PALM-TBEE ATINB. 
209 
We advanced in tlie forest, we began to find little pathways, 
looking as tliougb they bad been recently cleared out by the 
hatchet. Their windings displayed a great number of new 
plants : Mougeotia mollis, Nelsonia albicans, Melampodium 
paludosum, Jonidiuin anoinaluin, Teucrium palustrc, Gom- 
phia lucens, and a new kind of Couiposees, the Spuracantha 
cornifolia. A fine Pancratium embalmed the air in the 
humid spots, and almost made us forget that those gloomy 
and marshy forests arc highly dangerous to health. 
After an hour’s walk, we found, in a cleared spot, several 
inhabitants employed in collecting palm-tree wine. The 
dark tint of the zambos formed a strong contrast with the 
appearance of a little man with light hair and a pale com- 
plexion, who seemed to take no share in the labour. I 
thought at first that he was a sailor who had escaped trom 
some North American vessel ; but I was soon undeceived. 
This fair-complexioned man was my countryman, born on 
the coast of the Piiltic ; he had served in the Danish navy, 
and had lived for several years in the upper part of the Eio 
tiinu, near Santa Cruz de Lorica. lie had come, to ixse the 
Words of the loungers of the country “ pai’a ver tierras, y 
pasear, no mas” — (“ to see other lauds, and to roam about : 
nothing else.”) Tlie sight of a man who could speak to him 
of his country, seemed to have no attraction for him; and, 
as he had almost forgotten German without being able to 
express himself cleaidy in Spanish, our converaation was not 
'ery animated. During the five years of my travels in 
Spanish America, I found only two opportunities ot speak- 
hig my native language. The first Prussian I met w ith u as 
S' sailor from Memel, who served on board a ship from 
Halifax, and who refused to make himself known till after 
he had tired some musket-shot at our boat. The second, the 
man we met at the Rio Sinu, was very amicably disposed. 
Without answering my questions, he continued repeating, 
with a smile, “ that the country was hot and humid ; that 
the houses in the town of Pomerania were finer than those 
of Santa Cruz de Lorica; and that, if we remained in the 
forest, we should have the tertian fever (calentura) trom 
which he had long suffered.” AVehad some difficulty in 
testifying our gratitude to this good man for Lis kind 
advice ; for according to his somewhat aristocratic princi- 
VOL. III. » 
