PLANS DISARRANGED. 



91 



tell him, what I then thought, that his calamities would 

 follow all who were connected with him, and probably 

 that his wife and daughters would not be permitted an 

 asylum in that state ; but it spoke volumes that, at such 

 a moment, with the wreck of his followers before him, 

 and the memory of his murdered companions fresh in 

 his mind, in the overthrow of all his hopes and fortunes, 

 his heart turned to his domestic relations. He express- 

 ed his sorrow for the condition in which I saw his un- 

 happy country; regretted that my visit was at such a 

 most unfortunate moment ; spoke of Mr. De Witt, and 

 the relations of that country with ours, and his regret 

 that our treaty had not been renewed, and that it could 

 not be done now ; but these things were not in my 

 mind. Feeling that he must have more important 

 business, I remained but a short time, and returned to 

 the house. 



The moon had risen, and I was now extremely anx- 

 ious to set out, but our plans were entirely deranged. 

 The guide whom we had engaged to conduct us to the 

 Rio Paz was missing, and no other could be found ; in 

 fact, not a man could be induced, either by promises or 

 threats, to leave the town that night from fear of falling 

 in with the routed troops. Several of the officers took 

 chocolate with us, and at the head of the table sat a 

 priest with a sword by his side. I had breakfasted men 

 who would have been happy to cut their throats, and 

 they were now hiding among the mountains or riding 

 for life. If Carrera came, my new friends would be 

 scattered. They all withdrew early, to sleep under 

 arms in the plaza, and we were left with the widow 

 and her son. A distressing scene followed, of inquiries 

 and forebodings by the widow for her younger son, 

 which the elder could only get rid of by pleading ex- 



