ON  MYROXYLON  TOLUIFERUM,  ETC. 
451 
that  evening  from  the  same  place.  The  drug,  he  further  in- 
formed me,  was  also  exported  from  Teneriffe,  Pinto,  and  Santa 
Anna,  all  small  ports  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  but  that 
most  came  from  Plato.  At  Corozal,  he  said,  none  was  now 
gathered,  although  the  tree  exists  there,  as  also  at  El  Carmen. 
I  was  glad  to  find  that  I  had  got  on  the  right  track  at  last, 
and  waited  patiently  for  the  canoe  from  Plato,  by  which  I 
hoped  to  get  a  passage  to  that  place.  It  arrived  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  started  on  its  return  an  hour  later,  and 
by  nine  of  the  same  day  that  I  left  Mompox,  we  were  in  Plato. 
This  place  is  about  a  league  further  down  the  river  than  Las 
Mercedes,  and  on  its  opposide  side,  near  the  outlet  of 
one  of  the  numerous  branch-streams  the  river  forms  in  its 
course.  Luckily  for  me,  the  «  Jefe  Municipale"  of  Plato, 
Frederico  Alfaro  by  name,  came  in  the  canoe  with  me,  and  this 
man  showed  me  much  disinterested  kindness  during  my  stay 
there. 
I  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  animals  for  the  journey  into 
the  Montana, — not  a  horse  nor  a  mule  was  to  be  had,  and  it 
was  only  after  waiting  two  days  that  I  was  able  to  hire  two 
donkeys,  one  for  my  guide  and  the  other  for  myself ;  a  third  for 
baggage  I  could  not  get, — and,  indeed,  it  was  considered  quite 
unnecessary,  as  it  is  the  usual  custom  here  to  travel  on  donkeys 
loaded  with  80  or  90  lbs.  of  cargo  besides  the  rider. 
During  the  two  days  I  had  to  wait  at  Plato,  I  found  a 
species  of  Myrospermum  growing  plentifully  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  village,  and  gathered  specimens  of  it  both  in  flower 
and  fruit.  This  I  take  to  be  M.  fruteseens,  Jacq.  j  it  grows  to 
a  height  of  about  15  or  20  feet.  Some  trees  are  now  in  flower, 
while  on  others  the  fruit  is  already  of  a  good  size.  The  trees 
bearing  flowers  or  fruit  are  generally  destitute  of  foliage,  and 
it  is  only  barren  individuals  that  are  in  full  leaf. 
On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  having  got  the  donkeys  and 
guide  assembled  and  everything  ready,  we  started  for  the 
Montana.  On  one  side  of  my  own  donkey  was  hung  a  bundle 
of  paper  and  boards  for  drying  specimens,  and  on  the  other  my 
"  estera"  (mat  for  sleeping  on),  blankets,  mosquito  net,  and  a 
for  the  journey  and  his  own  things.  I  started  on  foot,  feeling 
change  of  clothes ;  that  of  the  guide  carried  some  provisions 
