The famous Pearl Islands lie forty miles off Panama.

The pearls are large and lustrous.
On reaching harbour the health officials came on board, and to my surprise selected me alone among the passengers for quarantine.

The explanation was that I had gone ashore at Corinto.

So I was ordered to take up my abode during the period of incubation in the detention house, a building in an isolated position; there I was instructed, much to my relief, that I might go to town or anywhere else during daylight, but must, under severe penalty, be back and inside the protecting screens before the mosquitoes got to work.

The object was that no mosquito after biting me should be able to bite anyone else.