238 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



faces and hands were scorched, and our whole bodies 

 heated when we emerged from the fiery forest. For 

 a few moments the open air was delightful; but we 

 were hardly out of one trouble before we had another. 

 Swarms of enormous flies, perhaps driven out by the 

 fire, and hovering on the borders of the burned dis- 

 trict, fell upon the mules. Every bite drew blood, and 

 the tormentors clung to the suffering animals until brush- 

 ed off by a stick. For an hour we laboured hard, but 

 could not keep their heads and necks free. The poor 

 beasts were almost frantic, and, in spite of all we could 

 do, their necks, the inside of their legs, mouths, ears, 

 nostrils, and every tender part of their skin, were trick- 

 ling with blood. Hurrying on, in three hours we saw 

 the Church of San Antpnio de Guista, and in a few min- 

 utes entered the village, beautifully situated on a table- 

 land projecting from the slope of a mountain, look- 

 ing upon an immense opening, and commanding on all 

 sides a magnificent view. At this time we were beyond 

 the reach of war, and free from all apprehensions. 

 With the addition of Pawling'^ pistols and double-bar- 

 relled gun,' a faithful muleteer, Santiago, and Juan on 

 his legs again, we could have stormed an Indian vil- 

 lage, and locked up a refractory alcalde in his own ca- 

 bildo. We took possession of San Antonio de Guista, 

 dividing ourselves between the cabildo and the convent, 

 sent for the alcalde (even on the borders of Central 

 America the name of Carrera was omnipotent), and 

 told him to stay there and wait upon us, or send an 

 alguazil. The convent stood adjoining the church, on 

 an open table of land, commanding a view of a magnif- 

 icent .valley surrounded by immense mountains, and on 

 the left was a vista between two mountain ranges, wild, 

 rugged, and lofty, losing their tops in clouds. Before 



