Ch. XIY.] RECOVER THE PATH. 251 



about it. Rito also laughed much at the mistake he 

 had made, and though disposed to be angry at his 

 obstinacy in bringing us several miles out of our course, 

 we knew that he had done his best. All the native 

 servants, when they make a mistake, or do any damage 

 accidentally, treat it as a joke; and it is best, under such 

 circumstances, to be good-humoured with them, as, if 

 reproved, they are very likely to turn sulky, and do 

 some more damage. They are very independent, and 

 care nothing about being discharged, as any one can live 

 in Nicaragua without working much. Rito was an active, 

 merry fellow, and might every now and then be observed 

 laughing to himself; if asked what it was about, 

 he was sure to answer that he was thinking about 



*_? 



some little accident that had occurred. I once, when 

 trying to loop up the side of my hammock, fell out of it, 

 and next day Bito could not control himself, but was 

 continually exploding in a burst of laughter ; and for 

 days afterwards any allusion to it would set him into 

 convulsions. When we returned to Santo Domingo, it 



O ' 



was one of his stock stories. He used to say he wanted 

 very much to come to my assistance, but could not for 

 laughing. 



Next morning we started at daylight, and soon found 

 the path the Indians had told us about, which took us 

 to a place called Jamaily (pronounced Hamerlee), where 

 was an extensive Indigo plantation. About 100 men 

 were employed weeding and clearing the ground. No 

 fences are required for Indigo growing, as neither horses 

 nor cattle will eat the plant. A mile beyond Jamaily 

 we saw, amongst some bushes, a poor-looking, grass- 

 thatched hut, with the sides made of an open work of 



