Woods of Evergreen Oak 2211 
ment called Sontuli, we determined, although early in the 
day, to stay there, as it was Rito’s birthplace, and his only 
sister, whom he had not seen for two years, lived there. All 
the hamlet were Rito’s friends, and he had soon a crowd 
about him talking and laughing. 
None of the lands around were enclosed—all seemed to be 
common property; and every family had a few cows and two 
or three brood mares. A little maize was grown, but the 
climate was rather too bleak and wet for it. We were now 
close to the boundary of the province of Matagalpa, and 
began again to hear of the drought that had destroyed most 
of the maize crop in that province, although in Chontales, on 
one side of it, we had had rather more rain than usual, and in 
Segovia, on the other, we had seen that the crops were excel- 
lent. Probably the high ranges that bound Matagalpa on 
every side had intercepted the rains and drained the winds 
of their moisture. 
Having made such an early halt, we intended to have 
made up for it by an equally early start the next morning, 
but were detained by our mules having strayed during the 
night, and it was seven o’clock before they could be found. 
We had a long day’s journey before us, during which we 
should not be able to buy any provisions, so, over night, 
Rito’s sister had cooked a fowl for us to take with us. She 
had married one of the settlers of Sontuli, and, although still 
young and fresh-looking, had already three lusty children. 
The great number of children at all the houses had surprised 
me greatly, as I had been told that the country was decreas- 
ing in population. This, I have no doubt, is a mistake, and 
the inhabitants, if the country should remain at peace, would 
multiply rapidly. 
On leaving Sontuli, the road led over mountain pastures 
and through woods of the evergreen oak draped from top to 
bottom with the grey moss-like Tzllandsta, which hung in 
long festoons from every branch, and was wound around the 
trunks, like garlands, by the wind: the larger masses, waving 
in the breeze, hung down for four or five feet below the 
branches. The small birds build in them, and they form ex- 
cellent hiding-places for their nests, where they are tolerably 
secure from the attacks of their numerous enemies. I had 
often, when in the tropics, to notice the great sagacity or 
