RECEPTION-DAY—GENERAL RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR THE UNITED
STATES—AN EVENING RIDE—THE PLAZA—CHURCHES—HOSPITAL—THE
“JALTEVA”—DESERTED MUNICIPALITY—MELANCHOLY RESULTS OF
FACTION—THE ARSENAL—NATURAL DEFENCES OF THE CITY—“CAMPO
SANTO”—AN EX-DIRECTOR AND HIS “HACIENDA”—SHORE OF THE LAKE IN
THE EVENING—OLD CASTLE—THE “ORACION”—AN EVENING VISIT TO THE
SEÑORITAS—OPERA AMIDST ORANGE GROVES—“ALERTAS” AND “QUIEN
VIVAS?”—THE GRANADINAS AT HOME—AN EPISODE ON WOMEN AND DRESS—MR.
ESTEVENS—“LOS MALDITOS INGLESES”—A FEMALE ANTIQUARIAN
COADJUTOR—“CIGARITAS”—INDIAN GIRLS—COUNTRYMEN—AN AMERICAN
“MEDICO”—NATIVE HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS—THE WAYS INFESTED BY
“FACCIOSOS”—AN AMERICAN TURNED BACK—EXPECTED ASSAULT ON THE
CITY, AND PATRIOTIC RESOLVES “TO DIE UNDER THE AMERICAN FLAG”—A
NOTE ON HORSES AND SADDLES—VISIT TO THE CACAO ESTATES OF THE
MALACCAS—THE CACAO TREE—DAY-DREAMS—AN ADVENTURE ALMOST—GRIEVOUS
DISAPPOINTMENT—SOMOZA, THE ROBBER CHIEF—OUR ARMORY—FEVERISHNESS
OF THE PUBLIC MIND—LIFE UNDER THE TROPICS—A FRIGHTENED AMERICAN,
WHO HAD “SEEN SOMOZA,” AND HIS ACCOUNT OF THE INTERVIEW—SOMOZA’S
LOVE FOR THE AMERICANS—GOOD NEWS FROM LEON—APPROACH OF THE
GENERAL IN CHIEF, AND AN ARMED AMERICAN ESCORT—CONDITION OF
PUBLIC AFFAIRS—PROCLAMATION OF THE SUPREME DIRECTOR—DECREES OF
THE GOVERNMENT—OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND PUBLIC ADDRESSES—HOW
THEY EXHIBITED THE POPULAR FEELING—NICARAGUAN RHETORIC—DECISIVE
MEASURES TO PUT DOWN THE INSURGENTS—GENERAL CALL TO ARMS—MARTIAL
LAW—PUBLICATION OF A “BANDA”—GREAT PREPARATIONS TO RECEIVE THE
GENERAL IN CHIEF AND HIS “VETERANOS”—NO FURTHER FEAR OF THE
“FACCIOSOS”—A BREAK-NECK RIDE TO THE “LAGUNA DE SALINAS”—A
VOLCANIC LAKE—DESCENT TO THE WATER—HOW CAME ALLIGATORS
THERE?—NATIVE “AGUARDIENTE” “NOT BAD TO TAKE”—RETURN TO THE
CITY—A RELIGIOUS PROCESSION—THE HOST—INCREASING TOLERANCE OF THE
PEOPLE—PREPARATIONS FOR “LA MANANA.”
At noon, agreeably to appointment, we were waited upon by the
dignitaries of the city, and the commander of the garrison, together
with a large number of the leading inhabitants. They all exhibited the
same cordiality with the ruder portion of the population, and a degree
of refinement and courtesy which would have done credit to more
pretending capitals. We were a little startled by the somewhat
exaggerated tone of compliment, both in respect to ourselves and our
country, which ran through their conversation, and which seems
characteristic of the Spanish people wherever found, in the Old World or
the New. All concurred in representing the present unsettled state of
public affairs as in a great measure due to foreign intervention and
intrigue; and referred to the seizure of San Juan, and the English
encroachments on their territories, in a tone of indignation and
reproach, commensurate with the indignity and outrage to which they had
been subjected. They seemed to entertain the highest hopes from the
opening of more intimate relations with the United States; but,
unacquainted with the nature, constitutional powers, and the policy of
our government, these hopes were, as a matter of course, somewhat vague;
yet it was not unnatural that, distracted within, and subjected to
unscrupulous aggression from without, the United States should be looked
to as a conciliator of intestine factions, as a friend, and a protector.
I was deeply impressed with the feeling which they manifested, and was
convinced that if once treated with consideration, and taught to respect
themselves as a nation, there was no reason why the States of the
Isthmus should not take a respectable rank amongst the republics of the
continent. The interview was highly interesting, and gave me more
elevated views of the temper of the people of the country than I had
gathered from what had been published concerning them; an impression
which a further and more intimate acquaintance only tended to confirm.
Towards evening, in company with Col. Trinidad Salazar, the commandant
of the Plaza, we took a ride through the city and its environs. We found
that with the exception of the Church of La Mercedes, and the Convent of
San Francisco, already mentioned, there were few buildings at all
remarkable or imposing. The Parochial Church, on the plaza, is very
ancient, and distinguished as containing the bones of several of the
first bishops of Nicaragua, which was established as a diocess as early
as 1532. The interior was far from imposing. It had some paintings, too
ancient to be distinguished, with some indifferent prints of saints, and
scenes in the life of Christ and the apostles. Upon one side of the
plaza is the façade of the unfinished church of San Juan de Dios, which
was designed to be the most beautiful in the city, but for some reason
was never finished. The façade is very elaborate, and profusely loaded
with ornament. It has been standing in its present condition for more
than a hundred years. A hospital has been erected in the area it was
intended to occupy, which is supported by a small market tax and
voluntary contributions. Buildings of one or two stories, with spacious
corridors in front, extend round two sides of the square, in which are
some of the principal retail “_tiendas_” of the city. The wares of the
shopkeepers were as conspicuously displayed as in some of the minor
streets at home; while in front were the market-women, with fruits,
cacao, maize, and all the various edibles of the season. These were
generally placed in baskets, or spread on a white sheet on the ground,
in a style probably very little different from that practised by the
aborigines at the time of the Conquest. All the streets leading from the
plaza were barricaded, and we found advance posts of troops in every
part of the city.
From the grand plaza we rode through the narrow streets, between long
rows of substantial houses, in the direction of the municipality of
Jalteva.[7] Dashing up a broad causeway, with heavy flanking walls,
surmounted by urns, we came at once into the second grand plaza. Here we
found the buildings more scattered, and of a poorer character; huts of
canes alternating with adobe houses and open lots of ground. The plaza
was deserted, and as we rode along we observed that the whole quarter
seemed depopulated. We found, upon inquiry, that this municipality was
the stronghold of the “Calandracas,” and hereditarily jealous of the
city proper. This hostility led to the collision of which we had heard,
in which the disaffected party had suffered a defeat; whereupon, either
from fear, or with a design of organizing for sharper work, they had
chiefly fled “_al monte_” to the fields. Those who remained, with
scarcely an exception, had moved, for greater security, within the city.
The silence and desolation which reigned in this deserted quarter was a
mournful commentary on partisan feuds. A few dogs and unclaimed cattle
wandered despondingly amongst the houses, as if in search of their
masters; but beyond these there were no signs of life.
-----
Footnote 7:
This municipality is mostly made up of Indians. The present name,
“_Jalteva_” is probably a corruption of the Indian “Salteba,” the name
of the aboriginal town which occupied the site of Granada before that
city was built.
-----
Passing the Jalteva, we came into the broad open road leading to Leon,
and soon reached a square compact building, which was the arsenal. It
was surrounded by a high wall, and at the corners were erected towers,
looped for musketry, each containing a guard of soldiers. A cannon
looked morosely through the open gateway, around which was a company of
lancers, just returned from some expedition. Their lances, to each of
which was hung a little red streamer, flashed in the sun as they fell
into line on the approach of the commandante; while the guards, on the
tap of the drum, leaped to their feet, and presented arms. Just beyond
the arsenal is what the commandante called the natural defence of the
city. It is a deep, narrow ravine, with absolutely precipitous walls,
worn by the rains through the volcanic or calcareous breccia upon which
the city is built. It extends on three sides of the town, and can be
passed only in one or two places, where lateral inclined planes have
been artificially cut from the top to the bottom on one side, and from
the bottom to the top on the other. It is a feature of some importance
in calculating the means of defending the city, and probably had
something to do in determining its site.
From the arsenal we turned off to the left, following a broad,
well-beaten path, which wound beneath a complete archway of trees,
vines, and flowers, in the direction of the “_Campo Santo_” or burial
place of the city. This is an area of several acres of ground in extent,
surrounded by a high wall of adobes, neatly whitewashed, and entered
beneath a lofty gateway, surmounted by a cross, and bearing a Latin
inscription, which I have forgotten. There was little to see; and, as
the gates were shut, we could not enter; so, turning in the direction of
the lake, we galloped to the hacienda of Don Jose Leon Sandoval, passing
on the way, in a picturesque glen, shadowed over with trees, the
“corral” or cattle yard of the estate. A brisk ride through the bushes
brought us to the house, built upon a high terrace, overlooking the lake
and city, and embowered in palm, marañon, orange, and jocote trees. The
proprietor was out somewhere on the estate, and we started to find him,
which we soon succeeded in doing. He was mounted on a splendid mule, and
just returning from inspecting the day’s work of the “_mozos_” or what
in New England would be called “hired help.” Don Jose proved to be a
plainly dressed, substantial person, bearing a close likeness to General
Taylor. Upon my mentioning the fact, he bowed low, in acknowledgment,
and said that he knew the General was a farmer-soldier and a
citizen-President; and he only hoped that the resemblance might extend
from person, which was of little, to character, which was of greater,
consequence. Don Jose had once been Director of the State, but had
resigned the office, preferring, he said, to be a good farmer rather
than a poor director. We followed him over various parts of the estate
to his indigo vats and drying houses, and to his plantain and cacao
walks and corn-fields, all of which we found to be in capital order, and
bearing the evidences of intelligence, enterprise, industry, and care.
After a pleasant interview of half an hour, we bade Don Jose “_buena
tarde_” and descended to the shores of the lake, just as the sun was
setting, throwing the whole beach in the shade, while the fairy
“Corales” were swimming in the evening light. The shore was ten-fold
more animated than when we landed the previous day; men on horseback,
women on foot, sailors, fishermen, idlers, children, and a swarm of
water-carriers, mingling together, gave life to the scene; while boats
and graceful canoes, drawn up on the beach, bongos rocking at their
anchors outside, the grim old fort frowning above, and the green border
of trees, with bars of sunlight streaming between them, all contributed
to heighten and give effect to the picture. We rode up the glacis of the
old castle, through its broken archway, into its elevated area, and
looked out beyond the broad and beautiful lake, upon the distant shores
of Chontales, with its earthquake-riven hills, and ragged, volcanic
craters. Their rough features were brought out sharply and distinctly in
the slanting light which gilded the northern slope of the gigantic
volcano of Momobacho, while its eastern declivity slept in purple
shadow. We were absorbed in contemplating one by one these varied
beauties, when the bells of the city struck the hour of the “oracion.”
In an instant every voice was hushed, the horseman reined in his steed,
the ropes dropped from the hands of the sailor, the sentinel on the fort
stopped short in his round, even the water-jars were left half-filled,
while every hat was removed, and every lip moved in prayer. The very
waves seemed to break more gently on the shore, in harmony with the
vibrations of the distant bells; while the subdued hum of reverential
voices filled the pauses between. There was something almost magical in
this sudden hush of the multitude, and its apparently entire absorption
in devotion, which could not fail deeply to impress the stranger
witnessing it for the first time.
No sooner, however, had the bells ceased to toll, and struck up the
concluding joyful chime, than the crowd on the shore resumed its life
and gayety, while we put spurs to our horses, and dashed through their
midst, on our return to the city. The commandante and his companions
would only leave me at my door, where we were saluted by our host with
“Saved your distance, gentlemen; dinner is ready!”
An evening visit to the Señorita Teresa finished our first entire day in
Granada. This young lady had been educated in the United States, spoke
English very well, and was withal a proficient in music,—accomplishments
which we never before learned to estimate at their true value. It was
worth something to hear well executed passages from familiar operas,
amidst tangible and not painted orange trees and palms, and in an
atmosphere really loaded with tropical perfumes, instead of the odors of
oil-pots and gas-lights. Eight o’clock was the signal for general
withdrawal from the streets, for then commenced the rigors of the
military police, and the city became at once still and quiet. The
occasional barking of a dog, the tinkling of a distant guitar, the
soughing of the evening wind amongst the trees of the courtyard, the
measured tread and graduated “alertas!” of the sentinels, were the only
interruptions to the almost sepulchral silence. While returning to our
quarters, we were startled by the “Quien vive?” of the sentinel, uttered
in a tone absolutely ferocious, and as these fellows rarely parleyed
long, we answered with all expedition, “La Patria,” which was followed
on the instant by “Que gente?” “Americanos del Norte.” This was enough;
these, we found, were magic words, which opened every heart and every
door in all Nicaragua. They never failed us. We felt proud to know that
no such charm attached to “Ingleses,” “Alemanes,” or “Franceses.”
The day following, in accordance with the “costumbres del pais,” the
customs of the country, we returned the visits of the preceding day, and
began to see more of the domestic and social life of the citizens of
Granada. We found the residences all comfortable, and many elegant,
governed by mistresses simple, but graceful and confiding in their
manners. They were frank in their conversation, and inquired with the
utmost _naïveté_ whether I was married or intended to be, and if the
ladies of El Norte would probably visit Granada, when the “Vapores
grandes,” the great steamers, came to run to San Juan, and the
“Vaporcitas,” steameretts, to ply on the lake and river. They had heard
of a Mr. Estevens, (their nearest approach to Stephens,) who had written
a book about their “pobre pais,” their poor country, and were anxious to
know what he had said of them, and whether our people really regarded
them as “esclavos y brutos sin verguenza,” slaves and brutes without
shame, as the abominable English (los malditos Ingleses) had represented
them. They were also very anxious to know whether the party of
Californians which had passed through were “gente comun,” common people,
or “caballeros,” gentlemen; upon which point, however, we were
diplomatically evasive, for there was more in the inquiry than we chose
to notice. One lady had heard that I was a great antiquarian, and
anticipatory to my visit, had got together a most incongruous collection
of curiosities, from “vasos antiguos,” fragments of pottery, and stone
hatchets, down to an extraordinary pair of horn spectacles, and a
preposterously distorted hog’s hoof,—all of which she insisted on
sending to my quarters, which she did, with some rare birds, and a plate
of _dulces_! At every house we found a table spread with wines and
sweetmeats, and bearing a little silver brazier filled with burning
coals, for the greater convenience of lighting cigars. I excited much
surprise by declining to smoke, on the ground that I had never done so;
but the ladies insisted on my taking a “cigarito,” which they said
wouldn’t injure a new-born babe, and paid me the compliment of lighting
it with their own fair lips, after which it would have been rank treason
to etiquette, and would have ruined my reputation for gallantry, had I
refused. I at first endeavored to shirk the responsibility of smoking by
thrusting it into my pocket, but found that as soon as one disappeared
another was presented, so I was obliged “to face the music” in the end.
In every sala we found a large hammock suspended from the walls, which
was invariably tendered to the visitor, even when there were easy chairs
and sofas in the room. This is the seat of honor.
The women of pure Spanish stock are very fair, and have the _embonpoint_
which characterizes the sex under the tropics. Their dress, except in a
few instances where the stiff costume of our own country had been
adopted, was exceedingly loose and flowing, leaving the neck and arms
exposed. The entire dress was often pure white, but generally the skirt,
or _nagua_, was of some flowered stuff, in which case the _guipil_
(_anglice_, vandyke) was white, heavily trimmed with lace. Satin
slippers, a red or purple sash wound loosely round the waist, and a
rosary sustaining a little golden cross, with a narrow golden band or a
string of pearls extending around the forehead and binding the hair,
which often fell in luxuriant waves upon their shoulders, completed a
costume as novel as it was graceful and picturesque. To all this, add
the superior attractions of an oval face, regular features, large and
lustrous black eyes, small mouth, pearly white teeth, and tiny hands and
feet, and withal a low but clear voice, and the reader has a picture of
a Central American lady of pure stock. Very many of the women have,
however, an infusion of other families and races, from the Saracen to
the Indian and the Negro, in every degree of intermixture. And as tastes
differ, so may opinions as to whether the tinge of brown, through which
the blood glows with a peach-like bloom, in the complexion of the girl
who may trace her lineage to the caziques upon one side, and the haughty
grandees of Andalusia and Seville on the other, superadded, as it
usually is, to a greater lightness of figure and animation of
face,—whether this is not a more real beauty than that of the fair and
more languid señora, whose white and almost transparent skin bespeaks a
purer ancestry. Nor is the Indian girl, with her full, lithe figure,
long, glossy hair, quick and mischievous eyes, who walks erect as a
grenadier beneath her heavy water-jar, and salutes you in a musical,
impudent voice as you pass—nor is the Indian girl to be overlooked in
the novel contrasts which the “bello sexo” affords in this glorious land
of the sun.
We called upon several French and Italian families resident in Granada,
but found that a long period of naturalization had completely
assimilated them to the natives of the country, with whom they had
largely intermarried. But what surprised us most was, that in the best
houses it was no uncommon thing to find a shop occupying the “esquina,”
or corner, or a room on one side of the court, in which few of the
ladies thought it derogatory to their dignity or a violation of
propriety, to preside on any necessary occasion. In fact, these shops
were generally superintended by the wife of the proprietor, seated with
her sewing in her lap, in an easy chair, behind the low counter. And
even in entertaining her visitors in the grand sala, it was common for
the lady to keep an eye to what was passing in the “tienda,” through a
convenient, open door. In the larger establishments, however, there
exists all the paraphernalia of clerks and attendants which we find at
home.
When we returned from our visits, we found a party of three Americans
waiting for us. One was Dr. S., who had resided for many years in the
country, where he held the first place as a “medico,” and was a
universal favorite amongst all classes of the people. By him we were
introduced to the others, both of whom had come out with the company of
Californians to which I have alluded. Mr. P., who was to have acted as
engineer of the preposterous craft which was anchored off the Castillo,
was reduced by illness, and being unable to accompany the party, had
abandoned it, and was thus far on his return to the United States; but
sick and destitute, was now anxiously awaiting my arrival, to procure
the means of reaching home. He, however, was comfortably situated,
having been generously and hospitably received by Señor Lacayo, a
prominent native merchant, who had, in the current phrase of the
country, placed “his house at the disposition” of the stranger. The
third person was a young physician from New Haven, from whom we learned
that the Californians were still detained at Leon and Chinandega,
waiting for a vessel to take them off, in great impatience and
discontent. Wearied of the delays, this gentleman had returned on a
flying visit to Granada, where he had been staying for a fortnight.
Meantime, the disturbances in the country had come to a crisis, and the
day of our arrival he had attempted to return to Leon, but was turned
back by armed parties on the road, who gave him the unsolicited pleasure
of looking down their presented musket-barrels, by way of enforcing
their wishes. The doctor, who had met Somoza in times past, and
entertained a good deal of faith in his personal influence and prowess,
informed us that the rebel chief had once been imprisoned in Granada,
and owed it a special spite. He had sworn to burn the city, and the
doctor was of opinion that he would keep his word. He thought we might,
any night, have an attack; but felt confident that foreigners, keeping
out of the way, would sustain no injury. At any rate, if the worst came
to the worst, we could all collect together, under the American flag,
and between revolvers, rifles, and what not new invention, make a
respectable fight against the poorly armed assailants. And by way of
encouragement, the doctor gave us an animated account of a party of
foreigners, but five or six in number, who some years before had
sustained a siege of three days, in this very city, and kept their
assailants at bay, until they were dispersed by the troops of the
government.
I had arranged that afternoon to ride to the cacao estates called the
“Malaccas,” distant about five miles from Granada; and although the city
was full of stories about the “facciosos” who infested the country, I
persisted in my determination to go. My companions thought they could
entertain themselves very well in the city; so I armed Ben, and with an
English creole merchant resident here, who kindly furnished horses,
started for the Malaccas. We had already discovered that the horses of
Nicaragua were of the Arabian stock; and although like the Arab horses
small, they were compact, fleet, good tempered, spirited, and of
excellent bottom. As all travelling here is performed on horseback or on
mules, great care is used in breaking and training saddle beasts, while
their price depends less upon their beauty than upon their training.
They are all taught a rapid but exceedingly easy gait, between trotting
and pacing, called the _paso-trote_. A well-trained horse strikes at
once into this gait, and keeps it steadily from morning to night. I have
ridden them from twenty to forty miles at a heat, without once breaking
the pace, and with less fatigue than would be occasioned in riding the
best saddle-horses in the United States for a distance of five miles. At
this gait the horse gets over the level roads of Nicaragua, at from six
to eight miles the hour. The same animal is frequently taught several
gaits, and may be forced into one or the other by a peculiar pressure on
the bit, which is very different from those used in the United States,
and gives the most perfect control of the animal to the rider. Besides
the _paso-trote_, which may be called the ordinary gait, the horses are
taught an easy amble, the _paso-llano_, which is very rapid, and yet so
gentle that, as observed by a recent Peruvian traveller, the rider may
carry a cup of water in his hand without spilling a drop, while going at
the rate of six miles an hour. There are also other gaits taught to
different horses, which have each their advocates; among them the
_paso-portante_, in which the horse raises the fore and hind foot of
each side simultaneously, causing a rapid see-saw motion, not agreeable
to riders generally.
The saddles are modifications of the Mexican saddle, with high peaks,
over which are thrown gaudily colored sheepskins, here called “pillons,”
or “pellons.” The equipment is not complete without a pair of holsters
and pistols; and a Nicaraguan “caballero” is never so much in his
element as when mounted on a spirited, champing horse, with a fanciful
“pillon,” jingling bit, and portentous spurs, his sombrero, covered with
oiled silk, set jauntily on the side of his head, with a señora or two
in a neighboring balcony to whom he may lift his hat as he passes by.
The ordinary saddle, or “albarda,” is a very cheap affair, and will
hardly admit of a description which shall be comprehensible to the
uninitiated reader. It is sometimes used from preference, but my
experience would never lead me to recommend it to any but an inveterate
enemy.
The road to the Malaccas passed through an unbroken forest, into which
we struck almost as soon as we left the city. It was level, completely
arched over with trees, whose dense foliage shuts off the sun; while
cactuses, and shrubs whose fragrant flowers almost compensated for the
thorns which pricked one’s legs, and scratched one’s hands in
endeavoring to pluck them, fenced in the path with a wall of verdure.
Here and there we caught glimpses of the lake through a vista of trees,
while at intervals, narrow, well-beaten paths branched off to the
“hattos” and haciendas which were scattered over the country, away from
the principal thoroughfares. We met men and boys driving or riding mules
loaded with corn, _sacate_ (grass), fruits, wood, and all the various
articles of common use in the city, and occasionally a woman going in
with a basket of chickens, sausages, coffee, or cacao, to be offered the
next morning in the market. The entire stock, in some instances, was
hardly worth a _medio_ (sixpence), but this, it should be remembered, is
no insignificant sum, in a country where a _rial_ (twelve and a half
cents) is the daily wages of a working man. All these people bowed with
the grace of courtiers as we rode by; for all, from the highest to the
lowest, from the little Indian boy who clasps his hands before him and
says “buena dia, señor,” to the lady who inclines her fan to her lips in
token of recognition, have an apparently instinctive sense of
politeness.
After riding some miles, we came to open fields, and passed by several
fine estates surrounded by ditches and cactus fences in full bloom. The
fourth was that which we came specially to visit. A man opened the gate,
and we rode in and dismounted under the corridor of the house, which was
a large, square structure, built of adobes, and tiled. The proprietor
was not at home, and the family, in the unsettled state of the country,
had retired to the city. We were nevertheless received with the greatest
civility by the mayor-domo, who insisted that we were hot and thirsty,
and wanted “_algo fresco_” and incontinently despatched a boy to get
some fresh cocoa-nuts, the milk of which, when the nut is not too much
matured, is transparent as water, and makes a cool and delightful
beverage,—especially when a drop of brandy is mixed in “to take off the
edge,” and prevent fevers! The mayor-domo complained loudly of the
condition of public affairs; now was the time for collecting the cacao,
but no men were to be had; a few of those who had been employed on the
estate were implicated in the insurrection, others had been pressed into
the army, and still others had fled to the seclusion of the fields, to
avoid the same fate. He had only half a dozen boys and some women to
assist him, and they were “sin valor, ninquno,” of no account. He showed
us a large square space where the ground was beaten hard and swept
clean, in which the nuts, after being removed from the husks, were
spread on skins to dry. They required to be turned often to prevent
moulding, and after becoming thoroughly dry, had to be carefully
assorted, one by one, and packed in skins.
After resting awhile, we mounted again, and riding through a long
gravelled walk, completely fenced in and arched over by magnificent
mango trees, now literally golden with fruit, and through a vista of
orange trees beyond, flanked by marañons, we entered the cacao
plantation. It is difficult to describe these plantations; they more
resemble beautiful parks of large trees, with broad walks running in
every direction, all kept scrupulously neat and clean, than anything
else in the United States with which they can be compared. The tree
producing the fruit is known to botanists by the generic name of
_Theobroma_, from the Greek, and signifying food for a god. It seldom
rises higher than twenty feet; its leaves are large, oblong, and
pointed, somewhat resembling those of the cherry tree, but infinitely
larger; flowers small, and of a pale red color: they are surrounded by
oval-pointed pods, grooved like a musk-melon, although much smaller; the
nuts are very numerous, some pods containing as many as fifty; it
produces two crops a-year, but is never without some pods on it. The
trees are planted about fourteen feet apart, in a good soil. It is
peculiarly necessary to defend this tree from the scorching rays of the
sun, and at the same time sufficient warmth should be afforded for
vegetation; this is done by shading it with the plantain tree and the
Erythrina. As the cacao advances in size, the plantain is cut down, the
Erythrina, or _coral tree_, or as it is sometimes called “_cacao
madre_,” mother of the cacao, having attained sufficient height to
protect it from the sun. It begins to bear at seven years old, and comes
to perfection in about fifteen years. The coral tree grows to about the
height of sixty feet, and entirely drops its leaves (in Nicaragua) about
the end of March and beginning of April, and then becomes covered with
flowers of a bright crimson, and shaped like a cimetar. At this season
an extensive plain, covered with cacao plantations, is a magnificent
object, when viewed from a height. The tops of the far-stretching
forests of Erythrina then present the appearance of being clothed with
flames. The cacao, it may be added, is indigenous to America, and became
early an article of general consumption by the Spanish Americans, as it
had been of the Indians from time immemorial. Subsequently to the
Discovery it was introduced into the Canary and Phillipine islands by
the Spaniards. It was called _tlalcacahuatl_ by the ancient Mexicans;
amongst whom, as also among the natives of Central America, New Granada,
and Peru, it was used as money, or a medium of exchange. It is still
used as such in the markets of the cities of Granada and Leon. One
hundred and fifty of the nuts were formerly valued at a dollar, which
is, I believe, their present valuation. The cacao of Nicaragua is
regarded as second to none, unless to that of Soconusco, which, during
the Spanish dominion, was a monopoly of the crown. It is almost entirely
consumed in the country, where it commands double the price of the
Guayaquil, that which usually reaches the United States.[8] The taste
for chocolate grows with its use, and hardly any person resides under
the tropics for any length of time, to whom it does not become more an
article of necessity than luxury. “He who has drunk one cup,” says
Cortez, in one of his letters, “can travel a whole day without any other
food, especially in very hot climates; for chocolate is, by its nature,
cold and refreshing.” And the quaint old traveller in Central America,
Gage, devotes a whole chapter to its praise, the manner of its use, and
its effects on the human system. He asserts that _chocolate_ “is an
Indian name, compounded from _atl_, which in the Mexican language
signifies _water_, and _choco-choco-choco_, the sound which water makes
when stirred in a cup.” He claims for it a most healthful influence, and
bears his testimony as follows: “For myself, I must say, I used it for
twelve years constantly, drinking one cup in the morning, another yet
before dinner, between nine and ten of the clock; another within an hour
or two after dinner, and another between four and five in the afternoon;
and when I purposed to sit up late to study, I would take another cup
about seven or eight at night, which would keep me waking till about
midnight. And if by chance I did neglect any of these accustomed hours,
I presently found my stomach fainty. And with this custom I lived for
twelve years in these parts, healthy, without any obstructions, or
oppilations; not knowing what either Fever or Ague was.” He, however,
warns against the use of the cacao before preparation, for the reason
that the simple nut, when eaten, as it often is by the Creole and Indian
women, “doth notably obstruct and cause stoppings, and makes them look
of a pale and earthy color, as do those that eat earthenware and pieces
of lime wall.”[9]
-----
Footnote 8:
Great confusion exists in the popular mind in respect to _Cocoa_,
_Cacao_, and _Coca_, which are very generally confounded with each
other, although differing as widely as almost any three products which
it is possible to mention. _Cocoa_ is the name given to a species of
palm, producing the _cocoa-nut_, which is too well known to need
description. _Cacao_, the fruit of the cacao-tree, (_Theobroma
cacao_,) described in the text. This fruit is described in the
scientific books “as a large coriaceous capsule, having nearly the
form of a cucumber, from the seeds of which the buttery and slightly
bitter substance called cacao, or chocolate, is prepared.” _Coca_ is
the name given to a shrub, (_Erythroxylon coca_,) which grows on the
eastern declivities of the Andes of Peru and Bolivia; and is, to the
natives of those countries, what opium and betel are to those of
Southern Asia. Its leaves, which are chewed by the Indians, have such
an effect in allaying hunger and thirst, that those who use them can
subsist several days without any other nourishment. The shrub grows
about six feet in height, with bright green leaves and white blossoms.
When the leaves are ripe, that is to say, when they crack on being
bent, they are gathered and dried. They are chewed or eaten with a
little unslacked] lime, to give them a relish. When constantly used,
they produce some of the deleterious effects of opium.
Footnote 9:
After giving expression to his enthusiasm on the subject of Cacao,
Gage becomes philosophical, and discourses thus lucidly upon what, in
these transcendental days, would be called “the dual nature,
harmoniously blended,” of this wonderful product:
“Cacao, although a Simple, contains the Quality of the four Elements;
yet it is held to be cold and dry, _à prædominio_. It is also in the
substance that rules these two Qualities, restringent and obstructive,
of the Nature of the Element of the Earth. And as it is thus a mixed
and not a Simple Element, it hath parts correspondent to the rest of
the Elements; and particularly it partakes of those which correspond
with the Element of Air,—that is, heat and moisture, which are
governed by unctuous parts; there being drawn out of the cacao much
Butter, which I have often seen drawn out of it by the Criolian women
to oint their faces. * * And this is very conformable to reason, if we
consider that every Element, be it never so simple, begets and
produceth in the liver four Humors, not only differing in temper but
substance; and begets more or less of that Humor, according as the
Element hath more or fewer parts corresponding to the substance of
that humor which is most ingendered.”—_A New Survey of the West
Indies_, p. 239.
-----
As I have already said, the cacao tree is so delicate, and so sensitive
to exposure, that great care is required to preserve it during the early
periods of its growth. It commences to bear in seven or eight years, and
continues productive for from thirty to fifty years. Capital and time
are therefore required to start an estate; but once established, it is
easily enlarged by annual additions. One man, it is calculated, is able
to take care of a thousand trees, and harvest their crop. As a
consequence, cacao estates are more valuable than those of sugar,
indigo, cotton, or cochineal. A good plantation, with fair attention,
will yield an average annual product of twenty ounces of cacao to every
tree, which for one thousand trees equals twelve hundred pounds. At the
usual market rate of twenty-five dollars the quintal, this would give
three hundred dollars per annum to each thousand trees and each laborer.
Owing to a variety of causes,—some of the most important are obvious
enough from what I have already said,—this yield is seldom obtained in
Nicaragua; but may be when order is fully restored, and labor and its
wages properly organized. No means exist for obtaining even an
approximate estimate of this branch of production in Nicaragua, and I
shall not therefore attempt to present any statistics on the subject,
but proceed with my narrative.
I was delighted with the plantation, and after riding for an hour, until
we got bewildered amongst the cross-walks and avenues, we began to
thread our course back again. This was no easy matter, and we marched
and counter-marched for a long time before we struck the right path.
This will not appear so surprising when I say that the plantation
contained ninety-five thousand trees, which are valued at one dollar
each.
Once in the main road, we paced slowly along on our return to the city,
with that feeling of satisfaction which is always experienced after
visiting an object that more than realizes the anticipation. I began to
indulge the pleasing fancy that I might yet come to have a cacao
plantation, which would be just the thing for a student or a man who
loved his ease. It would require no expensive machinery, no long
practice in manipulation of any kind; a boy could go through all the
simple processes, and the whole might be left for a year or two without
suffering the deterioration of sugar, rice, or cotton plantations. The
summers in El Norte, and the winters here amidst the cacao and orange,
with only a few days of steaming between,—of course the thing was
feasible.
While indulging such reveries as these, my horse, which was the fastest
walker, had carried me some distance ahead of my companion, when turning
a sharp corner, I came abruptly upon a party of armed men, reclining in
easy attitudes under a large cebia tree. I at once drew rein, and they
as suddenly leaped to their feet and formed in line. My companion at
that moment coming up, hurried past me, in evident anxiety as to the
character of the party, and I followed close at his heels. One who
seemed to be in command, stepped forward as we approached, exclaiming,
“Quien vive?” “Amigos,” friends, replied my companion, cautiously
avoiding the pass-word of the government, until he knew whether the
party was a strolling band of “facciosos,” or regular troops of the
State. Meantime we continued to approach, as if in perfect confidence,
until ordered to stop by the person in authority, who advanced a few
steps and scrutinized us for some moments, and then, with the air of a
man satisfied, motioned us to go on. As I passed, he lifted his hat in
recognition, exclaiming, “Adios, Señor Ministro!”
It was a disguised scout from the garrison, on the lookout for a party
of insurgents which was reported to be committing some excesses in this
direction. I had been quite excited with the prospect of an adventure,
and even indulged a vague hope that the one in command might prove to be
Somoza himself; the upshot was, therefore, something of a
disappointment. An interview with the robber chief, whose name carried
terror through the whole country, and a handsome villain withal,—what a
paragraph it would have made in these “Incidents of Travel!” I was
clearly not in luck, but comforted myself with the possibility of a
night assault upon the city, in anticipation of which Ben daily examined
our armory, re-capped each formidable Colt, and had even prepared the
proper timbers for barricading our house at a moment’s notice. I tried
to work myself into a state of excitement, anxiety, and suspense, but it
was of no use; we ate and drank inordinately, slept soundly, and
altogether voted insurrections to be humbugs and bores.
There was great anxiety for the arrival of the commander-in-chief of the
forces of the State, General Muñoz, with reinforcements, and we were
amused for a week with rumors that he had just started from Leon with a
thousand men,—was within two days’ march,—and then that he had not
started at all, that there was trouble in other departments,—in short,
the city was in a fever, and full of reports; to which, after a few
days, we ceased to listen, or listened only to laugh at them. We almost
concurred with the Señorita Teresa in the wish that Somoza or General
Muñoz would come,—she didn’t care much which; for in either case this
chronic state of alarm would be terminated. Upon the whole, she would
rather prefer that the General should arrive, for he was the most
polished man in the country, and withal would bring his military band,
and then there would be no end to the evening music in the plaza, and
the “_tertúlias_” and balls afterwards!
Between baths in the lake at early dawn, delicious snoozes in hammocks
at noon, rides on the beach in the evening, dinners, visits, and a
general overhauling of books, papers, and baggage, time passed rapidly
and pleasantly enough for a week. During that period, I had put our sick
countryman in funds, and he had started from Los Cocos, at the head of
the lake, in a bongo owned at San Juan, for that port, there to wait a
vessel for the United States. He came one afternoon to bid us good-bye,
and as I looked in his pale face, momentarily flushed with the
excitement of starting for home and friends, and heard his low, weak
voice, I could not help thinking that the poor fellow would never reach
his native land, and little supposed then that I should ever see him or
hear from him again. But what was our surprise when, some five or six
days thereafter, he came trotting into the court on a sorry mule, and in
most woful plight. His eyes were very large, and his whole appearance
that of a man who bears important news. He did not wait to be
questioned, but started off at once with “I’ve seen him, I’ve seen
Somoza!” His voice had all come back again. We got the whole of the
story directly, told with a _naïveté_ and earnestness which in
themselves, apart from the incidents, were convulsing. He had embarked
in a small bongo, with a colored gentleman, his wife, and two children,
as passengers,—catalogued in the recital as “an old nigger, a fat wench,
and two naked picaninnies.” The narrow _chopa_ he had the satisfaction
of sharing with these pleasant companions; but after one night’s trial,
he had arranged that he might occupy it alone in the afternoons, on
condition that his fellow-passengers should have exclusive possession of
it the rest of the time. The second night, therefore, he watched the
stars and kicked his heels in the bow, and had only just commenced his
afternoon’s lease on the succeeding day, and began dreaming of home,
when he was aroused by a great commotion and loud words. He found the
sails all taken in, a boat full of armed men, with a swivel at the bow,
alongside, and a number of others similarly manned close by. His colored
companion was dumb, and of a dull ashy color, while the spouse, with a
child in each arm, was prone and sobbing in the bottom of the boat. The
crew were in a like plight, their teeth fairly chattering with alarm.
Standing beside the mast was a tall, graceful man, with a feather in his
hat, a red Spanish cloak hanging over one shoulder, a brace of naked
pistols stuck in his belt, and a drawn sword in his hand, with its point
resting on the rower’s seat beside him,—who was questioning the
trembling patron, with bent brow and eagle eyes, in a tone which our
friend said would have drawn the truth from a stone. He comprehended at
once that this was Somoza, and at first had a notion of taking a shot at
him, but thought better of it on the whole, and concluded to watch the
turn of events, and so lay down again. The questioning was kept up for a
very long time, as it appeared to him, while pretending to be asleep,
but nevertheless keeping a sharp lookout. When he had finished, Somoza
gave some order to his men, and stepped towards the _chopa_. Our poor
friend thought it all up with him, but the insurgent chief only stooped
down and took his arm, exclaiming, with a smile, in broken English, “How
do, me amigo Americano?” Greatly relieved, our friend got up, whereupon
Somoza dropped his sword, and throwing his arms around him, gave him an
embrace, _la Española_, which made his back ache even now to think of.
This was repeated several times, until the pain, overcoming all alarm,
he cried in very agony, “No mas, señor, no mas!” No more, sir, no more!
But this infliction only terminated to give place to another; for,
taking both of our friend’s hands in his own, with the gripe of a vice,
he shook them until his arms were on the point of leaving his shoulders;
delivering, meantime, an energetic oration, perfectly unintelligible to
his auditor, who could only ejaculate, in broken syllables, “Si, señor!
si, si, señor!!” “yes, sir! yes, yes sir!!” This finished, Somoza took a
splendid ring from his finger, and insisted on placing it on the hand of
our friend, who, however, looking upon it in the double light of stolen
property and a bribe, sturdily refused to accept it. He gathered that
Somoza was going to attack San Carlos, and thus get possession of the
arms and ammunition stored there, and of which he stood in much need.
Somoza parted from him with much kindness, and after giving some orders
in a threatening tone to the patron, retired to his own boat; whereupon
the patron and his crew picked up their oars and pulled like mad, on the
back track towards Granada. The last glimpse that was had of Somoza, he
was standing in the stern of his boat, conspicuous amongst his
half-naked men, from his red cloak and dancing plume, worn after the
fashion of the mailed conquistadors.
Somoza, we afterwards learned, affected great attachment to the
Americans, and at an early stage of his operations, had sent a courier
to our Consul, bearing a letter full of assurances of good feeling, and
expressing his determination after “regulating the Government,” of
proceeding to San Juan to expel the English “ladrones.” He was
nevertheless accused of being in the English interest, and acting
directly or indirectly under British instigation.
I have, in a preceding chapter, anticipated the result of Somoza’s visit
to San Carlos, in its capture and that of our fat friend the
commandante. The capture was made without firing a gun, nor was it
attended with excesses of any kind.
With the information thus obtained of the whereabouts and destination of
Somoza, the long-expected attack on the city receded in the distant
perspective, and I resolved to proceed at once to Leon, especially as I
began to entertain suspicions that the obstacles in the way had been
magnified with a view of keeping us in Granada as pledges for its
safety. That afternoon, however, a courier, which I had despatched to
Leon, returned, bringing positive intelligence that General Muñoz was on
the road, and at that moment at the large Indian town of Masaya, half a
day’s march distant, where he had arrested a number of persons
implicated in the insurrection, and, in virtue of extraordinary powers,
conceded by Government, was engaged in trying them by the summary
process of martial law. He brought advices from Mr. Consul Livingston,
that a party of twenty-five volunteers from among the Californians
stopping in Leon had been furnished with horses by the Government, and
would set out in a day or two for Granada, to escort the Legation to the
capital. He also brought a number of the Governmental decrees and
proclamations, showing that the state authorities were taking the most
efficient means in their power to put down the insurgents and restore
the peace of the State. Perhaps the mode of precedure cannot be better
shown than by the following proclamations, decrees, and announcements,
from the official bulletins, which will also serve to give an insight
into the nature of the troubles which afflicted the State, and
illustrate the style of composition, and the character of the appeals
made use of by those in public station. The latter were of necessity
adapted to touch the popular mind, and must therefore, give us some idea
of its bent, the principles which it regarded as most important to be
sustained, and the dangers most essential to be arrested. I have already
intimated that the existing troubles had their primary origin in the
virulence of the parties which divided the State; but that the proximate
cause of the insurrection was the malefactor, Somoza, who had gathered a
considerable number of reckless characters around him, and set all law
at defiance. At first, and until overt acts were committed, such was the
strength of party feeling, it is not impossible that the opposition to
the Government was disposed to regard the movements of Somoza with
indulgence, if not positive favor. But when it became apparent that his
blows were aimed at all order, and that his real objects were revenge
and plunder, party distinctions were forgotten; the opposition no longer
looked upon his acts in the simple light of being embarrassing to the
Government, but as directed against themselves and the body politic,
and, forgetting all their previous predilections, heartily seconded the
measures which were adopted to restore the public peace.
In one of the public papers of the time it was said:
“In every republic, parties have always existed, and always will
exist. It is right and necessary that they should, in order to act as
checks one on the other, and thus protect the public welfare. Honestly
differing in their views of certain measures of national policy, and
in the decision of which every citizen must feel the deepest interest,
we have long had, in Nicaragua, two parties, bearing the somewhat
extraordinary names of ‘_Timbucos_’ and ‘_Calandracas_.’ So far from
regarding this circumstance as a thing to be deplored, the
well-wishers of the State have witnessed it with satisfaction, as
showing that the people at large comprehended the nature of republican
institutions, and the necessity of deciding for themselves, upon
whatever, of a public nature, might affect them or their interests. We
have seen one of these parties, after a long struggle, in which
arguments were substituted for bayonets, and ballots for bullets,
succeeding the other, and reforming the fundamental law of the State,
while the other, as in duty bound, yielded peaceably to the will of
the majority. The laborer pursued his avocations undisturbed while
this peaceable revolution was going on; the merchant continued his
legitimate business; no blood was spilled, no women widowed, or
children rendered fatherless.
“The monstrous faction which now threatens the State belongs to no
party; it is a Vandalic horde, aiming, by vile means, at unwarrantable
ends, and directing its efforts against the Government, not because of
the policy of that Government, but because it is charged with the
execution and vindication of the laws which this faction would annul
and destroy! It is made up of enemies of order, of liberty, and of
humanity. Let not former differences of opinion blind men to the real
enormity of the insurrection; let no party favor this attempt to
overturn not only the existing, but all governments, and plant anarchy
in the soil of peace. When the country is threatened, we are neither
‘Timbucos’ nor ‘Calandracas,’ but Nicaraguans. We cannot believe that
this faction, which has no principles, no policy, no moral incentives
to action, and whose constant object is the destruction of society,
can find sympathy or support, except amongst assassins and robbers.”
The first step taken by the Government, upon ascertaining the formidable
character of the insurrection, is indicated below.
OFFICIAL BULLETIN.
LEON, JUNE 19, 1849.
“No man shall be molested or persecuted on account of his opinions, of
whatever nature they may be, provided that he does not by any overt
act infringe the laws.”—_Art. 30 of the Constitution._
“Every one has seen with horror the devastation which has followed in
the steps of the barbarous Bernabe Somoza since his arrival in the
town of St. George, in the Department Meridional. He burned and
desolated its haciendas, and gave the city of Rivas to the flames, at
the same time that, with the horde that follows him, he attacked the
garrison of the line, and the various patriots assembled there, who,
after having sustained a siege of eleven days, in the most heroic
manner, were compelled to retreat;—therefore, the Supreme Government,
in discharge of the duties imposed upon it by humanity, religion, and
the country, has issued the following extraordinary decrees:
“GOD, UNION, LIBERTY.”
DEPARTMENT OF WAR;
HOUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT, LEON, JUNE 19, 1849.
“_To the General-in-Chief, Commanding the Regular Forces of the
State_:
“SIR: The Supreme Executive Power has ordered me to communicate to you
the following decrees for execution:
BUITRAGO.”
No. 1.
“It having become necessary to the well-being of the State to put an
end to the anarchical movements which threaten with destruction the
persons and properties of the Departments Oriental and Meridional, and
which now disturb the general peace, therefore, in view of this
peremptory exigency, and in order to save the liberty of the people,
and to put the State in a position to defend its independence and
integrity, now placed in extreme danger by the refusal of the British
Government to listen to our claims of redress against the usurpation
of the most precious part of our territories, in conformity with Art.
48, Sec. 9, of the Constitution, it has been and is
DECREED:
“ART. 1. All citizens of Nicaragua, from the ages of sixteen to fifty
years, are required by the fundamental law to take up arms in support
of the public order and territorial integrity of the State, excepting
only the clergy, and those who, by some physical defect, are
absolutely incapacitated for military service.
“ART. 2. They are therefore required to present themselves for
enrolment, with their equipments, and all horses and mules which they
may possess, before the chief of the forces of the line in this city,
or before the legionary commanders in the departments.
“ART. 3. The horses and mules as aforesaid of those who do not present
themselves, are liable to be seized by detachments of troops sent out
for that purpose, and the owners will incur the penalty, in case they
are lost, of being excluded from recovering their value, as provided
by Art. 173, Sec. 1, of the Constitution, besides being themselves
subject to the penalties prescribed by Art. 104 of the penal code.
“ART. 4. The forces which may be enrolled shall hold themselves in
readiness to move whenever and wherever required.
“Given in Leon this 19th of June, 1849.
“NORBERTO RAMIREZ.”
No. 2.
“To save the State from anarchy, and to enable it to defend its
territorial integrity, in compliance with duty, and in use of
constitutional power, it is
DECREED:
ART. 1. That the General in Chief, Don Jose Trinidad Muñoz, is fully
authorized to put an end to the existing insurrection, and to restore
complete order, as also to place the State in an attitude to defend
its territorial integrity; his orders are therefore to be punctually
executed by the legionary commanders, and exactly complied with by the
commissaries, not only for ordinary but extraordinary expenses.
Given in Leon, this 19th of June, 1849.
NORBERTO RAMIREZ.
Decrees were also issued for the collection of an extraordinary tax, and
requiring persons entering the various towns to procure passports. The
proclamation of the Supreme Director, Ramirez, was a well written appeal
to the patriotism of the people, concluding as follows:
“No good object can be attained by disturbing the public peace, and
the misguided men who have joined in these lawless movements forget
that their interests are identical with those of all other citizens;
forget that their conduct must destroy every social and civil
privilege, and plunge society into its savage, chaotic state, when
might shall subvert right; and when life, liberty, nor possessions are
secure. Hatred begets hatred, and vengeance, vengeance; and they who
strike against the wholesome restraints of law, will themselves be
stricken down in its fall.
“People of Nicaragua, by your choice I have been placed in a position
where my authority is individually greater than yours; but your blood
has as much value as mine; my interests are yours, and those of the
nation. Let me then, both as a magistrate and a citizen, conjure you,
in the name of humanity, by our hopes of future prosperity, and on
behalf of our country, to rally to the support of the constitution and
the laws, and thus confound our enemies, and realize the blessings
which shall flow from peace and the maintenance of public order.”
The address of the General in Chief of the State to his soldiers,
furnishes a very favorable example of the style of such documents in
Central America; and its introduction will, in this respect at least,
prove interesting.
“SOLDIERS!
“The honored standard of order, which you have hitherto so gloriously
sustained, is again attacked. Forty intrepid men of your number
covered themselves with glory, in maintaining the city of Rivas
against overwhelming numbers; yielding only with their lives the trust
confided to their care. Since their lamented fall, over which a
bereaved country is still weeping, there has been no check on the
wanton atrocities of the robbers and Vandals who overcame them. The
devastation which moves with the insurgents will extend all over the
State, if not opposed by the honor, valor, and patriotism you have so
conspicuously exhibited in other days. What will become of our
beautiful country, companions in arms, if this turbulence, which finds
its food in blood and ashes, does not encounter, in its savage
progress, the invincible obstacle of your courage?
“You are called upon to guard the supreme powers of the State, as you
have sworn to do at the foot of your flag. Your loyalty and heroism
have been and are still the shield of the country, not less than the
terror of those who compass its destruction and your enslavement. The
soul of the hero of Rivas, the valiant Martinez, will glory in your
triumph over the enemies of the country for which he died!
“FELLOW CITIZENS, FRIENDS OF SOCIETY!
“Social order is attacked; the lava of sanguinary destruction
threatens to overflow our dearest interests. The assassin of the
honored Venerio, and of the innocent Solorio, the destroyer of the
pacific Rivas, and the hated cause of innumerable other misfortunes,
has seduced a portion of the unreflecting people of the department
Meridional from their allegiance, and is leading them into the direst
iniquities, while, like another Nero, he revels above the ruins of the
capitol of that unfortunate department. But if your valor and
patriotism unite to support the cause of order, they will interpose an
efficient obstacle to the dangers which threaten us, and turn back in
confusion the enemies of the State.
“The supreme government, the centre of order, has invested me with the
largest authority to act for its support; and with your effective aid,
I go with my soldiers to fulfill the duties with which I am charged.
The country asks, if it need be, the lives of her sons; our wives,
mothers, and children look to you in this emergency for the security
of their liberty and lives!
JOSE TRINIDAD MUNOZ.
“HEAD-QUARTERS, JUNE 21, 1849.”
The subjoined is also a specimen of the announcements and appeals made
by the editors of the official Bulletin, with the view to rouse the
patriotism of the people, and concentrate their indignation against the
insurgents.
“We denounced before the people, in a previous number, the
incendiarism, pillage, and bloodshed, with which that most ferocious
barbarian, (_antropofago_,) Bernabe Somoza, had desolated the
department Meridional; but those crimes were as nothing in comparison
with the most unheard-of outrages and unparalleled barbarisms which he
has more recently committed in that important section of the State. He
has spared neither age nor sex, not even the unresisting wounded, nor
the corpses of the dead; and with impious hand has seized upon the
sacred vessels in the temple of the God of Justice, who, penetrating
at a single glance the hearts of men, and always as just as inexorable
in the end, will as assuredly save the virtuous, as he will, with his
terrible lightnings, strike down the wicked and the criminal. In
evidence of the new and almost incredible horrors which have filled up
the cup of sorrow, for all those who possess souls and human
sympathies, we publish the following account, communicated by Don
Trinidad Salazar, commandant in the department Oriental, to the
General-in-chief:
“‘I have positive news from Rivas, that Somoza is still in that city,
perpetrating every excess. He has shot all the wounded; robbed even
the sacred vessels in the churches, and is on the eve of entirely
burning the city. He has disinterred the body of Lieut. Col. Martinez,
and dragged it naked through the streets. In short, these are but few
examples of the thousand horrible acts committed by this barbarous
man. Within an hour has died in this city, from the effects of his
wounds, our friend, the brave Capt. Santos Ramirez, notwithstanding
every means were exhausted to save him; and it only remains for me to
pay his remains their last sad honors.’
“How terrible to the imagination, how disgraceful to humanity, are
deeds like these, committed on the spot consecrated by the blood of
the hero and Christian, the honored Don Manuel Antonio de la Cerda,
first chief of Nicaragua, whose sacred corpse was also thus outraged
in those days of barbarism which have been looked back to with horror,
but which bear no parallel to those now passing in that unfortunate
department.
“But those noble soldiers, the brave Martinez and Ramirez, shall
receive the rites of sepulchre in our hearts. There we will engrave
deep their memories. Their conduct shall be forever an example to our
soldiers, to the friends of humanity, and the admirers of true honor.
Our breasts shall be the temples where they shall receive the tribute
of our gratitude, and immortal glory. God’s justice and the sword of
the violated laws have gone forth to avenge their blood!”
Having received these documents and the information accompanying them, I
relinquished the idea of an immediate departure, and determined to wait
for the arrival of the Californian escort. The news of the General’s
approach created great joy; and the bells were rung and guns fired in
token of satisfaction. He was expected to arrive the next day; and that
evening a “banda” was published, requiring the houses on the principal
streets and on the plaza to be decorated, and everything put in order to
receive him. The publication of the “banda” was a novelty to us. It was
done in this wise: a party of soldiers, preceded by a drum and fife, and
a municipal officer, marched through all the principal streets, stopping
at each corner, when the music ceased, and the officer took off his hat
and read the proclamation aloud, while the people thrust out their heads
and listened. “We laughed at first at this new mode of publishing the
laws, but in the end came to regard it as not a bad idea.
That evening, there being no longer fear of the “facciosos,” we had no
difficulty in making up a large riding party for the Laguna de Salinas,
distant about four miles from the city, which was represented to us as
being lower than lake Nicaragua, salt, and shut in by perpendicular
rocks. We followed the “camino real,” in the direction of Leon, for a
short distance, and then turned off on a narrow mule path, amongst the
trees and bushes. It was very evident that the “caballeros” who
accompanied us were determined to show us a specimen of their
horsemanship, and rode at breakneck pace, keeping a bright lookout for
the trunks and branches of the trees, now bending to their horses’ necks
to escape the latter, and now throwing their feet dextrously out of the
stirrups, to avoid hitting the former. Thanks to early habits of life,
this was no very severe trial to me, and I kept even pace with the rest,
to their evident surprise, and the strengthening of their conviction
that the Yankees were “up” to everything. We passed, here and there, a
cane hut, surrounded by plantain trees, corn-fields, and patches of
yucas, over ridges of volcanic scoriæ, covered only with grass, down
into ravines with a scramble, and out again with a leap, and in half an
hour came to the brink of the lake. I dismounted, and pushed through the
trees and bushes to the edge of the precipice, and saw, far down,
hundreds of feet below me, the glistening waters of the lake, surrounded
on all sides by the same bare, blistered, black walls, with a rim of
verdure skirting the water’s edge. Mounting again, we rode a little
further, to the sole place of descent, in part natural, but chiefly
artificial. A narrow path, half-cut, half-worn, in the rock, wound down
before us, something after the manner of the winding stairways in
monumental columns, only not so wide. The horses picked their way
cautiously, avoiding the loose stones, while the rider had enough to do
to prevent his legs from being jammed against the wall of rock on either
hand. A man had previously been sent ahead, to see that the way was
clear, for there is no turning around in this narrow passage, which no
doubt owes its origin to the aborigines, and is hardly wide enough to
admit the passage of a horse. This cut passed, we came to a place where
the fallen debris and rocks made a kind of shelf or terrace. Here we
left our horses, the declivity below being very steep, and the rocks
slippery withal, and proceeded on foot,—leaping from one stone to the
other, and catching at bushes and saplings to check our descent. We soon
came to the shore of the lake, where, beyond a line or belt of bushes,
was a narrow beach of fine sand. The water was very clear and limpid,
but had a sulphury or yellowish green color where it was deeper, a
little distance from the shore. It was slightly salt to the taste, from
the minerals held in solution. We observed some small fishes, and were
told that there were alligators, but how they got here was a mystery; as
I have already said, the lake is surrounded by absolutely precipitous
walls of rock, several hundred feet in height, with no practicable
descent for man or beast, except at this point. It was evident enough
that the lake was of volcanic origin; but in what way formed, was not so
clear. The black and frowning rocks seemed to imply that it was an
ancient crater; but this conclusion was somewhat shaken by the fact
that, from the plain, upon the western side of the lake, rose a conical
hill, or small mountain, which had been a volcano, and exhibited a
crater. Had the earth sunk suddenly here, during some terrible
convulsion of nature? “Quien sabe?” We afterwards found numerous other
lakes, equally extraordinary, and some of considerably larger size. This
one, called in the aboriginal language, Lendiri, was, I should think,
about three miles in circumference.[10] The trees grew to the very edge
of the precipice, and vines and creepers hung in waving festoons down
its rugged sides; altogether forming an impressive picture. Our
appreciation of it was not a little enhanced by the feeling, half of
curiosity and half of awe, which every one must experience upon
witnessing, for the first time, the terrible effects of volcanic forces,
and which no familiarity ever materially weakens.
-----
Footnote 10:
Oviedo (1529) says of this lake, “In the province of Diria is another
lake, the water of which is salt, like that of the sea; and the flavor
of the fish, which it produces in abundance, is far superior to that
of the other fresh water lakes of which I have spoken. It is about a
league and a half, or two leagues, from Granada, or Salteba.”
-----
We were hot, weary, and thirsty, when we had clambered again to where
our horses were fastened, and emptied a flask of “agua ardiente” and
water, with which one of the party had considerately supplied himself,
in much less time than it takes me to make the confession, and with a
satisfaction which I shall not attempt to describe. We returned
leisurely, for the shades of evening were falling, and the narrow path
was much obscured by the trees. It was late when we reached the city,
which had now recovered from the chilling influences of impending
danger, and was gay and cheerful. The streets were thronged with noisy
children, and the señoras and señoritas were all seated in the doorways
or in the balconied windows, in quiet enjoyment of the cool evening
breeze, which swung the lamps, suspended in front of each house, slowly
to and fro. There seemed to be a sense of the luxury of mere existence
among the inhabitants, which the traveller looks for in vain except
under the tropics, and which there appears to be in perfect harmony with
nature.
We had scarcely entered the main street, when my companions suddenly
stopped short, and taking off their hats, turned back again. Without
comprehending fully the reason, I did the same. The next moment,
however, I heard the tinkling of a bell, and looking around the corner,
saw a procession of persons with uncovered heads, each bearing a light,
preceded by a boy ringing a bell, who was followed by some men playing
on violins, and a guard of soldiers surrounding four persons who
supported, with silver rods, a crimson silken canopy, over a priest
dressed in his robes, and carrying the host. The children fled to the
sides of the street and fell on their knees, as did also all the
inhabitants, upon the approach of the procession, which was proceeding
to the house of some one dangerously ill, or dying. We stood in the
cross street, with uncovered heads, as it passed by. It was only a few
years before that a party of foreigners had been torn from their horses
and otherwise maltreated, because they did not dismount and kneel on an
occasion like this. The people, however, had now become comparatively
enlightened and liberal, and exacted nothing beyond a decent respect for
their religious notions and ceremonies. It looked rather strangely to
see a file of soldiers, with glancing bayonets, surrounding a priest
bent on such a mission; but either to insure proper respect, or to show
it, the guard is never omitted, if men and muskets are, by any
possibility, to be found. Sometimes the priest rides in a lumbering
carriage, or is carried in a litter or chair, on men’s shoulders.
That night, until eight o’clock there was a firing of “bombas” in the
plaza, and general demonstrations of satisfaction everywhere, to say
nothing of great preparations for the morrow, the day announced for the
arrival of General Muñoz and his veteranos. Preceding that event, and
the recital of what followed, it will not be uninteresting to turn for a
moment to the early history of Granada, which was a city grown, long
before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, and before Hudson entered the
bay of New York.
[Illustration: VIEWS ON THE ROAD TO THE MALACCAS.]