to the house of the "King of the Cannibal Islands." They soon swung our hammocks, in which we seated ourselves, while they busied themselves preparing coffee. courtesy demanded-and it was a great length of time-they broke into another wild Carib song, that made me instinctively feel for my scalp. Having assured myself 'twas all right, and that my friends were equally fortunate, I really enjoyed the oddity of the affair. I am told their dancing is a perfect counterpart of similar proceedings on the western coast of Africa, from whence they originally came. They placed the music in the centre of the room, and arranged themselves around it, and commenced a series of movements of the body, throwing in frequent twists and jerks by way of It was now near night, and we were settling ourselves for a sleep after the fatigues of the day, when the "King" made his appearance and said the boys were getting up a "tango," in honor of our arrival, if we were not too tired to attend. We belied our feelings most woefully by stating, as many an exhausted, inebriated individual has remarked before us, that "we never felt better." So the "tango" was gotten up, and after finishing our supper, astonishing the na-embellishment. tives at the same time by the rapid disappearance, one by one, of the many chickens and fish supplied for our meal, we repaired to the hut in which the dance was to take place. Between the dances we gave them some regular "Clem Johnson" negro songs, and the torrents of applause that followed would have been perfectly satisfactory to the most renowned tenor, and would have furnished lots of items for the penny-a-liners. H gave them the Juba dance, which, being more in their line, they ap them that the Yankees could do every thing. They were very temperate regarding liquorbut few of them drinking it, and many of them not even coffee. Our arrival was the signal for the commencement of the festivities. Such another exhibition of the Terpsichorean art I never had the pleasure of witnessing. Their instruments con-preciated to its fullest extent, and it convinced sisted of a couple of drums made of hollow logs with hide stretched over one end, and a Boston tin cracker-box, on which instruments a sort of running accompaniment was beaten with their hands. Wild songs were chanted during the progress of the dance, one of which, more moderate than the rest, and in English, was shouted for our benefit. It was repeated so often that it became traced on my memory. It ran in this way: Fi, yi, yi! money no dare, We retired that night perfectly satisfied with our day's adventures. One peculiar feature of this place I must not forget to mention. The mosquitoes, although they are very numerous and blood-thirsty during the day, never prowl around the houses at night! Whether they are off on a tango spree of their own, or asleep, I After repeating this as often as they thought can't say; but I know they did not molest us Soger take him, money so gone! that night, though we slept without the nets, which we had taken so much trouble to preserve. For this favorable indulgence on their part, I commend them to the consideration and admiration of the mosquito-bitten community of the civilized world. In the morning we rose and took coffee at the door, receiving the invigorating sea-breeze filtered through the branches of the cocoa-nut, which were waving before the door, musical with birds. We sat upon the old "stocks," and drank in nature's beauty to repletion. At breakfast we had my favorite dish, fried plantains and fresh cassava bread, of which I will speak shortly. After this II drew a portrait of the King, which he admired very much, and seemed to have gained from it a more full conception of his own personal charms. WILD FIG-TREE. limpid stream. Every body knows they are picturesquely beautiful, and on this occasion they were positively splendid. After paddling a short distance we dragged the canoe on shore, the water being too shallow to allow us to proceed further with it; so we continued our journey on foot, detailing a couple of Caribs to "back" us across the stream when our fancy should lead us on the "other side of Jordan ;" and I can assure you they had plenty of exercise. After we had sufficiently astonished them with a display of talent perfectly new to them, we started up the Tulian River for sketches, having heard it was rather fine. We found the stream to be of surpassing beauty. Every hundred feet was a picture in itself. It was beautiful beyond description-perfectly sublime! Enormous wild fig-trees, the cocoa-nut and plantain lined its banks, with the brilliant, lively-ed! We positively were sore with laughter. colored orange or sweet lemon creeping in among the openings. Occasionally we saw a plantain field stretching to the water's edge, the broad flat leaves of the trees dipping themselves gracefully in the SCENE ON THE TULIAN. How they growled when the Doctor mount One little spot took our fancy wonderfully. A gigantic wild fig-tree had located himself on a point of land around which the scenery was perfectly enchanting. From one branch of the tree a large family of "yellow tails" had built their hanging nests. This bird is about the size of a hawk, with a "crooked tail" like the swallow. Its body is black, blending into brown, the brown into an Indian red, and the red into a brilliant yellow on the tail, not unlike the dazzling gold of the Baltimore oriole at home. Not being well posted in ornithology, I can't give its scientific name; but I have no doubt many of your readers know the bird as well by reputation as I do from observation. While Hwas making his sketch, the Doctor and I shot a deer and several Indian rabbits, which are much larger than our common rabbits at home. Pursuing this little Euphrates through the Garden of Eden, we reached the Camino Real to Comayagua, when another scene burst upon us. Fortunately, nothing was injured by the explosion except some paper, pencils, and the least bit of color imaginable. At the ranch on the hill we took a sort of half-breakfast, half-dinner meal, for which, for our party of three, we paid thirty-seven and a half cents. We tried to make an arrangement with them to board us in town at the same ratio, but it wouldn't do. They were not in the fonda business, though they did sometimes entertain hungry wretches like ourselves. We cleared the table of every thing set before us, it being a principle with us while traveling to leave nothing, thereby getting the worth of our money, even though our palates are not suited. It is only justice to ourselves to say, that this destruction took place before we knew the amount of our bill. After our meal we were conducted around the ranch by the proprietor himself, and it was a model. Tropical fruit trees he had in abundance, including the mango, maroñon, and pineapple, to which, by-the-way, I attribute a fever I afterward had. I would like to caution all new-comers to the tropical regions on one point: After becoming acclimated, and you have commenced on the fruits, ascertain the capacity of your stomachs. If they are equal to two pineapples, never eat three, with half a dozen mangos, and that too on a hearty meal. If you do, the calentura is sure! I am a living example of the fact! This ranch also contained an immense grazing ground, on which were 10,000 head of cattle! which, by being driven a distance of six miles, would be worth $10 per head! They are used on the extensive mahogany works near Belize, and on the Ulua and Chimelcon rivers in this State. I think I shall turn ranchero with the proviso that I can raise cattle that will not chase me, as some of these did, for I may not always be so fortunate in climbing trees as I was on this occasion. Returning to the settlement, we procured a larger dory, and embarked for the town of Seineguita and Puerto Cabello lagoon, but went no farther than the town, as a shower came upon us. Seineguita is not so pretty a place as Tulian, but is much larger, and has more of the appearance of a regular town. There were a great number of women to be seen, and but few men. The great disparity in numbers struck me, but it was explained by the men being off on the mahogany works, where they remain by contract for from three to twelve months, as they may agree. During this time they never see their wives, and when they do return they have a 66 'big drunk" to commemorate the event. The cassava bread, of which I spoke before, is made from the root of the cassava bush, or zuca, as it is called by the Caribs. It grows wild, and in great profusion, in the vicinity of Puerto Cabello. The root is hard, unpalatable, and withal extremely poisonous, if eaten in its crude state. of this article-important, at least, in the manufacture of the Carib "staff of life." The pulp falls into a large wooden receiving tray, from whence it is taken by the women, and punched and pummeled in a manner that reminded me of the times when I used to look through the windows of the bakers' shops at home, and see the men making bread and cakes, and resolved when I grew up to be nothing but a baker, that I might daily gorge myself with the sweet things that were so temptingly exposed in the nicely-arranged windows. After it is pounded until it becomes soft, it is kneaded into dough, and formed into cakes, about two and a half feet in diameter, and onesixteenth of an inch thick, and baked upon large earthen plates. When baked, it is of a soft, crispy nature, and of a cream color. Another portion of the cassava pulp is placed on the top of an apparatus called a culebra, or snake, which, by-the-way, it resembles. It is closely-plaited split cane, forming a hollow body, twelve feet long, by ten inches in diameter. Attached to the lower end is a stout stick, upon which sit some half dozen of the prettiest girls, of course. Their mode of preparing it is curious. The root is boiled in water until the outer dark rough coating becomes soft and removablenot unlike the skin of a boiled beet. The root, thus relieved of its clothing, is of a pure white color, and while warm is "rasped" into a pulp, on large wooden graters, not unlike the oldfashioned washboard of my childhood days. If there are any of your readers who are ignorant of the form of this household utensil, I refer butter. them to their grandmothers for an explanation | H They rise, and throwing their bodies upon the pole, elongate the culebra by their weight, which compresses the contents, from which flows the cassava juice, which is boiled, and, with the addition of spices and chillis, forms a delicious sauce for the bread, and is used in place of To me it is extremely palatable; but will have nothing to do with it, vowing that it is simply baked saw-dust. But he is no judge. Having left the hut, we started for the second time, and with a good breeze, direct for the mouth of Puerto Cabello lagoon. We were now in the famous bay which bears the name above-mentioned; and certainly a finer harbor it would be difficult to find. Perfectly sheltered from the violence of all the storms that blew over it, with any quantity of water, with fine holding ground for anchorage, it appeared to be to me the very desideratum for the necessities of a large town. On board again we soon entered the lagoon. If it were only in the North, adios to Saratoga, Newport, etc. Why, in my mind, I saw in the blue distance of a near future a dozen hotels on its delightful shores, with "regular boarders" the year round, and in their record-books names hailing from Maine to Texas. The Doctor, who is from the latter place, offers, as an inducement to some enterprising Yankee, to take his room so soon as the shingles are on. A Mr. Fisher has a plantation here, and around him is clustered a family of bouncing little ones to whom disease is unknown. The harbor is easily made, the entrance being This is the proposed northern terminus of the several miles broad, and the Chimilecon mount-"Interoceanic Railroad," and a more desiraain rising, in one unbroken peak, to a great height, serves as a landmark for vessels many miles at sea. Mr. Squier, in his "Notes on Central America," gives a perfect description of it, with an accompanying map. Blunt, in his "Coast Pilot," pronounces it to be one of the best harbors on the coast. It is a beautiful sheet of water, unbroken by a single rock or other obstruction to the free and secure navigation of it in any part. During our progress we shot many wild fowls, and passed some beautiful plantations, at one of which we compelled our boatmen to land us. Here we selected our future residence on a gentle slope, a few feet from the water's edge, and when we shall have finished our Central American palace-which I think should be in the form of a paint-brush or palette, emblematic of our calling-we will send you on a sketch of it. ble location could not have been selected. By building docks two hundred feet long, the largest ocean steamers could discharge their living freights with all the security of New York accommodations. The people every where along the coast are anxious for its commencement, rightly thinking that it would turn their comparatively worthless plantations into "independent patches of wealth," as the Doctor calls them. Start the Railroad, gentlemen! Open the richest country on the globe to the enterprise of the world! Let the "iron horse" but once snort through these majestic forests, and its woods will be turned into shining silver, its grasses into glistening gold, its small plantations into thriving Yankee farms; the plow and sickle will supersede the machete and the rude digging iron; the weeds, rank and strong, will |