He was the faithful manager of one of our two faithful
conservators. He came around and took us sight-seeing: Through
the slums, good residential sections, up and down narrow crowded
one-way streets and the Broadway of Panama (Fifth Avenue) past
the Oriental stores.
RUINS OF OLD PANAMA
He took us out to the ruins of old Panama--the original Panama.
It is on a bluff seven or eight miles up the Pacific to the left
of present Panama. The monks who laid it out had an eye to
safety. Up there the Pacific deepens very slowly from the shore.
The bottom is mud and a sort of quicksand. You can drag one leg
after another out nearly a half mile before you get over your
head. Invasion ships would have to anchor a long way out, and
that would give the town more time to get ready for the assault.
On each side and in back was impenetrable jungle.
In about 1560 they built a wooden church. It burned down. They
built another and it burned. Then they really built a church--of
stone. The walls of one part of that church still stand, say 60
feet high. Then a convent. Things were really going good. The
town prospered and everybody was safe.
In 100 years or so here comes Henry Morgan. He really knew how to
set a fire.
Pages:
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352