SPANISH EXTOETION. 35 



above all things, at least desperately wicked. With a lit- 

 tle experience, however, you will soon learn to manage the 

 creatures, so that no difficulty need be apprehended. You 

 cannot change his wily nature ; but do not call it forth by 

 placing yourself in violent opposition to his will. 



Punctuality is not one of the virtues of Venezuelians ; 

 we were, therefore, not surprised that it was fully an hour 

 late in the morning when the wretched conveyance, in 

 which we were to be dragged to Valencia, was ready for 

 us. The prospect of a discomforting journey in no way 

 allayed our feelings of indignation which we entertained 

 for Venezuelian swindlers in general and our Victoria po- 

 sadero in particular. The coach in question was a sham- 

 bling affiiir, drawn by three horses abreast, which were 

 from the roaming herds of the plains, and, before our 

 journey's end was reached, gave evidojicethat their wild 

 and fractious nature had not been wholly subdued. Stow- 

 ing ourselves and baggage as best we could inside of 

 the concern, the driver cracked his long raw-hide whip, 

 shouted at his fiery steeds, and away we dashed over the 

 stony pavement of the streets with noise sufficient for a 

 train of artillery. Victoria is an unattractive town of 

 seven or eight thousand inhabitants, and of but little 

 commercial importance, although situated in the midst of 

 the rich.growing valleys of Aragua, and upon one of the 

 great thoroughfares of the republic. The valley here is a 

 league in breadth, but widens as it approaches the Lake of 

 Valencia, until, embracing that beautiful sheet of water, 

 it expands into the broad plain bearing the same name. 



The villages of San Mateo and Zurmero were passed, 

 when we came in sight of the Saman de Guere, an enor- 

 mous tree of the mimosa family, whose large hemispheri- 

 cal top looks more like a forest-crowned peak than the 

 summit of a single tree. The height of this giant of the 

 vegetable kingdom is only about sixty feet, with the cir- 



