CHAPTER XIX 
Iguanas and lizards—Granada—Politics—Revolution—Cacao cultiva- 
tion—Masaya—The Lake of Masaya—The volcano of Masaya— 
Origin of the lake basin. 
THE road passed along a sandy ridge only a little elevated 
above the waters of the lake, and the ground on both sides 
was submerged. As we travelled on we were often startled 
by hearing sudden plunges into the water not far from us, 
but our view was so obstructed by bushes that it was some 
time before we discovered the cause. At last we found that 
the noise was made by large iguana lizards, some of them 
three feet long, and very bulky, dropping from the branches 
of trees, on which they lay stretched, into the water. These 
iguanas are extremely ugly, but are said to be delicious 
eating, the Indians being very fond of them. The Carca 
Indians, who live in the forest seven miles from Santo 
Domingo, travel every year to the great lake to catch iguanas, 
which abound on the dry hills near it. They seize them as 
they lie on the branches of the trees, with a loop at the end of 
a long stick. They then break the middle toe of each foot, 
and tie the feet together, in pairs, by the broken toes, after- 
wards sewing up the mouth of the poor reptiles, and carrying 
them in this state back to their houses in the forest, where 
they are kept alive until required for food. The raccoon- 
like ‘‘ pisoti”’ is also fond of them, but cannot so easily catch 
them. He has to climb every tree, and then, unless he can 
surprise them asleep, they drop from the branch to the ground 
and scuttle off to another tree. I once saw a solitary “ pisoti”’ 
hunting for iguanas amongst some bushes near the lake where 
they were very numerous, but during the quarter of an hour 
that I watched him, he never caught one. It was like the 
game of “ puss in the corner.” He would ascend a small 
tree on which there were several; but down they would drop 
when he had nearly reached them, and rush off to another 
tree. Master “ pisoti,’ however, seemed to take all his 
disappointments with the greatest coolness, and continued 
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