226 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
We had a long talk with our courteous host of the estanco 
at Jinotega. He had a small library of books, nearly all 
being missals and prayer-books. He had a little knowledge 
of geography and was wishful to learn about Europe, and at 
the same time most desirous that we should not think that 
he, one of the chief men of the town, did not know all about 
it. That England was a small island he admitted was new 
to him, as he thought it was part of the United States or at 
least joined to them. He asked if it was true that Rome 
was one of the four quarters of the globe. We explained 
that it was only a large city, to which he replied gravely that 
he knew it was so, but wished to have our opinion to confirm 
his own. 
No newspapers come to Jinotega, excepting occasionally a 
government gazette, and only a few of the grown-up people 
are able to read. News travel quickly from one town to 
another, but every incident is greatly exaggerated; and 
many extravagant stories are set afloat with no other founda- 
tion than the inventive faculties of some idle brain. To 
appreciate what an immense aid a newspaper press is to 
the dissemination of truth one must travel in some such 
country as Nicaragua where newspapers do not circulate. 
It is impossible to get trustworthy intelligence about any 
event that has happened a hundred miles away, and stories 
of murders and robberies that were never committed are 
widely circulated amongst the credulous people. As far as my 
experience goes highway robbery is unknown in Nicaragua, 
Foreigners entrusted with money have stated they have been 
robbed, but there has always been suspicions that they 
themselves embezzled the money that they said they lost. 
Personally I never carried arms for defence in the country, 
and was never molested nor even insulted, though I often 
travelled alone. The only dangerous characters in the 
country are the lower class of foreigners, and these are not 
numerous. Petty thefts are common enough, and at the 
mines we found that none of the labouring class were to be 
trusted; but robberies of a daring character or accompanied 
by violence were never committed by the natives to my 
knowledge. 
In their drinking bouts they often quarrel among them- 
selves, and slash about with their long heavy knives, 
