SURRENDER. 



75 



The mules had not returned, and, afraid of their 

 being intercepted in the street, I ran down a steep hill 

 toward the river, and meeting them, hurried back to 

 the house. While doing so I saw at the extreme end 

 of the street a single soldier moving cautiously ; and 

 watching carefully every house, as if suspecting treach- 

 ery, he advanced with a letter directed to Colonel An- 

 goula. The captain told him that he must seek An- 

 goula among the mountains. We inquired the name 

 of his commanding officer, how many men he had, said 

 that there was no one to oppose him, and forthwith sur- 

 rendered the town. The man could hardly believe that 

 it was deserted. General Figoroa did not know it; 

 he had halted at a short distance, afraid to make the at- 

 tack at night, and was then expecting immediate battle. 

 He himself could not have been much better pleased at 

 avoiding it than we were. The envoy returned, and in 

 a short time we saw at the extreme end of the street 

 the neck of a horse protruding from the cross-street on 

 the left. A party of cavalry armed with lances follow- 

 ed, formed at the head of the street, looking about them 

 carefully as if still suspecting an ambush. In a few 

 moments General Figoroa, mounted on a fierce little 

 horse, without uniform, but with dark wool saddle-cloth, 

 pistols, and basket-hilted sword, making a warlike ap- 

 pearance, came up, leading the van. We took off our 

 hats as he approached our door, and he returned the sa- 

 lute. About a hundred lancers followed him, two 

 abreast, with red flags on the ends of their lances, and 

 pistols in their holsters. In passing, one ferocious-look- 

 ing fellow looked fiercely at us, and grasping his lance, 

 cried "Viva Carrera." We did not answer it imme- 

 diately, and he repeated it in a tone that brought forth 

 the response louder and more satisfactory, from the 



