Bw 
A TERMITES NEST IN THE FLOODED 
DISTRICT 
These ant-like creatures were still active, but 
doomed to slow starvation 
sistant on many former expeditions, ac~ 
companied me again in the same capacity. 
In the interim of selecting and then 
reconstructing the boat-house, we made 
a number of excursions by launch, the 
principal ones up the Gatun and Chagres 
valleys, referred to elsewhere. 
A STRANGE-LOOKING CRAFT 
Late in the afternoon of March 6 the 
house-boat was ready, and in the tow of 
the launch came to the wharf for our 
outfit. Such a strange-looking craft and 
the first of its kind on Gatun Lake ex- 
cited considerable interest among the na- 
tives and canal employees, who half an 
hour later saw us depart with Captain 
Brown, the owner of the launch, at the 
wheel, Our destination was the Trini- 
dad River, where we were to leave the 
flooded valley several miles up and enter 
a trocha leading to a new plantation, 
three miles inside the flooded forests, 
following the narrow lane that had been 
cut out by felling the larger timber be- 
fore the coming of the lake. 
Of the thousands of employees about 
the locks none had ever visited the plan- 
tation except our pilot, for this particular 
region was regarded as a most likely one 
to get lost in, and of this we were warned 
by the resident engineer. A heavy but 
favorable sea was running, and as the 
waves surged harmlessly along the low 
deck we wondered what would be the 
rate of speed or the condition of the boat 
were we headed into it. 
xefore dark the interior of the house- 
boat was put in order, interrupted now 
and then as the wheelsman took a short 
cut through the dead timber, when all 
hands with boat-hooks and oars assisted 
in keeping clear of the trees and floating 
logs. It was several hours after sunset 
and under the light of a half moon that 
we reached the nearly submerged point 
indicating the entrance to the valley of 
the Trinidad. 
AN ENTERPRISING CHINAMAN 
Tere at the base had once been the na- 
tive village of Escobal, now covered ex- 
cept for several huts on top of the ridge 
(see page 171), in one of which lived 
an enterprising Chinaman, who made a 
poor living selling groceries and a better 
one dispensing various intoxicants; for 
he was safely located a few yards beyond 
the zonal line of Federal prohibition. 
By previous arrangement the China- 
man had two native guides for us, and, 
with these aboard, we quickly departed, 
in order to reach the plantation before 
the setting of the moon. Seated within 
and facing the open side, we were able 
to watch the course through the tops of 
the great dead forest, where the deep 
waters had destroyed or covered over 
many of the smaller trees. 
Running at low speed, we were several 
hours crossing over, but by a combination 
of good luck and skill Captain Brown 
found the entrance of the trocha just 
ahead, unmarked except by the knowl- 
edge he had of trees near the mouth. 
How the house-boat ever got up this nar- 
row and more or less blocked passageway 
was a mystery, for while running it later, 
in daylight, with the launch, we often got 
astray or fouled on snags a foot or two 
below the surface. 
JUNGLES TOO DENSE TO BURN 
At midnight, in rounding a turn, there 
was a barking of dogs and we could see 
the glowing embers of scattered fires, for 
in clearing such ground the cut timber is 
stacked and then burned continuously 
during the dry season, This unexpected 
condition | feared would alarm the wild 
animals of the neighborhood, which, un- 
166 
