34 



A FLYING TRIP TO THE TROPICS, 



disgust, when we were leaving the station at Barranquilla, an old 

 mulatto insisted on taking them to the custom-house. Arguments 

 were of no avail ; we had to give them up. 



At the depot we took a carriage, a little open concern drawn by 

 diminutive mules, and drove first to the Pension Ingles, a hotel kept 

 by a young Englishwoman, a Miss Hoare. Unfortunately for us, 

 she had no vacant rooms, though she promised to let us have some 

 on the following day. From here we drove to the Hotel Colombia, 

 with no better success. Finally, at the Hotel Victoria we secured 

 a couple of rooms. The hotel was a single-story building, one room 

 deep, facing the street. Back of this was a large courtyard filled 

 with beautiful flowers and fruit trees. This would have been a 

 delightful place, had it not been for the fact that all the slops from 

 the bedrooms were regularly thrown under the shrubbery. Back 

 of this court and facing it was a row of bedrooms, and we were 

 given two of these. The rooms were dirty, with cement floors, plas- 

 tered walls, the under side of the roof for the ceiling. There was a 

 heavy door in front, and one window in rear protected by wooden 

 bars. It had blinds, but no glass. From its name we expected to 

 find this an English hotel, but it was kept by a native woman, and 

 practically managed by the negro waiter, Sam. 



In our hurry in the morning we had left the ship without break- 

 fasting, and here, according to the custom of the country, we did 

 not get our breakfast until after twelve o'clock, so we were very 

 hungry. Breakfast was served in the piazza facing the court. We 

 had some strange dishes, none of them very good to my taste, but 

 the cofPee was excellent. The fresh meat is stringy and tough. 

 Rice is well cooked, but is dark colored. 



After breakfast I went out alone to attend to a few matters. I 

 first called at the American consul's, but found him out. A few 

 hours later I was told that there was a man in the house at the 

 time suffering from yellow fever, which he had contracted at some 

 mines up the river. This was rather pleasant for me, especially as 

 I had entered the house. From here I went to the custom-house 



