142 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. 20, 1897. 
HUNTING ON THE SPANISH MAIN. 
Naturalist-Sportsman on th^ Line of the 
Nicaragua Canal. 
BY J, F. LE BARON, C. B., 
Late Engineer in Charge of the Nicaragua Canal. 
The Nicaragua Canal, as laid out and commenced, crosses 
the American Isthmus through the southern part of the 
Republic of Nicaragua, and on ihe boundary line between 
that country and Costa Rica. 
The country through which it passes is necessarily the 
lowest between Cape Horn, on the south, and the northern 
limits of Alaska. The canal line is located through 
swamps, lagoons, river beds and lakes; but immediately 
adjacent thereto the volcanoes and rocky spurs of the Cor- 
dilleras rise to heights of over 5,000ft. Commencing on 
the eastern side, the canal passes through the coast swamps 
and up the valley of a small stream called Deseado; crosses 
a spur of the Cordilleras into the valley of the San Fran- 
cisco River, a small stream, from Avhich it passes into the 
San Juan Rlvey, which it follows to Lake Nicaragua. The 
Sari Juan River is a large stream, averaging over a quarter 
of a mile in width; and Lake Nicaragua is an inland sea, 
seventy-five miles long by thirty wide, and with a depth 
of over 100ft., and it is elevated 102ft. above the level of 
the sea. 
The most impressive fact in connection with this canal 
is that a vessel of 900 tons has steamed out of New York 
Harbor, passed down the coast to Nicaragua, ascended the 
San Juan River, crossed Lake Nicaragua and anchored on 
the western Mde at the proposed canal entrance; and from 
the maft-head the smoke of steamers on the Pacific, only 
thirteen miles away, could he plainly seen, and the great- 
est elevation of land intervening was only 45ft.! This 
shows how near nature has come to making a canal be- 
tween the two oceans, and how little remains for man to 
do. 
The writer lived for over two years on this strip of land 
■ between the two oceans, in charge of the surveys and work 
. of the canal, and is familiar with every foot of it, and witli 
its fauna and flora, its climate and seasons. 
The width of the Isthmus between the Caribbean Sea 
and the Pacific Ocean at this point is 120 miles, but the 
line of the canal is diagonal, and the distance by the lo- 
cated line is 169 miles in round numbers. 
The climate of the two sides of the Isthmus is essentially 
different. On the east side the northeast trade winds blow 
almost incessantly from the Atlantic, laden with moisture 
which is condensed and precipitated upon striking land, 
and the result is a hygrometric condition which is not ex- 
ceeded for moisture by any country on the globe, with per- 
haps the exception of parts of India. Rain gauges were 
■ set up and carefully kept under my direction, while I was 
on the Isthmus, at various places on the line, the result 
showing that at Greytown, the eastern terminus of the 
canalf there, was an annual rainfall of 296in. 
, On the west coast, between Lake Nicaragua and the 
Pacific Ocean, the climate is entirely difierent. The rain- 
fall is only about 57in. a year and there are regular rainv 
■ and dry seasons, whereas on the east coast there is no 
regularity in this respect. As they say at Greytown, "It 
rains every day and every other day it pours." The re- 
porter of the N. Y. Herald, who accompanied the party 
wrote to his paper in January that it had rained so far 
every day, but the old inhabitants of the place assured him 
that there would not be as much rain next month pre- 
sumably, as he thought, because February had fewer days 
The eastern slope of the Isthmus between the Caribbean 
Sea and Lake Nicaragua is covered with an almost im- 
penetrable! tropical forest as dense and unexplored as the 
forests of the Congo in Africa, so graphically described by 
Stanley. Between the sea and the lake there are no 
, settlements whatever except a few straggling huts of In- 
dians and negroes on the immediate banks of the San 
Juan River, and the small village of Castillo, clustered 
around the old Spanish fort, where the Nicaraguan Gov- 
. ernment maintains a custom house, or resguarda, with a 
small cpmpany of soldiers. 
All the rest of that immense territory, 100 miles in 
width and extending northeast and southwest for 700 or 
-800 miles, is an unbroken and unexplored wilderness 
without a road. or even a cattle trail, and inhabited only 
by a few scattered tribes of Carib Indians and direct de- 
scendants of the Aztecs. In this great forest the wild game 
roams undisturbed and unmoIe.sted except by a few India 
rubber hunters, who penetrate it in search of rubber 
which they pack on their backs. ' 
The narrow strip, however, between the great lake and 
the Pacific is covered with farms or haciendas and dotted 
with groves of cocoa, mangoes and oranges, and numerous 
villages and all the large cities of the Republic are situated 
on this strip. 
The line of the canal was divided into sections and a 
surveying party of twenty men assigned to each section of 
about four to six miles. On the eastern side every foot of 
the line had to be hewed out of the virgin forest, which 
was so dense that the sun could not be seen at midday 
and the vines and thorny palms and tree ferns grew so 
thick that a person could not penetrate it at all without a 
machete, or what the Jamaicans call a cutlass in one 
hand to clear the way. Only on the tops of the' highest 
ridges and hills would the vegetation permit a sight of an 
object 25ft. away as large as a man. In most places a man 
was as completely lost to view if he stepped 10ft. off' of the 
picket line as if he had been swallowed up in the ocean. 
In this forest, the foliage of which was never dry hnt 
always dripping with water from the almost incessant 
rams, we established our surveying and later our con- 
struction camps, and where the surveyors worked like 
moles tunneling through the green walls and arches of 
vegetation, and in which they were wet to the skin in five 
minutes after entering by the water dripping from the 
leaves shaken by their passage. Transportation to the 
camp was by canoe up the river and its affluents, as near 
as possible to the camp, and the rest of the way on foot 
No mules or horses could be used, owing to the depth of 
the. swamps and tjie steepness of the slippery red clav 
hills, ...... 
At first we had Ave camps distributed on the line and 
later twenty-eight. It was the duty of the writer to visit 
each of these camps as occasion demanded and lay out and 
supervise the work. Besides this he was constantly en- 
gaged in making explorations to discover new and better 
routes in all directions. This duty gave him most excel- 
lent opportunities for discovering and securing all the 
kinds of game that abounded in the region, and he always 
went accompanied by a chosen and trusty Indian guide 
and two or three macheteros, or men with machetes, to 
carry the provisions and guns. The last always consisted 
of a Winchester .45-90 and a double-barrel Remington 
breechloader. No. 12 gauge. 
The animals met with on these excursions consisted of 
the tapir {ElasmotJierium bairdi) or American elephant, 
called by the Nicaraguans the "dauta;" the peccary (Sag- 
ino) or jobili (wild hog), called by the Nicaraguans 
chauchas and by the Caribs warri (two varieties); the 
Suma or South American lion {FeUs concolor); the tiger or 
^orth American panther {Felis oiica); the ocelot or spotted 
leopard [Felis pordalis); the sloth; three varieties of 
monkeys: viz., the great black Congo monkey, the red or 
gray monkey (most common), and the white-faced monkey. 
In the rivers and lagoons were great numbers of mana- 
tee or sea cows, but being so thoroughly aquatic in their 
nature they were rarely seen. Also occasionally an armadil- 
lo, large gray rabbits, a small gray squirrel, not much larger 
than our Northern red squirrel; a species of marsupial re- 
sembling an opossum, but as large as four or five of our 
Southern opossums; the pisote {Nasuasocialis), an animal 
resembling a raccoon, but larger; and a small antelope, of 
a species unknown by name to the writer, probably Gervus 
rufus, which was found, v^y rarely in pairs, in the dense 
woods. 
The rivers and lagoons abounded in immense crocodiles 
diff'ering in a marked degree from the Florida alligator, 
and often growing to a length of 20 to 25ft,, and very sav- 
age. 
On the plains north of Lake Monagua and on the west 
coast are large herds of deer, but few are found on the im- 
mediate line of the canal. I found also some otter, called 
"water dogs." 
Of birds there were great variety. The first in impor- 
tance as a game bird is the wild turkey. Of these there 
are three varieties, all called turkeys by the natives. The 
largest is the curassow, called "pavon" and oco {Penelope 
ho(xo) by the natives— a noble bird, the male a glossy blue^ 
black and the female a chocolate brown, each ofteh weighs 
ing 20 to 251bs. Then there is the tree turkey (Peneiope 
cnstata), very common, and excellent eating, called "pavo" 
by the natives; and there is also a smaller but similar spe- 
cies, not so numerous, called "chochalaca." 
The mountain hen.a specif 8 of grouse or pheasant {Perdm 
Mexicuna), was very abundant, and the pretty little Cali- 
fornia quail, also was very numerous. 
In the lagoons near the coast I found a large duck — as 
large as a brant goose— called there the royal duck, which 
is shot there the year round, and in the interior the long- 
legged or stilt duck, a kind of teal. In the fall and winter 
I shot in the lagoons and in the harbor of Greytown blue- 
wing and green-wing teal and gadwalls; also sickle-bill 
curlews, peeps or least sandpipers, and brownbacks or 
grass birds. On the Tipitapa River and Lake Monagua I 
found great numbers of water turkeys or darters, and 
white and blue herons, and egrets; and the woods are fair- 
ly alive— especially near the San Juan River — with green 
parrots, paroquets, and the gorgeous red and green moca- 
cus, called by the natives laras {Psittacus mocao mocroeereus)', 
also toucans and banana birds, which last build great 
hanging nests as large as a half-bushel basket. They build 
in colonies, and a tree on the borders of the river is often 
seen with one or two dozen of their great nests hanging from 
the topmost branches like a crop of crook-neck squashes 
or gourds. The small songbirds, fly-catchers, vireos and 
hummingbirds are a legion. 
The tapir or "dauta" is semi-aquatic in its habits and is 
generally foujid in the swamps or wallowing in the water. 
Those of Central America are larger than those of South 
America that I have seen, and they are of a uniform 
mouse color, without the white bands of the East Indian 
variety. They belong to the order Pacherdemota, having a 
very thick skin that lies in folds over the body. On the 
back of the neck the skin is fully L^in. thick, and like that 
of the elephant and rhinoceros is nearly bare, having only 
a few scattering hairs. The adult animal will weigh as 
much as 1,200 to l,5001bs. They swim and dive with great 
facility, going long distances under water, and when pur- 
sued utter a trumpeting cry like an elephant. Although 
so clumsy in appearance, they can climb the steepest hills 
and run with remarkable swiftness, like the rhinoceros. 
I shot three of these Immense animals while on the Isth- 
mus, and in each case from my boat while traveling from 
one camp to another through the labyrinth of creeks and 
rivers. 
Our camps were generally located on the bank of a river 
or creek, in order to be convenient for supplies and com- 
munication, and when I went on a tour of inspection I 
traveled in a steel canoe, of which the company furnished 
twenty-two, made to order in New York and brought out 
with us. These canoes were propelled by paddling, as the 
natives are more expert with a paddle than an oar, and I 
always had a crew of five canoemen— four paddlers and 
one steerer. I sat in the center of the boat, with my gun 
on one side and rifle on the other, ready for use in an 
instant. 
The first tapir I shot as he was swimming the San Juan 
River near our headquarters camp. I had been down the 
river about six miles all day, making a sextant survey of a 
part of the river, and was returning to camp just before 
dark. The men were paddUng up against the strong cur- 
rent, when they saw the animal swimming in the river 
and making for the little island on which our headquarters 
was established. He was quite near the island when we 
first saw him and we were slowly creeping up the river 
close under the island. He saw us and turned to recross 
the river, the current of which was rapidly bearing him 
down upon us. 
One of our physicians, Dr. Salinas, a native of Nicaragua, 
was with me, and w.e both had our Winchesters. The 
Doctor had a new rifle, which he had just ordered from the 
States and had never used, but in his hurry and excite- 
ment he got a cartridge jammed in the mechanism, and 
could neither open nor shut it, and was obliged to be an 
unwilling looker-on. 
As the animal turned and was swimming powerfiilly for 
the other shore I fir.e,d. at about 206ydB.. distance and 
struck him on the nose, only his head being visible above 
the water. He dove under water at once, but the strong' 
current swept him down oh tp us, and when he roge hei 
was not . more than 100yds. away. I immediately fired; 
again, without hitting him, in the gathering gloom.; He 
turned and made for the island. I immediately threw in 
another shell, and this time I hit him-equare in the head,, 
he being about 75yds. off'. He sunk at once close to the! 
shore, and the bubbles showed that he had lodged in the 
branches of a tree that had fallen into the stream. We ! 
brought the boat over the spot, where the water was about 
9ft. deep. 
My trusty Indian guide, Leocardio Ruiz, who- always 
accompanied me, was equal to the emergency, however. 
Quickly stripping oft' his clothes, he took our sounding line, 
cut off the lead, and with one end of it in his hand he dove 
overboard and attempted to fasten it around one of the 
animal's legs. The first time he was unsuccessful, but he 
came up and reported that he had found him. The next, 
time he went down he succeeded in putting a half hitch I 
around one of the hindlegs, when we all took hold and 
hauled the creature to the surface. 
It was now quite dark, and we were unable to propel the 
boat against the current with the carcass draggimg astern. 
We therefore run the boat ashore, and the men jumped out 
and pulled him up to the bank. We then cut down two 
small trees and rolled them into the water, placing the 
ends on the boat, so that at last, by the united efforts of 
seven men, we rolled him into the boat. The weight sank 
the boat nearly to the gunwales, but we only had about 
300yds. to go to our camp. The water being low in the 
river, the banks were fully 12ft. high, and we had to rig a 
block and tackle to an overhanging tree to raise the huge 
beast up to the top of the bank. 
All hands lived on tapir steak for the next few days, and 
we distributed the meat to all the camps, where it proved 
a welcome change from canned meats and salt junk. The 
flesh of the tapir is coarse in texture, but is sweet and 
juicy, and was much relished by all. 
The Doctor never heard the last of the unfortunate 
trick his new rifle played him on this occasion. He got 
the cartridge out of his rifle before the game was hauli^d 
ashore, but too late to get a shot. i- 
There were forty young men in the expedition, who had 
all provided themselves with various kinds of rifles, and 
there Was a constant fusillade of shots for practice arouijd 
the headquarters,the favorite mark being an empty salmon 
can set on a convenient stump. - 
My chief clerk and commissary was an old paymaster's 
clerk from the navy, and the shooting annoyed him so 
much that he frequently complained to me about it. I 
never joined in these target practices, as I and my rifle 
were well acquainted through years of use in the swa'mps 
of Florida. 
"^Well," said the grizzled old veteran, "the captain ain't 
much for shooting tin cans, but when he wants meat he 
gets it." 
The capture of my next "dauta" or tapir was a very 
cottimonplace affair. 1 was returning In my canoe from 
an inspectioh of a camp on the Dauta River, and we were 
silently paddling down the narrow stream, When, just aa 
we rounded a low point, covered with tall grass and cone, 
I caught a glimpse of the mouse-colored back of a "dauta" 
in the grass. The next second the boat shot round the 
point, bringing the beast in full view, which started with 
a tremendous rush for the thick woods. My rifle was at 
my shoulder in an instant, and I gave him a shot behind 
the foreshoulder. The next moment the boat shot up into 
the grass on the shore and the men jumped out with a 
rush, and there lay the quarry breathing hia last, not 
20yd8. away. We skinned and quartered him and took 
the meat to camp. 
A few weeks later, when coming down the San Fran- 
cisco River, I discovered a tapir swimming down in mid- 
stream. He trumpeted and dove. The men plied their 
paddles with a vim that made us gain on him rapidly, and 
when he rose he was not over lOOyds. oft'. He made 
directly for the shore and I fired at his broad back 
twice as he was climbing out on the bank. We immedi- 
ately landed and followed the trail about 50yds. up the 
bank, finding him dead. As it was late, M'e left him 
there for the night, sending a party after him the next 
morning, w^ho cut him up and brought hinj to camp. It 
proved to be a big bull and the meat much stronger and 
tougher than the female's. 
One dog I had had an exciting encounter with two of 
these animals at the same place. I had been up the river 
inspecting the line, and had been joined by the chief en- 
gineer, who had come out from New Y''ork for a two weeks' 
visit to the work. 
I had left my boat and entered the boat with the chief 
engineer to return to headquarters, leaving my gun and 
rifle in my boat with my men. We had started in our 
boat in advance of the other boat, which was waiting for 
some of the men, when as we floated quietly down the 
stream we espied two tapirs enjoying a bath in the river , 
under an overhanging tree. The water was low and the 
banks were high and steep, and the two animals started 
as soon as they saw us, swimming and diving down 
stream, searching for a low place in the banks by which to 
escape. They uttered their shrill trumpeting and swam 
with great rapidity, but we rapidly gained on them. AVe 
had no firearms aboard,^ our only weapons being ma- 
chetes. On such expeditions, in that country, I always 
carried a sharp-pointed machete, or short sword, in my 
belt. The animals kept ahead of us for fully a half mile, 
sometimes not two boat lengths away, when they found a 
depression in the left bank, where a small creek entered, 
and both made for it. Our men redoubled their exertions, 
and we arrived there not 5ft. behind them. As one of 
them dove under the boat to reach the little creek on the 
other side, I plunged my sword into his back. The water 
was tinged with blood, but they escaped up the creek and 
disappeared in the tall grass of the savanna, nearly over- 
turning the boat as they passed under it. 
These animals are very powerful and very ferocious 
when brought to bay or when accompanied with their 
young ones. "They make tremendous rushes at an enemy 
and seize him with their mouth and flexible proboscis and 
stamp him to death with their heavy, pillar-Uke forefeet, 
which have hoofs like a bull, two hoofs on each forefoot 
and three on the hindfeet, 
I once surprised one in a deep arroya in the hills, buttie 
climbed up the almost perpendicular sides and disappeared 
before I could cock my rifle and get aim on him. How 
