The Campaigns and Cruises in Venezuela, by a British Officer,
who was no less than thirteen years in South America, is the richest collection of facts respecting that extraordinary country, that has perhaps yet been published. His narrative abounds in strange scenes, in wild adventures, in the horrid atrocities of a Guerra a la Muerta, varied by descriptions of scenery and natural productions, of a brilliancy and luxuriant diversity only to be found on the swampy marshes which border the vast Orinoco, or amidst the deep and tangled thickets of Guayana. The number of works which have appeared during the last ten years on South America, naturally diminish the appetite for information respecting that con- tinent, and have in some measure satisfied the curiosity of the reading public: there is, however, as yet agreat deal to be learned, more especially of Venezuela, and the neighbouring provinces; which now form apart of the vast republic of Columbia. The first of these three volumes contains the author's narrative of his proceedings while first in the servic,eof Columbia, and after- wards in that of Chili. The,seconcl width:std. volumes consist ot. tales illustrative of Venezuelan manners and morals, and are un- doubtedly curious and interesting. The author's power of sketch- ing scenery is, however, his forte : there are scattered up and down these volumes some of the most striking descriptions of Western landscapes to be found in the whole round of our South American writers : the pencil could not do more, for instance, than the pen has done, in the following brief sketch of the scenery after entering the Orinoco.
" The scenery in this part of the river is strikingly beautiful ; and when viewed from a ship's deck as she glides slowly along the smooth water, presents a magnificent moving panorama. The banks, on each side, are covered with impervious forests of majestic trees ; chained, as it were, to each other by the bejaco, or gigantic creepily,t' plant of South America, which grows to the thickness of an ordinary cable. These ancient trees, when decayed through length of years (for the axe of the woodsman has never yet resounded in these wilds), are supported upright by these enor- mous plants, which bear a striking resemblance to the huge water-snakes that lurk in the swamps beneath. There are many other parasitical plants, which bear flowers of various brilliant colours, forming festoons on the trees to which they cling. Among the branches, monkeys of every de- scription gambol, and follow the vessel, springing from tree to tree by means of the bejuco, which has obtained from this circumstance its Indian name of monkey's ladder.' The most conspicuous, among this mischievous tribe, is the araguato, a large red monkey, always seen in herds, the young ones clinging to their mothers' shoulders. These are very destructive among the plantations, where they pull up and destroy more roots and fruit than they eat or carry away. Their howling, during the night, is much louder than could be supposed possible, considering the size of the animal. The noise they make may be easily fancied to proceed from panthers, or other large beasts of prey. This is so much the case, that after leaving Angostura with the army, three English soldiers who had deserted (when the troops landed in the evening for the purpose of cooking), and who proposed returning by land to the city, were so terrified by the noises made by these animals in the nsiddle of the night, that they hailed the boats which had anchored out in the stream, and begged to be taken on board again, declaring that they were surrounded by tigers. Parrots and macaws, with twang and other birds of beautiful plumage, complete this splendid picture, and fill the air with their discordant streams, to which the metallic note of the tlarra, or bell- bird, responds at measured intervals ; at one moment sounding close to the ear, and the next dying away in the distance. lip the small creeks, which are completely embowered by magnificent evergreens, are seen pe- licans, spoon-bills, and garzons, or gigantic cranes, all busily employed in fishing. When to this is added the occasional appearance of that tyrant of the stream, the alligator, floating in conscious superiority among the bulky manatis, and the more agile toninos, which are incessantly rising and blowing in shoals, the scene altogether may be imagined, but cannot be adequately described."
The author's description of the alligator is the best and most striking that we have seen: for this reason, and because it con- firms Mr. WATERTON'S story of his mounting one as it was dragged from the river, and for which that gentleman has been very unceremoniously treated, we have great pleasure in trans- ferring it to our columns.
"The alligators are of enormous size in these retired streams, which, If we may judge by the numbers found here, they seem to prefer to the larger rivers. We had, therefore, many opportunities of observing their
form and habits. This animal, which is called cayman by the Indians, is by no means so active as it has generally been described. Even in the water, where, from its conformation, it must be more particularly capable of exertion, its movements are far from being rapid or sudden ; and it appears chiefly to trust, at all times, to surprise for taking its prey. On land, it is remarkably awkward, and heavy in its motions, and is evi- dently incapable of pursuing any animal with a chance of success. It is scarcely ever found at any great distance from the river, or lagoon, which it haunts ; and, in general, when the swamps are dried up (spy the exces- sive tropical heats, it prefers remaining in the mud in a torpid state, to wandering farther in search of water. The exertion necessary for the cayman to use in dragging itself up the bank, when it leaves the water, for the purpose of laying eggs or basking in the sun, appears very great. Its legs, indeed, appear but ill-adapted, both in size and position, to the weight they have to support, so that it has nothing whatever of the acti- vity that distinguishes all the rest of the lizard genus. Although it is amphibious, water appears to be the element most natural to it ; for it passes the greater part of its time in it, and retreats thither on any alarm. It is frequently to be seen sleeping afloat on the water; at which time it is enabled to continue respiration, in consequence of the concave curve of its head, by which its nostrils and eyes can remain above water, while every other part of the body is below. It is a mistake to suppose, that they are always obliged to go on shore for the purpose of devouring their prey. They can manage this, by raising their heads out of the wa- ter, in the same manner in which the seal is seen to eat fish, when too far out at sea to admit of his carrying it on shore ; and few objects appear so truly farouche as a group of large alligators feasting on a horse while floating down the stream. The violence with which they tear off whole limbs, and the noise their tusks make when they close their vast jaws in the act of chewing, are indescribable. If disturbed, when on the land, they appear to be in the most awkward state of alarm, and flounder down to the water in the clumsiest manner possible. They have, at that time, no leisure for offensive or defensive warfare ; and may be attacked, and killed with a lance, without attempting to offer any resistance. It is dan. gerous, however, to intrude between them and the water ; as the mere weight of the animal would render it impossible to stop its progress ; and the violent motion of its tail, in its exertions to retreat, would endanger the limbs of an assailant.
"It lays about thirty or forty eggs in the sand, of an oval shape, six inches long, and covered with a tough membrane, which differs from that enclosing the turtle's eggs, in having a small quantity of brittle shell on the outside. These were constantly eaten by the river Indians, and occasionally by us when provisions were scarce; notwithstanding the disagreeable smell of musk that distinguishes the cayman, and is so strong as to infect the air in the places frequented by it. The young alligators, immediately on breaking their shell, show symptoms of their innate ferocity, by biting at every thing presented to them. They will, even then, allow themselves to be lifted from the ground by a stick, which they seize in their mouth, and cling to obstinately. They are frequently seen when very young, rest- ing on the back of the full-grown cayman, when in the water; but we are not authorized to suppose that they attach themselves to their parents for protection, as is sometimes asserted. They merely climb up, unnoticed, in Search of a resting-place ; as they also do on floating logs of wood, and roots of trees under the banks. Neither is there any, foundation whatever for the story, so often repeated, of the cayman.. bringing her newly-hatched young down to the river on her back ; in fact, no animal that deposits its eggs in the sand, takes any farther notice of, or interest in them. When there is much noise or agitation in the water,—as for instance, if a drove of horses are swim- .
ming across a river, or a number of men are bathing or wading in the same place,—there is little danger to be apprehended from the alligators, although hundreds of them may be near. They lie in wait, however, for • the colts and weak horses that arc left behind, and seldom fail to inter- cept one or two of them.
"The ca./11)11in is greatly to be dreaded, after it has once tasted man's. flesh ; for, like all beasts of prey, it will then brave every danger to obtain this aliment, which it prefers to any other. It is then said to be cebado, for it will lie in wait for bathers, who may be carelessly sitting on the banks of the rivers ; and for washerwomen, who are all day employed there : and will allow itself to float gently towards them with the stream, raising its eyes and nostrils, at intervals, above the water, to ascertain if it be near enough for an attack. Should it succeed in approaching them unobserved, whin often happens, it strikes the victim. whom it has selected, a sudden and violent blow, with the tail. This seldom fails of throwing it into the water, where it falls an easy prey to the voracious animal. There are, however, instances of persons freeing themselves from the cayman's jaws, by having the presence of mind to stab it in the eyes, which invariably compels it to loose its hold. It is, perhaps, needless to add, that this operation must be performed with some sharp and hard instrument ; and that it would be the height of im- prudence to trust to the fingers for gouging the animal ;—even though it be asserted, that an Indian girl once saved herself in this manner. " When an Indian has occasion to swim across any pass of a river, known to be the haunt of a dangerous alligator, he provides himself with a stout stick, of about eighteen inches in length, sharpened at both ends. Should he be attacked by one, while in the water, he presents the stick to its expanded jaws ; and, as the cayman endeavours ravenously to seize him, the sharp points of the stick pierce the roof of the mouth and un- der-jaw, in such a manner as to render it incapable of extricating itself. The Indian may then with safety kill it, or leave it to drown ; which, as it is unable to close its jaws, quickly ensues."
Sharks are similarly treated, with a short pointed stick, by the pearl-divers in the gulf of California.
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