l of
sickness, due to the hardships of the journey, the bad climate,
irregular living, the overeating of fruit, drinking, the total lack of
sanitation. In fact only the situation of the city--out on an isthmus in
the sea breezes--I am convinced, saved us from pestilence. Every
American seemed to possess a patent medicine of some sort with which he
dosed himself religiously in and out of season. A good many, I should
think, must have fallen victims to these nostrums.

Each morning regularly we went down to harass the steamship employees.
Roughly speaking some three hundred of us had bought through passage
before leaving New York: and it was announced that only fifty-two
additional to those already aboard could be squeezed into the first
steamer. The other two hundred and forty-eight would have to await the
next. Naturally every man was determined that he would not be left; for
such a delay, in such a place, at the time of a gold rush was
unthinkable. The officials at that steamship office had no easy time.
Each man wanted first of all to know just when the ship was to be
expected; a thing no one could guess. Then he demanded his
accommodations; and had a dozen reasons why his claim should be
preferred over that of the others. I never saw a more quarrelsome noisy
dog-kennel than that steamship office. Why no one was ever shot there I
could not tell you.

After bedevilling the officials for a time, our business for the day was
over. We had the privilege of sauntering through the streets, of walking
down the peninsula or of seating ourselves in any of the numerous bars
or gambling halls. All were interesting; though neither the streets nor
the gambling places were in full action until late afternoon.

About four o'clock, or half after, when the invariable siesta was over,
the main street began to fill with idlers. The natives wore white, with
wide soft straw hats, and lounged along with considerable grace. They
were a weak, unenergetic, inoffensive race, always ready to get off the
sidewalk for other nations provided the other nations swaggered
sufficiently. The women, I remember, had wonderful piles of glossy black
hair, arranged in bands and puffs, in which they stuck cigars. The
streets were very narrow. When a vehicle came along, we all had to make
way for it; as also for the gangs of prisoners connected with heavy iron
chains around their necks. These were very numerous; and I can hear yet,
as the leading notes of t