140 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



made of oxhide lined with thin straw matting, having a 

 top like that of a box, secured by a clumsy iron chain with 

 large padlocks, containing, besides other things, a ham- 

 mock, blanket, one pair of sheets, and pillow, which, 

 with alforgas of provisions, made one load apiece. 

 We carried one cartaret, in case of sickness. We had 

 one spare cargo-mule ; the gray mule with which I had 

 ascended the Volcano of Cartago and my macho for Mr. 

 Catherwood and myself, and a horse for relief, in all six 

 animals ; and two mozos, or men of all work, untried. 

 While in the act of mounting, Don Saturnino Tinoca, 

 my companion from Zonzonate, rode into the yard, to 

 accompany us two days on our journey. We bade 

 farewell to Mr. Savage, my first, last, and best friend, 

 and in a few minutes, with a mingled feeling of regret 

 and satisfaction, left for the last time the barrier of Gua- 

 timala. 



Don Saturnino was most welcome to our party. His 

 purpose was to visit two brothers of his wife, curas, 

 whom he had never seen, and who lived at Santiago 

 Atitan, two or three days' journey distant. His father 

 was the last governor of Nicaragua under the royal rule, 

 with a large estate, which was confiscated at the time 

 of the revolution ; he still had a large hacienda there, 

 had brought up a stock of mules to sell at San Salvador, 

 and intended to lay out the proceeds in goods in Gua- 

 timala. He was about forty, tall, and as thin as a man 

 could be to have activity and vigour, wore a round- 

 about jacket and trousers of dark olive cloth, large pis- 

 tols in his holsters, and a long sword with a leather 

 scabbard, worn at the point, leaving about an inch of 

 steel naked. He sat his mule as stiff as if he had swal- 

 lowed his own sword, holding the reins in his right 

 hand, with his left arm crooked from the elbow, stand- 



