210 



CENTRAL AMERICA. 



their power of scenting their enemies from 

 afar. 



The heavy aguaceros or stormy showers 

 are, on the contrary, always accompanied 

 by tremendous thunder and lightning ; and 

 the rain comes down in large sheets of water, 

 as if every drop had fused into one another. 



After having experienced one of these 

 long " temporals," and having seen it, and 

 also heard it finished off with the most violent 

 and awful thunder-storm it had ever been 

 my lot to witness, I took the opportunity of 

 anticipated fine weather to make ready for a 

 journey that might last for three or four 

 days. 



An Indian and I started the following day, 

 but wishing the hot sun to dry the paths, we 

 started rather too late than was prudent, to 

 enable us to gain the shelter for the night we 

 had promised ourselves. We trusted to gain 

 an old Spanish ruin before dark, but night 

 set in before we arrived there, and we had 

 great difficulty in finding it. 



This place we had fixed on for our night's 

 lodging was an ancient ruin, but evidently 

 of Spanish origin, on account of the piazzas, 

 supported by columns, that surrounded every 

 side of the oblong square, that barely marked 



