38 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
less, save for a gentle heaving. We were almost broiled with 
the ‘stifling heat, but at last saw a ripple on the water come 
up from the north- east; soon the breeze reached us, and our 
torment was over; our sails, no more idly flapping, filled 
out before the wind; the canoe dashed through the rising 
waves; our drooping spirits revived, and there was an open- 
ing out of provisions, and life again in the boat. The breeze 
continued all the afternoon, and at dark we were off the 
islands of Nancital, having been all day within a few miles 
of the north-eastern side of the lake, the banks of which are 
everywhere clothed with dark gloomy-looking forests. One 
of the islands was a favourite sleeping-place for the white 
egrets. From all sides they were flying across the lake 
towards it; and as night set in, the trees and bushes by the 
water-side were full of them, gleaming like great white 
flowers amongst the dark green foliage. Flocks of muscovy 
and whistling ducks also flew over to their evening feeding- 
places. Great masses of a floating plant, shaped like a 
cabbage, were abundant on the lake, and on these the white 
egrets and other wading birds often alighted. The boatmen 
told me—and the story is likely enough to be true—that the 
alligators, floating about like logs, with their eyes above the 
water, watch these birds, and, moving quietly up until 
within a few yards of them, sink down below the surface, 
come up underneath them, catch them by the legs and drag 
them under water. Besides the alligators, large freshwater 
sharks appear to be common in the lake. Sometimes, when 
in shallow water, we saw a pointed billow rapidly moving 
away from the boat, produced by some large fish below, 
and I was told it was a shark. 
After dark the wind failed us again, and we got slowly 
along, but finally reached our port, San Ubaldo, about ten 
o’clock, and found an officer of the mining company, living 
in a small thatched hut, stationed there to send on the 
machinery and other goods that arrived for the mines. A 
large tiled store had also just been built by the owner of the 
estate there, Don Gregorio Quadra, under the verandah 
of which I hung my hammock for the night. Mules were 
waiting at San Ubaldo for us, and early next morning we set 
off, with our luggage on pack mules. We crossed some 
rocky low hills, with scanty vegetation, and, after passing 
