Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tumble down at any moment, a plaza with weeds growing between the cobble-stones, a dirty
'hotel', a great deal of filth, and much heat - this more or less describes David.
One evening I was invited to go to the theatre. I was staggered, for I never expected such a
luxury to exist in this place. However, I found out that an old shed had been filled with chairs
borrowed from neighbouring houses, and some sort of stage had been erected. About seventy
spectators were eagerly awaiting the moment when the improvised curtain would be lifted.
The girls were dressed in their best, powdered and painted, but I must confess that some were
extremely pretty and attractive, and wore their dresses with grace and elegance. Of course the
elder set of the same sex made great efforts not to be left behind, and I had fears that some of
the chairs might not be able to support their weight. The performance was one of those heart-
rending dramas, and the actors were Spaniards whose accent betrayed them as hailing from
Galicia.
I knew that the next lap through the jungles and over the continental divide would be very
difficult and risky, and so I looked for a guide, but it was no easy matter to find such a person,
fornobodyseemed toknowanyonewhohadmade this crossing. However,after alongsearch
I heard of a man who, many years before, had made a similar journey when he tried to save
himself and his mules during a revolution, and with the help of a friend I ran him to earth. He
was a half-caste Indian, some fifty years of age. He said that he did not remember the way he
had gone, and was not at all keen on doing another such trip.
He further told us that he had started out with two companions and twenty mules, but that
he had lost eleven of them on the difficult march. This was certainly not the kind of news to
helpencourageme,butIwasdeterminedtotrymyluckoncemore,andatlast,whenIhaddis-
cussed things for a long time and had offered the man very high pay and a substantial present
shouldwereachtheCostaRicancapitalsafely,heacceptedmyproposals,andwithintwodays
we were equipped and ready to start.
I had to buy a sturdy pony, the man's pack being too much for my already heavily laden
animals, and so that the guide might ride when he was tired of walking. Like most jungle men
he usually much preferred to go afoot, leading his pony with one hand and holding his 'ma-
chete' in the other. No Central American goes into the woods without this very necessary tool
andweapon,andinmanypartstheywearitinaleathersheathlikeasword.Ihadacquiredone
which I fixed to the pack saddle, and countless times I had to use it to cut fodder or to clear
thewayforthehorses.Thisinstrumenthasaccountedformoredeathsinrevolutionsthanfire-
arms, and jungle men are not afraid to face even tigers with them.
There is plenty of game in the interior of Panama; tigers, black leopards, tiger-cats, wild
pigs, deer, tapirs, wild turkeys, etc., are often hunted. Game is particularly plentiful in the
neighbourhood of the Chiriqui volcano, and near the coast are regular paradises for alligator
hunters.
From David we made a short journey to a little place called Concepción, which is the last
village before one enters the forests and jungles. When we arrived there was some kind of
