REVIEW OF TROOPS. 25] 



breadth and about half a mile in length, 

 bounded to the north and to the west by a 

 dense jungle, with a small fresh-water stream 

 at the edge, and on the south and east by 

 the river and coast. Towards the eastern 

 end stands a very curious but very com- 

 fortable dwelling, built of wood, and occu- 

 pied by an old English gentleman of the 

 name of Shepherd, who exercises great hos- 

 pitality to any one in want of it, and pos- 

 sesses much authority among the Mosquito 

 Indians all along the coast. He was kind 

 enough to receive me until an opportunity 

 should occur to enable me to proceed to the 

 West Indies. I stayed with him five days, 

 when a man-of-war schooner packet came in, 

 and taking my berth, I sailed for Jamaica, 

 touching at several places on the main — Salt 

 Creek, Chagres, and Carthagena. I was 

 lucky enough to meet at Chagres a vice-con- 

 sul whom I had known on the Pacific coast, 

 and we agreed to travel home together. We 

 stayed twelve days at Jamaica; from thence 

 went to Cuba, and on to St. Domingo, where, 

 having to remain three days in expectation of 

 a Falmouth packet, we had an opportunity 

 of seeing a little about us, and had the 

 pleasure of witnessing a review of troops and 



