74 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER V. 



Approach of Carrera's Forces.— Terror of the Inhabitants. — Their Flight.— Sur- 

 render of the Town.— Ferocity of the Soldiery.— A Bulletin.— Diplomacy. — A 

 Passport. — A Breakfast.— An Alarm. — The Widow Padilla.— An Attack. — De- 

 feat of Carrera's Forces.— The Town taken by General Morazan — His Entry. 

 — The Widow's Son. — Visit to General Morazan. — His Appearance, Character, 

 &c— Plans deranged. 



It was broad daylight when we woke, without any 

 machete cuts, and still in undisturbed possession of the 

 town. My first thought was for the mules ; they had 

 eaten up their sacate, and had but a poor chance for 

 more, but I sent them immediately to the river for wa- 

 ter. They had hardly gone when a little boy ran in 

 from the church, and told us that la gente were in 

 sight. "We hurried back with him, and the miserable 

 beings on the steps, with new terrors, supposing that 

 we were friends of the invaders, begged us to save 

 them. Followed by three or four trembling boys, we 

 ascended to the steeple, and saw the Cachurecos at a 

 distance, descending the brow of a hill in single file, their 

 muskets glittering in the sunbeams. We saw that it 

 was not the whole of Carrera's army, but apparently 

 only a pioneer company ; but they were too many for 

 us, and the smallness of their numbers gave them the 

 appearance of a lawless predatory band. They had 

 still to cross a long plain and ascend the hill on which 

 the town was built. The bellrope was in reach ok my 

 hand ; I gave it one strong pull, and telling the boys to 

 sound loud the alarm, hurried down. As we passed out 

 of the church, we heard loud cries from the old women 

 in the house of the cura ; and the old men and children 

 on the steps asked us whether they would be murdered. 



