Their original arms consisted of clubs of stone and whalebone, of long and pointed spears, and of the pattoo-pattoo, or wooden battle-axe; but since the musket has been introduced to their knowledge, it has absorbed all their warlike regard; and the strength of a chief is counted, not by his men, but by his muskets. The report of fifty being in the possession of Korra-korra spread the terror of his name for 200 miles round. Dick Boldhero. CHAPTER IX. Mounted upon the back of a small but vigorous Dutch pony, I made my way upon my return much more rapidly than I had done on foot in proceeding into the country. At the end of about eight days, I reached the city. During my ride I had revolved many schemes in my head, and I had determined, not only to find out my uncle, but, if possible, to vindicate his reputation. The scale of my operations was pretty large, considering my youth; but through life our anticipations are very apt to be extensive in proportion as our means are small. Immediately upon arriving at Paramaribo, I set about my inquiries; but a fortnight passed away, and nothing had transpired to give me the least hope of success. But one night, as I was walking along the quay of the city, a person muffled up in a cloak met me, handed me a letter, and disappeared. I hastened to my room, opened the paper, and read as follows. “Your uncle is an innocent and injured man. There are those in this city who have participated in the means by which his character was rendered infamous. The chief instrument by which the base plot was executed, is the captain of the ship that was lost. He now lives in a splendid villa near the city of Caraccas, under the name of Signor Sevil.” There was neither date nor signature to this paper, and whether to consider it as a mere imposition, or as founded in truth and designed to aid my researches, I could not determine. I submitted it to my adviser, to whom I had been commended by Mr. Hartley, and he deemed the communication of great importance. It was finally determined that I should proceed to Caraccas, in the hope of ascertaining whether the statement in the paper was true, and if so, how far the fact could be made available to the clearing up of my uncle’s character. Before my departure, I went to see my cousin Mirabel, and proffered my claim to relationship. She received me kindly, and entered with enthusiasm into my projects. I left her, and taking passage in a small coasting vessel, set out for Caraccas. This city is situated on the northern coast of South America, and is the capital of the fine province of Venezuela. In about twenty days we reached our destined port, and I set out immediately for the city, which lies about fifteen miles from the sea. Our road lay over mountainous ridges, but we were rapidly and safely carried by mules, and reached Caraccas in the space of a few hours.