shouldered our effects, and quietly slipped around to the corresponding
boat on the other side the ship. Sure enough, that also was being
lowered. So that we and a dozen who had made the same good guess, were,
after all, the first to land.

The town proved to be built on low ground in a bay the other side the
castle and the hill. It must be remembered that I had never travelled.
The cane houses or huts, with their high peaked roofs thatched with palm
leaves, the straight palms in the background against the sky, the
morasses all about, the squawk and flop of strange, long-legged marsh
birds, the glare of light, the queer looking craft beached on the mud,
and the dark-skinned, white-clad figures awaiting us--all these struck
strongly at my imagination.

We beached in the mud, and were at once surrounded by a host of little,
brown, clamorous men. Talbot took charge, and began to shoot back
Spanish at a great rate. Some of the little men had a few words of
English. Our goods were seized, and promptly disappeared in a dozen
directions. I tried to prevent this, but could only collar one man at a
time. All the Americans were swearing and threatening at a great rate. I
saw Johnny, tearing up the beach after a fleet native, fall flat and
full length in the mud, to the vast delight of all who beheld.

Finally Talbot ploughed his way to me.

"It's all settled," said he. "I've made a bargain with my friend here to
take us up in his boat to Cruces for fifteen dollars apiece for four of
us."

"Well, if you need two more, for heaven's sake rescue Johnny," I
advised. "He'll have apoplexy."

We hailed Johnny and explained matters. Johnny was somewhat put to it to
attain his desired air of imperturbable calm.

"They've got every blistered thing I own, and made off with it!" he
cried. "Confound it, sir, I'm going to shoot every saddle-coloured hound
in the place if I don't get back my belongings!"

"They've got our stuff, too," I added.

"Well, keep calm," advised Talbot. "I don't know the game down here, but
it strikes me they can't get very far through these swamps, if they
_do_ try to steal, and I don't believe they're stealing anyway; the
whole performance to me bears a strong family resemblance to hotel
runners. Here, _compadre_!"

He talked a few moments with his boatman.

"That's right," he told us, then. "Come on!"

We walked along the little crescent of beach, looking into each of the
boats in the long row drawn up