Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/183



and darkness,  falling  suddenly  when  once  the  glaring- sun dropped  behind  the  hills,  and  soon  a  blaze  of light  poured  from  the  hotels,  saloons,  and  gambling and dance  houses  in  front,  while  a  thousand  moving torches glimmered  m  the  surrounding  darkness,  and mingled with  the  promiscuous  mass  of  brute  and human life. Rising in  the  background  was  the  dark silent wood,  and  in  front  the  sluggish  stream,  on whose  bank  this  so  strange  assemblage  had  gathered.

There was  a  fandango  that  night;  there  always seems to  be  one  at  places  of  this  kind. The Gorgonan upper ten  danced  at  the  alcalde's;  the  baser  sort  on the  sward  beneath  a  vertical  moon,  Byron  is  right in his  sarcasm  on  the  chaste  moon. It was  a  half barbaric and  wholly  voluptuous  dance,  and  the  reward of the  danseuse,  the  most  enduring  and  suggestive, was to  ha>"e  the  hats  of  the  company  piled  on  her head — a  doubtful  honor  considering  the  heads  from which  they  come.  These  hats  had  the  advantage over  beehives,  that  their  inhabitants  did  not  sting.

Rising early  next  morning,  and  partaking  of  a hasty  breakfast  of  beans,  salt  meat,  coarse  black bread, and  coffee  without  milk,  I  went  out  and encountered a  scene  similar  to  that  at  Gatun,  where we had  embarked  on  the  river  below  two  days  before, except that  in  the  present  bargaining  mules  took  the place of  boats,  and  there  was  an  absence  of  that  wild hilarity which  displayed  itself  immediately  on  landing from the  steamer. All throuoh  the  nip'ht  boats  had been arrivino-  and  there  were  now  a  hundred  of  them and more  strung  side  by  side  at  the  landing. On the low shelving  sandy  bank  were  scattered  miners'  tents and native  huts,  uncovered  piles  of  baggage,  mingled with which  were  the  prostrate  forms  of  unhoused pilgrims, landlords,  muleteers,  and  transport  contract- ors, while up  the  steep  embankment,  rising  from  the river-bottom, were  bands  of  fly-blown  horses  of  the  or- der of Rosinante,  neighing  to  the  mournful  melody of mules,  and  filling  the  heavens  with  their  discords.