246 THE NATURALIST IX NICARAGUA. [Ch. XIII. 



in even a log of wood for a seat, and a table would, 

 I fancy, be beyond their wildest dreams of comfort. 

 An Avocado tree grew before their door, the only fruit 

 tree to be seen, and it was nearly destroyed by being 

 deeply cut into. I asked why they had injured it and 

 they said they fired at it as a target, and, lead being 

 scarce, they dug out the bullets with their knives ; yet 

 within thirty paces of their hut there were plenty of pine 

 trees that would have done equally well as a target, but 

 then they would have had to walk a few yards from their 

 door. 



How was such a spot first chosen for settlement ? All 

 the names of the places around are Indian, and probably 

 in the old times when there was continual warfare amongst 

 the tribes, the remnants of one, conquered and nearly ex- 

 tirpated, fled to the mountains, and occupied a locality 

 from necessity and for safety that they would not other- 

 wise have chosen, so that afterwards when a new genera- 

 tion arose they looked on the pine-clad hills as their home 

 and birthright. 



