APPRCACH TO GUATIMALA. 



105 



down for firewood, and bullocks slain and eaten half 

 raw in the street, without bread or tortillas. 



At two we set off again, and from the village entered 

 a country covered with lava. At four we reached the 

 hacienda of Coral de Piedra, situated on the crest of a 

 stony country, looking like a castle, very large, with a 

 church and village, where, although it rained, we did 

 not stop, for the whole village seemed to be intoxicated. 

 Opposite one house we were hailed by a Cachureco of- 

 ficer, so tipsy that he could hardly sit on his horse, who 

 came at us and told us how many of Morazan's men he 

 had killed. A little before dark, riding through a for- 

 est, in the apprehension that we were lost, we emerged 

 suddenly from the woods, and saw towering before us 

 the great volcanoes of Agua and Fuego, and at the same 

 moment were hailed by the joyful shouts of Pon Satur- 

 nino and our men. They had encamped in a small hut 

 on the borders of a large plain, and the mules were 

 turned out to pasture. Don Saturnino had been alarm- 

 ed about us, but he had followed our parting injunction 

 to go on, as, if any accident had happened, he could be 

 of more service in Guatimala. They had not met Mora- 

 zan's army, having been at a hacienda off the road 

 when it passed, and hurrying on, had not heard of the 

 rout of Figoroa. 



The rancho contained a single small room, barely 

 large enough for the man and woman who occupied it, 

 but there was plenty of room out of doors. After a 

 rough ride of more than fifty miles, with the most com- 

 fortable reflection of being but one day from Guatima- 

 la, I soon fell asleep. 



The next morning one of the mules was missing, and 

 we did not get off till eight o'clock. Toward evening 

 we descended a long hill, and entered the plain of 



Vol. IL— O 



