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CHAPTEB Till. 
THE STOEY OF THE JAVALI MINE.-GOLD OF NICARAGUA.- 
EARTH EATERS.-VEGETATION.-INDIANS.-ANTIQUITIES. 
The stillness of the virgin forests, which to this day 
cover a great part of Chontales, would probably not 
have been broken for generations if it had not been 
for the discovery of a very productive gold-mine, 
which, until recently, was the property of a Spanish 
American, and has now passed into the hands of 
English capitalists. For many years the first owner 
had drawn none but blanks in the great lottery of 
mining enterprise. Lucas Quiroz—for that was his 
name—had been one of the first settlers at Libertad, 
a place which derived its name from a grog-shop 
where everybody had liberty to do pretty much as 
he liked. One day, when hopelessly embarrassed, a 
man with the image of St. Peter passed the house, 
asking whether anybody wished to offer up prayers 
to the saint. The poorer classes of Nicaragua do not 
always give money to these wandering image-bearers, 
