The sun., 1895-05-26

worked at the loading and unloading: We found
we were to lie there taking on coffee for Two
ship wa. so Sa nnconfortsbie conn that we concluded
spend the time in making little trip into the
ers and found Champsrico a small place at the
edge of the water and stifingly hot. IN spito OF
e Sefore s t. from From CRamperico % railroad has been
built inland to the coffee-producing district, OF
which San Felipe is the sntrs 81 bIt 1T. rosa tho 10
trains were running only to Retnlhuleu, an
Indian village about twenty-seven miles on; The he
amounts to about 81; 90 in United states coin:
thick jungle OF palms. shrubs and vines. many
Of them bearing brilliant flowers. In places the
riore. ike ike blue shields. and there were myriads
Of unfamiliar blooms OF all tho hues 81 the rain
ser end
the rainy season. Then the trees IN blossom
are Ike immense nosegnys and ~ 6se sms Sranches
at this season sea- % was " tGickiy Clothed with the
rich soil After the rains these are said TO shoot
up high = enough N M to hide man on horseback and
Finally the the, train ' stopped pr at Retalhuleu What
might be called the more civilized part t. OF the
*
The building was only 9ne,story high and DIFF:
in 1t, as the case might be; There was large
church. with an open, market place before It.
streets, which were roughly paved with cobble-
stones, Out beyond the stuccoed houses. to-
part Of the settlement bore strong resem-
blance to pictures OF African villages. In tho
sr Is they are sn9y % tho
product of the woods where they are built:
The uprighs and cross timbers ;. are S either OF
sary size, and between these. both for walls and
roof, are woven the broad leaves Of the palm.
v,nlla a.A all HAtvN ,,nAk k0rrn hvy
to"sh @ and % flexible vine ek called beee. Which
the builders gather In the woods. The same
purposes. and ita dark smooth abres look like
strings of India-rubber. The natives who in
and are Indians with a mixture Of spanish
Caucasian races and a little admixture of tho
The only place in which to spend the night at
1n"
ing. and the heat intense. Yet all the discom:.
the
were not running to San Felipe where, the
had an opportunity to see the coffee plantations.
which flourish only at an elevation OF from three
When we returned % to the shf ship S we found it still
rolling tremendously. and every one complain
Ing Of the heat though BY contrast With Retail
The sole resource of the passengers who had
remained on board had been catching the gar
also much larger and finer fish to be seen. but
these were aware Of their own Importance, and
refused to bite at the hook. The party had been
dimnishe by two or three grizzled old miners,
who lad disembarked at Champerico to mako
their way up into the Guatemala mountains in
search for gold. They were in charge of q fat,
dirty, but polite old Spanish priest, who had been
drinking and playing cards all the way down. |
He was going to see them through their UNDER
taking. so far as the natives were concerned
These are 40 averse to having mining carried |
on lin their country as to make such enterprises
virtually impractcable, but tho priests rule the
natives absolutely, and a miner under the pro- |
lection of the Church is safe from Interference |
At Champerico we took on, for tho night only
a number Of semi-civiiZed natives who were
going to San jose on their way to the city Of
Gautemal a. They were principally women
plump dark-skinned. clad in white muslin
dresses with low necks and short sleeves, who
kicked off their shoes and lay all night on the
sofas In the dining saloon In preference to sleep-
ing In their staterooms. This was not an alto
gether satisfactory arrangement, as they were
quite incomprehcnsibly seasick Those who
cane to the table ate with their knives or their
fingers indifferently; as one of the passengers
who had lived in this country remarked,
"When they eat they take both hands, and II
there is anything particularly choice they put q
foot on It,"
Finally the deputy OF the Commandante of
Chemperico came out In his boat, with neither |
shoes nor stockings on. to discharge the ship, |
and got off for San Jose the seaport OF |
Guatemala. Here, after a rua Of six hours, we