amp about; but there seemed to be no
banks, and the vegetation would not let us approach whatever earth there
might be. The _padrone_ and the big negro thrust their heads
through holes cut in the middle of their blankets, and seemed happy.
Talbot Ward and Yank took it with the philosophy of old campaigners; but
Johnny and I had not had experience enough to realize that things have a
habit of coming to an end. We were too wet even to smoke.

That night we spent at a place called Pena Blanca, which differed in no
essential from Gatun. We slept there in small sheds, along with twenty
or thirty of our ship's companions wedged tightly together. A dozen
other similar sheds adjoined. We were all quarrelsome and disinclined to
take much nonsense either from the natives or from each other. Also we
needed and wanted food; and we had difficulty in getting it. A dozen
incipient quarrels were extinguished because the majority of the crowd
would not stand for being bothered by the row. Finally the whole hutful
became involved, and it really looked for a moment like a riot. A good
deal of bad language flew about, and men seized their weapons. Yank rose
to the occasion by appealing to them not "to kick up a muss," because
there was "a lady of our own colour in the next room." The lady was
mythical, but the riot was averted.

The next day was clearing, with occasional heavy dashing showers, just
to keep us interested. The country began more to open up. We passed many
grass savannahs dotted with palms and a tree something like our locust.
Herds of cattle fed there. The river narrowed and became swifter. Often
our men had to lay aside their paddles in favour of the pole or tracking
line. Once or twice we landed and walked for a short distance along the
banks. At one place we saw several wild turkeys. At another something
horrifying, rustling, and reptilian made a dash fairly from between my
feet, and rushed _flop_ into the water. The boys claimed I jumped
straight upward four feet; but I think it was nearer ten. Talbot said
the thing was an iguana. I should like very much to be able to describe
it accurately, but my observation was somewhat confused. Beyond the
evident fact that it snorted actual fire, I am not prepared to go.

Along in the early afternoon we reached bolder shores in which the trap
rock descended sheer beneath the surface of the water. Directly ahead of
us rose a mountain like a cone of verdure. We glided around the base