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which is only about five miles distant from it.

It was about five o'clock in the evening when the "David" came to anchor, entirely out of its course and in the midst of a number of nasty rocks, about two miles from Rancheria. Beppo and one of the crew rowed Brown and myself and our belongings to the island. We landed on a patch of sandy beach, about two acres in extent. On the edge of this were two deserted huts, which the jungle would shortly take into its embrace. The little open space was entirely enclosed by heavy growth, quite impenetrable, except with the aid of the machete. Back in this wilderness somewhere the village that had stood in the open a few years before was now buried beyond sight.

Our first thought was to congratulate ourselves that we had not arrived after dark. In that case, trusting to the agent's report of conditions, we should probably have left the boat and sent it back to the ship without investigation. Our one chance for continued life would then have lain in the somewhat unlikely chance of attracting the attention of the people on Coiba. We would have been shut in on our little sand patch without water. The under

growth came down thickly to the sea at every other part of the shore within view. We might have risked the danger of becoming meat for sharks by attempting to wade round to the point from which our signal was to have been given, but it is doubtful whether our state would have been bettered by success.

However, we did not waste much time in conjectures, but started, after a short delay, to row across to Coiba. On the way Beppo told us stories of pearl fishers' fights with sharks and drew our attention to the great shells of the pearl oyster, many of them larger than dinner plates, lying thickly at the bottom of the sea. It was difficult to believe that we were looking down over thirty feet, so clear and still was the water. A little uneasiness was occasioned in our minds by a school of young whales, through which we had to pass on our way. There was no fear of their intentionally harming us, but if one of them should happen to come up under the boat and give it a playful whisk with his tail we knew that the consequences would be tragic.

Suddenly we rounded a projecting rock and shot into a little cove. On a narrow beach running back to the monte were six or eight na

ISLAND OF COIBA.

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tives, stark naked. At the unexpected sight of us they ran for the shelter of their nearby hut and presently emerged in the garments which were reserved for rare trips to the mainland, thirty-five miles away. This family of old-time pearl fishers were the only inhabitants within miles. We learned from them that similar little groups were to be found at widely separated points around the coast, but that the total number of inhabitants of the island would not amount to one hundred. Asked what was the prevailing condition of the islanders, they answered: "Necessidad!" They were extremely poor, but their condition was probably not an unhappy one. They toiled not, neither did they reap. Nothing whatever was cultivated, but they had plenty to eat between fish, deer, bananas and cocoanuts.

President Obaldia had provided us with a letter addressed to alcaldes and other officials, but these people could not read. It was to meet such a contingency that we had manufactured a document that was calculated to strike awe into the ignorant breast. The basis of it was a certificate of admission to practice before the Supreme Court of the Canal Zone. This was signed in large characters and blood-red ink by

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