It was near night that we came to a small native village of palm huts, and here our boatmen landed and hid themselves, and not being able to find them we were compelled to stay all night, for we dare not go on alone.

The place looked like a regular robbers' roost, and being forced to sleep outside the huts, we considered it safest to sleep with one eye open.

We would have gone on with the boat only that we were afraid the river might have more than one outlet, and if we should take the wrong one we might be too late for the steamer, which even now we were afraid would not wait for us, and getting left would be a very serious matter in this country.
We had very little to eat, and all we could buy was sugar cane, bananas, monkeys and parrots.

We kept a sharp eye out for robbers, keeping together as much as we could, for we knew that all returning Californians would be suspected of having money.

Most all of them were ready for war except myself who had no weapon of any kind.