e hunted for the precious
metal understand so well. I think it was very wrong; but I kept the
secret of the place from the alcalde and every one else, and filled
some bottles with the precious dust, to carry down to Navy Bay. I did
not go for some time; but when I did, one of my first visits was to a
gold-buyer; and you can imagine my feelings when he coolly laughed,
and told me it was some material (I forget its name) very like gold,
but--valueless. The worst part of it was that, in my annoyance and
shame, I threw all I had away, and among it some which I had reason to
believe subsequently was genuine.

The landing at Escribanos was very difficult, and when the surf ran
high, impossible; and I was once witness to a harrowing scene there. A
little boat, manned by three sailors, grounded on a rock not far from
shore, at a terrible season, when to reach it from the land was, after
many attempts, found impossible. The hapless crew lingered on for two
days, suffering cruelly from hunger and thirst, their cries ringing in
our ears above the storm's pitiless fury. On the third day, two of
them took to the sea, and were drowned; the third was not strong
enough to leave the boat, and died in it.

I did not stay long at Escribanos, on my first visit, as the alcalde's
guest; but, having made arrangements for a longer sojourn, I went back
to Navy Bay, where I laid in a good stock of the stores I should have
most use for, and returned to Escribanos in safety. I remained there
some months, pleased with the novelty of the life, and busy with
schemes for seeking for--or, as the gold-diggers call it, prospecting
for--other mines.

The foreigners were just as troublesome in this little out-of-the-way
place as they were, and are, in every other part of Central America;
and quarrels were as frequent in our little community as at Cruces or
Navy Bay. Indeed, Alexander had hard work to maintain peace in his
small kingdom; and although ably seconded by Mr. Day, more than once
American disregard of his sway was almost too strong for him. Very
often the few foreigners would quarrel among themselves; and once when
they came to blows, and an Irishman was stabbed by an American named
Campfield, the alcalde roused himself to punish the culprit. The
native population were glad enough to have an American in their power;
and when I heard Alexander give his men instructions to shoot the
culprit if he resisted, I started off to his hut, and reached i