204 



EXPLORING FOR CASTILLO A RUBBER 



hens that were tied two and two, and wandered over the deck at will, 

 as well as Domingo, the leanest, dirtiest, tiniest tramp kitten that any 

 country ever saw. 



Don Pablo and Don Ramon, another friend, came out and saw us 

 off, and by seven o'clock we were sailing out of the harbor, headed for 

 Toboga Island, for ballast and fresh water. All trace of the deadly 

 heat ashore was gone, and the effects, a slight fever that all experienced, 

 quickly disappeared. When darkness came, we slept on deck under the 

 stars, wrapped in blankets, and awoke in the morning to find the boat 

 at anchor just off the little town of Toboga. It was raining gently, but 



CATHEDRAL SQUARE AND HOTEL GRAND CENTRAL, PANAMA CITY. 



no one cared, and after coffee we went ashore to buy eggs, pineapples, 

 and bananas, and incidentally to get a shore breakfast. This was served 

 in a neat room by pretty Indian girls, and was the best meal we had 

 eaten for a week. 



The town has about one hundred dwellings of bamboo, plastered 

 with cow dung, and a small church. It is nestled at the foot of a high 

 ridge, cultivated almost to the top, while about the houses cluster cocoa- 

 nut palms, pawpaw, and chicle trees. It is a very healthy place, as the 

 water is good and there are no mosquitoes. Late in the afternoon we 

 got away, but as the wind was light, we did little but drift. Then it 



