The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-08-30
4 RACE OF LAZY PEOPLE.
lcorr. s,. Louis Republican.


 situated town on the eastern coast of Spanish Honduras, and enjoys the repu- tatica of being the biggest seaport ofthas country. There are not many people m all of Spanish Honduras, and its oig towns are rather small in comparison with those of neighboring republics Truxillo has four thousand inhabstanss- 90 they will ten you on landing-bn, ii is doubsful if you could find that many. It would not be difficult matter 10 count them either, for work is something un- known here If you wish 10 sec man theze is no danger of his being out. He will invariably be found sitting out in front of his mansion, matched or tiled roof hut little larger than a pig pen, and with limited number of rooms. Steame. days sometimes enough energy is gener- afed in the Truxillian to shuffie down to the seashore and watch the boats come through the surf. The children of the family will be playing on the little green in front of the hut, beneath the shade of a cocoanut tree, and the women arc just inside. % it would not take long to count the inhabitants-
 They call Truxillo city, and indeed, ii is she most important place in the re- public. It is a very old place, and was bounded by the Indians. As you ap- proach the shore almost the first object that attracts attention is an old wall tha, was built by Cortez, who figured around the city a good deal The old town has hardly changed since that brave soldier was there and threw up his slight, but sufficiently strong fortihcaiions- There is a new portion of the city which is oe- cupied bv the few Scotchmen and Ameri- cans, who do all the business of the place. The older payt of she city hes on the side of lofty hill, the roofs of the houses rising up one above another in regular lines, giving II very picturesque shore there are rows of cocoanut, palm and cedar trees, while along the side of the hill little patches of lighter green are the small banana plantations which support some hah-breed family. A few paneapples are interspeTsed, and once in a while group of orange trees
 Further up the hill there are pasture cleaSings, and these, of a still different shade, help to make the mountain side to stand out in the sun variegafed mass of green. The top is capped with heavy timber and way back the mountains are piled sp one above another. It was noon when we came to anchor little od the shore, and the summer pail of laxiness and laneuor vas resting over the town. The quiet that seemed to prevail every par of the place was painful. No one stirring on the shore and the miserable little huts of the Indians seemed deserted. A slight breeze blew the palm leaves to and fro, and the rich plant vege4ation was bending over in graceful curves. Flags were flying from the steamer to let the merchants know we had freight for them. But it made no difference. No one was at hand to man the canoes in which the stuff mus be taken ashore.
 Our captain splutfered away in Italian, English and Spanish, though the same thing had happened thirty times before The Truxillo merchant sat quietly smok- ing away on cigar in an immense meer- schaum holder, upon which Washington crossing the Delaware was designed When 1t was in his mouth his whole face was hid, and he did not seem to be in any hurry to 60 ashore. got into the purser's boat, and on the crest of big roller in lev moments was shot into the beach in such . manner as to take my breath away. A soldier who wore pair of infanny boots, the rcd pansaloons of the artillery, and the coat and cap of the cavalYyman, Rree9ed us with a present arms as ve stepped ashore, and soon two Amesicans, who were Q unfortunate as to be located in the old town, came down to the beach. Aftez . eaEib had been found to cAny bag of money the pur- sH had brought with him we started up the broad sfree2 that leads to the city proper. It is the business strees of the place, and ou each side were the stores of the Scotch merchants who run the town. We ssopped as the custom-house, but it vas locked. Ii vas a square shaped building, and looked like mini ature of the tcmbx The custom-house officials were away, and the s-ss thing 70 do vas to find them IL did not take long. They were in "gin mill fur ,heT up the street. The Truxillo gin mill deserves its name, as very little liquor besides Fin is sold.
 The custom.house officials were seated about a square table with a big water ,ue hanging over their heads and a gin flask and pack of Spanish cards before them. They had been playing monte wifh the money received Eo1s the laa ship that had arrived. They smiled when they saw the bag of money, and bez1n so pour oat more gin Ihe sa- ioonS 0f Tszx;llci are mostly behind g5o- cesy oe dry good seoses. You pass in b. AiaA ceasaess. vasdw through passages, and 6naIly sad up h smAi rse@, vAsse ths kds sre kPs in asss Jus.. Yss sheEe is 70 roauna ukv lha1 sAou1d ace be opsn, as ezcse hss h Hendusas are noe sunaeanhly azief. TAe g0veznnent pru6e1ses Dee ss aIlsv hqsor thaf | nse hrewed h the cuuney to he selA. Hov- ever, thess is plenfy brought in, and the EovGznmeaf distllszy does not mxke % much mcney as if ought so- l. the same way with cigars. Only Hoodurzs cigay