156 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



him, and speared Mm through back and breast. 

 On many of these creatures' backs sea-fowl had 

 taken up their temporary abode, and occasion- 

 ally the fact of the bird flying away would rouse 

 the poor turtle to a sense of his danger in time 

 to save himself. 



On the 18th of March we steamed into the 

 beautiful Gulf of Fonseca, and anchored off 

 the town of La Union. Fonseca Bay is one of 

 the hottest places on the coast ; it contains two 

 ports. La Union, belonging to the Republic of 

 Salvador, and Amapala, to that of Nicaragua. 

 The anchorage at both places is excellent, as 

 the water is always perfectly smooth; at La 

 Union the ship lays on the mud at low water. 

 The bay is enclosed by magnificent volcanic 

 mountains, which accounts for the numerous 

 earthquakes that periodically devastate the 

 country; it is studded with islands, some of 

 considerable size and all of remarkable beauty. 

 We had been two days at La Union, and were 

 on the point of starting for Panama with steam 

 up, when a rumour reached us that a fearful 



