That trying-out is curious work to those who have never seen it. Along the decks were the huge tripods, with fires blazing under them, and the crew standing round begrimed with smoke and oil, putting in the blubber, while others, as soon as the oil was extracted, were filling the casks and stowing them below. All night long the work went on, and there was no stopping till the huge monster had been stripped of his warm coat, and we had bailed the oil out of its big head, which had meantime been made fast to the stern.
Dollars are pleasant things to pick up, but I must find some pleasanter way for gathering them than this, I said to myself. However, for more than two years I hadnt a chance of returning to Callao. When at last the whaler put in there and landed me, I found that an earthquake had occurred, and the ground opened and swallowed up my father-in-law, and my wife with all her family. My wifes uncle, however, had escaped, and he received me very kindly, and more so that, as I had made a good voyage in the whaler, my pockets were full of dollars. They, however, went at last.
One day I was thinking what I should do next, when he told me that several vessels were fitting out in the harbour, to make a cruise among the
islands of the Pacific, just to pick up some labourers for the mines. Its pretty hard work up in the mountains there, and most of our native Peruvians who used to work in them have died out, he observed. Theres a merchant in our city who is going to make a grand speculation, and as Englishmen have shares in most of the mines, of course he is assisted with English capital, which our country could not supply. Now if you like to ship on board one of these vessels, you will find the pay good, the voyage short, and but little risk.
I thought to myself that I could not do better. I had served too long on board a slaver to think much of the work proposed. There was no difference that I could see between a black skin and a brown skin, and as I had assisted to carry some thousands of black men across to the east coast of America, I did not scruple to undertake to carry as many brown men as could be picked up to the west coast. To be sure, the natives of those bright and sunny islands, unaccustomed to work, might not find it very pleasant to be carried away to labour high up among the rocks and snows of the Andes, but that was no business of mine.
I accordingly shipped on board one of several vessels fitted out by the enterprising merchant I spoke of. The Andorinha carried thirty hands besides the captain and mate, and we had four guns and plenty of small arms. Our orders were to proceed direct to the nearest islands, and to carry off as many of the inhabitants as we could get on board, but we were to try stratagem first, and by every means in our power induce them to, visit the ship. As soon as we had collected as many as we were likely to entice on board, we were to put them below and shut down the hatches, and sail away with them.
The plan was simple, and I thought it would succeed. Should they object to make the voyage and attempt to regain their liberty, we had our arms, and were to use them, but we were advised not to kill more people than we could help, as each was likely to fetch fifty or sixty dollars on shore.
Before sailing, the merchant who had fitted out our vessel came on board with several friends, and the crew being called on deck, he addressed the captain and us, telling us that we were about to engage in an enterprise likely to prove of great value to Peru, but all was to be done by fair and honourable means. That we were to visit various islands, and to engage the industrious inhabitants to come and labour in our beautiful country for good wages, where they would also have the benefit of being instructed in the Christian faith and become good Catholics, to the great advantage of their souls. We were to treat them kindly and gently, and to give them the best of everything, so that they would not fail, by their gratitude, to show how highly they valued the service we should render them.
I could not help grinning when I heard this, knowing the way that matters were really to be managed. The speech was made just to hoodwink the authorities, and for the benefit of the merchants friends, who, if they were not to profit by the adventure, might have found some fault with the way in which it was really to be carried on.
The Andorinha was a large vessel, and we calculated that we could stow away five or six hundred people on board her.
Seven other vessels being fitted out, we sailed together in company, our first destination being Easter Island, which lies in latitude 27 degrees South and 109 degrees West, some distance from the coast of Chili.
Light winds detained us, but at length we made the island, which is high and rocky and about thirty-six miles in circumference. The inhabitants, of the same race as the rest of the Eastern Pacific, and somewhat less savage than most of them, were living in villages, at peace among themselves.