Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the RiversBulfinch, Thomas
History
Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the Rivers
Bulfinch, Thomas
Amazon River; Columbia River; El Dorado; Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806); Oregon -- Discovery and exploration
Madame Godin felt, at seeing such unchristian and unmanly behavior, such
deep disgust, that, as soon as she was somewhat recruited from the
effects of so many sufferings, she longed for a sight of some boat to
enable her to escape from the companionship of this unjust priest, and
get to Laguna, one of the aforementioned Spanish mission stations. A
kind Indian woman made her a petticoat of cotton cloth, though Madame
Godin had nothing to give her in payment for it. But this petticoat was
to her, afterwards, a sacred thing, that she would not have parted with
for any price. She laid it carefully away with the slippers which she
made of her brothers' shoes, and never could, in after-times, look at
the two without experiencing a rush of sad and tender recollections.
At Laguna she had the good fortune to find a missionary of better
disposition. This one received her with kindness and sympathy, and
exerted himself every way he could to restore her health, shattered by
so much suffering. He wrote also on her behalf to the Governor of
Omaguas, to beg him to aid in expediting her journey. By this means, the
elegant Mr. R. learned that she was still alive; and as she was not
likely in future to be burdensome to him, while he might, through her
means, get a passage in the Portuguese vessel, he failed not to call
upon her at Laguna. He delivered to her there some few of the things
which Joachim had left in his charge; but to the question, "What had
become of the rest?" he had no other answer to make but "They were
spoilt." The knave forgot, when he said this, that gold bracelets,
snuff-boxes, ear-rings, and pearls, of which this property consisted,
are not apt to spoil.
Madame Godin could not forbear making to him the well-merited reproach
that he was the cause of her late sufferings, and guilty of the mournful
death of her brothers and her other companions. She desired to know,
moreover, why he had sent away her faithful servant, the good Joachim;
and his unworthy reply was, he had apprehensions that he would murder
him. To the question, how he could have such a suspicion against a man
whose tried fidelity and honest disposition were known to him, he knew
not what to answer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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