THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 167 



commenced singing and dancing " Jump Jim Crow" 

 when w r e were in our worst plight. On inquiring 

 the cause of his present condition, I learned that he 

 had been capsized and nearly crushed to death in 

 attempting to save the Swan, which some rascal had 

 cut loose from her moorings at Chagres, to float out 

 to sea, and w r as perhaps more totally wrecked than 

 himself. One of our party having called for me, I 

 hastily administered my most consoling " hopes" 

 that his " hull" w T ould bear repairs, and started for 

 the door, which I had hardly reached when he hailed 

 me again : " Doctor, you remember the Captain of 

 the Mille, you came down the river with?" " Yes." 

 " Well, he is dead." He uttered this in such a tone 

 of despair, and at the same time dropping his head, 

 that I could not help pitying him, notwithstanding 

 the hardihood he had exhibited on the former occa- 

 sion. I turned away and thought of what the Cap- 

 tain of the Mille had said when I saw him last — 

 and now that he w r as dead ! 



I have been down the Bay since then, and as I 

 was strolling along the beach, picking up shells, 

 which are found here in great variety, I sat down to 

 rest, and looking out upon the water I saw a nauti- 

 lus, and as I watched it, tossing upon the rippling 

 sea, I thought how strangely it w^as like man, tossing 

 about upon the sea of life ; and watching still, as it 

 came near, to my surprise a heavy ripple threw it 

 on the shore, from wdiich I thought it must be dead ; 

 but it was not, yet its rippled race was run, and as 

 I examined it, the thought was forced upon me, if I, 



