321 THE NATUEALIST IN NICARAGUA. [Ch. XVII. 



pendicular sides. About this part, which lay high, as 

 well as where we stayed the night before, there had 

 been rains ; but on the low lands lying between the two 

 places there had been none. Our road again lay over 

 grassy plains and low, lightly-timbered hills, with very 

 few houses probably not more than one in a league. 

 The country was now greener ; they had had showers of 

 rain, and fine grass had sprung up. Passing as we did 

 from a dried-up district into one covered with verdure, 

 feelings were awakened akin to those with which in the 

 temperate zone we welcome the spring after a long winter. 

 As we rode on, the grass increased ; there were 

 swampy places in the hollows, and now and then very 

 muddy spots on the road. On every side the prospect was 

 bounded by long ranges of hills some of them preci- 

 pitous, others covered to the summits with dark foliaged 

 trees, looking nearly black in the distance. About noon 

 we came in sight of the Amerrique range, which I 

 recognised at once, and knew that we had reached the 

 Juigalpa district, though still several leagues distant 

 from the town. Travelling on without halting we ar- 

 rived at the hacienda of San Diego at four o'clock. 

 Yelasquez expected to find in the owner an old acquaint- 

 ance of his, and we had intended staying with him for 

 the night, as our mules were tired out ; but on riding up 

 to the house we found it untenanted, the doors thrown 

 down, and cattle stabling in it. We pushed on again. 

 I thought I could make La Puerta, a hacienda three 

 leagues nearer Libertad than Juigalpa, and as the road 

 to it branched off from that to Juigalpa soon after 

 passing San Diego, and Yelasquez had to go to the 

 latter place to make arrangements for getting our luggage 



