They commenced their labours at the head of the town, opposite to where the Scotch kirk is now building; but after digging to a great depth, and still finding no appearance of water, they became seriously alarmed, and unanimously refused to proceed, giving as their excuse, “that dey heard all de cocks crowing in de oder world!”
To return to the incidents of our day’s journey to English Harbour. After leaving the scene of Lieutenant Peterson’s death, we once more walked round by the superintendant’s residence, admiring as we went the neat manner in which the ponderous anchors and various-sized buoys were arranged; and then bidding the dockyard farewell, proceeded on our way to the Ridge, which, as its name implies, is the upper ground of a gentle ascent, appropriated to the erection of barracks, and other military establishments, for the accommodation of her majesty’s troops. Before I proceed to describe the rest of the Antigua “lions,” I must be allowed to remark, that, although in my life I have visited many public buildings in England, as well as in other parts of the globe, I never met with more politeness, from the lowest to the highest of the officials, than I experienced at this English Harbour naval establishment.
A few paces from the dockyard, on the road to the Ridge, we passed the ordnance, consisting of two separate departments, divided from each other by an arm of the sea—one used as a store-place for guns and balls, the other for the reception of powder. These deadly weapons were so neatly arranged, the different sizes forming different tiers, and the balls were so prettily packed in the form of pyramids—the day was so fine, the sea so blue, and the buildings themselves so spruce, in their uniform of light yellow picked out with black, that I was quite enraptured with the picture—forgot the use they were intended for, nor thought how many heart-broken wives and desolate orphans had wept, with tears like blood, the carnage such instruments had effected.
The road wound up the ascent, which is continued until the Ridge is gained. On one side stands a very pretty residence, known as “Clarence House,” belonging to the queen, and one of the dwellings the superintendent of the naval yard has under his control; and on the other side of the road rises “Dow’s Hill,” surmounted by the country-seat of the governor. In this part of the road, a stone, marked with an anchor, points out the boundary of the naval ground; and on the other side of the stone, the land appropriated to the military commences.
Still following the ascent, in process of time we gained the engineers’ quarters, the first building which marks the Ridge; and opposite to it is the victualling office. Passing by the officers’ quarters, the barracks for the privates, the several storehouses, and the iron hospital, for the reception of invalid soldiers, we stood upon the utmost verge of the place bearing the title of Shirley Heights, so named after one of the former governors, Sir Thomas Shirley, Bart. A very beautiful view may be obtained from this spot, well worthy of a painter’s study. Hills and dales clothed in tropical luxuriance; rocky precipices and lonely glens, where nature sits enthroned; steep mountains and ample solitudes, that look as if the foot of man never disturbed their primeval silence; and gentle slopes, dotted here and there with neat-looking dwellings. Below, on your right, lies the dockyard, with its uniform buildings, and the lovely harbour, forming a complete basin, encircled with its white sands; while beyond, the ocean presents one level sheet of burnished gold, over which the fishing-boats were gaily bounding, and throwing the shadow of their simple sails and slender masts far before them. The mouth of English Harbour, which is 113 fathoms across, was formerly defended in times of warfare by an immense iron chain. That, however, is now no more; but the staples by which it was secured still remain in the massive rocks, to prove the truth of this assertion. It is now protected by two forts placed on each side of the opening: Fort Charlotte, mounted with four guns, 18 and 24 pounders; Fort Berkley, mounting twenty-four guns. At the latter fort is a magazine.
After leaving the Ridge, we turned down a slight declivity, by the victualling offices, on our way to Bat’s Cave, and the Savannah. Our road lay through groves of loblolly, manchineel, and acacia, which, twining their long arms together, formed various natural colonnades; while the ground was strewed with their matted leaves, in all stages of decay. Having alighted, we walked through the interwoven path, carefully avoiding as we went the different varieties of cactus, which spring up on all sides, and guarding our faces from the long sharp thorns of the acacia, and the boughs of the poisonous manchineel. The ground, rugged and broken, was plentifully sprinkled with disrupted portions of spar, which glittered in the sunbeams like so many gems, and put me in mind of Sinbad’s walk in the “Valley of Diamonds.” Immense ground-lizards were trailing their long bodies about, in search of their daily food, so amply provided for them by the great Benefactor of all; while others were basking upon these dazzling fossils, to imbibe the heat of the meridian sun.
After taking many devious routes among the impending bushes, in order to discover the wished-for cavern, I was well pleased to hear the cheerful voice of our pioneer shouting forth “Come this way; I’ve found the right path.” Scrambling, as best we could, over a huge bed of prickly pear, (one of the cactus family,) we gained an opening in the copse, and stood before the mouth of the cave. Two large trees, which grew on each side, extended their gnarled roots (from which the earth had been washed) across the opening, forming natural steps, by which we descended, and stood within the cave.
Huge masses of the rock which forms the cavern have fallen in, and in great measure blocked it up, so that it now only presents an arena of about 50 feet in circumference, although in time past it was of considerable extent. From the main cavern, two passages branch off in opposite directions. They are perfectly dark, the only means of exploring them being by the use of flambeaux; but to what length they extend has never been discovered. Mr. McLane, a late resident of English Harbour, (now of Canada,) has made several attempts to that purpose, all of which proved fruitless; the greatest distance he ever proceeded was to the extent of two sea-lines, about 120 yards. The only known occupants are bats, which breed there in immense numbers, and often attain the size of a common pigeon. A dank unhealthy vapour is emitted from these openings, proceeding, no doubt, from the carbonic acid gas they contain. This vapour soon extinguishes the light of a torch, which is one reason this cavern has never been further explored.[[88]] A streak of dark green runs down one side of the cave, which was pointed out to me as indicating the existence of copper; but upon examining a portion of the rock I brought away with me, I found that the colour was occasioned only by a vegetable substance adhering to the stones.
In former times, Bat’s Cave was a great place of concealment for the tribes of erratic Caribs, when visiting Antigua on their predatory excursions; and tradition still points it out as the scene of a barbarous carousal among that wild and savage race, in one of their attacks upon this island. As, however, I am now giving the narration of a day’s journey, I will proceed to mention the other spots we visited, and leave the Legend, which is rather lengthy, for the next chapter.
Emerging from “Bat’s Cave,” and wending our way amid the same rugged impediments, in process of time we reached our vehicle, and stepping into it, proceeded to visit the ruins of the old government house in the Savannah, the scene of the attack narrated in the “Legend of Ding a Ding Nook,” and of a similar attempt in 1654. After driving for a short distance over pasture land, exhibiting a dreary view of brown and withered herbage, the effects of the late dry weather, (rendered more striking by the contrast of the deep green of the different trees,) which crackled under the horses’ feet, we arrived at another tangled maze of shrub and brushwood, where it was again necessary to proceed on foot, in order to prosecute our intended search. Forcing our way through this almost impenetrable thicket, rendered in some places more impervious by the twinings and intertwinings of the withe, (a native parasite,) stooping to avoid some straggling branch, or springing over a thorny bank, we gained an open glade; and walking up the gentle acclivity, stood by the side of the ruins.