The Forest Exiles: The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon

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Reid Mayne. The Forest Exiles: The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon

Chapter One. The biggest Wood in the World

Chapter Two. The Refugees

Chapter Three. The Poison-Trees

Chapter Four. The Supper of Guapo

Chapter Five. The Puna

Chapter Six. The wild Bull of the Puna

Chapter Seven. The “Vaquero.”

Chapter Eight. Llamas, Alpacos, Vicuñas, And Guanacos

Chapter Nine. A Vicuña Hunt

Chapter Ten. Capturing a Condor

Chapter Eleven. The Perils of a Peruvian Road

Chapter Twelve. Encounter upon a Cliff

Chapter Thirteen. The lone Cross in the Forest

Chapter Fourteen. The deserted Mission

Chapter Fifteen. The Guaco and the Coral Snake

Chapter Sixteen. The Palm-Woods

Chapter Seventeen. A House of Palms

Chapter Eighteen. Tracking the Tapir

Chapter Nineteen. The poisoned Arrows

Chapter Twenty. The Milk-Tree

Chapter Twenty One. The Cannibal Fish and the Gymnotus

Chapter Twenty Two. The Cinchona-Trees

Chapter Twenty Three. A Pair of slow Goers

Chapter Twenty Four. The Bark-Hunters

Chapter Twenty Five. The Puma and the great Ant-Bear

Chapter Twenty Six. Attack of the White Ants

Chapter Twenty Seven. The Ant-Lion

Chapter Twenty Eight. The Tatou-Poyou and the Deer Carcass

Chapter Twenty Nine. An Armadillo Hunt

Chapter Thirty. The Ocelot

Chapter Thirty One. A Family of Jaguars

Chapter Thirty Two. The Raft

Chapter Thirty Three. The Guardian Brother

Chapter Thirty Four. The Vampire

Chapter Thirty Five. The Marimondas

Chapter Thirty Six. The Monkey Mother

Chapter Thirty Seven. An unexpected Guest

Chapter Thirty Eight. The Crocodile and Capivaras

Chapter Thirty Nine. Fight of the Jaguar and Crocodile

Chapter Forty. Adventure with an Anaconda

Chapter Forty One. A Batch of curious Trees

Chapter Forty Two. The Forest Festival

Chapter Forty Three. Acres of Eggs

Chapter Forty Four. A Fight between two very scaly Creatures

Chapter Forty Five. A Pair of valiant Vultures

Chapter Forty Six. The “Gapo.”

Chapter Forty Seven. The Araguatoes

Chapter Forty Eight. Bridging an Igaripé

Chapter Forty Nine. The Manati

Chapter Fifty. The Closing Chapter

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Upon a bright and lovely evening, many years ago, a party of travellers might have been seen climbing up that Cordillera of the Andes that lies to the eastward of the ancient city of Cuzco. It was a small and somewhat singular party of travellers; in fact, a travelling family, – father, mother, children, and one attendant. We shall say a word of each of them separately.

The chief of the party was a tall and handsome man, of nearly forty years of age. His countenance bespoke him of Spanish race, and so he was. He was not a Spaniard, however, but a Spanish-American, or “Creole,” for so Spaniards born in America are called to distinguish them from the natives of Old Spain.

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You will wonder that one apparently so rich, and on so distant a journey, was not provided with animals enough to carry his whole party. Another horse at least, or a mule, might have been expected in the cavalcade. It would not have been strange had Guapo only walked – as he was the arriero, or driver, of the llamas – but to see Don Pablo afoot and evidently tired, with neither horse nor mule to ride upon, was something that required explanation. There was another fact that required explanation. The countenance of Don Pablo wore an anxious expression, as if some danger impended; so did that of the lady, and the children were silent, with their little hearts full of fear. They knew not what danger, but they knew that their father and mother were in trouble. The Indian, too, had a serious look; and at each angle of the mountain road he and Don Pablo would turn around, and with anxious eyes gaze back in the direction that led towards Cuzco. As yet they could distinguish the spires of the distant city, and the Catholic crosses, as they glistened under the evening sunbeam. Why did they look back with fear and distrust? Why? Because Don Pablo was in flight, and feared pursuers! What? Had he committed some great crime? No. On the contrary, he was the victim of a noble virtue– the virtue of patriotism! For that had he been condemned, and was now in flight – flying to save not only his liberty but his life! yes, his life; for had the sentinels on those distant towers but recognised him, he would soon have been followed and dragged back to an ignominious death.

Young reader, I am writing of things that occurred near the beginning of the present century, and before the Spanish-American colonies became free from the rule of Old Spain. You will remember that these countries were then governed by viceroys, who represented the King of Spain, but who in reality were quite as absolute as that monarch himself. The great viceroys of Mexico and Peru held court in grand state, and lived in the midst of barbaric pomp and luxury. The power of life and death was in their hands, and in many instances they used it in the most unjust and arbitrary manner. They were themselves, of course, natives of Old Spain – often the pampered favourites of that corrupt court. All the officials by which they were surrounded and served were, like themselves, natives of Spain, or “Gachupinos,” (as the Creoles used to call them,) while the Creoles – no matter how rich, or learned, or accomplished in any way – were excluded from every office of honour and profit. They were treated by the Gachupinos with contempt and insult. Hence for long long years before the great revolutions of Spanish America, a strong feeling of dislike existed between Creole Spaniards and Spaniards of Old Spain; and this feeling was quite independent of that which either had towards the Indians – the aborigines of America. This feeling brought about the revolution, which broke out in all the countries of Spanish America (including Mexico) about the year 1810, and which, after fifteen years of cruel and sanguinary fighting, led to the independence of these countries.

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