98 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



led into the difficulty, I gave way, and very soon we 

 were cheered by hearing below us the rushing of the 

 river. After a most difficult descent we reached the 

 bank ; but here there was no fording-place, and no path 

 on the opposite side. 



The river itself was beautiful. The side which we 

 had descended was a high and almost perpendicular 

 mountain, and on both sides trees spread their branches 

 over the water. It was called the River of Peace, but 

 was now the dividing-line of deadly war, the boundary 

 between Guatimala and San Salvador. The inhabi- 

 tants of the opposite side were in an enemy's country, 

 and the routed troops, both of Morazan and Figoroa, 

 had fled to it for refuge. Riding some distance up the 

 stream, we worked our way across, and on the opposite 

 side found a waccal or drinking-shell, which had prob- 

 ably been left there by some flying soldier. We drank 

 from it as if it had been intended for our use, and left 

 it on the bank for the benefit of the next comer. 



We were now in the State of Guatimala, on the 

 banks of a wild river, without any visible path, and our 

 situation was rather more precarious than before, for 

 here the routed soldiers would consider themselves safe, 

 and probably many, after a day and night of toil and 

 fighting, would lie down to rest. We were fortunate 

 in regard to a path, for, riding a short distance through 

 the woods along the bank of the river, we struck one 

 which turned off to the left, and terminated in the camino 

 real leading from the regular fording-place. Here we 

 dismissed our little guide, and set out on the main road. 

 The face of the country was entirely changed, broken 

 and stony, and we saw no one till we reached the ha- 

 cienda of Palmita. This too seemed desolate. We 

 entered the yard, and did not see a single person till 



