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of our supper furnished a supper for our hosts, which they seemed
to relish very much – after which I swung my hammock to
the timbers of the hut & slept very comfortably the others spread
their matrasses [mattresses] on skins spread upon the floor & would have
got along equally well – if one of them had not received a
visitation from one of the Muschachoes [muchachos] (children) who slept on
the cane floor above which interfered with his comfort very
slightly. – About 3 oc [o'clock] in the morning commenced the
most unearthly noise that I ever heard to get an idea of it
you must condense about 40 menageries into a small span
& stir up all the haninmals [animals] at once with a sharp stick
it proceeded from an immense number of wild beasts of
different kinds in the surrounding forest & they are full of
them Monkeys panthers tigers wild boars – deer are very plenty
but they do not show themselves on the river – there used to
be plenty of aligators [alligators] in the river but they have disappeared.
I only saw a dead one of 5 ft [feet] in length – Animals have
been frightened away from the river & the traveled routes from
being shot at so much – My information in regard to the
game is from Gen. Norris US Top eng [engineer] of the surveying party
for the railroad about 12 oc [o'clock] the next day we reached Gorgona
Capt [Captain] Tucker of the Orus furnished the canoes & we paid $8.00
a piece from C & G we then secured 4 pack horses (they are
not as large as my roan pony nor near as stout but possess a
strength & endurance that is perfectly wonderful) paying $30 for
the 4 to Panama one half in advance the distance is 24 miles.
We started at 4 [o'clock] & proceeded 6 miles – we walked much
faster than our horses & where we would get about half mile
a head [ahead] we would sit down & rest till they came up so
that we to [too] took matters pretty easy – our road is a clearing thro'