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NARRATIVE OF A 



During dinner the conversation naturally turned on 

 the political disturbance of the country, and the state of 

 the roads between Esquipulas and the capital. The in- 

 telligence afforded by the curate on this subject could not 

 be more discouraging ; and all hope of continuing our 

 journey from that place was utterly relinquished. My 

 disappointment on finding that I had come so far out of 

 my way to no purpose, may easily be imagined. Mr. M. 

 was seized with a fit of spleen, and talked of retracing 

 his steps to Balize ; Don Jose formally announced his 

 intention of proceeding no further ; so that the proba- 

 bility now was, that I should be left alone. Don Jose, 

 however, ever fertile in expedients, suggested one, which, 

 under the circumstances, I was fain to embrace. " You 

 have gone," said he, "considerably out of your way; to 

 go a little further, will only be a small addition of trou- 

 ble f and this remark he accompanied by one of his old 

 Spanish proverbs, which corresponds to the English say- 

 ing of "in for a penny, in for a pound." "The road to 

 St. Salvador is a continuation of that by which we have 

 arrived at this place ; pursue that road, and proceed to 

 the city of St. Salvador, which at present is the seat of 

 Government, and where means will not be wanting for 

 your performing, with safety, the journey to Guatemala." 



In respect of the risk I might incur by adopting this 

 advice, the curate assured me that whatever danger there 

 might be of falling in with ordinary robbers, there was 

 none to be apprehended from the insurgents, who, it was 

 known, were in another part of the country. My next 

 inquiry was in relation to the length of the journey to St. 

 Salvador, when I learned what Don Jose called a little 

 further, was upwards of a hundred miles. Having now 

 decided on proceeding to that city, I had one point more 

 to settle, that of persuading Mr. M. to accompany me. In 

 this I succeeded, after a little coaxing and entreating, and 

 just as I was helping him to the last glass of a bottle of 

 the curate's claret which we were drinking between us. 



