JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA, 



31 



sion of encountering snakes. Indeed, so exaggerated were 

 the accounts I had received of the number of these reptiles 

 infesting the woods, that I had conceived * it impossible to 

 move a step without danger of being attacked by them. 



As we proceeded on our excursion I was agreeably sur- 

 prised by the beauty of the scenery. The size and lofti- 

 ness of the trees, some of them in blossom, and the deep 

 verdure of their foliage, surpassed anything I had ever 

 seen of the kind. There was the tamarind tree, the wild 

 lemon, loaded with fruit, and the sassafras. There, too, 

 was the mahogany tree, which, like the sassafras, furnishes 

 a staple commodity of the country ; and a variety of other 

 trees, with whose properties and names we were wholly 

 unacquainted. There was a vast number of plants also, 

 that seemed to me curious and well worth the attention of 

 a botanist. Parrots, pelicans, and other birds of brilliant 

 plumage, were flying all around us \ there were singing 

 birds among the trees ; while, in the limpid waters of the 

 brook, might be seen, now and then, the silvery sides of a 

 fish glistening in the sun, as it darted across the stream. 

 The leafy branches of the trees, overhanging the water 

 from either bank, formed, in many places, a delightful shade. 

 The brook sometimes rushed and foamed noisily among 

 groups of rocks or through narrow passes, and at other 

 times glided peacefully on, an almost imperceptible cur- 

 rent. At one place a little bay was formed, deep and cool, 

 where the smooth and placid surface of the water, which 

 was beautifully transparent, reflected, as in a mirror, the 

 overhanging trees. It was impossible not to be affected 

 by the solitude and beauty of the scene : the charm was 

 felt and acknowledged by my companion, as well as by 

 myself. A pleasant breeze, blowing at the time, effectually 

 prevented our being annoyed by mosquitoes ; and, singu- 

 lar as it seemed to me, we met with no snake, nor any dan- 

 gerous animal, in our path. 



After continuing for more than an hour along the banks 

 of the brook, our progress was arrested by the density of 



