494 IX THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE -III 



ever our cavalcade approached a town, we halted, a mes- 

 senger was sent forward, and soon the alcalde, the priests, 

 and other men of light and leading, with a long train of 

 functionaries, came dashing out on horseback to greet us; 

 introductions then took place, and, finally, there was a 

 wild gallop into the town to the house of the alcalde, 

 where speeches were made and compliments exchanged in 

 the high Spanish manner. 



At the outset there was a mishap. As we were organiz- 

 ing our expedition, the gentlemen charged with purchasing 

 supplies assured me that if we wished to secure proper 

 consideration of the annexation question by the principal 

 men of the various towns, we must exercise a large if 

 simple hospitality, and that social gatherings without rum 

 punch would be offensive rather than propitiatory. The 

 order to lay in a sufficient spirituous supply was reluc- 

 tantly given, and in due time we started, one of our train 

 of i tack-horses having on each side of the saddle large 

 demijohns of the fluid which, was to be so potent for 

 diplomatic purposes. At the close of the first day's travel, 

 just as our hammocks had been swung, I heard a scream 

 and saw r the people of our own and neighboring huts 

 snatching cups and glasses and running pell-mell toward 

 the point where our animals were tethered. On examina- 

 tion I found that the horse intrusted with the precious 

 burden, having been relieved of part of his load, had felt 

 warranted in disporting himself, and had finally rolled 

 over, crushing all the demijohns. It seemed a serious mat- 

 ter, but T cannot say that it afflicted me much ; we pro- 

 pitiated the local functionaries by other forms of hospi- 

 tality, and I never found that the absence of rum punch 

 seriously injured our diplomacy. 



Civil war had been recently raging throughout the re- 

 public, and in one of the interior towns I was one day no- 

 tified that a well-known guerrilla general, who had shown 

 great bravery in behalf of the Baez government, wished 

 a public interview. The meeting took place in the large 

 room of the house which had been assigned me. The 



