The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-08-06
NO USE FOR MONEY.
\ Settlement OF Queer People on the Isthmus
Of Panama.

Idu W Ill oiD
three days before the steamer sailed"
;aid traveller who had recently re-
;urned from a trip across the isthmus,
Is he lighted fresh cigar, sand a
friend and / decided to spend the
time exploring the Bay. We hired
two West India darkies, who had a
long boat with sail which could be
utilized when the wind was fair, to
row us around. Well, of course, we
sailed up the canal as far as there was
any water, and saw the progress which
had been made, or rather the lack of
progress but that is another story.
awe shot one alligator and shot at
dozen more. They were lying
along the banks of the canal summing
themselves, and looked exactly like
logs to the inexperienced eye from a
distance. Upon nearer approach the
log would suddenly become animated
and would slide off the bank into the
water with a splash"
"But what ! started to tell about
was peculiar settlement of natives
some distance up the northern shore
of the Bay. 1t seemed peculiar to
me, but such things may be common
down in that country. am told they
are. At any rate, it was settlement
of people who had kept themselves SO
far removed from the modern world
that they had no desire for money" "
"To tell the truth, they have little
or no use for money, but yet | have
never before seen people who honestly
cared so little for the root of all evil
as these half naked natives of the
lsthmus did. 1t was a small settle
ment of perhaps two dozen houses
A dwelling consisted Of small poles
stuck up endways, an inch or so apart,
to allow the air to circulate freely,
with thatChed roof Each habita-
ton consisted of one room, open to
the gaze of all the neighbors through
the spaces between the poles
ain this lived father, mother, chill
dren, pigs, dogs chickens and many
other animals in the possession of the
family. The children up to the age
of IL or ii did not wear any clothing
whatever, and the adults none to
amount to anything. Bananas, cocoa
nuts and other tropical fruits grew on
every hand, and there was plenty of
fish in the Bay, which were easily
caught"
"The members of the whole COM
munity seemed to spend their time
much as the alligators did, lying about
sleeping and stunning themselves
When they wanted any fruit, it was to
be had for the picking, and the fish
were secured almost as easily. 1t was
long sail in our small boat from the
ship lying at anchor in the Bay, but
we started early, the wind was fair
and we arrived at the settlement about
noon. The natives paid little atten-
ton to us and some of them did not
deign even to wake up as we passed
Others partly opened their eyes and
listlessly looked up upon our approach,
but when we had passed they went to
sleep again without so much as turn
ing their heads to see where we were
going"
sour guides told us to pick as much
of the fruit as we wished We ex-
pressed a fear that the owners would
object, but were assured that they
would not. So we picked basketful
in one family's back yard, if that
fenceless town could be said to have
back yard. But we felt somewhat
guilty nevertheless in walking away
with big basket of delicious fruit
without SO much as offering to pay
anything for 1t. We SO expressed
ourselves to our guides, so they told
us to offer the people something
whatever we pleased"
81 took several small silver pieces
from my pocket and offered them to
the man who seemed to be the head
of the family. He was lying with
half closed eyes near the entrance of
his home. He opened his eyes little
wider when | approached, looked at
the coin IN my outstretched hand,
shook his head and mumbled some
thing whichI could not understand.
looked inquiringly at the guide, who
had followed me. .He says he has
no use for it,, the guide interpreted,
and so we went our way, and it was
starlight when we again reached the
ship. ~ y ZyIbYUP.