312 



INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL. 



my credentials. I answered that my credentials were 

 to the general government, and not to that of the State 

 of Guatimala, which alone he represented ; but he per- 

 sisted that it was not the custom of his government to 

 recognise an official character unless he presented his 

 credentials. His government had been in existence 

 about six months, and during that time no person 

 claiming to be official had been near the country. I 

 put into his hands my passport from my own govern- 

 ment, reminded him that I had been arrested and im- 

 prisoned once, assured him that I should at all events 

 set out for San Salvador, and wished to know definitive- 

 ly whether he would give me such a passport as I had 

 a right to ask for. After much hesitation, and with a 

 very bad grace, he interlined before the official title the 

 words con el caracter. I make great allowance for party 

 feeling in a country where political divisions are matters 

 of life and death, more particularly for Don Joaquim 

 Durand, whose brother, a priest, was shot a short time 

 before by the Morazan party ; but this attempt to embar- 

 rass my movements, by depriving me of the benefit of of- 

 ficial character, excited a feeling of indignation which I 

 did not attempt to conceal. To refuse accepting the pass- 

 port altogether, or to wait a day for remonstrance, would 

 cause me to lose my passage by sea, and make it ne- 

 cessary to undertake a dangerous journey by land, or 

 abandon going to the capitol ; which, I believe, was 

 precisely what was wished. I was resolved not to be 

 prevented by any indirect means. I only needed a 

 passport to the port — the best they could give I did not 

 value very highly — in San Salvador it would be utter- 

 ly worthless ; and with the uncourteous paper thus un- 

 graciously bestowed, I returned to the house, and at 



