THE SAN BLAS PEOPLE 



after much urging, we were shown the City of 

 the Dead, the graveyard where lie the former 

 residents of Cardi. It stands on the river 

 bank far inland, a silent village of great 

 thatched roofs. The floors sound hollow to 

 the tread, for the dead are swung in ham- 

 mocks, each in his empty vault, and the 

 graves are set side by side. 



Billy assured us that we were the first white 

 men to see this sanctuary. He made it plain, 

 too, that he wished us to look and then to go, 

 and the reason finally came out. 



" A bad thing happened here two days ago," 

 said he. " We saw the devil. ' ' 



"The devil?" 



"Yes." Billy pointed out the exact spot 

 where the unwelcome visitor had made him- 

 self visible. "He was a little fellow with a 

 white shirt. We thought he was one of the 

 boys from Cardi, but there was no cayuca on 

 the bank, and when he saw us he ran quick 

 into the woods. Plenty of people have seen 

 the devil here." 



Naturally, I was interested. I assured 

 Billy that, failing a tapir, I would be con- 

 tent with a devil. I told him I was a fa- 

 mous devil catcher and would guarantee to 



