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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  nians 
  are 
  in 
  evidence. 
  Delicacies 
  in 
  the 
  

   food 
  line, 
  unfamiliar 
  to 
  us, 
  are 
  fresh- 
  

   water 
  shrimps 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  small 
  lobsters, 
  

   tortoise 
  eggs, 
  and 
  snails. 
  

  

  City 
  property 
  pays 
  a 
  tax, 
  but 
  rural 
  

   property 
  pays 
  nothing 
  to 
  the 
  state 
  and 
  

   only 
  a 
  small 
  sum 
  to 
  the 
  municipal 
  au- 
  

   thorities. 
  The 
  main 
  income 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  

   comes 
  from 
  the 
  export 
  and 
  import 
  duties, 
  

   the 
  exports 
  exceeding 
  the 
  imports. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  farmers 
  are 
  trades- 
  

   men 
  as 
  well. 
  Coming 
  into 
  town 
  with 
  

   their 
  ox-carts 
  laden 
  with 
  country 
  pro- 
  

   duce, 
  they 
  return 
  home 
  with 
  supplies 
  for 
  

   their 
  own 
  stores. 
  Fully 
  85 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  

   the 
  nation's 
  commerce 
  belongs 
  to 
  natives. 
  

  

  SALVADORIANS 
  WERE 
  FIRST 
  TO 
  ATTEMPT 
  

   FEDERATION 
  

  

  The 
  Salvadorians 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  at- 
  

   tempt, 
  many 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  establishment 
  

   of 
  a 
  Central 
  American 
  federation. 
  This 
  

   union, 
  again 
  effected, 
  embracing 
  the 
  re- 
  

   publics 
  of 
  Honduras, 
  Salvador, 
  and 
  Gua- 
  

   temala, 
  may 
  ultimately 
  include 
  Nicaragua 
  

   and 
  Costa 
  Rica. 
  The 
  city 
  of 
  San 
  Salva- 
  

   dor 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  logical 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  new 
  republic, 
  but 
  Tegucigalpa, 
  Hon- 
  

   duras, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  chosen 
  as 
  the 
  cap- 
  

   ital, 
  would 
  prove 
  a 
  more 
  central 
  point 
  for 
  

   an 
  expanded 
  Central 
  American 
  union. 
  

  

  On 
  leaving 
  the 
  capital, 
  I 
  motored 
  across 
  

   country 
  to 
  the 
  port 
  of 
  La 
  Libertad, 
  which, 
  

   like 
  Acajutla, 
  is 
  an 
  open 
  roadstead. 
  East 
  

   of 
  La 
  Libertad 
  lies 
  the 
  landlocked 
  harbor 
  

   of 
  La 
  Union, 
  in 
  the 
  beautiful 
  Gulf 
  of 
  

   Fonseca 
  — 
  a 
  gulf 
  shared 
  by 
  Salvador, 
  

   Honduras, 
  and 
  Nicaragua. 
  

  

  An 
  American 
  railway 
  is 
  being 
  built 
  

   from 
  La 
  Union 
  to 
  San 
  Salvador. 
  At 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  my 
  last 
  visit 
  all 
  but 
  forty 
  miles 
  

   of 
  this 
  line 
  had 
  been 
  completed, 
  the 
  re- 
  

   maining 
  link 
  being 
  covered 
  by 
  auto-stage. 
  

   West 
  of 
  the 
  capital 
  the 
  same 
  company 
  

   has 
  completed 
  the 
  railroad. 
  to 
  within 
  105 
  

   miles 
  of 
  Zacapa, 
  the 
  nearest 
  point 
  on 
  the 
  

   Guatemalan 
  Railway. 
  When 
  this 
  stretch 
  

   is 
  finished 
  Salvador's 
  capital 
  will 
  have 
  rail 
  

   communication 
  with 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  be 
  in 
  

   dose 
  touch 
  with 
  Puerto 
  Barrios, 
  the 
  Guate- 
  

   malan 
  port 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  seaboard. 
  

  

  The 
  Salvadorians 
  now 
  reach 
  our 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  States 
  by 
  steamer 
  from 
  Acajutla 
  to 
  

   San 
  Jose 
  de 
  Guatemala, 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific; 
  

   by 
  rail 
  across 
  Guatemala 
  to 
  Puerto 
  Bar- 
  

   rios 
  ; 
  by 
  sea 
  to 
  Xew 
  Orleans. 
  The 
  west- 
  

   coast 
  voyage 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  is 
  popular. 
  

  

  Many 
  Central 
  American 
  boys 
  and 
  girls 
  

   are 
  educated 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  where 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  Spanish-speaking 
  colony. 
  

   I 
  should 
  say 
  that 
  one's 
  visit 
  to 
  Central 
  

   America 
  really 
  begins 
  the 
  first 
  day 
  out 
  at 
  

   sea 
  from 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  as 
  the 
  majority 
  

   of 
  the 
  passengers 
  on 
  all 
  ships 
  bound 
  for 
  

   Panama 
  are 
  Central 
  Americans. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Fonseca 
  that 
  I 
  

   became 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  tortoise-shell 
  

   industry. 
  The 
  shell 
  of 
  commerce 
  is 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  from 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  turtle 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  

   variety 
  of 
  nearly 
  two 
  hundred. 
  This 
  is 
  

   the 
  hawksbill* 
  which 
  abounds 
  in 
  Central 
  

   American 
  waters. 
  The 
  turtle 
  was 
  re- 
  

   vered 
  by 
  the 
  ancient 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  this 
  

   region, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  sculptures 
  on 
  

   the 
  altars 
  of 
  the 
  Maya. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Fonseca 
  a 
  fleet 
  of 
  di- 
  

   minutive 
  schooners 
  sails 
  out 
  to 
  gather 
  the 
  

   tortoise-shell. 
  Each 
  turtle 
  boat 
  carries 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  smaller 
  boats 
  equipped 
  with 
  a 
  

   net 
  weighted 
  with 
  lead, 
  and 
  a 
  water-glass. 
  

  

  On 
  reaching 
  the 
  fishing 
  ground 
  the 
  small 
  

   boats 
  are 
  sent 
  out 
  with 
  two 
  men 
  each, 
  the 
  

   expert 
  at 
  the 
  bow 
  searching 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  the 
  sea 
  through 
  the 
  water-glass. 
  This 
  

   instrument 
  is 
  a 
  wooden 
  box 
  with 
  an 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  window-pane 
  fitted 
  into 
  one 
  end. 
  

   In 
  the 
  clear 
  tropic 
  waters 
  the 
  bottom 
  can 
  

   be 
  seen 
  at 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  

   or 
  more. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  turtle 
  is 
  discovered 
  on 
  the 
  

   sea 
  floor, 
  it 
  is 
  netted; 
  when 
  swimming 
  

   under 
  the 
  surface, 
  harpooned. 
  Sometimes 
  

   the 
  animal 
  is 
  killed 
  outright 
  and 
  the 
  

   thirteen 
  plates 
  of 
  the 
  carapace 
  forcibly 
  

   detached; 
  again 
  the 
  shell 
  is 
  softened 
  by 
  

   applying 
  heat. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  mottled, 
  transparent 
  shell, 
  

   native 
  workmen 
  fashion 
  combs', 
  brooches, 
  

   trays, 
  and 
  innumerable 
  small 
  articles. 
  

   The 
  lack 
  of 
  proper 
  equipment 
  for 
  cutting 
  

   and 
  polishing 
  makes 
  the 
  combs 
  on 
  sale 
  at 
  

   La 
  Union 
  a 
  bit 
  rough 
  for 
  use. 
  I 
  later 
  

   had 
  my 
  really 
  beautiful 
  Salvadorian 
  comb 
  

   smoothed 
  and 
  polished. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  of 
  El 
  Salvador 
  as 
  a 
  fresh 
  and 
  

   smiling 
  little 
  country 
  whose 
  people 
  form 
  

   a 
  limited 
  aristocracy, 
  cultured 
  and 
  hos- 
  

   pitable; 
  an 
  increasing 
  middle 
  class, 
  in- 
  

   dustrious 
  and 
  happy 
  ; 
  and, 
  nearer 
  the 
  soil, 
  

   a 
  mass 
  of 
  peons, 
  poor 
  and 
  ignorant, 
  but 
  

   well 
  nourished 
  and 
  contented. 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  "Certain 
  Citizens 
  of 
  the 
  Warm 
  Sea," 
  

   in 
  the 
  January 
  Geographic. 
  

  

  