218 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



it was dangerous for him to go to Guatimala. At that 

 place, they said, he would be under the eyes of Carre* 

 ra, who, meeting him in an angry moment, might cut 

 him down in the street. If he did not go, the provesor 

 would send soldiers after him, such was the rigour of 

 church discipline. They wished him to fly the country, 

 to go with us into Mexico ; but he could not leave with- 

 out a passport from Guatimala, and this would be refu- 

 sed. The reason of their unburdening themselves to us 

 showed the helplessness of his condition. They suppo- 

 sed that I might have influence with the provesor, and 

 begged me to write to Guatimala, and state the facts as 

 they were known to all Quezaltenango. I had determin- 

 ed to take no part in the public or personal affairs of this 

 unhappy revolution, but here I would not have hesitated 

 to incur any trouble or risk to serve the cura could it 

 have done him any good ; but I knew the sensitive- 

 ness of the men in power, and believed that the prove- 

 sor and the government would resent my interference. 

 I proposed, however, to write to a friend who I knew 

 stood well with the provesor, and request him to call 

 upon that dignitary and state the facts as from me ; and 

 I suggested that he should send some friend to Guati- 

 mala expressly to see the provesor in person. Re- 

 turned to a land of government and laws, I can hard- 

 ly realize that so short a time since I was called in to 

 counsel for the safety of a man of the cura's char- 

 acter and station. Relatively, the most respectable 

 clergyman in our country does not stand higher than 

 he did. 



The next morning we were invited to breakfast with 

 another friend and counsellor, and about as strange a 

 one as myself, being the old lady who had sent the 

 cura one hundred dollars, before mentioned. The plan 



