CHAPTER XVI 
Concordia—Jinotega—Indian habits retained by the people—Indian 
names of towns—Security of travellers in Nicaragua—Native 
flour-mill— Uncomfortable lodgings—Tierrabona—Dust whirlwind 
—Initial form of a cyclone—The origin of cyclones. 
SoME of the ranges were very craggy, and one was so steep 
and rocky that we had to dismount and lead our mules, and 
even then one of them fell several times. These craggy 
ranges were covered with the evergreen oaks, and we saw 
but few pine trees. Now and then we passed over the tracks. 
of the leaf-cutting ants, who were hurrying along as usual, 
laden with pieces of foliage about the size of a sixpence. 
There were but few birds, and insects also were scarce, the 
bleak wet weather doubtless being unsuitable for them. 
We now began to descend on the Matagalpa side of the 
elevated ranges we had been travelling over, and crossed 
many small valleys and streams, the latter everywhere 
cutting through boulder clay, with very few exposures of 
the bed rock. In the lower lands were many patches culti- 
vated with maize and beans, but the country was very 
sparsely inhabited. At noon, we reached a small town called 
Concordia, where the houses were larger and better built 
than those in the small towns of Segovia. The church, on 
the other hand, was an ugly barn-like building, apparently 
much neglected. The rocks were trachytes, and the soil 
seemed fertile, but there was very little of it cultivated. 
Many of the men we met wore long swords instead of the 
usual machetes. There is a school for learning fencing at 
Concordia, and the people of the district are celebrated for 
being expert swordsmen. They have often fencing matches. 
The best man is called the champion, and he is bound to try 
conclusions with every one that challenges him. 
After leaving Concordia we had only one more range to 
cross, then began to descend towards the plains below Jino- 
tega, and about dusk reached that town and were kindly 
received by our former entertainers. Doubtless much Euro- 
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