EXPERIENCES IN COLOMBIA 



251 



Our British hostess did not have any time to spend upon us, and 

 as English was an unknown language in the town, we were doubly for- 

 tunate in making the acquaintance of Julius Caesar Visbal, a coffee col- 

 ored, barefooted urchin, brought up in Jamaica, who spoke English flu- 

 ently and melodiously. His presence so cheered the sick one that he 

 suddenly became convalescent, lost his headache, got up and joined us 

 while we did the town. Julius was indeed a treasure. He explained 

 everything to us briefly and quaintly, and incidentally gathered at his 

 heels one-half of the populatiaon of the town, who cared not a whit for 

 us but who wanted to hear him talk English. 



That night we dined in the main dining hall, but my appetite was 



LUMBER AND WILD RUBBER CAMP. 



spoiled by a sign on the wall which read: Ice cream, $15.00; sliced ham r 

 $45.00; ox tongue, $100.00. 



After dinner we walked around in the cool of the evening, bought 

 some Aztec pottery warranted to be genuine, and later retired to our 

 room. It was then that we began to appreciate the deadly stillness of 

 the tropics. The dog fight that started in the hallway ended in our 

 room, as the combatants fell against the door and burst in. This, 

 mingled with the evening song of several cats, the katydid chorus, and 

 the constant whistling of the police patrol, soon lulled us to sleep; that 

 is, accurately speaking, it lulled one of us, who, when he once lost 



