The Republican journal., 1896-12-24

The latter has a bottom of mud and shift
ing sand, studded with marshy islets, and
nova days even bongos, which seldom
draw more than three feet of water, often
find it impossible to pass its narrow chan
mel The Rio Siripiqui the first al1luent
of consequence, rises at the foot of the
great volcano of Cartigo, in Costa Rica,
and is navigable about twenty five miles,
to the hamlet of San Alfonso; beyond
which point the journey to San Jose,
Costa Rica's capital, must be made on
mules. Thirteen miles above the junction
of the Siripiqui with the San Juan, the
Rio San Carlos comes in, noble river,
broad and Deep which also rises in the
Costa Rican hills; and its strong swift
current between firm, we'll wooded
banks, can be assembled 20 miles or more.
From the accounts of early vovagers it
appears that the task of ascending 'sEl
Desaquadero," as the San Juan was then
called, was more difficult two or three
centuries ago than now, or perhaps the
| fNooCio VI tuosC ud1S Ntle CIuUlSlGI. one
Gage, who went up in 1910, says it took
him 90 days to make the 120 miles be-
tween the Atlantic and lake Nicaragua.
For, says he, though while the vessels
sail the lake securely and without trou-
/ bic, yet when they fall from the lake to
the sea, hie labor, hoe opus est-here is
I,t,t Ia l,,+ hi N
fall OF water in many places among the
rocks, that many times they are forced
to unload the frigates and load them
again, with the help of mules kept for
that purpose by the few Indians who live
about the river and take care of the lodges
made to lay in the wares, while the frig-
ate passes through dangerous places to
another lodge, whittier the wares are
brought by mules and again placed in the
trgate.' The largest rapids are the Ma
chua, where the river spreads out over
wide, rocky and crooked bed, with great
boulders projecting above the surface of
the stream, between which the water
rushes with velocity. 1t was here that
the Vanderbilt steamer, Orus, was wreck
ed in 1850. Native boatmen are able to
ascend it only by keeping close to the
northern shore where the current is least
strong and the boat can be pushed I'D by
main force. Three miles above these
rapids are those of Mico and Los Valos,
only few rods apart. Still farther on
| are the Castillo rapids-the shortest of the
series and more like cascade; and five
mile above them are the Toro rapids,
nearly mile in length
A few miles above Greytown the region
OF primitive forest is reached-great
trees rising in solid ranks on either side,
above a tangle OF brush wood, their
branches laden with a great variety of
parasitic plants, while woody creepers,
suspended from above, hang down and
| stretch from tree to tree like the entan-
gled rigging Of ship. Most noticeable
among the trees is the tall guava and
certain colossal palm with spreading,
/ fan like branches-the space between the
| long leaf stems completely filled with
orchids and other bright colored blossoms.
| The densely matted foliage affords shell
ter for myriads of green parrots, toucons,
with their absurdly big, top heavy beaks,
and gorgeous tanagers-the latter a spar
roW-lile bird with single blood red
spot upon his velvety black body Just
above the tail. One is amazed at the in
credible number Of butteltlies-the great
blue Morphus, vari- colored Helicondae,
and others dressed in black and gold. or
green, OF modest Representatives liter
ally filing the ain like brilliant cloud,
apparently emigrating in tiocks, as north
ern birds do in autumn.
Perhaps the most romantic spot along
the river is Fl Castillo Vieio, (the old
castle), the ancient Spanish fort that
crowns a height above the hamlet and
rapids of the same name. At this point
| considerable ridge comes down to the
stands the castle. The foaming and agi-
tated waters contrast well with the still.
dark forest on one hand and the vivid
green Of grassy hills on the other. The
little town has only one rough, narrow,
dirty street, inhabited by few blacks,
and countless legions of mosquitoes,
whose sunset serenade is something long
to be remembered. When Nicaragua hi d
a rubber trade, Castillo was its center
Here gangs of native were specially equip
ped for penetrating into the uninhabited
forests of the eastern coast; and to this
place they brought the products of their
labor, to be carried down the river in
bongos. Between this point and Fuerte
San Carlos, several sluggish streams flow
into the San Juan, their mouths almost
hidden by overhanging trees. Fort San
Carlos, formerly one of Spain's strongest
bulwarks in the land, is now in ruins,
covered with an exuberant growth of
lovely maiden hair fern. 1t stands at the
southeastern end of lake Nicaragua, at
the 'head,' or outflow of the San Juan