194 THE NATURALIST IN NICARAGUA. [Ch. XL 



maize for tortillas, lived in the hut. The greatest portion 

 of it was quite open at the sides, without even a fence to 

 keep out the pigs. At one end a place about ten feet 

 square was partitioned off from the rest, and surrounded 

 with mud-walls, and in this the whole family slept. 

 Both the people and the house were very dirty. The 

 remains of a broken chair was the only furniture, except- 

 ing the rough bedsteads made by sticking four sticks into 

 the ground, on which are laid two long poles, kept apart 

 by two shorter ones at the end, over which rude frame a 

 dry hide is stretched. I was offered one of these couches 

 for the night, and accepted it ; though if it had not been 

 for the rain I would rather have slept outside, but all 

 around was sloppy and wet ; night had set in ; our mules 

 and horse were tired ; we ourselves were fatigued, and 

 there was no other shelter within several miles. They 

 had no food to sell us, and appeared to have nothing for 

 themselves, excepting a few tortillas and a little home- 

 made cheese. We opened out some of our preserved 

 meats. Whilst I was eating, the whole family crowded 

 around me, apparently never having seen anyone eat 

 witb a fork before. Fortunately we had brought caudles 

 with us, or we should have been in darkness, for they 

 had none ; nor did they ever appear to use them, as they 

 had no candlesticks, and the children and our host him- 

 self took it by turns to hold our lights. All wore ragged, 

 dirty cotton clothes, that only half-covered them. They 

 had four cows, and pigs, dogs, and poultry. The land 

 around was fertile ; they might take as much of it as 

 they liked to cultivate, and, with a little trouble, might 

 have grown almost anything ; but the blight of Central 

 America the curse of idleness, was upon them, and they 



