conquistadores, but to shovel dirt. And yet more cheery, willing
workers, more law-abiding subjects are scarcely to be found. It is
unfortunate we could not have imported Spaniards for all the canal
work; even they have naturally learned some "soldiering" from the
example of lazy negroes who, where laborers must be had, are a bit
better than no labor--though not much.

The third day came, and high above me towered the rock cliffs of
Culebra's palm-crowned hill, steam-shovels approaching the summit
in echelon, here and there an incipient earth and rock "slide"
dribbling warningly down. He who still fancies the digging of the
canal an ordinary task should have tramped with us through just
our section, halting to speak to every man in it, climbing out of
this man-made canon twice a day, a strenuous climb even near its
ends, while at Culebra one looks up at all but unscalable mountain
walls on either side.

From time to time we hear murmurs from abroad that Americans are
making light of catastrophies on the Isthmus, that they cover up
their great disasters by a strict censorship of news. The latter
is mere absurdity. As to catastrophies, a great "slide" or a
premature dynamite explosion are serious disaster to Americans on
the job just as they would be to Europeans. But whereas the
continental European would sit down before the misfortune and
weep, the American swears a round oath, spits on his hands, and
pitches in to shovel the "slide" out again. He isn't belittling
the disasters; it is merely that he knows the canal has got to be
dug and goes ahead and digs it. That is the greatest thing on the
Zone. Amid all the childish snarling of "Spigoties," the back-
biting of Europe, the congressional wrangles, the Cabinet