186 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



the alcalde said that he saw a man crawling on his 

 hands and feet up the side of the mountain, and, 

 snatching my double-barrelled gun, fired at him as 

 coolly as he would have done at a woodcock ; all scat- 

 tered in pursuit, and I was left with Augustin and the 

 deaf and dumb boy. 



Moving on, but not very fast, and looking back occa- 

 sionally to the distant lights in the village, with an un- 

 known mountain before me and a dark night, I began 

 to think that it was about enough for me to defend my- 

 self when attacked ; although the affair was got up on 

 my account, it was straining a point for me to pass the 

 night in helping to rid the town of its robbers. Next I 

 reflected that, if the gentlemen we were in pursuit of 

 should take it into their heads to double, my cap and 

 white dress made me conspicuous, and it might be awk- 

 ward to meet them at this place ; and, in order to gain 

 time for consideration what it was best to do, I walked 

 back toward the town, and had not fully made up my 

 mind when I reached the plaza. 



Here I stopped, and in a few minutes a man passed, 

 who said that he had met two of the robbers on the 

 main road, and that they had told him they would catch 

 me in the morning. They had got it into their heads 

 that I was an aiddecamp of Carrera, returning from 

 Balize with a large amount of money to pay the troops. 

 In about an hour the alcalde and his posse coniitatus 

 returned. I had no idea of being robbed by mistake ; 

 and, knowing the facility with which the robbers might 

 go ahead and take a long shot at me, I asked the al- 

 calde to furnish me with two men to go in advance and 

 keep a lookout ; but I was heartily sick of the country 

 and the excitement of its petty alarms. 



Daylight dispelled the gloom which night had cast 



