The Sea and the Cave 79 



of a big owl — Rhinoptynx, no doubt. The whole occur- 

 rence happened in such a short time that I had never thought 

 of shooting. I can't say that fear bathed me in sweat, be- 

 cause I had been as completely wet with sweat as any hu- 

 man being could be from the moment our hunt began. But 

 my knees were certainly rattling and I was as jittery as I 

 have ever been, which is saying a good deal. We walked 

 back, shining no more eyes excepting those of the enor- 

 mous bird-eating spiders which are always aprowl at that 

 late hour, and whose eyes looked like fiery emeralds. When 

 we reached the spot where we had left our borrowed am- 

 bulance, we dealt out a stiff swig of quinine and clop- 

 clopped back behind our army mules to our quarters in 

 Ancon. 



I can hardly credit my memory when I think of a trip 

 like this or the visit we made, also in an army ambulance, 

 to the ruins of old Panama. As I remember it, Aileen Gorgas 

 and I rode horseback; all the rest rode behind the mules. Can 

 there be any spot in the entire world today which offers a 

 more complete contrast than the Panama Canal Zones of 

 1908 and 1943? It is a safer place to live in today, as far as 

 health conditions go, but, it was a far more amusing and 

 delightful spot at the time of which I write. 



In 1 9 10, with a number of others, I represented the As- 

 sociation of American Universities at the reopening of the 

 ancient University of Mexico in Mexico City. This coin- 

 cided with General Porfirio Diaz's last inauguration as 

 President. We were sumptuously cared for by the Mexi- 

 can government. We American delegates had a house at 

 our disposal, and motorcars at beck and call. The great 



