Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/182



take a  mule  trail  for  Panama — Gorgona  and  Cruces, the latter  being  about  six  miles  from  the  former;  in- deed, there was  a  third  landing,  Obispo,  lying  between the other  two  at  a  sharp  bend  in  the  river. Gorgona is the  head  of  river  navigation  for  six  months  of  the year, namely,  from  November  to  April,  and  Cruces for the  other  six  months. The trails  from  these  differ- ent points all  unite  before  reaching  Panama.

At Gorgona,  that  is  to  say  the  Place  of  Rocks,  we found  a  bamboo-built  hotel  with  thatched  roof  and ground floor,  the  principal  room  having  round  the sides rows  of  grass  hammocks  hung  on  a  frame-work of upright  posts  in  the  form  of  shelves  one  over  an- other like the  steeraofe  berths  of  a  steamer. These berths were  of  sufficient  size  to  accommodate  an  out- stretched man, and  one  of  them  I  engaged  for  the night for  one  dollar. Evidently the  landlord  knew how to  keep  a  hotel. After supper  I  went  out  to take  a  survey  of  the  place. The scenery  thence  is bolder  than  any  I  have  yet  seen  on  the  Isthmus. The town,  consisting  of  about  a  hundred  houses,  is built  on  a  high  table-land,  whence  rise  hills  and  moun- tains on every  side,  covered  with  drift-like  masses  of vegetation  moved  by  the  meeting  winds  from  two oceans, and  forming  an  amphitheatre  through  which flows the  tortuous  stream  at  my  feet. Yonder is  the crowning peak  of  Carabali  whence,  it  is  said,  both the Atlantic  and  Pacific  may  be  seen  from  one  spot. Besides the  house  in  which  I  lodged  were  five  or  six ■others, some  of  them  of  boards,  some  of  adobe  with tiled roofs,  and  some  of  reeds,  with  large  signs  such as "  Union  Hotel,"  '*  Hotel  Francaise,"  and  the  like, kept  mostly  by  Yankee  landlords,  who  appeared  to know  how  to  make  the  most  out  of  the  traffic.  The carrying  trade  between  here  and  Panama  smacks  of Yankee  enterprise,  as  do  also  the  gaming  tables  where the  natives  lay  down  their  hard-earned  dollars.  There were  also  a  few  stores,  and  an  abundance  of  drinking saloons  and  fandango  houses.      Night  came  on  apace,