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Show 368 PERSONAL ADVENTURES CI-IAPTER XXXI. Arrival at Panama-Agreeable surpriQe- Th A . Hotel S · . ... e mencan b 'ld.- ce~e In a cockpit-Decayed appearance of the public Ul I~gs- obbery of gold-dust-Crossing the Isthmus- CC orte·s s road-.A lady cavalier-The ca rn.e rs of p anama _ ru~Is-Exorbitant charges-Arrival at Gorgona-A Kanaka herome-Chagres-Departure for New York. Our arrival at Panatna 'vas first indicated to us b! the glimn1ering of a solitary light proceeding from one of the houses · but althouO'h • ' ' 0 've 'vere hterally gasping with anxiety to get ashore, we were compelled to wait until the morning : and wait we did, wakefully, for ~ot ?ne of us slept a wink the whole night. MornIng broke at last, and found us anchored at three or four mileB from shore, within a mile of a lofty, abrupt hill to our left, co1nposed principally of rock, but the summit clothed 'vith verdure. The Bay is extensive, and surrounded with green and undulating hills, although the appearance of the landscape indicates a warm, dmnp, a?d unhealthy atmosphere. To our right, in the distance, stood the decayin()' walls of a fort stretching ~ f II ·1 ° · ' • 1or a u rni e along the shore; wh1lst opposite to us lay several miniature islands, that, IN CALIFORNIA. 369 seen through a golden mist, presented a dreamy and pleasing feature in the vista, the beauty of which was heightened by the reflection of the rays of the morning suu falling in burnished tints upon the solid stone walls of the town. Whilst we were contemplating this beautiful scene, with feelings which will be readily appreciated by those who have been long confined to a vessel, and especially by those who have passed a considerable period remote from the haunts of civilized 1nen, we observed several canoes approaching us from the shore, n1any of them being of enorn1ons size, varying in length from thirty to forty feet, but in width from four to five, each hewn out of one solid piece of timber. Sorne of them carried sails, but the majority were paddled along by half-clad negroes, smaller· in their propo~tions, but infinitely less repulsive in appearance than any I had ever met with in the United States. There was general rejoicing when they reached the side of our vessel, for they brought us the agreeable intellio·ence that the town was perfectly 0 • hP,althy: welcorne news, indeed, as vanous reports had reached us, all tending to confirm the fact of the prevalence of cholera. We subsequently ascertained that the " vornito," a malady to which the natives are particularly subject during the rainy season, had occasioned a great mor-. R5 |