140 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 



ground, which constituted the only floor of the whole 

 concern. 



Discerning, at a little distance, a small Habita- 

 tion which ottered, apparently, a better chance of 

 comfort, I rapped at the door, and was bade come 

 in by the owner of the establishment, who was re- 

 clining on a bed of formidable dimensions, compared 

 with those he supplied for the public. As might 

 reasonably be expected, I found that he was sick, 

 and that he had been so for some months. He 

 cursed the country, yet clung to it for the sake of 

 making money, and when told that a more liberal 

 expenditure of his gains, which are large, for his 

 private protection and comfort, as well as for the 

 public, in the erection of suitable buildings to keep 

 out the rains at least, would, no doubt, save him 

 from sickness, he turned philosopher and answered 

 that he deserved all that he suffered, and it was a 

 consolation to him. Such was his apology for self- 

 inflicted misery, and such examples are by no means 

 uncommon in this country. A miserable economy 

 is practiced in all that pertains to personal comfort, 

 and for the protection of health, while, on the other 

 hand, a most wasteful extravagance is often indulged 

 in for the gratification of some idle whim, or to keep 

 up a character of apparent liberality. 



For night quarters, we were permitted to make a 

 choice of the standees ; but to find one the rain would 

 not reach, in case of a shower, was somewhat diffi- 

 cult. The ground was not only damp, but, in many 

 parts of the in«losure, decidedly wet, and every 



