100 
DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. VII.— B. S. 
size, and flavour, that at a dinner at Greenwich, given 
by Captain Pim to General Martinez, the late Presi¬ 
dent of Nicaragua thought that English whitebait 
was the Sardina of his native lakes. The Pepesca is 
like the anchovy, and has not such a delicate flavour 
as the Sardina. Both kinds are eaten fried, toasted, 
or made into cakes; and they are caught during the 
daytime, and in hand-nets by men and women, who 
take their stand on steep parts of the lake’s shores, 
and behind some green boughs put up to prevent the 
fish from seeing the reflection of their captors in the 
water. 
There is here absolutely nothing we associate with 
the idea of a capital of a country—no public libraries, 
museums, theatres, places of amusement, etc. About 
eight o’clock at night all is as quiet as in a city of 
the dead. By that time, the lamps which house¬ 
holders are compelled to light at sunset have con¬ 
sumed their allotted quantity of oil, and are expiring 
one after the other. Perhaps here and there a gam¬ 
bling party may prolong its unholy occupation; but 
the generality of the inhabitants have gone to sleep— 
I was almost going to say, bed ; but that would be a 
misstatement, as there is no such thing as a bed m 
the whole country. You may see roughly-made 
wooden bedsteads, over which cow-hides are stretched; 
but there is no bedding. Even the best families use 
no linen sheets. The upper classes lie down with most 
of their clothes on; and, in the morning, get up, 
shake, but do not wash themselves, light a cigarette 
and drink a cup of coflee. The so-called lower classes 
