Show arrn nr rn lazy dirty panama special correspondence although there is a new flag in pan ama and the affairs of state are in new hands life rolls on in its accas tomed ay the bells in the old tow ers keep calling the faithful to prayer long flies of venders parade the nar row streets eternally crying tor sale their frugal wares buzzards soar in the hot air or hop on foot in their never ending search for offal the same horde of quarreling women crowd the market place to chatter to barter and to fight polite men drink in the cafes and busy themselves with political plot and counterplot and dusky lounge in cool patios dreaming the dreams that southern maidens dream the south is always the south its idle shiftless children play and par ley their hours away and the years bring little change tor them they are as aimless as the winds that play to the palms it is no wonder the word tropic sounds narcotic it is of no use to resist you may summon all your powers of will but drowsiness touches you with its gentle fingers and you drift softly out on the sea ot sleep soldiers eat ice cream the sweet tooth seems to flourish in a hot climate children gnawing at pieces of sugar cane Is always a a sight in tropical lands sometimes they get little else to eat on a former trip to the tropics I 1 had in my employ a little black by the name ot domingo who ran errands for me necessarily I 1 became quite familiar with the habits of my young assistant I 1 found that aside from sleeping a great deal he was quite an eater his blouse was his larder and he kept it well stocked with eatables mostly sweets if he were disturbed while eating he would chuck the unfinished morsel inside bis shirt to await a more favorable opportunity to con it domingos tendency toward economy was commendable even it his idea ot cleanliness was not praiseworthy there was always a noticeable balg ing in his blouse and I 1 frequently heard a rattling sound ae he moved about one day I 1 said to him domingo what is that in your shirt which rattles soa he replied that s my ice cream dish sir it was a well battered tin cup and after some contortions he brought forth a crooked much abused metal spoon for two cents I 1 get this halt full ot cream sir it is very good may I 1 bring you somei I 1 did not avail myself of his domingo is a soldier now the sal ary he gets for being a fighting man with la delivering the treaty to the proper authorities at colon because it was neither freight baggage mail nor express it was one of those little jobs of uncle sam s that as the say ing goes hid to be done just so an incident occurred during the bloodless insurrection which caused a stampede among the black alon there are thousands of negroes on the isthmus who were brought here from jamaica and other islands of the west indies to work on the french canal when that fantastic fizzle spent itself they were left to root hog or die most of them are english subjects and while they are a miserable pov erty stricken lot their one pride Is that they are subjects of great brit ain it stands them well in hand be cause it saves them from being pressed into service for duty i great culebra cut near pacific entrance of canal it is to the credit of the english boffl ceals that they look after them in this respect and prevent them from being imposed upon it the pretenders to authority or those who have so fre to defend their position were allowed to round them up and force them to carry arms they would not last long the stampede referred to was caused by an accident one of the volunteer who was not used to ban adling firearms while in the act of ex amiling bis weapon allowed it to go ote the bullet went between his toes and it was all so sudden that he thought the enemy surely had him he let out a yell and started to run several hundred negroes who were lounging in the vicinity curiously waiting for developments beard the native cabin amounts to about 40 cents per day american 1 he boards him self this Is a satisfactory arrangement to domingo because feeding him self Is an old habit he does not have to put up with whatever rations the head of the commissary department may see fit to issue he still has his battered cup and crooked spoon and he buys ice cream and cake as many times a day as the spirit moves him his fellows do likewise around their camp there Is a hovering swarm of venders steamer on the spot the panama railway steamer city of washington which rendered such valuable service during the recent trouble has been an actor in other stirring events it was in havana bar bor when the maine was blown up and was anchored next to that ill fated vessel the washington s small boats were hospital near panama city the first to begin picking up the men from the water and its crew saved many of their lives over women and children were kept on the wash ington tor two days and nights at colon rhey were given their meals and the best service the ship afforded and no charges were made at all after the trouble was over this boat took the commissioners to new york and later took the treaty to panama to be signed when it was brought on board capt jones was given a print ed letter of instructions in which it was stated that charge concerned 50 worth of interests the valuable document was incased in a steel box made especially tor it and this box was contained in a stronger and larger steel sate two smaller steel boxes contained two keys which were sealed with the seal of the united states there was con sid erable red tape to be gone through shot and yell and started a precipitate rush tor safety As they ran they spread the news and gathered recruits the retreat ot britain s black brigade on that warm warm morning was not a success from a standpoint of order but deserves special mention as regards speed some of them are probably running yet the shade in the jungle panama has waited long to gain the center ot the stage it la as gray and worn as an old man it has seen enough sorrow to make a thousand tragedies its green swamp Is the jair ot death where fever like a slink ing thief always lurks in hiding yellow jack la an invisible horror it advances with noiseless steps and clutches its victims with fleshless hand ever as it passes there are dead men and women this shapeless hiding thing which strikes unseen Is the teal defender of the bar that god laid down to mark the separation of the seas it it Is his supreme will that the waiting oceans blend their waters he must make strong the arm that Is ing to strike the barrier away he must guard the blow that will shatter the mountains by calling off the shade that stalks so ruthlessly through the jungle |