206 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



arms and leave the town. The same night the muni- 

 cipality, without his knowledge, nominated Don Juan 

 Lavanigna as commandant. He refused to serve ; but 

 the town was in a violent state of excitement, and they 

 urged him to accept for that night only, representing 

 that if he did not the fury of the populace would be di- 

 rected against him. The same night they made a pro- 

 nunciamento in favour of Morazan, and addressed a let- 

 ter of congratulation to him, which they despatched im- 

 mediately by an Indian courier. It will be remember- 

 ed, however, that in the mean time Morazan had been 

 driven out of Guatimala, and that Carrera had pursued 

 him in his flight. At the Antigua the latter met a dis- 

 armed sergeant, who informed him of the proceedings 

 at Quezaltenango, whereupon, abandoning his pursuit 

 of Morazan, he marched directly thither. Early intel- 

 ligence was received of his approach, and the corregidor, 

 the cura, and Don Juan Lavanigna were sent as a dep- 

 utation to receive him. They met him at Totonicapan. 

 Carrera had heard on the road of their agency in indu- 

 cing the soldiers to surrender their arms, and his first 

 greeting was a furious declaration that their heads should 

 lie at that place ; laying aside his fanaticism and re- 

 spect for the priests, he broke out against the cura in 

 particular, who, he said, was a relative of Morazan. 

 The cura said he was not a relative, but only a coun- 

 tryman (which in that region means a townsman), and 

 could not help the place of his birth ; but Carrera forth- 

 with ordered four soldiers to remove him a few paces 

 and shoot him on the spot. The gobernador, the old 

 Indian referred to, threw himself on his knees and 

 begged the cura's life ; but Carrera drew his sword 

 and struck the Indian twice across the shoulder, and the 

 wounds were still unhealed when we saw him ; but he 



