Year: 1875

The progress up the river was


slow, but for few hours delight


ful. 1t was late in the afternoon


before they reached the first stop


ping place, Dos Hermanos. A
r. slight breeze was stirring; birds of
brilliant plumage, and flowers the
tropies alone can produce, afforded
momently new enjoyment. and
Hetty began to feel that this dan
:gerous Isthmus, so full of miasma,
so stricken as it was said to be with
fever, was anything but the charnel
house it had been represented, and
growing more interested, became
even excited, as she felt, with civil
'ization skirting its banks, this
Country might be more than q
plague spot, and even missionaries
not be needed. u O.


The Blandferds were duly enthu-
siastic, though the masculine men,
her assured Hetty that Chagres
fever lurked in the air, was hidden
in the breath of the flowers, per-
meated the water upon which they
were moving, and that nothing but
the greatest care, the utmost eau
ton with regard to the use of
water, united with good constitu-
ton, could possibly save them
from the effects of the malaria, and
that broken down health would be
the inevitable result OF the least
imprudence.


To assauge Miss Hetty's fears
was Mr.. Parton's tender duty, and
in the kindest possible manner he
proceeded to do so. Only proper
caution, he assured her, was neces-
sary, and to depress herself by
dwelling too much upon the sub
ject, was the surest way, he
thought, of bringing on an attack.
The conversation was interrupted
at this juncture by the arrival at
the negro village, and the assurance
of the boatman that he could not
60 farther before taking rest.


The boatman IA huge Jamaica
negro) looked formidable to Hetty.
and she qnietly suggested that he
have his own way, when the boat
touched the shore and the party
was landed, much to the discom-
fiture of Mr.. Blandford, who as
sured his wife it would take a
month at least to get across the
Isthmus if three hours rowing was
so very fatiguing as to require as
many hours rest. But the deed
was done. Joe and his fellow oars
men were off to the fandango.
The village was enjoying, it being
fete day, and nothing was left
for the party but to find some rest
ing place where an hour or two's
sleep might be obtained, as it was
now nightfall, and the plan was as
much as possible to avoid the heat
of the sun, by travelling at night.
This interlude of desired rest by
the boatman was out of the calcu-
lation of the gentlemen; never
theless, the hope was that the men
might soon return to their senses,
and a few hours see them again on
their way. t.t


The bamboo house allotted the
party by some of the natives was
clean, and decent above the others,
though the only sign that it was


inhabited was q Yankee coffee mill,
fastened against the side of the
stairway, which consisted of lad
der placed against the floor of the
loft, to which they mounted, and
rolled up in blankets, laid down
to sleep. But sleep was out of the
question. The novelty OF the posi-
tion, the noise in the neighbor-
hood, from the merriment of the
dancers, the yelping of the dogs,
who seemed determined to do their
part in creating excitement, one
and all of these was sufficient to
overcome the effects of a good con-
science, supposed to be the main
thing necessary to superinduce
repose.


But Hetty was in paradise. There
was something so astonshingly
novel, so romantic even in the posi-
tion, almost declared lover, on the
'one hand to dream of without sleep
ing, and the fragrant air Of the trop-
Nical night TO give her assurance that
"a Llissful Summer was NJ haud, that
when the boatman announced his
readiness to continue their journey
not one moments sleep had been in
'dulged In, and with alacrity she re-
linquished herself to the care of Mr..
Parton, who led her to the boat,
wrapped the blankets closely about