402 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



Mestitzo, and gained his living by hunting bee-trees, 

 and cutting them down for the wild honey, which made 

 him familiar with all the water-courses and secret depths 

 of almost impenetrable forests. He had been selected 

 by Mr. Bailey out of all Nicaragua ; and for the bene- 

 fit of any traveller who may feel an interest in this sub- 

 ject, I mention his name, which is Jose Dionisio de 

 Lerda, and he lives at Nicaragua. 



It was two years since Mr. Bailey had taken his ob- 

 servations, and already, in that rank soil, the clearings 

 were overgrown with trees twelve or fifteen feet high. 

 My guide cleared a path for me with his machete ; and 

 working our way across the plain, we entered a valley 

 which ran in a great ravine called Quebrada Grande, 

 between the mountain ranges of Zebadea and El Plati- 

 na. By a vigorous use of the machete I was enabled 

 to follow the line of Mr. Bailey up the ravine to the sta- 

 tion of Panama, so called from a large Panama-tree 

 near which Mr. Bailey built his rancho. Up to this 

 place manifestly there could be no difficulty in cutting 

 a canal ; beyond, the line of survey follows the small 

 stream of El Cacao for another league, when it crosses 

 the mountain; but there was such a rank growth of 

 young trees that it was impossible to continue without 

 sending men forward to clear the way. We therefore 

 left the line of the canal, and crossing the valley to the 

 right, reached the foot of the mountain over which the 

 road to Nicaragua passes. A path had been opened 

 for carrying Mr. Bailey supplies to that station, but it 

 was difficult to find it. We took a long draught at a 

 beautiful stream called Loco de Agua, and my guide 

 pulled off his shirt and commenced with his machete. 

 It was astonishing how he found anything to guide him, 

 but he knew a tree as the face of a man. The side of 



