The Placer herald., 1856-05-31


the ngiht, aud with no little difficulty ascend
ing our log stairs, hung our wet clothes on
some wooden pins, which held the house
frame together, and lay down to sleep on a
pile OF damp rice straw. No, not to sleep
for we were still too near the tandango, which
was kept up till two in the morning. Then
the pigs and the gentleman below were con-
stantly falling out, Notwithstanding the
rooster in the corner every five minutes gave
warning, in his most prolonged notes, that it
would soon be day. There was nothing then
for us but to look at the stars, which were
winking most wickedly at us through the
gaps in the roof Of our chamber, and one
put on so completely the gaze of the little
corpse of the tandango, that | was fain to coy
er my eyes to shut it out.
In two or three days the party arrive at
Gorgona, dismiss the boat, and prepare for
land travel to Panama. The travellers rest
day to recuperate for this desperate under
taking. Of this journey and the events at
Panama, the lady gives a very minute histo-
ry, with which we will close our extracts
The ever to be remembered next day rose
bright and clear, and greatly refreshed by our
sumptuous nights lodging, we prepared gaily
for our journey. My two lady friends had
brought side saddles with them but unfor-
tunately had none and was now provided
with the first man saddle ever used on the
lsthmus if might Judge by its impenetrable
hardness, and the polish Of the CLASSY surface
This was placed on the back of a mule so OBJ
stinate that even his ears were fixed as Fate,
and to guide this tractble animal | had rope
bride. Our provisions for. the Journey and
our clothes for the three or four days before
our trunks could reach Prnama, were nicely
packed on a little white mule, which was
then securely fastened to the fence before the
hotel, where perhaps he yet remains, for none
of us ever saw him from that day to this.
About ten o'clock the cavalcade set out, and
and very funny company it was. Two or
three small men of the party were mounted
on the largest animals, and were quite to be
looked up to while those of longer limbs be-
strobe little rats of mules whose pi pc stem
legs bent and swayed beneath their uncouth
burdens threatening at every moment to break
entirely off. A young lawyer of the party,
some six teet-six could only keep his feet off
the ground by crossing them under the dim
inutive animal he rode, and when the road
proved too rough, stepped down and allowed
the mule to walk from under him. Some of
the mules reared up before, some kicked up
behind, occasionally varying this playful
kitten after its own tail Some planted them
selves firmly in the mud, but were persuaded,
after a shower or two of blows and kicks to
perform all these antics, to the infinite amusc-
ment Of everybody but the rider
Having climbed stump ia front of the
hotel, | mounted with some difficulty upon
my perch but that was nothing to the diff
Guilty ofstaying there, for on putting my right
knee over the high pummel Of the saddle it
threw me entirely ont of poise backwards
To restore my equilibrium | was forced to
bend at an equal angle forward and there
sat living cork screw, to the eminent peril
OF my neck and my spinal-coumn generally.
o, the feats of balancing performed that
day! The mysteries Of the ring We're ever
afterwards plain to nay comprehension, and
defy any lady, however expert she may being
dancing on broad back horse, or even leap
ing through paper hoops, to keep her seat
around one circle on slippery stony hearted
started, my mule walking stubbornly off
some distance down the road, when coming
suddenly upon a prescipice of fifteen feet
cried out to stop him supposing he had mis-
taken the path, but muly, paying not the
slightest attention to me- prepared for the
slippery descent by placing all his four feet
together for a slide. Finding myself perfect
ly helpless, | dropped the reins, and selling
reached mane with my right hand and the
crupper with my left shut my eyes and re-
signed myself to destruction, but was brought
suddenly back to the realities of this life by
broad splash of mud in my face as we came
plump down into deep hole at the bottom.
This soon became the experience of every
half hour, till, after riding ia torture about
eight miles, my lovely mule, in c!ambering
up sharp assent, lost his footing, sliding back
ward down and down the mill, till he finally
sat down on his launches snd slipped me off
over his tail waist deep in the mud. We
scrambled out on opposite sides of the slough,
dripping mud at every pore, he looking as
if nothing had happened, except that dirty
rivulet, dripping off the end of bis tail made
the hind part Of his body look particularly
much in contrast with his ears, which were
as rampant as ever.
Desperate, and horribly provoked by the
mirth which my appearance irristably excited
| now announced my intention of riding as
tride for the rest of the journey even if be-
came spectacle for the world The world
careing nothing about it, and large blanket
being found, / seated myself on one half,
folded the other half back over my lap, and
thus made myself as fine apair of grey panta-
looms as you would desire to see.
O, the ease and comfort of riding en- cava-
lier.-I now determined | would never ride
otherwise, and my spirits rising in proportion
to the safety of my position, trotted eanter-