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Our limbs felt horribly cramped, yet we almost feared to stretch them, and the enforced delay was fast diminishing our chances of escape. The dawning light might show us the route, but it would also set the soldiers on our heels. Altogether, I was rather inclined to envy Barriero, sleeping peacefully in his hut.
"Why not build a bridge?" suggested Alzura. "And use our bodies as part of the foundations," said Barriero, laughing. "If you make any more idiotic remarks, Alzura, I'll throw you into the lake." "All right," said he. "You'll be sorry when Crawford and I escape and leave you behind." "I've a long time to wait," replied Barriero, "so I'll pass some of it in sleep."
He ordered us to draw up in line, called our names from the list, hoped we should be comfortable, ordered the sergeant to put in irons any man who disobeyed him, wished us all good-morning in courtly old-world style, stepped into his boat, and was rowed away. "Not a word about attempting to escape!" remarked Barriero. The sergeant heard the remark, and said with a laugh, "It is needless, señor.
Any hot-blooded enterprise, I knew well, appealed to him strongly; but this one required cool, dogged patience and nerves of iron. Barriero was a brave fellow too, but he honestly admitted he would rather be shot than try to cross the morass in the dark. As for me, I trembled at the thought of taking part in so hazardous an enterprise.
"Your advice is good, sergeant, and I intend to profit by it," cried Barriero. "We saw one man slip when we were crossing, and I shan't forget his face in a hurry. Caramba! it makes me shiver yet." "Besides," continued the sergeant, "suppose that by some miracle you cross the marsh, what would happen then? You would die of hunger. But I will grant you a further miracle.
An old acquaintance, who has also since done well in the world, is Barriero. When the victory at Ayacucho became known, the prisoners on the island rose in revolt, and overpowered their guards. Barriero placed himself at their head, seized all the arms and ammunition, and formed the patriots into a company.
These men were supposed to keep a sharp lookout, but nothing had happened for so long a time that their duty was mostly a matter of form. However, Barriero kept watch while we each stripped and made a bundle of our food and clothes to carry on our heads. "Good-bye, old man," we said to him when we were quite ready; and he, gripping our hands, whispered back,
Follow your guides, and walk carefully; you will not enjoy sinking in the quagmires." We appreciated his advice more when, about half-way across, a stout middle-aged major, missing his footing, plunged into the liquid mud. In an instant he was immersed to the chin, and but for Barriero, who grasped his head, would have disappeared altogether.
How kind of them to think we need a change! I say, Barriero, don't you think this is an improvement on Alzura's plan?" Barriero, who was one of the couple in front of us, laughed and said, "Well, I can't say yet. I'll tell you when I know more about it."
Knowing the terrible nature of the morass, they concluded we were both dead, and returned to the island with the tidings. We learned this long afterwards from Barriero, who told us how he had mourned our sad fate, and blamed himself repeatedly for having let us go.
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