JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA. 



115 



strong sulphureous smell, and, I was told, were full of boil- 

 ing water. Indeed, the whole of that tract of country is 

 of a volcanic character, and seems to be suspended over 

 an abyss of fire. 



On arriving at Aguachapa, the officer and his men were 

 provided with quarters by the alcalde. Mr. S., who had 

 some slight acquaintance with the postmaster, obtained ac- 

 commodations at his house, not only for himself, but for 

 me and Tito. This was another instance of the little cere- 

 mony used in applying for lodgings, and of the kind and 

 cheerful manner with which hospitality is dispensed to 

 travellers. The postmaster, who was also a merchant, 

 was a native of Spain. He lived in one of the best houses 

 in the place. His family consisted of two daughters, one 

 of whom possessed an accomplishment by no means com- 

 mon in that part of the country : — she could play on the 

 piano. I certainly never should have suspected the exist- 

 ence of such an instrument in Aguachapa. The young 

 ladies were not a little proud of it. 



The next morning a lowering sky threatened a day 

 of rain. The weather, thus far, had been invariably 

 fine, but the rainy season was now at hand, and what is 

 here called winter was about to commence. In conse- 

 quence of the aspect of the weather, we postponed our de- 

 parture to the following day. In the afternoon, however, 

 the clouds passed off, and the sun shone as brightly as 

 ever. It was too late to resume our journey, but an op- 

 portunity was afforded for visiting the volcanic phenomena 

 in the immediate vicinity of the town. A party was ac- 

 cordingly formed, and we proceeded on horseback to a 

 low, barren plain, where we saw the boiling lakes that I 

 have alluded to above, when speaking of the apertures in 

 the ground emitting a dense vapour. 



Of these lakes, or ponds, there are several ; and they 

 occupy a considerable tract of land. The largest is about 

 a hundred yards in circumference. In this, as in all 

 the others, the water, which was extremely turbid, and of 



