A VETERAN OF THE FRENCH EMPIRE. 75 



ant of the department, attended by a servant, rode up 

 to the line. He was an Italian, upward of sixty, 

 who had served under Napoleon in Italy, and on the 

 downfall of the emperor had fled to Central America. 

 Banished by Morazan, and eight years in exile, he had 

 just returned to the country, and six months before had 

 been appointed to this command. He was ghastly pale, 

 and evidently in feeble health ; and I could not but 

 think that, if recollections of the pomp of war under the 

 emperor ever crossed his mind, he must needs blush at 

 his barefooted detachment. 



He returned to his house, whither we followed and 

 presented our passport. Like the commandant at Yza- 

 bal, he seemed ill at ease, and spoke much of the dis- 

 tracted state of the country. He was dissatisfied, too, 

 with the route I proposed taking ; and though I told 

 him it was merely to visit the ruins of Copan, he was 

 evidently apprehensive that I intended going to San 

 Salvador to present my credentials to the Federal gov- 

 ernment. He vised the passport, however, as I requi- 

 red ; though, after we left, he called Augustin back, and 

 questioned him very closely as to our purposes. I was 

 indignant, but smothered my feelings in consideration 

 of the distracted state of the country, and the game of 

 life and death that was then playing throughout the 

 land. 



"We returned to the house and the interesting lady 

 who had welcomed us to it. As yet we did not know 

 whether she was senora or senorita ; but, unhappily, we 

 found that a man whom we supposed her father was her 

 husband. When we inquired of her about a fine boy 

 ten years old, whom we supposed to be her brother, she 

 answered, " es mio," he is mine ; and, as if it was fated 

 that the charm of her appearance should be broken, 



