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Show 390 PERSONAL ADVENTURES those used in the bay of Panarna, with the addition of a small canvass awning, stretched on \VOoden hoops, cut and opened out so as to fasten to the sides of the boat. This affords but indifferent shelter during the rain, and is otherwise extremely inconvenient, being, in general, so low as to prevent one sitting under it with any degree of cotnfort. The men who row these boats are invariably negroes ; the population of Crucis, as of most of the towns on the Isthmus , consisting almost entirely of that race. Instead of the ordinary paddles, they use rather a novel sort of oar, \Vith a long handle, and· unusually broad blade. The foliage on either bank, as we proceeded, seemed alive with parrots macaws ' ' and monkeys; whilst a solitary crocodile was occasionally to be seen basking in the sun. The • • rtver Is rather devious in its course and so ' ~hallow in many parts, that we were frequently In danger of running aground. The weather, however, being fine, and the motion somewhat different from that of the old broken-down mule, on. \Vhose back I may almost literally say I sailed to Crucis, I enjoyed the trip exceedingly. About an hour after dusk we arrived at Gor- ' gona, and stopped at the base of a small hill, on the right bank of the river where we found several empty canoes that ha'd just landed their IN CALIFORNIA. 391 passengers for the night. J urn ping ashore, and ascending the hill, we soon came to a wretchedlooking cane hut, which, I suppose, is the hotel, par excellence, of the river, and which rejoices in the appellation of rancl~o blanco; although every thing connected with it is as black and filthy as it is possible to itnagine. Here we found assembled about twenty-five travellers; and the number was presently increased by the arrival of a small party that had come part of the way by land, their canoe having been cap. sized a few miles above, owing to the unskilful management of the negroes. One of the natives was dro,vned, and the passengers had lost all their baggage. More lives would have been sacrificed, hut for the skill an~ courage of a Kanaka female, the wife of one of the passengers, who happened fortunately to be on board. Like the generality of her countrywomen, she was an admirable swimmer, and, after saving her husband, and bringing him to the shore, she re~ urned and brought out several of the other passengers \vho \vere unable to swim, and who would certainly have been lost but for her aid. She was a stout 'veil-formed woman, with the dark complexion' and characteristic features of the Sand,vich Islanders. We were, of course, loud in our praises of the heroism she bad displayed; but she took it all very modestly, and |