Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-10

an iron spear.
Such conglomera;ion of things as one |
finds in this market place literally beggars
description. There are pyramids as high |
as your head Of cocoanuts and pine-apples |
and heaps of bananas and oranges, at
prices that astonish a northerner, for
few cents viii buy more than he can
carry away-both inside and out. The
diversity Of the natural productions dis
played here testifies to the probability of
Swiss Robinson's experiences in the in
genioIs use he made of many articles
from natures store-house. For instance
What do you think of a country whose
bread and butter grow on trees whose milk
flows from some plants and wine from
others, and where soap, candles, and tai
low are also vegetable products?
Truly Mother Earths liberality in this
little corner OF creation is astonishing In
her wooded solitudes the hunter or traveller
may find a banquet ready spread to appease
his hunger and assuage his thirst. To be
sure, this vegetable bread, being rather
tough for any teeth but those of monkeys,
is vastly bettered by boiling; but on the
"butter" from she frHit called agudcdIe}
there can be no improvement. The milk
cooling lacteal fluid, similar to cows milk,
but with the advantage that it may be
kept for months without turning rancid
The coyal, or " wine tree" ismore rare, but
repays long search. 1t emits a LIQUID
resembling our best muscatel, without its
intoxicating properties.
In some portions of this marvellous coun-
try another tree abounds, from whose
leaves the natives extract asubstance for fry
ing and lubricating purposes, which an ex-
pert could ha.dly distinguish from the best
beef tallow. The berries of another bush
make excellent soap, having merely to be
moistened and rubbed to become more
saponaceous than dnloLe, the root in general
use for soap throughout Mexico and Lower
California. Then there are castor beans,
growing wild everywhere, which are as
useful for Illuminating purposes as for fuel
and medicine A few Of the beans stuck
on a stick and lighted are better than a
dozen tallow candles.
All sorts of tropical fruits are found in
this market, fresh, dried and preserved,
including great slabs of guava Jelly.
Every stall is hung with strips and rags of
dried meat lbon cam, often side by side
with switches of iute and false hair
There are trench-heeled shoes and OK
hide sandals, white gowns, rainbow-hued
| blankets and gaudy calicos, mechates
clanking spurs and musical instruments
salted fish and other sea food, vegetables
cheese, pickles, stewed beans served hot.
aud hotter chiH con carne; birds, kids
pigs and monkeys, alive and dead, for
food CT pets, according to the fancy of the
buyer, and ten thousand other things
coarse and common, choice and strange,
piled up and spread out in the glowing
sunshine.
Here we learned that the famous
Panama hats are not made in Panama al
all, but in Guyaquil and Ecuador and
received their name from the circumstance
that the merchants of Panama formerly
controlled the trade. They are made Of
pita fber-a kind of palm-and the native
women braid them under water. The
commonest varieties bring from So to $40
and no wonder they are expensive, for the
strands are often fifteen feet long and re-
quire weeks in weaving. | saw one made
from a single fiber, fine as thread and soft
as silk, which woman spent four months
in braiding, and which was valued al
$3.50.
In several places on the market square
cock fights were in progress the day Wis
tied it, and bets ran high. Women, squat
ting on the GROUND beside handful OF
| twigs, cooked tortillas and frejoles for their
hungry lords and children. In the midst
of the dust and uproar were several musi-
clans, with rude maranlbas, carrying on a
spirited concert and raking in reales from
admirers of the favorite Spanish and In
dian airs. Every few moments the trum-
pet at the gate of the cuartel fourished in
and swelled the riot, and all the time the
bells of San Rafael ratified their rusty
tongues-but trade was too brisk and cock.
lighting too alluring for many to teal
| themselves away for the ordinances of reli
gion.
Meanwhile the sun weat down beyond
the gulf in blaze of crimson glory, turn
ing the throbbing waters into molten gold
which gradually changed to pale green
then faded to dull gray. Still the angelus
bells continued their shriil reminders
ave M4rie 'Tis the hour of prayer!
Ave Mariel 'Tis the hour of love-
But the clamor went on unabated, for
though the market cries subsidized with
sunset, the cock-pits, drinking stalls and
| SNmVAiiS bOOtho NSIO SIeiliy relUlOTCeu
In many quarters fandangoes were in full
blast, brass band piped up in the central
plaza, and everybody who could lay hands
on guitar, mandolin or other musical in
strument gave vent to the melody within
him. And this was Sunday!
Being the only seaport Of account in
Costa Rica, Puenta Arenas is also bath.
ing-place of fashionable resort-the Cape
May of the republic, with the difference
that the Southern watering place is patron
lied in winter instead of in summer. The
season opens in January and closes il
April, and during those months the " frs
families of the country flock here for {
taste of the sea, their private cottages ex
tending for miles along the shore. They
have their bathing g-boxes, clam-bakes and
oyster stews-their picnics and horseback
parties, much after the manner of the
Americans but the amusements are inter
spersed with the rather un-American di
yertisements of bull-fghting and fandan-
goes. FANNIE B. WARD.