Ch. Y1L] EXCURSIONS. 105 



cember is generally a very wet month, the rains ex- 

 tending far into January, so that it is not until February 

 that the roads begin to dry up. 



I had much riding about. The mines worked by us, 

 when I first went out, extended from Consuelo, a mile 

 higher up the valley, to Pavon, a mile below Santo Do- 

 mingo ; and even after I had concentrated our operations 

 to those nearer to our reduction works, there were many 

 occasions for me to ride into the woods. I had to look 

 after our woodcutters and charcoal-burners, to see that 

 they did not encroach upon the lands of our neighbours, 

 as they were inclined to do, and involve us in squabbles 

 and lawsuits ; paths were to be opened out, to bring in 

 nispra and cedar timber ; our property had to be sur- 

 veyed, and new mines, found in the woods, visited and 

 explored. Besides this, I spent most of my spare time in 

 the forest, which surrounded us on every side, so that we 

 could not go a mile in any direction without getting into 

 it : longer excursions were frequent. The Nicaraguans, 

 like all Spanish Americans, are very litigious, and every 

 now then I would be summoned, as the representative of 

 the company, to appear atLibertad, Juigalpa, or Acoyapo, 

 to answer some frivolous complaint, generally made with 

 the expectation of extorting money, but entertained and 

 probably remanded from time to time by the often un- 

 scrupulous judges, who are so badly paid by the govern- 

 ment that they have to depend upon the fees of suitors 

 for their support, and are often open to corruption. 

 These rides and strolls into the woods were very fruitM 

 in natural-history acquisitions and observation. I shall 

 give an account of some of those made in the immediate 

 vicinity of Santo Domingo, and I wish I could transfer to 



