CHAPTER XXIII. 



Ahorca Lagata — A Thunder Storm — Another Visit to Chagres — Ap- 

 pearance of Manzanilla, going out the Harbor — Capt. Chapman 

 and his Adventures — A Wreck of Humanity — A trip down the Bay 

 after Shells — A speck at Sea, and what it turned out to be — De- 

 parture Homeward. 



Ahorca Lagata signifies, according to the natives' 

 version, "to hang a cat; 55 but when, or under what 

 circumstances such a sentence was executed on a 

 member of the feline race, tradition says not. 



The station is situated on a narrow point between 

 the Chagres river and a deep ravine, and is the first 

 place where that stream comes to view after leaving 

 Gatun by the railroad. It is as wild a place as 

 need be at any time, but especially so during the 

 rainy season, when the showers are frequent, and the 

 vivid glare of the lightning dazzles the eye, and the 

 loud peals of thunder break upon the ear with a 

 deafening crash, and the rain comes down as though 

 the clouds had felt the shock and deposited their 

 contents in one mighty torrent. 



The work having become nearly completed and 

 the laborers transferred to other stations, or returned 

 to the States, it became no longer necessary for me to 



