The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-08-28

therefore for m
some idea of the difficulty, hardship
and the exceedingly slow progress one
can accomplish on muleback, and with
what joy the weary traveller welcomes
shutdown, which insures for him a
temporary cessation of that perpetual
and tiresome jolt incidental to mule
back riding. After ten-hours' ride
under such circumstances and beneath
a tropical sun, one is glad to content
oneself with few hours repose on
native cowhide bed, or stretched In
hammock without regard to ones en-
vironment or comfort.
On our arrival in Santa Cruz we par
took Of. the conventional tortillas,
beans and coffee prepared for us by
one Don Pho Romero, who was intro
duced to us by our guide as the Amer
leans friend" so-called because Of (as
our guide explained his alleged par
TALLY for our countrymen, owing to
the fact of his having been on one oc-
casion signally befriended and aided
by an American.
to our new and curiously inclined
friends, and, preceded by Col. Watts,
walked over to an unoccupied house,
which, in anticipation of our coming,
he had rented for us, and, without
waiting for the arrival of the pack
mules with our baggage, we, as on a
previous occasion, slept on our slick
Il fny. NIL
This mode of rest is highly conduc-
i've to early rising-a propensity here
tofore by no means common among us,
but to the maintenance of which dur
ing our sojourn in Honduras) we SOL
EMMY pledged ourselves. We awoke
quite early and were pleased to OBJ
serve our cook, who had arrived
shortly after we retired, busy unpack-
ing our provisions and utensils pre-
paratory to cooking breakfast.
Anxious to see the town which our
guide had extolled as the ideal coffee
region and as the one place in all Hon
duras in which we should unhesitat-
ingly locate and forthwith begin to
plant coffee, build houses, open stores
and erect monuments, we strolled
forth for the purposes Of observation
and criticism. However intent we
were to spy the promised land and the
people thereof, we owned ourselves
completely outdone by the natives,
who met us at our door, and, sur
rounding our house, calmly surveyed
us and leisurely criticized us and all
that appertained unto US.
Santa Cruz, like most Honduras
towns, is situated at the base of the
mountains and has a population OF $50
souls. It is 1850 feet above the sea
level and the change of climate from
Chicago to Santa Cruz was highly
novel and agreeable.
With view to becoming perfectly
acclimated and also fully conversant
with the prospects the country af-
forded for our purpose Of coffee-grow-
ing and to dispassionately consider all
the possibilities for and against such
speculation we resolved to remain in
Santa Cruz for several weeks. To
this resolution we adhered. We kept
open house, individually and collec-
lively exerting ourselves to entertain
the wonder-struck natives. AS an
evidence of their discernment and ap-
preciativeness will mention an in
cident, first perpetrated in q spirit Of
ennui by Price, but which was in
stantly and vigorously applauded and
encored to the utter exclusion of
everything else.
Price claims to be light sleeper and
is awakened several times every night
by the lusty Growing of the Santa Cruz
ROSTERS, which every night, begin
ming about IL o'clock and continuing
at intervals of about two hours apart,
until sunrise, keep UP a noisy rehear-