154 NICARAGUA^" CURATE. Book I. 
was heard from a certain distance, when the philosophical 
curate, followed by the widow and her daughters, issued 
forth from their place of concealment, and calling a little 
boy who passed by : " Juan ! " he said, in a tone of mental 
superiority, "go quickly to my mother and tell her she 
need not be frightened, there is no danger at all." 
While waiting till the waters had subsided on the roads, 
we had the advantage of a prolonged conversation with this 
enlightened member of the Nicaraguan clergy. He had a 
small English volume in his pocket, and tried his utmost to 
prove that he could read it. He asked me for an explana- 
tion of the different meanings of the word u sir" " I 
understand," he said, after I had answered his questions, 
"In England they have an aristocracy, but in Nicaragua 
no aristocracy exists besides that of science and virtue — en 
Nicaragua no hay otra nobleza que de la eiencia y de la 
virtu." 
At Leon I appeared as the bearer of important intel- 
ligence. They knew nothing there of what had happened 
at Granada. I could tell them that the transit contract 
had been ratified, that Montenegro was dead, and that 
Chamorro had taken possession of Managua. The first of 
these news made a strong impression upon the Englishmen 
residing at Leon, with whom General Munoz was now the 
man for the situation of the moment. 
With the general himself the paramount interest was 
entirely of a military character. When I told him that 
Chamorro was concentrating his forces at Managua, he 
triumphantly remarked : " here I shall have an opportunity 
of demonstrating some superior military tactics — aqui 
puedo yo hacer unas qperaciones muy militares ; " and he 
proceeded to explain how he could send troops by sea from 
Realejo to San Juan del Sur, whence they could pass to 
