236 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



thickly wooded, and their bright sandy beaches, 

 fringed with cocoa-nut trees, give them a 

 particularly picturesque and pleasing appear- 

 ance. Altogether we enjoyed our short visit 

 to these beautiful islands, combining pleasure 

 with duty ; for if ever sailing is pleasant, it is 

 so when one has the rare combination of fine 

 weather and lovely scenery, a fresh breeze 

 and smooth water, with secure harbours in 

 every direction under one's lee. 



From Pedro Gonzales we worked our way to 

 the northward, and anchored off the mouth of 

 the Pacora river, twelve miles east of Panama. 

 The coast here is so flat that we had to anchor 

 five miles from the shore ; a long line of surf 

 breaks constantly on the beach, and on the 

 bar at the river's mouth, so that it is difficult 

 to make out the entrance. Being anxious to 

 explore this river, I started in the gig, accom- 

 panied by my two guests from the flag-ship. 

 We got over the bar with some difficulty, and 

 pulled up the river for several miles, shooting 

 at the alligators which swarmed on the banks, 



