122 A YEAR OF COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY 



ladled up a big dish of rice for us and also lent us one tin 

 spoon with which we took turns; later we had each a cup 

 of coffee and although we had brought plenty of provisions 

 we were pleased to have these hot things. We sat on one 

 side on one of the long benches and in other corners were 

 half a dozen peons eating black beans, rice and tortillas. 

 There was little light from outside and that rapidly waned, 

 while within was only the firelight, so that the dark room 

 with its dusky figures and the cook moving about among the 

 shadows made a picture suggestive of Rembrandt. 



As soon as we had finished our supper, we retired to the 

 haymow, spread out our shawls and blankets and went to 

 sleep. The nights here are often very cold but fortunately 

 for us there was no wind that night so we slept comfortably 

 in the open-sided hay shed. Below us, horses and mules 

 stamped and munched at what seemed to us an endless 

 supply of hay. The peons climbed into the other end of 

 the haymow and settled down after some giggling and the 

 whole Lecheria was in repose shortly after dark. Some- 

 where in the very small hours an alarm clock buzzed and 

 after some sleepy groans and rustlings we heard the pack 

 train, each mule with two big milk cans, start down the 

 mountain for Cartago, With the first glimmer of light we 

 climbed down with our outfit, saddled our horses and were 

 off to the summit. The morning star still glimmered, the 

 sun was just touching the highest peaks when we rode away 

 from the farm and anything so beautiful as that morning 

 ride I have never seen. As the sun rose and the mists dis- 

 solved, range after range of hills and mountains appeared 

 and soon when we came to a clear place in the road, we could 

 see the valley containing Heredia and Alajuela, and still 

 more to the west the Gulf of Nicoya and the Pacific Ocean, 

 the islands in the Gulf and the hills of Nicoya beyond. South 

 of us rose the Cordillera of Talamanca, looking immensely 



