Chap. VI.—B. S.] BACK WOODS OB NICARAGUA. 
91 
out some feet above the ground. It would be quite 
impossible to give an adequate description of the vile¬ 
ness of this road, not alone because the unfortunate 
animals sink up to their bellies in the mud at every 
step, but because, in selecting the path, an utter con¬ 
tempt seems to have been felt for level ground; every¬ 
where the road leading straight on, and over the high¬ 
est and steepest hills. The track, only eight miles 
from the Mico to the mines, is as difficult as all the rest 
of the route to San Ubaldo put together. It took a 
whole day to ride to the mines from Libertad. From 
Libertad there is another route to the mines; one can 
at once cross the Mico, and proceed through a narrow 
track in the forest straight on, passing various work¬ 
ings on the way, such as Tigre, Calvario, Virginia, 
San Miguel, etc. This road is, in some respects, better 
than the one described, since it is not so directly 
across country as the other, and more attention has 
been paid to the grades ; but being very narrow, it is, 
and will continue to be, nothing but a series of mud- 
holes until, by the felling of trees, the sun’s rays are 
admitted. The great want in Nicaragua is roads; but, 
looking to the very heavy nature of the rains in the 
wet season, and for other substantial reasons, it would 
be far cheaper to make tramroads, which can be con¬ 
structed of very durable wood, the nispero for rails, and 
the canelo, stone, or leopard-wood for sleepers, at a 
cost of <8T> per running yard, or say ^5000 per En¬ 
glish statute mile. 
The San Juan Mine, as already stated, is the oldest 
in Chontales. It is close to Libertad, on the opposite 
