er, and after much difficulty succeeded in
depositing their light baggage in tents reserved for the purpose. Narrow
boards laid down to walk on were covered with slippery mud, and some
lost their footing and went over headforemost into the slough. One
jaunty, well-dressed young man from New Jersey, who had found the trip
vastly entertaining up to this point, was so disgusted at suffering a
"flop-over" into the mire that he turned immediately back and returned
to his home in Atlantic City. And so the sifting process went on among
the intending colonists.

The conditions at the port at that time were certainly most unpleasant.
Mud and water were on every hand, and sand flies were as thick as swarms
of bees, and nearly as ferocious; they allowed no one any peace. The
company had considerately provided coffee and bread for the landing
"immigrants", and something of the sort was certainly needed to fortify
them for what was to follow. Lunch over, such of the colonists as had
not decided to turn back started for the "city" of La Gloria, four miles
inland. We found that the electric cars were not running, that the 'bus
line was not in operation, and that we could not take a carriage to the
hotel; nor was there a volante, a wagon, a bullock cart, a horse, mule,
or pony in evidence. Neither was there a balloon or any other kind of
airship. We learned further that a rowboat could be used only a portion
of the way. Under the circumstances, we decided to walk.

[Illustration: PORT LA GLORIA.

_Photograph by V. K. Van De Venter, Jan. 25, 1900._]

The road, if such it may be called, led through an open savanna, with
occasional belts of timber. There had been heavy rains just before our
arrival, and the trail was one of the most wretched ever followed by a
human being. For about a quarter of a mile there was an apology for a
corduroy road, but the logs composing it were so irregular and uneven in
size, and had been so disarranged by surface water and so nearly covered
with debris that it all seemed to have been placed there to obstruct
travel rather than to facilitate it. After the corduroy, the trail was a
disheartening mixture of water, mud, stumps, roots, logs, briers, and
branches. Now we would be wading through shallow water and deep mud that
almost pulled our shoes off; then splashing through water and tall,
coarse grass; and again, carefully threading our precarious way among
ugly stumps, logs, and fallen limbs, in water abo