The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1853-04-14

English gentleman" under blazing
sun, and in swamp of rotten mud,
which presents itself in the place of a
platform to the Barbacoas station, we
at length assembled party of nine
men, three women, and seven children
in a long fiat bottomed boat covered
over with a wooden awning. and com.
mirted car lives and fortunes to the
care Of Chagres boatmen. The cur
rent ruRs with great rapidity, and the
men puat the boats against the stream
with leng poles, by thrusting as they
walk along ledge round the sides Of
the boat, like bargemen in our own
narrow rivers. Six of these convey
ances left Barbacoas and began to work
their slow and weary way up the river,
which is bounded on either side by
densety tangled tropical forests, anon g
which thousands of butterflies and
humElang-birds, of the most brilliant
colors, disport themselves in the rays
of the san, while focks of noisy paro-
quets fly about in every directionlamong
the higher branches Of the trees. We
had o Texan in the boat, who had been
in many horrid and dismal places"
but anything TO equal this tar-nation
IsthmGs" he had never seen. "It was
pretty telerable cool,n he told US, Z" in
the march of the American army
through the terra caliente in Mexico,
when leaving his banner floating over
the walls of Vera Cruz, he proudly
marched under Gen. Twiggs; but no.
fthiag there, could show candle 10 this
here river" Twice this gentleman
took out his revolver, and threatened 10
shoot the, boatmen: "There are three
of you, and I've got six-shooter, so
by, If you don't move faster Pll fix
YOU" He had, in short, drank great
deal too much dguardiente, and previ-
Gus to resigning himself into the arms
of Morpheus, he informed US that the
ptoudest trophy hanging in the Capitol
of Washington was taken by him in
the batde5of Cerro Gordo. ~ was en-
trusted, sir" said he, by Col. Irvine,
of our q. S. army, with taking prisoner
Santa Anna-and, by the everlasten
thunder, if he hadn't been made of cast
iron and worked by a high pressure
engine, | would have taken him! First
OF all strangers, you oughter know that
having Ave four -pounder field pieces,
and no carriages, loaded 'em, and
lashed 'em on to FIVE old mules. Then,
turning the tails of them five critters
to the enemy, fired at old Santa An
miscarriage, and the re-coil sent the
mules fourteen feet in heFizon,aI dis
taaHce, and lndged 2em oE their iseads.
May fall dead down, and never be re-
cuberated, if lie! Then charging up
the hill, walked into old Santa Annals
carriage, just as he mounted horse
and escaped, while | sat and had six
shots at him, all of which Febounded
off his back. 'Well,' says the colonel,
coming up, where's your prisonerr
Says hes more than mortal, colo
mel, he's nowhere in partickler; but
here is part of of him, says hold
ing up lis wooden leg; and by the
Tarnal, gentlemen, that same leg of
lumber hangs as trophy in the Capt.
tol Of Washington, and is overshadowed
by that banner which waves on every
sea, and can whip the banded world in
arms" Our friend shortly afterwards
fell asleep; and after having stemmed
the current for six miles, we al length
arrived at GorgoRa. miserable viii
lage, where it is necessary to pass the
night, as it is dangerous to face the
rapids after dark.
3n8ho drv coosor &b,r,; !. r.,l &c
lwenty-three miles from hence to
Panama, but at this time of year it is
impossible. and we were obliged to Cd,
eight miles further up to Cruces, and
from thence. over the hills, distance
of twenty-eight miles, to our destina-
ton. Gorgona consists of collection
of huts with high conical palm leaf
roofs, on turn of the river; and
boasts of two hotels, the American and
the st. Louis, where travellers are sup
piled with brandy, pork, and molasses,
mosquitoes, and hammoeks at exorbi-
tant prices.
The night passed. off slowly and
wearily-the steerers and nearly all
the boatmen got drunk, the Californians
cu.Ved and prowled about the huts try
ing 10 pick quarrels, the dogs yelled, !
the blacks fought each other with long
knives, and nobody slept. At length
the early dawn APPEARED, and with il
a dense, yellow, Overlooking mist
arose from The teeming forest. gain
the seedy boatmen handed their poles,
and again we began TO move at snails'
pee up the river, with the current in
creasing rapidly afevery mile, and the
heavy dews falling around US, and
soaking us through and through. This
was long eight miles; nearly all in
he boat had been carousing at Gorgo-
IA and felt heavy in the morning; and
t was wifhsno inconsiderable joy that
We arrived at our destination in seven
hours aftez leaving Gorgona.
Cruces consists of about one hundred
auts, arranged along a dirty street,
with mules, and stsaming NTH |
liquid filth. Of the hotels 10 this town,
he best is the American; but the best
) bad indeed, being merely a long hui, |
vith mud t1oor, and narrow deal Ia
,le. However, when for twenty-four
hours the wooden awning of a wretch |
"A hoa& hos b<a,v, an nie orIxx v.rotoat,cr |