HERDS OF DEER. 



381 



ly, in pursuance of my plan of encumbering myself as 

 little as possible, I had with me but a few charges of 

 duck-shot and half a dozen pistol balls. Very soon I 

 saw two deer together, and within reach of a. ball. Both 

 barrels of my gun were loaded with duck. I dismount- 

 ed and followed them into the woods, endeavouring to 

 get within reach. In the course of an hour I saw per- 

 haps a dozen, and in that hour fired away my last duck- 

 shot. I was resolved not to use my pistol balls, and as 

 both barrels were empty, kept quiet. As the evening 

 approached, the deer increased, and I am safe in saying 

 I saw fifty or sixty, and many within rifle-shot. Occa- 

 sionally cattle peeped at us through the trees as wild as 

 the deer. The sun was getting low when we came out 

 into a large clearing, on one side of which stood the ha- 

 cienda of Santa Rosa. The house stood on the right, 

 and directly in front, against the side of a hill, was a 

 large cattle-yard, enclosed by a hard clay wall, divided 

 into three parts, and filled with cows and calves. On 

 the left was an almost boundless plain, interspersed 

 with groves of trees ; and as we rode up a gentleman 

 in the yard sent a servant to open the gate. Don Juan 

 Jose Bonilla met me at the porch, and before I had 

 time to present my letter, welcomed me to Santa Eosa. 



Don Juan was a native of Cartago, a gentleman by 

 birth and education, and of one of the oldest families in 

 Costa Rica. He had travelled over his own country, 

 and what was very unusual in that region, had visited 

 the United States, and though labouring under the dis- 

 advantage of not speaking the language, spoke with 

 great interest of our institutions. He had been an ac- 

 tive member of the Liberal party ; had laboured to car- 

 ry out its principles in the administration of the govern- 

 ment, and to save his country from the disgrace of 



