Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/210

 pths, according

to his  moral  anatomy  or  the  chemistry  of  his  compo- sition, and the  action  of  environment  upon  it  alL

The prevailing  winds  along  this  coast  are  southerly during summer,  and  northerly  during  the  winter months ;  so  that  after  leaving  Punta  Mala  our  captain kept well  in  shore,  which  here  is  high,  and  bold,  and covered with  rich  foliage  down  to  the  water's  edge. Passing Punta  Mariato  our  course  was  still  due  west, until we  cleared  the  palm-covered  island  in  the  vicin- ity, uninhabited save  by  monkeys  and  birds  of  bril- liant plumage, when  we  took  a  more  northerly  direc- tion along the  shores  of  Nueva  Granada,  Costa  Rica, and Nicaragua,  over  whose  lakes  and  rivers  Gil  Gon- zalez and his  crew  crept  so  cautiously. The second day saw  us  off  San  Juan  del  Sur,  where  those  who made the  journey  by  way  of  Nicaragua  took  ship  for San Francisco.

By the  Nicaragua  route  passengers  disembarked on the  Atlantic  side  at  San  Juan  del  Norte,  otherwise called Greytown. Stepping from  the  ocean  steamer on board  a  steam  river  craft,  they  ascended  the  San Juan river  to  the  Machuca  Rapids,  where  they  landed and walked  a  portage  of  about  a  mile,  while  the  lug- gage was conveyed  up  the  rapids  in  bongos  manned by naked,  long-haired,  tawny  natives. Above the Machuca rapids,  smaller  steamboats  carried  them to the  Castillo  rapids,  where  there  was  another  por- tag^e of  half  a  mile. Then takino;;  another  and  a larger  steamboat,  they  continued  up  the  river  to  San Cdrlos, crossed  Lake  Nicaragua  to  La  Virgen,  and thence proceeded  overland  by  mules,  or  on  foot,  to San  Juan  del  Sur  on  the  Pacific,  where  they  reem- barked on  board  an  ocean  steamer  for  San  Francisco. The whole  distance  is  about  165  miles,  though  in- cluding the bends  in  the  river  it  is  oftener  reckoned at more ;  75  miles  on  the  river,  the  same  on  the  lake, and twelve  or  fifteen  miles  overland  to  the  ocean. By the  Panamd  route,  before  the  building  of  the  rail-