c/o Mr. George Bennett 
United Fruit Company 
Cristobal, C.Z. 
February 2, 1S51 
Dear Don Alejan dro: 
After writing you from the Tivoli, we came over here and settled 
down in "Palmas Bellas',' or Lagarto as it is called on the map. The 
town is 100% negro. We took shelter in one of the wooden houses on 
stilts to escape the rain. Have been here ever since because it didn't 
seem worth while setting up camp for a few days. 
We have combed this section for Indian pottery ana have seen about 
five sites after diligent questioning and intelligence work. All of said 
sites are back from the Coast and on ridges, but none show enough deposit 
to be worth much work. We have worxed a few days near Rio Salud. 
Matt and I left here at 4:30 A.55. to catch Tagaropolous• launch, 
El Tumbaito, which was supposed to sail for Code del Norte at 7 A.M. 
on Monday. When we arrived, they announced it would leave at 1 A.M. on 
Tuesday. It did. We slept on benches until 7 A.M. when we arrived at 
Code, anchored about 1/4 mile off shore. A big cayuco came out with 
bananas. The ride in was a thrill. One wave went completely over the 
cayuco. I had water dripping out of the seat of my blue jeans. We 
learned from the storekeeper and listeners in the store that there are 
various sites near Code del Norte. We boarded our launch again and 
started down coast, picking up bananas as we went. The return trip is 
too long a story for me to ‘write now - but no pleasure jaunt by any means. 
We arrived in Cristobal at 12 noon on Wednesday. The locks were closed 
so Dick could not drive over to meet us. We took a bus out to Gatun and 
walked across the locks. All sounds familiar, doesn't it? 
Anyway, Matt said last night that we would leave here on Sunday for 
Rio Indio and spend about two full working weeks there. Rio Indio is 
1-1/2 hour hike along the beach from Salud. We will leave part of our 
equipment here and the truck at Salud and plan to return to Cristobal to 
embark for Gocle del Norte. If we find something good at Indio, Matt may 
want to stay 3 weeks. He was up; there last Sunday and heard of 3 places. 
Major Cox told us the Geodetic Survey expected to send a boat up the 
coast about February 15. I am going to call him from Cristobal today. 
I don't know that we could be back by that time. On the other hand, they 
may have flexible plans like we do. Also, the Tagaropolous schedule is 
very indefinite. They are supposed to run each week but now there are not 
many bananas, so they go when they please. 
I hardly know what to tell you about, sending Perry down. We would 
lixe to have him 'with us and it would probably be easier for him to go in 
with us when we go up, but there is the problem of communication and 
letting you know "WHEN". 
