for us to land. They come out to meet us.

Dusky natives in landing boats are soon alongside, and we learn to our
surprise that our ship does not go to the dock. We are to go ashore in
these small awning-covered boats. This is a new experience for us, but
it is an old Spanish custom.

[Illustration: LANDING FROM OUR STEAMER AT SAN JUAN.]

The steward of the ship tells us that we may retain our rooms and use
the ship as a hotel during the stay in port, going ashore for
sight-seeing when we like.

We have heard that the hotels in San Juan are very poor; but of course
we wish to see for ourselves what they are like, and so we decide to
give them a trial.

We are in no hurry to seek the hotels, however. The streets of San Juan
present so many novel sights to our wandering eyes that we wish to look
about first.

STREET SCENES.

We have been told that we could walk all over the town in an hour, and
we resolve to try it.

[Illustration: A STREET IN SAN JUAN.]

The streets are narrow and dark, but well paved and clean. They ought to
be clean, for they are swept by hand every day. The sidewalks are so