226 



PERU. 



from the Consulado, or commercial board ; — and 

 so on through all the public bodies, or, at least, 

 from as many of the members as remained in the 

 city. In these idle forms much time was lost ; 

 and the day was wearing fast away, when the ne- 

 cessity of doing something, and that speedily, be- 

 came too obvious to be longer neglected, even by 

 men never known to act promptly in their lives. 

 At the suggestion of the little republican, whose 

 indignation at these absurd delays was roused to 

 the highest pitch, a short letter was written to 

 San Martin, inviting him to enter the city, to pro- 

 tect it from the imminent dangers by which it was 

 threatened. It was not only of the slaves and of 

 the mob that people were afraid ; but with more 

 reason, of the multitude of armed Indians sur- 

 rounding the city, who, although under the or- 

 ders of San Martin''s officers, were savage and un- 

 disciplined troops, and very likely to enter the 

 place in a body as soon as the Spaniards had gone. 

 These Indian auxiliaries were so near that we 

 could see them distinctly from the streets, perch- 

 ed along the heights overhanging the town. The 

 rest of the Patriot army, also in sight, from Lima, 



