The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-13
AN ADVENTURE
IN HONDURAS.

the last thicket Of forest.
We fastened ahead. and in . few seconds
we arrived at the indicated spot Really,
after many days of constant and tedious
travel, we came to the end of the forest and
to the beginning of the prairie.
'Lanos!n What q melody is contained
in this one word; what q charm for the
ears OF son of the South; what an object
for a poet: what o subject for painter
Llanos, the great, wild and UNEMPLOYED
Ilanos of Honduras.
The bush is behind u.s. Before our eyes
stretches an immense plain level, like the
surface of the ocean, covered with grass,
above which here and there swings its tall
stem the graceful palm tree and the beauti-
full curica papaya. The innumerable gor-
geous flowers cover the green carpet OF the
plain with most marvellous designs, form
ing an attraction for the many colored and
shining humming-birds and for not less
brilliant butterflies. The small stream-like
threads OF silver lose themselves in the YER
dure, winding their tortuous courses past
most magnificent natural gardens and
meadows, unknown in northern chimes.
The light, refreshing wind brings with
every breeze the aroma of blossoms. and
the golden rays of the sun shine upon its
untrodden plain, which stretches like q sur
face of the sea from the sources of Guas-
caron towards the gates of Tegucigalpa and
Comayayna.
Llanos of Honduras! you are similar to
and unknown, wild and mighty like the
will of the Creator who formed you.
Lianos of Honduras! in your immense
q l. L ~<<lst ia 49, Ice, hx,~
self, for he is impotent in your omni-
potent might
Llanos of Honduras! your beauty is like
smile of virgin, enchanting and inno-
cent, yet deep and dangerous. Beware,
whoever trusts you charms.
We are on those llanos now. cavalcade
of five men, ready to brave all dangers,
willing TO encounter all kind of adventures.
Let us describe ourselves and see what
did we want in the prairiesl of Honduras.
Being greatly interested in the pre-his-
toric life of the ancient nations of Mexico
and Central America, / tried to solve the
problem OF the origin and the ultimate end
of the Toliecs, that mysterious people, who
established q magnificent civilization of
Anahuac and very mysteriously persisted.
/ collected many Indian legends of Gen.
trail America, and came to the conclusion
that somewhere in Honduras. probably in
the Gracios mountains, on the banks of
Matagua river, there ought TO exist the
ruins of prehistoric city, unexplored by
anybody. To that mysterious city wanted
to 60 and solve its secrets.
Don Rafael Moreno, of the Hacyenda del
Moreno, on the banks of Guascaron, was
one of my travelling companions. This
young man, brave as q lion and as good a
friend as ever lived, consented to accom-
pany me, and as he knew more about the
native country than /. l willingly con-
scented to have him for the leader OF our ex-
petition.
The other three were poems of Don
Rafael's hacyenda. The youngest of
them, Jose Maria, served us in all the
capacities, but he was rather q nuisance
than profit. Gay like parrot and mis-
chievous like a maybe, he quarreled all
the time with Pedro, our second servant, q
strong and robust Indian vaquero.
The third was Zambo- Mosquito, nick
named Matagalpa, because he came from
the locality of the same name in Nicaragua.
The reader will probably know that the
Zambos- Mosquitoes are descendants of the
Indians and runaway negroes, and form a
superstitious and ignorant class of people.
They inhabit the eastern coast of Nicaragua
and partly of Honduras. Matagalpa was
intellectually rather above the average of
his countrymen. He arrived about five
years before this story opens to the
hacyenda of Don Rafael, where he hence
served. He was intelligent and obedient.
but always gloomy and very morose He
was young man yet, of great stature and
enormous strength.
Our travelling on the prairie was quite
different from that in the forest. We were
Obliged to ride only in the morning and
evening and rest in the middle of the day
on account of the great heat. We could.
therefore. move but very slowly and only
on the third day since We left the virgin
forest We sighted for the first time the blue
outline of the Gracios mountains.
1t was the afternoon of an Eastern Sun
day. We were ready to mount oar horses
and start forward, when on the distan
horison became suddenly visible q small
whitish cloud.
Pedro. who had very keen sight, looked
attentively for q few minutes and then
with a white face said: Una cavallada v
los Caribos."
nified. A drove of wild horses was perse-
cuted by the Caribs. tribe of wild In
dams, once very numerous on the Antilles
and in Central America, now limited only
to the wild and unknown parts of Hon
duras.
Quick as lightning fash we were ready
for defense. We tied our horses to the
iicaro trees, loaded our rides, put the
provisions and our instruments in the
middle. and boldly awaited the approach
ing Caribs.
The white cloud grew larger and larger,
and soon out of the midst of Ii burst q
drove of noble animals, as pretty and
gracious as ever trod the rich soil OF
Honduras. and behind them, yelling and
gesticuiating, looking more hike internal
demons than men, fiew with the rapidity
of thunder, 8 large band of Indians.
They followed in the track of the wild
horses. and we hoped that they would over
look US, but it happened differently. They
saw us, for they have the eyes of an eagle,
and without any hesitation they changed
only their course and in . straight line
were approaching our camp.
"And now attention" said Don Rafael !:
do not shoot until give the signal"
The Caribs rode rapidly and when they
were only few hundred yards distant,
they dispersed in all directions and again
in a moment they formed, but in such q
manner and with such q rapidity that we
found ourselves surrounded By . circle