Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-19

| OF lakes to ManagCa, conSreGate daily crowds OF
| ilavadoras, women and girls. Arriving on the
| crest Of the ridge forming the crater We pre-
ferred to walk down the steep winding road
| leading to the water.
| FASCINATING SCENE
1t is peculiarly fascinating scene. The
ridge, several hundred feet high, encircles as
In pit, the body Of water perhaps mile in
diameter, its contour describing SO perfect a
| circle that it seems compass must have drawn
the lines of the shore. On the latter, for a dis
lance OF half Its extent, are women and girls
vigorously Deating pieces of clothing on the
| HAT stones before them while they stand waist
| deep In the lake and are attlred about as
| scantily as one could imagine. Even modern
| steam laundry does not attach fringe to gar
ments so literally as do these dusky llavadoras,
who pound the clothes with all their strength,
then stretch them out on bushes to dry. 1t is
safe to say they leave on them no trace of dirt
that was brought to this great washtub, though
mother earth ii various forms is freely busted
over them by the time they again are perched
on the heads Of the women on their return trip
to the city.
But what an casy-going. peaceful scene it is
Even II the clothes are thumped heavily time
and again those who do the work are not in
| any haste. They drudge along in a contented
| fashion and do the work in as hard way as
possible.
These volcanic lakes are especially impress
slve; these some time vents for terrible forces
that rend the foundations of the EARTH The
slopes OF the ridge surrounding the crater are
thlckIy wooded and 30 PERCEPTIONS that one can
climb up them at many points only by the aid
OF trees and bushes, and often even these do no:
| render the ascent possible There is not a rip
Pile on the surface OF the lake, which has no
| visible source or outlet. The rays of the sun
only reach its surface during a small portion of
the day, when 1t is directly over the funnel
shaped reservoir. An ex-presdent of the
republic. whose interest was moved to in
| yestigate this body Of water, dropped a
| lead with line into it for several hun
dred feet. until the line gave out but sounded
| no bottom. similar test near the shore gave
evidence that the same precipitous slope that
characterizes the ridge over the water line ex-
! tends far below it-how far no one yet knows
| They call it extinct volcano; vet in the
| memory OF those living here the water has
been known to become warm, sulphurous
fumes rising from it, and within a few seconds,
| as If impelled by an impetuous force, rise a
number of feet, the frightened women SWIM
ming to the shore for their lives and scamper-
| ing up TIE hill sides. There is q dead silence
here, occasionally broken by the chirp of a
| bird or the crash of a loosened boulder falling
| down through the bushes and sinking into the
clear, cool lake
ON THE SHORE OF THE LAKE
Stretching ourselves out under the shade of
| overhanging trees we watched the scene below
us. By and by q couple of muleteers went
| down the path, allowing the animals to battle
and drink OF the water as they themselves did.
Now and then one among the group of lava
| doras. finishing her work. SWAN out into the
| lake. diving and sporting about like porpoise.
then coming ashore by some mysterious method
became transformed into a neatly dressed per-
sonage. There were no bath houses in which
she could retreat and just how this act was
done was a mystery. but il was accomplished in
| style that would give pointer" to a New
port belle Then rolling into bundle the
clothes just washed, size and her daughter
would disappear up the road and down the
slope, vending their way back to Managua
Every day this scene is repeated. Not only in
| the volcanic lake here but along the water
front OF the town where the waves surge on the
beach are met troop of women knee-deep in
the water pounding the clothes from morning
| till night. Toward the middle Of the day they
| occasionally duck under the water to
| keep cool, for the suns rays are then
terribly hot. While passing the time
here at the lake a number Of children
come running down the road. Visions Of the
cigarette worslhper-the dude and small boy
| that are SO well known in the states, rush upon
us, for both boys and girls of but five and six
years Of age are putting puros with an air of
satisfaction, the puro being the cigar of the
country used ty every oDe-men, women and
children. 1t is a small-sized cigar, made of
native tobacco, and those who do not use the
weed in this form are very few. Little tots of
| tender ages, whose fingers are not strong
enough to roll cigarette, are given these CT
gars by their mothers in some instances. OF
| late years 1t has come to be not quite "the
| thing" for young ladies to use the weed, though
| those of the less favored class smoke quite as
generally do the men.
We had not time to visit all the lakes of the
group within a radius of ten miles, though
others are quite as interesting as Tiscapa. Within
| q few miles from it is Najapn. sunk several hun
| dred feet below the crest of the surrounding
| ridge, and whose waters are strongly i'm
| pregnated with alkali that polished metal i'm
| mersed in them comes out bright and shining,
however thickly the dirt was coated ON it pre-.
| viously
| When we reached the hotel and had had din.
| ner VIC went to the front of the house where
| protected by the balcony overhead, we found
| chairs placed on the sidewalk, where the COO
air Of the evening could be enjoyed. An old
| man, slightly lame. hobbled toward US. tool
| off his hat and nodded a friendly salutation.
Il am Pedra," he said, Il am told you are in
| terested in hearing the Legend OF Tiscapa."
relate the story. no less because of pride in Hi
powers in that line than because Of the silver ht
| expected to receive.
| PEDRO TELLS THE STORY.
MANY. many years ago." he began, ':lons
| before Nicarao welcomed Gil Davila to oul
country nearly 400 years ago, and gave the
land his own name. there lived on the plains
south Of the Great Lake the Chieftain Guatums
Of mighty renown. Every battle fought by hi,
| tribe resulted in victory for his cause. Hi:
| person believed to be charmed from
danger. Arrows flying toward him turned
aside in their course or dropped harmless a
his feet while every time he drew his bow .
| poisoned missile carried death 10 an enemy
| These same powers he impaired TO his brave.
and there was no neighboring tribe that h
could not rout His name carried terror every
| where. When no longer he had to fight oppo
sition, when his warriors advance was u sigma
for tribes to Zee and avoid a conflict that coult
have but one result-their massacre-he grew
proud and boastfui. So he said to his arrow
| makers and workers In flint:
".Cut and dip with poison ten times ton thou
sand arrow heads and with them point sticks o.
royal cedar. Then ! viii 70 forth With N,