54 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



stract myself from the tumult of the city and ascend the 

 Volcano of San Salvador ; but the next morning a woman 

 came to inform us that one of our men had been taken 

 by a pressgang of soldiers, and was in the carcel. We 

 followed her to the place, and, being invited in by the 

 officer to pick out our man, found ourselves surrounded 

 by a hundred of Vigil's volunteers, of every grade in ap- 

 pearance and character, from the frightened servant-boy 

 torn from his master's door to the worst of desperadoes ; 

 some asleep on the ground, some smoking stumps of ci- 

 gars, some sullen, and others perfectly reckless. Two 

 of the supreme worst did me the honour to say they 

 liked my looks, called me captain, and asked me to take 

 them into my company. Our man was not ambitious, 

 and could do better than be shot at for a shilling a day ; 

 but we could not take him out without an order from 

 the chief of the state, and went immediately to the office 

 of the government, where I was sorry to meet Senor 

 Vigil, as the subject of my visit and the secrets of the 

 prison were an unfortunate comment upon his boasts of 

 the enthusiasm of the people in taking up arms. With 

 his usual courtesy, however, he directed the proper Or- 

 der to be made out, and the names of all in my service 

 to be sent to 'the captains of the different pressgangs, 

 with orders not to touch them. All day men were 

 caught and brought in, and petty officers were stationed 

 along the street drilling them. In the afternoon intelli- 

 gence was received that General Morazan's advanced 

 guard had defeated a detachment of Carrera's troops, 

 and that he was marching with an accession of forces 

 upon Guatimala. A feu de joie was fired in the plaza, 

 and all the church bells rang peals of victory. 



In the evening I saw Senor Vigil again and alone 

 He was confident of the result. The Honduras troops 



