8 " ‘THE VOYAGE. 
harbour was very brief; the mails and a passenger 
or two landed, away we steamed again. 
At Carthagena we only lay-off a short time, to 
land themails, and take on board the strangest as+ 
: semblage of natives I eversaw. They were bound 
for Colon, to sell the various products of their 
farms, gardens, and native forests. Wewere about 
half a mile from the beach; a good rolling swell 
broke, in small waves, against the ship’s sides, and 
spread its foam far up the shingle inshore. Up 
to their waists might be seen the dusky forms of 
the natives, launching long, ugly, shallow canoes, 
dug from out the solid wood. Soon a perfect 
fleet of them neared us, each striving to be first 
alongside ; as they converged, and_ steadily 
packed together, intoa confused mass, the yelling, 
screaming, 
with some unknown tongue, baffled all description. 
and swearing in bad Spanish, mixed 
Bad as the hubbub was when some distance 
from the steamer, it was ten times worse as they 
literally fought and struggled to get on board. 
Those who were to be passengers, in dread of 
being left behind, dashed from canoe to canoe, 
reckless of the rage of those intent only on 
selling their wares. Here one held up a poor 
little drenched and shivering monkey, another a 
screaming parroquet, a third a squirrel; others 
