IN PANAMA 



205 



was that we began to speculate upon the number of days it would take 

 to reach our destination, and to recall the fact that in these same waters 

 Cortez once lay becalmed for seventy clays, and at this season of the 

 year, too. 



The next morning we were still in sight of Toboga, and spent much 

 of the day in rifle and revolver practice, the gulls on bits of driftwood 

 making excellent targets. There was also the chance to size up El 

 Capitan, a nervous, wiry, native Panamanian, and to discover the very 

 primitive ideas of cleanliness that our cook was possessed of. For 

 example, his plan for cleansing the tin coffee cups was to pour one 



PART OF THE PANAMANIAN ARMY. 



half full of water, rinse it around, pour the same water into another, 

 and so on until all were thus washed. He also had a barrel of "biltong' 7 

 or pickled beef for the crew, that was washed each day and hung on a 

 line to dry. It certainly was strong meat, and the smell of it aft came 

 near making us all vegetarians. Slowly the boat drew on, the passengers 

 killing time as best they could, till finally Punta Malo came in sight. It 

 was at this time that our first use for the medicine chest occurred. The 

 Commodore rolled his sleeves high to the tropical sun, and in a few 

 hours had a pair of the reddest, sorest arms that were ever seen. They 



