Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-25


ed contingent consisted, beside myself, Of
Capt. De la Cruz of the regular army, Mr.
Abel Reyes. master of transportation. and
another very vigorous and clear lunged
gentleman, whose name 1 have mislaid
chief accelerator of mules while several
others on foot kept the pack animals as
busy as the pace required. AS nearly as
possible-at my time of life-I blushed when
met the gaze of the Insignificant creature
which had been Tctimized with the GUS
tody of my big trunk perched high and
conspicuously on his back, but there was no
help for 1t. All was in readiness, and
with many a hearty good Dyer with the
Connors and their flaxen headed babies and
the natives gathered to see us off, the
parrots shrieking with laughter from every
tree, We sailed forth to enjoy as best we
might Honduras. it's people and its far
famed scenery.
1t has been told that when the Spanish
king asked the illustrious Cortez for de-
scription of this mountainous country, he
answered by tightly crumpling a sheet of
paper into ball in his hands, and throw
ing it on the table, said, there 1t is!'
Though an exaggeration, 1t was certainly
significant statement, as we soon learned
in our progress toward its center. Our des-
tination the first day was Pespire pro-
nounced Pes-pe-ray), alleged to be some
sixteen miles distant, but what 1t actually
was is altogether different matter. The
grandeur of the mountain ranges before
us, fading away higher and farther in the
northern skies, occasional glimpses Of the
mighty Pacific and its neighboring volca-
noes as We attained higher altitude eX-
cited our constant admira ton, while around
us We passed along in the beauty of a
y,ar .Nax ha hxyf ha
world forgot" were the exuberant vegeta-
ton and brilliant birds and flowers of the
tropics curious and delightful to us of
the colder north. But sentimental dream
ings were rudely scattered hour after
starting by our first struggle with one of
the results of the rainy season, a muddy
piece of road Not merely a road with mud
on Ii, such as We might see here in our own
country. but full quarter of mile of
thick black mortar-like mud with almost
no road beneath II, too wide to flank and
heaven knows too long to wade through
except on direst compulsion. But in We
went and from the first plunge ii was every
man and beast for himself! Jump. stagger
founder saddle deep-now resting and slow
ly sinking deeper, deoloying across 1t for
hundred yards trying for any kind Of es-
cape until at last, after a ride to which
Sheridan's was the tamest trot emerged
on the farther side nearly exhausted, COW
cred with mud. well briar-scratched and in
a thorough state of Generalization as to
disabled mules, dismantled baggage and
broken harness.
"Ay!" quoth I. as sat sorrowfully scrap
Ing off a portion of the adhesive paste now
am L in Honduras; the more fool /. When
l was at home l was in a better placer
But repairing damages and resting a while
we pushed on again leisurely as best suited
the painting animals. The details of this
| hard days work were far more exciting in
their occurrence than in their mere recital
| now, and so, as a general description of
| what is meant by travel in Honduras in the
L fTlN oIrr1n
| as follows. The sun, of course, was very
| hot and persistent, the roads mere rough
! and scraggy winding paths, the country
| naturally very rich and fertile though thin
| ~ Inhabited a silent solitary land away
| from towns and cities. At casual intervals
| We passed lowly little groups of tropical
huts extravagant only in ventilation, lin
| tied patches of cornfields stretching away
| in every direction, clinging to the mountain
sides even to the very tops, looking like
counties on a brightly colored map.
| Too Much Water for the Travellers.
| The quiet hOspitable natives were usually
| at their doors with the ever ready calabash
| of fresh water, while their little brown
| children, clad simply in round-eyed wonder
| blinked solemnly at the marvellous contrast
! between the big stranger and his mule
| From time to time, however. the tranquil
scene was varied. and noticed with sharp
concern whenever Capt la Cruz began to
l
| the probable condition OF the next river OF
mountain stream In no case did the answers
| fairly fit the facts; either heavy rains had
| suddenly changed ripping brook into a
| rushing torrent, a shallow river into a
| deep and dangerous one or else our infor-
| mants were oblivious to the most glaring
| self-evident realities. Occasionally we
| would stumble on some unexpected stream
| without even the slight comfort of these
! misleading data, and after a tightening OF
girths, relying of baggage more securely
high, shifting of small personal belong
| ings into uppermost pockets and a careful
| tudy of the situation, We started in with
| now l lay me-" and wild uncertainty as
| to how and where we would come out on
| tie the clothing high and dry on top of the
saddle and struggle over "cabled" by the
| mules tail, while others prefer to accen-
tuate the picturesque surroundings by rid.
ing the plunging, staggering animal
| through, holding high overhead their pre-
cious raiment, a safe but somewhat un-
dignified method of procedure Every such
| crossing is an ugly experiment, and 1t is
with grateful surprise that one finds him.
| self safely over. The current is swift and
| deep, and filled with large and slippery
boulders concealed and hazardous. and the
| knowledge that number of lives are los,
! in these rough crossings every rainy sea.
| son does not augment the pleasure of this
| rude style of bathing. On these occasions
| l purposely avoided meeting the eye of the
| poor wretch with my big trunk on his in.
| adequate ridge-pole. hoping he didn't really
| know whose 1t was. How he got through
| every time and with the trunk still on tor
| was one of those things that even Dun.
| dreary couldn't find out.
| / am free to confess that for want of suf.
| ficiently rough exercise this was the hard.
| est day of my life, though I said nothing
| and, perhaps, conveyed the impression thai
| L enjoyed 1t. Pespire, the vague indefinite
| and always more distant managed to eyade
| us until about 4:3O that afternoon when
| we met up" with it suddenly at a time
| when half an hour longer would inevitably
| have stranded me. 1t was a very pretty
little ancient Spanish town nestled in a
| sheltered nook in the mountains thong h
| it's beauties were more matters of later re.
| membranCe than present delight and as
| Satan would have it, the very farthest house
| of the very remotest end of the very Longest
| street / ever saw was our destination and
| fear l 'drattedr every Intervening raSi
| dence, person and thing until we reached
| il. But an hours rest in the override seed
| hammock and a good supper restored the
desire to live again, the Honduranian world
| bathed in a glorious mountain sunset ra.
| sumed its romantic aspect as charmingly as
| when distance loaned it every possible en-
| chantment. Nor was it possible to end tbe
| day. full of pains and penalties as N had
| been, without noticing how VERY nrettv
| were the two daughters of the house Man
they be happy in their peaceful, uneventful
| peasant lives.
| Later / took a short stroll through the
quaint little village of few hundred souls
| visiting the little plaza and the old curio OF
! a Spanish church. chatted with the folks
! of no hOuSp. counted again NV roor 81,