Isabela Godin was married to a French Explorer Jean Godin.
She was 13 at the time.
After 7 years of marriage and three children and his
father’s death Jean decided he must return to France.
La Condamine had already left the area. In the absence of a
road system he had opted to follow the tributaries of the Amazon down its mouth
. He made the journey safely – although Jean Godin had no way of knowing
whether he succeeded or not. Godin however intended to make the journey
himself, make sure it was suitable before returning to collect his wife and
children and return down the river with them before going back to settle in France.
Sounded like a simple enough plan.
Jean’s Journey
It took Jean a year or more to travel downstream to the
coast, picking up a passage on any craft available. He by now know how
difficult the upstream return was going
to be. He made his base in French Guiana just north of the mouth of the Amazon.
He didn’t want to repeat the route taken by the French expedition in 1735 which
involved sailing to Cartagena and from there to Panama. He hated Puerto Bello
and called it a god-forbidden pest hole which Spanish ships regularly departed
without burying the least half their crew, Another alternate was a passage down
the Rioa Changre to Panama but biting flied were interest there. How would
Isabela feel about the biting flies being a deterrent to her reunited with her
husband.
He could have gone inland from Cartagena down the Magdelana
River in a flat-bottomed boats and be poled 400 miles upstream then by mule for
500 miles along the Andes to Quite but it was a wretched journey.
Finally he could take a ship from the port of Guayaquil but
he was not prepared to expose them to the rigours of Cape Horn In Jean’s mind
pirates haunted those southern seas – so the only option was for his wife to
travel down the Amazon River ..
he chose Cayenne as a French outpost and embarked on a 16
year letter writing campaign. He didn’t know it would last this long when he
started.
As a French citizen he needed authority to make the
necessary voyage up the Amazon, either as a passenger on a sailing ship, or by
obtaining permission for Portuguese and Spanish officialdom to make his own arrangements
to pass through this territory.
In the mid 18th century a difficult power balance existed
between South America and the Portuguese, who had colonised a significant
portion of the share of the Amazon.
The French were unpopular as late comers to colonistation
and were regarded by both as suspicious.
Jean’s letters were in an attempt to gain not only
permission to travel through the region but to request transport to do so. He
wrote to the King of Portugal , seducing him with objects pertaining to natural
history for the King’s garden, such as sarsaparilla. In return he was
requesting a galliot with enough men to make a long journey upstream to collect
his wife. He wrote repeatedly consigning letters to ships bound for Europe out
of Cayenne. He never received any reply and had no way of knowing if his
letters ever arrived to the majesty, for whom they were intended. Furthermore
the Great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 probably precluded any immediate action
being taken in any event.
In 1765 a ship sailed into the harbour at Cayenne with
instructions form the King of Portugal to collect the Frenchman’s wife. It was
a decked galliott oared by African slaves and its Captain Rebello had orders to
collect the Frenchman and having sent word ahead to Riobamaba to take him he furthers point that a Portugues ship could
tavel on the Amazon. It was not dimplmatic for the Portuguese ship to sail into
Spanish waters.
The interception of letters to Europe was considered fair
game in the 18th Century. Jean had never received any form of reply for the
King of Portugal and so the arrival of a Portuguese ship arrived out of the
blue to take him down the Amazon was far too suspicious. Jean believed the more
likely scenario was that his letters had been intercepted and this was a ploy
to dispose of him once and for all.
Godin departed in 1749.
The best way to do this, he determined, was down the Amazon.
He would trial the journey first then return for his wife and children.
It had been 17 years since Isabela had heard anything at all
of her husband. Isabela was now older than Jean had been when he had left 20
years earlier.
Then one day a rumour started that there was a Portugues
ship waiting for her at Sabatinga (now Tabatinga). It was waiting there to take
her down the Amazon to reunite her with her husband. At first this seemed
fanciful but the rumours grew so much so that she sent her trusted slave,
Joachim out to verify the truth of these rumours. Years earlier Isabela had bought
the freedom of this young black slave boy and in return he had become fiercly
loyal to her.
In 1767 she sent him out (he was 23 at the time) alone to
Sabatinga to investigate whether these rumours had any truth to them. He
returned three months later having failed to resolve the issue. He had been
turned back due to lack of appropriate papers.
Isabel arranged for the required documents and sent him out
again. This time he succeeded in locating the Portugues galliot. By the time
Joachim managed to return with the news to Isabela in early 1769 it was two
years later. He had probably covered nearly 3000 miles. By this stage Isabela’s
last child had died of smallpox. This was welcome news and she was ready to
leave. Her father was a big help. He set out months ahead, following the River
Pastaza as far as Banos, then transferring to the river Bobonaza at the
settlement of Canelos. Here they would embark on canoes, re-joining the Pastaza
further down-stream of what is now the border of Peru. It seemed simple enough.
Isabela immediately began her preparations, disposing of
much of her property.
The House hold party she elected to take amounted to 8 She
took with her 3 very young maids (estimated to be around 8-9 years
old).Joachim, her trusty slave. And her two brothers wanting to go to France –
juan already in Holdy orders intended to join a French Monastic Order and
Eugeio who wanted to take his 10 year old son to be educated in France. His
names was Joaquin.
They would have to trek from Cajabamba down to the river
Canelos where the river was navigable. Arrangements were made in advance for
Canoes and to paddle them down the river.
It took them 12 days to walk through mud and heavy rain from
Cajabamba through Riobamab, Banos to canelos.
Isabela ad been told this would be the worst part – once
they had reached Canelos it was supposed to be plain sailing… straight to Las
Lagunas
And so Isabela left Cajabamba with her family down the
Bobonaza on the way to Europe. What a bizarre thought….you wouldn’t dream of
taking that route to France these days. We took a mini bus from Cajabamba and a
taxi to Puto.
For the descent, the party was complimented by 4 Andean men
enlisted to carry Isabela’s palanquin into which she stepped in her full
taffeta dress and divine jewellery. Again – unlikely travel attire.
They were accompanied by 27 mountain Indian porters and a mule train to carry clothes possessions and
provisions, such as dried corn, beans potatoes and live chickens.
We had about 30 tins of tuna a few bags of rice and some
expedition food – discounted to us by various expedition food companies.
At the last minute 3 Frenchman joined the party, looking for
a way to get back to France when they heard of a wealthy Andean woman planning
to travel from Riobamba down the Amazon to a ship waiting for her at
Tabatingato sail her to French Guiana where another boat would be enlisted to
take them across the Atlantic and back to France. They entreated Isabela to
join her party. Initially she refused but after one asserted themselves as a Dr
and appealed to her nephews potential medical needs she relented. The outcome
of her journey could have been very different had she stuck by her initial
refusal to let them join.
They stopped in Banos where Isabela stayed in a proper
house. We stayed in a rather nice hotel. We knew it was one of the last few
nights of comfort we would have for a while.
After 9 days of forest travel and having left the Andes
behind them they came to the mission station it was silent and empty. There was
no one at Canelos. the Indians were the first to sense it and vanished,
scattering into the surrounding trees. It was viruela. Small pox.
The native south American's were far more vulnerable to
western diseased/
At Para in 1745 La Condamine had observed a system of
inocltion used to forestall le petitie verole. It wasn't until 1796 jpwever
thjat Edwar Jenner injecctede an 8 year old boy with cowpox before giving him
snmall pox then watching him survive.
Jean was critical that the Indian's had been paid in full
before the start - a custom he deplored as they then deserte. Her group of 41
was now down to 10.
The people of Canelos had taken their canoes and set fire to
buildings as a reaction to the small pox invasion. There was a good chance that
the infection had even been carried by Don Pedro’s party when they had arrived
in advance of Isabela’s. There was no good accommodation or means of transport
no paddlers. Hopes dashed. She had already lost her children to the disease.
She rose to the occasion and took the lead. her father was waiting for her
downstream - possibly one of his party had carried the disease to Canelos.
The next day they hunted in the jungle and found 2 Indians
from Canelos the epidemic had ravaged swiftly through the settlement they
provided a canoe with a crew of 2 frightened Indians . not enough space for all
the food and goods they can carried through the ravine. 12 or so days down the
river to travel 40 foot canoe and thirteen people as much provision as they
could take.
Travelling at a speed of 5 knots whilst needed to be alert
of the dangers and trees under the surface as well as rapids.
2 days they managed
When they awoke the third morning after a nights camping the
Indians had departed. Vanished into the jungle!
They had to paddle themselves.
The first day went well ……… 9 days to go.
the next day they found a smaller canoe moored near a hut
and Indians offered to join their party.
One of the Frenchman’s hat below off and an Indian fell in
the water whilst trying to retrieve it and drowned. Then the vessel filled with
water and they had to abandon it.
26 days since the trio had departed leaving Isabela and her
party in the jungle.
Indeed the 3 Frenchman had refused to return, Joachim had
much difficulty persuading anyone to assist in orchestrating a rescue party.
Eventually he set off in a single canoe with Indian paddlers and food and
struggled against the flow of the river.
There were only 5 of the party left. the final Frenchman, 2
brother’s and 1 maidservant and Isabela, One by one they died. Their corpses
remaining where they lay for the tropics to start the quick decaying process.
Eventually it was only Isabela left She realised this when she came to after 2
days in delirium awaking to the stench of her rotting loves ones. She cut the
shoes from her dead brother and made some sandals for herself, known she had to
leave. She disappeared into the forest.
Finally Joachim and the party found the camp. He would have
come across the boy. Later they would have come acorss the place in the forest
where the others had slowly perished. He did not however count the bodes. He
did not notice a maidservant missing or that Isabela was not there.
Isabela had rescued Joachim from bondage. They departed
swiftly from the hut after collecting some possessions and departed with haste.
The French docor persuaded Joachim to hand over the object
he had collected and stole some of them.
The only person who could prove the case of theft was Joachim., and so the
French doctor and Tirstan d'Oreasaval sent him back.
Joachim had been sent over Andes failed the first time and
succeeded on the second. After 2 years he returned with good news to Isabela.
Wihtout his devotion there would never have been a rescue party.
2 weeks after the boat left Isabela ordered a raft to be
built. Joaquin was in ill health and deteriorating
Relief in doing something over nothing.
Well-made canoes hard to steer and navigate. A raft even
more difficult. Eventually they hit a submerged tree and the raft broke apart
and they were all thrown into the water. The bank was close by and they all
made it to safety.
In the morning Joaquin was dead. The capsizing of the raft
and struggle after was just too much for him to handle.
Jean’s account reports that they didn’t even bury him. No
one had the energy to dig a hole and his body lay on the bank in the place he
lay down the eve before.
Not wanting to linger by the body, they part decided to try
to progress by following the river bank. The Amazonia river bank is covered
with thickets and travel along the bank simply isn’t possible, being more dense
than the jungle itself and they were shortly forced to return to their original
location and entered the forest. They soon became hopelessly lost and all
collapsed in the jungle to await their fate. One by one they departed. Heloise,
one of the young maids, wandered alone from the encampment. She was never seen
again. Not long after, her servant, Rose died in her sleep.
The her brother’s died one by and Isabela was left alone in
the jungle.
It is estimated that she was along in the jungle for 2
weeks, roaming naked and half delirious before she was found by some Indian’s
and taken to safety and nourishment. They had fled from Canelos where the small
pox had arrived. It was their intent to proceed on their own to Andoas after
spending some time alone in the forest. They delivered her to Andoas. She left
almost immediately after encountering a secular priest and was disgusted by the
lack of humanity afforded to the Indians by him.
22 July 1770 Jean set sailed from La Rochell 35 years
earlier. Six years later he married Isabela Godin in Peru.
Three years after that event, his leader, La Condamine,
arrived in Cayenne. From 1749 to 1750 Jean made his own Amazonia foray, ending
15 years after he last saw France.
Nothing truly positive happened for and other further fifteen
years and six months until the galiot’s extraordinary arrival.
10 months later that same vessel, dropping anchor at
Lagunas. Three years and tow months later still Isabela left home with her
party of 41 . 10 months and 22 days after her depature from Riobamba she had
her husband reached Cayenne together.
The time Jean and his wife had been seven years and three
months together that they had spent 0- in 25 years and months of marriage since their wedding day.
The young couple, aged 13 and 30 on that happy occasion were
now 41 and 58. They had been apart and separate by the width of a continent for
21 years and 4 months – remaining entirely loyal to that union.
6 months after emerging from the forest Isabela was still
unwell despite being lavished with luxury. She was sad.,
Her hair allegedly turned white over night. She had been 20
when he left her and now over twice that age,
Difficult switch. Her father, wealthy and prominent in Riobamba
now just an old man in Guiana., Jean no longer youthful husband, and she no
longer had high living in Peru.
They made no efforts to move to France, staying in cayenne
from 1770 to 1773.
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