168 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
were going down to Huaco to buy corn, the maize crop having 
failed around Matagalpa the last season. The mountain 
road, though dry, was rocky, with steep ascents, and our 
mules got very tired. About five o’clock we descended from 
the hills into the valley of Ocalca, near to which there had 
been some gold workings, now abandoned. Here we came 
in sight, for the first time, of the pine forests, a high range a 
few miles to the north being covered with them. 
About dusk, we reached an Indian hut, and proposed stay- 
ing there for the night. The owners were pure Indians; the 
women, engaged as usual in grinding maize, were naked to 
the waist. There was an old man and his son, and some 
children. The old Indian looked distressed at our proposal 
to take up our quarters there for the night, but he made no 
objection. The accommodation was very poor, there being 
no hammocks or bedsteads; and I think all the inmates must 
have slept above on some bamboos that were laid across the 
beams. Learning from the old man that there was a large 
and better house a little further on, we relieved him of our 
company, and crossing a river, reached a cattle hacienda 
owned by a very stout native named Blandon, who made us 
welcome. The house was a large one; .and there were a 
number of mozos and women-servants about. We asked 
if we could buy anything to eat, and Senor Blandon said he 
would get supper prepared, at which we were much pleased, 
as we had had nothing all day excepting a drink of coffee at 
daylight, and some tortillas and cheese at Muy-muy. After 
waiting a long time, we were invited to our supper; and on 
going into an inner room, found it consisted only of coffee 
and two small cakes called “‘ roskears ” for each of us; and 
we were told they had nothing else to offer us. So, munching 
our dry roskears, we mumbled over them as long as we could, 
and did not waste a crumb, wondering how our host got so 
fat on such fare. We were as hungry when we finished as 
when we began, and soon laid down on our hard couches to 
forget our hunger in sleep. 
We started off early the next morning, as we were within 
a few leagues of the town of Matagalpa, and knew when we 
got there we should obtain plenty of provisions. About a 
league before arriving at Matagalpa there is a high range, 
with perpendicular cliffs near the summit. Rito told us that 
