3S0 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



hat, a coarse shirt and trowsers, form his dress, and he manages 

 his 'Mittle horse" with a double paddle instead of rein. 



On the morning after our arrival, we pulled towards the 

 shore, to meet a launch that was making its w^ay slowly to the 

 ship, and thus save as much time as possible. After we had 

 got on board, her head was turned again to the shore, and 

 we soon found ourselves in the rollers. When fairly in the 

 breakers, foaming and boiling fiercely enough, the oars were 

 held up perpendicularly, ready to be put in the water again if 

 occasion should require, and the timoneer, an old Indian, guid- 

 ed her, as she swept high on the top of a roller swiftly towards 

 the beach, and just before she touched, brought her bows to 

 the sea, and the next moment three or four Indians waded to 

 the stern of the boat, having one shoulder saddled with a sheep 

 skin, on which the passengers were ridden ashore. The Indian 

 holds the feet of his rider in his hands, while the latter holds 

 hy the other's head, to prevent himself from sliding off. For 

 this piece of service each passenger paid a real. 



At different places along the coast, as far as eye could reach, 

 the line of the breakers was sprinkled with fishermen, mounted 

 on their caballitos, engaged in their vocation, now mounting 

 high on the foamy crest of a sea, like a great water fowl, now 

 sinking from sight in the hollow of the waves, or whirled about 

 in the eddies ; and again, by aid of the double paddle, regain- 

 ing their positions. 



The Indians that were on the shore, were rather short, stout, 

 of a sleek copper color, with small black eyes, set well apart, 

 coarse black hair, cut close, except a small tuft or topknot in 

 the middle of the forehead, and temple locks hanging down to 

 a line with the lower part of the ear. They wore coarse white 

 shirts and trowsers, the latter rolled high above the knee, 

 showing their most sturdy limbs. They w^ere employed carry- 

 ing bales of goods from the launches that were being discharg- 

 ed, or loading others with sugar and bales of tobacco. 



The port of Guanchaco consists of a store house, a church, 

 which is the general land mark, and about a dozen or two of 

 huts and small houses. The city of Truxillo, or Trujillo accord- 

 ing to the latest orthography of the Spanish Academy, is about 



