A Thousand-Mile Walk 
hundred dollars, and of the insalubrity of the 
Amazon Valley. 
Fortunately, as I said, after visiting all the 
shipping agencies, I could not find a vessel of 
any sort bound for South America, and so made 
up a plan to go North, to the longed-for cold 
weather of New York, and thence to the forests 
and mountains of California. There, I thought, 
I shall find health and new plants and moun- 
tains, and after a year spent in that interesting 
country I can carry out my Amazon plans. 
It seemed hard to leave Cuba thus unseen 
and unwalked, but illness forbade my stay and 
Thad to comfort myself with the hope of return- 
ing to its waiting treasures in full health. In 
the mean time I prepared for immediate de- 
parture. When I was resting in one of the Ha- 
vana gardens, I noticed in a New York paper 
an advertisement of cheap fares to California. 
I consulted Captain Parsons concerning a pass- 
age to New York, where I could find a ship for 
California. At this time none of the California 
ships touched at Cuba. 
[ 170 ] 
