194 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
treat it as a joke; and it is best, under such circumstances, 
to be good-humoured with them, as, if reproved, they are 
very likely to turn sulky, and do some more damage. They 
are independent, and care nothing about being discharged, 
as any one can live in Nicaragua without working much. 
Rito was an active, merry fellow, and might every now and 
then be observed laughing to himself; if asked what it was 
about, he was sure to answer that he was thinking about 
some little accident that had occurred. I once, when trying 
to loop up the side of my hammock, fell out of it, and next 
day Rito could not control himself, but was continually 
exploding in a burst of laughter; and for days afterwards 
any allusion to it would set him into convulsions. When 
we returned to Santo Domingo, it was one of his stock stories. 
He used to say he wanted very much to cometomy assistance, 
but could not for laughing. 
Next morning we started at daylight, and soon found the 
path the Indians had told us about, which took us to a place 
called Jamaily (pronounced Hamerlee), where was an exten- 
sive indigo plantation. About 100 men were employed 
weeding and clearing the ground. No fences are required 
for indigo growing, as neither horses nor cattle will eat the 
plant. A mile beyond Jamaily we saw, amongst some bushes, 
a poor-looking, grass-thatched hut, with the sides made of 
an open work of branches and leaves. We went up to it to 
try to buy something to eat, but found only three children 
in it; the oldest, a very dirty little girl of about five years of 
age, with a piece of cloth worn like a shawl, her only clothing, 
and the two younger quite naked. A little boy, about three 
years old, was very talkative, and prattled away all the time 
we were there. He said that some people living near had 
four cows, but that they had none; that his father shot deer 
and sold their skins, and that two days before he fired at a 
rock, thinking it was a deer. 
We heated some water and made tea, and with some sweet 
bread and native cheese managed to allay our hunger, the 
little boy amusing us all the time with his prattle. Pointing 
to a mangy dog lying on the floor covered with some old rags, 
he said it had fever, and that at night it threw off the rags, 
and the fleas got at it, but that during the day he kept it well 
covered up. I was amused with the little fellow, who in that 
