A PLEASANT WELCOME. 



389 



ant regretted that I had not come one day sooner. He 

 mentioned a fact of which I was aware before, that Mr^ 

 Bailey, an English gentleman, had been employed by 

 the government to survey the canal route, and had re- 

 sided some time at the post, and added that since his 

 departure it was perfectly desolate ; no one ever vis- 

 ited it, not a person in the place knew the road to it> 

 and, unluckily, a man who had been in Mr. Bailey's 

 employ had left that morning for Nicaragua. Most 

 fortunately, on inquiry, the man was found to be still in 

 the place, and he, too, intended setting out as soon as 

 the moon rose. I had no inducement to remain ; no- 

 body seemed very anxious for the honour of my com- 

 pany, and I would have gone on immediately if the 

 mules had been able to continue ; but I made an ar- 

 rangement with him and his son to wait till three in the 

 morning, then to conduct me to the port, and thence to 

 Nicaragua. At length the commandant's servant re- 

 turned and conducted me to a house with a little shop 

 in front, where I was received by an old lady with a 

 buenos noces that almost surprised me into an idea that 

 I was welcome. I entered through the shop, and pass- 

 ed into a parlour which contained a hammock, an in- 

 terlaced bedstead, and a very neat cartaret with a gauze 

 moscheto-netting, and pink bows at the corners. I was 

 agreeably disappointed with my posada, and while con- 

 versing with the old lady, was dozing over a cup of 

 chocolate, when I heard a lively voice at the door, and 

 a young lady entered, with two or three young men in 

 attendance, who came up to the table in front of me, 

 and throwing back a black mantilla, bade me buenos 

 noces, put out her hand, said that she had heard in 

 church that I was at her house, and was so glad of it ; 

 no strangers ever came there ; the place was complete* 



