THE GOVERNMENT FOUND. 



323 



some of his followers, and four thousand dollars in 

 money. Vigil assented to all except the four thousand 

 dollars in money, but offered instead the credit of the 

 State of San Salvador, which Rascon agreed to accept. 

 Papers were drawn up, and that afternoon was appoint- 

 ed for their execution ; but, while Vigil was waiting for 

 him, Rascon and his friends, without a word of notice, 

 mounted their horses and rode out of town. The place 

 was thrown into great excitement, and in the evening I 

 saw the garrison busily engaged in barricading the plaza, 

 in apprehension of another attack. 



The next day I made a formal call upon SeHor Vigil. 

 I was in a rather awkward position. When I left Gua- 

 timala in search of a government, I did not expect to 

 meet it on the road. In that state I had heard but one 

 side ; I was just beginning to hear the other. If there 

 was any government, I had treed it. Was it the real 

 thing or was it not ? In Guatimala they said it was not ; 

 here they said it was. It was a knotty question. I was 

 in no great favour in Guatimala, and in endeavouring to 

 play a safe game I ran the risk of being hustled by aU 

 parties. In Guatimala they had no right to ask for my 

 credentials, and took offence because I did not present 

 them ; here, if I refused, they had a right to consider it an 

 insult. In this predicament I opened my business with 

 the vice-president, and told him that I was on my way 

 to the capital, with credentials from the United States ; 

 but that, in the state of anarchy in which I found the 

 country, was at a loss what to do ; I was desirous to 

 avoid making a false step, and anxious to know whether 

 the Federal Government really existed, or whether the 

 Republic was dissolved. Our interview was long and 

 interesting, and the purport of his answer was, that the 

 government did exist de facto and de jure ; he himself 



