IN PANAMA 



229 



He had come there from across the mountains twenty years before, with 

 his father and five brothers, and had taken out rubber ever since, selling 

 it to the traders all the way from twenty to forty cents a pound, silver. 

 His figures as to the ancient yield of the trees were rather indefinite. 

 At present, however, as the trees were smaller than of yore, he tapped 



NATIVE RUBBER CUTTER WITH MACHETE AND CALABASH. 



about thirty in a day and got six. to seven pounds of milk, or from three 

 to four pounds of dry rubber. His system was to have a helper, one of 

 the twain tapping while the other collected the milk in a calabash. 



Under his guidance we got out very early in the morning, exam- 

 ined the valleys and steep hillsides in various directions, and found the 



