The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-02-28

the Castilian conqueror never felt the
burden, because he Immediately made
the original owners of the soil his
| drawers of water and hewers of wood
convenient custom ltor the dominant
racel.. which is still perpetuated by his
equally proud and not less lazy descen-
dants.
Between Messsya and the neighboring
village OF Nindiri is a valley, covered
with coarse black lava to the depth Of
several feet, which in some places
surges up into hills and ridges, as if
the burning mass had once boiled and
dubbed, Over this dreary field the
cattle have broken q track, and this
we followed to the foot of the volcano.
Close beside Massaya mountain is
another. volcano, also streaked with
hardened streams OF lava the water Of
which Is broken out at one side so that
its inner chasm is visible from the
plain below. This height, called
Ventero, is said to be inaccessibIe--a
least, never within the memory of
Massaya's oldest inhabitant has any
attempt been made to scale its barren
cliffs Though the base and sides of
Massaya are so rough and uneven,
being entirely covered with decomposed
lava, yet grass grows upon 1t to great
height, among whose waving green
pillows, long-horned cattle and half
Wild horses are grazing.
AMONG THE RECORDED WONDERS
OF the earliest discoveries in America,
this volcano was one; and the Span
iards, who in those days never stopped
halfway in matters that touched the
Imagination, call it lei Inferno de
MasSaya." In writing of Nicaragua,
an ancient historian says: There are
burning mountains In this province,
the chief of which is Massaya, wherein,
at different tlG.es, the natives have
offered up maldenS, throwing them into
1t alive. thinking thus by the sacrifice
OF their lives to appease the fra, that
1t might not destroy the country; and
they went to 1t very cheerful"
Whether it was the victims who were
cheerful" or those who offered them
up, the historian does not specify, but
II requires no great stretch of the mag
ination to believe the terror and despair,
20 hear the unaValling shrIeks and
cries of those who were forced up that
desolate height TO frightfuI death.
Another ancient chronicler grayely
tells Us an absurd story about this
mountain as matter of history. ]
transcribe it for yon entire, with the
quaint spelling of the author and his
great prodigality of capital letters.
Three Leagues from the City of Mas
saga, is small Hill, fiat and round,
called Massaya. being burning Noun
lain, the Mouth of it being half
League in Compass and the Depth
within it being $50 Fathoms. There
are no Trees, nor Grass. but Birds
build without any disturbance from
the fire. There is another Mouth like
thst of we'll, about Bow-shot over,
the distance of which from the Fire is
about 15O Fathoms always boiling up,
and that mass of Fire often rises and
gives great Light, so that it can be
seen considerable Distance. It moves
from one Side to the other, and some
tImes roars so loud that it Is DIRE adful,
yet never casts UP anything
BUT SMOKE AND FLAME.
The Liquors never ceasing at the Bot
tom nor its Boiling, imagining the same
to be Gold Friar Blase de Yuista, of the
Order of Saint Dominick and TWO other |
Spaniards were let down into the first
Mouth in two Baskets with Bucket !
madett one Rim of Iron, and a long
Chain to draw up some of the fiery |
Matter and know whether it was Ne. |
tai. The Chain ran 80 Fathoms, and !
as soon as 1t came 10 the Fire, the |
Bucket melted with some Links of the !
Chain, in very short Time, and, there
fore, they could not know what was !
Below. They lay there that night |
without ally Want of Fire or Candles,
aud came out again in their Baskets |
sufficiently frightened"
Verify, their lust for gold would have
led those crusading Spaniards, with the |
~. 10 o. haaIc lontha