226 



THE ISTHMUS* 



children^ pigs^ and poultry, ail talking together 

 their respective languages, break the silence of 

 the woods. The hills over which the road 

 passes are not very high, but a new road ought 

 to be constructed, following the winding of 

 the valleys. This climbing, however, cannot be 

 wondered at, for the old prejudice in favour of 

 carrying a road over the top of a hill instead 

 of round it, is only lately abandoned in more 

 civilized countries. 



As the sun was setting, we emerged from the 

 shelter of the trees, and rode for a short dis- 

 tance over some cleared ground, which brought 

 us directly to the banks of the Chagres ; on 

 which the village called Cruces is built. We 

 went directly to the house of Senor Gazo, to 

 whom I had a letter of introduction. He ac- 

 commodated us as well as he could, which 

 was but indifferently, during our stay at this 

 village. I was as much tired with this jour- 

 ney of twenty-one miles, as if it had been a 

 hundred across the Pampas. We had com- 



