Muscatine journal. [volume] (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?, 1854-02-10
VOL. V.---NO. 81.
'prns the plea.ants.t season Of the year. tn. road

sprng, the pleasantest of the year. The road
] is dry and in excellent condition.
Every fiw hundred yards We pass Temporary booths,
beneath which We see dusky 'Ssnoritas" who, with
smile dispense to our jovial cavalcade
(iemonade) chocolate, and, occasioaally, something
which has the appearance Of .strong water" Then
there are editlcs oranges, lemons, bananas, PLAN
tan cocoas, and almost IN endless variety of fruit.
also, green corn-'twas SO nice, that {" nice hot
corn =. only think OF it smoking hot ro.s.ingears
in the niddle Of Dsccmber!
From San Juan the road leads cup hill' for q dis.
tance of some four miles, winding through deep glens
naaed with stately mahcganes and other lofty forest
trees. From the trunks and branches Of these tress
spring many beautiful parasites. Some of them,
piune-like tufts Of vari colored leaves Others long,
pendant and twining vines, filed with guady and
beautiful flowers. Curosities, these parasites, draw
Ing their support from the air, the smooth bark If
the trees to which they are attached.
-Four miles, and we reach the summit of ridge of
hills which forms the connection Of the great mour
tain chains. should guess tho altitude ts be about
600 feet Among these bills are many small streams
OF water, seemingly well stocked with the unv tribe
The descent is more gradual than the accent.
Four miles further, aud we enter upon and travel
the remainder of the distance over a smooth plain.
having slight inclination to the eastward. Ths
plain covered with the exception of small openpp.
or praries with thick growth of trees and an under
growth of chapparel, cane, &c. We rss. many ma
tive huts. They are made Of poles of bamboo, cut
the requisite length for a single story, Ilant.d rer-
pendicularly in the ground, forming tie sides OF
square or obong enclosure of from ton to twenty feet
in diamster-.he whole covered with thach of palm
leaves.
do not think these airy structures very well fur
nished-a few kettles vessels of earthenware or wood
and grass hammocks, seeming TO be the amount Of
inside fxtures.
Twelve miles, or three hours on mule back, and We
are at Virgin Bay, the point of embarkaion on Lake
Nicaragua. Here is village with an outlandish
name which have forgotten) much resembling San
Juan. Half a-dozen hotels, Kept by Americans the
buildings of franc work, the floors of earth, and
roofs of heavy earthen tes-and cluster of native
hus, like those dsscribed above constitute the city,
1t was city, remember now.
For two hours the bays stringing in each with
story Of his mishaps and i'll luck one has been
thrown; another has fallen eff; another has turned
his mule loose and "took it afoot to get along f.e-
ter; and last comes the umaeaa man, triumphantly
fourishng eight or ten inches Of TIE stump end Of
that vertable umbrella staff
TIVE steamers were lying here at anchor. In two
or three hours about nehaif of the passengers had
embarked on the Central America" end were OF
The balance Of US were to wait for tie "Ometepe,"
and the "Omeiepe had to wait until the "treasure,
ard baggage were all taken board, consequently
we were detained till 10 o'clock p. NJ. Under way,
we soon pass between two high mountains that rise
from the bosom Of the Lake. little further, and
had passed to the land Of dreams.
As day dawned was again On deck. We were
gliding the prettest sheet of water it had ever
been my fortune behold. On all sides rot beauti-
full islands, just above the surface Of the water and
covered with the rnost umbrageous growth Of vegta-
tion Imaginable the dark green foliage contrasting
agreeably with the many towering trees and plants.
Away in our rear ccu'd still see the high noun
tains had passed early in the preceding night.
little after sunrise arrived at the outlet Of the
lake. and the village and fortress $50 callsd) Of San
Carlos 97 miles. Here we were obliged to dror
anchor, and the cers of the boat went on shore to
procure permi-to rass into the river-of the Gus
house ocer or some othfr very important digni-
taIy, who acted as commandant of the fort. What
fort. For the life Of me couldn' tell which was it
walls and palm tbatch lighted brand thrown
amcpg them would leave nothing but smoke ard ashes
in fifteen minutes time. Moun,ed-on the ground
and pretty well hid in " ths tall grass" lies loLg,
rusty looking old gun, pointing sesward-the battery
of the place. Through with the requisite fcrmalities
We are permitted to pass. We enter stream with q
dull, sluggish current low, swampy banks, covered
with thick growth Of cane, reeds, &c. Down thif,
seven miles, we veach the rapids" Here We drop
anchor, and lay by under broiling sum- for another
and mare powerful boat. Two tours, in which there
is good deal Of sweating and not little swearing,
and the boat is along'ie. In half an hour, passen.
gers baggage and treasure transferred to pretty
bard old craft, which we are promised but little
comfort. We thanked our stars that stay on her
would be short. Here are, huddled together on
the hurricane deck, with the monday sun pouring
down on our devoted heads.
Getting under way we found it much cooler. Some
even revived from their iethargy enough to make
attempt to amu,e BY shooting at thescers
of alligstors that baskpg in the along the
river banks They kept up continuous volley from
rss and pistols the Shots If telling" having just
sufficient etfact to awake the huge reptiles, and send
them tumbliry down the banks, end over end, int
the water.
The river banks are higher; We see many orange,
lemon and palm trees, aid monkeys playing amor
their branches. Scores of beautiful vafi-plumagsd
birds we're flying heads, or singing among the
trees that lined the banks.
Twelve miles we are at " Castillo" /" Fort village
and rapids Here we make portage ct about three
hundred yards The passengers on foot, the baggage
&C., on trucks, on q railroad. The village y much
like those previously descrbed. The foes crowns the
summit Of round, concal hill, two or three hundred
feet in hight, just below the village, and near the
river II is now fast going to ruins The walls are
broken down and moss covered. In days long past
il was the scene of much bard fighting In the village
ve procured an excellent supper and ct "dusky svs
ve embarked on the "Ebin L. Hun" long, narrows
stern wheel boat, to complete our river voyage.
The moon shone brightly. The air was fragrant
With the perfume of Aowen the night 50 delicioasy
cool and pleasant; and sat on the deck and chatted
and watched the lightning and looked into the
dark woods, until 50 late then, spreading our blan-
cts. we paid court to the droSsy god.
At four o'clock in the morning, We are alongnfs
the ocean steamer. in the Bay, at the mouth OF the
river San juan de Ncasgua. 90 miles from Castillo.
We were little less than forty-sisht hours on the
| 1.,nmn.-djstance, 22s miles. Before leaving the
liver boat. we unanimously voted the Ishmus transit
pleasure-trip
/ little after sunrise, We were safely smosrked
.bout $50 passepgers ON the "Panpero," for New
| ~. -ocna;r;rg 17k on tho- NNOrtborn