IN NICARAGUA 
179 
situated at the bluff, some miles from the city itself, and it was while 
going over to the fruiter that was to take us to New Orleans, that we 
saw a very curious instance of the peculiar concessions that are held by 
various companies. It seems that a steamer which was not one of the 
elect had come down there for a load of bananas. In other words, it 
didn’t belong to the company having the navigation concessions. It 
was, therefore, not allowed to go up into the rivers or lagoons but, not 
to be beaten, the steamer’s captain sent up to certain planters who 
promptly despatched a huge scow load of bananas to the bluff where the 
steamer lay. The government caused the scow to be laid alongside of 
its wharf, and proceeded to discuss the unlawfulness of the proceedings. 
While this discussion was going on, something like a hundred soldiers 
marched onto the gunwale of the scow, which careened it just enough 
LARVAE OF CASTILLOA BORER. 
to cause the water to flow over the low bulwarks and sink the boat, 
bananas and all. 
I tried to get a photograph of the sinking scow, but was deterred 
bv a gentleman who said that I might get in trouble with the customs 
officers, and get my stuff held up if I gave evidence of being too active 
a partisan. This was no idle dream, for I had trouble enough with the 
officials anyhow, although I was not taking anything out of the country 
except what I had brought in, with the exception of a few samples of 
rubber and some Castilloa twigs that I was taking home in order to 
discover by what disease they were attacked. 
Speaking of diseases of the Castilloa tree, I noticed in a yard sur- 
rounding one of the plantation houses, that numbers of trees were 
