PANAMA, 



203 



Every body^ and every thing comes to life 

 here at night. The burning heat of the day 

 induces the whole population to shut their 

 windows^ and loll at their ease^ half, or quite 

 asleep^ in their hammocks ; but when the sun 

 sets^ and the moon is up^ the whole town is in 

 agitation. Buying and selling, gossiping and 

 promenading^ are all carried on with as much 

 eagerness as the languor of the climate will 

 permit. 



Besides mosquitos and scorpions^ which last I 

 have found crawling up the wall of my bedroom^ 

 and various other insects and reptiles which haunt 

 the nighty there are additional nuisances almost 

 as bad, though of a very different character. At 

 least four nights out of the seven, I am indulged 

 with a superstitious if not idolatrous ceremony, 

 performed in every street, and of course under 

 my window. This consists of a numerous cortege 



