Galápagos Islands: Asilo de la Paz/Rachel Gives Birth

4) Asilo de la Paz/Rachel Gives Birth
Charles Island, June 20-23, 1845

A) Background: The Penal Colony
In the early 1830s, Ecuadorian war hero General José María de Villamil lobbied his new government to take possession of the Galápagos Islands. Forming a private corporation dedicated to colonizing the islands, Villamil became Governor of “Archipiélago del Ecuador” and was awarded possession of “Isla Floreana.” With the cooperation of the island’s honorary namesake, President Juan José Flores, Villamil established a penal colony in the central highlands. Called Asilo de la Paz, or “Asylum of Peace,” its original inhabitants were former soldiers who had attempted to depose Flores in a military coup. Recognizing their worth as potential colonists, Villamil convinced Flores to commute their sentences from death to exile. They were shipped to Floreana with their wives and children, forming the nucleus of a viable colony intended to bring prosperity to Ecuador’s newest province. Under Villamil’s guidance, the colonists tapped the springs, constructed a sealskin tannery, and cultivated the land with mainland crops. To help “civilize” his new Florianos, Villamil outlawed alcohol and established a program of rotating dinner engagements:

…for polishing their manners I have many of them in the government house most every night. Frequently I invite some men and women to eat with me; I also accept their invitations and I am certain that upon seeing them you would hardly believe that these are the same persons who a year ago were taken from the jails of the state.
—José de Villamil, government report 1833

Dark Spanish Hatred
Seizing the opportunity to expand the colony and to rid the mainland of certain “undesirables,” the government began shipping new colonists to Floreana. Unlike the original settlers, these newcomers were primarily criminals, debtors, and vagrants accompanied by “immoral” women and prostitutes. Most of the deportees were black or mestizo, and most exiled against their will. As the character of the settlement changed, Villamil’s policies became increasingly more exploitative. Villamil controlled all contact with Ecuador, and kept the workers in a constant state of penury. As John Coulter writes in Adventures in the Pacific:

Those people work hard, and plant their grounds, which produce abundantly. If they require an article of clothing, (which they did from their landing, for they were sent off nearly naked,) or an implement to repair their houses, or cultivate their plots of land, or any other necessary, they go to the governor’s store, and get it in exchange, (where a small account is run up.) They give a mortgage on the crop nearly ripe. The produce of this, when ready, is taken away from them, and they are left bare enough, with little else than a bitter feeling of dark Spanish hatred to the governor for thus depriving them of their crops. This system was carried out to such an extent, that scarcely a family owned what was growing in their ground. It was all mortgaged long ago, root and branch, to Vilamil, against whom and his store there existed the most deadly hatred.

Treated as little more than slaves, some of the colonists escaped or rebelled, and Villamil responded with draconian measures. He transformed a local cave into a prison, beefed up security with company mercenaries, and hunted escapees with his pack of dogs. On more than one occasion, Villamil shot the offenders himself. The colonists also fought amongst themselves, particularly as more hardened criminals arrived on the island. Soon Asilo de la Paz acquired the unfortunate nickname of “Villamil’s Dog Kingdom.”

In 1837 Villamil stepped down as governor and returned to Ecuador. He appointed Colonel José Williams as new governor, and placed his estate into the care of his old comrade General Pedro Mena. Little more than a petty tyrant, Williams surrounded himself with foreign goons drawn from runaway whalers and deserters. (Some accounts suggest Williams was an American, others say British.) The number of floggings increased, complaints were answered with imprisonment, and Villamil’s dogs were set upon the worst offenders. Williams’ policies were so corrupt that Mena gathered the “free” colonists and relocated to Chatham Island, dispatching an official complaint to the mainland.

In 1841 the remaining colonists rose up against Williams and his cronies, driving them from the island with machetes. They slaughtered Villamil’s dogs and threw their bodies into the sea. Villamil returned to take control and restore order, but many of the colonists had already fled the island.

B) The Colony in 1845
By the time the Quiddity arrives at Floreana, Asilo de la Paz is in decline. Increasing unrest has led Villamil to conclude that Asilo de la Paz is more trouble than it’s worth, and he plans to dismantle the colony and relocate the more trustworthy settlers to Chatham Island. Asilo de la Paz currently numbers around 150 souls, mostly black and mestizo farmers growing bananas, sweet potatoes, melons, pumpkins, and Indian corn. It’s not a luxurious existence. Floreana may be blessed with freshwater springs, but the infrequent rainfall makes irrigation a constant challenge. The colony maintains a large number of goats and pigs, which also require food and water. Allowed to run free, these intrusive species have contributed greatly to the destruction of Floreana’s natural ecosystem—as has Villamil’s private herd of cattle!

B) Trading Expedition (June 20)
The second day at anchor, Mr. Pynchon asks Mr. Coffin to gather some men for a trading excursion to Asilo de la Paz. Supplied with a store of nails, hoops, staves, sailcloth, whale oil, and a handful of Chilean reales, Coffin is instructed to obtain fresh vegetables and a pair of hogs. A common practice when calling at Floreana, such exchanges are one of the few luxuries Villamil affords his colonists, and the farmers are generally well-disposed to whalers—“But don’t mention the tortoises, Mr. Coffin. These fellows believe they have proper rights to all the animals on the island. Best not ruffle any feathers needlessly.” If Rachel is in the game, Pynchon hands Coffin a letter addressed to Governor Villamil—“A request for Miss Ward to use the ‘big house’ for her lying-in.”

The delegation’s success is determined by four rolls: Appraise, Language (Spanish), Leadership, and Persuade. Each skill may only be rolled once, but Coffin may select which character makes each roll. Three to four successes returns with a pair of burros laden with bananas, mangoes, sweet potatoes, and melons. One of the colonists leads a pair of hogs. (The burros belong to the colony, and must be returned.) Two successes procures only one hog; one success obtains only vegetables; and zero successes earns Coffin a scornful lecture on economics from Pynchon.

C) Preparing for the Nativity
Joab stopped at the Black Beach for more than hogs and turtle soup. Governor Villamil’s house—generally called the hacienda by the locals—is the most “civilized” structure in the Galápagos. If Rachel is going to have a baby, she’s going to do so in the hacienda, surrounded by helpful women! No matter the success of the trading excursion, Joab’s letter is well-received. Villamil dispatches one of his Spanish mayordomos with a burro to “escort the young lady.” The envoy arrives just in time, as Rachel begins feeling labor pains the mid-afternoon of June 20. If Joab and Rachel are on good terms, the captain escorts Rachel to the hacienda himself. If they remain estranged, he’ll assign Mr. Pynchon the duties of surrogate father.

D) Asilo de la Paz
The beach is connected to the colony by a trail that winds through the saltbush to the verdant valley above. About four miles long, the trail is flanked by ramshackle cabins inhabited by colonists. The families eye the progression with open curiosity—they may be accustomed to trading with whalers, but seeing a pregnant gringa riding a burro is something else entirely! It doesn’t require a Language roll to understand their astonished jokes—“¡Mirar! Es la madonna!” or “Oye, madonna, ¿dónde está tu Joseph?”

E) El hacienda
Nestled into the cliffside at the head of the valley, Villamil’s hacienda is a three-story building constructed from imported materials. The surrounding estate includes a modest cattle ranch, the company store, and a prison—little more than a lava tube sealed by an iron gate. While the cliffs offer relief from the sun, it’s the springhead that attracted Villamil, and his hacienda receives all the freshwater it needs. There’s a spectacular view of the valley from the veranda, the ocean glittering in the distance.

F) General José María de Villamil
A beefy Creole with a full beard and graying hair, General Villamil dresses in mainland finery and is rarely seen without one of his beloved dogs. Born in Spanish New Orleans in 1789, Villamil speaks accented English, and heartily considers himself American as well as Ecuadorian. (Indeed, after the conclusion of his Galápagos adventures, Villamil will serve Ecuador as a U.S. ambassador in 1853.)

Engraving from 1854

A complex figure, Villamil is a patriot, a revolutionary war hero, an entrepreneur, and a diplomat. He’s also an exploitative landowner, an unflinching racist, and something of a de-facto slavemaster. The Keeper should keep all these characteristics in mind when playing Villamil, who’s charming and expansive to his American guests, but treats his colonists as little more than criminal subjects. An apt description is provided by John Coulter, who met the governor in the early 1830s:

[Villamil is] a very gentlemanly, pompous man—imagined himself, and was in reality a kind of monarch; but, like many other kingdoms over which men reign, there were very uncertain and uneasy subjects. It was no bed of roses to this governor; he was obliged to be on watch, and did not know, if he lay down well in his hammock (he always slept in one) at night, but he might get a thrust of a long knife through it before morning, such was the love his sable subjects bore him.

G) Rachel’s Welcome
Villamil welcomes Rachel warmly, situating her in an unused bedroom and calling for the local midwife, a matronly mestiza named Fiorella. Before Rachel knows what’s going on, she’s surrounded by women soothing her forehead with cool water, brewing her guayusa tea, and preparing to deliver her baby. As the women are fussing, Villamil orders his cook to prepare a meal for Rachel’s companions. He produces a drum, a gitarra, a pair of fifes, and a few bottles of Spanish wine. Additional men and women are gathered from the colony, and soon the former governor is holding court, relaxing in his wicker chair while the colonists play music and dance the “fandango.” A Psychology roll detects the sarcasm behind each cheerful “Sí, patrón” and exaggerated dance move. Meanwhile, Villamil remains close to his dogs and armed henchmen.

Despite the undercurrent of tension, Villamil is eager for conversation. He congratulates the Americans on adding Florida to the Union, and freely discusses South American politics, from the caudillos troubling Peru to the March Revolution that deposed Juan José Flores and installed José Joaquín de Olmedo y Maruri as president of Ecuador. While the local “uprising” of 1841 remains a sore subject, he has only scorn for José Williams, and praises the colonists who remained “loyal.” Villamil is clearly curious about “the young lady,” but remains the perfect gentleman, only mentioning the child’s father or Rachel’s marital condition if prompted.

H) A Son Is Born! (June 21)
After a painful morning of labor, Rachel gives birth to a baby boy at 2:42 PM, June 21. A Natural World, Occult, or Science (Astronomy) roll recognizes the date as the Summer Solstice—quite an auspicious sign! Even better, the baby is born with a caul; another omen of great power. A First Aid or Medicine roll confirms that mother and child are both in excellent health.

Rachel’s Reaction
Rachel’s reaction is entirely up to the player, who may name her son and decide whether to nurse him herself or use a nodriza. If Rachel’s player has been looking forward to the child, holding her newborn restores 1D10 Sanity points.

Joab’s Reaction
Joab’s reaction depends on the relationship he’s built with Rachel over the last eight months. If this relationship is negative, he may not be present to meet his “bastard.” If it’s positive, he’ll be overjoyed, eager to name the boy “Seth.”

I) Aftermath
Villamil is happy to let Rachel stay in the hacienda for however long she desires, but the Nantucket witch proves remarkably resilient, and may leave her bed after two days of rest. Nevertheless, it takes Rachel several weeks to fully recover. Immediately after giving birth, Rachel’s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are each lowered by 30 points. (This affects her maximum Hit Points and Movement rate.) Each day she doesn’t strain herself, 1 point is restored to each depressed characteristic. During this recovery period Rachel suffers back aches, sore nipples, and perineum pain. Rachel’s player should decide how much postpartum depression/psychosis Rachel experiences, from none at all to occasional Sanity rolls.

J) Rachel’s Son
Rachel’s son shares his mother’s remarkable resilience, and proves a model baby in every way. Healthy, friendly, and shockingly quiet, the boy remains generally happy, and attaches himself to whatever adults spend the most time pampering him. Everyone who sees the boy can recognize Joab’s features, and the child’s gaze suggests an eerie sense of self-awareness.

K) Departing Floreana
By the afternoon of June 23, Rachel is well enough to return to the Quiddity. Her reception depends on her relationship with the crew—they may greet Rachel with fear and loathing, or they may throw a party, eager to shower her son with gifts! At the very least, Stanley Ruch has added a crib to the henhouse, decorated with hex signs and complete with a small quilt. Joab sets sail for Albemarle Island soon after Rachel returns to the ship.

White Leviathan, Chapter 4—Galápagos Islands
[Back to Encounter 3, Charles Island | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 5, Sailing to Narborough & Albemarle]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 19 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]