Chap. II. THE GUATUSOS. 25 
a foreigner to enter their territory, but that they are even 
in the habit of killing those of their own people who again 
fall in their hands after having been away amongst the civi- 
lized inhabitants of the neighbouring settlements. Never- 
theless, some of them — if really belonging to that tribe — 
are occasionally seen at Tortugas, a small Nicaraguan place 
on the western shore of the lake, and eight or ten miles to 
the south-east of Virgin Bay. A Nicaraguan gentleman 
who had lived at Tortugas and had collected information 
there concerning these Indians, asserted that amongst them 
men very often take their own daughters for wives. While 
in California, I heard of a young German, living in the 
neighbourhood of San Francisco, who recounts a little 
romance of adventures he met with amongst this people. 
Though the story was not told to me by the man himself, 
still, as it was repeated by a trustworthy friend who had 
derived it from the original source, I may be allowed to 
introduce it here. The young man was on his way to 
California. When at San Carlos, he had some difference 
or quarrel with his travelling companions, and being afraid 
of a pistol-ball or a bowie-knife, took the desperate resolu- 
tion of swimming to the opposite side of the river, where 
he soon fell into the hands of a body of these Indians. He 
was tied to a tree, and they then held a council as to the 
manner — so at least he believed — of putting him to death. 
Suddenly, however, as it has happened before in similar 
cases, a young girl, the daughter of the chief, hurried forth, 
clasped her arms round the neck of my blue-eyed country- 
man, and gave a favourable turn to his fate. Of course, 
he married the girl, and, as the consort of this Indian 
princess, he spent a few months in the forest, till he was 
ungrateful enough to forsake his generous bride, and avail 
himself of an opportunity to swim back to San Carlos, 
