&quot;To California 



dear. We ll sell you a dozen of these fine maps 

 for two dollars each and you can easily sell them 

 in California for ten dollars apiece/ I foolishly 

 allowed myself to be persuaded. The maps 

 made a very large, awkward bundle, but for 

 tunately it was the only baggage I had except 

 my little plant press and a small bag. I laid 

 them in my berth in the steerage, for they were 

 too large to be stolen and concealed. 



There was a savage contrast between life in 

 the steerage and my fine home on the little ship 

 fruiter. Never before had I seen such a barbar 

 ous mob, especially at meals. Arrived at Aspin- 

 wall-Colon, we had half a day to ramble about 

 before starting across the Isthmus. Never shall 

 I forget the glorious flora, especially for the 

 first fifteen or twenty miles along the Chagres 

 River. The riotous exuberance of great forest 

 trees, glowing in purple, red, and yellow flow 

 ers, far surpassed anything I had ever seen, 

 especially of flowering trees, either in Florida 

 or Cuba. I gazed from the car-platform en 

 chanted. I fairly cried for joy and hoped that 

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