114 



INCIDENTS Of TRAVEL. 



I was answered by a roar from Augustin, who had 

 been lost longer than I, and was in even greater trib- 

 ulation. He had the teapot in his hand, the stump 

 of an unlighted cigar in his mouth, was plastered 

 with mud from his head to his heels, and altogether 

 a most distressful object. We compared notes, and, 

 selecting a path, shouting as we went, our united voi- 

 ces were answered by barking dogs and Mr. Gather-' 

 wood, who, alarmed at our absence, and apprehend- 

 ing what had happened, was coming out with Don Mi- 

 guel to look for us. I had no change of clothes, and 

 therefore stripped and rolled myself up in a blanket in 

 the style of a North American Indian. All the even- 

 ing peals of thunder crashed over our heads, lightning 

 illuminated the dark forest and flashed through the 

 open hut, the rain fell in torrents, and Don Miguel 

 said that there was a prospect of being cut off for sev- 

 eral days from all communication with the opposite 

 side of the river and from our luggage. Nevertheless, 

 we passed the evening with great satisfaction, smoking 

 cigars of Copan tobacco, the most famed in Central 

 America, of Don Miguel's own growing and his wife's 

 own making. 



Don Miguel, like myself that evening, had but little 

 wearing apparel ; but he was an intelligent and educa- 

 ted man, could read and write, bleed, and draw teeth 

 or a law paper ; literary in his tastes, for he asked Au- 

 gustin if we had any books : he said their being in 

 English made no difference — books were good things ; 

 and it was delightful to hear him express his con- 

 tempt for the understanding of Don Gregorio. He 

 was a sub-tenant on the estate, at a rent of four dollars 

 a year, and was generally behindhand in his payments : 

 he said he had not much to offer us ; but we felt, what 



