IN PANAMA 



233 



the coin, but the raw material, always denying all knowledge of it, the 

 probable reason being that the story of the cruelties of the Spanish gold 

 seekers are still in vogue among them. There are, all told, on the eight 

 hundred square miles of the Azuero lands, some four hundred souls. 

 On the other side of the mountain ranges, however, are large towns 

 and many thousands of natives. 



It took some time to appreciate that this was a land where prac- 

 tically no laws were operative. As the weeks passed and no word came 

 from the outer world, and we learned that the few letters despatched 

 to the faraway Panamanian postoffice would never reach their destina- 

 tion, we began to realize that this was indeed a forgotten corner of 

 the world. The natives are all good Catholics, and show their religious 



THE CHURCH AT LAS MINAS. 



fervor at many fiestas, by burning candles, exploding gunpowder, and 

 getting drunk. In this latter state they show much energy and put 

 up some spirited machete fights. If an Americano tries to patch up one 

 of the wounded, they offer no resistance, but as soon as the good Samari- 

 tan departs, they take off the bandages, plaster the wound with cow 

 dung, and if the victim dies lay his death at the door of the foreigner. 

 How well I remember the disgust of the scout who wanted to extract 

 a bullet that was just under the skin in the neck of a mozo whom the 

 alcade had shot for some misdemeanor. 



."Why it's only under the skin; it will almost roll out," he exclaimed 

 in Spanish. 



