266 



CHAGRES. 



and there was just light enough to see that the 

 blue Atlantic was breaking on the two points 

 of land at the mouth of the river. The actual 

 time I occupied in crossing the Isthmus from 

 the Pacific to the Atlantic^ deducting the 

 delay at Cruces^ was seventeen hours^ eight 

 hours from Panama to Cruces^ and nine from 

 Cruces to Chagres. 



On landing I made inquiries for a custom- 

 house officer to pass my baggage^ as I was de- 

 sirous^ if possible, of availing myself of the light 

 to get up to the fort where the miasma is less 

 fatal than below, and I had procured a letter 

 to the governor for this especial purpose. 

 After a rare hunt to find the officer, I returned 

 in despair to the canoe with the intention of 

 pushing off immediately on board one of the 

 schooners for the night, but the boatmen had all 

 disappeared. This was because it had very 

 naturally occurred to them, having nothing 

 else to do, that they might as well go in search 

 of a little gin to mix with the rain which now 

 fell in torrents. I had no umbrella, so I stood 

 for some time, at the edge of the water, with 



