Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/186



ing their  minds  and  toning  their  hearts  to  new sensibiUties.

With as  Httle  delay  as  possible  our  passengers handed their  baggage  to  the  packers,  hired  saddle- mules, paying  from  ten  to  twenty  dollars  for  a  beast to Panama,  and  mounting,  filed  off  into  the  narrow path that  marked  the  way. Some of  the  women donned man's  apparel,  and  rode  man-wise;  others accepted a  compromise,  and  followed  Mrs  Amelia Bloomer, who  cut  off  her  skirts  and  paraded  the  streets of New  York  in  short  clothes  first  in  1849,  just  in time  for  the  California-going  sisterhood  to  adopt  that costume on  the  Isthmus ;  others  refused  in  any  wise to molest  the  sacred  limits  of  their  petticoats,  prefer- ring to die  rather  than  to  outrage  modesty,  shame the sex,  and  exhibit  their  large  ankles  even  to  the barbarians, among  whom  he  who  wore  the  least  cloth- ing was most  in  fashion,  nakedness  absolute  being  full dress. Children were  seated  in  chairs  strapped  to  the backs of  natives ;  luggage  was  also  carried  lashed  to the  backs  of  porters. For so  supposedly  enervating  a climate,  the  loads  these  natives,  negroes  and  mongrels, are capable  of  carrying  is  surprising. I was  told  that some of  them  frequently  packed  on  their  backs  250 pounds from  Gorgona  to  Panamd,  twenty-five  miles, in a  day  and  a  half  Many  of  the  passengers  engaged these men  to  carry  their  effects,  and  made  the  journe}'" with  them  on  foot.

There was  no  wagon  road  across  the  Isthmus,  and the trail  from  Gorgona,  though  not  so  broken  as  that from Cruces,  was  rough  in  the  extreme,  and  led through a  greatly  diversified  country. Two miles brought us  across  the  table  land,  when  we  entered  a dense  forest,  from  which  the  sun  was  wholly  excluded by the  overhanging  branches. Thence we  followed the path  successively  over  soft,  uneven  ground,  through shady canons,  and  mountain  chasms  murky  in  their gloomy solitude,  up  and  round  precipitous  hillsides cut by  travel  into  steps  and  stairs,  on  w