AT SEA. 83 



CHAPTER IX. 



Sailing from x^capulco — At Sea — Arrival at Nicaragua — San 

 Juan del Sur — Its Climate — Population — Tropical Forests — 

 Luxuriant Vegetation — Animal Life — Birds and Butterflies — 

 Transformation of Species — la Virgen — Lake of Nicaragua — 

 Mountains of Ometepeque and Madera. 



|N the 1 8th of October, after having made a large 

 provision of cocoanuts, plantains, oranges and lemons, 

 we went on board our ship and sailed from Acapulco, en route 

 to San Juan del Sur. 



Up to the 5th of November, the day of our arrival to that 

 bay, we experienced changeable weather, tempests, calms, 

 and good breezes, accompanied with warm weather ; but this 

 second part of our voyage was not so unpleasant as the first, 

 as we were always at a seeing distance off the coasts of 

 Mexico and Central America. 



Manv were the beautiful sun-sets seen, and we were 



■J ^ > 



never tired of such magnificent spectacles. We also saw a 

 prodigious number of hsh, sharks, porpoises, dolphins, bonitos, 

 doradoes, etc., and fortunately for us we took a good many, 

 which helped us considerably in our diet, the Captain having 

 been very parsimonious in his purchases, and treating us very 

 poorlv in that respect. Our ship was also visited by a con- 

 siderable number of birds, especially some c^SS.^^ fools, ov fous 

 in French, fSula bassana ?) , gulls, sterns, peterhills, and 

 others. We took a good many and made some tine skins with 

 them. These birds were easily caught. They perched on 

 the yards, and at night, some of the sailors went up with a 

 bag, caught them by the legs, and put them in the bag. 

 The ship's cat caught also a good many of the smaller ones. 

 Cephalopods, of the genus Nautilus, were also seen in great 

 abundance, with their sail opened and floating on the sea. 

 Many were caught to experience with, the electric shock which 

 is one of their means of defence, but we returned them to their 

 element soon after. 



On the 5th of November, we arrived at San Juan del 



