g the
animal uphill on his way to Old Panama to bring back a party of
tourists visiting the ruins. How he expected the decrepit beast to
carry four more persons was a mystery. When the harness was lifted
there was disclosed the expected half-dozen large raw sores. We tied
the animal in the shade near hay and water and adjourned to the station.

The coachman, a weary, unshaven Spaniard whose red eyelids showed lack
of sleep, was weeping copiously. He claimed to be a madrileno--which
was evident; that he had been a coachman in Spain and Panama all his
life without ever before having been arrested--which was possible. He
was merely one of many drivers for a livery-stable owner in Panama.
Ordered to go for the tourists, he had called his employer's attention
to the danger of crossing Zone territory with a horse in that
condition; but the owner had ordered him to cover up the sores with
pads and harness and drive along.

It was a very sad case. Here was a poor, honest coachman struggling to
support a wife and I don't recall how many children, but any number
sounds quite reasonable in Panama, who was about to be punished for the
fault of another. The paradox of honest and coachman did not strike me
until later. He was certainly telling the truth--you come to recognize
it readily in all ordinary cases after a few weeks in plain clothes.
The real culprit was, of course, the employer. My righteous wrath
demanded that he and not his poor serf be punished. I could not release
the driver. But I would see that the truth was brought out in court
next morning and a warrant sworn out against the owner. With showering
tears and rib-shaking sobs the coachman promised to tell the judge the
whole story. I went through him, and locking him up with assurances of
my deepest sympathy and full assistance, stilted on toward the little
village of shacks scattered out of sight among the hills, and valleys
across the border.

Coachman, witnesses, and arresting officer, to say nothing of horse,
carriage, and sores were on hand when court opened next morning. As I
expected, the judge failed to ask the poor fellow a single question
that would bring out the complicity of his employer; did not in fact
discover there was an employer. I asked to be sworn, and gave the true
version of the case. The judge listened earnestly. When I had ended, he
recalled the coachman. The latter expressed his astonishment that I
should have made any such statements. He d