290 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



The Return. — Hunt for a Mule. — Overo. — Masagua. — Escuintla. — Falls of San 

 Pedro Martyr. — Michetoya River. — Village of San Pedro. — A Major-domo.— 

 San Cristoval. — Amatitan. — A roving American, — Entry into Guatimala.— Let- 

 ter from Mr. Catherwood. — Christmas Eve. — Arrival of Mr. Catherwood. — 

 Plaza de Toros.— A Bullfight.— The Theatre.— Official Business.— The Aris- 

 tocracy of Guatimala. — State of the Country. — Newyear's Day. — Ferocity of 

 Party. 



At three o'clock Uomaldi woke me to set out on my 

 return. The moonbeams v^ere glancing over the wo.' 

 teir, and the canoe was ready. I bade farewell to my 

 host as he lay in his hammock, and crossed the river. 

 Here I found an unexpected difficulty. My spare mule 

 had broken her halter, and was nowhere to be seen. 

 We beat about among the woods till daylight, and 

 concluding that she must have taken the only path open, 

 and set out for home on her own account, we saddled 

 and rode on to Overo, a distance of twenty miles. 

 But no stray mule had passed the hacienda, and I stop- 

 ped and sent Romaldi back to the port. 



Very soon I became tired of waiting at the miserable 

 hacienda, saddled my mule, and started alone. The 

 road was so shaded that I did not stop for the noonday 

 heat. For twenty-one miles farther the road was per- 

 fectly desolate, the only sound being occasionally the 

 crash of a falling tree. At the village of Masagua I 

 rode up to a house, at which I saw a woman under the 

 shed, and, unsaddling my mule, got her to send a man 

 out to cut sacate, and to make me some chocolate. I 

 was so pleased with my independence that I almost re- 

 solved to travel altogether by myself, without servant 

 or change of apparel. In half an hour I resumed my 



