The Placer herald., 1856-05-31

ly the nurse.
Having as yet none of our baggage, side
comb of the nurse, was made tC
do duty for all the combs and brushes of th,
party, and we then sat down in the private
chamber to wait for breakfast. This was
furnished like the public one, only with les,
number of cots, there being on Y four in i
at that time while the public chamber con
tanned forty-two, each furnished with straw
pillow and one sheet, which we afterward.
learned to consider perfectly luxurious. One
of these in a corner, lay man shaking with
ague, and though intensely hot, wrapped il
a large red blanket, making him look like
a great coal of fire, which even the sun was
not able to put out, though shining just ther
fercelv in at the curtanless windows.
At last a bell, which might have served il
a church steeple, announced that breakfast
was ready, and my heart misgave me when
heard it, for have often noticed, in many
places of more pretension, that the scantier
the meal the more noise was made about it.
My fears were not unfounded in this case-
Cold pale coffee without milk, fat bacon
swimming in grease and half-boied wet po-
! tatoes with hard bread, formed the tempting
meal set before us, for which each was charg-
ed dollar. Without lingering long over
this delicious fare we rose from the table,
and leaving it to be sold again an indefinite
number of times, strolled out to see the
! town.
The scenery about Chagres is too familiar
to many of our readers to render a descrip-
ton Of it interesting. We will therefore
pass over the comments upon swamps, and
the style dress of the native women, neither
is it of importance to state the dangers OF
the river navigation. Suffice to say, the par
ty obtained boat and with their baggage
proceeded up the Chagres river, and on the
evening of the first day arrived at village
called Gatun, where, she remarks:
We Immediately engaged furnished
house for our nights accommodations. This
sounds quite magnificent, but those who
crossed the Isthmus as earl y as 1850, know
that it generally means hut made by driv-
ing canes into the ground and tying
them together, leaving an opening on two
sides, without doors, three small stones for
fire place, hammock, bench three feet
long, bucket, gourd, and two stew-pans
or pots, made of clay. But besides all this
ours had an upper story, which was devoted
to the use Of the ladies, and which was
reached by staircase made of deeply in
dented log set upright in the centre of the
house, and very easily climbed-by a squr-
rel. The floor of this garret was also made
Of cane, but tied together horizontally, and
swayed and bent beneath us, threatning at
every step to precpitate us OH the heads of
those below. Weary and hungry, supper
was first thought of, and we started out
through the village on foraging expedition.
Fortunately we had brought the substantials
with us. Ham, boned turkey, sardines and
coffee, We're very good as far as they went
but we wanted bread, eggs, milk and butter
and we searched the town to find them, but
it seemed the natives lived entirely on fruit,
for we could find nothing else except one
dozen of eggs and a little rice boiled in the
milk of the cocoa nut. Butter and bread were
things unheard of, and a COW was an obso-
lete animal, out of the memory of the oldest
inhabitant. We returned, however, with
plenty of delicious bananas, oranges and
cocoa-nuts and made preparation for cook
ing our supper. 1t was now quite dark, and
the scene of our operations, lighted up by
one small candle stuck in q tall bottle, was
decidedly unique The centre of the room
was devoted to our baggage an enormous
mass, reaching nearly to the chamber floor.
One corner was occupied by the mistress Of
the house, a really beautiful native girl, about
fourteen, married to hdeous negro and
lo1i bor 1otf hohy hon,
mock. Another corner was disputed terri
tory between flock of hens and four starved
little pigs, who irresistably attracted by the
savory odor of the ham, every now and then
made dash at the stew-pan, and were only
driven back by broad hint on the nose in
the attack, and on the launches in the re-
treat which they accomplished with great
outcres, and frequent plunges into the ranks
of the strangers, and finally among the hens,
who, huttsring up half way to the top of the
room, joined their cackling and screaming to
the rest of the noise, making perfect Pan
demonium in miniature
We had none of the compact conveniences
of Sover to aid our culinary efforts, but in
sist that our cook, one of the gentlemen of
the party, showed far more ingenuity than
that notable professor, and accomplished a
meal where the world-renowned caterer
would have hung himself in despair. First,
the three-stone (not tree-stone) fire place was
arranged, some brands lighted, and one stew
pot set on to boil some rice; then the coffee
was made in the other, and afterwards pour
ed into a jar which in the morning had con
tanned branded peaches. The coffee-grounds
rinsed out Of the stew pan, the ham was put
into fry, which being done made way for the
eggs. Now, this was quite a comfortable
meal, if We could have eaten the component
parts together, but, as We had no plates, and
but one knife, fork and spoon, we were forced
to eat spoonful of rice and pass it around;
two tin cups served US all with coffee, and
each held a slice of ham in one hand and an