Rosas, calling himself President of Buenos Ayres, has taken it into his head no one shall do; and so, of course, he will attempt to stop us.”
”Who is the fellow? I don't think I have ever heard of him before,”
said Jack.
”Nor did I till Murray told me, and, as he reads everything, he, of course, knew all about the matter. You have an atlas, just get it out, and I will try and impart the information Murray gave me.
”The river Parana, you see, runs a course of many miles nearly north and south before it runs into the river Plate. On the east side are the provinces of Paraguay, Entre Rios, and Banda Oriental, and on the west and south those of Santa Fe and Buenos Ayres, comprised under the general name of La Plata. General Rosas wants to unite these provinces under one confederation, and to make himself dictator or emperor.
”Another party calling themselves Unitarios want to unite them into one state, and have, for this slight difference of opinion, for several years done their best to knock each other on the head. His troops having blockaded Monte Video and captured some French merchantmen, the French have, therefore, sent a squadron to take satisfaction, and open up the commerce of the river Plate.
”We are going to join them, as the Buenos Ayrians have treated some of our merchantmen in the same way, and Rosas dares us to do our worst, and declares that up the river we shall not go.
”By an old treaty it appears that the English and French governments having guaranteed the integrity of the Banda Oriental, Rosas was ordered to withdraw his troops from the territory, and as he refused to do so, his squadron besieging Monte Video has been taken from him, while the province of Paraguay, and that of Corrientes, have combined to overthrow his power. In revenge for this, he has closed the outlets of their rivers, so as to put an effectual stop to their foreign commerce.
”The Parana, though it looks of no great size on the map, is broad and deep, and even large vessels may make their way some four or five hundred miles up it.
”The French squadron and some English s.h.i.+ps are already off Monte Video, and as soon as we and the other vessels join them we are to begin the ascent of the river. Here is Monte Video, on the northern sh.o.r.e of this wide river of La Plata, which, however, looks more like a huge gulf than what we call a river in Europe, and here, some way up on the southern bank, is Buenos Ayres. There was a fearful ruffian, called Orribe, who got the upper hand in some of these provinces, and murdered all his opponents who fell into his power; he therefore got the appropriate name of the 'butcher.'
”Don Rosas, with a devoted army of gauchos, the wild hors.e.m.e.n of the Pampas, united with him, and the two mild-mannered gentlemen together endeavoured to get possession of Monte Video, but, being defeated, Rosas has since wisely kept to his own side of the river.
”Besides the hors.e.m.e.n, he has managed to get together a good supply of heavy guns and flying artillery, with which he expects to send us to the right about, and our business will be to show him that he is mistaken.
<script>