82 DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. VI—B. S. 
veiling by railway in some European countries; one 
feels that the two cannot long exist together; either 
the one or the other must give way. ¥e were very 
glad to he once more within the accustomed sounds 
and sights of progressive civilization. That very day, 
early in the morning, we had left Sebaco, called on 
our way at a farm belonging to Mr. Wassmar, a 
German gentleman, in whose house at that village we 
had stopped, then lost our way amongst forests of 
Nicaragua wood, tired out our animals ere we could 
find the right track again, passed over some fright¬ 
fully stony roads—the Cuesta de Tinaja,—arrived 
after sunset, quite fagged out, on the banks of a 
river, crossed it, and found ourselves at the village of 
Jicaral; and riding another couple of miles, and once 
more crossing a river, arrived at Guayava. 
I need not add, we were received with American 
hospitality, though the owners of the property were 
absent, they having waited more than a week for our 
reported arrival. We remained two days examining 
both the mine and the machinery. The latter con¬ 
sisted of ten stampers and two arrastras, driven by 
two steam-engines,—the ore, after being reduced by 
the stampers, passed over galvanized copper-plates 
into the u cups ” of the arrastras, and there was 
still further reduced. It was a beautiful piece of 
machinery, which would have made the fortune of 
the owners, if the ore with which they were able to 
supply it from the adjacent Pillar Mines had been 
of sufficient richness. But an examination convinced 
us that, whatever the mine may have been in its 
