Paul Boyton Hides From the Chilean Soldiers

During the day, Paul Boyton continued hiding in the cave, waiting for twilight, when he planned to attempt to cross the harbor and reach Callao. One enormous seal lay heavily on a ledge directly below him, surrounded by several small ones. Restless, the seal raised his head, looking about with bloodshot eyes. Finally he lay down again. He edged over to the edge of the ledge and plunged into the water. He appeared again on the far side of Boyton’s ledge, gave a loud snort, and sank into the water.

The baby seals cavorted around Paul. Some of them crawled up on his ledge. A mother seal swam in and bellowed, then settled down to rest. At nightfall, the rest of the seals returned, snarling and bellowing as they settled down in the cave.

Hungry, Paul looked eagerly toward nightfall. With the sun setting, he slipped off the rock, and slid out of the cave. He swam steadily, reaching the coast a little before five in the morning. Near the fortification of Callao, he saw a sentinel with a gun trained on him. Boyton shouted “Peru, Peru” and the guard lowered his gun.

Boyton immediately went to Lima to report to the Dictator and hurried back to take charge of the sloop once more.

Resources:
Boyton, Paul. 1892. The story of Paul Boyton: voyages on all the great rivers of the world, paddling over twenty-five thousand miles in a rubber dress. Milwaukee: Riverside. 358 pp.