Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-03-14

GOING UP THE RIVER LOS CoNCHEs.
On the other hand, have thus far seen il
Honduras mountains as alluring as the Swis:
Alps, grander than the Rockies, more pictur
esque than the Sierra Nevadas. / have wan
dered through banana groves and lemon
fineas far more lI21iriant than the distant
east can produce, and have sailed along {
river sheltered by a labyrinth of emerald
vegetation moro brilliant than the human
/ mind can conceive and which the ordinary
pen can in nowise describe. 1t has been won.
derful, inspiring and strange. At the same
time the hideous crocodile has lashed the linn
pid water, and the growl Of the puma, or
mountain tiger, has made me feel there was
mo place like home"
To get from the Pacific coast of Honduras
to the interior you must go from Anapala
! where the steamer stops-about 3,OJ0 miles
! from San Francisco and one of the magnif-
cent harbors of the world-across Fonseca
! bay to the mainland. The ports are Los
! Conches, La Bruyere and San Lorenza. The
! distance is forty miles, and the only mode of
! getting there is to charter bungo with
| four or five copper colored natives to row
! you. Arriving at Amapala in the early
morning, two passengers, mining gentle
man and myself engaged captain to take
us to Los Conches. The price fixed was ten
pesos-about So. Strangely enough .De cap
tain, instead of saying "ManysL:r" agreed to
go at o'clock, but at O'Clock he was reeling
drunk
The boat and men being ready, however,
he was thrown unceremoniously into the bow
of the bungo to sleep OFF his stupor, and
away we started across the bay, the moZos,
naked to the waist, pulling a merry oar and
sending the big dugout Gissing through the
! unfretted waters. Past Tigre Island, Sacate
Grande, out in the open, one could see to the
right the still tremendous Cosiguina, that ia
nous volcanic mountain which in 1913 was
rent asundcr, half OF it being blown into mill
ions Of fragments, the most stupendous ex-
plosion known since the creation of man. Its
thunder was heard as far as Lima, Peru; ia
maica, West Indies; MaZean, Mexico. For
three days the sun for miles around was total
ly obscured by the volume of dust, and lights
had to be used constantly. The particles were
blown into the city of Panama, nearly one
thousand miles away, and the entire repub-
lie of Salvador was under @ cloud.
In the gorgeous sunset of this melting
winter day the shattered giant looks mel
been swept away, and is now grassy plain
in the midst OF which smiles beautiful
lagoon Far to the left and just off the coast
il San Miguel, rising gracefully from the sea
to height of over ten thousand feet-a
kingly volcano in lively action. The smoke
curls softly up from its mighty crest and it
shows the forces of nature silently at work.
The populous cities at its base know not what
II ..
volcanoes, and against the distant horizon is
the glorious Monotonbo. The night is just
coming on; the water assumes a deep Grim
son and then it turns to silver and gold, the
oar blades bringing forth wondrous phos-
phorescent effects. In seven hours the bay
proper has been crossed, and we are at the
estuary.
Up the Los COnches river we went, the
black bodies of the sailors outlined against
the darkened sky looking like so many copies
Of Rider Haggard's Zulu chiefs. Miles and
miles We sped; on and on we silently moved
amidst vegetation so thick and lu1uriant that
it touched Us as we passed. Now and then a
shiny crocodile would glide by and the oars
men would chatter Justify their opinions.
The dawn was Just breaking as we reached
the end of our river journey after pull of
eighteen hours and the mules, ordered ahead,
were in waiting to carry US at once to the
first hacienda, a mile distant 1t was ram
shackle sort of n place. huge hut made OF
sugar cane, and most uninviting. Awaking
the inmates, they tumbled out Of their hans-
Knocks and politely invited us 20 rspose. But
after fruitless effort TO WOO sleep we agreed
to move on and the women prepared Us coffee.
They eat. sleep, cook and are merry in one
hooress and chinneyless room. It was very
dismal and dirty. the men. women. children.
pigs, birds and dogs being mixed up in strange
confusion. After coffee we started for Chola-
iaca. trihing muleback ride of twenty-four
miles
Then after midday breakfast we were to
journey Gnorher twenty miles 70 dinner-a
very pleasant prospect, truly, for an eastern
tenderfoot, But we did 1t, and as | stand
against ruober tree writing this letter l re
call wildly all the fluctuations OF that first
days Jaunt the morning was de.Iciouslv
cool and balIny. IL was Gods very own: but
by 10 O'Clock the sun haS moved high In the
heavens, ana it seemed as though the day had
bsen given over 70 the power that reigns IN
heat
Choiataca is quiet tow the chief Of the
Pacific provinces. They give, strangers kindly
welcome, AMI when the governor heard OF
our arrival ne, with mis- secretary, called on
Us. bright, nervous, quick wisted man is
Gen. Williams, one who believes moro IN edu-
cation than religion; kas higher regard for
force Of arms than the influences OF moral
suaSlon. he knows the weaknesses aad the
merits o. his people, and uttered Ell epigrsm
when be said: They may sometimes forget
wien payment is due, but they invariably
remember saints day"
From Caolataca my companion telegraph
ed the president os Honduras that two Amer
leans were invading his co-ntyy. sni after
preakfasr We moved on % Fl Corpus. A
somewhat hard trip Of dozen miles brought
rs 10 beautiful river, where We rested fer
the saSe ot rlan and beast 4 .ot Q. native
women were a the rivers brir washing
clothes. World iaey wash cur kerchiefs, We
inquired, which brought ready affirmative.
F-k~..r. -