All went well until the revolution broke out, when the Cornish engineer found himself placed in a very disagreeable position between the two parties. The patriots kept him in the mountains in a kind of honourable captivity, while the royalists ruined his property and mutilated his engines. Trevithick, never very patient, soon determined to end this, and, after incurring many hardships and dangers, succeeded in making his escape from the oppressive love and veneration of the mountain patriots. On their way back Trevithick and his companions encountered many perils; they had to shoot monkeys for subsistence, their clothes were almost always wet through owing to it being the rainy season of the year; they had also to ford rivers, and in many cases make their own roads by cutting down the underwood and other obstacles which impeded their progress. On one occasion Trevithick nearly lost his life; in attempting to swim across a river he became involved in a kind of whirlpool caused by some sunken rocks, and notwithstanding all his efforts he was utterly unable to swim beyond its influence, which kept carrying him round and round; fortunately just as his strength was giving way a companion, who had cut down a tall sappling, succeeded in stretching it out to his assistance, and thus drew him to land. Ultimately, after a long interval, Trevithick arrived at Cartagena, on the gulf of Darien, almost in a state of utter destitution. Here he was met by the late Robert Stephenson, who, having just received a remittance from home, lent half to his brother engineer to help him on his way to England, where he arrived on the 9th of October, 1827, bringing back a pair of spurs and a few old coins, the sole remnants of the colossal fortune made, 'but not realized,' in the Peruvian mines. Before this occurred, however, Trevithick had visited various parts of the West coast of South America; part of this time he was in the company of Earl Dundonald (then Lord Cochrane), but the last four years of this period were spent by him at Costa Rica, in the countries now so well known as the route of the Nicaraguan transit and the scene of General Walker's filibuster warfare, where he projected mines and devised many magnificent schemes, but realized no permanent good for himself. Among other things, having discovered some valuable mineral deposits, he obtained from the government a grant of the land which contained them, and on his return to England succeeded, by his representations (which were confirmed by a Scotchman of the name of Gerard, who had been his companion), in organizing a company for sinking the necessary mines. Before, however, active operations were commenced, Trevithick one day entered the new company's offices to arrange finally about his own interest in the concern. A cheque for 7000_l._ was at once offered him as purchase-money for his land in Southern America. This however was not what he had wanted,