REALEJO. 
145 
in their houses, or assembled en masse in the churches; beasts were 
seen near the habitations crouching with fear, and wild fowls 
were heard shrieking through the air. On the night of the 
third day, the country underwent another frightful convulsion, 
followed by a terrific explosion, when this volcano vomited forth 
a deluge of liquid fire, which swept down its sides, carrying de¬ 
vastation in its track. At this eruption, so great was the quantity 
of lava thrown out that part of the summit, near the crater, was 
carried away, as will be seen by the accompanying plate. 
Realejo has a fine harbor, being situated on an arm of the ocean. 
As you pass in, passing an island at the entrance, you find your¬ 
self in a bay of sufficient capacity to accommodate the navies of 
the world. Our steamer passed up three miles to a dock which 
was being constructed by Howard and Son, and to which we 
made fast. This is one of the coal depots for the line, and pre¬ 
parations were making to construct suitable buildings. After 
landing our baggage, we engaged “bungoes” to convey us to 
Realejo, three miles distant, -and as we passed along up, we found 
the margin of the bay low and swampy, and, in some places, as 
will be seen at the right, above the dock, forests of mango-trees 
growing up from the water. Several rivers put in at the head 
of the bay, their banks low and swampy, presenting a very un¬ 
healthy appearance. 
Realejo is a town of 400 inhabitants. The houses are one story, 
built of adobes , and covered with tile. There are several 
churches in ruins, and one much dilapidated, but still used; the 
natives are the most squalid I saw in Central America, and 
everything is done on that behind-the-age principle that charac¬ 
terizes Spanish America. 
At the left, in the accompanying Plate, will be seen a cart, 
drawn by two yoke of oxen, and lashed to their horns are sticks, 
four feet in length, which fall against their foreheads, and by 
which they draw. The cart-wheels are made by sawing two 
cuts from a log, and boring holes through at the heart; a pole 
is run through, with a linch-pin hole in each end. A rude 
frame of reed or cane is put on to keep the wheels from run¬ 
ning together, and as this is covered with raw hides, it serves 
as a protection to the passengers in case of rain. When all are 
10 
