Rough Notes of an Exploration for an Inter-Oceanic Canal Route by Way of the Rivers Atrato and San Juan, in New Granada, South America (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854 edition. Excerpt: ...the Baudo, which flows within a few hundred yards of it. This hut had no regular tenant, but had been constructed for the accommodation of persons traveling this route. We found it empty; and at once took possession for the day. As soon as we arrived, I sat the men to work to clear away a few trees for observing the latitude in case the night should be clear, as it promised to be. Having only their machetes, however, this proved to be slow work. The largest of the trees in falling came very near crushing the hut to pieces; but worst of all, just as we had cleared a space sufficient for our purpose, the heavens became suddenly overcast with clouds, and so continued, with occasional showers all night. By degrees, as evening closed in, other travelers made their appearance at our hut, in the shape of natives who had ascended the Baudo with canoe-loads of plantains, which they were taking to Quibdo for sale. They carry all their produce on their backs over the route we had just passed; and when occasionally they have larger cargoes than they can transport at one load, they make the trip two or three times in the same day. Yet the entire value of the load carried by each one probably averages but a dollar in Quibdo, after having been transported 50 or 75 miles. As there is no regular system of canoes on the opposite sides of the ridge, in the event of finding no boat on the side opposite that from which they came, they construct small rafts of branches tied together by vines, and thus drop down the stream with their loads. They and we were of mutual assistance to each other; for as I had determined not to recross the ridge by the same villainous route, there was a prospect that we might have to build a raft for navigating the Baudo, until we...