The Son of the Barefoot Boy
Ambrose O’Higgins was like the bright lad in the fairy tale, who started out to seek his fortune with a knapsack on his back. Ambrose was only a servant-boy in Ireland, barefoot some say, running errands for the Lady of Castle Dangan in County Meath. Then one day he set out to seek his fortune in Spain where he had an uncle.
He did not find it there. So he bought a stock of merchandise, and took ship for South America, the wonderful country, where, so people said, one could get treasure and emeralds a-plenty.
He landed at Buenos Aires, and sold some of his goods. Then he crossed the pampas, or prairie, and packed his goods by mule-train over the high Andes into Chile.
Still his treasure did not appear, and, being a venturesome lad, he made his way north to Lima in Peru. There he kept a small stall and peddled his wares under the shadow of Pizarro’s ancient Cathedral. As he looked up at its weather-beaten walls and down at his old clothes, little he dreamed that one day he should enter the door of that very Cathedral clad in a Vice-King’s garments and surrounded by a brilliant retinue of officers and retainers.
Not knowing that all this wonderful thing was to happen, he grew restless and set off on his travels through Venezuela and New Granada, and finally went back to Chile.
There his fortune was awaiting him. As the years passed, he studied and worked industriously, until he became a famous civil engineer and built roads and did great things for Chile. He devoted himself to Chile’s interest until the King of Spain, learning of his genius and of all the improvements he had brought about in the country, appointed him its Governor.
He served with such wisdom that, in time, he was made Viceroy, or Vice-King, of Peru, the highest and most coveted office in all Spanish America.
So with pomp and procession, in a Vice-King’s garments, he entered the Cathedral doors of the very city where once as a poor homeless boy he had peddled his wares.
He died at a great age, full of honours, and left his estate to Bernardo his son.
Now, Bernardo his son was anything but a Royalist. He was a Patriot. He felt no deep loyalty to the Crown of Spain. He had been sent to London to study while he was only a boy. There he had met Miranda the Flaming Son of Liberty. Miranda had become his friend. Bernardo had joined his secret society to which Bolivar and San Martin belonged. Thus the boy, Bernardo O’Higgins, had enthusiastically pledged himself to help Spanish America gain her Freedom.
When his father died, he returned to Chile. He lived for a while on his farm with his mother and sister Rosa. But he was not content to stay there long. So leaving the farm, he gave himself completely to the service of his Country.
And while San Martin, the Argentine General, was mobilizing his Army at Mendoza on the other side of the Andes, O’Higgins and many Chilean Patriots were endeavouring to drive the Spaniards out of their country northward and back to Lima.