first town we struck in Portugal, I met with a
peculiarly Portuguese reception. Every person was supplied with
detonating rockets which were fired off in showers and that was the
manner of showing good will at every place in the country. There were
no rocks in the river now. The stream broadened majestically and the
tides from the Atlantic began to be felt. At Abrantes and Santarem,
the receptions accorded me took the wildest form of enthusiasm and I
there heard for the first time the peculiar name given me in Portugal
'Homen das Botas',--'the man with the boots'. This name grew out of an
ancient story connected with the Tagus. Many years ago the government
officials wished to pass a law which was obnoxious to the people, who
made a terrible clamor against it. A shrewd politician, to distract the
people's attention from the proposed law, circulated the report that a
man in boots was going to walk on the surface of the Tagus from
Santarem to Lisbon. This was such a wonderful thing that the people
lost sight of the political question, in watching the river and
discussing the performance. In the meantime the law was passed. For
years the people talked and at last joked about the 'man with the
boots,' and so when I came down, there was some reason for their
cries of 'here comes the veritable Homem das Botas.'"

As Paul approached Lisbon, he had to work tides. The river ran through a
very low country and stretched into so wide an expanse, as almost to
form a bay. He arrived in Lisbon just eighteen days from the time of
starting, which included nine night's paddling. The welcome he
received there was something tremendous. It was estimated that one
hundred thousand people were out to see him land. Just before going
ashore, a steam launch put out to him with dispatches of
congratulations from the King of Spain and his Minister of Marine. A
company of horse guards took charge of him and escorted him to a
hotel. The usual banquets and entertainments followed this winding up of
one of the hardest voyages he ever made.

The fact that the Tagus had been navigated, created a profound sensation
throughout Spain and Portugal, and Boyton was kept busy acknowledging
telegrams of congratulation. The governor of Toledo sent the Spanish
consul at Lisbon a telegram which, translated, read as follows:

"I beg you to heartily congratulate Captain Boyton in my behalf for the
happy termination of his di