GUANACASTE—PUNTARENAS TO LIBERIA 431 



eral days and we therefore planned a trip to Hacienda Gua- 

 chipelin. Seiior Villar obtained permission from the owner 

 of this farmhouse — Sefior Elias Baldiocedo of Liberia — for 

 us to stay there for a few days and also gave us a letter from 

 the owner to the mandador in charge. The Governor de- 

 tailed as a guide Luis Padilla, No. 237 of the Federal Police, 

 in neat khaki uniform with dark blue cuffs and collar, and 

 Senor Cortes supplied us with three horses. Taking only 

 necessaries and collecting apparatus, we left Liberia at 2.35 

 P. M. on January 14, rode north along the Carretera Na- 

 cional, fording the streams in the Quebradas de Panteon 

 and Clara, crossing the Rio Santa Ines by a wooden bridge 

 and turned off from the Carretera (which continues to Nica- 

 ragua) to the right about 3.30, our path running for a while 

 alongside a hedge of piiiuelas. We descended into the val- 

 ley of the Rio Colorado and reached its bank about four 

 o'clock. Padilla rode first through the swift current which 

 was running over many large rounded stones. Professor 

 Tristan followed but had gone only a little way when his 

 horse refused the ford and finally Padilla had to come back 

 and lead the stubborn beast by the halter rope which these 

 animals constantly wear on journeys. Padilla then re- 

 turned for me and led my horse in the same way. It was 

 not a pleasant sensation, while Padilla pulled and I spurred 

 my horse on, to feel the water rising higher and higher as we 

 reached the deepest part of the ford until, on the upstream 

 side, it was halfway up my thigh and consequently almost 

 at the horse's back. The wetting of course mattered noth- 

 ing for the water was not even unpleasantly cold, but the 

 current was swift and strong and if the horse slipped on one 

 of the many polished boulders and went down there was a 

 good chance of ugly bruises from the rocks or kicks from the 

 horse before we could get to our feet again. However we 

 made the passage with no ill results and even the wet clothes 



