7f- 



JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA. 191 



There was a novelty, however, in this water conveyance, 

 which, after so much travelling by land, was agreeable and 

 refreshing. Stretched under the green awning of the ca- 

 noe, I lay in a dreamy and abstracted state, gazing on the 

 glassy surface of the water, or contemplating the beautiful 

 scenery around, while my little vessel, borne along by the 

 current, and propelled by the paddles, pursued her devious 

 and rapid course down the windings of the stream. The 

 banks of the river, on either side, were clothed with the 

 richest verdure, and shaded by lofty trees, with branches 

 projecting far over the water, while here and there a group 

 of huts, or the house of some wealthy landholder, imparted 

 an interest and variety to the scene. 



In the course of the night, and just as a soft slumber be- 

 gan " to steep my senses in forgetfulness," I was awakened 

 by a cry of alarm from the helmsman. The canoe had 

 struck against a snag, or trunk of a tree stuck endways in 

 the middle of the river, and, swinging round with her 

 broad-side to the stream, was on the point of capsizing, 

 when she wasjighted by the dexterity of the helmsman. 

 I became at once aware of our situation, and dreaded the 

 possibility of her going down before I could extricate my- 

 self from the awning over my head. This occurrence dis- 

 pelled my sleep for that night. The next morning, about 

 day-break, we passed a little settlement composed of for- 

 eigners, called Cajabon, and soon after came to the boca, 

 or mouth of the river, which there loses itself in the great 

 lake called Golfo dulce. We had now been twenty hours 

 on the water, during which time the boatmen had scarcely 

 allowed themselves a moment's respite from their labour ; 

 and we had travelled a hundred miles, which, including 

 the windings of the river, is the distance from Telaman to 

 the mouth of the Polochic, though in a direct line it is 

 only sixty. 



On entering the lake, a gentle breeze sprung up in 

 the night direction, and a small sail being hoisted, the 



