latter had taken the place of Nombre de
Dios, since that town had been destroyed by Drake, and was now the port
to which the treasures of Peru were brought overland from Panama. The
galleons from Spain, after calling at St. Domingo, went on to
Carthagena, where the first great fair of the year was held. Here the
traders from the inland provinces of New Granada came to get their
supplies from Europe, which they paid for in gold, silver, emeralds, and
produce. For the short time the vessels remained, the people of the town
woke up from their year's inactivity, and made the most of the occasion.
Stores were in demand, and lodging-houses required for the visitors, so
that the cost of living went up by leaps and bounds. Those who had
slaves got enormous profits by their hire, and even the negroes
themselves made large sums beyond the amounts they had to pay their
masters. The whole place lost its air of desertion and became the scene
of such bustle and confusion as would hardly be conceivable to those
who saw it as a "sleepy hollow" during the _tiempo muerto_, the dead
time, as it was called.

Having done with Carthagena, the galleons went on to Porto Bello, the
beautiful haven, said to have been the most unhealthy place on the Main.
By reason of its noxious air and barren soil there was a scarcity of
provisions, which led to its desertion at ordinary times. In
anticipation of the fleet, however, it woke up and became even more
lively than Carthagena. The only reason for its existence was the trade
across the isthmus, otherwise it would have been deservedly abandoned.
Here was held the great fair, that at the other port being petty in
comparison. The concourse of people was so great that a single chamber
for a lodging during the busy time sometimes cost a thousand crowns,
while a house would be worth five or six times as much. As the galleons
came in sight, the people began to erect a great tent in the _Plaza_ to
receive their cargoes, where they were assorted and delivered to the
various consignees or their representatives. The crowd of men and
animals soon became so great that movement was difficult. Droves of
mules came over the isthmus loaded with cases of gold and silver, which
were dumped down in the open streets or in the square, for want of
storehouses. Yet, with all the confusion, it is said that theft was
unknown, and losses through mistakes very rare. But not only were there
thousands of mules and their drivers, b