34 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



quiet as if man had never been there before. The pel- 

 ican, the stillest of birds, was the only living thing we 

 saw, and the only sound was the unnatural bluster 

 of our steam-engine. The wild defile that leads to 

 the excavated city of Petra is not more noiseless or 

 more extraordinary, but strangely contrasting in its ster- 

 il desolation, while here all is luxuriant, romantic, and 

 beautiful. 



For nine miles the passage continued thus one scene 

 of unvarying beauty, when suddenly the narrow river 

 expanded into a large lake, encompassed by mountains 

 and studded with islands, which the setting sun illumi- 

 nated with gorgeous splendour. We remained on 

 deck till a late hour, and awoke the next morning in 

 the harbour of Yzabal. A single schooner of about 

 forty tons showed the low state of her commerce. 

 We landed before seven o'clock in the morning, and 

 even then it was hot. There were no idlers on the 

 bank, and the custom-house officer was the only person 

 to receive us. 



The town stands on a gentle elevation on the banks 

 of the Golfo Dolce, with mountains piled upon mount- 

 ains behind. We walked up the street to the square, 

 on one side of which was the house of Messrs. Ampu- 

 dia and Purroy, the largest and, except one they were 

 then engaged in building, the only frame house in the 

 place. The rest were all huts, built of poles and reeds, 

 and thatched with leaves of the cahoon-tree. Oppo- 

 site their door was a large shed, under which were 

 bales of merchandise, and mules, muleteers, and In- 

 dians, for transporting goods across the Mico Mountain. 



The arrival of the padre created a great sensation. 

 It was announced by a joyful ringing of the church 

 bells, and in an hour after he was dressed in his sur- 



