WILD SCENERY. 



377 



merit for plunging into the wilderness came, my cour- 

 age almost failed me. And it was a moment that re- 

 quired some energy ; for we struck off immediately into 

 one of the wildest paths that I met on the whole of that 

 desolate journey. The trees were so close as to darken 

 it, and the branches so low that it was necessary to 

 keep the head constantly bent to avoid hitting them. 

 The noise of the locusts, which had accompanied us 

 since we reached the mountain of Aguacate, here be- 

 came startling. Very soon families of monkeys, walk- 

 ing heavily on the tops of the trees, disturbed these 

 noisy tenants of the woods, and sent them flying around 

 us in such swarms that we were obliged to beat them 

 off with our hats. My macho snorted and pulled vio- 

 lently on the bit, dragging me against the trees ; and 

 I could not help thinking, if this is the outset, what will 

 be the end ? 



Parting with Mr. Lawrence advanced the position of 

 Nicolas. Man is a talking animal ; Nicolas was par- 

 ticularly so, and very soon I knew the history of his 

 life. His father was a muleteer, and he seemed con- 

 structed for the same rough business ; but after a few 

 journeys to Nicaragua he retired in disgust, married, 

 and had two children. The trying moment of his life 

 was when compelled to serve as a soldier. His great 

 regret was that he could not read or Avrite, and his as- 

 tonishment that he worked hard and yet could not get 

 on. He wanted to go with me to Mexico, to go to my 

 country, to be away two years, and to return with a 

 sum of money in hand, as 'Hezoos had done. He knew 

 that General Morazan was a great man, for when he 

 visited Costa Kica there was a great firing of cannons 

 and a ball. He was a poor man himself, and did not 

 know what the wars were about ; and supposed that 



Vol. T.— 3 B 



