LAST INTERVIEW WITH CARRERA. 137 



It was under these circumstances that I made my 

 last visit to Carrera. He had removed into a much 

 larger house, and his guard was more regular and for- 

 mal. When I entered he was standing behind a table 

 on one side of the room, with his wife, and Rivera Paz, 

 and one or two others, examining some large Costa 

 Rica chains, and at the moment he had one in his hands 

 which had formed part of the contents of those trunks of 

 my friend the captain, and which had often adorned his 

 neck. I think it would have given the captain a spasm 

 if he had known that anything once around his neck 

 was between Carrera' s fingers. His wife was a pretty, 

 delicate-looking Mestitzo, not more than twenty, and 

 seemed to have a woman's fondness for chains and 

 gold. Carrera himself looked at them with indiffer- 

 ence. My idea at the time was, that these jewels 

 were sent in by the government as a present to his 

 wife, and through her to propitiate him, but perhaps 

 I was wrong. The face of Rivera Paz seemed anx- 

 ious. Carrera had passed through so many terrible 

 scenes since I saw him, that I feared he had forgotten 

 me ; but he recognised me in a moment, and made room 

 for me behind the table next to himself. His military 

 coat lay on the table, and he wore the same roundabout 

 jacket, his face had the same youthfulness, quickness, 

 and intelligence, his voice and manners the same gen- 

 tleness and seriousness, and he had again been wound- 

 ed. I regretted to meet Rivera Paz there, for I thought 

 it must be mortifying to him, as the head of the govern- 

 ment, to see that his passport was not considered a pro- 

 tection without Carrera' s endorsement ; but I couid not 

 stand upon ceremony, and took advantage of Carrera's 

 leaving the table to say to him that I was setting out on 

 a dangerous road, and considered it indispensable to for- 



Vol. II.— S 



