The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-10-06
snaaex mn. rHe TRoPIcs.
n Il Not Indigenous TO tho Climate ana
The Erotio rficle soon Withers.

roast beef.
, The vigor with which he spoke an
the eviden. relish with which he mas
. ticated the beef left the impressio
that the speaker had never spent an
. considerable time in any place wher
energy was scarce. He had just lande
from a Panama steamer, having com
from San Francisco by that route, an
he'd made short visits to various Mexi
can and Central American ports.
Not only Is It not Indigenous to tn
country, but the exotic article Away
withers and almost always dies" h
said. after the keen edge OF his appe
lite had been worn oil. Then he or
dered a pot of coffee, lighted ciga1
and continued:
after we sailed from San Diego 4
was several days before we arrived a.
another port. We crossed the Gulf o
California and touched at Mazatlan, In
Mexico. had promised myself that
should 20 ashore and see every town al
which We stopped in Mexico and Cen
trail America, so when the fleet OF ma
tive boats surrounded the ship party
of passengers hired one, and we were
soon on our way TO the shore. The
distance from the place where the ship
was anchored to shore was about three
miles, and before the distance had been
half covered was impatient and thor
oughly Disguised with the lazy move
ments of the native oarsmen. Our
time was limited, too, and that in
creased my irritation, because l was
anxious to see all / possibly could OF
the place within the short time.
II jumped ashore at last and hurried
up to the own. first TO the post Office
and then to other points of interest
1t was in the middle OF the day and the
sun beat down and reflected again from
the white houses and the streets, which
were paved with small cobblestOnes.
Scarcely person was on the street,
except the people from the ship. The
natives lounged about in their shops or
the secluded courts with which each
house is supplied. The shop keepers
were invariably smoking cigarettes,
and it was with difficulty that | in
duced one OF them to rise from his in
dolent position to supply me with some
small purchase which / wished to
make.
walking rapidly from the post Office
through the principal street to the
cathedral, and then to the markets,
and again to the public square, l was
10 perspiration before l realized it
But my soul was filled with contempt
for the lounging, lazy natives, who, it
seemed to me, could do nothing except
smoke cigarettes. rest their heads on
their hands, and feebly say: 'Manana'
tomorrow. / saw everything there
was to be seen and found the party ~
the landing impatiently awaiting my
arrival, so they could return to the
ship. While | had done the town
thoroughly ! had to admit to myself
that / had never been so tired in mp
life as | was when reached the deck |
of the City OF Sidney, and stretched |
myself in a steamer chair to smoke and |
think over what had seen.
my spirits revived when we got |
under way again and had the benefit of
an ocean breeze. | renewed my de-
termination to see all the towns at
which we touched-and see them thor
oughly. We dropped anchor again a
day or so later and promptly made a
bargain with one of the natives to
take me ashore. For some inexplicable
reason did not feel half the irritation
at the slow movements of the oarsmen
that L had felt at the first port. /
lounged back in the boat and smoked,
and was almost lulled to sleep by the
of the boat as it rose and
Tell on the long ocean swells.
when reached the shore, however,
shook off the lethargy and started
oriskly out on my sightseeing trip.
When | reached the public square my
began to show signs OF
petering out. With difficulty tore
myself away from a tempting shady
eat and visited the few places of in.
crest. Then | went back to the boat
nd although | reached the ship an {
lour ahead of the time set for de- \
'arture, l found that all the passen-
ers had returned ahead of me.
II was determined to see as much of }
he country as possible, however, no at
he next place / again hired native to .
ow me ashore. ! took an umbrella !
his time, and was weak enough to use a
as shield from the rays of the trop-
al sun. Arriving on shore, walked
'isurely as far as the post office and
ack to the boat. Then sat down on
ne small pier, smoked cigarettes and
atched the lazy motions of the native,
wing barges piled with bags of coffee
1T OF the ship and the empty boats ,
ick to the shore again. Very few of J
lie other passengers had come ashore &,
this place. !
My determination to see the country }
I'd not quite all vanished when the !
'chor was dropped at the next port. ]
I'd once more hired native to take
ashore. When we arrived there ]
nply sat down in a shady spot and
loked cigarettes. My resentment at
laziness of the natives had all van.
led. said to myself: This talk
out energetic people coming down :
re and making money rapidly is all
.ht-for talk. But the man who is
lie 10 Withstand the enervating influ-
&c of this hot and murky air must be
de OF energy, so that when his vipor
5 gone he would disappear IN. :
ibune.
Tho rla