158 THE WOODLANDS ORCHIDS 



time, Sam ? — I'm quite satisfied, Caribs ! Sam and I will 

 shake hands and there's an end of it ! ' 



But the others were not quite satisfied. The president 

 sat shaking his head. ' When rains come,' said Sam to him 

 anxiously, ' I get Mis'r George two canoe-loads, six canoe- 

 loads of orchid, an' no mistake ! ' 



' There, men ! That's final ! Let's shake hands round, 

 and wash away all unpleasantness — here's the wash ! — drink it 

 up ! Now will you show me your huaco ? ' 



First they showed him the plunder — hundreds of those 

 little images, mostly human, in the rudest style of art, but 

 pure gold ; a large proportion alligators, some probably 

 meant for birds, not a few mere lumps. Mr. Ponder 

 calculated rapidly that the whole might represent three 

 thousand pounds for division among ten men. But the 

 Caribs began to fear that their huaco would prove to be a 

 very small one. The yield had been failing in all directions 

 lately. They had prospected round, but hitherto without 

 success. No bones, nor weapons, nor anything but a few 

 jars of pottery had been found. Such is the rule — without 

 exception, I believe — in burial-grounds of this class, without 

 cairn or statues ; in fact, it is a mere assumption to declare 

 them burial-grounds at all. Men who dug at Chiriqui told 

 me that nothing whatever besides gold was found in that 

 great area. The statement is not quite exact, but it shows 

 how little turned up. 



The forebodings of the Caribs were sadly verified, Mr. 

 Ponder started back in the afternoon and they followed 

 within a week — ' made men ' if they had wit enough to keep 

 their booty, but not so rich as they had hoped. 



Next rains Sam loyally performed his promise. And 

 thus it happened that Messrs. Stevens were overwhelmed with 

 Brassavola Digbyana once upon a time. 



