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MASSAYA—THE CARNIVAL—FEMALE LABORS—GOURDS—MAIDENS CONSIGNED TO A VOL¬ 
CANO—A DONKEY “ NON EST ”—OX Versus DONKEY—SAME MEDICINE PRESCRIBED- 
LAKE NICARAGUA—GRENADA—A “ PRIEST ” IN A CONVENT—“ OUR 7 ’ HORSE—A GROUP 
OF ISLANDS—CROSS THE LAKE—MR. DERBYSHIRE’S PLANTATION—BREAKFAST—BUL¬ 
LOCKS STEPPING ON BOARD—SAIL FOR SAN CARLOS—MAGNIFICENT SCENE—A HYMN 
OF THANKS—A MOUNTAIN CITY—GOLD MINES—ARRIVAL AT SAN CARLOS—CUSTOM¬ 
HOUSE REGULATIONS REPUDIATED. 
After breakfast we strolled about to see the town; the loca¬ 
tion is commanding, being on tbe bank of a lake of the same 
name. The town is large, well laid out, with an open plaza in 
the centre, which serves as a market-place. At this time every¬ 
thing wore a business-like appearance. Extensive preparations 
were being made for the carnival, which was to come off in a 
few days. Here are many fine buildings, including churches, 
monasteries, and convents, all elaborately ornamented, and 
decorated with paintings. 
This is considered one of the most pleasant towns, if not the 
most pleasant, in the country. Yet, strange as it may seem, it 
is wholly dependent, for water, upon the lake, the bank of which 
is a perpendicular ledge of rocks, one hundred feet in height. 
Up this precipice females are toiling, day after day, for life, in 
the service of inhuman masters. The water is conveyed in 
gourds of immense size, which are held to the back by a strap 
and netting of grass, the former passing over the forehead. 
These gourds grow on trees, and are natives of the tropics; 
they grow sufficiently large to contain one and a half or two 
gallons, perhaps more. 
The surrounding country is a mass of lava, the mountains 
frequently towering up, terminating in volcanic peaks, the most 
prominent being that of Massaya. This was once the terror of 
the country, but has now ceased to burn. It is said that the 
natives formerly, in order to appease its rage, were in the habit 
