CHAPTER IX. 



Journey to Juigalpa Description of Libertad The Priest and the 

 Bell Migratory Butterflies and Moths Indian Graves 

 Ancient Names Dry River-beds Monkeys and Wasps Reach 

 Juigalpa Ride in neighbourhood Abundance of small birds 

 A poor Cripple The "Toledo" Trogons Waterfall Sepul- 

 chral Mounds Broken Statues The Sign of the Cross Con- 

 trast between the ancient and the present inhabitants Night 

 Life. 



TOWARDS the end of June, in 1872, I had to go to 

 Juigalpa, one of the principal towns of the province of 

 Chontales, on business connected with a lawsuit brought 

 against the mining company by a litigious native. I 

 started early in the morning, taking with me my native 

 boy, Bito, who carried on his mule behind him my 

 blankets and a change of clothes. I carried in my 

 hand a light fowling-piece. The roads through the 

 forest were excessively muddy, and it took us four hours 

 to get over the seven miles to Pital ; the poor mules 

 struggling all the way through mud nearly three feet 

 deep. Shortly after leaving Pital, we passed the river 

 Mico ; and two miles further on, across some grassy 

 hills, reached the small town of Libertad. It is the 

 principal mining centre of Chontales. There are a great 

 number of gold mines in its vicinity, several of which 

 are worked by intelligent Frenchmen. The gold and 

 silver mines of Libertad are richer than those of Santo 



