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diff --git a/43634.txt b/43634.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2d23548..0000000 --- a/43634.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7242 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, By-Ways of War, by James Jeffrey Roche - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: By-Ways of War - The Story of the Filibusters - - -Author: James Jeffrey Roche - - - -Release Date: September 3, 2013 [eBook #43634] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BY-WAYS OF WAR*** - - -E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustration and map. - See 43634-h.htm or 43634-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43634/43634-h/43634-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43634/43634-h.zip) - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by tilde characters is in bold face (~bold~). - - - - - -BY-WAYS OF WAR - -by - -JAMES JEFFREY ROCHE - -Her Majesty the King, A Romance of the Harem, -The V-A-S-E, and Other Bric-A-Brac - -[Illustration: Wm. Walker] - - -BY-WAYS OF WAR - -The Story of the Filibusters - -by - -JAMES JEFFREY ROCHE - - - - - - - -Boston -Small, Maynard & Company -1901 - -Copyright, 1891, 1901, -by -James Jeffrey Roche - -Riggs Printing and Publishing Co. -Albany, U.S.A. - - - - - "_So much the leaded dice of war - Do make or mar of character._" - - JOAQUIN MILLER. - - - - -[Illustration: MAP OF THE REPUBLIC OF NICARAGUA 1850-1860] - -[Illustration: SKETCH MAP OF CENTRAL AMERICA at the time of the -FILIBUSTERS] - - - - -PREFACE - - -_The rise and fall of the American Filibusters belong to the history -of the Nineteenth Century. From time to time their deeds have been -recounted by actors in the stirring scenes, by contemporary observers, -and, incidentally, by travellers in Spanish America who lingered for a -moment over the romantic legend of the modern Vikings._ - -_Among the works consulted in the preparation of this volume are: "A -History of Miranda's Attempt to Effect a Revolution in South America," -by one of his officers; Yokum's "History of Texas"; Green's narrative -of the Mier Expedition, and Kendall's of that to Santa Fe; Henri de la -Madelaine's "Life of Raoussett-Boulbon"; Wells' account of Walker's -expeditions to Sonora and Nicaragua; Walker's "History of the War in -Nicaragua"; and the several works relating to the latter country of -Squier, Scherzer, Stout, Captain Pim, Chevalier Belly, M. Nicaisse, -and many other travellers._ - -_From such sources, as well as from the periodicals and official -documents of the day, and from the lips or pens of living comrades in -the more recent of those tragedies, have been gathered the facts told -in the following pages. It has been no easy task to sift the grains of -truth from the mountain of myth, prejudice, and fiction under which -the actual deeds of the Filibusters long lay buried._ - -_Forty years ago it would have been well-nigh impossible, in the -heated atmosphere of the slavery conflict, to view such a subject with -philosophical impartiality. To-day we may study the Filibuster -dispassionately, for he belongs to an extinct species. The speculator -has supplanted him without perceptibly improving the morality of the -world. Even the word "filibuster," transformed to a verb, is degraded -to the base uses of politics. It is time to write the history and the -epitaph of the brave, lawless, generous anomaly on civilization._ - - Boston, November, 1900. - J. J. R. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -CHAPTER I - -Etymology of the word Filibuster--Norse Adventurers--The Buccaneers ---Miranda--Services under the Directory--First Expedition from the -United States--Dr. Jenner and the King of Spain--Miranda's second -expedition and death, 1 - - -CHAPTER II - -Aaron Burr--The McGregor and his kingdoms--Mina's expedition and -fate--The Alamo massacre--Travis, Bowie, and Crockett--The tragedy -of Goliad--Houston and Santa Ana--Victory of San Jacinto--The Santa -Fe and Mier expeditions, 12 - - -CHAPTER III - -The Lopez Expedition--Landing at Cardenas--Pickett's Fight--An -Exciting Chase--Last Expedition--Execution of Lopez and -Crittenden, 34 - - -CHAPTER IV - -The Count Raoussett-Boulbon--A father "de la vieille roche"-- -Raoussett's contract to garrison Sonora--Proclamations and -pronunciamientos--Battle of Hermosillo--Negotiations with Santa -Ana--Expedition to Guaymas--Engagement and defeat--Last words of -a noble adventurer--Death of the Count, 42 - - -CHAPTER V - -William Walker--Boyhood and education--Doctor, Lawyer, Journalist ---Goes to California--Personal appearance and characteristics-- -Departure of the Sonora Expedition--A government proclaimed--Stern -discipline--Retreat from Sonora--Bad news at San Vincente--The -adventurers cross the boundary--Walker resumes the pen, 56 - - -CHAPTER VI - -Nicaragua--"Mahomet's Paradise"--Buccaneering visitors--Philip II. -and Isthmian canal--Nelson defeated by a girl--The apocryphal -heroine of San Carlos, 73 - - -CHAPTER VII - -British intrigues on the Isthmus--Morazan and the Confederacy--The -Mosquito Dynasty--Bombardment of San Juan--Castellon calls in the -foreigner--Doubleday and his free lances--Cole's contract approved -by Walker, 81 - - -CHAPTER VIII - -Purchase of the _Vesta_--May 4th, 1855, sailing of the "Immortal -Fifty-six"--The American Phalanx--First battle of Rivas--Punishing -a desperado--Trouble in Castellon's Cabinet--Battle at Virgin Bay ---Death of Castellon. 93 - - -CHAPTER IX - -A Servile victory in the North--Walker in the enemy's stronghold-- -Negotiations for peace--Execution of Mayorga--Rivas chosen -Provisional Director--Corral's treason and punishment--Newspaper -history, 108 - - -CHAPTER X - -Filibusterism abroad--Kinney's Expedition--The Filibusters and -their allies--An aristocracy of leather--Pierce and Marcy--A -rupture with the United States--Costa Rica declares war-- -Schlessinger's fiasco--Cosmopolitan adventurers--Steamers -withdrawn--History of the Transit Company--Vanderbilt plans -vengeance--The printing-press on the field, 117 - - -CHAPTER XI - -The Costa Ricans invade Nicaragua--Second battle of Rivas--The -enemy meet a new foe--Rivas orders an election--Walker a candidate ---Treason of Rivas--Murder of Estrada--Coalition of the Northern -States against Nicaragua--Walker chosen President--Inauguration -and recognition by the United States minister--Tradition of the -"Gray-eyed Man," 133 - - -CHAPTER XII - -Administration of President Walker--The Allies advance towards -Granada--Naval victory--Review of the filibuster army--Filibusters -and their allies--Assault on Masaya--Civil government--The slavery -decree--Antiquated logic 146 - - -CHAPTER XIII - -Henningsen--Early service with Zumalacarregui--Campaigning with the -Prophet of the Caucasus--Joins Kossuth--Arrival in America--Omotepe ---A Gallant defence--Watters carries the barricades, 159 - - -CHAPTER XIV - -Vanderbilt joins issue--Titus outwitted--Siege of Rivas--Death in -the Falange--Desertion--Captain Fayssoux and Sir Robert McClure ---Battle of San Jorge--Allies assault Rivas--Famine and devotion ---Commander Davis as a peacemaker, 170 - - -CHAPTER XV - -Ultimatum of Commander Davis--Evacuation of Rivas--Statistics of -the campaign--Henningsen's opinion of his men--Characteristic -anecdotes--Frederick Ward--A filibuster's apotheosis, 185 - - -CHAPTER XVI - -Walker returns to the United States--Crabbe's expedition--Renewed -attempts of Walker--The expedition to San Juan del Norte, 202 - - -CHAPTER XVII - -Walker's "History of the War"--Lands at Ruatan and takes Trujillo ---Retreats before the English forces--Surrender--Trial and execution -of the last of the Filibusters, 215 - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -Character of Walker--A private's devotion--Anecdote--After fate of -the filibusters--Henningsen's epitaph--Last Cuban expedition--The -_Virginius_ tragedy--An Englishman to the rescue--Finis, 227 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -Etymology of the word Filibuster--Norse Adventurers--The Buccaneers ---Miranda--Services under the Directory--First Expedition from the -United States--Dr. Jenner and the King of Spain--Miranda's second -expedition and death. - - -The difference between a filibuster and a freebooter is one of ends -rather than of means. Some authorities say that the words have a -common etymology; but others, including Charlevoix, maintain that the -filibuster derived his name from his original occupation, that of a -cruiser in a "flibote," or "Vly-boat," first used on the river Vly, in -Holland. Yet another writer says that the name was first given to the -gallant followers of Dominique de Gourgues, who sailed from Finisterre, -or Finibuster, in France, on the famous expedition against Fort Caroline -in 1567. - -The name, whatever its origin, was long current in the Spanish as -"filibustero" before it became adopted into the English. So adopted, -it has been used to describe a type of adventurer who occupied a -curious place in American history during the decade from 1850 to 1860. - -The citizen or subject of any country, who makes war upon a state with -which his own is at peace, with intent to overrun and occupy it, not -merely for the piratical ends of rapine and plunder, is a filibuster -in the true sense of the term. Such act of war is, by the law of -nations, a crime against both countries. Its morality, before the -meaner court of popular judgment, will rest upon the measure of its -success alone. So judged, as all invaders are judged at last, the bold -adventurer draws but few prizes in the lottery of fame. Cortez and -Houston are among the few successful filibusters of modern times. - -In the shadowy chronicles of the Norsemen we find the first trace of -that adventurous spirit which, during twelve centuries, gave the -dominion of the ocean to the seafaring people of Northern Europe. The -bold Vikings who, without chart or compass, sailed over unknown and -dangerous seas, crossed the Atlantic and swept the Mediterranean, were -the worthy fathers of the Drakes and Ansons of later years. History -bespeaks them cruel, rapacious, daring; pirates when, as Wheaton says, -the occupation of a pirate was considered not only lawful, but -honourable. But they were not wholly destructive. Borrowing a lesson -in natural history from their own lemming, they solved the troublesome -problem, how to get rid of a surplus population, by sending the -superfluous members forth to seek a new field. The lemming eats his -way to the sea, in which he finds his grave; but his human imitator -more wisely found there a pathway to fortune. They went forth mainly -to conquer, incidentally to colonize and settle. Among themselves they -were primitive republicans, though harsh tyrants to their vanquished -foes. "Who is your king or leader?" asked the herald of King Charles -the Simple, before the decisive battle on the banks of the Eure in -A.D. 898. "We have no king, no chief, no master; but 'Rolf, the -Walker,' leads us in war and on the day of battle," was the proud -answer of Rolf's comrades and peers. That this was no idle boast, -Rolf's own descendant, King John of England, learned to his sorrow -when the sons of the sturdy Norse filibusters met him face to face at -Runnymede. The Magna Charta is the written code of that fierce -democracy, dreaded alike by its serfs and its kings. The Vikings stand -alone as a race of warriors whose hardihood overcame even their native -superstition, in leading them to defy the gods themselves. They were -sceptics, because they knew not fear. Love was as yet an unknown power -in their religion. - -The Norsemen were suppressed only by absorption. Owing no fealty to -their native land, they took possession of the conquered countries, in -which they proved to be the strongest barrier against further -aggressions from the dreaded North. But before this degree of safety -was gained, all Europe had felt the scourge of the terrible Vikings, -who had burned or put in vassalage London, Cologne, Treves, Paris, -Tours, and Marseilles; carried their victorious arms to Portugal, -Spain, Sicily, and Constantinople; and given dynasties of Norse blood -to England, Russia, and France. Rolf married a natural daughter of -King Charles, whence came the Norman dukes and the royal line of -England. In brief, the Vikings held the western world at their mercy, -overturning thrones, founding kingdoms, stabling their horses in the -palaces of princes, and upholding on their hireling spears the crown -of the fallen Caesars. - -With the rise of the powerful maritime nations of Europe filibusterism -slumbered for several centuries. The immortal expedition of Cortez -being, in so far as it lacked the sanction of his king, wholly that of -a filibuster, needs but passing mention here. Its success has lifted -it into the realms of history and made it a household story. -Filibusterism was to awake on a new field and lead the van in the long -warfare which, in two hemispheres and during three centuries, has -followed the meeting of Northman and Southron. England, and also -France, looked with jealous eyes upon the grasping policy of Spain in -the New World. The fortune of discovery had given to the two former -the apparently barren lots of Canada and the British colonies. Spain -had drawn the rich prize of El Dorado. Not content with the spoils of -Mexico and Peru, she grudged to the hardy hunters of the West Indies -their petty trade with her colonies. She claimed the Mississippi. The -epitaph of Columbus was read as a veritable bequest by Spanish greed. -But avarice over-reached itself. The persecutions heaped upon the -"boucaniers" of the West Indies aroused a spirit of opposition, which -success fanned into aggressive fires, and which the governments of -England and France did nothing to extinguish. The cumbrous galleon -with its golden freight was no match for the swift Vly-boat, manned by -reckless adventurers in whom the appetite for gold was whetted by the -memory of countless wrongs. - -From unexpected successes by sea the Buccaneers made bold to attack -the rich towns on the Spanish Main, which they held for heavy ransoms, -or sacked with all the attendant cruelty of their ancestral -Berserkers. Panama, Granada, Gibraltar, every town or fort of note, -fell before the resistless buccaneers, until the names of Morgan, -Portugues, Dampier, and Lolonois became words of terror to the Spanish -colonists. Yet it must be borne in mind that the buccaneers were not -pirates. They warred against one enemy, the same which had for years -oppressed them and their brethren, while the countries to which they -owed allegiance were too weak or too indifferent to protect their -distant sons. When the buccaneer degenerated into the mere pirate, -none were more prompt than his late comrades to follow up and punish -the Ishmaelite. Buccaneer Morgan, knighted and made governor of -Jamaica, was the terror of the West India pirates, though the virtue -of his motives may fairly be questioned. - -To her buccaneers England owes the birth of her great navy, whose -first fame was won in the rout of the Spanish Armada. They were -buccaneers who first sailed around the world; they founded the East -India Company, and were Britain's sword and shield for the defence of -her nascent colonies. Neglect and indifference rewarded their deeds, -until they had grown strong enough to protect themselves. Spain had -her paid servants in the very cabinets of England and France, a policy -which she has not forgotten how to employ in other lands and later -days. - -Because of a growing respect for the law of nations, filibusterism, -during the grave changes of the eighteenth century and the lull before -the storm of the American revolutions, slumbered once again. - -The American revolution meant the people defending its rights; the -French revolution meant the people avenging its wrongs. Each was -successful; both taught an undying lesson to humanity. Free America, -with wise selfishness, aimed to assure and bequeath her liberty; -Republican France, with loftier if less practical aims, sought to -carry the gospel of freedom to all nations. She failed only when she -yielded her dearly won liberty to the seduction of martial glory. -Napoleon, the child of the people, became a parricide, and usurped the -place of the fallen trinity--Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. - -Among the ardent friends of liberty who rallied around the flag of the -Directory was Don Francisco Miranda, a native of Venezuela, of which -province his grandfather had been governor. He was well educated, and -owned a large private fortune. On account of his revolutionary -sentiments he was forced to fly his native country and the military -service of Spain, in which he had gained the rank of colonel. The bulk -of his property was made forfeit. With what he could save from the -wreck he fled to the United States in 1783. He afterwards visited -several European countries. The French revolution found him in Russia, -whence he at once set out to offer his sword to the Directory. He held -a command under Dumourier in the Holland campaign of 1783, in which -he won a brave name but no serviceable laurels. The campaign was a -failure. Dumourier deserted the cause, and Miranda was arrested and -tried for treason. Although undoubtedly innocent, his political -intrigues had aroused against him powerful enemies who procured his -banishment from France. He removed to England, a country whose ministry -he interested in his lifelong scheme for the revolution of his native -land. New York was chosen as the point of departure. With bills of -exchange on London he bought there the ship _Leander_, with a -formidable armament. On the 2nd of February, 1805, the first -filibustering expedition from the United States, consisting of about -two hundred men, "some of them gentlemen and persons of good standing -in society, though mostly of crooked fortunes," set sail for Venezuela -on a crusade of liberty. When eleven days at sea they were brought -to by H.B.M. ship _Cleopatre_, and nineteen of the adventurers were -impressed, in the ungracious fashion of the British navy of the -period. The _Leander_ was detained, notwithstanding her American -clearance, until General Miranda produced some private papers, at -sight of which the British captain not only allowed her to proceed -unmolested, but also gave her a "protection paper," forbidding all -other English cruisers to detain or search her. Apart from the -_Leander's_ questionable mission, this remarkable permit to travel -on the high seas throws a striking light upon the construction of -international law at the beginning of the nineteenth century. - -Miranda received material aid and comfort from Admiral Cochrane, -commanding the British squadron on the West India station, but although -his force was swelled by two small vessels, it was, from its first -advent on the Spanish Main, a wretched failure. Differences among the -invaders, aggravated by the wayward temper of the leader, together with -a total apathy or active hostility on the part of the very Venezuelans -whom the filibusters had come so far to deliver, brought all their fond -hopes to nought. Such of the adventurers as were not captured by the -Spaniards surrendered to an English frigate and were carried to the -West Indies, whence they made the best of their way home. - -Whilst lacking in the heroism and splendid audacity of kindred later -crusades, Miranda's expedition was a painful prototype in its ill -fortune for subsequent ventures. The inevitable defeat, with its -ghastly epilogue of butchery or lingering captivity; the rescue of the -wretched survivors by a pitying English or American vessel of war; the -world's merciless verdict upon the failure: such has been the dismal -tragedy as acted on different stages, from the days of Miranda to that -"last appearance" in Santiago de Cuba. - -Of the prisoners taken, ten were hanged; some fifty others were -condemned to terms of imprisonment varying from eight to ten years. -Among the latter was Major Jeremiah Powell, whose father visited Spain -in a vain effort to procure his release. Returning, in despair, by way -of London, he bethought him of a novel expedient. It was that of -getting a letter of introduction to the Spanish monarch from the great -Doctor Jenner. Armed with this he returned to Madrid and presented -himself before the Court. The student of Spanish, and notably of -Spanish-American history, will find few instances of generous or -tender instinct in its bloody annals. Let it be written, as a bright -line on the dark page of Spanish cruelty, that the appeal of -humanity's benefactor was not made in vain. Major Powell was at once -set free. The conquest of deadly pestilence was hardly a greater -victory than that won over the heart of a merciless despot. Two -half-pay officers of the British army, an ex-colonel of the United -States service, a chevalier of the Austrian Empire, and several -adventurous young men of good families in the United States formed the -circle from which Miranda chose his officers. Among the latter was a -youth named Smith, grandson of President Adams. It was rumoured that -he was among the prisoners taken at Caracas. The Spanish minister at -Washington, the Marquis de Casa Yrujo, fancying that he saw a good -chance of serving his government, and, at the same time, getting -credit for an humane act, wrote to a friend of young Smith's father at -New York, offering to interest himself on behalf of the prisoner, who -otherwise would probably be condemned to die with his companions. -Respect for the exalted character of Mr. Adams, he said, prompted this -step, but he must nevertheless stipulate that Colonel Smith should -impart to him full and complete information about the plans of -Miranda, and a list of the Spanish subjects who were concerned in -them. The father, yet ignorant of the fact that his son was not among -the unfortunate prisoners, at once replied thanking the noble Marquis -for the interest he had shown, but adding with a dignity and fortitude -worthy of a Roman: "Do me the favour, my friend, to inform the -Marquis, that were I in my son's place I would not comply with his -proposals to save my life; and I will not cast so great an indignity -on that son, my family, and myself, as to shelter him under the shield -of disgrace." - -What sympathy, if any, was given to the undertaking by the -administration of President Jefferson, it is hard to determine. -Miranda always claimed to have been in the confidence of the American -Government, as he undoubtedly was in that of Great Britain. It is -certain that the people of the United States already looked with -brotherly feelings upon the misgoverned peoples of Spanish America. -Some of the leaders were tried before the United States courts upon -their return, but, defended with burning eloquence by Thomas Addis -Emmett, himself an exiled patriot, they were promptly acquitted. - -Failing in his attempt to free Venezuela from without, Miranda -returned to the country in December, 1810, and was favourably received -by the semi-independent colonial government. Obtaining a seat in the -republican congress he soon rose to the vice-presidency of that body, -and organized a more formidable scheme of revolution. On the 5th of -July, 1811, he signed the act of independence, and was appointed -commander-in-chief of the forces. On his staff was Simon Bolivar, who -was destined to play a more fortunate part than that of his chief in -the destinies of South America. For a time Miranda was successful in -the field, but reverses were soon followed by treachery, and when, in -pursuance of the authority of Congress, he signed the treaty of -Victoria, restoring Venezuela to Spanish rule, on July 25, 1812, he -was denounced as a traitor by his fellow revolutionists, who, with -little consistency, delivered him up to the enemy in whose interest -they pretended he had acted. His after fate sufficiently establishes -his innocence of treason to the revolutionary cause. The Spaniards -sent him a prisoner to Cadiz, where he lingered for four years, dying -in a dungeon, with a chain around his neck. - -Of all his deeds fame has preserved but one enduring memento, his -name, carved with those of the other great soldiers of the Directory, -on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -Aaron Burr--The McGregor and his kingdom--Mina's expedition and -fate--The Alamo massacre--Travis, Bowie, and Crockett--The tragedy of -Goliad--Houston and Santa Ana--Victory of San Jacinto--The Santa Fe -and Mier expeditions. - - -While Miranda's ambitious schemes were drawing the notice of the State -department towards the seaboard, a more serious filibustering scheme -was quietly hatching in another quarter, in the brain of one of the -boldest and ablest adventurers known to American history. The imperial -crown of the Montezumas was the prize for which an ex-vice-president -of the United States risked fame, fortune, everything--and lost! The -story of Aaron Burr is a matter of familiar history. His demoralized -forces surrendered at Bayou Pierre, on the Mississippi, on January 17, -1807. Acquitted of the charge of treason, for which he was tried, but -condemned by the unanimous opinion of his contemporaries, the sober -judgment of history must pause before endorsing either verdict. The -relations of Spain and the United States were in a hopelessly tangled -state. Burr proposed to settle the disputed question of territorial -rights by conquering the whole of Spanish North America, a scheme -which his countrymen might not have severely rebuked or discouraged; -but, unfortunately for his fame, Burr's ambition was personal and -selfish. He would conquer, but not for his country's sake--a -distinction, even then, sufficient to constitute a grave offence -against the sovereign people. - -What are now known as the Gulf States--Florida, Louisiana, and -Texas--were then held under the colonial sway of Spain. The first and -second became absorbed by purchase. Texas, as early as 1812, had begun -to invite the notice of the restless filibustering element, but its -more immediate importance lay in its convenience as a field of -operations for the Mexican revolutionists. Hidalgo and his compatriots -unfurled the standard of independence in September, 1810. Their first -attempt to enlist outside aid was made six months later, when Bernardo -Guttierez de Lara, a native Mexican, was sent as a commissioner to -Washington to invoke recognition for the new Republic. His mission -failing, Guttierez went to New Orleans and began recruiting -adventurers, with such success that he was able in February, 1812, to -lead a force of 450 men across the border into Texas. - -His success was brilliant from the outset; and, in spite of some -serious reverses, he succeeded in making himself master of Leon and -Texas. Then came into play the unfailing ally of tyranny, corruption. -Alvarez de Toledo, who had been appointed the successor of Guttierez -as commissioner to Washington, made use of his position to negotiate -with the Spanish minister for the betrayal of his compatriot. -Returning to Texas, he incited mutiny among the troops of Guttierez, -who deposed their commander and appointed Alvarez to succeed him. -Personal ambition, rather than treason to his country, must have been -the motive influencing the latter; for when the Royalist general, -Arredondo, marched with an overwhelming force against the patriots at -San Antonio de Bexar, Alvarez boldly gave him battle. Guttierez, with -noble patriotism, fought in the ranks of his late command and did not -survive the defeat. His heroic devotion was imitated on the same spot -by Barrett Travis, twenty-two years afterwards. The defeat and death -of Guttierez occurred on March 15, 1814. - -Among the Americans who took service under Guttierez was Augustus W. -Magee, of Massachusetts, who laid down his commission as a lieutenant -in the United States army to join the filibusters. His fate was -peculiar. After several successes he found himself, as he supposed, so -beset by Governor Salcedo that he made terms for the surrender of -himself and followers and their transportation to the United States. -But the men boldly refused to abide by the timid measures of their -leader, disavowed the contract, and actually assailed and routed the -enemy, who was awaiting their surrender. Magee, overcome with shame at -the success of those whom he had proved himself unworthy to lead, blew -out his brains on the night of the victory. - -Reuben Kemper, of Virginia, was another of the American adventurers of -a widely different type. He is described as a man of gigantic -proportions, with a voice and a heart to match his stalwart frame, and -a profanity that attracted attention even on that Homeric field. As -early as 1808 he made an attempt to capture Baton Rouge, and was -kidnapped for his pains by the Spaniards, who would have cut short his -career summarily but for the intervention of the United States -commander at Pointe Coupee. On attaining his liberty, Kemper vowed to -devote his life to the extirpation of Spanish rule in America. In 1812 -he led an abortive attempt to capture Mobile, but was more successful -on receiving from Guttierez the command of six hundred Americans with -whom he gained several victories. Dissensions in the patriot ranks at -last sent him home in disgust. He afterwards served with distinction -under Jackson at New Orleans, and survived to witness the final -extinction of Spanish rule on the American continent. - -About this time occurred, like a burlesque injected into a tragedy, -the extraordinary episode of "Citizen Gregor McGregor", or Sir George -McGregor, which is said to have been his legitimate title in his -native Scotland, who claimed dominion over Florida, then a Spanish -possession. McGregor was the wearer of many titles, among them those -of "Brigadier General of the Armies of the United Provinces of New -Granada and Venezuela, and General-in-Chief of the armies of the Two -Floridas, Commissioned by the Supreme Directors of Mexico and South -America, and Cacique of Poyais, the last-named having been conferred -by His Majesty George Frederick Augustus, King of the Mosquito Coast." -Incidentally he claimed to be chief of the clan Alpin, or Gregor, of -Scotland. Mr. Alfred M. Williams, author of the admirable "Life of -General Houston," says of The McGregor: - -He had taken a part in the South American revolution, and married a -woman who was, or professed to be, a sister of Simon Bolivar. Failing -to win fortune in South America, "Gen." McGregor sailed away in a -small schooner which he had obtained possession of, and appeared in -Baltimore in the winter of 1817. There, without attracting any -particular attention from the authorities, he enlisted a small number -of men for the conquest of Florida, and landed on Amelia Island in -June, where he issued a proclamation suitable to his titles of -distinction, and promised "to plant the Green Cross of Florida on the -proud walls of St. Augustine." Whatever is to be said of the other -Filibusters, they were not blatherskites and charlatans, and of this -class Gregor McGregor most distinctly was. Failing to gather any -recruits to his standard, McGregor was persuaded by one Woodbine, an -English adventurer, who figured a good deal in the troubles which led -to Jackson's summary execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister, to sail for -New Providence, where a British regiment had recently been disbanded, -and where, as in former years, there was abundance of material in the -shape of broken men and the waifs and strays of adventure, in the hope -of enlisting a force, to be joined by one of 1500 Indians under -Woodbine for the conquest of Florida. McGregor sailed for New -Providence, but probably impressed with the idea that the conquest of -Florida would require something more than a proclamation, determined -"to arrange his private affairs," which it will be seen, that he -subsequently did to his great advantage. McGregor's Filibuster -expedition in Florida did not quite end with the withdrawal of the -leader to attend to his private affairs. One Commodore Aury of the -Mexican Liberal forces, appeared on the scene with some small vessels -and a motley crew of one hundred and fifty men, made up, as usual, of -land and water pirates, refugees and adventurers of every shade of -color and nationality, and set up a provisional Government, fortified -Fernandina and endeavored, without success, to get together a -Legislature representing the people of Florida. He was attacked at -Fernandina by the miserable, half mulatto, Spanish troops from St. -Augustine, and beat them off without much difficulty. But Aury's -troubles were more internal than external. Part of the Filibusters -were sincerely desirous of driving out the Spaniards and setting up a -free Government in Florida, as was Aury himself, but the majority were -simply desirous of making Fernandina a smuggling and piratical -headquarters, as Barataria Bay was, and an entrepot for landing slave -cargoes from Africa. They quarrelled and fought among themselves, and, -in the meantime, had made themselves such a pest and nuisance to -American commerce, by piracy and wrecking, and by stealing as well as -selling slaves, that President Monroe, probably also foreseeing that -Florida would soon fall into the lap of the United States, sent a land -and naval force to demand the surrender of Fernandina, which was -abandoned by the Filibusters early in the winter of 1818 and turned -over to the Spanish authorities. But in the meantime Sir Gregor -McGregor had conceived the safer and more profitable idea of founding -a kingdom by colonization, rather than by conquest. In 1822 he made -his appearance in Edinburgh and announced that he had become the -proprietor, by a grant from His Majesty, the King of the Mosquitos, of -an immense and valuable territory on the banks of the Black river, -which possessed all the advantages of the Garden of Eden in the way of -climate, soil and natural productiveness, and which only wanted -settlers to add thereto the luxuries, with none of the labors, of -civilization. This delectable country was named Poyais, and he himself -was the Cacique thereof, a title, which, so to speak, reeked with -barbaric richness and grandeur. He opened subscription books to the -amount of two hundred thousand pounds, the greater proportion of which -was actually paid in. In the meantime he transacted business in a -regal fashion, occupying a town house in the fashionable quarter, -besides a villa in the country, to which he occasionally retired when -fatigued by the affairs of State. He appointed a full set of -Government officers, including a Lord Chancellor, but himself, it is -to be presumed, retaining the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, -and a military staff, clad in gorgeous green uniforms. He also -established an order of knighthood, and, like other wise monarchs, had -his historiographer and poet. The former produced a book dedicated to -His Highness the Cacique of Poyais, entitled "Sketch of the Mosquito -Shore, Including the Territory of Poyais; Description of the Country, -with Some Information as to its Productions, the Best Mode of Culture, -etc.; Chiefly Intended for the Use of Settlers. By Thomas Strangeways, -K.G.C., Captain First Native Poyais Infantry, and Aid-de-Camp to His -Highness Cacique of Poyais," in which the healthfulness and richness -of the country were set forth with all the force of an untrammeled -imagination; and the poet, a female relative of the Cacique, produced -a popular song entitled "The Poyais Emigrant," in which love and lucre -were attractively blended: - - "Through smiling vales, 'neath lofty hills, - Through citron groves we'll stray together, - Our star of life will sweetly set, - When blessed in wealth and one another." - - "With jewels rare, I'll busk your hair, - The fairest flowers for you I'll gather; - The rose's bloom, its rich perfume, - Is sweet as any Highland heather," etc. - -When everything had been concluded, His Royal Highness, the Cacique of -Poyais, gave a regal reception to his court and faithful subjects, -when they were admitted to the presence of the Cacique and Caciquess, -who were seated on a dais, and graciously permitted to kiss their -hands. A collation was served, and as this was the only substantial -return obtained for their investments, it is to be hoped that they had -better appetite than the Kentucky Colonel, who, after an unsuccessful -night at the gaming table, was invited to stay and partake of some -refreshments, and responded with a vigorous negative, and the query: -"Do you suppose I can eat 1100 dollars worth of ham and get even?" A -party of unfortunate emigrants actually went out to the kingdom of -Poyais, where they found that the King of the Mosquitos did not -recognize any grant as having been made to the Cacique; but they were -graciously allowed to remain until the pestilential fevers carried off -most of them, and the remainder were rescued by a relief party. As for -Sir Gregor McGregor, he disappeared permanently from public view, -taking with him, it is presumed, the treasure chest of his Government. - -Another stormy petrel blown from Europe to Mexican seas was Don -Francisco Javier Mina, who managed to compress a world of adventure -into his brief life. Born at Idocin in Spain in 1789, he won fame -while a mere youth by leading his hardy mountaineers in many a -guerrilla fight against the French. In his twenty-first year he had -gained the rank of colonel, and was on the high road to preferment -when the blind policy of King Ferdinand drove him into rebellion, -along with his uncle, the brave General Espoz y Mina. A well-planned -scheme of revolution having failed, he fled the country and made his -way to England, where he was warmly welcomed. His talents and courage -inspired the government of that country, which for reasons of its own -wished to foment insurrection in Spanish America, to equip him for a -renewal of warfare against Ferdinand on his transatlantic territory. -He arrived in the United States well supplied with money and letters -to the friends of the Mexican revolutionists, and on April 15, 1817, -he landed a force of 270 men from New Orleans at Soto la Marina. -Defeating a superior force of Royalists in several engagements, he -made a junction with the revolutionary army, and speedily drove the -enemy out of the Northern provinces. - -It was a far harder task, however, to overcome the jealousy and -incompetence of Torres, then in chief command; and Mina, betrayed by -his allies, fell into the hands of Viceroy Apodaca, who had him -immediately executed, with twenty-five of his followers, on November -11, 1817. Mina was but twenty-eight years old when he ended his -career, but he had given proofs of rare worth as a soldier and a -patriot. - -Among the Americans who shared his fortunes was Colonel Perry, of New -Orleans. Despairing of success, as soon as he discovered the -worthlessness of the native leaders, he abruptly withdrew from the -army and undertook, with only fifty followers, to cut his way back to -the United States by land. In this attempt they partially succeeded, -but were soon overtaken and surrounded by an overwhelming force. Perry -rejected all demands to surrender until, the last of his band having -fallen by his side, he put a pistol to his head and blew out his -brains. - -When Mexico at last won her freedom, her most northerly state, Texas, -held an anomalous position. A large proportion of its people was made -up of Americans who had borne their share in the battle for liberty. -By birth and associations they were more closely allied with their -Northern than with their Southern neighbours. It did not take them -long to learn that Mexico, in changing her government had not changed -her nature. The intolerance of the new rulers differed little from -that of the old, while civil government was far less stable under the -Republic than it had been while swayed by the Spaniard. - -Upon the declaration of Texan independence in September, 1835, General -Cos marched a large army into the rebellious state, determined to -drive the rash intruders out of the country. In the first engagement, -at Gonzales, the Texans routed their foes, and General Cos was forced -to take refuge behind the walls of the Alamo, in San Antonio de Bexar. -But the Texan blood was now fairly up, and General Burlison, with only -216 men, laid siege to the fortress. The garrison numbered 1,700, but -in spite of the fearful odds, the Texans stormed the place and sent -General Cos under parole to his astonished brother-in-law, the -redoubtable Santa Ana. Colonel James Bowie, who had just defeated -another large Mexican force, at the Mission Concepcion, joined Colonel -Travis at the Alamo. - -Bowie was a Georgian, born in Burke County, about 1790. Not much is -known of his career until the year 1827, when he became famous -throughout the Southwest by his participation in a "difficulty" -between two citizens of Natchez, Mississippi. Several friends of both -combatants assisted at the duel and a general fight was the natural -and welcome result. During the melee, Bowie was wounded, but killed -one of his antagonists with a knife which a blacksmith had made for -him out of a large file or rasp. The fame of the new weapon spread -under the name of the "Bowie Knife", which still holds a high place in -the affections of those who love close fighting. Oliver Wendell Holmes -drily compares it to the short sword of the ancient Romans and says -that "nations which shorten their weapons lengthen their boundaries". -Bowie fought at San Saba in 1831 and at Nacogdoches and Concepcion in -1835 and commanded as Colonel at Grass Fight, on Oct. 25, 1835. There -is no doubt that Bowie was one of the bravest and coolest men that -ever lived, even in Texas. To the Alamo presently also came "Davy" -Crockett, of Tennessee, hunter, soldier, Congressman, unique in -history. - -David Crockett was the fifth son of John Crockett, an Irish soldier of -the Revolutionary War. He was born on August 17, 1786, at the mouth of -Limestone on the Nolachuky River, Tennessee. The time and place were -suitable for the development of a hardy character. The father and -mother of John Crockett were murdered by the Creek Indians, a brother -was wounded and another captured and held by the savages for seventeen -years. Young "Davy" had slender opportunities of obtaining an -education. Such as they were he sedulously avoided them. He was sent -to school at the age of twelve, but spent only four days there, -playing "hookey" until discovered by his father who did not neglect -Solomon's advice. The youth thereupon ran away from home and had the -usual unromantic experience attending such an escapade. He found -employment with waggoners, farmers and others, some of whom cheated -him and others paid him but scantily. The young prodigal returned home -when he was fifteen years old and justified his forgiving welcome by -working a whole year to pay off some of his father's debts. Then of -his own accord and at his own expense he went to school for six -months, learning to read a little, to write less and to master some of -the first three rules of arithmetic. With that his book education was -completed. Not so, however, his more practical tuition. He became a -thorough woodsman, a mighty hunter and the crack rifle shot of the -neighborhood. Then, at the mature age of eighteen, he determined to -get married; the which he did by running away with a pretty Irish girl -whose parents had the bad taste to object to him as a son-in-law. -Then, as he says in his autobiography, "having gotten my wife, I -thought I was completely made up, and needed nothing more in the whole -world. But I soon found this was all a mistake--for now having a wife, -I wanted everything else; and, worse than all, I had nothing to give -for it." - -However, the stern parents became reconciled to the situation; his -wife was a true helpmeet and their married life began happily. But the -country was too thickly populated, in Crockett's opinion, and so he -moved further into the wilderness. - -The Creek War broke out shortly afterwards and he served gallantly in -that and in the Florida war under General Jackson, as also in the -brilliant campaign of that General against the British, culminating in -the victory of New Orleans. Politics next occupied his attention and -he was elected first a magistrate, next a member of the State -legislature and then to the national Congress, in which last he served -three terms. Being defeated in his next attempt at re-election, he -determined to abandon the ungrateful field of politics, and calling -his late constituents together told them in language more forcible -than elegant that they might all go to a warmer country and he would -go to Texas. In this resolve he believed that he was following his own -famous advice: "Be sure you're right, then go ahead." - -Colonel Barrett Travis had 144 men with him in the Alamo when Santa -Ana and 4,000 Mexicans sat down before it, demanding an unconditional -surrender, on February 23, 1836. Cos, heedless of his parole, was with -the besiegers. Travis answered with a cannon shot, and the enemy -hoisted the red flag, signifying "no quarter." In no spirit of -bravado, but with a sincerity which the event only too fully -confirmed, the Texan commander issued the following proclamation:-- - - "_To the People of Texas and all Americans in the World._ - - "COMMANDANCY OF THE ALAMO, BEXAR, - - "_February 24, 1836._ - - "FELLOW CITIZENS AND COMPATRIOTS,--I am besieged by a thousand or - more of the Mexicans under Santa Ana. I have sustained a continual - bombardment and cannonade for twenty-four hours and have not lost a - man. The enemy have demanded a surrender at discretion; otherwise - the garrison is to be put to the sword if the fort is taken. I have - answered the summons with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves - proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then I - call on you in the name of liberty, patriotism, and everything dear - to the American character, to come to our aid with all despatch. - The enemy are receiving reinforcements daily, and will no doubt - increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. Though - this call may be neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as - long as possible, and die like a soldier who never forgets what is - due to his own honour and that of his country. Victory or death! - - - "(Signed) - - "W. BARRETT TRAVIS, - "Lieut.-Col. Com't." - -Houston, to whom Travis addressed an urgent call for reinforcements, -could do nothing. On the 3rd of March, with death staring the little -garrison in the face, Travis sent a despatch to the Revolutionary -committee, calmly stating his position, reiterating his determination -never to surrender, and dwelling with almost impersonal interest on -the beneficial effect to follow such determined resistance as he and -his men were making. "I will do the best I can under the circumstances," -he says, "and I feel confident that the determined valour and desperate -courage heretofore evinced by my men will not fail them in the last -struggle; and although they may be sacrificed to the vengeance of a -Gothic enemy, the victory will cost the enemy so dear that it will be -worse for him than a defeat." - -Day by day the toils were drawn closer around the doomed walls. Day by -day the little garrison was thinned by wounds and sickness. Vainly -they gazed northward across the plain for the invoked aid. The hungry -eye beheld only a long train of Mexican recruits hastening like -vultures to the feast of blood. Once they were gladdened by the sight -of a little band of countrymen spurring towards the walls. But they -were no forerunners of a relieving army. Thirty-two gallant Texans -threw themselves into the fort, cutting their way through the -besiegers, simply and solely that they might fight with their -comrades; that they might be found, living or dead, by the side of -David Crockett and Barrett Travis. Each morning a dwindling garrison -answered to the roll-call, and the thin ranks were stretched a little -wider apart along the crumbling ramparts which it had needed thrice -their numbers to defend. They husbanded their scanty stores. They -never wasted a shot. During that long and terrible fortnight it is -said that nearly ten victims fell to each American rifle. With a -thousand of his men shot down, and trembling in baffled wrath, Santa -Ana on the fourteenth day, ordered another general assault. His -officers drove their men to the breach at the sword's point. - -When the smoke of battle had rolled away there was silence in the -Alamo. The dead and dying strewed the ground. Santa Ana entered the -fort. On the rampart, dead at his post, lay the commander, Travis, -shot through the head. Beside him was the body of a Mexican officer, -pierced to the heart by the sword still clutched in the dead hero's -hand. They found Bowie in his own room. He was sick in bed when they -broke into it, but his trusty rifle was with him, and four Mexicans -died before he was reached. A fifth fell across his dead body, pierced -through and through by the terrible knife. At the door of the magazine -they shot Evans, ere he could touch a match and wreak a Samson -vengeance on the foe. - -Santa Ana stepped into the court-yard. There were six prisoners. His -orders were that none should be taken. Nevertheless, David Crockett -and five others had stoutly resisted, until his clubbed rifle broken -in his sinewy hands, the dauntless backwoodsman listened to the -promise of quarter. Santa Ana paused a moment before his unmoved -captives. It was but for a moment. The next his hand sought the hilt -of his sword. Crockett, divining his purpose, sprang at the traitor, -but he was too late; a dozen blades had flashed at the sign and the -hapless prisoners fell dead, the last of all the garrison. - -These men of the Alamo were volunteers, simple citizens, bound by no -tie save that of fealty to cause and comrades. Unsung of poet, all but -unnamed in history, the brave men of the Alamo went to their certain -death, with a sublime fortitude, beside which the obedient immolation -of Balaklava's Six Hundred is but the triumph of disciplined machines. -A monument raised to their memory bears the magnificent inscription:-- - - "Thermopylae had its messenger of defeat; the Alamo had none." - -It needs more than judicial impartiality to question the right of the -Texan revolution while telling the story of the Alamo. Right and wrong -are barred from consideration in recalling the tragedy of Goliad. -Colonel Fannin and 330 of his men, who had surrendered to Santa Ana as -prisoners of war, under a solemn promise that they should be returned -to the United States, were marched out of the fort, on the morning of -Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, and, without a moment's warning, fired -upon and murdered in cold blood. The outlaws to whom this fearful -penalty was dealt out, without even the mockery of a Spanish trial, -were all young men or lads, "the oldest not over thirty years of age." -The world, freely as its soil is saturated with human blood, stood -aghast at this horrible slaughter. Texas trembled at the Mexican's -vengeance. Houston alone, husbanding his scanty means, animating his -raw levies, working, planning, providing for all, laid his trap with -such shrewd forethought, that in less than two months he had sprung it -upon Santa Ana and all his army, and on the banks of the San Jacinto, -dictated terms of peace to his captive, the butcher of the Alamo and -Goliad. The victory was unstained by a single act of revenge. -Thenceforth the world knew that Texas was free. The men who could use -success with such forbearance were men worthy of self-government. - -Texas striving for independence was to the nations of the world an -object of keener interest than Texas sending her heroic filibusters to -nameless graves. Lord Palmerston, anticipating with literal exactness -the policy of a later administration dealing with Central America, -threatened to send a ship of war to Texas "to demand payment of certain -claims against the republic." The United States, with a similar -foreshadowing of its future policy, at once took measures to insure the -independence of Texas against all European meddlers. As usual, the -people were in advance of their government, and Texas became a state of -the American union, Mexico's attempt to hold it costing her the fairest -part of her domain. - -Before this happy end was reached, more than one bloody tragedy had -been added to the gloomy history of Texas. In June, 1841, General -McLeod led from Austin a party of 320 men, bound for Santa Fe, New -Mexico, upon the ostensibly peaceful mission of opening up trade with -that place. His real aim was to foment insurrection against the Mexican -Government and annex the territory to Texas. After a long and painful -journey through woods and desert, being attacked by Indians, and lost -on the then mysterious waste of the "Llanos Estacados," the expedition -reached the frontier in scattered parties which were promptly captured -by Governor Armijo. It was not, however, until after they had given up -their arms, under the false representations of a traitorous comrade and -the promise of friendly treatment from Armijo, that they found out how -grievous had been their error in trusting to the word of the Mexican. -The whole party, with the exception of three or four who had been put -to death in pure wantonness, were sent under a strong guard to the city -of Mexico, making the long and painful journey on foot, exposed to the -grossest outrages from their brutal guard. Many died on the way, and -the survivors were thrown into prison, where they lingered for months, -until the miserable remnant were at last set free at the motion of the -British and American ministers. - -Liberty was granted at the same time to the survivors of the Mier -Expedition--an ill-starred band who, in December, 1842, had crossed the -Rio Grande in pursuit of Mexican raiders. Colonel William Fisher headed -the party, numbering about five hundred, their general, Somerville, -having declined to lead them over the border. At the town of Mier they -met and repulsed over two thousand Mexicans under General Ampudia, but -their leader was wounded in the fight, and, against the protests of his -chief officers, agreed to a conditional surrender. The terms, of -course, were broken by the victor, and the unfortunate prisoners were -hurried into the interior and buried in dungeons with the lowest -convicts. Captain Ewin Cameron, one of the boldest in the band, -foreseeing the fate before them, organized an attack on the guard -before reaching their prison. They overpowered their armed escort, and -made their way to the mountains, whence a few managed to reach Texas, -but the greater part were recaptured, including their courageous -leader. Santa Ana ordered them to be decimated. Cameron was lucky -enough to draw a white bean in the fatal lottery, but it did not avail -him. He was shot the next day. Few men would be found willing to -increase the risks against them in such a terrible game of hazard; but -there was one, a youth named George Bibb Crittenden, who, drawing a -white bean, gave it to a comrade, with the self-sacrificing words, "You -have a wife and children; I haven't, and I can afford to risk another -chance." He did so, and fortunately again drew a safe lot. Crittenden -survived to participate gallantly in the Mexican War, and attained the -rank of brigadier-general on the Southern side in the Civil War. He was -a son of the Kentucky statesman, John J. Crittenden. - -The prisoners were scattered amongst various strongholds, where many -sank under disease, starvation, and cruelty. The survivors when freed -were turned adrift, penniless, to make the best of their way home to -the United States. General Thomas J. Green was one of those who escaped -by tunnelling the walls of the castle of Perote; the story of which -exploit, with his subsequent adventures, he has told in a book little -known but of vast interest. - -It needs a Scott to tell to the world the story of our border romance, -though no fiction ever surpassed the thrilling facts which were then of -almost daily occurrence. Fame is a curious gift of the gods. Colonel -Crockett, the daring soldier, is all but forgotten, while the -whimsical, semi-fabulous "Davy" Crockett, hero of a hundred wild -stories, seems likely to live for ever. Few remember how heroically he -"went ahead," to the last extremity, after first making sure of what -was "right" and fit in a patriot. Knightly scutcheon never bore a -nobler device than that of the simple backwoodsman, nor lived there -ever a _preux chevalier_ who set a higher value upon his plighted word. - -There were brave men, too, before Agamemnon. Mexier and Perry and -Nolan, names well known on the border, lived and fought, and died, alas -in vain, before the adopted son of an Indian, sturdy Sam Houston, -crowned the long struggle with victory. Filibusters all, if you will, -but every one a man, in an age when manliness is none too highly -prized, and a country which is belied as the chosen home of dollar -worshippers merely. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -The Lopez Expedition--Landing at Cardenas--Pickett's Fight--An Exciting -Chase--Last Expedition--Execution of Lopez and Crittenden. - - -Filibusterism under that name, however, was unknown to the people of -the United States, until the famous descents of Lopez upon Cuba in 1850 -and 1851. Narciso Lopez was a countryman of Miranda, and, like him, an -officer in the Spanish service. Born at Caracas in 1799, he entered the -royal army at an early age, attained the rank of colonel in his -twenty-first year, and distinguished himself so well in the first -Carlist war that he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and made -Governor of Valencia. He went to Cuba in 1843 with Governor-General -Valdes, who took him into high favour, and loaded him with honours. But -O'Donnell, the successor of Valdes, did not continue the vice-regal -favours, and Lopez consequently retired to private life, and ere long -was discovered to be conspiring against the Government. He fled to the -United States, where he found hundreds of adventurous spirits ready and -eager for any undertaking that bade fair to be spiced with danger. - -His first attempt at invasion, in August, 1849, was checked at the -outset by President Taylor, whose marshals captured the whole -expedition as it was on the point of departure from New York. Nothing -daunted by this mishap, Lopez travelled throughout the Southern and -South-Western States, secretly enlisting men and making provision for -their transportation to Cuba. At New Orleans he chartered a steamer and -two barks and assembled his forces. From the valleys of the Ohio and -Mississippi and the Gulf States they came, a hardy band of adventurers, -three-fourths of whom had served in the Mexican War, the officers being -men of known courage and ability. Colonel Theodore O'Hara commanded the -first detachment, numbering 250, which sailed on the bark _Georgiana_, -on the 25th of April, 1850, under orders to rendezvous at the island of -Mujeres. Their colonel had won an honourable fame in the Mexican War -and was not without greater distinction in the world of letters. He -wrote the "Bivouac of the Dead," a lyric which will live at least as -long as the memory of those whom it celebrated. Three weeks after their -departure they were joined at the island of Contoy (for the _Georgiana_ -had not been able to make the rendezvous) by the steamer _Creole_, -carrying Lopez and his fortunes and 450 followers. The whole command -was then transferred to the _Creole_ and sailed away for the shores of -Cuba. - -The little army was reviewed by their general, who made them a stirring -harangue in Spanish (for he did not speak the tongue of his motley -followers) promising them the co-operation of the Cubans the moment -they should unfurl the Lone Star flag on the island, and the undying -gratitude of a liberated people. More substantial rewards were also -held out, in a bounty of four thousand dollars to every private soldier -at the end of the first year's service, or sooner if the revolution -should succeed within that time. In the meanwhile they were to receive -the same pay, according to rank, as that of the army of the United -States. It is not extravagant to say that hardly a man in the -expedition gave a second thought to the money advantages contingent on -success. The reckless dare-devils were content to enjoy a vagabond -campaign seasoned with danger and hard fighting, while those of higher -aims thirsted for the fame of Liberators. Among the men of education -and lofty sentiments were Colonels O'Hara and John T. Pickett; the -latter a bold and fertile organizer, who enjoyed the distinction of -having a reward of 25,000 dollars offered for his head by the -Captain-General of Cuba. The Adjutant-General, Gonzales, was a native -Cuban, who had forsaken a promising career in the university to join -the revolutionists. Many there were, too, of whom we shall hear again -in Central America--Wheat, Titus, Kewen, Allen, and others. - -Matanzas had been chosen as the first point of attack, but as they -rightly judged that the Spaniards had been advised of their movements, -it was decided to land at Cardenas, whither the _Creole's_ bow was -pointed, every eye turning to catch the first sight of the promised -land. They entered the harbour about midnight, unchallenged by the -over-confident enemy. So little were they expected by the good people -of Cardenas, that not a boatman nor wharf watchman could be seen to -take a line ashore, and the steamer lay a few yards from the pier until -the first officer, Fayssoux, leaped overboard with a rope between his -teeth and made her fast. - -Pickett, upon landing, marched rapidly with fifty men of the Kentucky -battalion through the city and seized the station of the railroad which -connected Cardenas and Matanzas. The main body, consisting of four -companies, formed upon the pier and marched towards the plaza, -intending to surprise the garrison. Before reaching the plaza they were -challenged and fired upon by a patrol. Instantly the alarm was sounded -in the garrison, and volleys of musketry began to play about the ears -of the invaders. Colonel O'Hara was wounded at the first discharge, but -his men fought with cool bravery under the leadership of Lopez, who was -constantly in the foremost rank, seeking to make himself known to the -defenders. He was sure that upon recognizing him they would at once -fraternize with the invaders. But the garrison made a stubborn -resistance until their quarters were carried by assault, when they -threw down their arms and shouted "Vivas!" for Lopez and Liberty. The -governor, whose house was opposite the barracks, held out until it was -in flames, when he surrendered, and the filibusters, after a three -hours' battle, had won Cardenas. - -Now was the time for the legions of revolutionists to fall in beside -their liberators, and Lopez issued a strong appeal for volunteers. Not -one native responded! Whether from apathy or cowardice, they showed no -desire to risk their lives in the cause of liberty. The situation was -becoming grave. Already the alarm had gone forth and the lancers of the -enemy were beginning to appear in formidable numbers in the streets. -Lopez saw that the capture of Cardenas was a barren victory. To carry -out his intention of proceeding by rail to Matanzas in the face of the -whole Spanish army, and without a single native adherent to welcome his -appearance, would have been madness. Reluctantly he gave orders to -embark, and recalled the detachment which had been guarding the -railroad. The enemy seeing them retreat grew bolder, and made several -determined efforts to prevent the embarkation, but the filibusters -threw up a barricade of empty hogsheads and easily repelled the attack. -After a final attempt to cut off the detachment from the railroad, in -which Pickett drove them back with heavy loss, they offered no further -opposition to the retreat. Cardenas had been won and lost within twelve -hours. The _Creole_ steamed out of the harbour at nine o'clock in the -evening, but stuck fast on a sand-bank and lay there for five hours, -until sufficiently lightened of her cargo to float again. - -A council of war was held, and it was declared that no further attempts -at a landing on the island were practicable, owing to the indecision of -the native population. Lopez strove in vain to gainsay this -determination, and even begged to be put ashore alone, or with the -thirty Spanish soldiers who had just joined his cause. His mad request -being refused he resigned command, and the steamer was headed for Key -West, coming to anchor at nightfall within forty miles of that port. - -In the meantime, the authorities of Cuba had despatched a war steamer -in search of the filibusters, and offered a reward of 50,000 dollars -for the capture of Lopez. The _Pizarro_ sped into Key West while the -_Creole_ was lying at anchor, and set out again in quest of her at -daybreak. The people of the town were apprised of her mission and -thronged the piers and hills to behold the issue. Soon they descried -on the horizon the smoke of a steamer, which, as it drew near, was -recognized as the _Creole_. Not far in her wake they also saw the huge -_Pizarro_ throwing out volumes of smoke and rapidly closing with her -prey. As the pursued steamer approached the coast it was seen that her -fuel was giving out, while the _Pizarro_ was crowding on every pound of -steam that her boilers could carry. A few minutes more and the guns of -the Spaniard would have opened upon the devoted vessel, but at the -critical moment the funnel of the _Creole_ began to belch forth clouds -of smoke and her wheels to revolve as the wheels of a steamboat can -when her Mississippi river captain begins to levy contributions on his -cargo. The filibusters rolled barrels of bacon into the furnace-room, -tore up the dry wood-work of the boat, and pulled the red shirts off -their backs to feed the flames. Better a magnificent explosion and -sudden death than capture and torture by the merciless Spaniard. The -device succeeded. The _Creole_ gallantly rounded the point, a few -hundred yards ahead of her pursuer, and dropped anchor under the guns -of Key West as the _Pizarro_, without even saluting the fort, came -ploughing behind her and halted a few rods away, with port-holes open -and broadsides grinning like the fangs of a bloodhound baulked of his -prey. Her gunners stood by their pieces, match in hand, and ready at a -word to blow the _Creole_ to destruction. For a time it looked as -though the word would be spoken; but, if such was the Spaniard's -desire, he prudently forbore its gratification when he saw the United -States officers take possession of the steamer, and a grim-looking -array of filibusters swarm in the embrasures of the fort and sight the -huge guns which were trained upon his deck. - -Lopez and his followers made the best of their way from Key West; they -to their homes and he to the custody of a United States marshal. The -expedition had suffered a loss of fourteen killed and thirty wounded. -Among the killed was their chaplain! The list of the enemy's loss was -not officially published, but is supposed to have reached a hundred -killed and as many wounded. Lopez was tried for his violation of the -neutrality laws, but escaped conviction, and immediately set about -preparing another expedition. His faith in the devotion of his American -friends was better founded than the reliance which he placed on the -promises of his native adherents. - -In the following year, Aug. 12, 1851, he landed a force of 450 men at -Bahia Honda, with the greater part of which he marched into the -country, where he had been led to expect a general uprising the moment -he should appear among the Creoles. Colonel W. S. Crittenden, a brave -young soldier of the Mexican War, remained with the smaller body, -awaiting reinforcements. But Lopez, as usual, had misjudged the spirit -of his countrymen, who were not yet ripe for revolt. With his little -band of 323 men he repulsed 1,300 of the enemy, killing their general, -Enna; but being forced to retreat into the interior, his forces -dwindled away and the leader was at last captured and carried in chains -to Havana. Fifty of his followers were shot at once. Lopez was -strangled by the garrote on Sept. 1st. It pleased his enemies to add -this pang of an ignominious death. The old hero met it without -flinching. Spain had honoured him for facing death upon many a bloody -field, and she could not dishonour him while dying for the adopted -country which was not worthy of his love. - -Meanwhile Crittenden and his detachment had been captured at sea and -conveyed to Havana, where they were allowed the merest mockery of a -trial. But one verdict was possible, where sentence had been already -passed. Only a few hours elapsed between the trial and execution. The -crowds of Havanese who flocked to the show, as to a national -bull-baiting, saw them die with stoical fortitude. They saw Crittenden, -with but twenty-eight years of life behind him, stand and face death -with unflinching mien. They bade him kneel in the customary attitude, -with his back to the firing party. "An American kneels only to his -God," he answered, and so met his death. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -The Count Raoussett-Boulbon--A father "de la vieille roche"--Raoussett's -contract to garrison Sonora--Proclamations and pronunciamientos-- -Battle of Hermosillo--Negotiations with Santa Ana--Expedition to -Guaymas--Engagement and defeat--Last words of a noble adventurer-- -Death of the Count. - - -To Mexico the gift of liberty was as the boon of eternal life to the -wandering Jew. Freed from the exactions of a despotic master, absolved -by the bounty of nature from the stern, ceaseless struggle for physical -life, stirred no longer by the warlike spirit of the conquerors, the -Latin races in America seemed for a time to have fallen into a -condition of hopeless lethargy. - -To redeem this fair land, with its boundless mineral and agricultural -wealth, from the hands of its slothful owners, was a dream which fired -the ambition and, it may be added, the cupidity of many daring minds. -With the decline and final overthrow of Spanish power the richest mines -of Northern Mexico were abandoned for lack of strength to repel the -never-subdued and ever-hostile Indian tribes. Mexico was weak, torn by -strife, and disorganized. In her feeble hands the mines of Sonora and -Arizona were literally "treasure hoarded in the ground." - -There was in California, in 1852, a man of high birth and humble -calling, a day labourer, with the proudest French ancestral blood in -his veins--a soldier of Algiers, a count by birth and rank. -Raousset-Boulbon, or, to give him his full name and title, Count Gaston -Raoulx de Raousset-Boulbon, was a prodigal. He had squandered his -substance in the riotous living of Paris and come to the land of gold -to mend his fortunes. Unhappily for his peaceful aspirations, -California, in 1852, offered a poor field to the man whose only gifts -were education, the use of arms, nobility of soul, and a patrician -title. Such endowments were neither rare nor deemed precious in that -primitive community. The poet has sung, and the novelist painted, the -wild contrasts of that marvellous period, but no flight of fancy could -exaggerate the picture. San Francisco, the sea-port, was a truly -cosmopolitan city. There were two French newspapers published daily, so -great were the attractions of El Dorado to the rarely migrating Gaul. -Among the hundreds of his countrymen who, like himself, had failed to -find a fortune in the golden state, Gaston judged that he might easily -enroll a band of adventurers for any bold undertaking. He was not -mistaken when the occasion offered itself. In the indescribable human -medley of California the Count Raousset-Boulbon cannot be said to have -been out of place. Nobody, nothing was that. He was discontented with a -career hitherto fruitful only in misfortune. - -He was the son of an _emigre_ of the old stamp, a self-willed fantastic -old man, who carried the sternest rules of obedience into the most -trifling domestic affairs, and might have adopted the motto, "L'etat, -c'est moi." His scheme of government may be inferred from a brief -anecdote recounted by the biographer of Gaston. The latter, returning -from Paris, appeared at home with two things distasteful to his sire--a -beard and a cigar. "Madam," said the father to his wife, the stepmother -of Gaston, "it would give me pain to argue with my son, and I could not -brook opposition. The cigar I can overlook; but pray tell him that it -pleases me not to see one of his age wear a beard like a 'moujik,' and -that I shall be obliged to request its sacrifice." Gaston grudgingly -obeyed the royal edict, for which he was formally thanked. Some days -after the sire spoke again, "Madam, I authorize you to say to my son -that he may let his beard grow again. Upon second thoughts I do not -find it unbecoming." Compliance followed as before; but the tardy -efforts of nature did not satisfy the old count, who gravely decided -that "a beard does not become Gaston. Madam, I beg you to tell him once -more that he must shave." Gaston, instead of obeying, packed his -portmanteau and fled to Paris, and was forthwith disowned by his irate -parent. - -His life in Paris was that of a Bohemian, until the death of his -father, in 1845, enabled him to carry out a dear ambition, that of -founding a colony in Algiers; but the revolution of 1848 recalled him -to France and to a political career. He conducted a newspaper, _La -Liberte_, and was twice elected to the Assembly. Beaten in a third -candidacy he forsook politics in disgust, and turned his eyes towards -California. Paris in 1850 counted as many as twenty Californian -societies for organized emigration. Gaston, restless, weary, and yet -fired with the longing for some great deed, was almost penniless when, -in his thirty-second year, he took a third-class passage for -California, along with a dozen compatriots of various ranks. - -Reaching the wondrous city, which his biographer aptly calls "the -modern Babel, with the confusion of tongues," Gaston, with a manliness -little to be expected in one of his training, betook himself to the -stern duty of earning a livelihood by hard labour. He tried fishing, -which barely earned him bread. As a lighterman he did better, until the -building of a wharf ruined his business. A speculative enterprise for -importing cattle from Lower California proved "more picturesque than -profitable." At this juncture when, in his own words, "a gendarme would -have charged on me at full gallop," so wretched was his appearance, his -friend, M. Dillon, the French Consul at San Francisco, procured him -letters of introduction to Senor Arista, President of Mexico, and -Gaston repaired to the capital of that country, full of enthusiasm. The -banking-house of Jecker, Torre and Co. acting as agents of the -Government, signed a contract with Gaston, whereby the latter pledged -himself to land at Guaymas, in Lower California, a company of five -hundred French immigrants, armed and equipped for military duty, -ostensibly and immediately for the protection of the Restauradora -Mining Company against the incursions of the Arizona Indians, but -really intended to serve as the nucleus of an extensive French colony, -to be used as a barrier against the supposed encroachments of their -American neighbours. Already the expansion of the United States in the -direction of Mexico and the Pacific coast had aroused the jealousy of -Europe. There is no doubt that Gaston's scheme for the protection of -Mexico, befriended as it was by the representative of France in -California and the French minister in Mexico, M. Levasseur, was not -without substantial aid from the home government. The banker Jecker -played a leading part, years afterwards, in the ill-starred attempt of -Napoleon III. to found an empire in Mexico. - -As a present reward for his services in protecting the Arizona mines, -Gaston was to have a share in all their profits. He was yet to learn, -as the royal Maximilian did later, that a bargain needs more than two -parties to ensure its fulfilment, in Mexico. Arista was President of -Mexico, but Governor Blanco ruled in Arizona. Arizona is a state of -boundless mineral wealth, and little else. "Ruins of houses, ruins of -churches, ruins of towns, and, above all, ruins of crouching men and of -weeping women," is Gaston's graphic summary of Sonora and Arizona as he -found them in 1852. Two hundred and sixty gallant Frenchmen landed at -Guaymas on the 1st of June, and were warmly hailed as deliverers by the -fickle populace. Governor Blanco, however, showed himself strangely -lukewarm towards his new allies, whom he peremptorily forbade to leave -Guaymas. The reason of his opposition was simple. He was interested in -a rival company to the Restauradora. Vexatious delays followed. The -recruits lost heart and hope. Gaston, chafing at the delay, had gone -forward to Hermosillo, whither he brought his followers, after vainly -awaiting the governor's leave to set out for Arizona. Blanco thereupon -decided to offer these alternatives: "The Frenchmen shall renounce -their nationality, or I shall compel them to leave the country." Gaston -protested vainly in a letter to the French minister, and kept on his -march to Arispe. He wrote also to Governor Blanco, who temporized and -offered new conditions, denationalization of the company, their -reduction to a maximum force of fifty, or a guaranty that they should -not violate an ancient Mexican law forbidding foreigners to own real -estate, mines, or other such property. These propositions were laid -before the company by Gaston, who, at the same time, offered the means -of departure to any who wished to avail themselves of them. Not a man -was found willing to accept the opportunity. Gaston then, in a firm but -temperate note, declined to accede to Blanco's terms, claiming for -himself and his followers the fulfilment of their contract with the -government of Mexico. Blanco threatened to treat the strangers as -pirates and outlaws. To some of them he made secret offers of rich -rewards if they would betray their comrades. - -In these straits, harassed also by the savage Apaches, Gaston took up -the line of march back to Hermosillo. On the 30th of September they -encamped at the pueblo of La Madelaine. Here, as elsewhere in Mexico, -the national gallantry of the adventurers, "half-heroes, half-bandits," -as they were, won them immense favour with the fair Sonoriennes, though -it is doubtful if the latter's graver brethren took so kind a view of -"_fenetres escaladees, des maris infortunes, des duels, des processions, -des bals, des representations theatrales_," and the other exploits -faithfully chronicled by the light-hearted chief. - -A sterner welcome met them in another summons from Blanco: "Surrender -your arms, or prepare to be treated as outlaws." Gaston, feeling that -either choice promised little of mercy, proceeded to force the issue at -once by hastening his march upon Hermosillo. By striking there a -decisive blow he expected to rally around his standard the always -numerous body of disaffected citizens, and so prepare the way for the -independence of Sonora. Despatching an emissary to California for -recruits, he set out, on the 6th of October, by the southerly road for -Hermosillo. Fifty leagues from that city Blanco lay at Arispe, -uncertain of his enemy's plans. Gaston's force numbered two hundred and -fifty-three men, including forty-two horsemen and twenty-six marine -veterans detailed to serve the four small cannon of the little army. -Among them were many old soldiers of Africa and barricade veterans of -Paris. Four or five months of sojourn in the Arizona deserts had not -improved their looks. But with a good-natured patience truly French -they made light of their troubles, jested at their sorry attire, and -when their boots gave out made sandals of hides, or trudged along -barefoot. In such guise and manner they marched to Hermosillo, but a -few hours too late, for Blanco had distanced them by forced journeys, -and thrown a body of twelve hundred men into the town. Gaston, without -waiting to rest his weary followers, gave orders to attack. In less -than an hour he was master of the place, and General Blanco was flying -with the remnant of his command to Ures. Yet the latter could better -spare his two hundred killed and wounded than the little band of -adventurers could afford their loss of forty-two. To the filibuster -there are no reserves. - -But a greater calamity awaited the expedition. Gaston was stricken down -with sickness in the hour of victory, and, feeling the insecurity of -his position, gave reluctant orders to march to Guaymas. His malady, -dysentery, grew worse as they advanced. Within three leagues of Guaymas -they halted at the rancho Jesus Maria. Envoys from Blanco met them -there and treated for a parley between the two commanders, of which -nothing came but a short-lived truce. That evening Gaston was -delirious, nor were suspicions of poison wanting. The French camp -became panic-stricken, so that M. Calvo, Vice-Consul of France at -Guaymas, and himself a partner in Blanco's rival mining company, easily -persuaded the subordinates to sign a treaty resigning the contract and -agreeing to leave the country. Gaston awoke from a three-weeks' stupor -to find himself without an army. He was permitted to leave the country, -and returned to San Francisco with his ambition only whetted by his -late trials. - -There was to be no mistaking the nature of his future operations. The -next expedition should be made up solely of Frenchmen and soldiers, its -avowed end the independence of Sonora. "These men shall be fully warned -that they go to Sonora to fight; that their fortunes rest on the points -of their bayonets; that if they be conquered they shall infallibly -perish as pirates; that it is for them a matter of victory or death." - -His friend, President Arista, had resigned his office, in the face of -civil war, on the 6th of January, 1853. Mexico was in worse than its -normal state of anarchy. A dictatorship was proclaimed, and Santa Ana -recalled to govern the wretched country. One of his first acts was to -send for De Boulbon, who, upon promise of a safe conduct, visited the -capital. - -The interview was dramatic between the old, crafty, and cold-blooded -butcher of the Alamo, and the young, romantic, hot-headed conqueror of -Hermosillo. The latter was in the prime of manhood, of medium size, -well-proportioned and graceful, erect, broad-browed, with open, frank -eyes, and fair hair and beard. Santa Ana, versed in the thousand wiles -of Mexican diplomacy, and rightly appreciating the skilled courage of -his guest, would have enlisted his talents in the dictator's personal -service. Gaston steadily besought a confirmation of the original -contract. Four months were spent with all the tardiness of Spanish -negotiation in realizing that object. At last a treaty was prepared, -binding the Count to garrison Arizona with five hundred French -soldiers, who were to receive a total compensation of 90,000 francs, -the Government advancing 250,000 francs for outfit and other expenses. -The treaty was solemnly signed, attested, and annulled within a -fortnight! Gaston was furious. The dictator blandly repeated his offer -of a regiment and personal service at the capital, an offer which the -Count spurned as an insult. "You offer me," he said, "a favour that is -personal, when I ask for justice to myself and my brave men. Should I -accept, what would be your opinion of me? what the opinion of those -whom I should command? General, I have the honour to be a Frenchman. -When I pledge my word I keep it." So the two adventurers parted in the -halls of Montezuma. - -Gaston, burning with indignation, easily fell into sympathy with some -of the every-ready malcontents conspiring against the new government. -The plot was found out, but Gaston received warning in time to put -fifty miles of hard riding between him and the fatal anger of Santa -Ana. - -He returned to San Francisco, his old sense of wrong aggravated by this -new grievance. With singular inconsistency we find him writing to a -correspondent in France, in bitter complaint of the apathy shown -towards his scheme by the "intelligent and rich" Americans, at the same -time that he warns his compatriots against the designs of the United -States on the territory of Mexico and the world at large. His gloomy -forebodings must awaken a smile, in view of the actual results, yet -they speak a sentiment which was powerful enough, ten years later, to -work out the imperial tragedy of Maximilian. - -"Europeans," he says, "are disturbed by the growth of the United -States, and rightly so. Unless she be dismembered, unless a powerful -rival be built up beside her, America will become, through her -commerce, her trade, her population her geographical position upon two -oceans the inevitable mistress of the world. In ten years Europe dare -not fire a shot without her permission. As I write, fifty Americans -prepare to sail for Lower California, and go perhaps to victory. -_Voila les Etats-Unis!_" - -On the 2nd of April, 1854, three hundred French military colonists -sailed from San Francisco, upon a formal invitation from the Mexican -consul, to perform the duty formerly allotted to De Boulbon; the latter -had been declared an outlaw by the Government. Nevertheless he resolved -to hazard a descent upon Arizona, counting on the fidelity of those -colonists and the moral support of the French Government, still uneasy -over the ambitious designs of the United States. On the 24th of May -he sailed from San Francisco on the little schooner _Belle_. His -departure was hurried, as the United States authorities, warned of his -purpose, had taken steps for his arrest and detention. In his haste he -was forced to leave behind a small battery which he had bought for the -expedition. The captain of the _Belle_, an American, hesitated to -put to sea, but Gaston (so says his biographer) promptly put him in -irons and took command of the vessel himself. His avowed object was the -carrying out of the original contract of 1852, namely, the protection -of the mines of Arizona; but Arizona had meanwhile become American -territory, under the Gadsden treaty of 1853. Hence the present attempt -of Gaston was filibustering, pure and simple, if not something worse. - -The voyage was long and tedious, lasting thirty-five days. On the 27th -of June they came in sight of Guaymas. Landing at Cape San Jose, he -sent two of his men to the city to prepare the three hundred Frenchmen -there for his coming, and to concert a plan of action. The envoys were -recognized and thrown into prison by General Yanes, who had succeeded -Blanco in the governorship of Sonora. An amicable but fruitless parley -followed between the commandant and Gaston. They arranged a sort of -armed truce, which lasted until the 8th of July; but it needed only a -small spark to explode magazines of such fiery material as formed the -two rival garrisons of Guaymas. The French company, overweening, vain, -and quick-tempered, met and jostled the dark-browed peons, jealous, -revengeful, and proud. Both were armed, both quarrelsome as gamecocks. -The French put faith in their national valour, the Mexicans in their -national odds of eight to one. At the first outbreak, some petty street -brawl, the native soldiers sounded the general alarm. The French rushed -to their quarters, whence they sallied, fully armed, and met the -irregular attack of the enemy with a resistance as unmethodical as -intrepid. For three hours the battle raged on the rocky streets of -Guaymas. Gaston, always a gentleman by instinct, refused the proffered -leadership, as that honour belonged to Desmarais, the commissioned -chief of the three hundred. He commanded a company, however, and fought -with splendid courage, until, twice wounded, his men in retreat and -everything lost, he broke his sword over his knee, and led the remnant -of his force to the French Consulate, where they formally surrendered -to their country's representative. An hour later they gave up their -arms, upon the pledge of M. Calvo, backed by the promise of General -Yanes, that their lives should be spared. Gaston was thrown into -prison. Ten days later he was taken before a court-martial, tried, and -condemned to death as a traitor and rebel. "Mark that they did not name -me once as a filibuster," he wrote home. - -The American consul, Major Roman, pleaded earnestly, but vainly, for -mercy. M. Calvo would not interfere. Gaston in the hour of trial bore -himself with manly fortitude, begging only, and not in vain, to be -spared the indignity of dying with bound hands and bandaged eyes. The -faith of his childhood returned to him, and his lifelong unrest shaped -itself into perfect peace and resignation. The "old nobility," too, -spoke out in his farewell letter to his brother, a curious blending of -worldly pride, Christian humility, and philosophic fatalism. "It is my -loyalty to my word that has dug my grave.... A mysterious chain, -beginning at the cradle, leads to the tomb, and life is but a link -thereof.... M. Calvo will bear witness that I died as became a -gentleman.... To-morrow morning I shall have burned my last cap and -fired my last cartridge.... Tell your children that Uncle Gaston died -with a priest at his side, and that yet Uncle Gaston was a brave -man.... If any wonder that I submit to this death, you may say that I -look upon a suicide as a deserter.... I go to death a gentleman, and I -die a Christian." The philosophy of this dying chevalier throws a -little light upon his strange character. He died with touching and -simple bravery, on August 12, 1854, at the age of thirty-six. Eleven -years afterwards another and more imposing filibuster, lured to Mexico, -partly by the intrigues of the same commercial house which had held the -glittering bait before the eyes of poor Gaston, died with equal -firmness at the hands of his executioners. Maximilian of Austria, Prim -of Spain, and Napoleon of France, all played with fire, like the -ill-fated Count Gaston Raoulx de Raousset-Boulbon, and all, like him, -suffered. - -But another and stranger being had witnessed the bootless expedition to -Guaymas in 1852, and drawn his own false moral from the example before -him--with what results will be told hereafter. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -William Walker--Boyhood and education--Doctor, Lawyer, Journalist-- -Goes to California--Personal appearance and characteristics--Departure -of the Sonora Expedition--A government proclaimed--Stern discipline-- -Retreat from Sonora--Bad news at San Vincente--The adventurers cross -the boundary--Walker resumes the pen. - - -While De Boulbon, resting upon his fruitless victory of Hermosillo, -awaited at San Francisco a chance to profit by the turn of the cards in -Mexico, he was offered, and declined, a subordinate command in an -expedition planned and conducted by the greatest of modern filibusters. - -William Walker was the son of a Scotch banker who emigrated to -Tennessee in 1820, marrying there a Kentucky lady named Norvell. -William, their eldest son, was born in the city of Nashville, on May 8, -1824. His parents intended to give him a profession, preferably that of -the ministry, and, though his taste led him otherwise, the gravity of -the kirk always pervaded his manner, and theological speculations -interested him through life. His boyhood was marked by a reserved and -studious disposition, yet romantic and venturesome withal. His name -appears in the graduating class of 1838 of the University of Nashville. -The curriculum of that institution covered a wide course of study, -including, besides the branches of common education, mathematics, -astronomy, chemistry, navigation, belles-lettres, geology, moral and -mental philosophy, logic, political economy, international and -constitutional law, oratory, natural theology, the classics, and many -other studies. It was not the fault of his _alma mater_ if he failed -to prove as eminent in statesmanship as he was in arms. Duelling, the -carrying of arms, and all wrangling were prohibited by the rules of the -college. Cock-fighting was "especially forbidden." The cost of tuition -and board was between two hundred and fifty and three hundred dollars a -year. Altogether there is no reason to doubt that the University of -Nashville, "authorized to grant all the degrees which are or may be -granted by any college or university in Europe or America," was quite -able to teach a young and ambitious student the elements of a sound -education. The moral guidance of youth seems to have been well provided -for, and a healthy desire to check extravagance in personal outlay is -particularly noted in the regulations. - -Having a liking for the medical profession, young Walker made a course -of study at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a class-mate -of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, the famous Arctic explorer. He afterwards -visited and studied at Edinburgh, in France, Germany, and Italy, -spending two years in travel, and gaining, together with his medical -education, a fair knowledge of the languages and laws of those -countries. - -Of his professional experience we know little, save that he practised -for a time in Philadelphia and Nashville, but, finding the profession -unsuited to his health, he went to New Orleans and studied law. He was -admitted at the bar in that city, but did not devote himself long to -his new pursuit. He obtained a place on the _Crescent_ newspaper, and -gave himself up to the fascinating business of journalism with all the -ardour of a novice. That a man should have tried three professions so -different as those of medicine, law, and journalism, before reaching -his twenty-fifth year is not remarkable in our country. It was equally -in keeping with the character of the man of 1849, that he forsook this -latest fancy to join the host of restless spirits bending their steps -towards California. Arriving there in 1850, he became an editor on the -_San Francisco Herald_ and took sides with the faction of which David -C. Broderick was the leader. His literary style was not ill-adapted to -the journalism of the day and place, and ere long Walker the advocate -found occasion to defend Walker the editor upon a charge for contempt -of court. The lawyer failed to save the writer from the penalty of a -brief imprisonment and a fine of five hundred dollars. The same -pugnacious qualities involved him in a more serious quarrel with a -Philadelphian, named William Hix Graham, and appeal was taken to the -court of honour. The combatants met on a sandy lot outside of the city -limits. Shots were exchanged, apparently without damage to either man, -and the seconds were about to give the signal for another fire, when -one of them perceived a pool of blood at Walker's feet. The doughty -fighter had received a wound in the foot, and, in order to gain another -shot, had tried to hide it by throwing sand over the spot with his -other foot. The seconds, however, decided that honour was satisfied by -the flow of blood, and the duel went no further. After this Walker -retired from journalism, and practised law for a time in Marysville, -with success enough to satisfy the ambition of anybody who aimed at -law-expounding rather than law-making. - -Walker was now (in 1852) only twenty-eight years of age. Nature had not -dealt lavishly with this man, whose ambition grasped at no less a prize -than the conquest of an empire. His figure was slight, though shapely; -he stood about five and a half feet high, and never weighed over one -hundred and thirty pounds. His closely-cut, sandy hair was thin and -almost whitish; his face was freckled and beardless, giving him a -boyish appearance. The lower half of his visage was plain, almost -commonplace, but his large, rounded forehead and keen gray eyes were -strikingly fine. When his usually cold nature gave way to emotions of -anger or excitement the eyes dilated and kindled with a greenish light, -like those of a bird of prey; the thin, short upper lip became -compressed, and the slow, quiet voice rose sharp and short. He never -showed other sign of emotion; but, says one who knew him well, "those -were sufficient to awe the most truculent desperado into a submission -as abject as that of the maniac before his keeper." Add to these a rare -frugality of speech, a morality ascetically pure, and a temperance -equally patent in word and action, and we know as much of the outward -man as did the thousands of men who feared and loved him and died for -his sake. - -Joaquin Miller in his poem, "With Walker in Nicaragua," paints the -Filibuster Chief, with - - "A dash of sadness in his air - Born maybe, of his over-care, - And, maybe, born of a despair - In early love." - -Henningsen, who knew him intimately, was unaware of any romance in the -career of his chieftain; yet there was one, the only one of his life -and it has been given to the world, within a few years, by a near -relative of Walker. The object of his love was Helen Martin, a -beautiful New Orleans girl, whom he met in Nashville after his return -from Europe. She is described by Mr. Daniel Francis Barr, who had the -story from Walker's cousin, as "a most attractive woman--the loveliness -of face and form being enhanced by that endearing charm which -helplessness to beauty lends. For nature, so lavish in her other -endowments, deprived this beautiful creature of two most essential -faculties--she was a mute. Strange as it may seem, these two young -people, in appearance and character the apparent antithesis of each -other, allowed friendship to ripen into an ardent and lasting -affection. When Miss Martin returned to New Orleans, Walker soon -followed, and as lawyer and journalist, gained distinction in the -Crescent City. Just before the date fixed for their marriage the breath -of pestilence poisoned the Gulf breezes, and the dreaded yellow fever -became epidemic in the coast cities. Among the first to fall victim to -the scourge was Miss Helen Martin, and her death changed the entire -life-current, if not the heart of William Walker. From the ashes of a -buried love ambition rose supreme." - -The Ishmaelite nature urging him to travel again, his "destiny," as he -called it, carried him to Sonora, at the moment when De Boulbon's first -expedition was nearing its vain catastrophe. No longer a lawyer, a -doctor, or an editor, he returned to California with dreams of martial -glory, crude as yet, but, to a man of his unyielding courage, full of -unlimited promise. People now spoke of "Colonel" Walker. The conferring -or the assumption of military titles, solely by the grace of popular -courtesy, was a curious foible of the Southern gentleman of the old -school. Whether this unwritten commission preceded his assumption of a -serious military career, or was coeval with it, is uncertain and of -little consequence. There was no examination of titles or antecedents -among the pioneers of California. The claimant of a military title -could best defend it by deeds of daring, and by such William Walker was -to prove himself. De Boulbon's short-lived success prompted Walker and -a few friends to turn their eyes towards the same field. An agent, -named Frederic Emory, was sent to Sonora in 1852 to treat for a -contract such as had been granted the French company. Upon the failure -of the latter, Walker and a partner, Henry P. Watkins, renewed the -negotiations in person. It does not appear that they succeeded or -received any encouragement from the jealous natives. Nevertheless, -Walker and a few of his friends set themselves to the task of -conquering the Western States of Mexico, in the face of difficulties -which might have daunted even more daring spirits. The American -Government was actively hostile to all filibustering movements. Sonora -certainly did not offer a welcome to her unsought liberators. The -singular unwillingness (already noticed by De Boulbon) of American -capitalists to furnish the sinews of illegal warfare, no doubt -continued to mark that unromantic class. - -On the other hand, Walker had many warm personal friends, chiefly among -the natives of the Southern states. He was actually a sincere, even -fanatical, believer in slavery. To conquer new territory, and thus to -extend the area of slavery, was a scheme certain to meet with sympathy -throughout the South. The admission of new Northern territories already -threatened to overcome the supremacy of the South in the national -government. Sectional and party bias, personal interest, and political -prejudice moved the citizens of the slave states to withstand this new -and growing menace. Like feelings, intensified through years of -political minority, stirred the North. So far as the South was -concerned in the maintenance of slavery, her interests called for its -extension; otherwise, the growing movement for its abolition, aided by -the approaching change of political power, would soon compass its -overthrow. So, at least, and not without foresight, reasoned the -upholders of slavery in that dark and bitter era. - -The impending conflict was well styled "irrepressible." Years of angry -debate had made compromise impossible, but the wiser and better heads -in either party shunned the wager of battle. Disunion was scarcely -considered as a theory, among the mass of the people, ere it sprung -into being, a fact. Doughty-tongued zealots alone talked of war, and -they were those who kept on talking after men of cooler courage had -begun to fight. - -Walker, then, could confidently invoke the sympathy of the rich and -influential slave-holders in a crusade for the extension of their -favorite system. He could appeal to the daring and adventurous of every -class by the dangerous fascination of his scheme, and to the -Californian, especially, through his native hostility and contempt -towards his Mexican neighbor. For the rest, he offered as inducements -to immigrants in Sonora five hundred acres of land to each man, and -four dollars daily pay for military services. Arms and ammunition were -procured. Emigrants of strangely unpastoral bearing offered themselves -at the rendezvous. A brig was chartered and the day of departure set. -At this point the United States marshal seized the vessel. This was in -July, 1853. Three months afterwards, the emigrants, learning caution -from experience, took their steps so secretly that forty-five of -them, including Walker and Emory, sailed in the bark _Caroline_, and -arrived at Cape San Lucas, in Lower California, on October 28th. - -Here they made a brief stay before continuing their voyage to La Paz. -They captured that town, together with the governor, Espanosa, on -November 3rd. Three days later a vessel arrived with the Mexican -colonel, Robollero, appointed to supersede Espanosa; him also they took -prisoner. Walker, being now in possession of the government and the -archives, called an election, which resulted in his being chosen -president. His report does not state whether or not he had any rival -for the honour. Ten others of the adventurers were chosen to fill the -several offices, civil, military and naval. Thirty-four remained mere -citizens, as there were not "offices enough to go around." "Our -government," wrote the President, "has been formed upon a firm and sure -basis." However absurd the proceedings seem to us, in the light of the -sequel, to him they appeared the solemn inception of free institutions -and a glorious future. A high-sounding proclamation was issued, -including a declaration of independence. Two months afterwards Walker -annexed, on paper, the neighboring province of Sonora, and changed the -name of the Republic to "Sonora," comprising the State of that name and -Lower California. As yet he had not set foot upon the new half of his -domain. - -His friends in California were active in the meanwhile. Recruiting -offices were opened in San Francisco, to which flocked the desperate, -the adventurous, the reckless from every land. The Federal Government -could not, at least, it did not, take active steps to check them. -Between two and three hundred men were enlisted, and their passage -engaged on the bark _Anita_. The name of the vessel and the date -of her departure were kept secret from all but the leaders of the -party. - -On the appointed evening, December 7, 1853, they gathered at -head-quarters. Horses and waggons were in readiness, and in a brief -time the ammunition and supplies were on the deck of the _Anita_. -Before midnight the embarkation was made, and the ship swung into the -stream. A tow-boat carried her out of the harbour in safety. Before -casting loose the lines several of the _Anita's_ sailors secretly stole -on board the tow-boat, their desertion not being perceived until the -bark was beyond hail and ploughing the waves of the Pacific. The -adventurers have been described by a friendly writer as "a hard set." -They observed their departure by a merry carouse, the while the good -bark tossed on the ocean swell and her captain cursed his recreant crew -and his boisterous freight. Then the wind arose. A sea swept the decks, -carrying overboard a dozen barrels of pork and making a clean breach -through her starboard bulwarks. The adventurers awoke next morning, -sobered and sick. A few of them who had been sailors volunteered to aid -in working the vessel. The relief came none too soon, as it was found -that the ship had been dragging her anchor and several fathom of cable -all night, the deserters having failed to make it fast. The filibusters -grimly consoled themselves with the reflection that they had not been -born to be drowned. - -Arrived at San Vincente, the reinforcements went into camp, amusing -themselves, while they awaited orders to march, by foraging on the -scattered ranches. Horses were procured by forced levies, and paid for -in the promissory notes of the "Republic." Here for the first time -Walker displayed the traits of stern command which afterwards made his -name a word of terror in the ears of men who feared nothing else, human -or divine. Half a score of the boldest desperadoes in camp formed a -plot to blow up the magazine at night and desert with what plunder they -might be able to seize in the confusion of the moment. To carry out -their plan involved the risk of killing many of their comrades, as the -ammunition was kept in the middle of the camp. Notice of the plot -reached Walker, who had two of the ringleaders tried by court-martial -and summarily shot. Two others were publicly whipped and drummed out of -camp. Walker then ordered a muster of the troops, and after making a -stirring appeal to them, called upon all who were willing to abide by -his fortunes to hold up their hands. All of the original forty-five, -and a few of the _rancherio_ passengers, responded; the others -shouldered their rifles and prepared to march. Walker confronted the -recreants, and quietly ordered them to stack their arms, a command -which, after some hesitation, they obeyed. They were then suffered to -leave the camp. Less than a hundred men now formed the army of the -republic. He gave orders to march to Sonora by the mountain paths, -around the head of the Gulf of California. They buried the arms and -ammunition of the deserters in _caches_. Two men deserted on the march -and joined the Indians, who harried the little band at every step. - -The river Colorado was crossed on rafts. Disease and desertion thinned -the ranks. The wounded died for lack of proper treatment, as there was -not a case of surgical instruments in the army. They extracted -arrow-heads from their wounds with probes improvised from ramrods. -Every morning's roll-call showed a dwindling force. Beef was the only -food left. Two men quarrelled over a handful of parched corn, and one -shot the other dead. They were in rags. The President of Sonora, -wearing a boot on one foot, a shoe on the other, fared no better than -his followers. Those followers soon numbered less than fifty. A council -of war was held, and it was decided to return to San Vincente. The -Mexicans hung upon their flanks and rear, cutting off every straggler. -Recrossing the mountains, they narrowly escaped annihilation in a gorge -which widened out at the middle to a plateau of half a mile across, -with a narrow opening at either end. Half way across the plains the -Indians appeared on flank and front and opened a galling fire. Walker -here showed coolness and generalship. Leaving twelve men hidden in a -clump of bushes under command of Lieutenant P. S. Veeder, a cool young -soldier, afterwards distinguished in Nicaragua, he retreated with the -rest of the command towards the entrance of the valley. The passage had -already been closed by the enemy's forces, who met the retiring party -with an ill-aimed volley of arrows and bullets. At the same time those -guarding the other pass joined their friends on the flanks in charging -the Americans. As they passed the thicket where Veeder and his men lay -in ambush, they received a deadly volley at short range. Every bullet -struck down its man. Walker at the same time turned and delivered an -equally well-aimed fire, which put the enemy to full flight. The two -detachments then passed unmolested through the further defile before -the astonished natives could be rallied to the charge. No bribes of -_aguardiente_, with which the Mexicans were wont to ply their Indian -allies could thenceforth induce the natives to face the deadly American -rifles. They hung upon the line of march like coyotes, prowling about -the late scene of each encampment, and robbing each new-made grave of -its tenant's blanket, the only shroud of the poor filibuster who fell -in the waste places of Sonora. - -At San Vincente, where Walker had left in March a party of eighteen men -to guard the barracks, he found not one remaining. A dozen had -deserted, and the rest, unsuspicious of danger, had been swooped upon -by a band of mounted Mexicans, who lassoed and tortured them to death. -So many successive reverses sealed the fate of the expedition. To wait -for reinforcements, even could they have come, from California was -hopeless. Walker had but thirty-five men remaining. They were destitute -of everything but ammunition and weapons; of these they had more than -enough. At various places they had buried boxes of carbines and -pistols. Eight guns were spiked at San Vincente. A hundred kegs of -powder were cached on the banks of the Rio Colorado. Years afterwards -the peon herdsmen or prowling Cucupa Indian stumbled, in the mountain -by-paths, over the bleaching skeleton of some nameless one whose -resting-place was marked by no cross or cairn, but the Colt's revolver -rusting beside his bones bespoke his country and his occupation--the -only relic of the would-be Conquistadores of the nineteenth century. - -The stolid native who had sworn fealty to the mushroom republic, under -pain of imprisonment for refusal, easily forgot his oath when the -accursed "Gringo" had turned his back. The _rancherio_, whose sole -mementos of vanished horses and cattle were the bonds of the Republic -of Sonora, vainly proffered those securities at the cock-pit and the -monte-table. The American of the North had come and gone like a -pestilence, or like his ante-type of buccaneering days; nought remained -save disappointed ambition with the one, and a bitter memory with the -other. - -The invasion was every way inexcusable. That his interference was -unwelcome to the natives Walker soon found out; nor was he slow to -learn that nothing less formidable than an army of occupation, backed -by a strong power, could push his cherished dream of a new conquest of -Mexico beyond the unsubstantial realms of fantasy. - -With sinking heart, but bearing the calm front which never failed him, -he led his starving, travel-worn band toward the California frontier. -The natives made a feeble show of opposing their retreat. A host of -ill-trained soldiery, formidable only in numbers, held the mountain -heights; their Indian allies were drawn up on the plain to contest the -passage. Colonel Melendrez, commanding the Mexican forces, sent four -Indians with a flag of truce into the filibuster camp, bearing an offer -of protection and free passage across the American border to all except -the leader; Walker, with all the arms of the company, must be first -given up. Such an offer would have been rejected, in the face of -certain death, by men familiar as these were with the Punic faith of -the Spaniard. Made as it was to men who had followed their chieftain -through hunger and want, battle and defeat, up to this moment, when -they could see their country's flag waving over the United States -military camp across the border, it was treated with scornful laughter. -Melendrez then begged the United States commander to interfere and -compel the surrender, a request which, as it could not have been -granted without a violation of Mexican territory, was properly refused. -Three miles of road lay between the filibusters and the boundary line. -Walker, resorting to strategy, left half a dozen men concealed behind -some rocks to cover his retreat. The natives, with a wholesome dread of -the American rifle, followed him at what seemed a safe distance and -rode straight into the ambush. Half a dozen rifles emptied as many -saddles, whereupon Melendrez and his Mexicans galloped off at full -speed, leaving their Indian allies to follow as best they might. The -filibusters lost one man, a victim to his own indiscretion in having -borrowed a leaf from the enemy's tactics and fortified his courage with -too much _aguardiente_. - -So ended the last battle of the Republic of Sonora--if it be not a -travesty to call by the name of battle a fruitless fight between a -score of men on one side and a hundred ignorant savages on the other. -Four and thirty tattered, hungry, gaunt pedestrians, whimsically -representing in their persons the president, cabinet, army and navy of -Sonora, marched across the line and surrendered as prisoners of war to -Major Mckinstry, U.S.A., at San Diego, California. It was the 8th of -May, 1854; and so Walker kept his thirtieth birthday. - -A parole, pledging the prisoners to present themselves for trial to -General Wool, at San Francisco, was signed by all, after which they -were allowed to depart. - -Of those starving, wounded, battle-scarred survivors of several months' -accumulated miseries the names signed to the parole contain at least -six of men who had love for their leader, or enough of unconquerable -daring, to send them, twelve months later, in search of fresh dangers -and glories under the same commander. - -Walker came back from Sonora, defeated but not disheartened. He had -proved himself a leader of men, even in so small an arena. Thenceforth, -until his star of "destiny" was eclipsed in death, his name was worth a -thousand men wherever hard fighting and desperate hopes might call him. -It must be said in his favour that he sought popularity by none of the -tricks of the demagogue. In camp or field he was ever the same cold, -self-contained, fearless commander, inflexible in discipline, sparing -of speech, prodigal of action. He won the devoted obedience of the -wildest spirits by governing himself. His word of command was not "Go," -but "Come"--the Napoleonic talisman. Only to the youngest of his -followers would he ever unbend his solitary dignity. One of them, whose -name, William Pfaff, appears on the San Diego parole, was a youth of -fifteen. He was with difficulty restrained from following his leader to -Nicaragua. He lived through four years of service in our Civil War, but -no dangers or hardships could erase the memory of his experience in -Sonora. "The rebellion was a picnic to it," said he, in the fine -hyperbole of California. - -The trial of the filibuster leader for breaking the neutrality laws -of the United States ended in a prompt acquittal. Walker resumed -the editorial chair, supporting Broderick in the _San Francisco -Commercial_, the personal organ of that ill-fated politician. Let us -leave the filibuster in his Elba, and visit the country which was -destined to become the scene of his dazzling but brief career of glory, -defeat, and death. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -Nicaragua--"Mahomet's Paradise"--Buccaneering visitors--Philip II. and -an Isthmian Canal--Nelson defeated by a girl--The apocryphal heroine of -San Carlos. - - -Nature in lavishing her favours on Nicaragua, left little for man to -add. It is a tropical country with a temperate climate, one half of its -territory having a mean elevation of 5,000 feet above the level of the -sea. In that favoured land the primeval curse is stayed; where nature -forestalls every necessity, no need for man to toil or want. Fruits -grow in the reckless profusion of the tropics, and clothing is a -superfluity wisely counted as such. Two-hundred and fifty thousand -children, young and old, occupy a domain as large as New England. They -are poor in accumulated wealth as the poorest peasantry of Europe; they -are rich, knowing no want unsatisfied, as a nation of millionaires. But -Nicaragua is a country in which to study with doubt the doctrine of the -survival of the fittest. The early discoverers called it "Mahomet's -Paradise," an apt name for a land of sensuous happiness. - -There man reaps without sowing, and the harvest never fails. He has but -to stretch forth his hand and feast on dainties such as seldom grace -the tables of kings; the citron, the lemon, the orange (with often -10,000 on a single tree), the banana, the mango, the papaya, the cocoa, -the tamarind, the milk-tree, the butter tree, and a spontaneous -perennial growth of coffee, cacao, sugar, tobacco, and everything that -grows or can be grown in any tropical or temperate clime. Half the year -he may sling his hammock beneath the shady trees. In the rainy season a -few stakes and a thatch of palm leaves afford him ample shelter. -Medicinal trees and herbs abound everywhere, for the relief of the few -ills to which his flesh is heir. Birds of gayest plumage, flowers of -loveliest hue, greet his eyes on every side. In the noble forests, -where the pine and the palm grow beside the ceiba, the mimosa, and the -stately cactus, the splendours of the rainbow are rivalled in the -plumage of parrots, macaws, humming-birds, toucans, and the beautiful -winged creature that bears the imperial name of Montezuma. It is the -latest and the fairest land of earth, and the heavenly radiance of -youth is on its face. So young, that the fires of nature's workshop -have not yet died out. The volcano, towering thousands of feet towards -heaven, still smoulders or flames, and the earth is shaken ever and -anon by the engines of the Titans. Ometepe the glorious lifts his -cloud-capped head five thousand feet out of the placid bosom of Lake -Nicaragua; Madera, his neighbour, is but eight hundred feet less lofty. -Momotombo and Mombacho and El Viejo, and the twin peaks which watch the -mouth of Fonseca Bay, are flaming swords guarding the Eden to which the -serpent has come, as of old, with a human tongue. - -Little note takes the Nicaraguan of the lavish favours of nature, whose -grandest mystery but awakens a languid _Quien Sabe?_ and whose most -winning plea extorts only a more languid _Poco tiempo_--the eternal by -and by of indolence. One per cent. of the whole population makes a show -of studying the elements of education. Why should they vex their souls -in search of knowledge, when all that life needs can be had for the -asking? Not, surely, to heap up wealth. Nature takes care even of that, -for money grows upon trees of Nicaragua--that is to say, the fractional -currency of the people is nuts, one cacao-nut being equal to a fortieth -of a _medio_ in value, and passing current as such in all the smaller -affairs of trade. Nor is it worth the trouble of mastering letters -where illiteracy is no bar to civil or military advancement, and where, -especially if the "Serviles" be in power, an unlettered bandit ranks -almost as high as a rascally advocate. In the days of President -Chamorro the most notorious ruffians held high office, the revenues of -the state were farmed out on the system which prevails to-day only in -the more barbarous parts of Asia, so that it was a saying in the -neighboring states, where, too, glass-houses are not scarce, that "the -calf was not safe in the cow, from the thieves of Nicaragua." - -It was not always so in Nicaragua. Years before the mail-clad Spaniard -brought the curse of civilization across the western ocean, the simple -Aztec built his altars to the sun on every hill-top from sea to sea. -Centuries ere the Aztec, there flourished a semi-civilized race whose -history is written in hieroglyphics of a language utterly dead and -forgotten, and who have left no lineal descendants. Even such fragments -of Aztec lore as survived the fanaticism of the Conquistadores in -Mexico are wanting to the annals of the earlier Central American -civilization. It was a culture of rich growth in its day and place, -destined like that of the contemporary Roman Empire, to tempt the -cupidity of a hardier race, and after an unavailing struggle, to fall -before the might of numbers and superior physique. Howbeit, the Aztec -Goths and Vandals overran the isthmus, and when the Spanish invasion -came, it met only the late subjects of Montezuma's widespread, -ill-governed kingdom. - -The religion of Nicaragua before the conquest was a gloomy idolatry. -The predecessors of the Aztec are conjectured to have been a gentle -race, but no match in prowess for their conquerors. The Spaniards found -a people of sun-worshippers degraded by human sacrifice and attendant -cannibalism. Between them and distant Anahuac, to which they owed -allegiance, lay the dense forests and trackless swamps of Yucatan. The -journey by land at this day is long and toilsome. Cortez, nevertheless, -projected and carried out an exploration as far as Honduras, until his -appalled veterans refused to go further southward. - -Don Pedrarias d'Avila, Governor of Panama, undertook its exploration -from the south in 1514. Nine years later he was encouraged to send a -force for its subjugation, under command of Francisco de Cordova, who -secured the submission of its cacique, Nicarao or Nicaya. The -conquerors gave that chieftain's name to his country. They founded Leon -and Granada, which have remained its leading cities. Nicaragua gave a -few recruits to Pizarro. Philip II., with narrow-minded foresight, sent -a commission to survey the isthmus and judge of the feasibility of -cutting a ship canal. The report was favourable, the route by way of -Panama being chosen. It was too favourable, as it pointed out the -advantages of such a passage to international commerce. Spain did not -want such broad liberality, and Philip decreed the punishment of death -to any one who might thereafter propose to wed the two oceans together. -But, as high tariffs encourage smuggling, so prohibited commerce takes -refuge in privateering. The Buccaneers arose to dispute with Spain the -monopoly of her American trade. The isthmus suffered most from their -ravages. Panama, then as now, the most important city on the coast, was -the depot for the royal treasure gathered at the adjacent mines of -Cana. Drake paid it a predatory visit in 1586. It was afterwards taken -and sacked at different times by Morgan, Sharpe, Ringrose, and Dampier. -It was burned three times between 1670 and 1680. Finally it was -abandoned for the new town, three miles inland. - -Nicaragua, though liable to predatory forays, had not wealth enough to -tempt the buccaneers from richer prey. Cape Gracias a Dios, on its -north-eastern boundary, was a rendezvous of the freebooters; but the -Atlantic coast was even less inviting to the plunder-seekers than the -Pacific. The narratives of the buccaneers touch lightly on it. Its name -of the Mosquito Coast appears to have been well deserved. De Lussan -speaks with lively horror of the pestiferous little insect which "is -sooner felt than seen." - -The buccaneers passed away, but left a legacy. Great Britain in 1742 -laid claim to the Bay Islands, which had been captured by English -buccaneers just a century before. A war with Spain ensued, without -material gain to either party. By the treaty of 1763, England renounced -her claim on Central America, and evacuated all the disputed territory, -except the Island of Ruatan, on the Atlantic coast of Honduras, a -shirking of her obligations which awakened a renewal of hostilities. In -1780 Colonel Polson was sent to invade Nicaragua. Landing a force of -two hundred sailors and marines at San Juan del Norte, he ascended the -river in boats, carrying with little trouble the half-dozen fortified -positions on its banks. At the head of the river, where it receives the -waters of Lake Nicaragua, the expedition was confronted by the frowning -batteries of Fort San Carlos, then, as now, guarding the mouth of the -lake. - -At this point in the narrative, history and tradition part company, the -former averring, upon historical and biographical English authority, -that Horatio Nelson, then a simple unknown captain commanding the naval -forces, reduced the fort, inflicted a severe chastisement upon the -enemy and returned victorious to his ships. Tradition tells a prettier -story. - -As the flotilla neared the shore in line of battle, the stillness was -unbroken, save by the plash of their oars and the music of the surf. -Not a soldier was visible on the ramparts, for the cowardly varlets of -the garrison, taking advantage of the Commandante's sickness, had fled -to the woods at the first sight of the enemy. The gallant hidalgo in -command was left without a single attendant, save his lovely daughter. -But she was a true soldier's child, with the spirit of a heroine. The -boats drew rapidly near the shore, their oars flashing in the morning -sun, the gunners awaiting with lighted matches the order to fire. -Nelson stood up to bid his men give way, and at the instant a flash was -seen in one of the embrasures of the fort; the next moment the roar of -a cannon broke the stillness of lake and forest. Immediately gun after -gun echoed the sound, but the first had done the work of an army, by -striking down Horatio Nelson. The boats pulled rapidly out of range and -down the river, beaten and discouraged. Nor did they escape heavier -losses; for the Spaniards so harassed and plagued them on the retreat -that, of the two hundred men who had started from San Juan, but ten -returned in safety. Nelson's wound cost him the loss of an eye; and he -who had never turned his back on a foe-man fled from the guns of San -Carlos, served by a girl of sixteen. It was the Commandante's daughter, -Donna Rafaela Mora, who had fired the battery and saved Nicaragua. The -heroine of Fort San Carlos was decorated by the King of Spain, -commissioned a colonel in the royal service, and pensioned for life. - -Such is the tradition, accepted as authentic by the natives and -supported by the testimony of several trustworthy travellers. None of -Nelson's biographers make mention of the heroic maiden. According to -those historians, Nelson ascended the river as far as Fort San -Juan--probably Castillo Viejo--which he reduced after a somewhat -protracted siege and a heavy loss to his forces. They place the scene -of the accident by which he lost his eye at the siege of Calvi, in the -Island of Corsica. Yet Captain Bedford Pim, of the Royal Navy, in his -book of Nicaraguan travel, gives unquestioning credence to the legend -of the country; which has also been accepted by other English writers -who may be supposed to have a familiar acquaintance with the life of -Nelson. So firmly is it believed in Nicaragua that, upon the strength -of his inherited glory, General Martinez, a grandson of the heroine, -was chosen President of the state in 1857, although there was at the -time a regularly-elected President claiming and lawfully entitled to -the office--a fact which should suffice to silence the most captious -critic. In an iconoclastic age it were needless cruelty to rob the poor -Nicaraguan of the only bit of heroic history he possesses. Possibly -Nelson's biographers suppressed an incident which did not redound to -the glory of their hero; perchance, his Catholic Majesty was imposed -upon, or the tradition of the Maid of San Carlos may be but another -transplanted solar myth. _Quien sabe?_ - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -British intrigues on the Isthmus--Morazan and the Confederacy--The -Mosquito Dynasty--Bombardment of San Juan--Castellon calls in the -foreigner--Doubleday and his free lances--Cole's contract approved by -Walker. - - -So long as Central America remained a province of Spain, England's -policy was one of peaceful words and hostile deeds. Binding herself, by -treaty after treaty, to the renunciation of all claims upon the -country, she steadily maintained and extended her hold upon various -objective points--Ruatan, Belize, and the Bay Islands which command the -Gulf of Mexico, being her favourite spoils. Some equivocal clause in a -treaty, a frivolous pretence of avenging some imaginary dishonour, a -buccaneer's legacy, a negro king's grant, if no better offered, was put -forward as the excuse for armed occupation. Spain's ill-gotten -possessions were beginning to bear the usual fruit. At length, in 1821, -the colonies of the isthmus heard the cry of liberty from the North -echoed by a responsive one from the South. Spanish America shook the -chain fretted and worn in the friction of centuries, snapped the frail -links asunder, and stood up among the nations, free. But the iron had -done its work. The cramped limbs refused their offices; the eyes, wont -to peer half closed in dungeon light, blinked and were dazed in the -sudden noon of liberty. The body was that of a freeman, but the soul -was the soul of a slave. When liberty comes to a nation prematurely, -she must be born again in pain and travail ere the boon be valued by -its receiver. - -A disunited union of a few years' duration, a travesty of power under -Iturbide's pasteboard crown, secession, reunion, discord, -revolution--the annals of Central America are the Newgate Calendar of -history. Yet, among the ignoble or infamous names of Central American -rulers, there is one worthy of a brighter page, as its owner was of a -better fate. Don Francisco Morazan, first president of the five united -states, hardly deserved the title given him of the "Washington of -Central America." He was an able, brave, and patriotic man, but cruel -and vindictive towards his opponents. He was chosen to the presidency -in 1831, and filled the office nine years; at the end of which time the -natives had grown heartily tired of the civilized innovations, which -were as unfitted to their inferior nature as the stiff garments of -fashion to their supple limbs. Morazan had neither the grace nor the -wisdom to accept philosophically the people's choice of a reactionary -demagogue who catered to their tastes, and so he began to intrigue -against the government of his successor, failing in which he was forced -to fly to South America. Two years afterwards he landed with only three -hundred followers in Costa Rica, and made himself master of the -capital. But the President of that state soon rallied a force of five -thousand and besieged the invader, who, after a gallant resistance of -two days, was compelled to surrender. He was tried and found guilty of -conspiring against the confederated states, and was put to death, -together with his chief adherents, on the 15th of September, 1842. -Guatemala ended the troublesome question of representative government -in 1851 by electing Carrera, a half-breed, to the office of president -for life. - -The states of Central America, torn by internal strife, wasting their -scant resources in fruitless wars and sad faction fights, were fast -lapsing into a barbarism below that of Nicarao when he bowed to the -Spanish yoke. Untainted by foreign blood, the independent native tribes -proved themselves superior to the mongrel descendants of Cordova and -D'Avila. The Indians of Darien and the Rio Frio region and the -mountains of northern Costa Rica to this day preserve their freedom, -whilst Nicaragua and Costa Rica have been wrangling, year after year, -for the empty honour of being called their sovereign. - -To this man-cursed land nature had given a noble heritage, coveted by -many a powerful nation, though none dared clutch it single-handed. It -is the lake, or inland sea, which covers five thousand square miles of -the state, elevated one hundred and seven feet above the mean -tide-level of the ocean, a natural reservoir, with an outlet ninety -miles long--the San Juan river. By making this outlet navigable for -large vessels, a comparatively easy work, and by cutting a canal -sixteen and one-third miles in length, across the neck of land lying -between the Lake and the Pacific Ocean, a highway could be opened to -the commerce of the world, whose benefits it would be hard to -over-estimate. It was a noble scheme, appealing to the enterprise of -the civilized world and to the enlightened statesmanship of men like -Bolivar and Morazan. Humboldt advocated it. Louis Napoleon beguiled his -prison hours at Ham by writing a pamphlet showing its feasibility and -need. As a commercial undertaking, its value was beyond question: the -eye of national aggrandizement saw in it even more alluring features. -The nation that should control that canal might be the dictator of -America. Such nation was not, and could not be, that which, like the -nerveless Ottoman, holds a point of vantage by the right of -geographical position and by that alone. The power which held the key -to the Mediterranean, and stood ready to seize the Isthmus of Suez, -looked wistfully towards Nicaragua. Many and plausible were the dormant -claims of England upon the territory of her weak enemy. For years she -had exercised a nominal protectorate over the eastern coast known as -the Mosquito kingdom. - -The monarchs of Mosquito were ignorant negroes, ruling a scattered -tribe, the savage descendants of a slave cargo wrecked upon the coast -in the seventeenth century. They were appointed at various times by -British man-of-war captains, being installed or dethroned at the will -of their masters. Nicaragua, while never acknowledging this authority, -lacked power to assert her own over the comparatively worthless tracts -of her eastern coast, holding possession only of the river and town of -San Juan. In 1839, the reigning king of Mosquito, His Majesty Robert -Charles Frederick the First, cancelled a debt contracted for sundry -liquors and other royal supplies, by making a grant of territory -amounting to twenty-two and a half million acres or more. The grantees, -Peter and Samuel Shepard, transferred the grant to the Central American -Colonization Company, an American Association. This was the foundation -of what became afterwards known as the Kinney Expedition. - -The royal line of Mosquito may be classed among the unfortunate -dynasties of the world. The first monarch, whose name is lost to -history, was killed in a drunken brawl; his half-brother and successor -was dethroned by a British captain, who placed a distant scion, George -Frederick by name, on the vacant throne. The reign of the latter was -short. His son, Robert Charles Frederick the First, was a merry -monarch, "scandalous and poor," who sold his birthright to the Shepards -for a mess of Jamaica rum and sundry pairs of cotton breeches. His son, -George William Clarence, was reigning in 1850. - -The superior swiftness of American ships had enabled the United States -to forestall their English rivals in seizing California; whereupon the -latter took the bold step, in 1848, of occupying at the same time Tigre -Island, on the Pacific coast of the isthmus, and San Juan del Norte, on -the Atlantic, which latter place they christened Greytown, in honour of -a governor of Jamaica. England thus had the keys of the isthmus in her -hands; the canal, worthless without a safe entrance and exit, might -fall to the lot of him who chose the barren glory of building it. But, -strange to say, the United States possessed at that time a useful -diplomatic servant in their minister to Central America, the Honourable -E. G. Squier, one, moreover, whose claim to honour rests upon a broader -basis than the thankless triumphs of public service. He promptly -seconded the protest of Honduras against the utterly indefensible -robbery of her territory, Tigre Island. His government took up the -question, and the island was reluctantly given up. - -At the same time, the United States formally protested against the -seizure of San Juan. Long and wordy negotiations ensued, ending in the -so-called Clayton-Bulwer Treaty. It was a practical victory for Great -Britain, as it entrapped the American Government into an obligation to -refrain from "ever holding any exclusive control over the said ship -canal, erecting or maintaining any fortifications commanding the same, -or in the vicinity thereof, occupying, fortifying, colonizing or -assuming or exercising any dominion over Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the -Mosquito Coast, or any part of Central America." Great Britain, with -apparent fairness, bound herself to equal neutrality. The difference -was that the United States promised to abstain from ever taking any -steps to control the only avenue then available between the Eastern and -the Western States of the Union, thus being placed upon the same -footing with distant European nations which could have no such vital -interests in the isthmus. Great Britain agreed to refrain from acts -which were not only dangerous and inexcusable, but of very doubtful -feasibility. Another difference: the United States kept the pledge; -Great Britain broke it within fourteen months. The treaty was signed by -both parties, and proclaimed on the 5th of July, 1850. In August of the -following year, Captain Jolly, of the Royal Navy, solemnly annexed the -island of Ruatan to the colony of Belize, which, notwithstanding the -treaty, had remained a nominal dependency of England. In July, 1852, -Augustus Frederick Gore, Colonial Secretary of Belize, proclaimed that -"Her Gracious Majesty, our Queen, has been pleased to constitute and -make the islands of Ruatan, Bonacca, Utilla, Barbarat, Helene, and -Morat to be a colony to be known and designated as the Colony of the -Bay Islands." It was the buccaneer's legacy _redivivus_. - -Now, if ever, was a favourable time for the application of a theory set -forth by a President of the United States nearly thirty years before: -"That the American Continents, by the free and independent position -which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be -considered as subjects for future colonization by any European power." -So reads the extract from President Monroe's seventh annual message, -dated the 2nd December, 1823, and known as the "Monroe Doctrine." This -bold assumption of a protectorate over two continents was nothing more -than the expression of its author's private opinion, unsupported by -official action, either at home or abroad. But it fell like a bombshell -into the diplomatic circles of the world. It was criticized, derided, -repudiated by every nation of Europe; but it was secretly feared and -not openly disobeyed by any, even in the much-vexed discussion of the -Central American question. England carefully based her claim to the -coveted territory upon the alleged facts of long possession and -colonization. It is needless to say that the "Monroe Doctrine," even -had it been incorporated in the American constitution, could not have -been entertained for a moment in the high court of nations, save after -the manner that such doubtful claims are always conceded to the right -of might. - -The British no longer claimed for themselves or their royal puppets of -Mosquito, authority over the port of San Juan. Nevertheless, the -traditional British man-of-war within a day's sail of anywhere -continued to haunt the Caribbean Sea. The Transit Company's steamers -sailed regularly between New York and San Juan. In May, 1854, a captain -of one of them shot a negro in the streets of San Juan, and fled from -arrest to the United States Consulate. The American minister, Borland, -refused to surrender the fugitive to the officers of justice. A mob -surrounded the consulate, and during the fray which ensued the minister -was hit on the cheek by a bottle thrown by some rioter. Consul Fabens, -then on board the steamer _Northern Light_, sent a boat ashore to take -off the minister and his criminal guest, Captain Smith. Before the -steamer sailed with the minister on board, a guard of fifty Americans -was armed and left behind to protect the Transit Company's property at -Puntas Arenas, a point of land opposite the town of San Juan. The boat -which carried Minister Borland to the steamer was fired upon by the -natives, but, as it appears, not with fatal results. Still the -indignity offered to the representative of a great nation must be -atoned for. The United States sloop-of-war _Cyane_ was sent out as -soon as the matter was reported at Washington. Her commander, Captain -Hollins, on arriving off the town, found the inevitable British -man-of-war lying between him and the shore. He promptly notified the -Nicaraguan authorities of his intention to bombard the town, which was -thereupon hastily evacuated. The captain of H.B.M. ship _Express_ -refused to move out of range, until the guns of the _Cyane_ had been -trained to rake his decks, when he reluctantly dropped astern, after -protesting that the American superiority of armament alone saved the -dispute from being settled by the last argument of kings and captains. -The disparity is to be regretted, in view of the wearisome and vain -diplomacy afterwards spent upon a question which force alone, or the -show of it, could finally settle. - -While the guns of the _Cyane_ were squandering powder on the frail -huts of San Juan in lieu of a worthier target, Nicaragua was too deeply -engrossed in her usual internecine strife to resent the outrage from -abroad. Don Fruto Chamorro, who succeeded Pineda as president in 1851, -found himself towards the close of his term, ambitious of another lease -of power. Chamorro was the leader of the Legitimist, or Servile party, -as it was called; Don Francisco Castellon was the choice of the Liberal -or Democratic party. At the biennial election in 1853, both parties -claimed the victory, and, as is usual in such disputes, possession was -the strongest point of law. Chamorro proclaimed himself duly elected, -and was installed in office at Granada, the chief city of the Servile -faction. Leon, the larger and more prosperous city, favoured the cause -of Castellon, whereupon Chamorro promptly arrested his rival with -several of his adherents, and banished them from the country. They took -refuge in Honduras, whose president, Cabanas, received them hospitably. -Chamorro, to make his position more secure, had himself, on April 30, -1854, proclaimed president for two terms or four years. A usurpation so -bold was calculated to defeat its own object. - -Castellon landed at Realejo within a week after its declaration, with -only thirty-six followers. The Leonese rallied to his support, and -drove Chamorro out of the department and into the Servile stronghold, -the city of Granada. Soon after they obtained control of the lake and -river and laid siege to Granada. The siege lasted nine months without -material advantage on either side. Castellon was proclaimed Provisional -Director by his party. Chamorro dying on the 12th of March, 1855, was -succeeded by Senator Don Jose Maria Estrada, a weak substitute for his -brave, popular, and ambitious predecessor. Each party had now a _de -facto_ president. General Jose Trinidad Munoz, a veteran of Santa -Ana's, and like that luckless hero, fully impressed with the delusion -that he was a physical and mental counterpart of the great Napoleon, -commanded the army of Castellon. The Serviles were headed by Don -Ponciano Corral, a clever, unscrupulous man, who relied upon the -military assistance of adjacent states to strengthen the arms of his -party. - -Such was the state of affairs in Nicaragua in August, 1854, when an -American, named Byron Cole, presented himself before Castellon with a -novel offer. Cole, who had been formerly a Boston editor, was -proprietor of the newspaper which we left under the editorial -management of the late President of Sonora. His faith in the military -genius of his editor was in nowise abated by the disastrous end of the -Sonora expedition. Arriving in the camp of the Democrats when their -earlier conquests were gradually slipping from their hands, and the -long siege of Granada had been raised in despair, Cole's offer of aid -was eagerly embraced by Castellon and his party. - -They had already known and rated the value of the American rifleman as -an auxiliary. At an early period of the civil war, an adventurous -California pioneer, named C. W. Doubleday, found himself at the port of -San Juan del Sur, the Pacific terminus of the Transit. He was -homeward-bound after years of absence, but being thrown into the -society of some Democratic leaders, he did not require much persuasion -before deciding to abandon his cabin passage, already paid to New York, -and become an apostle of Democratic principles among his fellow -passengers. He worked with such good effect that thirty of them -volunteered under his lead and marched to the aid of the army investing -Granada. They were reckless fighters, who looked upon Central American -warfare as holiday pastime. Nevertheless, although reinforced from time -to time by occasional American recruits, who had drifted into the -country on their way to or from California, ere the siege was raised -they had been reduced by war and disease to the number of four. -Doubleday then organized from the flower of the native army a corps of -sharpshooters with whom he covered the retreat to Leon, losing nearly -all his company, but impressing the native soldiery with a favourable -opinion of the Americans as bold and reckless fighters. - -Cole's plan to bring in a formidable American contingent to aid the -Democratic cause, came at a time when foreign help was doubly welcome. -Castellon's Honduran allies had been abruptly recalled to meet an -invasion of their own country by Guatemala. The Serviles, now in -possession of lake and river, were slowly but surely advancing on Leon. -The strength which the Leonese might have received from the Democratic -states adjoining was needed by these at home to protect themselves -against their aristocratic enemies, and against the alert, wily -intrigues of European agents. - -Therefore, in October, 1854, Byron Cole made a contract with the -government of Castellon to supply to the Democratic army three hundred -American "colonists liable to military duty." The settlers should be -entitled to a grant of 52,000 acres of land, and should have the -privilege of becoming citizens upon a formal declaration of that -intention. Cole took his contract and sailed for California to receive -his chief's ratification. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -Purchase of the _Vesta_--May 4th, 1855, sailing of the "Immortal -Fifty-six"--The American Phalanx--First battle of Rivas--Punishing a -desperado--Trouble in Castellon's Cabinet--Battle at Virgin Bay--Death -of Castellon. - - -Walker submitted the contract, worded with legal precision, to the -civil and military authorities at San Francisco, and was gratified to -learn that it in nowise threatened to violate the neutrality laws of -the country. General Wool, to whom Walker had surrendered on his return -from Sonora, professed himself satisfied; the district attorney of the -United States found no flaw; but everybody in San Francisco knew that -Walker was about to colonize Nicaragua with filibusters, and smiled at -the peaceful fiction. The legal difficulties overcome, there remained -the graver question of funds. To add to his embarrassments, Walker fell -sick. It was late in April before he had succeeded in getting the few -thousand dollars needed to charter and fit out a vessel. Meanwhile -General Jerez, commanding the Democratic army at Leon, had made one or -two contracts with other Americans, unknown to his superiors. The -Granadinos, too, not to be behind their Democratic rivals, had sent Don -Guadalupe Saenz to California to drum up recruits for their side. But -nothing came of either venture, and the Leonese, now hemmed in their -own department by the victorious Legitimists, looked wistfully for the -coming of Walker. He at last succeeded in collecting the barely -necessary amount of money, and cast about him for a suitable vessel to -carry the new Argonauts. - -In the shipping intelligence of the day is chronicled amongst the -clearances at the San Francisco Custom House, on April 21st, the brig -_Vesta_, Captain Briggs, for Realejo, forty-seven passengers. She -did not sail, however, though some fifty or sixty passengers had taken -their quarters on board. For at the last moment a new obstacle arose. -Walker had bought her outright, though she was a slow, unseaworthy -craft, some thirty years old, as nothing better offered, and found out, -when too late, that she was liable for several debts incurred by the -former owners. The sheriff seized her and, for security, had her sails -stripped off and stored on shore. New creditors with old claims also -appeared, ready to serve other attachments as soon as the first should -be dissolved. Everybody who held a claim, real or fictitious, against -the luckless craft, hastened to present it, knowing that Walker must -pay their demands or incur a delay of tedious litigation, and delay -meant death to his hopes. A revenue cutter drew up alongside the brig, -ready to prevent a possible attempt at departure. The expeditionists -grew restive, but Walker quieted them with the promise of a speedy -departure. Seeking out the creditor who had attached the vessel, Walker -persuaded him to grant a release on easy terms, but it took his last -cent to defray the sheriff's extravagant fees of three hundred dollars. -The last charge was paid on the 3rd of May, and Walker was authorized -to ask the revenue cutter's aid in having the brig's sails bent on, -which was rapidly and noiselessly done at night. But though out of the -hands of the Government officers, the _Vesta_ was still liable to -detention by civil process, and a sheriff's keeper remained on board. -The captain fearing to risk illegal steps, a new commander, M. D. Eyre, -was hastily engaged. He went on board about midnight, having hired a -towboat to carry the brig out to sea, and about the hour of one on the -morning of May 4, 1855, the legal functionary was put on board the -tow-boat, the lines cast off, and fifty-six filibusters embarked on a -voyage of 2,700 miles in a crazy brig bound for a hostile port. A story -is told that just before putting to sea, Walker invited the sheriff's -officer into the cabin and addressed him briefly as follows: "Here, -sir, are wine and cigars; also handcuffs and irons. Please make choice -of which you will have. This vessel is going to sea." The officer, -according to this rather apocryphal story, was a man of the world, and -the _Vesta_ put to sea. - -Walker breathed more freely as the Golden Gate closed behind him, and -the tug-boat _Resolute_, fading to a smoky speck on the water, -loosened the last tenacious tentacle of the octopus--law. Harassed -like Cortez by petty trials, he was, like him, sailing with a few -chosen followers to a new destiny. He confided in the superiority of -civilization over barbarism, and the certainty that he would receive -his country's support the moment that success should first crown his -arms: success which condones even greater faults than illegal warfare. -The cost of failure he did not count. The stout-hearted hunter who -enters a lion's den does not ask what will happen if nerve or steel -fail him confronting his angry foe. Despite the result, there is -something thrilling in the story of the fifty-six men who stole out of -a harbour by night to conquer an empire--and all but succeeded! For -not by armaments nor resources should such enterprises be judged, but -by the deeds of the adventurers. As Prescott says, "It is not numbers -that give importance to a conflict, but the consequences that depend -upon it; the magnitude of the stake, and the skill and courage of the -players--the more limited the means, even, the greater may be the -science shown in the use of them." - -They sailed down the Pacific coast--a long and stormy voyage--and, -after touching at Tigre Island for a pilot, cast anchor in the port of -Realejo, Nicaragua, on the 16th day of June. Old Realejo, at which the -_Vesta's_ voyage ended, was the site of a once prosperous Spanish -town with a good harbour and deep tide-water; but so often had the -buccaneers ravaged it, that the inhabitants had abandoned it and built -a new town of the same name five miles further up the river, accessible -only to boats of light draught. The strangers re-embarked in several -canoes, or _bongoes_, hollowed from the ceiba tree, and by four -o'clock that day arrived at New Realejo. Castellon and his cabinet were -at Leon, the Democratic capital, whither Walker and Major Crocker set -out the next day escorted by Colonel Ramirez and Captain Doubleday of -the native army. The Provisional Director warmly received his new ally, -and promptly and formally accepted the immigrants into the military -service of Nicaragua. They were organized as a separate corps, under -the name of "La Falange Americana," or American Phalanx, and placed -under the immediate command of their own officers. Commissions were -issued on the 20th of June to Walker as colonel, Achilles Kewen as -lieutenant-colonel, and Timothy Crocker as major. Orders were given -them at once to proceed by water to Rivas, in the Meridional -department, which was held by the enemy. Colonel Ramirez, with two -hundred natives, was detailed to help the Falange, but only half that -number answered the roll-call, when the _Vesta_ weighed anchor at -Realejo, on the 23rd of June. - -Walker had seen enough of his new friends to convince him that his -ambition had nothing to fear from such rivals. Castellon was an amiable -and irresolute gentleman; Munoz was ambitious and vain, but incapable. -The native soldiery were ill-trained and fickle-minded. Faction had -stifled any faint sparks of patriotism in their breasts. A few hundred -of them who bore the proud title of _veteranos_, had smelt powder and -could face an enemy after a march of forty miles under a tropical sun. -They wore a tasteful uniform and carried muskets and knapsacks. - -But the hundred recruits of Ramirez were a Falstaffian corps of -indolent, good-natured rascals, who devoted all the intervals between -skirmishing to gambling and gossip. As their country's proverb hath it, -"they would gamble away the sun before sunrise." In striking contrast -with those children of nature were the men of California, with iron -nerves and dauntless courage, in whose characters vice lost half its -evil by losing, if not its grossness, all its meanness; men who "deemed -no crime, or curse, or vice as dark as that of cowardice." Their -manliness was incapable of treachery, falsehood, or the meaner -passions, born of a society in which law, the only remedy for wrong, -too easily becomes the strongest shield of the wrong-doer. Having -summed up their virtues in the comprehensive ones of courage and -loyalty, there is little else to be said in their favour. For -themselves they would have asked no higher praise, and strict justice -can accord them little beyond. - -It was a bold move to attack the enemy in his stronghold. Rivas and the -adjoining country are the most densely populated parts of Nicaragua. -The city of Rivas contains eleven thousand inhabitants, while the -department of that name and the adjacent Oriental department number -respectively twenty thousand and ninety-five thousand. Four days after -leaving Realejo, the party, to the number of one hundred and sixty-five -landed at a point on the coast near the town of Brito, and immediately -began a forced march to Rivas. Midnight and a severe rain storm -overtook them in the midst of a strange country, but they trudged -patiently along, ankle-deep in mud, shielding their precious ammunition -from the falling torrents. On the second night of their march the -weather proved a useful ally, enabling them to surprise and overpower a -picket of the enemy at the village of Tola. Next morning they were -rewarded by a first sight of Lake Nicaragua in all its matchless -beauty. Walker, who had beheld the glories of Switzerland, Italy, and -California, pauses in the recital of his dangerous adventures to note -the charms of the earthly paradise upon which he had come to launch the -horrors of war. Between him and the lake six hundred Legitimist's -troops lay at Rivas, awaiting the attack. - -No time was lost in forming the plan of assault. To the Falange was -awarded the post of honour, the native command of Ramirez being -reserved to support them. Kewen and Crocker led the Americans, who, at -the word of command, advanced steadily, receiving the enemy's fire with -the coolness of veterans, and reserving their own until it could tell -most effectively. Then after pouring in a volley they charged with a -yell, and drove the advance guard of the Serviles down the narrow -streets to the plaza. A stubborn resistance was made at this point. -Crocker was dangerously wounded in two places, his right arm was broken -by a musket shot, but he carried his pistol in his left hand and -continued to fire it into the faces of the enemy, until a third shot -laid him dead. Walker, who had joined his countrymen in the charge, now -called for the native reserves to decide the issue; but they were -nowhere to be seen. The poltroons had fled at the first shot. The enemy -perceived the defection and pressed the abandoned Falange so hard that -they were driven for shelter to some adobe huts, behind whose walls -they held their own for three hours. It was a losing game with so small -a force, for every man slain was equal to thrice the number of enemies -added. Achilles Kewen was the next officer to fall. The hardy pioneer, -Doubleday, was shot in the head, though not fatally. Seeing six of his -men dead, and twice as many wounded, Walker ordered a sortie. The enemy -had lost a hundred and fifty in killed and wounded, and General Boscha, -their commander, deemed it wiser to offer no opposition to the -departure of the Americans. The Serviles, with cowardly ferocity, -killed the wounded men who had been left on the plaza, and celebrated -their victory by burning the bodies. The ghastly bonfire lit up the -city as the weary filibusters halted on their retreat near the Transit -road to San Juan del Sur. The following morning they resumed the march -to that city, where they arrived about sunset, on June 30th, in a most -deplorable plight. Some were hatless, some shoeless, and all exhausted -with battle and travel, as they marched into the town. There is a whole -epitome of filibustering in the fact that at such a time two recruits -were found to join the ranks of the Falange. "The Texan, Harry McLeod, -and the Irishman, Peter Burns," deserve mention for this characteristic -piece of hardihood. - -The _Vesta_ was cruising off the coast, awaiting orders from Walker, -who therefore impressed a Costa Rican schooner, the _San Jose,_ for -the purpose of carrying his command to Realejo, defending his action -upon the ground that the same vessel had already been used to carry -General Guardiola from Honduras to Nicaragua upon a hostile mission, -thus forfeiting her neutral rights. The schooner was confiscated a -year afterwards, by Walker, for sailing under a false register, and, -being converted into a man-of-war and renamed the _Granada,_ played -quite an important part in the climax of this tragedy. - -In this critical hour of his fortunes, Walker's firmness was put to a -severe test. A couple of dissolute Americans, who had been living for -some time at San Juan, either through drunken folly or private spite, -or for the purpose of plunder, set fire to the barracks on shore, -for a time placing the whole town in danger of destruction. Walker, -foreseeing that the act would be at once attributed to his men, took -measures to punish the offenders. One of them escaped from the party -detailed to execute him. The other, a gambler named Dewey, took refuge -in the hold of a small boat attached to the stern of the _San Jose_. -The desperado was well armed, and any attempt to capture him would -have proved fatal to one or more of his assailants. So all the night -Walker and a guard of men kept watch over the boat, ready to shoot -or seize the villain if he tried to escape. At daybreak the schooner -put to sea, towing astern the boat in which Dewey lay sheltered -behind a poor native woman, his wretched mistress. The gambler, as -everybody on board knew, was a dead shot, while his guard lay under -the disadvantage of fearing to injure the woman if they fired. At last -he rose to cut the boat's painter, and at that moment a rifle ball -ended his career. The poor woman was wounded also, but not mortally. -Walker takes pains to recount minutely the details of this incident, -in order to vindicate the character of his followers. So severe a -punishment was not lost upon those of his men who might be inclined to -take a baser view of filibusterism than their leader did. - -On the same day they met the _Vesta_ at sea, and embarking on board -the old brig, arrived at Realejo on July 1st. Walker was justly -incensed at the defection of his native allies at Rivas, and -positively refused to continue in the Democratic service without -better guarantees of support on emergency than the jealousy of the -native commanders seemed likely to allow. The Falange remained several -days at Leon, where the firmness of their leader alone averted a -collision between them and the troops of Munoz, who had set the -example of hostility and distrust towards the new-comers. At last, -finding the Cabinet unable to agree upon a fixed policy (though a -modified contract had been drawn up, by the terms of which the Falange -were to be enlisted in the army of Nicaragua to the number of three -hundred, and receive one hundred dollars a month per man, and five -hundred acres of land each at the close of the war), Walker withdrew -his men from Leon to Realejo. There he embarked them on the _Vesta,_ -with the pretended purpose of departing for Honduras, and entering the -service of President Cabanas. Nothing however, was farther from his -intention. The Meridional department, commanding the Transit route, -was the point at whose acquisition he steadily aimed. To maintain his -foothold in Nicaragua he well knew he must keep open his communication -with the United States and the recruits who were sure to flock thence -to his standard. - -Castellon was perplexed, fearing equally to part with his valuable -allies and to displease Munoz by retaining them. The fortune of war -decided the question. The Legitimists under Corral and His Hondureno -ally, Guardiola, were drawing close to Leon. Santos Guardiola (his name -is still muttered with a curse throughout the length and breadth of the -isthmus) was a native of Honduras, who joined the Guatemalan enemies of -his country, and, by his unparalleled cruelties to young and old, men -and women alike, acquired the dread name of "The Tiger of Honduras." He -was sprung from the stock which produces nine-tenths of the murderers -and thieves of Central America, the offspring of Indo-African -amalgamation known as "Sambos." - -A deadlier foe, the cholera, was also beginning to ravage the -Democratic department. To meet Corral and his forces, Munoz went forth -with six hundred men, and a sharp engagement occurred at Sauce, in -which the enemy was repulsed, but Munoz was slain. The loss of that -commander influenced Castellon more than the temporary victory, and he -continued to beg Walker to return. But Walker had already secured the -co-operation of an influential partisan, Don Jose Maria Valle, who -readily enlisted a hundred and sixty men for the enterprise against -the Meridional department, and, with the easy loyalty of his nation, -proposed that Walker should pronounce against Castellon and set up an -independent government. Walker was honourable enough to reject the -ungrateful suggestion, although he did not hesitate to disobey the -Provisional Director's commands when they crossed his own policy. -Accordingly, on the 23rd of August the _Vesta_ sailed once more for -the Meridional department, and arrived at San Juan del Sur on the -29th. The Legitimists fled at his approach. While the Americans were -there the steamer from San Francisco arrived and departed, carrying -back with her, as a recruiting agent, the afterwards notorious Parker -H. French. - -After a stay of four days Walker set out for Rivas, where Guardiola and -six hundred Serviles lay waiting to regain the laurels lost at Sauce. -The Americans, after a few hours' march, halted for breakfast at Virgin -Bay, on the lake, and were at once attacked by Guardiola's whole -command who had made a forced march towards San Juan, and then, -doubling, followed the Americans to Virgin Bay. Attacked on front and -flank, Walker made a good disposition of his little force. Previous -experience had taught him that no superiority of discipline, skill, and -courage sufficed to counterbalance the numerical odds of eight to one -on an open field. He was now to try the effect of pitting the same -against a proportion of only five to one, with the ground in his -favour. The Falange, as usual, bore the brunt of battle; but the -natives, being better officered than before, fought well. Guardiola was -driven back at every point, notwithstanding that his men showed -desperate courage. But no courage could withstand the deadly -marksmanship of the Americans, who, with rifle or revolver, always -engaged at close quarters and never wasted a shot. The combat, which -hardly deserves the name of a battle, lasted only two hours; -sufficiently long to inflict on the enemy a loss of sixty killed and a -hundred wounded. At its conclusion Guardiola withdrew his demoralized -forces and fled to Rivas. Walker, Doubleday, and a few others were -wounded, but none of the Americans, and but three of their native -allies, were killed. - -Walker now returned to San Juan, where he picked up a few recruits from -among the ranks of homeward-bound Americans on the steamer from -California. Here also he learned of the death of Castellon, who had -fallen a victim to the cholera. His successor, Don Nasario Escoto, -warmly congratulated Walker on his success at Virgin Bay, and promised -further aid. Learning from intercepted letters of the authorities at -Granada that the city was in an almost defenceless condition, he -determined to attack the Legitimist stronghold without awaiting the -advance of Corral, who had replaced Guardiola in the command of the -enemy. To show his contempt of the latter, he sent the intercepted -correspondence to the Legitimist headquarters, and was not a little -surprised at receiving a polite acknowledgement of the courtesy, and a -hieroglyphic document from Corral, which proved to consist of Masonic -signs. A freemason in the Falange, De Brissot, interpreted them to mean -an overture for confidential negotiations. No reply was made to the -proposition. - -Recruits continued to flock to the Democratic standard. Colonel Charles -Gilman, a one-legged veteran of Sonora, came down with thirty-five men -from California. The native allies now numbered about two hundred and -fifty. Two small cannon were procured and mounted. By the 11th of -October Walker had everything in readiness for his most audacious -stroke, the capture of Granada, a city as dear to the Legitimist cause, -and especially to its proud inhabitants, as was its namesake to the -Moors of old Spain. - -Corral was massing his forces at Rivas, hoping, yet fearing, to meet -his enemy on the Transit road. No suspicion of an attack on the capital -seems to have entered his mind. Dissension was rife in the Legitimist -camp, Guardiola and Corral quarrelling for the supreme command. The -native Democrats on the other side, whatever of jealousy they may have -felt towards their foreign allies, carefully veiled their feelings and -made a show of the utmost cordiality. Walker enforced absolute -discipline without distinction of nationality, a spice of grim humour -sometimes seasoning his decisions. Two native officers, having -quarrelled all night over some old or new feud, were ordered to settle -the affair by going out and fighting a duel next morning, but their -courage had oozed away by daybreak, and the trouble was heard of no -more. - -At last, on the morning of October 11th, the Democratic army, about -four hundred strong, took the line of march over the white Transit road -to Virgin Bay. The Falange were in good spirits as they marched gaily -along the dusty highway. They were nearly all in the prime of -life--tall, robust, and spirited. Their only distinctive uniform, if it -might be called such, was the red ribbon which they wore tied around -their black "slouch" hats. They wore blue or red woollen shirts, coarse -trousers tucked into heavy boots, with a revolver and a bowie knife in -each belt, and a precious rifle on every man's shoulder. Many new faces -were in the ranks, and some old ones were missing which could ill be -spared from a service of trust and danger. Ten of the original -fifty-six had fallen in battle--Kewen, a brave veteran of Mexico and -Cuba, Crocker, McIndoe, Cotham, Bailey, Hews, Wilson, William and Frank -Cole, and Estabrook. Some were absent on leave, amongst them the -pioneer, Doubleday, who had returned home piqued by an untimely rebuke -from his commander. The estrangement did not last long. Doubleday soon -wearied of a peaceful life, and was welcomed back by Walker on his -return to active service. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -A Servile victory in the North--Walker in the enemy's stronghold-- -Negotiations for peace--Execution of Mayorga--Rivas chosen -Provisional Director--Corral's treason and punishment--Newspaper -history. - - -Corral lay with the main body of the Legitimist army at Rivas, keeping, -through his scouts and spies, a close watch on the movements of his -enemy. One of those spies, having been caught within the Democratic -lines, was tried by court-martial and summarily shot. Corral fancied -that he had his foes in a trap, and he accordingly devoted all his -efforts to prevent their retreat to San Juan, as well as to cut off -reinforcements from California. Matters, indeed, looked desperate with -the Democrats. On the North the Leonese had just been routed in battle -by General Martinez at Pueblo Nuevo, and the victor had only halted for -a time at Granada to receive a triumphal ovation before coming down to -Rivas to join in the extermination of the filibusters. - -It had been a gala day in the city of Granada. From early dawn to -midnight her ten thousand citizens filled the streets and plazas with -revelry and congratulations. Salvos of artillery thundered a welcome to -the victors, joy bells rang all day, and _bombas_ and rockets wasted -precious powder in their honour. _Aguardiente_ flowed freely as water, -until the valiant soldiers prayed that Walker might be spared -destruction long enough to meet the heroes of Pueblo Nuevo. Far into -the night lasted the grand fiesta, till the last drunken reveller had -hied him home or lain down in the street to dream of renewed happiness -on the morrow. The tardiest lover had tinkled his farewell on the -guitar. In the grand plaza the guard nodded around the watch fire, -while from distant pickets came at intervals the long-drawn nasal -"Alerte!" of the sentinels. It was a melodious cry, equally unlike the -sharp challenge of the Frenchman or the stern English monosyllables. - -Granada slept, the while a little steamer, with lights cloaked and -furnaces hidden, steamed slowly along the shore. Not a sound broke the -stillness of the lake, save the lap of surf or the plash of the -startled saurian. The jaguar prowling among the orange trees on the -shore challenged the unfamiliar noise, and the night birds passed along -the cry of warning which was lost upon the ears of the sleepy -sentinels. They drowsed over their waning fires until the gray of -morning broke on the mountains, and from convent and church tower the -joy-bells renewed the merry peals. Here and there a straggling sentry -discharged his piece in response. Another and another shot were heard; -then, suddenly, a short, sharp volley such as never came from the mouth -of smooth-bore musket. The joy-bells changed to a loud alarm as a -terrified sentinel rushed in from the South suburb, crying, "The enemy -are on us! the Filibusteros!" Close upon his heels came the broken and -demoralized picket, with the advance guard of Americans under Walker -and Valle galloping on their track. - -The surprised garrison, after the first panic, rallied and made a short -stand on the plaza, until an impetuous charge of the invaders swept -them away. In less time than has been taken to tell it one hundred and -ten filibusters had carried by assault the city of Granada, without -losing a man--literally, for a drummer-boy was the only victim on their -side. - -The surprise was complete, and the consequence of supreme importance to -Walker, who, from the chief city of the Servile party, might dictate -terms to Central America. Corral had been completely outgeneralled, -nobody but Walker himself and his trusted aids, Valle and Hornsby, -having been acquainted with the object of the expedition when it set -out from Virgin Bay. - -Walker, as soon as he had organized a provisional government and -convinced his native allies by vigorous measures that the conquered -city was not to be subjected to the usual treatment of plunder and -violence, sent a delegation to negotiate with Corral. The envoys were -met with a polite negative, while the United States minister, Mr. -Wheeler, who had accompanied them in the character of a peacemaker, was -thrown into prison and threatened with other punishments, whence ensued -much diplomatic correspondence and official shedding of ink. - -Meanwhile the hope of a peaceable understanding was seriously -jeopardized by the folly of Walker's recruiting agent, Parker H. -French. He had come to San Juan with a body of new men from California, -and after crossing the Transit had seized one of the lake steamers, -with the intention of capturing Fort San Carlos, at the head of the San -Juan River, the same stronghold which in its days of power had been the -key to the Transit route and to lake navigation. French was easily -repulsed, and made his way to Granada to report his misadventures. -Tidings of his deeds reaching Rivas in the meantime, some Legitimist -soldiers, by way of reprisal, attacked and killed six or seven -Californian passengers who were awaiting at Virgin Bay a chance of -passage to the Atlantic coast. Shortly afterwards the commandant of -Fort San Carlos fired into a westward-bound steamer, killing some -passengers who were as innocent of complicity with French or the -filibusters as had been the other victims at Virgin Bay. The protest of -the American minister being treated with contempt, Walker, with -questionable justice, retaliated by ordering a court-martial on the -Legitimist Secretary of State, Don Mateo Mayorga, who had been captured -at the taking of Granada. Such a method of holding a cabinet minister -responsible for the acts of his government was enforcing the principles -of constitutional rule with a vengeance. The court was composed of the -secretary's countrymen, who brought in a verdict of guilty, and Mayorga -was promptly executed. Although personally refraining from interfering -in the case, and only reluctantly sanctioning the sentence of death, it -is evident that Walker had begun to learn the Central American method -of conducting warfare. But the execution, if morally unjustified, -proved to be a wise act politically. Corral at once agreed to treat for -peace, and a meeting between him and Walker was arranged to take place -at Granada on the 23rd of October. - -Again the bells of Granada rang out in joy, and the light-hearted -populace welcomed the festival whether of peace or of war. The Falange, -now some tenscore strong, joined with the native soldiery in a military -welcome to their late enemies. - -At the approach of Corral, Walker, attended by his staff, rode out of -the suburbs to meet him. The commanders saluted each other with grave -cordiality, and re-entered the city side by side, proceeding to the -grand cathedral, where Padre Vijil, the curate of Granada, offered up a -High Mass, and _Te Deums_ of thanksgiving were sung. Nor did the good -father fail in his sermon to show the advantages to his beloved -country attending the presence of the strange American of the North. - -Handsome Corral was the darling of the Granadinos. He had the -superficial traits which draw popularity--dash, openhandedness, -physical beauty, and a sunny disposition; but he was weak, vain, and -untrustworthy, for all that. We have seen how he coquetted with Walker -while in command of the Legitimist forces, treating for peace and -imprisoning its envoys. Having come to Granada to complete the -negotiations, he now betrayed the rights of his principal, the -President, so called, Estrada, and entered into a sacred compact with -the Leonese, whose acts were sanctioned by their nominal President. - -By the terms of the agreement Don Patricio Rivas was appointed -President _pro tempore_, with the following cabinet: Maximo Jerez, -Minister of Relations; Firmin Ferrer, Minister of Public Credit; Parker -H. French, Minister of Hacienda; Ponciano Corral, Minister of War. -Walker was appointed generalissimo of the army, which consisted of -twelve hundred men, distributed throughout the country in small -garrisons. Five hundred men were stationed at Leon and the remainder at -Virgin Bay, Granada, Rivas, and other fortified positions. The general -in chief received a salary of five hundred dollars a month, and his -subordinates were awarded correspondingly liberal pay, or promises to -pay. There were seven surgeons and two chaplains attached to the -forces; the former held no sinecure. - -During the progress of the negotiations Corral, with the small subtlety -of miniature politics, had sought to entrap Walker in various ways, -such as requiring him to take the oath upon the Crucifix, and similar -ceremonial punctilioes, to which Walker, as a Protestant, might have -been expected to object, but, like a man of sense, did not. He rightly -judged that the keeping of an oath was of more importance than the form -of taking it; and therein he differed from Corral, who was detected, a -few days after the formation of the government, in treasonable -correspondence with the neighbouring states. A native courier deceived -the traitor, and placed in Walker's hands the fatal letters containing -indisputable proofs of the writer's guilt. - -To Xatruch, a Legitimist refugee, he had written, nine days after the -signing of the treaty, begging him to foment hostility against the new -administration. In a similar strain he wrote to Guardiola, the Honduran -Servile leader, conjuring him to arouse the Legitimist element -everywhere against the American intruders: "Nicaragua is lost, lost are -Honduras, San Salvador, and Guatemala if they let this thing prevail. -Let them come quickly, if they would meet auxiliaries." General -Martinez, commanding at Managua, was also implicated in the treason, -but received warning in time to fly the country. - -Walker at once requested the President and Cabinet to meet him, and -laid before them the evidence of Corral's guilt. A court-martial was -convened, the members of which were all Americans, such, it is said, -being the wish of the accused, who knew that he could expect no mercy -from his countrymen. From the same motive, he did not deny his guilt, -but threw himself on the mercy of his judges, relying, as it proved, -over-much on the magnanimity which the Americans had heretofore -displayed. He was sentenced to die by the fusillade at noon of the next -day, November the 7th. The time of execution was subsequently postponed -two hours. The friends of the condemned made earnest appeals for mercy -in his behalf, being seconded by the leading public citizens, and -particularly by Padre Vijil, the gentle apostle of peace; but Walker, -though much moved and fully aware of the odious construction which his -enemies would put upon the act, firmly refused the petition. The -treason was too flagrant, the example unfortunately too necessary, and -mercy to such a traitor would have been injustice to every loyal man in -the state. - -Corral died at the appointed hour, and the lesson was not wholly lost -upon his accomplices. Walker has been bitterly censured for this piece -of stern justice, especially at home in the United States, where the -act was misrepresented as that of a suspicious tyrant who thus rid -himself of a dangerous rival. But there is not the slightest reason for -regarding Corral's death as aught but the well-merited punishment of an -utterly unscrupulous villain. His whole conduct in connection with the -late war was consistent with his last and fatal treachery. Even the -morality of Nicaragua, loose as it was in matters of public faith, -while lamenting the fate of Handsome Ponciano, confessed that he was -well-named "Corral," the beautiful but deadly serpent of the country. - -That impartial justice governed the action of Walker is evident from an -incident which occurred on the very day on which Corral was inditing -his treason to Xatruch and Guardiola. Patrick Jordan, a soldier of the -Falange, while intoxicated, shot and mortally wounded a native boy. -Jordan was tried by court-martial and sentenced to death. Padre Vijil -and many others, including the mother of the murdered boy, begged in -vain for leniency to the culprit. On the 3rd of November, two days -after the commission of his crime, Jordan was shot at sunrise. Walker's -detractors commented characteristically upon this execution, picturing -the impartial judge as another Mokanna, delighting in the suffering of -friend as of foe. The historian, groping in the darkness of -contemporaneous journalism for facts of current history, wherever those -facts bear upon the so-called political issues of the time, finds -himself floundering at every step in sloughs of falsehoods or -quicksands of misrepresentation. The evil, unhappily, is confined to no -party or epoch. Walker being a champion, and a bigoted one, of a -certain party, paid the inevitable penalty, that of being equally -over-praised and underrated, according to the political prejudices of -his critics. - -To Don Buenaventura Selva was given the vacant portfolio of war. The -representative of the United States recognized the new administration. -The neighbouring states of Liberal tendencies sent assurances of hearty -friendship; those in which the Servile party was supreme maintained a -diplomatic silence. Peace reigned throughout the length and breadth of -Nicaragua, the peace of her own slumbering volcanoes. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -Filibusterism abroad--Kinney's Expedition--The Filibusters and their -allies--An aristocracy of leather--Pierce and Marcy--A rupture with -the United States--Costa Rica declares war--Schlessinger's fiasco-- -Cosmopolitan adventurers--Steamers withdrawn--History of the Transit -Company--Vanderbilt plans vengeance--The printing-press on the -field. - - -In the United States, particularly in California, Walker's amazing -success gave an impulse to filibustering of a different, because more -sanguine, nature from that produced by the first expeditions of Lopez -to Cuba. France and England also awoke to behold with dismay this -solution of the Central American problem. Not less alarmed was the -Conservative element in Spanish America, the more reactionary part of -which talked wildly of calling in a European protectorate and of -breaking off commercial intercourse with the North Americans. Mexico, -Cuba, Ecuador, and Central America were threatened by invading -expeditions, while Nicaragua was made the objective point of an actual -invasion from the Atlantic coast. It will be remembered that the -Mosquito king's grant to the Shepards had been transferred to a -colonization company in the United States; upon the strength of which -Henry L. Kinney, of Philadelphia, proceeded to occupy his property. But -there were many difficulties in the way. The grant had been revoked by -his Majesty in a lucid interval. Great Britain, as guardian of the -kingdom, repudiated the contract. Nicaragua steadily declined to -recognize the rights of either party to her territory; and, to complete -the adventurer's misfortune, the Federal authorities arrested him when -about to lead his first detachment of colonists to his tropical -possessions. Not to rehearse the tedious litigation which followed, it -suffices to say that the Kinney Expedition, having succeeded in -embarking, was shortly afterwards wrecked on Turk's Island, finally -reaching San Juan del Norte in a most forlorn plight. There new -misfortunes overtook them. Most of the military colonists sailed up the -river to share the more promising fortunes of Walker, to whom Kinney -himself, despairing of success unaided, at last made overtures for an -alliance offensive and defensive. But the messenger found Walker firmly -entrenched in power and, as a member of the government, bound to -consider all foreign claims on the Mosquito coast as mere usurpations. -Had it been otherwise, he might perhaps have returned a less peremptory -answer than the brief threat: "Tell Mr. Kinney, or Colonel Kinney, or -whatever he calls himself, that if I find him on Nicaraguan soil, I -will most assuredly hang him." The new element in Nicaragua did not -fail to uphold the sovereign independence of the country with zeal, -even if it may have sometimes lacked discretion. Walker was a stickler -for dignity, and never failed to exact the respect due to himself, his -office, and his flag. An English merchant, of Realejo, who had resisted -a Government levy, and, with the sublime assurance of his race, had -hoisted the Union Jack over his house, was caustically invited by -Walker to lower the emblem or produce his Government's license to -display the flag of a representative. "If he refuses," said Walker, -"tear it down, trample it under foot, and put the fellow in irons." The -Englishman knew enough of law to see that he had no authority for the -display of bunting, which he accordingly furled, paid the requisition, -and cursed the Yankee lawyer who had taught him a lesson. Walker was -versed in the law of nations, but he unfortunately overlooked the fact -that those wise statutes are framed for the control of strong nations -dealing with their peers. It is not enough to be right, or to know -one's rights, unless the power to maintain them accompany the -knowledge. A touch of the lawyer's weakness for technical rights always -marked this curious outlaw. - -In the dazzling success of the Falange, the disasters of Kinney were -forgotten, and many a band of hardy adventurers was tempted to rival -their deeds. For a time it seemed as though the spirit of the Vikings -had been revived in the land discovered by Eric the Red. On the Pacific -coast those incursions sometimes assumed, as we have seen, formidable -proportions. Sonora, Arizona, Lower California, and even the Sandwich -Islands, were the various goals of ambitious adventurers, some of whom -never carried their schemes into effect; others, like Colonel Crabbe, -made a really imposing campaign for a brief space, only to die -fruitless deaths. - -The filibusters were by no means impelled to risk life and liberty -through an abstract love of freedom or disinterested affection for -their oppressed allies. They were, on the contrary, rather prone to -turn to their own advantage the fruits of hard-won victory. Their -extenuation lies in the worthless character of their allies, who -invariably deserted them in extremity, and left the foreigner to save -himself. It was so in Cuba, in Sonora, in Nicaragua, though there were -honourable exceptions everywhere. A contempt and mistrust of the native -character, often but ill-concealed, did not serve to make the alliance -any more sincere. In Nicaragua, for the present at least, gratitude -was stronger than prejudice, and the party favouring the Americans -was powerful and enthusiastic. The common people remained faithful -throughout; it was the _calzados_, the middle and upper classes -composing the Conservative party, who hated the foreigner because they -felt his superiority, and his still more galling consciousness thereof. -The _calzados_ were those who wore shoes, as distinguished from the -barefoot rabble. Aristocracy, based on such transcendent merit, is -naturally jealous of its prerogatives. - -Almost every steamer from California brought down a squad, greater or -less, of recruits. Amongst the earliest was a brother of the Achilles -Kewen killed at the first battle of Rivas. E. J. C. Kewen was one of -the most valuable of Walker's staff, on which he served throughout the -war. Quite characteristic of the time and place is the matter-of-fact -way in which the San Francisco papers state that Colonel Kewen -participated as second in a duel at that place on the day preceding his -departure for Nicaragua. Business before pleasure. - -During the four months which followed the formation of the new -government, Walker gathered about him a force of Americans and other -foreigners numbering twelve hundred. They came from all parts of the -Union, but chiefly from the Southern and Pacific states. Recruiting -offices were opened in San Francisco, whose agents penetrated the -mining camps and interior towns, unnoticed or unhindered by the -Government authorities. Whenever any opposition was offered, the -volunteers frequently bought through tickets to New York, and stopped -at Nicaragua to enjoy a little filibustering. In the east more -stringent precautions were taken by the authorities, though without -much effect, as the colonists were responding to the invitation of the -Nicaraguan Government, and could not be legally hindered. - -Among the adventurers were many idle and desperate characters attracted -by visions of beauty and booty, with the broad license of a -freebooter's camp. To such the reality proved a terrible revelation; -they found, instead of a free lance's easy discipline, a system of -military government emulating in its stringent laws that of the great -Frederick. Walker's abstemiousness was supplemented by the virtue, much -rarer in men of his class, of absolute personal chastity in thought, -word, and deed. Drunkenness, debauchery, and profanity were vices which -he abhorred. The man who was detected selling liquor to a soldier was -punished by a fine of 250 dollars; the drunkard was sent to the -guard-house for ten days. With whisky of a vile quality selling at two -dollars and a half a bottle, and the terrors of punishment before the -eyes of both buyer and seller, drunkenness was rare in Granada. On the -outposts discipline was more lax, officers and men availing themselves -of secrecy to evade their general's stern commands. The well-behaved, -on the other hand, were treated with the greatest favour, receiving -their regular pay of a hundred dollars a month, according to some--a -quarter of that sum, according to others--and a contingent title to -five hundred acres of land. - -The assurance of peace alone was needed to make Nicaragua, the -veritable "Mahomet's Paradise" which its discoverers had named it. But -there was no such assurance or prospect in view. Even had Walker been -willing to rest content with his present wonderful success, he would -not have been permitted so to curb his ambition. His enemies were too -many and too powerful and implacable. Great Britain, which had been -trespassing, secretly or openly, for half a century, on the rights of -the weak Spanish-American republics, could not allow so rich a prize to -pass into the hands of the hated "Yankee." Money, men, and arms were -furnished to the neighbouring states, and every pretext was made use of -to stir up a crusade against the Americans. - -Enemies as bitter, though less powerful to injure openly, influenced -the administration at Washington. The Secretary of State, William L. -Marcy, was a politician who is best remembered by his enunciation of -the notorious political maxim, "To the victors belong the spoils." -Marcy had no personal ill-will towards Walker or his political friends; -he was not the man to indulge a wanton grudge, but he carried into the -great office which he filled the aims, sympathies, prejudices, and -alliances of a thorough politician. To him the traditions of his -country, the dignity of his high position, the honour of the republic -were secondary ideas. What his party would say, how his acts would be -criticized at Albany or on Wall Street, these were the thoughts which -swayed his mind and governed his conduct. Like master, like man, -Franklin Pierce was mentally as small as his secretary. So when a -minister plenipotentiary from Nicaragua presented his credentials at -Washington, and the other resident ministers protested against his -being received, a terrible consternation fell upon the minds of -President and Secretary. Mr. Marcolletta, the former minister, though -recalled by the Government of Nicaragua, stoutly refused to resign. The -other foreign ministers espoused his cause, and the secretary had the -amazing stupidity to argue the case gravely with those officious -gentlemen. Colonel Wheeler, the minister to Nicaragua, being appealed -to, confirmed the _de facto_ and _de jure_ claims of the Rivas -Government, adding, as a proof of the country's tranquillity, the -striking fact, that "not a single prisoner, for any offence, is now -confined in the Republic--a circumstance unknown before in the -country." - -Mr. Marcy had now no choice but to acknowledge the credentials of the -new representative, when the discovery of a grave blunder of Walker's -saved him the humiliation. No official objection could be urged against -the minister, but unfortunately for him, there were pronounced personal -objections strong enough to warrant the district attorney of New York -in ordering his arrest on a criminal process. The individual, Parker H. -French, was the same one-armed hero whose fiasco before Fort San Carlos -had brought the Falange into disrepute and provoked the Virgin Bay -massacre. Walker discovered when too late the unworthy antecedents of -his envoy, whose conduct in Nicaragua should have been enough to -disqualify him; but regarding his arrest as a violation of diplomatic -privilege, he had him recalled, dismissed the American minister to -Nicaragua, and suspended diplomatic intercourse with the United States. -Some months later, and after the United States had declined to receive -a second minister, Don Firmin Ferrer, Walker sent a third -representative, in the person of the good Padre Vijil, who proved -acceptable at Washington, as much on account of his high character as -for the news which he brought with him, that Walker had routed his -Costa Rica enemies, and frightened back the Serviles of the North. -Franklin Pierce was not the man to turn his back upon a friend in -prosperity, though his good will was not shared by Mr. Marcy. The -Nicaraguan minister was received in form, but met with such studied -discourtesy from the Secretary of State and his underlings that the -cultured and amiable gentleman was glad to return, after a brief -sojourn, to the better-mannered society of Nicaragua. - -But the fickle conduct of President Pierce and his cabinet had exposed -the weak joint in Walker's armour to his quick-eyed enemies in Central -America and in Europe. The filibuster, so far from having the support -of his native country, was apparently without a friend there. English -consuls and men-of-war captains saw that they might crush out with -impunity this adventurer and restore the supremacy of European -influence on the isthmus. All the Servile partisans in the neighbouring -states and the disaffected Legitimists of Nicaragua united to expel the -foreign element. The Costa Rican consul-general in London wrote to his -President, Don Juan Rafael Mora, in a letter which fell into Walker's -hands, that the British Government would sell to Costa Rica two -thousand army muskets, at a nominal price, for the purpose of "kicking -Walker and his associates out of Nicaragua." British friendship was not -purely disinterested nor did it proceed solely from hatred of -Americans. Seventeen million dollars invested by English capitalists in -Costa Rican bonds were the substantial basis of that interest. It is -painful to reflect upon the fact that those bonds were afterwards -defaulted to the last dollar. - -A deputation sent from Nicaragua to negotiate a treaty of peace with -Costa Rica was ignominiously expelled the latter country. Guatemala, -San Salvador, and Honduras also declined to recognize the new -administration. - -On the 26th of February, 1856, Costa Rica declared war against -Nicaragua, for the expressed purpose of driving the foreign invaders -from the soil of Central America. Distant Peru sympathized with the -crusaders by advancing a loan of $150,000 to aid the righteous -campaign. President Mora at once collected a force of nine thousand -men, and prepared to march on Guanacaste. A counter declaration of war -was immediately issued by President Rivas. Walker, as general-in-chief, -summoned his men to meet him on the plaza of Granada, and, having had -the proclamation of hostilities read to them, made a stirring address, -concluding with a peroration well suited to his hearers: "We have sent -them the olive branch; they have sent us back the knife. Be it so. We -shall give them war to the knife, and the knife to the hilt." - -Unfortunately the officer chosen to lead the advance on Costa Rica -proved to be a knife more dangerous to the hand which held than to the -breast before it. Colonel Louis Schlessinger was given the command, -partly by way of compensation for the ill-treatment which he had -received from the Costa Ricans when he went thither as one of the peace -commissioners. Another of the commissioners named Arguello had deserted -to the enemy. The third, Captain W. A. Sutter, son of the famous -discoverer of gold in California, alone showed himself possessed of -ability and honesty. Walker was not happy in his choice of civil -officers, but it must be remembered that the supply of such material -was limited. Heaven-inspired statesmen do not flock to the support of a -cause so dangerous and unpromising as his. - -If Schlessinger was a poor diplomat, he was a worse soldier. Starting -with a force of two hundred men, he crossed the border of Guanacaste on -the 19th of March. Five companies, of forty men each, had been divided, -according to their nationalities or origin, into a French company, -under Captain Legaye, a German under Prange, a New Orleans under -Thorpe, a New York under Creighton, and a Californian under Rudler. The -American companies comprised men of every English-speaking nation, -"blown from the four parts of the earth." This division, which a -skilful commander might have turned to account by exciting a generous -rivalry, was but a source of weakness in the hands of the incapable -Schlessinger, himself a foreigner and little popular with his men. - -Their first and only engagement occurred at the Hacienda of Santa Rosa, -twelve miles within the boundary of Guanacaste. Schlessinger allowed -himself to be surprised, the enemy under a skilful officer, the -Prussian Baron von Bulow, attacking him with a force of five hundred -regulars, and winning an easy victory. Schlessinger did not even make a -show of resistance, but ran away at the first shot, followed by the -German and French companies. Captain Rudler and Major O'Neill made a -brave stand with the New York and California companies, until some -fifty of their command were killed, when the survivors made the best of -their way off the field and across the border. Only a poor drummer-boy -remained beating his drum with childish glee until shot down at his -post. The wounded and the prisoners were all put to death by order of -President Mora, who had proclaimed no quarter to every filibuster taken -in arms. So ended the battle of Santa Rosa, on the 20th of March. - -Schlessinger was court-martialed on his return, found guilty of -cowardice, and sentenced to death, but he escaped punishment by -breaking his parole during the trial and fleeing to Costa Rica. More -than twenty years afterwards he reappears in the courts of that -country, claiming reward for the service rendered the state on the -occasion just narrated. - -The heterogeneous character of the filibusters, even at this early -date, may be seen from a list of the prisoners butchered after the -battle of Santa Rosa, of whom six were natives of the United States, -three of Ireland, three of Germany, one of Italy, one of Corfu, one of -Samos, one of France, two of Prussia, and one of Panama. - -So unexpected was the rout that the victors, fearing a ruse, did not -pursue their advantage. The demoralized fugitives returned in -straggling parties, some without arms, some in rags, and all -crest-fallen and disgraced. To cover their shame they exaggerated the -numbers and prowess of the enemy, who, indeed, had behaved with great -skill and courage, proving a formidable foe when well led. - -For some days a panic prevailed in the Democratic headquarters. Matters -were in a critical condition. The Legitimists in the State, always -secretly disaffected, hastened to spread the news of the defeat among -their friends in the North. Honduras and the neighbouring republics -grew firmer in their refusal to recognize the Rivas Government, and -Guardiola began to mass his savage troops on the border of Leon. The -demoralization spread among the Americans themselves. Faint-hearted -officers, erstwhile thirsting for glory, suddenly began to long for a -return home, and to send in applications for furlough. Walker lay -tossing on a bed of fever, the while his enemies conspired against him -and fair-weather friends deserted him. But he had many a stout heart -among his trusty veterans, men who welcomed danger as a gambler courts -his risks, and who bade good-bye to their shrinking comrades with a -fine scorn worthy of Pizarro's old lieutenant, Carvajal, who sang: - - "The wind blows the hairs off my head, mother-- - Two by two it blows them away." - -Another misfortune at this moment overtook the adventurers. The -steamers of the Transit Company were suddenly withdrawn, and all -communication with California was suspended. Though it stopped -desertion, this isolation also cut off the coming of recruits. This -action of the company was the result of a misunderstanding of long -date. By the terms of its charter it was bound to pay to the Government -of Nicaragua ten thousand dollars annually, and ten per cent. of its -net profits. The company claimed, and the Government denied, that the -ten thousand dollars had been paid with some regularity; but by a -process of book-keeping, well known to financiers, the accounts never -showed a balance of net profit upon which to levy the additional tithe. -Against this deception the weak and ephemeral administrations of -Nicaragua had at times feebly protested. The agents of the company -bullied, deceived, or bribed them into silence, and went on reaping a -golden harvest, until the installation of the Rivas administration. -Cornelius Vanderbilt was then managing the company's affairs in New -York, while its Western business was conducted by Morgan and Garrison -at San Francisco. Vanderbilt, a man of boundless ambition and no weak -scruples, soon made himself master of the company's resources. -Nicaragua had never challenged the Wall Street autocrat until Walker -took the country's affairs in hand. One of his first steps was the -appointment of a commission to examine the Transit Company's books. The -commission reported that the Government had been defrauded flagrantly -and systematically for years, and that a balance, amounting to over -$250,000 was lawfully due to it. Vanderbilt peremptorily declined -either to acknowledge or liquidate the debt, repeating the vague -threats with which he had been used to awe the little officials of -former days. - -Thereupon the ex-lawyer of California simply directed the authorities -to seize the company's property as security, revoking at the same time -the old charter and granting a new one to Messrs. Randolph and -Crittenden. This occurred on the 18th of February. The last act of the -old company had been the transportation of two hundred and fifty -recruits from San Francisco, the draft for whose passage money was paid -by Vanderbilt, some days afterwards, while he was yet ignorant of the -sequestration of his property. The Wall Street dictator was very angry, -but bided his time and quietly despatched a draft for a much larger -sum, payable to the order of Juan Rafael Mora, President of Costa Rica. -He then made a formal protest and appeal to Secretary Marcy, invoking -the help of the United States. Marcy, however, was too old a politician -to identify himself openly with the unsavoury interests of the Transit -Company, a corporation whose history is summed up by Minister Squier, -as "an infamous career of deception and fraud." He quieted his friend -Vanderbilt with promises which were only too well kept. The vengeance -of the money king was not contented with abetting Walker's enemies. -Nothing short of the filibuster's ruin would suffice to soothe the -wounded pride of Vanderbilt. The man of millions was no mean power in -affairs commercial and political at home. When he undertook to use his -resources against an almost penniless adventurer abroad, the might of -money proved to be all but omnipotent. - -In December Kewen was sent to California to dispose of a million -dollars' worth of the bonds of the State of Nicaragua. He was -instructed to sell no bonds below a minimum of ninety per cent. of the -face value, and it does not appear that he did dispose of any below -that price--few, indeed, at or above it. - -Another feature of a stable government appeared about this time. In -the early Spanish invasions the outward adjuncts of religion always -followed in the wake of the army. It was in keeping with the changed -condition of affairs that the printing-press should accompany the -filibuster. Two newspapers were already in full play in Nicaragua, _El -Nicaraguense_, of Granada, and the _Herald_, of Masaya. The editors and -printers of Nicaragua were not strictly men of peace, but were wont, -when occasion served, to exchange the pen for the sword. On this -account their war despatches ought to have been most authentic, being -commonly written and published on the field. John Tabor, the editor and -proprietor of _El Nicaraguense_, was twice wounded in the pursuit of -his novel duties, but lived to accompany Walker on his second invasion, -in 1857, when, alas! his ready press was not called upon to chronicle -any glorious victories. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -The Costa Ricans invade Nicaragua--Second battle of Rivas--The enemy -meet a new foe--Rivas orders an election--Walker a candidate--Treason -of Rivas--Murder of Estrada--Coalition of the Northern States against -Nicaragua--Walker chosen President--Inauguration and recognition by the -United States minister--Tradition of the "Gray-eyed Man." - - -Walker was less concerned about his enemies in the United States than -those nearer home, though he never committed the mistake of -undervaluing a dangerous foe or the weakness of forgiving him. Three -thousand Costa Ricans had crossed the border and overrun the southern -part of Rivas. It was no time for fever of body or mind. Walker arose -from his bed and summoned his forces to strike a vigorous blow for his -rights. Rivas, the President, was at Leon, watching and waiting; he had -placed the southern departments under martial law, and given absolute -power to the commander-in-chief. Walker no longer opposed the enemy's -march on Rivas, as his object in holding the Transit had been lost with -the withdrawal of the steamers. All the American troops at Rivas and -Virgin Bay were accordingly removed to Granada, with the ostensible -purpose of retreating at once to Leon. When the enemy entered Virgin -Bay they found there only the native inhabitants and a few foreign -_employes_ of the Transit Company. Without a word of warning, they -opened fire on the latter, killing some nine or ten unarmed servants of -Mr. Vanderbilt, and with a zeal for which that gentleman would have -been far from grateful, burned all of the company's property in wharves -and warehouses which they could find. After completing the work of -destruction, they marched to Rivas, where President Mora took up his -abode and cautiously awaited the movements of Walker. The latter kept -his counsel so well that no one knew whether he intended retreating to -Leon or abandoning the country entirely. The latter course seemed the -more probable, as the lake steamer, _San Carlos_, had been for some -days engaged in carrying men and munition across the lake and down the -river to Forts San Carlos and Castillo Viejo. A side light was thrown -on these movements, when Lieutenant Green, with only fifteen men, -surprised a Costa Rica force of two hundred at the mouth of the -Serapiqui, killing twenty-seven of them and putting the rest to flight. - -At last on the morning of April 9th, Walker rode out of Granada at the -head of five hundred men, four-fifths of them Americans, and pressed -rapidly southward towards Rivas, where Mora lay encamped with Prussian -von Bulow and three thousand regulars. There were several English, -French, and Germans acting with the Costa Ricans, some as volunteers -and many as mercenaries. At eight o'clock, on the morning of the 11th, -Walker's forces entered Rivas in four detachments by as many different -routes. The order of battle was that of a simultaneous assault, the -several detachments to unite at the centre of the town. It was -faithfully carried out, although the Costa Ricans, soon recovering from -their surprise, behaved gallantly, using their firearms with precision -and coolness, and picking off the American leaders with fatal accuracy. -The combat lasted through four hours. At its termination Walker had -gained possession of the plaza and cathedral, but at a cost of fifty -killed and wounded. About two hundred of the enemy were killed and -twice as many wounded. They were receiving reinforcements, but did not -venture from behind their adobe walls to renew the contest. Setting -fire to the houses near the plaza, they kept up a desultory -sharp-shooting from the adjacent buildings. The Americans improvised a -temporary hospital within the cathedral, whence at daybreak the wounded -were deported, well guarded by their comrades. Mora did not oppose -their departure, being well content to be rid of his troublesome -visitors. - -Walker's loss in officers was severe. Early in the fight Colonel -Machado, commanding the native soldiers, fell mortally wounded. Five -captains and six lieutenants also perished, and there were twelve other -officers among the wounded. Of Walker's staff Captain Sutter alone -survived. This mortality was due not more to the marksmanship of the -enemy than to the reckless courage of the victims, who made it a point -of honour to volunteer for every desperate adventure. Ten of them at -one time had charged, armed only with revolvers, on a barricade, whence -they dislodged over a hundred of the enemy's riflemen. - -By this time the aspect of affairs had changed materially, and the -situation of the invading army had become extremely perilous. The -Legitimists, whom Mora had expected to unite with him in expelling the -American usurpers, he found to be few and faint of heart, while the -wanton insolence of his own men had tended to alienate whatever of -sympathy they might have found among the poorer classes. In a word, the -repulse of Walker at Rivas, if that can be called a repulse which was -an unhindered withdrawal, was to Mora the signal of defeat. Unable to -conquer an enemy of one-sixth his strength, and not daring to lessen -his odds in the hazard of a pitched battle--much less in a siege of -Granada--he lay at Rivas exhausted and impotent. It needed but one -other enemy to complete his overthrow. That enemy, always a potent one -beneath the tropic sun, appeared. - -The bodies of two hundred Costa Ricans had been thrust heedlessly into -the vaults and wells of Rivas, along with some fifty dead filibusters. -Hundreds more lay in the wretched hospitals, with festering wounds and -scant nursing. Cleanliness and good living did not distinguish the -Costa Rican soldier. A strict discipline was maintained, but one day an -Enemy passed the outpost, unchallenged of the watchful sentinel. The -patrol crying "Alerte!" was stricken dead by a silent hand. The soldier -at the _monte_ table, the officer in his hammock, the camp follower in -the slums, and the staff-officer in the palace--all ages, all ranks, -all valour succumbed before the dread foe. The Cholera was in Rivas, -that malady more terrible than a legion of filibusters. With the -cholera, desertion. President Mora set the example, news of trouble at -home hastening his flight southward. General Canas remained in command -until he heard of the arrival at Granada of some hundreds of recruits, -whom the veteran Hornsby had gathered in the United States and brought -to the country by way of the river San Juan. - -Anticipating justly that Walker would soon resume an offensive -attitude, Canas hastily abandoned his wounded and fled to Guanacaste. -The march thither was long and painful; the fugitives could be traced -for leagues by the bones of their dead comrades. Whom the cholera -struck down no brotherly hand stayed to lift up. About five hundred -worn stragglers entered Costa Rica, the remnant of the gallant host -that had marched forth to drive the filibusters into the sea. With them -they carried the seeds of the pestilence, which being sown broadcast in -the country, swept off ten thousand of its inhabitants. - - -Nor was Walker exempt from trouble during this period. Many of his most -cherished friends were carried off by the plague, among others his -young brother, James, whom he loved, in his undemonstrative way, very -tenderly. The condition of political affairs was unsatisfactory. -President Rivas, who had remained with his cabinet at Leon, seems to -have dreaded an invasion from the North more than he did that of the -Costa Ricans. He was a weak man, easily played upon by designing -persons who had succeeded in imbuing him with a jealousy of Walker, -which, so far at least, was entirely groundless. The northeastern -districts of the State had been for some time harassed by roving bands -of freebooters, pretended and real Legitimists, whose depredations -became a serious annoyance. Against these guerillas Walker sent a body -of cavalry, under Domingo Goicouria, who speedily restored order in the -district.[1] - - [1] Goicouria was a devoted Cuban patriot, who was executed - many years afterwards by the Spaniards at Havana. - -An election for President held in May had been conducted with such -irregularity that it was decided by President Rivas to order one to be -held anew in June. In this decision the opposing candidates, Salazar -and Jerez, acquiesced. Both of them were, like Rivas, of the Leonese, -or Liberal party; so the Granadinos, or Legitimists, dreading the -influence of their rivals, cast about them for a strong candidate to -represent their interests. No Legitimist of sufficient popularity being -available, they chose Walker, preferring a neutral foreigner to a -hostile countryman. It was therefore understood, in political parlance, -that Walker was the "first choice" of the still powerful Legitimist -party. The effect was at once to unite the opposing Leonese leaders. -Rivas, supported by Salazar and Jerez, delayed issuing the call for a -new election, and entertained with favour the suggestion that the -American auxiliaries be reduced to the number of two hundred, at the -very time when that number of new recruits were disembarking from the -California steamer. The steamers had resumed their trips under the -management of a company favourable to "immigration." - -Walker proceeded to Leon to confer with Rivas, receiving on the way a -popular ovation which encouraged him to maintain his rights with -firmness. To the proposition of disbanding his forces he replied that -the men were ready to leave the country as soon as they should receive -their stipulated pay, a claim which he knew that the Government -exchequer was in no condition to defray. Not to embarrass the resources -of the republic, however, he arrested Don Salazar on a charge of having -defrauded the Government of the duties upon some valuable Brazil wood, -and of having sold the same wood to the Government, with a profit to -himself seldom overlooked by contractors. The act was an offence -against an old and seldom enforced law of the country. The arrest was -doubtless meant to warn Salazar that he could not conspire with -impunity against his vigilant ally, as he was not immediately brought -to trial. Rivas, Jerez, and Salazar now decided to pronounce against -their formidable rival, but with smooth duplicity they concealed their -design, the President, on the 10th of June, issuing a decree for a -general election to take place on the fourth Sunday of the month. Next -day Walker departed for Granada, and Rivas and Salazar immediately fled -from Leon, proclaiming that Walker was a traitor. They took refuge in -Guatemala, where General Carrera was preparing a force with which to -invade Nicaragua. - -Walker, as general in chief of a state disturbed by a revolution within -and threatened with invasion from without, was, of course, the head -of the government in the absence of the civil ruler. At least, there -was nobody to dispute that proposition. He accordingly appointed a -provisional director, Don Firmin Ferrer, pending the election which was -to occur in a few weeks. - -In the election, when it was held, all the districts took part except -the northeastern, which was disturbed by the presence of an invading -army on its border and two pretenders to the presidency within its -precincts. One of them was Rivas; the other the almost forgotten -Legitimist puppet of Corral, Don Jose Estrada. Estrada did little of an -official character save issue proclamations which nobody heeded; still, -as a pretender is always a potential element in monarchy or republic, -whom a cunning invader might use to his own advantage, the partisans of -Rivas feared to leave to Carrera that poor excuse for betraying their -interests. Estrada was murdered in cold blood by a band of ruffians -from Leon. With him perished the last of the strictly Legitimist -claimants. To insure further their personal interests, Rivas and his -friends appointed General Ramon Belloso commander-in-chief of the army -of invasion. The allied forces were from Guatemala, Honduras, and San -Salvador, and it was from the last and smallest state that it was -deemed wise to choose the commander, as the one least likely or able to -usurp power after victory. - -The lack of representation in the election of the northeastern district -was of little consequence, as it was the least populous part of the -state, and its vote would have had no influence to change the result. -The voting was entirely free and unaccompanied by disturbance. In -Nicaragua every male inhabitant over eighteen years old, criminals -excepted, is entitled to the suffrage. Representatives, senators, and -president, are all chosen by a college of electors who are themselves -elected by popular vote. Such, at least, was the law at this period. - -When the votes were counted it was found that 23,236 ballots had been -cast, of which Walker had received more than twice as many as all his -rivals, viz., 15,835, Rivas having 867, Salazar 2,087, and Ferrer -4,447. Walker was accordingly declared elected and, on the 12th of -July, 1856, he was formally inaugurated President of Nicaragua. It is -worth noting that he was chosen by the largest vote ever polled in the -country, and that his actual tenure of office was longer than that of -any of his predecessors in the presidency with the exception of two, -Pineda and Chamorro. The former held office for four months--the latter -for one month--longer than did Walker. In six years there had been no -less than fifteen presidents inaugurated. Reform, even through -filibusterism, was sadly needed in Nicaragua. - -So far as legality was concerned, Walker's title was as sound as that -of any prince or president in the world. It only remained for the world -to acknowledge it. The first recognition came, unwittingly enough, from -his enemy, Secretary Marcy. That statesman, after much consideration of -the case, had sent instructions to the United States minister, Colonel -Wheeler, whose suspension had been but temporary, to recognize the -existing government of Nicaragua, under the supposition that the Rivas -administration still held office. Thus much had been conceded to the -reasonable demands of Padre Vijil. Mr. Wheeler, with a possible -appreciation of the humour of the situation, yet with a strict -obedience to the letter of his instructions, thereupon tendered to -President Walker the good wishes and felicitations of the United States -Government. But Mr. Marcy never forgave the instrument of his blunder, -and one of his last official acts was to beg of President Pierce, as a -personal favour, the dismissal of Minister Wheeler, a request which the -dying administration was weak enough to grant. - -We now behold Walker at the zenith of his fame, the lawful ruler of a -country whose position and resources made it a prize worth the ambition -of all Europe and America to possess. Besides a powerful native party, -he had an army of his countrymen at his back numbering over a thousand -men, a line of steamers under his control--for the California agents of -the Transit Company were his friends as long as their interests and his -were the same--and a strong party in the United States in sympathy with -his cherished project for the extension of slavery. The tradition -vouched for by Crowe in his "Gospel in Central America," as current -among the Indians of Nicaragua--"that a grey-eyed man would come from -the far North to overturn the Spanish domination and regenerate the -native race"--seemed likely to be confirmed, in part, at least. - -The ceremony of inaugurating the new President was performed with great -pomp at the capital on the 12th of July. The acting provisional -director, Don Firmin Ferrer, administered the oath of office, Walker -kneeling to make the solemn affirmation. The President-elect was -dressed in his customary civilian costume of decorous black, in manner -and attire a striking contrast to the gaily decked natives who flocked -to the ceremony. The inauguration was celebrated on a large staging -erected in the plaza, which was festooned with the flags of Nicaragua, -the United States, France, and the unborn republic of Cuba. The text of -the oath which Ferrer administered, with a highly eulogistic address, -was as follows: - -"You solemnly promise and swear to govern the free Republic of -Nicaragua, and sustain its independent and territorial integrity with -all your power, and to execute justice according to the principles of -republicanism and religion." - -"I promise and swear." - -"You promise and swear, whenever it may be in your power, to maintain -the law of God, the true profession of the Evangelists, and the -religion of the Crucifixion." - -"I promise and swear." - -"In the name of God and the sainted Evangelists, you swear to comply -with these obligations and to make it your constant guard to fulfil all -that is herein promised." - -"I swear." - -"And for this the succession is committed to you firmly, by these -presents, by authority of the Secretary of the Government charged with -the general despatches." - -At the end of this ceremony Walker delivered an inaugural address of -the usual character pertaining to such prosaic compositions. The -President was not without hopes of establishing friendly relations with -the Great Powers, and among his first acts was the sending of ministers -to England and France. The envoys either never reached the fields of -their missions or failed to receive official recognition, as the -Blue-books of those governments make no mention of diplomatic -intercourse between the filibuster cabinet and their own. The nations -of Europe, in their blind jealousy of American influence, would not, or -could not, understand that the aims of Walker were, if successful, -likely to prove an unsurmountable obstacle to the very American -expansion which they feared. To build up a strong confederacy of slave -states, which should antagonize the powerful free states of the North, -was the prime, if not the sole, object which won for Walker the -sympathy and aid of the Southern States. By opposing and frustrating -this scheme, Great Britain unwittingly lent herself to the service of -the party of union in the United States, thereby weakening the cause -which she afterwards favoured, of Southern secession. - -The shrewd English observer, Laurence Oliphant, writing, in 1860, his -personal recollections of "Patriots and Filibusters," shows the mistake -into which his Government fell, as he frankly says, through "no mere -considerations of morality," but through a mistaken notion of -self-interest. Walker never intended that Central America should become -a part of the Union. Like Aaron Burr, he wished to keep all the fruits -of conquest for his personal glory and aggrandisement; but he was -sincere in representing to his countrymen that the effects of -establishing a powerful slave empire south of the United States would -be of incalculable advantage to the pro-slavery party at home. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -Administration of President Walker--The Allies advance towards -Granada--Naval victory--Review of the filibuster army--Filibusters -and their allies--Assault on Masaya--Civil government--The Slavery -decree--Antiquated logic. - - -Walker wisely gave the most important places in the cabinet to his -native adherents. His faithful friends, Don Firmin Ferrer and Mateo -Pineda, were appointed respectively Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of -War. Don Manuel Carascossa received the Treasury portfolio, and that of -Hacienda was given to the Cuban, Don Domingo Goicouria. Hundreds of -recruits continued to pour in from California and the Atlantic states. -In the Northern departments the Allies also received strong -reinforcements, and by the 1st of July they had undisturbed possession -of Leon, whence they soon spread over the country, annoying the -foraging parties sent out of Granada to collect cattle in the district -of Chontales. A detachment of cavalry which Walker sent against them -was repulsed near the river Tipitapa, and one of the leaders, Byron -Cole, was slain. Cole was the early friend of Walker, and the -negotiator of the contract under which the filibusters had come to -Nicaragua. Belloso, reinforced by a strong body under command of -General Martinez, was now emboldened to advance to Masaya, which he -fortified and made the base of operation against Granada, fifteen miles -distant. - -Xatruch, Jerez, and Zavala were acting with the enemies of their -country. Rivas was of little importance among his dubious friends. -Salazar, who had been so prominent in inciting the invasion, was -captured on the coast of Nicaragua by Lieutenant Fayssoux, and carried -a prisoner to Granada, where he was tried for treason, found guilty, -and executed. - -Fayssoux, the only commander in the navy of the ephemeral republic, -was a splendid specimen of the sailor-filibuster. A native of Louisiana, -he had seen service in Cuba with Lopez and Pickett. Walker, having -confiscated the schooner _San Jose_ for carrying a false register, had -her fitted out with some guns and placed her under the command of -Fayssoux. Her first exploit was an engagement with the Costa Rican -brig, _Once de Abril_, carrying thrice the armament and six times the -crew of the _Granada_, as the _San Jose_ was now christened. The Costa -Rican was blown out of the water after a two-hours' fight, and the -_Granada_ remained mistress of the Pacific waters until a heavier -antagonist came upon the scene. - -The position of the Allies at Masaya was well chosen. It is an eagle's -nest, hung high a thousand feet, on the crest of a volcanic upheaval. -Half-way down its sides lies the Lake of Masaya, imprisoned within its -walls of adamant. To the south lies the lava desert, well named "the -Hell of Masaya," barring the road from Granada. - -Belloso from his eyrie was wont to swoop down on detached parties of -foraging filibusters, or to strike with quick and deadly blow the -solitary hamlets whose people might be suspected of a leaning towards -the liberal cause. Walker did not need control of the northern -districts, and would have been content to leave Masaya and its barren -crags in undisturbed possession of Belloso's rough riders, but for the -daily waspish annoyance to his foragers and the loss of prestige in the -eyes of the conquered Leonese. Characteristically he chose the bold -plan of attacking the enemy in his stronghold, regardless of the -enormous odds against him. At the head of only eight hundred men he -rode out of Granada, on the morning of October 11th, and took the high -road for Masaya. - -There was a gallant review of the little army, proud in the bravery of -new uniforms and waving banners, and under the eyes of wives, sisters, -and sweethearts, of whom not a few had followed the flag down to the -seat of war. For the filibusters had "come to stay," they boasted. What -further ambition they dreamed may not be known; but something was -hinted in the device upon the flag of the First Rifle battalion, the -corps of one-legged Colonel Sanders, a grim and hard-fighting old -colonel withal. It bore, in place of the old-time five volcanoes and -pious legend, the filibuster's five-pointed red star, and the motto, in -sword-cut Saxon, "Five or None"--a hint to the allied states of new and -stronger alliance yet to be. - -The march was leisurely and uninterrupted. By ten o'clock at night they -halted near the suburbs of Masaya, threw out pickets, and went into -camp. It was a glorious tropical night. The early evening had been -misty, but night fell without the laggard twilight of temperate zones, -and the full moon shone in all her splendour upon a scene worthy the -pencil of Salvator Rosa. Before the filibusters' bivouac lay the Lake -of Masaya, reflecting the watch-fires of the town. In the distance rose -the towering cone of Mount Masaya, clouded in dense volumes of smoke, -and grandly indifferent to the puny preparations of the insects about -to bring their mimic thunders into play on the morrow. The filibusters -lay in groups around their fires, the very flower and perfection of -that lost race called the "49-ers." They smoked their pipes tranquilly; -they took an occasional sip of _aguardiente_--but it was a temperate -potation, for the General was at hand, and woe betide the luckless -wretch who unfitted himself for duty in that dread presence on the eve -of battle. They talked of the past much, of the present little, and of -the future not at all, save in connection with mining prospects. For it -was a religious belief with those queer adventurers that in coming to -Nicaragua they had been governed by a marvellous inspiration of good -sense. It was to them a question of practical business, they believed; -and if its pursuit involved a little incidental fighting, why, that was -to be reckoned among the taxes to fortune. Hence they had not wasted -their hours in Nicaragua, but had diligently, as their duties would -allow, visited every rivulet and hill, and talked knowingly of -"indications," and "colour," and other technical lore. Regarding -themselves as industrious, if rather enterprising, men of business, -they would have resented any intimation of romance or recklessness in -their present occupation. - -They spoke in a short, terse way which it was the despair of their -allies to understand. Ollendorf had furnished the Spanish student -with no equivalent for the wondrous vocabulary of California. The -Nicaraguan, who uses not over one-fifth of the words in his glorious -Castilian inheritance, was at the verbal mercy of the man who possessed -a whole mine of phrases unknown to the lexicographers, and who pitied -with a fine scorn the ignorant wretch, native or foreign, who knew not -the _patois_ of the mining camp. He even improved upon the language of -the country, when he condescended to use it, changing such household -words as "nigua" or "jigua," into the more expressive "jigger," nor -omitting to prefix it with the Anglo-Saxon shibboleth known to all -mankind--the watchword which, hundreds of years ago, gave to English -soldiers in foreign towns the charming sobriquet of the "Goddams." The -prefix was not inapt, for the "jigger" is the most pestiferous parasite -of all his race, and a living thorn in the flesh of his victim. Spanish -verbs, like "buscar," "pasear," &c., masqueraded with English terminals -and marvellous compound tenses, a wonder of philology. Nor did the -sonorous native names come forth unrefined from the furnace of -California speech. "Don Jose de Machuca y Mendoza" was a style -nomenclature altogether too lofty for democratic tongues, which found -it easier and much more sociable to pronounce "Greaser Joe." Whatever -was to come of the incongruous alliance, for the present there was a -touch of nature, a community of courage, which made the parties kin in -thought and action. The native, whether friend or foe, was no coward. -In endurance he was the peer of his northern rival, though he lacked -the physical strength and wild hardihood of the pioneer. The bivouac -before Masaya was but one of a score of such. - -The enemy, who had kept up a desultory firing through the night, -appeared in force at daybreak a few hundred yards away. Walker began -the engagement by a general advance on the town under cover of a -well-directed fire from his battery of howitzers. In a short time the -First Rifles had driven the enemy out of the main plaza, which was -immediately occupied by the whole force of the assailants. The position -was excellent as far as it went, but the enemy still held two other -plazas and the intervening houses, and to dislodge them would have -entailed a heavier loss of life than could be afforded. The artillery -was accordingly brought up, and sappers were detailed to cut passages -through the adobe house walls. Slowly but steadily the work proceeded, -the besieging lines converging towards the enemy's stronghold. The day -was thus consumed in engineering, with an occasional skirmish in the -narrow streets. - -While the combatants lay on their arms that night awaiting the morrow -which was to see the city in the possession of the invaders, what was -happening in Granada? Zavala and eight hundred swarthy Serviles, making -a forced march from Diriomio, had entered the Jalteva at noon of the -12th. A scant garrison of a hundred and fifty men, mostly invalids, was -all that remained to oppose them; and Zavala, feeling sure of an easy -victory, divided his forces so as to surround the little band. The -latter were distributed in the church, armoury, and hospital, whither -also repaired all the civilians who could, having little confidence in -the security of their neutral position. General Fry, commanding the -garrison, hastily prepared for a desperate resistance. He had two or -three field pieces, which were placed to best advantage and managed by -Captain Swingle, an ingenious experimenter, with an enterprising eye to -church bells and such raw material. - -Zavala found himself, to his great astonishment, repulsed at every -point after several hours' hard fighting. In his rage, he wreaked -vengeance on the neutral residents who had trusted to the peacefulness -of their character or the protection of their government rather than to -the rifles of the filibuster garrison. The American minister's house -was assaulted, though unsuccessfully. Three of his countrymen, a -merchant and a couple of missionaries, were murdered in cold blood. -Padre Rossiter, the army chaplain, knew his countrymen, and boldly took -up a musket in defence of his life, as did also Judge Basye of the -Supreme Court. Honest Padre Vijil took a middle course by discreetly -flying to the swamp until the storm was over. Nor did the civilizing -mission of the worthy editor of _El Nicaraguense_ prevent him from -seeking liberty under the sword. He went back to his desk, the wiser -for a broken thigh. - -So for twenty-one long hours the siege lasted, while recruits flocked -to the side of the assailants, and the little garrison struggled -bravely against the fearful odds. To the threats and the promises, -alike of the enemy they returned but defiances and the cry, "Americans -never surrender!" Renegade Harper, acting as interpreter, assured them -that Walker had been annihilated at Masaya, and that Belloso, with four -thousand men, was on the road to Granada. No quarter was the penalty if -they delayed longer to surrender. But they did delay. The hospital -patients limped to the windows and rested their rifles there. The women -and children stood by to supply them with cartridges. At night a -courier was despatched in hot haste to Masaya. Eluding the enemy's -pickets, he made his way along the road, only to meet the advance guard -of Walker's returning forces. The news of Zavala's movement had already -reached Masaya, putting the loyalty of an ambitious soldier to as -severe a test as well might be. To abandon his assured victory for the -safety of a hundred or two non-combatants was something of a sacrifice, -but Walker did not hesitate a moment. The sacred ties of comradeship -were strong in the hearts of those wild men, who, almost without -awaiting the word of command, took up the march for Granada. - -In a few hours they arrived in the Jalteva, where they were confronted -and for a time repulsed by a strong battery placed to bar the way, and -well handled by the enemy. The advance guard fell back, as well they -might, for the position was skilfully chosen for the defence of a -narrow roadway. In the moment of confusion Walker rode up, and pointing -to the Lone Star flag which still floated over the church, called for -volunteers to succour their beleaguered comrades. The response was a -cheer and a fierce charge, led by the commander in person, before which -the enemy was scattered like chaff. Following up this advantage, the -Americans moved upon the plaza before the church, where stood Zavala -and his forces, now themselves on the defensive. But the intrepid -resistance of the garrison, followed by the capture of the battery, had -utterly demoralized the Serviles, who scarcely struck a blow in their -own defence. In mad panic they fled through the city, only to be met in -the suburbs by a detachment placed to intercept them. - -Barely half of Zavala's army escaped capture or death. Masaya had not -been taken, but Walker had achieved a greater victory and inflicted a -heavy loss upon the allies. Four hundred of them had fallen in the -battle of Masaya, and an equally large number was supposed to have -perished before Granada. Walker's loss was less than a hundred killed -and wounded in both engagements. Lieutenant-colonel Laine, a young -Cuban aid of the general, was made prisoner at Masaya and shot by his -captors, who refused an exchange. Walker was so incensed at this, that, -in reprisal, he had two of his prisoners, a colonel and a captain, shot -next day, and sent word to Belloso that a heavier reckoning would -follow any future acts of atrocity. - -With those engagements active hostilities ended for a time. The enemy -grew more wary in his movements. - -Civil government had not been neglected during the prosecution of -military enterprises. An elaborate revision of the constitution and -laws of the country was perfected; changes of a most serious nature -being introduced. Walker reviews with complacency the laws of his -government, especially those affecting the rights of property and the -more vital right of liberty. Whether we look with approval or blame -upon his course up to this point, it is impossible to excuse acts which -in his eyes were not only just but even praiseworthy. A law was passed -making "all documents connected with public affairs equally valuable, -whether written in Spanish or in English." The American residents who -knew both languages could here find an opportunity of outwitting the -natives with the purpose, which Walker commends, of having the -"ownership of the lands of the state fall into the hands of those -speaking English." To further the same end, the military scrip of the -republic was made receivable for Government lands sold under forfeit. -Still further to aid the same purpose, he passed a law requiring a -registry of all deeds; a thing heretofore unknown in the country, as -"it gave an advantage to those familiar with the habit of registry." -The Spaniards of California have had reason to regret that familiarity -in their American neighbours. There is no pretence in all these acts of -any higher or worthier purpose than that avowed by their author, viz., -the practical confiscation of the lands of the Government for the -benefit of his adherents. Finally, on the 22nd of September, "the -President of the Republic of Nicaragua, in virtue of the power in him -vested," decreed that "Inasmuch as the act of the Constituent Assembly, -decreed on the 30th of April, 1838, provides that the Federal decrees -given previous to that date shall remain in force, unless contrary to -the provisions of that Act; and inasmuch as many of the decrees -heretofore given are unsuited to the present condition of the country, -and are repugnant to its welfare and prosperity as well as to its -territorial integrity; therefore:-- - -"Article I. All acts and decrees of the Federal Constituent Assembly, -as well as of the Federal Congress are declared null and void. - -"Article II. Nothing herein contained shall affect rights heretofore -vested under the acts and decrees hereby repealed." - -The principal decree which this was intended to repeal was an Act of -the Federal Constituent Assembly of the 17th of April, 1824, abolishing -slavery and indemnifying the slave-owners in the then confederated -states of Central America. - -Thus the institution of slavery, without any restriction, was reimposed -on Nicaragua. Walker, so far from denying that this was the object of -the decree, expressly avows it, saying, "By this Act must the Walker -administration be judged. If the slavery decree, as it has been called, -was unwise, Cabanas and Jerez were right when they sought to use the -Americans for the mere purpose of raising one native faction and -depressing another. Without such labour as the new decree gave, the -Americans could have played no other part in Central America than that -of the Pretorian guard at Rome or of the Janizaries in the East, and -for such degrading service as this they were ill suited by the habits -and traditions of their race." He admits that annexation to the United -States was no part of the programme of the American adventurers in -Nicaragua, knowing that it could not be constitutionally effected after -the passage of a slavery law. - -To-day it seems strange to read such arguments as Walker used to defend -the institution of slavery. But by the lurid light of his sentences we -can see something of the bitter conflict which then raged between the -friends and the enemies of slavery. His contempt for the Abolitionist -party speaks in every line, whilst his defence of the now obsolete -system of unspeakable wrong seems as puerile as the solemnly sincere -essays of a Mather on the evils of witchcraft. He admires the "wisdom -and excellence of the Divine economy in the creation of the black -race," and the providence of letting Africa lie idle until the -discovery of America gave a chance of utilizing the raw material of -slavery. No self-appointed theological dragoman to the court of Heaven -ever showed more readiness in interpreting the sentiments of Providence -than he does when he piously asks, "And is it not thus that one race -secures for itself liberty with order, while it bestows on the other -comfort and Christianity?" - -Did the author of such views look at his subject through a moral -single-convex lens which presented every object inverted? Was he -colour-blind to right and wrong, or did he wilfully and deliberately -present the side which he knew to be ignoble and the opposite of true? -He was perfectly sincere. Walker was no worse, and no better, than -nine-tenths of his fellow citizens in the Southern States, who honestly -believed in the divine right of slave-holding, and testified to their -conviction by the willing sacrifice of their blood and treasure. A -wrong defeated, dead and buried, is a wrong which becomes visible to -the blindest eyes. Whether we, who pass prompt sentence on it, might -perceive its enormity so plainly, had the "leaded dice of war" turned -up differently, is a speculation as idle as any other on the -might-have-beens of history. - -The severe punishment inflicted on the allies at Masaya and Granada had -the effect of keeping them for a time in check. A few days after those -engagements, Walker received a most valuable ally in the person of -General Charles Frederic Henningsen, an able officer, who had seen -service and achieved distinction in many lands. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -Henningsen--Early service with Zumalacarregui--Campaigning with the -Prophet of the Caucasus--Joins Kossuth--Arrival in America--Omotepe--A -gallant defence--Watters carries the barricades. - - -Henningsen was born in Belgium, son of a Scandinavian officer in the -British service and his wife, an Irish lady. At the age of nineteen he -left his home to take service under Don Carlos, in 1834. He was -assigned to duty on the staff of the sturdy old partisan, -Zumalacarregui, from whose rough school of war he graduated with the -rank of colonel and an honour of nobility, the only rewards left in the -power of the Bourbon to bestow. - -In one engagement he captured single-handed three cavalrymen and their -horses, and was the first man to enter Villa Real, after chasing the -enemy three leagues. For this he was offered the choice of a commission -as first lieutenant in the general's body guard or the cross of St. -Ferdinand. He chose the cross. - -The Order of Isabella the Catholic was subsequently conferred on him, -with promotion, for his gallantry before Madrid, but a wound received -in the foot, which caused him much suffering and refused to heal, -compelled him to ask for sick leave. As he was with difficulty wending -his way homeward he was pursued by the enemy and abandoned by his -guide. After hiding for three days he was captured and imprisoned with -three other foreigners. Feigning an illness which afterwards became -real, he was removed to a hospital. The English doctor in attendance -knew only of the prisoner's feint and admired the natural way in which -the shivering fits were counterfeited. In vain the patient, who was -really ill, protested that he was so, until after a time the truth of -his assertion became apparent, for typhus fever had declared itself and -the doctor was, too late, convinced of it. For twenty-one days -Henningsen's life was despaired of, during which time his friends -interceded for him. His release was demanded by the British Government, -but General Espartero sternly refused it, saying his life was -forfeited, for he had both with his sword and pen proved himself a -dangerous foe. At the reiterated request of Lord Palmerston, backed by -the Duke of Wellington and others, Espartero, however, was compelled to -yield, as the withdrawal of the foreign legion was threatened if he -persisted in his refusal. - -Henningsen, on his return to England, published a couple of volumes of -personal recollections, which still hold a place in literature. His -story was told in a simple and direct style, which showed marked -literary ability. But the world was then too full of doing, for an -active mind to content itself with thinking or saying. Schamyl the -Prophet had unfurled his sacred banner, lit the fires of revolution on -the Caucasus, and thrown the gage of battle to the mighty Czar himself. -His cause was just enough, his case was desperate enough, to enlist the -sympathies of the young knight-errant, who soon found himself battling -beside wild mountaineers in Caucasian snows, and completing the -education begun on the vine-clad hills of Spain. That campaign over, he -improved his leisure in writing two or three books on Russian life, -which increased his literary reputation without inducing him to take up -a life of letters. The restraints of civilisation were too irksome, and -he fled to the wilds of Asia Minor, where the news of Hungary's revolt -against Austrian and Russian despotism found him. He arrived on the -scene of action too late to take part in anything but the sorrowful -ending. Gorgey's treason, if such indeed it were, had turned the scale -against the patriots. Henningsen submitted a plan of operations to -Kossuth, who decided that it was now too late for offensive action. All -that remained was to offer his sword to the forlorn hope. The offer was -gladly accepted. He joined Bem in the last ditch at Komorn, aiding not -a little in the stout defence of that place. - -When the pitiful collapse came, Henningsen was one of the chieftains -who were outlawed and had a price set upon their heads. He narrowly -escaped capture and its inevitable consequence, death. Once he was -saved by the tact of a lady, a relative of Kossuth, who, when the -police were searching for a likeness of the fugitive, allowed them to -find a portrait of some stranger, upon which she had hastily written -the words, "From your friend, C. F. Henningsen." Being questioned, she -averred that the likeness was not Henningsen's, but with so much -apparent confusion as to make them disbelieve her. Copies of it were -accordingly printed and distributed with the hue and cry, to the -manifest benefit of the fugitive. Again, upon the very border of -Turkey, he was chased so closely by a party of Haynau's bloodhound -troops that capture seemed inevitable, and he had prepared a dose of -poison, which he always carried with him, to be swallowed at the moment -of arrest. His Caucasian experience had taught him that mercy was not -to be expected of Cossack victors. More fortunate than many of his -comrades, he managed to elude his foes and escape across the boundary, -to join Kossuth. With him he crossed the Atlantic, never to return. In -the United States he shared the social and political distinction of his -leader. - -Henningsen at this period was thirty years old, tall and strikingly -handsome, with the polish and breeding of a man of the world and a -scholar. In Washington he met and loved a Southern belle, at the time -when Southern society ruled in the national capital. The lady, who was -a widow, was a niece of Senator Berrien of Georgia. She returned his -affection, and they were married after a brief courtship. - -It was a critical period in American politics. It was the reign of King -Pierce the Irresolute, to be followed shortly by that of King Buchanan -the Unready. Henningsen by his matrimonial alliance was thrown into the -society of those who favoured slavery, wherein he imbibed opinions in -harmony with the upholders of that institution. The adherents of -slavery felt that in the political field they were fighting a losing -battle. The more farsighted saw that the success of their cause could -be promoted only by "extending the area of freedom," as they phrased -it. Thus the filibusters acquired new importance in the eyes of friend -and of foe at home. - -Henningsen's wife, with the spirit of a Roman matron, acquiesced -heroically when her knight volunteered to go forth and do battle for a -cause which would have won his sympathy for its very danger alone. His -reputation as a soldier was well established. He had introduced the -Minie rifle into the United States service, and was an authority upon -his speciality, the use of artillery. Nor did he come empty-handed to -Nicaragua; but brought with him military stores, arms, and ammunition, -to the value of thirty thousand dollars, the contribution of himself -and his wife, besides an equally liberal offering from George Law and -other sympathizers with the cause. Walker immediately placed him on -active service, with the rank of brigadier-general. - -Henningsen had scarcely assumed his command before he was sent to clear -the Transit road of marauding bands of Costa Ricans, a large body of -whom had landed at San Juan del Sur, under General Canas. Henningsen -scattered them promptly, and admitted a force of recruits from -California, who had arrived on the steamer _Cortes_. The reappearance -of the Costa Ricans on the Transit was too dangerous a menace to the -communication with the United States, however; and Walker saw that to -preserve his base of supplies, and at the same time to garrison the -large city of Granada, was a task too serious for his slender forces. -But as he did not wish to let the latter important stronghold fall into -hostile hands, with the moral and material benefits accruing from the -possession of the seat of government, he resolved to destroy the city. -Previous to evacuating Granada he made another attack on Masaya, in -order that the enemy might remain on the defensive and not suspect his -intended movement of retreat southward. A trifling engagement took -place, in which the artillery was well handled. On the 19th of November -the sick and wounded were transported in the lake steamer to the island -of Omotepe, where they were placed in charge of Colonel Fry and a corps -of medical attendants. - -This island is one of the healthiest places in the country, being a -volcanic upheaval, with a mountain towering from its centre to a height -of five thousand feet. A few families of native Indian fishermen, rude -and savage, are its only inhabitants, and their frail huts dot the -margin of the lake. In the interior a dense jungle bars the road to the -mountain top. The rank growth of the tropics hides the ruined monuments -of a civilization which preceded Conquistador and Aztec. The traveller -who cuts his way through the rank vegetation finds himself, here and -there, in the presence of quaintly sculptured, hideous idols -overturned. In remoter nooks, whither his Indian guide cares not to -lead him, he would see the gods whom the Christians threw down, -reinstated on their pedestals; and the good folk of Granada say in -whispers, that thither, at stated times, flock silent, dusky -worshippers, to offer up unholy rites and pray for the return of the -gods of their fathers, who fed on human victims, and spoke to their -people in the awful accents of the volcano. Little knew or recked the -bold filibusters, quarantined beneath the frowning peak of Omotepe, of -the alleged idolatrous practices or the evil repute in which the -islanders were held by their mainland neighbors. They nursed their -wounds with scant patience, recovered, and sought a chance to get new -ones, or died and were forgotten, as though their passports to the -realm of Death had been vised by the most legitimate of all lawful -war-makers. - -Walker, having entrusted to Henningsen the duty of destroying Granada, -set out for Rivas. Upon his departure, many of the men and some of the -officers, feeling that the severe restraints of discipline were -withdrawn, plunged into a wild debauch. Henningsen, with the aid of -such as were in decent condition, began the work of firing the town. As -the smoke of the burning houses arose in the air the enemy's pickets -saw and reported it to General Belloso, who rightly surmised the cause -and ordered an immediate attack. The miserable debauchees awoke from -their stupor to find that they had aroused a formidable foe. Five -thousand furious Serviles were pouring into the city, and had already -secured a strong strategic point in the church of the Guadaloupe, -whence their sharpshooters were keeping in play the useful men whom -Henningsen could gather about him. - -Under a fierce fire Henningsen continued the work of destruction until -almost the entire town was reduced to ashes. His position, encumbered -as he was with sick and wounded, was so perilous that he determined to -capture the Guadaloupe church at any cost, as that important position -commanded the passage to the lake. That end was not attained without -the loss of many valuable lives and two days of hard fighting. Finally, -on the 27th of November, the church was carried by assault, and all the -American force, with their supplies, ammunition, and non-combatants, -were safely transferred to the new quarters. A guard of thirty men, -detailed to protect the wharf on the lake, three miles away, had been -betrayed and captured two days before. Henningsen, in order to secure -communication with the lake, began throwing up a line of earthworks -along the whole distance, the enemy contesting every inch of the road. -To keep the latter in check, Captain Swingle and his howitzers were -employed night and day. When ammunition ran short the ingenious gunner -made balls from scraps of iron piled in a mould of clay and soldered -together with lead. - -As soon as they had effected communication with some adobe huts half -way to the lake, Henningsen removed the sick and wounded to the more -healthful land near the water. It was none too soon, for over a hundred -men had perished from the ravages of cholera and typhus in the crowded -quarters of the Guadaloupe. Lieutenant Sumpter with seventy men was -left to garrison the church. Meanwhile the enemy had not been idle; -they had thrown up earthworks between the lake and Henningsen's -defences, and gathered a strong force to prevent the advance of relief -from that direction. - -For three weeks the unequal fight lasted, until of the four hundred men -who had remained to burn Granada, less than one hundred and fifty -answered to the roll-call on the 13th of December. To Zavala's demand -for their surrender Henningsen sent back word that he would parley only -at the cannon's mouth. Their position, nevertheless, was so critical -that many of the men talked openly of forsaking their helpless comrades -and cutting their way to the lake. Finding that the first sign of such -a proceeding would be greeted with a volley of grape, for Henningsen -had learned from his chief the way to deal with insubordination, a few -of the malcontents deserted to the enemy. The rest imitated the heroic -fortitude of their officers, and all shared together their sorry -rations of mule and horse meat as long as they lasted. That was not -long; they had reached the limit of their supplies on the 12th of -December, and Henningsen sent a message to Walker begging immediate -relief. A native boy of the Sandwich Islands, who had come to Nicaragua -on the _Vesta_, and who was known in the army as "Kanaka John," -volunteered to carry the note. It was given to him sealed and enclosed -in a bottle. The boy made his way unperceived through the enemy's -lines, and reached the water in time to see the lake steamer, _La -Virgen_, lying beyond the line of surf, with lights shrouded and not a -sign of life on board. The amphibious Kanaka swam out and boarded the -steamer, where he found Walker and three or four hundred new recruits -from the States. - -Colonel John Watters, with a hundred and sixty men, was at once ordered -to relieve the beleaguered force under Henningsen. Watters on landing -was met by a stout resistance from a large body of Allies guarding the -wharf and adjacent earthworks; but the Californians rushed upon the -barricade with a yell and carried it by storm. Henningsen heard the -distant firing, and, recognizing the sharp note of the American rifle, -made a sortie against the nearest post of the enemy. The firing lasted -all night, for Belloso was frantic at the thought that the prey for -which he had hungered so long was about slipping from his paws. -Watters, finding the enemy so strong, made a detour so as to enter -Granada by the north-eastern road, and sent a courier to notify -Henningsen of his approach. It was daybreak ere the relief reached the -city, having carried four strong lines of barricades on the march, and -routed thrice their number of Allies. The enemy, as soon as the -junction was effected, abandoned further opposition to the retreat of -the filibusters and withdrew from the lake road. The evacuation of the -Guadaloupe was completed in peace on the morning of December 14, 1856. - -When the Allies entered the place they found only a wilderness of -smouldering ruins to mark the site of the city beloved by the Serviles -and hated by the Leonese. The latter rejoiced secretly, the former -mourned aloud, over the loss of the proudest city of the isthmus. In -the Plaza they found a scornful souvenir of the destroyer, a lance -stuck in the earth and bearing a raw hide, upon which was inscribed the -legend, "Aqui fue Granada"--"Here was Granada!" - -Three hundred men, including Watters' command, embarked on the lake -steamer and sailed to Virgin Bay. Three-fourths of the garrison of -Granada had died in the three weeks' siege. The Allies had suffered -more severely. Of the six thousand who joined their standard at Masaya -only two thousand now remained; but they received new strength in the -arrival of General Canas with the Costa Ricans who, on the appearance -of Walker and Henningsen at Virgin Bay, had evacuated Rivas and marched -northward. Belloso and Zavala were constrained to turn the command of -the Allied forces over to Canas, as the success of the Costa Ricans in -another quarter had given them a moral superiority over their less -fortunate friends. The importance of that success can be estimated only -by narrating its effect on the fortunes of Walker. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -Vanderbilt joins issue--Titus outwitted--Siege of Rivas--Death in the -Falange--Desertion--Captain Fayssoux and Sir Robert McClure--Battle of -San Jorge--Allies assault Rivas--Famine and devotion--Commander Davis -as a peacemaker. - - -President Pierce had recognized the government of Rivas and Walker, as -a cheap concession to the friends of the filibusters in the United -States, for President Pierce was looking to a re-nomination in the -forthcoming convention. No party so weak but the average Presidential -candidate will scatter his bait before it. The nomination was not given -him, but it was too late to recall the friendly act. The recognition of -Walker's administration was, as we have seen, an accidental courtesy -which Mr. Marcy would not hesitate to retract if occasion offered. The -friends of Walker saw that to establish his power firmly he must be -aided liberally and without delay. The bonds of the republic were -accordingly offered for sale, and freely disposed of in many places. -Thousands of dollars were collected in the Southern cities and expended -in the purchase of munitions of war, and for the transportation of -recruits. Every steamer carried out large numbers of enlisted men and -consignments of war material. For the former, California could always -be relied on, but the latter had to be procured in "the States." -Vanderbilt saw a chance to revenge himself by cutting off the base of -supplies, and cast about him for an able tool. - -He found willing instruments in the persons of Webster and Spencer, two -adventurers of daring character and questionable antecedents. Webster -drew up a plan of operations which met the approval of Vanderbilt, and -Spencer was entrusted with its execution. This Spencer was a man of -good family. His father had been Secretary of War. His brother was -hanged for mutiny at the yard-arm of the brig-of-war _Somers_ in 1842, -the only American officer who ever achieved that infamy. Spencer went -to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, whence he set out, with one -hundred and twenty picked men, for the head waters of the River San -Carlos, which flows into the San Juan. Arrived there, they constructed -rafts and floated down to the mouth of the Serapiqui. There they -surprised a force of Americans, and continuing the descent to San Juan -del Norte, soon made themselves masters of the Transit Company's -steamers. With them and a reinforcement of eight hundred Costa Ricans, -commanded by a brother of President Mora, they speedily captured all -the fortified positions on the river and both of the lake steamers. -Lake and river being thus secured, it only remained for Mora to cross -the district of Chontales and effect a junction with the Allies at -Granada. - -The enemy had effectually cut off Walker's communication with the -Atlantic States. California remained open to him just so long as the -agents of the line in San Francisco, whose friendship for him was, of -course, secondary to their self-interest, should consider it profitable -to continue running their steamers. - -Vanderbilt had triumphed. We may anticipate events so far as to say -that President Mora's indebtedness to the Wall Street magnate taught -him respect for the absolute power of money. But ere many years his -confidence in another rich friend was repaid by treachery, which drove -him from power into exile, disgrace, and death. Eighteen days after the -execution of Walker at Trujillo, Juan Rafael Mora and General Canas -perished by the fusilade, after an abortive attempt to regain their -lost power. It is recorded of the wealthy ingrate who had betrayed Mora -that he died not long after his victim, and of a strange -disease--ossification of the heart. - -Many attempts to recover control of the lost river route were made -during the months of January, February, March, and April, 1857. Various -expeditions from New Orleans and New York landed at San Juan del Norte, -where eight British men-of-war were concentrated to watch the -operations. The interference of the latter, though annoying, was not -openly hostile, yet it was marked enough to affect seriously the -fortunes of the expeditions. The English commander incited desertion by -spreading among the men rumours of the terrible dangers they must risk -in attempting the passage of the river. Many Europeans were thereby -induced to claim British protection, which was gladly granted, though -the loss of such deserters may have been a questionable calamity. A -strong force, under the command of a certain Colonel Titus, a windy -"Border ruffian" from Kansas, succeeded in ascending the river as far -as Castillo Viejo, and were on the point of capturing that key to the -situation, when their leader weakly allowed himself to be hoodwinked -and befooled by its commandant. The latter, finding himself sore -pressed, begged for a twenty-four hours' truce before surrendering; -which being granted, he sent for reinforcements, and by the time the -truce had expired was prepared to laugh at the simplicity of his -antagonists. - -The mistake was irreparable. Through the incompetence of Titus and -Lockridge, the key to Nicaragua was lost, perhaps for ever. With the -Transit route in his power, Walker could have brought a host of -recruits into the country and bidden defiance to all Spanish America. -Without it, the labour of years was wasted and the conqueror thrown on -the defensive. Knowing naught of the disasters which had befallen his -arms on the river, Walker waited and watched through the long weeks for -the relief which was never to come. - -Towards the end of January the Allies had advanced to Obraje, nine -miles from Rivas, and soon occupied San Jorge, within a league of the -American outworks. Rivas, embowered in her orange groves and cocoa -palms, was slowly being encircled by the lines of the Allies, now -numbering some seven thousand. They held those points, in spite of -repeated attempts to dislodge them. Walker, not desiring to waste his -men's lives in useless attacks, contented himself with occasional -forays, while Henningsen prudently strengthened the fortifications and -was careful of his scanty ammunition. Aided by the resourceful Captain -Swingle, he cast round-shot from all sorts of old iron, and gathered -together the bronze and silver bells of the city to melt into cannon -balls. - -The Transit road between San Juan del Sur and Virgin Bay still was -theirs, and nearly every steamer from San Francisco brought down a -little band of recruits whose arrival was hailed with joy. But the -advantages resulting from such additions to the garrisons were more -than offset by the losses from desertion and death. The latter had made -sad havoc in the ranks of the tried veterans. In February, Major Cal. -O'Neill died in a skirmish with the Allies. He was a favourite soldier -of the commander, having distinguished himself in almost every -engagement during the campaign. His brother was slain in the evacuation -of Granada, and the survivor had grown reckless of life thereafter. He -was only twenty-one years old at the time of his death, but the -Irishman's instinctive military bias and courage made up for the -inexperience of youth. Other brave officers fell during the next few -months, Conway, Higby, Dusenberry, and a score of veterans who were -the flower of the army. The surviving members of the Falange found -themselves surrounded by strange faces. The brave men died, and the -cravens deserted. Unfortunately the evil did not end with the loss of -worthless cowards; their example had a baneful effect upon good but -reckless men, who otherwise would have remained faithful. It was not in -weak human nature to content itself with scant rations of mule meat and -plantains, while snug treason flaunted itself across the picket lines, -boasting of rich fare and no duty. The hungry sentry was tempted by -the sight of his late comrades and taunted by the sound of a brass -band, which had deserted _en masse_ one night, and now drew from the -instruments bought with the money of the republic, seductive dancing -tunes and Servile melodies, instead of the loyal strains of the "Blue, -White, and Blue," which they had been hired to play. On his confused -mind, perchance, dawned the suspicion that the Nicaragua which he had -come thousands of miles to see and enjoy was to be found rather in -the fleshpots of the Allied army than in the hungry camp of the -filibusters. Small wonder if the poor fellow forgot his duty and -elected to follow the example before him. - -Early in February the monotony of the siege was broken by the arrival -at San Juan del Sur of the American man-of-war _St. Mary's_, Commander -C. H. Davis. Promptly in her wake came the British steamer _Esk_, -Captain Sir Robert McClure. The two formidable ships lay not many cable -lengths apart in the harbour. The day after his arrival Sir Robert sent -a boat's crew aboard a small schooner lying near the shore to ask the -meaning of the ensign which she was flying at the masthead. It was a -handsome flag, composed of three horizontal stripes, blue, white, and -blue; in the middle stripe, which was twice the width of either of the -outer ones, was a five-pointed red star. The ensign was that of the new -republic of Nicaragua, and the vessel, as her commander, Fayssoux, -politely replied, was the Nicaraguan schooner-of-war _Granada_. Sir -Robert then ordered him to come on board the _Esk_, and bring his -commission with him; to which the plucky Louisianian, with the blood of -revolutionary ancestors boiling at the impertinence, replied that he -would do nothing of the kind; and when the English captain threatened a -broadside, the Nicaraguan commander beat to quarters--he had a score of -men--loaded his two six-pound carronades, and awaited destruction as -calmly as if he had the deck of a seventy-four under his feet. But Sir -Robert, either fearing to exceed his authority, or labouring under the -delusion that the _St. Mary's_ captain might not relish the idea of -seeing his fellow-countrymen annihilated before his eyes, softened the -demand into a request for a friendly visit, which Captain Fayssoux -thereupon paid him. A nobler motive may have actuated Sir Robert, for -he was a sailor, and had traditions of his country's honour, which it -were worth an American officer's commission to entertain. The latter -has never forgotten the awful example handed down from the early days -of Commodore Porter, who was court-martialed and forced out of the -service because he exacted an apology from some Spanish vagabonds who -had imprisoned an American officer visiting Porto Rico under a flag of -truce. - -When Sir Robert went to Rivas, some days afterwards, to demand an -explanation of Fayssoux's conduct, he was met by Walker, at the outset -of the interview, with the stern inquiry: "I presume, sir, you have -come to apologize for the outrage offered to my flag and the commander -of the Nicaraguan schooner-of-war _Granada_." And the gallant sailor -actually forgot his wrath in his wonder, and made a suitable apology to -the wounded dignity of the chief of a thousand men and one schooner. -"If they had another schooner," said he, "I believe they would have -declared war on Great Britain." Had he known the mission of the _St. -Mary's_ at San Juan, he might have come to a different conclusion; for -the instructions of Commander Davis, which he faithfully obeyed, -directed him to aid the Allies in forcing Walker and his men to -capitulate. Why? Walker says, because Commodore Mervin, who had given -the orders, was a bosom friend of Secretary Marcy--a possibly -sufficient reason, since Marcy's power was absolute in the conduct of -the minor foreign relations. Davis says, because the interests of -humanity prompted him to save Walker in spite of himself--a reason -perhaps as good as the other. The reader must guess at the true motive, -as Blue-books do but fulfil their mission in confusing the truth. - -The enemy receiving large reinforcements, was enabled to mass about two -thousand men at San Jorge, where they were a constant danger and -annoyance. Walker determined to dislodge them. On the 16th of March he -took personal command of four hundred men, and marched out to meet the -enemy, two thousand five hundred strong. Henningsen, with two -six-pounders, one twelve-pounder, and four mortars, went ahead to clear -the way. Swingle and the rest of the battery remained to guard Rivas; -and it was well that they did so, for a large force of Costa Ricans -made a determined assault as soon as Walker was out of sight, and were -not repulsed until after a fight of some hours' duration. They fell -back on the road to San Jorge, a couple of hundred of them taking up a -position behind the adobe walls of a planter's house, and there lying -in wait for the return of Walker and his command. - -The latter arrived before daybreak at the suburbs of San Jorge and at -once opened a brisk fire on the town; but the enemy were on the alert, -and swarmed like angry bees out of their streets and lanes, pressing on -the battery and throwing out lines of skirmishers on either side, who -opened a galling fire on the American cavalry. Henningsen thereupon -threw a shower of grape and canister among the plantain fields on the -right and left, driving in the skirmishers, while Walker led the main -body of his men towards the centre of the town. The enemy contested -every inch of the ground, until driven to within three hundred yards of -the plaza, where their immense superiority of numbers and the shelter -afforded by the adobe walls and church towers gave them a position of -impregnable strength. Walker, nevertheless, called for forty volunteers -to storm the place. But fifteen responded, and with that handful he -charged boldly into the plaza, fighting with desperate but vain courage -against the tremendous odds. Two horses were killed under him, and a -spent ball struck him in the throat. His men were brave to madness, but -they were worn out with the long day's service, their ammunition was -running short, and Walker at last gave order to retire to Rivas. They -left the field on which they had fought from daybreak almost to sunset -in good order, Walker riding at the head of the column, and Henningsen -covering the rear with his guns. No opposition was made to their -departure, and not until the head of the column came abreast of the -planter's house at Cuatros Esquinas did they learn of the presence -there of the 200 Costa Ricans who had been repulsed by Swingle in the -morning. - -As Walker and his staff rode by the dark and silent house, a blaze of -musketry lit up its front, not thirty yards away. Fortunately the -marksmen's aim was bad, and not over half a dozen saddles were emptied; -but the column was thrown into temporary confusion, and some of the men -fell back, while others stood panic-stricken, until another volley sent -them galloping in dismay. Walker, with the invincible calmness which -never deserted him, reined in his horse, drew his revolver and fired -its six shots into the house; then putting spurs to his steed, he rode -by, erect as if on parade, while the musket balls fell like hail around -him. A long-haired Californian, Major Dolan, who was riding behind him, -deliberately imitated his commander, emptying his pistol to the last -shot, and hurling the useless weapon at the house, with an imprecation, -as he dropped from his saddle, riddled with bullets. His clothing -caught in the trappings of his horse, and he was thus dragged out of -the _melee_, to survive and fight another day. The rest of the force -ran the gauntlet as best they could. Many were killed in a vain attempt -to carry the house by storm. The rear guard with the artillery made a -detour, and losing their way, did not arrive at Rivas until the next -morning. To the poor marksmanship alone of the enemy can be charged the -small loss of the filibusters before San Jorge and in the ambuscade at -Cuatros Esquinas, the total number in killed and wounded being only -some sixty or seventy. - -A week afterwards, the whole Allied force, led in by a deserter, made a -concerted attack on Rivas, at daybreak, from four different directions. -They were beaten off with dreadful slaughter, leaving six hundred dead -on the field. The attack was most serious on the north side of the -city, where a small battery was placed in a position to rake the -American lines. It was handled well and bravely by an Italian gunner -who, though exposed to a galling fire from the American sharpshooters, -continued to load and fire with the utmost deliberation, advancing his -piece a little nigher after each discharge. Henningsen, an adept in the -same branch of warfare, stood upon the parapet of the low wall, rolling -and smoking cigarettes, as he watched with admiration the actions of -his cool adversary, and directing the management of a small gun which -the American artillerymen were serving with less than their usual -skill. At last, losing patience with his men, he leaped into the -embrasure, and sighting the gun himself, threw a six-pound ball -straight into the enemy's piece, which it dismounted, killing four of -the gunners and wounding the Italian captain. The latter being made -prisoner, the hostile batteries ceased to annoy the besieged for some -time, until the gallant gunner, escaping from his captors, was enabled -to resume his duties. - -In this assault the besieged suffered but a trifling loss, as the -shelter of the adobe walls ensured them safety against any force which -it was in the power of the enemy to bring forward. When the latter -pushed their barricades too close to the walls of Rivas, the besieged -fired hot shot into them and burned the swarming hordes out of their -nests. Mora cared nothing for the lives of his wretched conscripts, -whom he could afford to lose by hundreds, as long as the Americans fell -by dozens and were not reinforced, and while the Allies could cut off -supplies of food and ammunition from the beleaguered city. -Unfortunately for Walker, a more dangerous enemy than death or hunger -assailed Rivas. Desertion, which had begun with the weak-hearted new -men, gradually spread like a pestilence, until he hardly knew in whom -to trust. Whole companies deserted at a time; pickets abandoned their -posts; foraging parties sent out to collect food for the hungry -garrison never came back. As early as October, a company of rangers -sent into the Chontales district had deserted with their equipments, on -a wild attempt to reach the Atlantic by way of the Blewfields river. -They never reached the coast, for some French settlers whom they had -attempted to plunder fell upon them and slew them to a man. - -Famine threatened Rivas. There was not an ounce of bread in the city; -the men were living on scanty rations of horse and mule meat, seasoned -with sugar in lieu of salt; the hospital was filled with wounded and -fever patients. Henningsen said jestingly that, rather than surrender, -they would devour the prisoners. Once it was whispered in the ranks -that Walker and Henningsen, in anticipation of a successful assault on -the town, had prepared a magazine with which to blow up the citadel in -the moment of defeat, and with it friend and foe together. The rumour -was a silly falsehood, but so much impression did it make upon some of -the hardier spirits that, as General Henningsen told the author, seven -of them came to him, each begging for the privilege of firing the -train. Walker was not reduced to any such straits; he had yet three -forlorn hopes; the arrival, by the San Juan river of Lockridge with -reinforcements; assistance from California, and, as a last resource, -flight to the north on board his schooner _Granada_. The first never -came, because Lockridge, defeated before Castillo Viejo, had given up -the hopeless task. The second failed when Morgan refused to co-operate -with his partner, Garrison, in continuing to run the steamers from San -Francisco. On the _Granada_, then, depended the only hope of retreat -with honour. Walker, however, did not as yet know that the first and -second hopes had failed him. - -On the 10th of April, the Allies made another attack on the town, and -were again repulsed with even greater loss than on the previous -occasion. Commander Davis, who had been negotiating with the Allies, -sent word to Walker, on the 23rd of April, offering a safe convoy to -the women and children from Rivas to San Juan del Sur, an offer which -was thankfully accepted. - -On being relieved of his non-combatants, Walker felt that no obstacle -now stood in the way of his evacuation of the city, whenever he deemed -it proper, and a safe withdrawal on board of the schooner. Fayssoux had -continued to keep a close watch on the enemy's movements in San Juan, -preventing them throwing up fortifications or doing anything which -should embarrass the occupation of the town by Walker. Commander Davis, -acting as a peace-maker between the belligerents, but finding his -office one of perilous delicacy for a raw diplomat, and being governed -apparently by secret instructions, which new orders from Washington -might nullify at any moment if he delayed too long, now brought matters -to an unexpected crisis, by demanding Walker's surrender to the United -States authorities. Such an astonishing demand had never before been -made by a subordinate naval officer upon the President of a friendly -government. It was indignantly and promptly rejected. Davis then -assured Walker of the truth of two rumours which had reached Rivas; -the first, that Lockridge had given up his attempt to retake the -Transit route; the second, that no more steamers were to come from San -Francisco. Accepting both statements, which were true, Walker replied -that he purposed holding the city as long as his supplies lasted, -after which he intended carrying his command on board the Nicaragua -schooner-of-war _Granada_, and removing whithersoever he pleased. -To which Davis responded, that it was his "unalterable and deliberate -intention" to take possession of the schooner before he sailed from San -Juan; that his instructions on that point were clear and imperative; -and nothing but a countermand of his orders should induce him to depart -from that intention. The enemy had previously made Fayssoux an offer of -five thousand dollars to surrender the schooner; but what could not be -won by force or bribe was more cheaply gained through the extraordinary -action of an officer holding the commission and authority of the United -States. Walker has been accused of ingratitude because he protested -against the interference of Commander Davis. It was said that the -United States had saved the filibusters from extermination; but there -was not a man in Rivas who did not spurn the spurious claim. Ungrateful -step-children, they had cherished a different ideal of a mother -country! - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -Ultimatum of Captain Davis--Evacuation of Rivas--Statistics of the -campaign--Henningsen's opinion of his men--Characteristic anecdotes ---Frederick Ward--A filibuster's apotheosis. - - -The ultimatum of Davis, backed by the power at his command, destroyed -Walker's last hope of retaining his hold in Nicaragua; this too, at a -time when the tide of fortune had begun to show signs of turning. In -despair of ever taking the city by assault, the Allies had sat down to -besiege it, with scant patience. The formidable army of seven thousand -which had invested Rivas in January had decreased within two months, -through death and defection, to a comparatively small force of less -than two thousand, two-thirds of them Costa Ricans and other -foreigners. These were, moreover, short of powder, threatened with -cholera and the rainy season, and so reduced as to be unable to man -effectively the investing works, through which the American scouts -penetrated freely when they pleased. With the garrison, desertion had -done its worst. Walker had still with him 260 of his best fighting men, -with plenty of arms and ammunition and two or three days' provisions. -To cut his way through the hostile lines and reach his schooner would -have been a much less difficult feat than Henningsen's evacuation of -Granada. Capitulation had never been discussed or thought of by Walker, -nor had Commander Davis hinted at his intention of seizing the -_Granada_, until her possession had become of vital importance to the -besieged. - -The Leonese in the North had begun to murmur at the cost and misery of -this prolonged, fruitless war, whose advantages, should it end -favourably to the Allies, would most likely be reaped by those whom -they loved no better than they did the Americans of the North. Walker, -had he been allowed to embark his fighting men in safety, might expect -to awaken in those old friends a new and stronger friendship, and -resume the fight against the Serviles from the original point at -Realejo. The possession of over a hundred prisoners, whom he could have -carried with him as hostages, was a sufficient guarantee for the safety -of the sick and wounded whom he would have been compelled to leave -behind. Such, at least, are the arguments embodied in Henningsen's -protest, and the facts conceded by all authorities justify his -conclusions. But half of Walker's ammunition was on board the schooner, -without which it would have been madness to attempt a change of base in -presence of the enemy. - -Walker, finding that Davis was firm in his determination, sent General -Henningsen and Colonel Watters to meet the naval autocrat at the -headquarters of the Allies and arrange terms of capitulation. An -agreement was drawn up and submitted to Walker, on the 13th of April, -but he declined to sign it, as it contained no provisions guaranteeing -the safety in person and property of his native adherents who should -have to remain in Nicaragua. Among the latter were many devoted men who -had kept faithful to his fortunes throughout all, and on whom the wrath -of the enemy would fall as soon as the dread filibusters should leave -the country. On the next day an agreement was submitted and accepted by -both parties, the provisions of which were as follows:-- - - "RIVAS, May 1, 1857. - - "An agreement is hereby entered into between General William - Walker, on the one part, and Commander C. H. Davis, of the United - States Navy, on the other part, and of which the stipulations are - as follows:--Firstly. General William Walker, with sixteen officers - of his staff, shall march out of Rivas, with their side-arms, - pistols, horses, and personal baggage, under the guarantee of the - said Captain Davis, of the United States Navy, that they shall not - be molested by the enemy, and shall be allowed to embark on board - the United States vessel of war, the _St. Mary's_, in the harbour - of San Juan del Sur, the said Captain Davis undertaking to - transport them safely, on the _St. Mary's_ to Panama. - - "Secondly. The officers of General Walker's army shall march out of - Rivas with their side-arms, under the guarantee and protection of - Captain Davis, who undertakes to see them safely transported to - Panama in charge of a United States officer. - - "Thirdly. The privates and non-commissioned officers, citizens, - and _employes_ of departments, wounded or unwounded, shall be - surrendered, with their arms, to Captain Davis, or one of his - officers, and placed under his protection and control, he pledging - himself to have them transported safely to Panama, in charge of a - United States officer, in separate vessels from the deserters from - the ranks, and without being brought into contact with them. - - "Fourthly. Captain Davis undertakes to obtain guarantees, and - hereby does guarantee that all natives of Nicaragua, or of Central - America, now in Rivas, and surrendered to the protection of Captain - Davis, shall be allowed to reside in Nicaragua, and be protected in - life and property. - - "Fifthly. It is agreed that all such officers as have wives and - families in San Juan del Sur shall be allowed to remain there under - the protection of the United States consul, till an opportunity - offers of embarking for Panama or San Francisco. - - "General Walker and Captain Davis mutually pledge themselves to - each other that this agreement shall be executed in good faith." - - -Such is the text of the treaty between the representative of the United -States and his captive. The lenity, unheard of before in Central -American warfare, which the Allies thus offered to the men whom they -had vowed to exterminate, shows how highly they valued the services of -Captain Davis. That they did not keep their merciful promise to the -native prisoners, but harried them in the good old-fashioned style as -soon as the gallant captain had sailed away, does not detract from the -merit of their promise. They would have promised anything to be rid of -the troublesome filibustero. - -No stipulation had been made for the surrender of the ammunition and -weapons of the besieged. Henningsen, therefore, before the evacuation -began, set his gunners to work destroying all the artillery and -ammunition, consisting of one four-pound brass gun, three -five-pounders, two twelves, and three sixes, and four light iron -twelve-pound mortars, also 55,000 cartridges, 300,000 caps, and 1,500 -pounds of powder; no contemptible supply of saltpetre for a garrison -lacking in bread. - -The total number of men surrendering was 463, including 170 sick and -wounded. One hundred and two prisoners taken from the Allies were set -free and sent within the enemy's lines. Forty natives who had abided -with him to the end, bade their grey-eyed chieftain a sorrowful adieu -on the bright May morning that was his last in Rivas. - -Bravely and deliberately the filibusters marched out of the town, -Walker riding at the head, with blade on thigh and pistol in belt, and -the same impassive visage that he would have worn in mounting a throne -or a gallows. After him, Henningsen, tall, martial, frank of face, then -bearded like a whiskered Pandour, and not without traces of powder from -his morning's work. Gaunt Hornsby, a Northern Quixote in face and -figure, rode beside phlegmatic Bruno Von Natzmer, erst Prussian cornet -of hussars and friend of Baron Bulow, until differences of national -adoption set them lustily to fighting each other; more fortunate than -the Costa Rican baron, he lived to fight another day; Henry and -Swingle, doughty gunners; Watters--Colonel Jack--he of the relief of -Granada; Williamson, West, and a dozen others, brave men and true, -accompanied their leader. Other brave men and true, scores and -hundreds, lay beneath the orange trees of Rivas and Granada and San -Jorge, and a score of hard-fought fields, who never again might follow -a filibuster's flag or awake to martial trump until that of Gabriel -sounds their _reveille_. - -Walker and sixteen of his officers were to go on board the _St. -Mary's_, thence to Panama, and home. It is a striking, and in its way, -an heroic picture, that of the filibuster chief parting from his wild, -wayward, but devoted comrades. First, he must say not adieu but _au -revoir_ to 250 privates and non-commissioned officers, escorted by a -United States lieutenant, who curses his job, to Virgin Bay, thence -homeward as circuitously as may be; also to the sad contingent of sick -and wounded, homeward bound by another course; finally, he gives a look -of pitying scorn upon a battalion of recreant deserters whom, for their -own safety, Captain Davis must despatch to the home which yearns not -for them, by yet another route. - -So fared they forth from Rivas and on to their several fates; Walker -to gaze from the decks of the _St. Mary's_ at his beloved schooner -_Granada_, now captured by Davis, as promised, and turned over, as also -(privately) promised to the Costa Ricans, and commanded, not without -much pomp and glory, by a Jamaico negro--horribly satirical sequel to -that slavery decree which was to have regenerated Central America. -Commander Davis, most respectable of naval magnates, passed from Rivas -unto well-earned promotion, chiefly by dint of meritorious longevity, -and died, in the fulness of time, an admiral, having achieved nothing -more important in his long life than the forcible overthrow of the -filibuster chief. - -The "Blue, White and Blue" has floated over Nicaraguan soil for the -last time, save that one brief moment when it shall flutter and fall -before the "Stars and Stripes" in the port of San Juan del Norte. So -many and such varying stories have been told of the number of men who -fought and died under its folds, that a summary of the actual force -which during twenty months held possession of a country may not be -uninteresting. - -It has been estimated by those who estimate by guess, that 5,000 -Americans perished in Nicaragua--that is to say, five-sevenths as many -Americans as were killed and wounded in the Revolutionary War. It has -also been guessed that Walker had from 10,000 to 20,000 men at his -command. These guesses have been gravely crystallized into history, -where history has condescended to notice the subject at all. The actual -records of the adjutant-general, P. R. Thompson, show that exactly -2,843 men were enlisted in all the campaigns. In addition to these, -however, must be reckoned native volunteers, civilians who volunteered, -and others who were impressed for temporary service--whose combined -strength may have swelled the total to about 3,500. - -Against them was arrayed a force, in all, of 21,000 Servile -Nicaraguans, Costa Ricans, Hondurans, Guatemalans and San Salvadorians, -with at least 10,000 Indian auxiliaries. The Allies admitted a loss of -15,000 in all the campaigns. One-third, perhaps, of the Americans died -in Nicaragua. I take the assertions of General Henningsen, in the -absence of any official figures. Some estimate of their deeds may be -gathered from the surgical report, which showed that the proportion of -wounds treated was 137 to every hundred men. Those who did not shirk -their duty must have carried away many a scar, when they were fortunate -enough to carry away their lives, to average the immunity of the -cowardly and the false. It is not placing the proportion too high to -say that about one thousand five hundred was the number of those who -were steadfast and true. - -These were mostly Californians, when to be Californian meant to belong -to that race of giants who had come from all parts of the earth in -search of gold, and then journeyed two thousand miles further in search -of adventure. Nine-tenths of them were Americans, of every rank in -life, from college to prison graduates, who boasted that "California -was the pick of the world, and they were the pick of California"; nor -quarrelled with him who chose to put it, "California is the sink of the -world, and we are the sewer of California." Young Southerners drifted -to Nicaragua, as naturally as young Northerners ran away to sea. A son -and a nephew of Senator Bayard ran away from school to join the -filibusters, and might have added some military glory to the family -name, but that Walker sent them home at the request of the American -State department. Henningsen's first aid was a youth of nineteen, named -Burbank, who had run away from the Virginia military institute, and -would have been entitled, had he lived, to a fortune of 100,000 -dollars, which in those days was esteemed wealth. A rather worthless -sergeant did actually fall heir to a fortune of that amount, which he -was summoned home to enjoy, but purposely missed the steamer and -remained to die in Nicaragua. - -All the strange, wild natures for whom even California had grown too -tame, drifted naturally into the filibuster's camp. "I have heard," -says Henningsen, "two greasy privates disputing over the correct -reading and comparative merits of Aeschylus and Euripides. I have seen -a soldier on guard incessantly scribbling strips of paper, which turned -out to be a finely versified translation of his dog's-eared copy of the -'_Divina Commedia_.'" - -The same appreciative commander testifies to the invincible heroism and -fortitude of those men: "I have often seen them marching with a broken -or compound-fractured arm in splints, and using the other to fire the -rifle or revolver. Those with a fractured thigh, or wounds which -rendered them incapable of removal, often (or, rather, in early times, -always) shot themselves, sooner than fall into the hands of the enemy. -Such men," he adds, "do not turn up in the average of every-day life, -nor do I ever expect to see their like again. I was on the Confederate -side in many of the bloodiest battles of the late war; but I aver that -if, at the end of that war, I had been allowed to pick five thousand of -the bravest Confederate or Federal soldiers I ever saw, and could -resurrect and pit against them one thousand of such men as lie beneath -the orange trees of Nicaragua, I feel certain that the thousand would -have scattered and utterly routed the five thousand within an hour. All -military science failed, on a suddenly given field, before assailants -who came on at a run, to close with their revolvers, and who thought -little of charging a battery, pistol in hand." Ten men, all officers, -did in the first battle of Rivas actually charge and capture a battery -manned by over a hundred Costa Ricans, half of the little band being -slain in the heroic feat. - -Their enemies bear witness to the splendid courage of the filibusters -and their indomitable _sang-froid_ when called upon to face the -fusillade which almost always awaited them if captured. Chevalier Belly -tells of a filibuster captured, with a broken leg, and condemned to be -shot, who curtly replied to the questions of a sympathetic person, as -to why he had come to Nicaragua, whether he believed in a future state, -and so forth; until losing patience at what he deemed such idle speech, -he burst out: "Here, we've had enough of this fooling! If you mean to -have this funeral come off bring on your mourners and let us get -through with it." - -Men who possessed the military genius, which upon a broader field had -earned them fame and fortune, lie in unhonoured graves; because on -their field bravery and skill meant only increased chances of death. -Men of highest education, family, and wealth, lie beside felons and -outcasts. Some survived to pursue their adventurous career in other -lands, many to die in the American Civil War. One of them, Frederick -Townsend Ward, descendant of straitest Puritan ancestry, a native of -Salem, Massachusetts, graduated from the filibuster's school to wander -over to distant China, where, the Taiping rebellion occurring in the -nick of time, he entered the Imperial service, in which he presently -attained to the chief command. So well did the doughty filibuster -practise the lessons learned in his old school, that he soon became one -of the greatest men in the Celestial kingdom, and was loaded with -wealth and honours (two million dollars, it is said, of the former, but -the native executors produced no assets), and might have risen to any -position in that most conservative kingdom, perhaps even to the very -throne and office of heaven's vice-gerent, had not an unlucky ball cut -short his career at the siege of Ning-Po, and sent him to enjoy the -most remarkable honours ever paid to a Yankee living or dead. For the -grateful Pagans have erected two temples in his honour, and have -solemnly enrolled his name among those of their country's gods. Even to -this day there is kept perennially blooming over his tomb a spotless -lily, emblematic of I know not what, which is constantly tended and -nursed by loving hands, and shall perchance be so tended centuries to -come, when Taiping and Filibuster shall have grown dim and hoary -traditions in the busy, forgetful world outside the Middle Kingdom. -China remembers the services of Ward. With us _alter tulit honores_, -and an Englishman wears the glory of having suppressed the Taiping -rebellion. Of a different type was the young Californian, Joaquin -Miller, who has lived to embalm in heroic verse the memory of his -chief--albeit, Walker, simple and severe, masquerades in a garb which -he would have little yearned for or admired. - -Thus the poet pictures his hero as "tall, courtly, grand as any king," -with - - "A piercing eye, a princely air, - A presence like a chevalier, - Half angel and half Lucifer; - Fair fingers, jewell'd manifold - With great gems set in hoops of gold; - Sombrero black, with plume of snow - That swept his long silk locks below; - A red serape with bars of gold, - Heedless falling, fold on fold; - A sash of silk, where flashing swung - A sword as swift as serpent's tongue, - In sheath of silver chased in gold; - - And Spanish spurs with bells of steel - That dash'd and dangl'd at the heel." - -It is grand; it is magnificent; but--it is not our Filibuster, who was -more impressive in his stern simplicity. - -To the more ignorant of his followers Walker's ulterior designs were -naturally inexplicable. They thought that his purpose was merely that -of a freebooter. Hence there arose a legend that he had amassed a -mighty treasure which, like that of Captain Kidd, still lies hidden, -awaiting discovery by some lucky seeker. Long years after his death the -following story was told by a relative of one of the surviving -filibusters, named Samuel Lyons: - -"By his bravery and strategy Samuel became one of Walker's most trusted -men, and he was one of the four officers who helped Walker bury his -treasure. There were five mule loads of it--gold and silver, money and -bullion, including a great deal which had been plundered from the -churches, the chapels, and private mansions. At eleven o'clock one -moonlight night Walker and four officers buried the treasure under a -big tree near the brow of a hill. I have heard Samuel tell how they -scraped away the leaves on the ground before they dug the pit. I have a -pretty good idea of the locality myself, but he knows just where it is, -and can find it even if the tree is removed. The treasure was buried -just before the two final engagements which crushed the hopes of -Walker. The next morning after that little moonlight excursion the -first of these engagements occurred, and in it two of the officers who -had seen the treasure buried were killed. After that engagement the -army--if it could be called one--lived on bananas alone for two weeks -in a big banana plantation, and had a hard time of it. Then came the -last engagement, in which Walker, Samuel, and the rest were captured. -There is only one of the four accompanying officers who is not -accounted for; but as nothing was heard of him after that engagement -Samuel has always believed that he was killed then or executed with the -captives who met death in that way. He certainly was not with the party -that so wonderfully escaped with Samuel, and who, I think, were the -sole survivors of that engagement. If he be dead, or rather, if he died -then, Samuel alone has the secret." - -Most lovers of the marvellous would be satisfied with this delectable -dish of treasure and gore, but another "survivor," with a still more -able-bodied imagination, gravely corrects the first narrator, by -saying: - -"The writer hereof knows something of that treasure, and personally -examined it, and in lieu of five mule loads, there were _five tons -of it_. It is well known that the most horrible chapter in that -most horrible of wars was the burning and pillaging of Granada by -General Henningsen, under Walker's orders, in November, 1856. The -churches--some twenty or more, immensely rich in plate and jewels--were -secretly and systematically despoiled, and their great booty was safely -stowed away on board a Lake Nicaragua steamer before the doomed city -was given up to pillage. What became of that immense spoil has been a -mysterious secret, and was so regarded by the filibusters at the time. -_It was worth millions._ To allay suspicion as to its true disposition -Walker gave out that it was shipped to New Orleans to be disposed of on -account of his government, and that the proceeds thereof would be used -in purchasing military supplies. That spoil was buried, and, to my own -personal knowledge, the officer who had it in charge and commanded the -squad who guarded it now lives in San Bernardino. He informs me (and we -have frequently discussed the matter) that, under the immediate -supervision of Walker, he and five other officers and about twenty men -buried that treasure in the village of St. George, on Lake Nicaragua, -under a room in the house wherein the booty was so sacredly guarded. -Walker exacted the most solemn oath of secrecy, giving substantial -gratuities and promising future rewards to the whole party if they -would faithfully guard the secret of the hidden church-spoil of the -burned city. Inside of a month the whole party who were in the secret, -save my friend and informant and two or three of the officers therein -engaged, were sent away on a feigned expedition; were given out as -deserters; were pursued by a large party of cavalry, and, by Walker's -order, shot to a man when overhauled by the pursuing party. Soon -thereafter, at a desperate battle fought at St. George on January 16, -1857, the last man of the party who assisted in burying the church -spoil, save my friend of San Bernardino, was killed, and in such a way -as to confirm in the mind of my informant the opinion that all had been -killed by Walker's order, and that the General intended to be the only -custodian of the secret of the hidden treasure. Although my informant -was a faithful and trusted officer, high in Walker's favour, still the -prompt and tragic ending of his comrades and sharers in the dread -mystery produced such an impression on his mind that he at once -deserted. He carried the secret with him and yet has it, and he is the -only man living who knows where the Granada booty lies hidden, _and -he don't know_. And why not? Well, the spoil was buried in December; -in January the enemy by a forced march, possessed themselves of St. -George; Walker took position at Rivas, three miles distant, and, within -the next three months, utterly exhausted his army in his vain -endeavours to repossess himself of the insignificant village that -contained this immense wealth. In the terrific conflicts that ensued -the village was razed to the ground. This the writer hereof knows, -because he fought through all of those engagements." - -Nothing (save truth) is lacking to make this circumstantial narrative -all that it should be. Like most of the improbable charges made against -Walker, it emanated from his deserters, who have done more than any -others to blacken his memory. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -Walker returns to the United States--Crabbe's expedition--Renewed -attempts of Walker--The expedition to San Juan del Norte. - - -Walker's reception in New York, on his return to the United States, was -like that of a conqueror. The city wore a holiday appearance; tens of -thousands of citizens flocked to see the hero; Broadway was decked with -banners as on a national festival. Public meetings were called to give -him welcome and sympathy. Walker received the homage with dignified -modesty, and resolutely avowed his determination to recover his lost -power at the first opportunity. As the lawful President of Nicaragua, -he protested against the action of the United States, to him a foreign -power, in driving him from his country. He went to Washington, to lay -before the State Department his complaint against Commander Davis, and -was received with diplomatic politeness; but the case was referred to -the consideration of Congress, where it was effectually buried under a -mountain of verbiage. Thence he made a journey through the South, being -welcomed and feted with even more enthusiasm than he had received in -the North. Arriving at New Orleans, he made his first appearance -publicly in a box at one of the theatres. When the audience became -aware of his presence they turned with one impulse from the mimic -romance of the stage to gaze at the living hero whose exploits made -tame the wildest flights of imagination, and cheer upon cheer went up -from pit and gallery. Walker was hailed as a hero and a martyr, and his -bitterest enemies were silenced for the time, when Henningsen, whom -they had expected, from some unknown reason, to villify his commander, -not only disappointed that hope, but lauded everywhere the character -and principles of the great filibuster. He also laid before Secretary -Cass an indignant protest against the outrage inflicted upon a friendly -nation, whose only offence towards the United States lay in the fact -that its president had the misfortune to be by birth an American. -Technically the filibusters had serious reason for complaint. But the -demand for reparation fell upon deaf ears. The President of the United -States cared nothing for the fact that the title of the President of -Nicaragua to his office was in law as good as that of James Buchanan to -his. Buchanan, as Walker soon saw, was not the man to add another -bramble to his already too painful bed of thorns; and the bold -filibuster decided to seek outside the pale of law that redress which -was denied him within it. - -While Walker and his men were battling for their lives in Rivas, during -the months of March and April, 1857, another and a bloody scene in the -tragedy of filibusterism was being enacted on the stage which had -witnessed the failures of De Boulbon and Walker. Towards the end of -March one hundred and fifty men from California were led across the -boundary line into the northern part of Sonora by Henry A. Crabbe, a -former friend of Walker, and like him, a man of bold and ambitious -character. He had been one of the most useful agents in organizing the -latter's expedition to Nicaragua, and through him Walker had secured -some of his most efficient officers, Hornsby, Fisher, and De Brissot, -all of whom had been concerned in a contract between Crabbe and Jerez -similar in its terms to that afterwards made between Castellon and -Walker. - -Crabbe was an ex-Senator of the State of California; in his party were -seven former members of the legislature and one present senator, -together with the former State treasurer and State comptroller; men who -had outlived their popularity, perhaps, or who had become tired of -humdrum life and sought a new career in Sonora, the graveyard of -adventurers. Nor was the military element lacking. Colonel Watkins, who -had been with Walker in his expedition to the same country, and a -former lieutenant in the regular army, Colonel T. D. Johns, -superintended the military department as the expedition crossed the -line. They marched through the country without hindrance until they -passed Sonoyta and approached Caborca, on the Gulf of California, near -Point Lobos. There for the first time the Mexicans showed a hostile -front. Crabbe had issued an address to the inhabitants, in which he -claimed that his business in the country was peaceable, his object -being the prosecution of a mining scheme in Sonora; and maintained -that, while his party were armed, they had come so only for -self-defence against the Apache Indians. The truth of the matter was -that Crabbe had been invited to Sonora by the partisans of a political -minority, whose leader, Don Ignacio Pesqueira, had meanwhile gained his -political ends without the aid of foreign allies, and was much -disturbed lest the inopportune arrival of the latter should reflect -upon his present loyalty. Crabbe, who had at much cost and labour -organized his immigrants and arranged for the future immigration of -nine hundred more men, was not disposed to abandon his project. He was -allied by marriage with some of the leading families in the State, and -may have cherished hopes of exchanging places with Pesqueira in -Sonorian affairs. If he counted upon the assistance of the native -population he was doomed to a cruel disappointment. - -On the 1st of April, when the expeditionists were within six miles of -Caborca, they were fired upon by an ambushed party of natives; at the -same time a strong force appeared in front, drawn up to contest the -road. The filibusters opened fire upon them, killing at the first -volley Colonel Rodriguez, the commander, and driving the Mexicans -before them into the town. The fugitives rallied in the plaza and -fortified themselves in the main church. The assailants occupied the -houses opposite, whereupon the natives, seeing that the church was not -attacked, plucked up courage to garrison the adjacent buildings and -harass the invaders. Crabbe soon perceived his error in allowing the -enemy to assume the offensive, and made one or two futile attempts to -carry the church by assault. The fighting lasted through eight days. On -the last, Crabbe with fifteen men tried to blow up the church by means -of gunpowder, but the enemy kept up such a sharp fire that he was -compelled to desist, with four of his men shot down and himself badly -wounded. He now sent a flag of truce, offering to withdraw his forces, -if they should be allowed to leave the country. The Mexicans had -themselves made such a proposition to him on the second day of the -fight, which he had then rejected, as they now did, their relative -positions having so much changed in the meanwhile. Gabilondo, the -Mexican commander, disposed his force of five hundred men so as to hem -in completely the unfortunate adventurers, until the Mexicans, having -cut through the walls of the intervening houses, fought hand to hand in -the passages and slowly drove the Americans into the last house on the -street. - -Night fell upon the scene where fifty-eight surviving filibusters stood -at bay, overcome with hunger, thirst, and hard fighting. They placed -sentries and sought to snatch a few moments' rest, which was rudely -broken by the crackling sound of fire above their heads. An Indian -archer had lodged a flaming arrow in the thatched roof, and soon the -fiery flakes were dropping upon the men within. In this desperate -strait Crabbe sent word to the enemy that he was willing to surrender -as a prisoner of war, on condition that he and his men should be given -a fair trial. Gabilondo replied, accepting the terms of capitulation -and promising to send the prisoners to El Altar for trial. They were -ordered to leave the house one by one, and without their arms, and -then, their hands being bound, they were marched to the barracks. -Crabbe was separated from the rest and brought before the Mexican -commander, who offered to give him his life if he would point out where -he had buried his treasure, some ten thousand dollars. Crabbe, -remembering the bad faith of Pesqueira, and rightly judging that the -possession of the money by Gabilondo would be anything but a guaranty -of the owner's safety, refused, and was sent to his cell. The surrender -had taken place at eleven o'clock in the evening. One hour after -midnight a sergeant entered the barracks and read to the assembled -prisoners their sentence of death by the fusillade at daybreak. - -At the appointed hour they were led out on the plaza, where, after the -executioners, with an eye to thrift, had first stripped them of their -valuable articles of clothing, they were shot in cold blood, without -the form of a trial. A boy of twelve was spared to witness the brutal -scene. The bodies were rifled of their rings, and in some cases even -the gold fillings in their teeth, after which they were thrown into a -burial ground where the wild hog and the coyote fattened on them. To -Crabbe was accorded the honour of dying last and alone. He was tied to -a post and riddled with bullets. His head was cut off and exhibited in -a jar of vinegar for several days, a sight which so stimulated the -heroism of the natives that they fell upon a party of sixteen peaceful -travellers a few days afterwards and cut them off to a man, while -another bold band crossed into the American territory and murdered four -sick men, presumed to have been adherents of Crabbe. Of the nine -hundred men who were to have joined Crabbe from California, only some -fifty appeared in the vicinity of Caborca, where being set upon by the -natives they succeeded only with great difficulty in making their way -back across the boundary line. - -Mr. Forsyth, the American minister to Mexico, took pains to investigate -the matter, and laid before his own Government and that of Mexico the -results of his inquiry. He pronounced the execution of the prisoners -"legal murder," a conclusion which apparently satisfied both parties, -the Americans because it was "legal," and the Mexicans because it was -"murder," and so the matter was allowed to drop. It ended filibusterism -in that country. The American apostle of liberty no longer heeds the -cry of the oppressed of any faction. Nor is it likely, since the world -was shocked by the execution of the Austrian archduke, that many -Europeans will be found treading the wine-press for what they have been -pleased to term the "regeneration" of Mexico. - -With the expulsion of the filibusters terminated for a time the war in -Nicaragua. The Allied states formed a kind of protectorate over the -republic, having first rewarded themselves, after the fashion of -greater powers, by gathering a goodly share of the fruits of victory. -Costa Rica was rewarded by the possession of Guanacaste and a strip of -land bordering along the lake and the southern side of the San Juan -river, a sufficiently small return for her outlay in the war, which had -entailed a loss of so many thousand men, women, and children slain by -cholera. The "Tiger of Honduras" was given material aid in driving from -power at home the partisans of Cabanas. General Martinez, a descendant -of the apocryphal heroine of San Carlos, was appointed President of -Nicaragua, and at once sent a minister to Washington, who was received -without question. Mr. Buchanan thus gave himself a plausible excuse for -declining to recognize the claims of Walker. Senor Yrissari, the new -minister, negotiated a new treaty for the construction of a canal, the -terms of which not being considered favourable to Costa Rica, that -state and Nicaragua were soon again preparing to grapple each other's -throats. - -In spite of the vigilance of the United States authorities Walker -continued planning schemes to resume the offensive on Nicaraguan soil. -Being arrested on charge of organizing an unlawful expedition, he was -acquitted, only to renew his preparations. Thirteen days after his -discharge at New Orleans he appeared off the harbour of San Juan del -Norte on board the steamer _Fashion_, but did not stop at that port -until after he had landed Colonel Anderson and fifty men at the mouth -of the river Colorado, a southerly branch of the San Juan. Returning to -the harbour of San Juan, the _Fashion_ boldly came to anchor under the -guns of the United States frigate _Saratoga_, and landed her cargo of -war material and passengers to the number of a hundred and fifty men. -The officers and most of the men were old veterans of Nicaragua, -including the tried soldiers, Hornsby, Von Natzmer, Swingle, Tucker, -Henry, Hoof, Fayssoux, Cook, McMullen, Haskins, Buttrick, and others. -Captain Chatard, of the _Saratoga_, sent a boat on board the _Fashion_, -but the passengers had landed before the lieutenant in command could -prevent them. The only steps which the American officer felt himself -authorized to take were to order the filibusters to respect American -property on the Transit Company's ground, an injunction which Walker -obeyed, after protesting that it was an infringement of his rights as -President of Nicaragua, from and through whom the company held its -privileges. - -Walker immediately formed his camp and awaited the reinforcements which -he was daily expecting from the United States. Colonel Anderson, having -ascended the Colorado and San Juan, suddenly appeared before Castillo -Viejo and captured it without difficulty, a feat which the incompetent -Titus and Lockridge had been unable to achieve with eight times his -force. He also captured three or four of the river steamers, and was in -a fair way to obtain supreme control of the Transit route, when the -arrival at San Juan, on December 6th, of Commodore Hiram Paulding and -the U.S. frigate _Wabash_ gave a new turn to affairs. - -Captain Chatard, not content with exercising a kind of police -superintendence over the port of San Juan, began a series of petty -annoyances, which, had they been intended to provoke Walker into a -collision with the United States forces, could not have been better -contrived. While the American captain professed to maintain a strict -neutrality, he nevertheless issued orders to the expeditionists, and -sent his boats out to practise firing where the filibusters on duty -were exposed to injury unless they abandoned their posts. His officers -insisted upon landing and entering Walker's camp without a pass; and -when Walker, with more dignity than discretion, threatened to shoot -anybody found trespassing within his lines, Captain Chatard retorted in -a note (which Walker sent to Commodore Paulding,) assuring him that he -would retaliate. "The childish follies," as Walker characterized them, -of Captain Chatard failing to provoke a collision, Commodore Paulding, -on the 7th of December, sent an imperative summons to surrender. -Resistance to such a demand, backed as it was by two frigates and a -complaisant British captain, who volunteered to aid Paulding in -annihilating the American filibusters, would have been madness. On the -next day Commodore Paulding landed a force of three hundred and fifty -men in howitzer barges and formed them in order of battle, while the -broadsides of the _Saratoga_ were sprung to bear on the camp. Captain -Engle proceeded to the tent of General Walker and presented the demand -for surrender, adding, "General, I am sorry to see you here. A man like -you is worthy to command better men." Walker replied briefly that the -virtue of his men would be apparent if their number and equipments were -one half those of his captors. - -The flag of the filibusters was then hauled down, and the prisoners -were sent on board the _Saratoga_ for transportation to the United -States. Walker, being offered the choice of returning by way of -Aspinwall, availed himself of the favour and went home at his own -expense. Colonel Anderson, on learning of the capture, surrendered his -command on the river and returned to New Orleans. Arriving at New York, -Walker gave himself up to a United States marshal, in fulfilment of his -parole to Commodore Paulding, and was sent a prisoner of war to -Washington. But President Buchanan was by no means ready to support the -act of his naval subordinate, and absolutely refused to accept the -surrender or to recognize Walker as in the custody of the Government. -In a message to Congress he reviewed at length the action of Commodore -Paulding, which he pronounced unlawful, but cited the approbation of -the _de facto_ government of Nicaragua as justifying the proceedings. -In short, Paulding had infringed the rights of that country by an act -of hostility towards its president and upon its soil; but, reasoned Mr. -Buchanan, inasmuch as the enemies of Walker now in possession of the -government of Nicaragua do not complain, therefore Commodore Paulding's -action was not reprehensible. Nevertheless, it was a grave error and a -dangerous precedent, should it be allowed to go unrebuked. Acting upon -the logical sequence of that opinion, Walker demanded that the -Government of the United States should indemnify him for his losses -and, by granting free transportation to a new expedition, restore the -_status quo ante_. Needless to say, the petition was not granted. He -then instituted civil suits against Paulding, claiming damages for -illegal arrest and detention, suits which lingered in the courts and -never arrived at a decision. - -The _Fashion_ was condemned for having sailed from Mobile under a false -clearance, and sold by the United States marshal for two hundred -dollars. Her cargo, which was brought back by the frigates _Saratoga_ -and _Wabash_, showed that the filibusters had made ample preparations -for the equipment of a force sufficient to have easily reconquered the -country had they been able to secure a foothold. That their failure -should be caused by the action of their fellow countrymen they had -never dreamed. Walker, before his departure, had satisfied himself -that he should suffer no harm if only he could get away in quiet. -Least of all did he dream of being molested on foreign soil. Proof -came readily, when it was too late to be of any service, that Paulding -had transgressed his powers in breaking up the expedition. The cause of -his enmity was not difficult to fathom. Paulding was an old shipmate -and intimate friend of Walker's enemy, Commander Davis. Fate seems to -rejoice in a certain kind of ironical cruelty, whereby she sends to a -Napoleon the gad-fly, Hudson Lowe, and thwarts the ambition of a Walker -by the pipe-clay petulance of a naval martinet. It is as though Caesar -had caught a cold, and died of it, in crossing the Rubicon. Paulding -and other petty potentates chose to take offence at the disrespectful -manner in which Walker, a mere uncommissioned adventurer, had dared -speak of Commander Davis. They resented it as an insult to "the -service," and when the subsequent correspondence with Commander Chatard -was laid before the Commodore, his indignation knew no bounds. The man -who would threaten to shoot a naval officer for penetrating his -military lines without a pass could be only a pirate and outlaw. As -such, Paulding had the filibuster arrested, although permitting him, -with charming inconsistency, to go to New York on parole. - -But the irreparable mischief was done, and Walker found slight -consolation in having his persecutor suspended from active service, or -in the prosecution of endless civil suits for damages, a species of -vengeance which carries its own punishment. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -Walker's "History of the War "--Lands at Ruatan and takes Trujillo ---Retreats before the English forces--Surrender--Trial and execution -of the last of the Filibusters. - - -During the following two years Walker continued his efforts to regain -power in Nicaragua, his friends maintaining their unshaken confidence -in his ability to succeed and in the "destiny" which had lately played -him such sorry tricks. On the 30th of October, 1858, President Buchanan -found it necessary to issue a proclamation calling attention to certain -plans of emigration companies intending to colonise Nicaragua, the -leading promoter of which was William Walker. "This person," it said, -"who has severed the ties of loyalty which bind him to the United -States, and who aspires to the presidency of Nicaragua, has notified -the Collector of the port of Mobile that two or three hundred of those -emigrants will be ready to embark and sail for that port towards the -middle of November;" and the President warned the intending emigrants -that they would not be allowed to carry out their project. - -In spite, however, of this proclamation a party of one hundred and -fifty filibusters, commanded by Colonel Anderson, embarked about the -1st of December on the schooner _Susan_ at the port of Mobile. The -voyage terminated abruptly by shipwreck off the coast of Honduras, -whence the expeditionists were rescued by a British vessel of war and -carried back to their home. Doubleday thus describes the ruse by which -the adventurers deceived the Federal authorities in escaping from -Mobile:-- - - "No customs official had molested us while fast to the dock, but - when we had reached the open bay a shadowy vessel ran athwart our - bow in the semi-obscurity of the night, hailing us as she passed by - announcing herself a United States revenue cutter, commanded by - Captain Morris. He had orders if we should persist in sailing with - our present cargo, to sink us as soon as we were a marine league - from the shore, that distance constituting in their parlance the - open sea. This we agreed among ourselves was unpleasant. She - carried heavy guns while we carried none, and besides not even - Walker was quite prepared as yet to make war with the United - States. - - "Captain Harry Maury, who commanded our schooner, was a thorough - sailor, intimately acquainted with the varying depths of the bay of - his native Mobile, and a true type of the oft-quoted chivalry of - the South. He furthermore had a rather intimate convivial - acquaintance with Captain Morris of the cutter. - - "We therefore readily agreed that he should try his diplomatic - talent, to extricate us from our unpleasant situation, for he - assured us that Morris was a man to carry out his instructions. - - "As the cutter again came around within hailing distance, Maury - hailed, asking permission to go aboard with a friend or two, for - discussion of the situation. Receiving a cordial invitation to - bring as many of his friends as he pleased, Colonel Anderson and I - accompanied him. - - "The wind being very light the two vessels kept almost side by side - while we were in the cabin of the cutter. Maury remarked that to - men who were prospectively so near Davy Jones' locker, a glass of - grog would not be unacceptable. - - "Morris, hospitably inclined, set forth champagne, drinking - fraternally with those whom a hard duty compelled him to immolate, - and, as bottle succeeded bottle, I saw that it was to become a - question of endurance. - - "Perfect courtesy was sustained and still further tested when Maury - invited Morris to come aboard the schooner and try our wine, - pledging himself that he should be returned in safety to his own - vessel. Whatever Morris might have decided an hour before, he now - promptly accepted the invitation, following us in his own boat. - - "Drinking was resumed on the schooner, and, as Morris was helped - into his boat, Maury told him that he would not keep so good a - fellow chasing us through the darkness of the night, but would - anchor and wait for daylight, cautioning him not to run into us - when our anchor went down. - - "The night had become exceedingly dark, and as the captain of the - cutter reached his deck, Captain Maury called out, cautioning - Morris not to run into us when we should bring up. - - "At the same time the order was given in a loud voice to 'let go,' - and by a preconcerted arrangement the anchor chain rattling through - one hawse-hole was pulled in at the other. - - "Morris, supposing he heard the chain carrying our anchor down, let - go his own. As he brought up we shot ahead, and then came the - delicate part of the business. - - "Maury had reckoned on the difference in draught between our vessel - and the cutter--about six inches--together with his superior - knowledge of the depths in the bay, to carry us over by a short cut - into the sea. He had arranged his manoeuvre to coincide with our - arrival at the spot on which he wished to make the test. - - "We therefore headed directly across the channel, and Morris, - quickly perceiving the trick we had played him, followed as soon as - he could pull in his anchor. Even this delay gave us a start which - in the thick darkness deprived him of the advantage of our - pilotage. We afterwards learned that he did not go far before he - was fast on the bottom, and of course had to wait for high tide to - get off."[2] - - [2] "The Filibuster War in Nicaragua." - -Shortly after the sailing of the _Susan_, the Collector of the port -of New Orleans detained a steamship with a party of three hundred -"emigrants" who were compelled to give up their design of colonizing in -Central America. No further attempt was made by Walker until September, -1859, when the guns of a United States frigate were brought to bear -upon the steamer _Philadelphia_ at New Orleans, forcibly compelling her -passengers to disembark. About the same time Lord Lyons, the British -minister, notified the American executive that his Government had -resolved to interfere in repelling forcibly any future attempts of -Walker against Nicaragua. A squadron of English vessels of war was -permanently stationed at San Juan del Norte, while a similarly strong -force guarded the Pacific gate. The United States also kept a small -fleet in the Caribbean Sea to watch the movements of the exiled -president. Napoleon was hardly more of a nightmare to the Holy Alliance -than was Walker to the two powerful countries which did him the honour -of this surveillance. - -Meanwhile he was employing his enforced leisure in writing a history of -his Nicaraguan career, which he published in the spring of 1860. The -book, which was written in the third person, after the style of -"Caesar's Commentaries," is valuable chiefly as a reflection of the -author's character. His modesty in alluding to his own exploits is -extreme; but he makes no hesitation of avowing his principles as an -ardent champion of slavery, devoting many pages to an exposition of -arguments which were never logical and are now mournful and ridiculous. -That he was sincere is unquestionable. He was a man who would live or -die in support of his convictions, and who had too much sincerity of -purpose ever to succeed in any undertaking which required duplicity. A -proof of his impolitic honesty is found in the fact that at this period -of his career he embraced the Catholic religion, a step not calculated -to win him favour among either his political friends or enemies. It has -been incorrectly stated that he joined the faith on becoming President -of Nicaragua; it would have been a wise stroke of worldly policy for -him to have done so. But the fact is, that he stoutly maintained his -independence of thought until his reason was convinced, even though it -might injure him with the clerical party in that country. In Napoleon's -place Walker would never have donned the turban nor sought to -conciliate the Pontiff, though the empire of a world rewarded the -stroke. Empires are neither won nor held by men of such obstinate -conscience. - -The evident impossibility of running the gauntlet of the British and -American cruisers in the Caribbean Sea determined him to seek a new -pathway to his cherished goal; and that way, he decided, lay through -the exposed part of the enemy's territory, the eastern coast of -Honduras. It would seem that at that time the Island of Ruatan, a -fertile land with a population of about 1,700 souls, was not under the -usual British man-of-war captain's sovereignty, but owed a nominal -allegiance to the Republic of Honduras. Upon the always ready -invitation of some of its inhabitants, Walker prepared to use it as a -base of operations against his former enemy, President Alvarez, and as -a stepping-stone to the real point of attack. Accordingly, in the early -part of August, 1860, having made arrangements for a strong body of -reinforcements to follow and join him at Trujillo, he sailed in the -schooner _Clifton_ from Mobile with a force of about a hundred men, -including the veterans Rudler, Henry, Dolan, and Anderson, and landed -at Ruatan on the 15th of the month. There he issued a proclamation to -the people of Honduras, which was an explicit avowal of his objects and -desires: - - "More than five years ago, I, with others, was invited to the - Republic of Nicaragua and was promised certain rights and - privileges on the condition of certain services rendered the state. - We performed the services required of us, but the existing - authorities of Honduras joined a combination to drive us from - Central America. In the course of events the people of the Bay - Islands find themselves in nearly the same position as the - Americans held in Nicaragua in November, 1855. The same policy - which led Guardiola to make war on us will induce him to drive the - people of the Islands from Honduras. A knowledge of this fact has - led certain residents of the Islands to call upon the adopted - citizens of Nicaragua to aid in the maintenance of their rights of - person and property; but no sooner had a few adopted citizens of - Nicaragua answered this call of the residents of the Islands by - repairing to Ruatan than the acting authorities of Honduras, - alarmed for their safety, put obstacles in the way of carrying out - the treaty of November 28, 1859. Guardiola delays to receive the - Islands because of the presence of a few men whom he has injured; - and thus, for party purposes, not only defeats the territorial - interests of Honduras, but thwarts, for the moment, a cardinal - object of Central American policy. The people of the Bay Islands - can be ingrafted on your Republic only by wise concessions properly - made. The existing authorities of Honduras have, by their past - acts, given proof that they would not make the requisite - concessions. The same policy which Guardiola pursued toward the - naturalized Nicaraguans prevents him from pursuing the only course - by which Honduras can expect to hold the Islands. It becomes, - therefore, a common object with the naturalized Nicaraguans, and - with the people of the Bay Islands, to place in the government of - Honduras those who will yield the rights lawfully required in the - two states. Thus, the Nicaraguans will secure a return to their - adopted country, and the Bay Islanders will obtain full guarantees - from the sovereignty under which they are to be placed by the - treaty of November 28, 1859. To obtain, however, the object at - which we aim, we do not make war against the people of Honduras, - but only against a government which stands in the way of the - interests, not only of Honduras, but of all Central America. The - people of Honduras may therefore rely on all the protection they - may require for their rights, both of person and property. - - "WILLIAM WALKER." - -To capture the town of Trujillo, on the mainland, was the work of but -half an hour, only a few of the assailants being injured. Walker -received a slight wound in the face. Scarcely had the town been -occupied when a British war-steamer, the _Icarus_, appeared on the -scene. Captain Salmon, her commander, immediately notified Walker that -the British Government held a mortgage against the revenues of the -port, as security for certain claims, and that he intended to protect -the interests of his Government by taking possession of the town. -Walker replied that he had made Trujillo a free port, and consequently -could not entertain any claims for revenues which no longer existed. -The captain refused to recognize any change in the government of -Honduras, and sent a peremptory demand for surrender, promising, in -case of compliance, to carry the prisoners back to the United States, -and threatening to open fire on the town if it were not given up. -Meanwhile General Alvarez, with 700 soldiers, was preparing to make an -assault by land. Thus hemmed in, Walker determined to evacuate -Trujillo, which he did the following night, retreating down the coast -with only eighty-eight men. In their haste they were compelled to leave -behind all their heavy baggage and accoutrements, carrying only thirty -rounds of ammunition each; the rest they destroyed at Trujillo. When -the British landed next morning they were only in time to protect the -sick and wounded in the hospital from the ferocious Hondurians. The -_Icarus_ immediately took Alvarez and a strong force on board and -steamed down the coast in pursuit. - -At the mouth of the Rio Negro they learned that Walker lay encamped at -the Indian village of Lemas, whither the boats of the _Icarus_ were -sent. They found the adventurers in no condition to oppose such -overwhelming odds. They had carried with them from Trujillo only two -barrels of bread, and being without blankets or overcoats, many had -been attacked with fever from sleeping on the damp unhealthy ground. To -reach Nicaragua in such miserable plight would have been impossible, -even had they any hope of meeting a hospitable reception there. The -Indians through whose territory they should have to pass were fierce -and hostile to all intruders, and Olancho ("_Olancho, ancho para -intrar, angosto para salir_"--"Easy to enter, hard to leave") lay in -the way. - -Two cutters, with forty English marines and 200 Honduran soldiers, -landed at the filibusters' camp on Sept. 3. To Captain Salmon's demand -for unconditional surrender, Walker replied with the inquiry, whether -he was surrendering to the British or to the Hondurenos? Captain Salmon -twice assured him, distinctly and specifically, that it was to her -Majesty's forces; whereupon the filibusters laid down their arms and -were carried on board the _Icarus_. On arriving at Trujillo, Captain -Salmon turned his prisoners over to the Honduran authorities, despite -their protest and demand for trial before a British tribunal. But -Captain Salmon was only a young and rather pompous commander who -disdained to argue the case, although he so far interested himself as -to secure the pardon of all except the leader and one faithful -follower, Colonel Rudler. West, Dolan, and other veterans who had -joined this last forlorn hope were either unknown to the Hondurenos, or -not deemed of sufficient importance to merit severe punishment. - -Captain Salmon offered to plead for Walker, if the latter would ask his -intercession as an American citizen. But Walker, with the bitter -remembrance of all the injuries which his nativity had brought upon -him, thanked his captor, and refused to demean himself by denying the -country which had adopted and honoured him. - -He was arraigned before a court-martial on the 11th of September, and, -after a brief examination, he was condemned to die by the fusillade -next morning. He heard his sentence with calmness, and was remanded to -prison to pass the night in preparing for death. At half-past seven -o'clock on the morning of September 12th he was led out to the place of -execution. He walked unfettered, with calm and firm tread. He carried a -crucifix in his left hand, a hat in his right. A priest walked by his -side, reciting the prayers for the dying. Two soldiers marched before -him carrying drawn sabres; three more followed him with bayonets at the -charge. Upon entering the hollow square of soldiery on the plaza he -begged the priest to ask pardon in his name of any one whom he had -wronged in his last expedition. Then, mounting the fatal stool, he -addressed his executioners in Spanish, for none of his comrades had -been allowed to witness the execution, and said: - - "I am a Roman Catholic. The war which I made, in accordance with - the suggestion of some of the people of Ruatan, was unjust. I ask - pardon of the people. I receive death with resignation. Would that - it might be for the good of society!" - -Then, calm as he had ever been, whether in peace or in war, he awaited -the fatal signal. The captain of the firing party gave a sharp order, -dropped the point of his sabre, and, at the sign, three soldiers -stepped forward to within twenty feet of the condemned, and fired their -muskets. All of the balls took effect, but still the victim was not -dead; whereupon a fourth soldier advanced, and placing the muzzle of -his piece at the forehead of the victim, blew out his brains. The -authorities refused to bury the body, and it was deposited in the Campo -Santo by some pitying Americans and other foreigners. And so ended the -last of the filibusters! - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -Character of Walker--A private's devotion--Anecdote--After fate of -the filibusters--Henningsen's epitaph--Last Cuban expedition--The -_Virginius_ tragedy--An Englishman to the rescue--Finis. - - -As Walker was the last, so he was the greatest of American filibusters. -He was not a great man, nor by any means a good one; but he was the -greatest and the best of his class. His fault was ambition. It was a -fault with him because it was a failure. From such a verdict there is -no appeal. No apology can be offered for ambition ungratified; and -successful ambition needs none. But the world's estimate of his -personal character and actions has been needlessly severe. He was not -the insatiable monster of cruelty that his enemies have painted. He was -a man of deep, if narrow, learning, fertile resources, and grand -audacity. He was calm and temperate in words and actions, and -mercilessly just in exacting obedience from the turbulent spirits who -linked their fortunes with his. He lacked worldly wisdom; nothing could -induce him to forego the least of his rights to gain a greater ultimate -advantage. He would maintain the dignity of his office, though it cost -him the office itself. The lawyer belittled the lawgiver in his attempt -virtually to confiscate the lands of Nicaragua by the help of an -unworthy legal device; while his design for the restoration of slavery -was as impolitic as it was futile, unjust, and barbarous. The action -was, doubtless, the result of an honest belief in that "divine -institution," as well as of a desire to show his sympathy with his -devoted friends in the United States; but the effect was only to put -another weapon into the hands of his foreign enemies, without -materially strengthening him at home. It was a defiance to his powerful -British opponents, and a wanton outrage upon the free states of Central -America, alienating the sympathies of all who hoped from the evil of -conquest to extract the good of civilization. Judged, as he wished to -be judged, by his public policy, Walker was unequal to the office of a -Liberator. It would be unfair to criticize the domestic administration -of one who held his office by the sword, yet it is true that he -preserved order and enforced justice with more success than any ruler -of Nicaragua who has filled the position since the independence of the -country. Doctor Scherzer, the intelligent German traveller, writing at -a time when Walker's success seemed assured, heartily rejoices in the -new and grand career opening before Central America. He warmly commends -Walker's administration of justice, without palliating his errors, and -sees "the morning star of civilization rising in the Tropic sky." - -Walker was humane in war, and allowed retaliatory measures to be -taken against the Costa Ricans only after the latter had shamelessly -abused his lenity by repeated massacres of defenceless prisoners and -non-combatants. The tales of his cruelty to his men have uniformly -proceeded from the lips of worthless and disgraced adventurers, -who were mainly deserters. Had he been the cold and haughty tyrant -painted by his enemies, the infatuated devotion of his followers is -unaccountable by any human rule. Neither ambition nor recklessness -can explain the conduct of men who followed him through life, with -unswerving loyalty. "Private Charles Brogan" is recorded among the -surrendering men at the end of the Sonora campaign. As "Private Brogan" -his name figures among the _Vesta's_ passengers. So again, it appears -on the army register and in the lists of wounded, all through the -Nicaraguan campaign. Yet again, in 1857, when the second descent on -Nicaragua ended ingloriously at San Juan del Norte, "Private Charles -Brogan" heads the list of captured rank and file. Did he see his chief -perish bravely at Trujillo? or had he himself gone before and escaped -the tragic sight? This chronicler knows not, and history, alas! has -forgotten greater men than the poor follower of the half-forgotten -filibuster. All honour here to thee, Private Charles Brogan, whom no -vision of fame or fortune tempted to serve so loyally and long the -ill-starred chieftain of a contraband cause! - -The truth is, Walker's attitude towards his officers of high rank was -one of studied formality, which the necessities of his position made -imperative. Familiarity in his intercourse with such volunteers would -have been death to discipline. But towards his humbler followers he -showed the kindness and consideration of a friend, and won their -respect by sharing their dangers. "I have known him," says Henningsen, -"to get up from a sick bed, ride forty miles to fight the Costa Ricans, -whipping soundly a force of thrice his numbers, and then, after giving -his horse to a wounded soldier, tramp back his forty miles, without, as -the boys used to say, 'taking the starch out of his shirt collar.'" The -men who did their duty spoke well of him always; but it was, of -necessity, the knaves and cowards, mainly, who survived such bloody -campaigns, and returned to defame their comrades. Few even of these -accused him of selfishness, save in his ambition. For money he cared -nothing; and the soldiers of fortune complained of hard fighting and no -pillage. - -He had a certain grim sense of humour, which finds occasional -expression in the pages of his book. Of Guardiola's attempt to fire -the hearts of his men by plying them with _aguardiente_ before an -engagement, in which they were ignominiously routed, he says: "The -empty demijohns which were picked up on the road after the action -looked like huge cannon-balls that had missed their mark." There is -wisdom as well as humour in his remark, that "the best manner of -treating a revolutionary movement in Central America is to treat it as -a boil; let it come to a head, and then lance it, letting all the bad -matter out at once." The pompous pretence of his native friends and -enemies amused the shrewd judge of men, who possessed a happy knack of -epitomizing a character in a single phrase, as when he calls the -native custom of indiscriminate conscription, "an inveterate habit of -catching a man and tying him up with a musket in his hand, to make a -soldier of him." Kinney "had acquired that sort of knowledge and -experience of human nature to be derived from the exercise of the mule -trade." He mentions his enemy Marcy only with a contemptuous allusion -to the blunder of that statesman in referring to Nicaragua as a -country of South America, and dismisses Mora from his notice with the -qualified clemency: "Let us pass Mora in exile, as Ugolino in hell, -afar off and with silence." - -His sense of the ridiculous was too keen to allow him ever to depart -from the rigid simplicity of manner and dress which was in such -striking contrast with the gaudy attire and pompous demeanour of his -native friends. His uniform consisted of a blue coat, dark pantaloons, -and black felt hat with the red ribbon of the Democratic army; his -weapons were a sword and pistols buckled in his belt, and these he -carried only in battle, where they were rather for use than ornament. - -His character is in many respects like that of Cortez. Both were -unlicensed conquerors; both were served by volunteers; served well by -the faithful and brave, and obeyed through fear by the knavish and -cowardly. Bodily fatigue or danger had no terrors for either, nor were -they chary of demanding equal courage and endurance from their -followers. Cortez triumphed over his enemies in the field; but barely -succeeded in defeating the machinations of his foes in the Spanish -Cabinet. Had Walker been a Conquistador he would have conquered Mexico -as Cortez did. Had Cortez been a Californian filibuster he might have -conquered Nicaragua, but he would assuredly have succumbed to Marcy and -Vanderbilt. - -Unquestionably Walker was carried away by his firm belief in his -destiny. He never doubted, until he felt the manacles on his wrists at -Trujillo, that he was destined to play the part of a Cortez in Central -America. He had risked death a hundred times in battle and skirmish -without fear or doubt. Possibly he welcomed it, when at last it came, -and was sincere in hoping that it might be for the good of society. - -So died, in his thirty-seventh year, the man whose fame had filled two -continents, who had more than once imperilled the peace of the world -which remembers him only in the distorted and false character of a -monster and an outlaw. The country which gave him birth, and little -besides, save injustice, forgot amid the bloody conflict into which it -was soon plunged, the fame and fate of the filibusters. Into the vortex -of civil war were swept many of the restless spirits who had survived -the sanguinary fields of Central America, and in it perished some of -the bravest and ablest who had learned their first lesson in that stern -school. - -As most of them were of Southern birth, so they generally joined the -ranks of the Confederacy. At the first call to arms, Henningsen offered -his services to the seceding states, and was given a regiment in Wise's -Legion of Northern Virginia. Frank Anderson went with him as -lieutenant-colonel, and did good service for the lost cause. He was one -of Walker's oldest veterans, having served in both the expeditions to -Nicaragua. At the first battle of Rivas he was wounded three times, and -left on the field for dead, but managed to drag himself into hiding -before his comrades were all massacred, and so escaped to rejoin his -command. - -Henningsen served throughout the war; but, in spite of his experience -on many fields, and the marked ability with which he filled his -subordinate position, he never rose to distinction in the Confederacy. -He was a natural leader in irregular warfare, as might have been -expected of a pupil in the schools of Zumalacarregui, Schamyl, and -Walker; and the scientific campaigning of the Peninsula gave no scope -for his talents. But he had espoused the cause with honest convictions -of its justice, and he supported it faithfully to the end. When that -end and ruin came he returned to private life, a man without a career, -and lived quietly and unobtrusively until his death in June, 1877. In -his later years he was a devoted adherent of the patriots who were -waging a fruitless war for freedom in Cuba. Once he visited the island -in connection with a projected uprising, but saw no promise of success -in the attempt. His death was sudden. He had been ill but a few days; a -faithful friend, Colonel Gregg, a soldier who had fought against him in -the Civil War, watched by his bedside. The sick man slept, while the -tireless brain dreamed, what dreams who can say? of the chequered -career about to close forever. Suddenly his eyes opened, and in them -was something of the old fire, as he half sat up in his bed, and -pointing to a print on the wall of the arms of "Cuba Libre," said, -"Colonel, we'll free Cuba yet!" The ruling passion found voice in his -last words--the next instant he fell back dead. - -Henningsen was considered to have been the military genius of the -Nicaraguan campaign by the detractors of Walker, who could not deny the -wonderful success of the latter. But Henningsen himself always -repudiated the undeserved fame, and was foremost in awarding to his -chieftain whatever of glory was won in that profitless field. He died -as he had lived, a true, simple-hearted gentleman, a knight-errant born -centuries too late. Colonel John T. Pickett, a kindly philosopher, and -one who in his heyday followed a filibuster's luckless banner, has -engraved upon the tomb of Henningsen the apt motto from Gil Blas: -"_Inveni portum. Spes et fortuna valete! Sat me lusistis.... Ludite -nunc alios._" - -The filibusters whom the winds had blown from every quarter of the -earth to the sunny vales of Nicaragua were drifted back, when the storm -had broken and spent its fury, to the world of peace and prose. A few -only of the worthier survive to recall that strange page in life's -romance. Rudler, who was with his leader in all his campaigns, and who -was sentenced to four years' imprisonment after the surrender in -Honduras, returned to share the fortunes of the seceding South, as did -also Wheat, Hicks, Fayssoux, Hornsby, and many others. In the -vicissitudes of American life a few, like Doubleday and Kewen, even -achieved wealth, which is perhaps as strange a climax to the career of -a filibuster as any that could be conceived. The two O'Neils were men -of invincible courage. Both died in battle, Cal, the younger, at the -age of twenty-one, after making a reputation for heroism that was -marked even among that valiant group. Reluctantly we part with the wild -band, Homeric heroes in more features than one; with Henry and Swingle, -the inventive gunners, Von Natzmer, the Prussian hussar, Pineda, the -great-hearted native of an unworthy country, Hornsby, Rawle, Watters, -and the Fifty-six who were "Immortal" for a day. - -That most entertaining cosmopolitan, Laurence Oliphant, came very near -adding the distinction of being a filibuster to his other experiences. -He did, in fact, join an expedition which set out from New Orleans in -December, 1856, for San Juan del Norte, with the intention of -reinforcing Walker at Rivas. But the good steamer _Texas_ reached -her destination too late, Spencer and his Costa Ricans having closed -the Transit. Among the adventurous spirits in the company was one who -had taken part in the last ill-fated expedition of Lopez to Cuba, and -spent a year and a half in a Spanish dungeon. "The story of his escape -from a more serious fate," says Oliphant, "was characteristic of many -other stirring narratives of a similar description, with which on -moonlight nights we used to beguile the evening hours." He had served as -an officer on General Lopez's staff during one of the expeditions to -Cuba. When that officer, together with many of the more prominent -members of the expedition, after a desperate resistance, was captured -by the Spanish troops, my friend, who was one of the number, found -himself with many of his countrymen thrown into the Havanna jail, and -informed that he was to prepare for his execution on the following day. -As an act of grace, however, permission was given to all the captives -to indite a farewell letter to their friends, informing them of their -approaching execution. Most of his fellow-victims could think of some -one belonging to them to whom such a piece of information might prove -interesting; but the poor captain racked in vain the chambers of his -memory for a solitary individual to whom he could impart the melancholy -tidings without feeling that his communication would be what in polite -society would be called an 'unwarrantable intrusion of his personal -affairs upon a comparative stranger.' He could think of nobody that -cared about him; revolving this forlorn state of matters in his mind, -ashamed to form the only exception to the general scribbling that was -taking place, he determined to choose a friend, and then it flashed -upon him, that as all the letters would probably be opened, he had -better choose a good one. Under his present circumstances, who more -appropriate than the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at -Washington, then Daniel Webster? Not only should he make a friend of -him, but an intimate friend, and then the Spanish Governor might shoot -him if he chose, and take the risk. He accordingly commenced: - -"Dan, my dear old boy, how little you thought when we parted at the -close of that last agreeable visit of a week, which I paid you the -other day, that within a month I should be "cribbed, cabined, and -confined" in the infernal hole of a dungeon from which I indite this. I -wish you would send the Spanish minister a case of that very old -Madeira of yours, which he professes to prefer to the wines of his own -country, and tell him the silly scrape I have got myself into, if -indeed it be not too late, for they talk of sending me to "the bourne" -to-morrow. However, one never can believe a word these rascals say, so -I write this in the hope that they are lying as usual,--and am, my dear -old school-mate, your affectionate friend, ----.' For once the absence -of friends proved a real blessing. Had the captain been occupied by -domestic considerations, he never would have invented so valuable an -ally as was thus extemporised, and he was rewarded for his shrewd -device on the following morning, by finding himself the only solitary -individual of all the party allowed to 'stand over.' In a couple of -hours Lopez and his companions had gone to the bourne, to which our -captain so feelingly alluded; and when, at last, the trick was -discovered, the crisis was past, and the Spanish Government finally -condemned him to two years' confinement in chains in the dungeon at -Ceuta, which was afterwards commuted to eighteen months. He had just -returned from this dismal abode in time once more to gratify the -adventurous propensities which had already so nearly cost him his life; -and it is due to him to say, that even the daring and reckless spirits -by whom he was surrounded, agreed in saying that he placed an unusually -low estimate on that valuable possession." - -There is little to add to the history of filibusterism, which may be -ranked among the dead industries or the lost arts, just as one chooses -to regard it. Contrary to the predictions of the prophets, the -disbandment of a million of men at the end of the American Civil War -was effected without trouble. The European Powers breathed more freely -when it was accomplished, satisfied that the aggressive "Yankee" was -not so grasping as he had been painted. Maximilian of Mexico slept -peacefully, and his late unruly subjects renewed their fraternal -quarrels, undisturbed by interference from abroad, and finally settled -into uninteresting peace and prosperity. Filibusterism died because, in -sooth, it had no longer a reason for being. To "extend the area" of an -abolished slavery were as paradoxical as Quixotic. Nevertheless, the -peculiar institution chanced to prove the cause of yet one final, -fallacious, and ghastly episode. - -Cuba, once coveted as an ally by the slaveholders of the United States, -was now the only spot on the civilized globe afflicted with the -barbarous stain. The "ever-faithful isle" was trebly cursed with -slavery, foreign rule, and martial law. Like a spendthrift come to his -last penny, Spain, having squandered a continent, clung with tenacity -to its remaining possession in the Western world. Thrones were set up -and knocked down at home, republics were born and strangled, but no -change for the better was ever felt in the wretched colony. Rather, it -suffered from every change, since each involved a change of masters. -Hungry, avaricious masters they were, spurred on by the uncertain -tenure of their office, to reap as rich plunder as might be got out of -the hapless colony, ere a new turn of the cards at home should force -them to make room for other needy patriots. The power of the -Captain-General is almost absolute at the best of times. In such times -as those it is well-nigh omnipotent. The colony was denied -representation in the Cortes, while taxed beyond endurance to support -the government, and robbed by an army of officials appointed to rule -over her without her consent or choice. - -Cuba at last rebelled. The planters who found themselves robbed of the -fruits of their industry as fast as they were gathered, and who saw the -system of slavery develop into the most intolerable of all wrongs, the -wrong unprofitable, at last determined to strike for their liberty. -They freed and armed their slaves. They burned their plantations, and -in September, 1868, hoisted the lone star flag in the mountains and -bade defiance to the Spaniard. The leading insurgents were all men of -wealth and influence, while their followers were necessarily ignorant -and undisciplined. But success meant freedom to both classes; and they -threw themselves into the unequal struggle with sublime desperation. -All, or mostly all, of the leaders perished during the long and bloody -contest, which ended only after it had lasted eight years, at a cost to -Spain of two hundred thousand lives and over seven hundred million -dollars. The figures are those of Governor-General Don Joaquin -Javellar. - -The Junta of Cuban patriots in New York sent out several cargoes of war -material, and enlisted many American adventurers; but no regular -expedition was at any time organized. Among those who participated in -the guerilla conflict were Domingo de Goicouria, once Minister of -Hacienda in Nicaragua, and Colonel Jack Allen, also not unknown to -filibuster fame. - -The culminating tragedy came to pass in October, 1873. On the 23rd of -that month, the steamer _Virginius_, a former blockade-runner, cleared -from Kingston, Jamaica, for Port Limon, Costa Rica, with passengers to -the number of a hundred or more. Her true destination was the island of -Cuba, her mission the transportation of arms and filibusters. Among the -passengers were the patriot leaders, Cespedes, Ryan, Varona, and Del -Sol. The steamer touched at Port au Prince, received her cargo of arms, -ammunition, medicines, and equipments, and made sail for Cuba. She was -seen and chased by the Spanish gunboat _Tornado_, which, by a curious -coincidence, was also a former blockade-runner and a sister ship of the -_Virginius_--a favoured sister, since she speedily overhauled and -captured her prey. - -The _Virginius_, though flying the American flag on the high seas, -was made a prize and carried into the port of Santiago de Cuba. Captain -Fry, her commander, an American citizen and former officer in the -United States and Confederate navies, protested in vain against the -outrage. He was denied communication with his consul, and thrown into -prison, with all his passengers and crew. The four insurgent leaders -were first tried by summary court martial on board of the _Tornado_, -before General Buriel, Governor of the province, and sentenced to -death. The sentence was promptly executed, at sunrise on the 4th of -November, five days after the capture, before the walls of the -Slaughter House, infamous in the annals of Cuba for over thirty years. -It lies in the suburbs, about half a mile from the main wharf and on -the edge of a swampy tract, beyond which are the sluggish waters of the -bay and the blue, barren mountains, dark, desolate and forbidding. Some -squalid huts are scattered along the sides of the road. The vegetation -is scanty and the stunted palm trees are few and far between. The four -walls of the Slaughter House grounds are each about 400 feet long and -twelve or thirteen feet high, built of brick covered with stucco. The -front gate is a rather pretentious work with ornamental pillars and -strong iron pickets. Between it and the extreme left, as you face the -structure, is the place set apart for executions. It bears to-day this -inscription, surmounted by the Lone Star and two crossed palm-branches, -with, on one side, "1868," and on the other, "1898": - - _Tu que paseas descubrete; este lugar es tierra con segrada. - Durante treinte anos benedicida ha sido con sangre de Patriotas - immolados por la tirania._ - - "Thou who passest by, uncover; this spot is consecrated ground. - During thirty years it has been hallowed with the blood of Patriots - immolated by tyranny." - -Ryan and Varona refused to kneel, and were shot as they stood. The -heads of the four were cut off and carried on pikes through the city -and before the windows of the prison, where their comrades lay awaiting -a similar fate. Cespedes was the son of a patriot who had died for Cuba -Libre. Varona, a chivalrous commander, had given freedom to fifteen -Spanish officers captured in battle, and those fifteen, to their credit -be it said, pleaded, though in vain, for clemency to him when he fell -into the hands of Buriel. Del Sol was a brave young man with a wife and -children. Ryan, Canadian born, was a daring adventurer. He had saved -eight persons from drowning, a short time before, and leaped into the -sea and saved one more on the day of the ship's departure. Santa Rosa, -who was shot with the next batch of victims, had fought beside Lopez in -1851 and was one of the thirteen who raised the banner of revolt in -1868. He was imprisoned but escaped to renew the struggle, and died at -last, after twenty years of strenuous endeavor for the freedom of his -country, leaving the reputation: "He was very brave and very eccentric; -of violent temper, but good-hearted and very devout. He never went into -battle without praying for the souls of the Spaniards who might be -slain." - -The news of the tragedy had been carried to the United States, and the -American and English consuls interested themselves to protect the -remaining prisoners; but the sham trials went on in spite of their -protests. Here in the face of death came out all the manliness, the -tenderness, the unselfishness, and the simple piety of the brave Fry. -For himself he expected no mercy and asked for none. He made his formal -protest against the seizure of his ship on the high seas and the unfair -trial by which he and his men had been condemned; but it was for them -alone that he besought mercy. To General Buriel, the Spanish Governor, -he wrote, saying: - - "Running the blockade is considered a risky business among sailors, - for which good pay is received. It is notorious that a great number - of vessels were employed in it during the American war, and, - although captures were numerous, not a single life was lost; the - greater part of the prisoners were set at liberty after a short - imprisonment. I never heard a word before the night of my sentence, - of Cuban law and the proclamation relative to an attempt to - introduce arms into Cuba. If, with superior opportunities, I was - ignorant that the case could be decided by another law than the - international, how complete may have been the ignorance of these - poor people! I was continually in the company of people who ought - to have known it, and not one alluded to the fact. In a word, I - believe it is not known, and that the world will be painfully - surprised on learning the sacrifice of these lives. - - "The Consul knows well that I am not pleading for my own life. I - have not prayed to God for it, nor even to the Blessed Mother. I - have neither home nor country--a victim of war and persecution, the - avenues to the securing of property being closed to me to such a - point that I have not been able to provide bread for my wife and - seven children, who know what it is to suffer for the necessaries - of life. My life is one of suffering, and I look upon what has - happened to me as a benefit of God, and it is not for me, - therefore, to ask favors of anyone. - - "The engineer, Knight, I know, came contrary to his will. He was - bitterly opposed to it, as I learn from the person who obtained him - to come. - - "Spaniards, the world is not so full of people who prefer honor to - life. Save poor Santa Rosa! Poor gentleman, with heart as tender - and as compassionate as that of a woman, of irreproachable honor, - his business was that of charity. He was devoted to others, and - though he was aboard the vessel for the benefit of their health, I - believe he will not use this advantage for himself.... - - "The greater portion of the crew were entrapped by their lodging - house keepers, who gained possession of them, and watched the - opportunity to put them on board on receiving advances on their - wages. - - "Spaniards, I believe I am the only one who dies in the entire - Christian faith of our holy religion. Consider the souls of these - poor people; give them an opportunity to ask mercy of God. I know - that you must fulfil your duty, but my blood ought to be - sufficient, because innocent and defenceless people will suffer - with my fall. - - "May these considerations have influence with the authorities to - whom I beg to appeal! These poor people had no knowledge of what - you think their crime. Pardon me if I say that I don't believe - their deaths would have on the fate of Cuba the good effect the law - foresees--our civilization is so opposed to such proceeding. I - don't say this in tone of complaint, but we are accustomed to at - least identify victims when we are going to sacrifice. - - "According to my view, there should have been some intervention. - Our Government, by its influence, should have been pronounced, and - perhaps in that way their lives might have been saved without - compromising the dignity of Spain. - - "Senores, farewell. I know that the members of the council who - condemn me accomplish a painful duty. Let them remember us in their - prayers to God, and ask their wives and children to do the same for - us. Respectfully, - - "JOSEPH FRY. - - "Written on board the _Tornado_, Nov. 7, 1873." - -At six o'clock on the morning of November 7, Captain Fry and thirty-six -of his crew and twelve passengers were brutally butchered in the -presence of a ferocious mob, who mangled the senseless remains. - -There still survived ninety-three unfortunates. By this time the -telegraph had spread the terrible news throughout the world, and -awakened a tempest of indignation everywhere save in Havanna and -Madrid. Even in Spain, at the time enjoying a government nominally -republican, there was some surprise at the horrible tragedy, and Senor -Castelar, his humanity spurred up by a peremptory despatch from the -English Foreign Office, was moved to beseech of his lieutenant to be a -little less hasty in his action. The appeal was unheeded, and all of -the hapless victims were condemned to immediate execution. But General -Buriel had made an epicure's mistake in prolonging his feast. - -There was no American vessel of war in the neighbourhood of Santiago de -Cuba, but, what was more to the purpose, as far as the fate of the -prisoners was concerned, there was the inevitable British man-of-war -within a day's sail. The sloop _Niobe_ lay in the harbour of Kingston, -with half of her crew on shore liberty, when the news of the massacre -reached her commander, Sir Lambton Loraine. He sailed at once for -Santiago. An English captain does not need instructions in such an -emergency. He has standing orders and can trust to his nation for -support of his acts. "I am an English subject," said Thompson, a sailor -of the _Virginius_, "and they won't dare lay hands on me." He knew his -countrymen, but he mistook the Spaniard. - -He and fifteen compatriots were among the murdered fifty-three. - -Then did the hearts of other British subjects and American citizens -fail them as they awaited their doom. The Americans had long abandoned -hope. The English were giving way to despair, when a glad sight met -their eyes. It was the _Niobe_ entering the harbour, with the cross of -St. George flying at her peak. She did not stop to salute the fort, but -gracefully rounded to, a few cables' lengths from the _Tornado_ and her -prize, with port-holes open and her crew at quarters. Ere her anchor -fell, the captain's gig was in the water, and soon its oars were -flashing spray as it sped shoreward. In the stern sheets sat the young -commander. - -His veto of the massacres was delivered not a moment too soon. Buriel -demurred, questioning the Englishman's right to interfere. Loraine -insisted on the right, claiming that there were British subjects among -the prisoners. To the Spaniard's denial of that fact, he answered that -he would take upon himself, then, the responsibility of protecting -American citizens, in the absence of their own defenders. The delicate -points of this officious interference, Senor Buriel might have debated, -long and ingeniously, with a different kind of adversary. But the -English sailor was no casuist. His arguments were brutally direct. -"Stop the murders, or I bombard your town," they said in so many words. -Indeed, he was a very rash and impulsive young man. Under a free -government he would have been cashiered, without benefit of clergy. -Only a few months before, so the rumour went, he had fired hot shot and -shell into the town of Omoa, Honduras; and there was no guessing what -he might not be tempted to do with Santiago, upon such very strong -provocation. Extreme measures were averted, however, by Buriel's -consenting to reprieve his prisoners. - -Then arose the question of reparation. Minister Sickles at Madrid took -high and dignified ground, insisting upon the fullest apology for the -insult offered to his country's flag, and indemnity to the families of -the murdered men. Castelar assented to a treaty covering every demand -of Mr. Sickles, and was about to sign it formally, when he received -advices from Washington which made him retract his concession, and made -General Sickles telegraph his resignation. It appeared that the Spanish -minister at Washington had proved himself a skilful diplomat by -negotiating with the American Secretary of State a protocol, the terms -of which were as extraordinary as the secret manner in which they were -drawn up. - -By this arrangement, which settled the question for ever, the United -States waived its demands for a salute to the insulted flag, accepting -a formal apology instead, waived the question of indemnity, and did not -press for the punishment of the guilty officials of Santiago. What the -Government did demand and obtain, it would be hard to say. The only -visible reparation was the conditional surrender of the captured -vessel, for trial before an American court of admiralty. Should it -transpire that she had been in lawful possession of her American -register, then she was to be given to her owners; if otherwise, she was -to be restored to her captors. Strangely enough, there was no provision -made in the latter contingency for the rendition and punishment of the -survivors. All possible dispute on that point was happily averted by -the inscrutable catastrophe which befell the luckless craft. She -foundered, opportunely, in a gale off Cape Fear on her voyage to the -United States, to the great relief of two governments. - -There was much indignation in the United States over the awful tragedy -and accompanying insult to the national flag. A vast amount of money -was expended on the navy, and certain commanders were ordered to review -their forces and manoeuvre their squadrons almost in sight of the -Cuban shores. Warlike talk was in the air; but the sober second thought -of the people was averse to a war in defence of the insulted banner, -when it had been used to shelter adventurers in an illegal undertaking. -The American is slow to be angered, and has none of the Englishman's -sentimental reverence for bunting, unless it covers a clearly just -cause. Sir Lambton was speedily promoted by his Government. Somebody in -the American Congress proposed a resolution of thanks to him also, but -it was promptly tabled, with a perception of the fitness of things -hardly to have been expected in that sagacious body. More fitting and -spontaneous was the gift sent to him by the miners of far Nevada, a -fourteen-pound silver brick, emblematic of the highest expression of -eulogy. - -_The Virginius_ tragedy, and the indifference with which it was -beheld by the American Government, were sufficient warnings, had any -been needed, to the Filibuster, that his day was past. In unmistakable -language he was told that his country's flag should not and would not -shield him in the violation of international law. Theoretically the -execution of the _Virginius_ adventurers was as much of an outrage -on the dignity of the United States as if it had occurred on American -soil. Practically, the delicate points of flag and register and -high-seas neutrality were dismissed from consideration, and the -evidently hostile mission of the vessel was held to excuse the severe -punishment meted out to her passengers. Whether or not the lesson may -be heeded when the example shall have grown old, it is plain that for -the present at least, the race of filibusters is extinct. Although the -Cuban insurrection broke out again five years later and several cargoes -of war munitions were landed on the island during the months preceding -the American invasion, there were no filibustering expeditions on a -large scale from the United States or any other country. - -The nearest approach to genuine filibusterism in recent years was the -raid of Dr. Jameson and some eight hundred adventurers on the -Transvaal, on New Year's Day, 1896. It was badly planned and conducted -without any show of skill or courage. The raiders were entrapped and -surrendered almost without firing a shot. The Boer authorities, with -more magnanimity than wisdom, pardoned the demoralized rank and file, -permitted the civilian leaders to go free after a brief imprisonment -and the exaction of a fine, and delivered "Dr. Jim" and his military -associates over to the English for trial. They were found guilty and -subjected to a nominal imprisonment of a few months, as "first-class -misdemeanants." Four years later the English forces were in the Boer -capital and Dr. Jameson as a member of the Cape Colony parliament, was -passing judgment on the Dutch burghers as "rebels" against the British -Empire! The career of the Filibuster is no longer open to private -individuals. The great powers have monopolized the business, conducting -it as such and stripping it of its last poor remnant of romance, -without investing it with a scrap of improved morality. - -The Filibusters were a virile race, with virtues and vices of generous -growth. They played no mean part on the world's stage, albeit a part -often wayward and mistaken. They were American dreamers. Had they been -Greeks or Norsemen, or free to roam the world in the days of Cortez, -Balboa, and Pizarro, victors like them, History would have dealt more -kindly by them. As it is, spite of faults and failures, they do not -deserve the harshest of all fates, oblivion. - - -THE END. - - - - -A Romance of the Iowa Wheat Fields. - -THE ROAD TO RIDGEBY'S. - -BY FRANK BURLINGAME HARRIS. - - 12mo., cloth, decorative. ~$1.50~ - - -A simple but powerful story of farm life in the great West, which -cannot fail to make a lasting impression on every reader. In this book -Mr. Harris has done for the wheat fields what Mr. Westcott has done for -rural New York and Mr. Bacheller for the North country. It is in no way -imitative of _David Harum_ or _Eben Holden_; and, unlike each of these -books, it is not in the portrayal of a single quaint character that its -power consists. Mr. Harris has taken for his story a typical Iowa -farmer's family and their neighbours; and, although every one of the -characters is realistically portrayed, the sense of proportion is never -lost sight of, and the result is a picture of real life, artistic in -the highest sense, as being true to nature. It is a wholesome story, -full of the real heroism of homely life, a book to make the reader -better by strengthening his belief in the truth of self-sacrifice and -the survival of sturdy American character. - - -MONONIA. A Love Story of '48, - -BY JUSTIN McCARTHY, M.P., - -Author of _A History of Our Own Times_, _Dear Lady Disdain_, etc. - - 12mo, green cloth and gold. ~$1.50~ - - -Mr. McCarthy has written several successful novels; but none, perhaps, -will have greater interest for his American readers than this volume, -in which he writes reminiscently of the Ireland of his youth and the -stirring events which marked that period. - -It is pre-eminently an old-fashioned novel, befitting the times which -it describes, and written with the delicate touch of sentiment -characteristic of Mr. McCarthy's fiction. The book takes its name from -the heroine, a charming type of the gentle-born Irishwoman. In the -development of the romance, the attempts for Ireland's freedom, and the -dire failures that culminated at Ballingary are told in a manner which -will give an intimate insight into the history of the _Young Ireland_ -movement. If the book cannot be considered autobiographical, the reader -will not forget that the author was contemporary with the events -described, and will have little difficulty in perceiving that many of -the principal characters are strongly suggestive of the Irish leaders -of that day, which gives the book scarcely less value than an avowed -autobiography. - - -FOR SALE BY ALL BOOKSELLERS, OR SENT, POSTPAID, BY THE PUBLISHERS -ON RECEIPT OF PRICE. - - Small, Maynard & Company, - PIERCE BUILDING - COPLEY SQ., BOSTON - - - - -_Two Notable Novels by Emma Rayner._ - -VISITING THE SIN - -A Tale of Mountain Life in Kentucky and Tennessee. - - 12mo, cloth, with cover designed by T. W. Ball. 448 pages. - ~$1.50~ - - -The struggle between the heroine's love and her determination to visit -the sin upon the son of the supposed murderer of her father forms the -basis of the story. All of the characters are vividly drawn, and the -action of the story is wonderfully dramatic and lifelike. The period is -about 1875. - - "A powerful, well-sustained story, the interest in which does not - flag from the first chapter to the last."--_Philadelphia North - American._ - - "Unusually powerful. The dramatic plot is intricate, but not - obscure."--_The Congregationalist._ - - "A graphic and readable piece of fiction, which will stand with - the best of its time concerning humble American characters."-- - _Providence Journal._ - - "Far ahead of most of these latter-day Southern novels."--_Southern - Star._ - - "The people in the story are persistently real."--_Christian - Advocate._ - - -FREE TO SERVE - -A Tale of Colonial New York. - -12mo, cloth, with a cover designed by Maxfield Parrish. - - 434 pages. ~$1.50~ - - - "One of the very best stories of the Colonial period yet - written."--_Philadelphia Bulletin._ - - "We have here a thorough-going romance of American life in the - first days of the eighteenth century. It is a story written for the - story's sake, and right well written, too. Indians, Dutch, - Frenchmen, Puritans, all play a part. The scenes are vivid, the - incidents novel and many."--_The Independent._ - - "The writing is cleverly done, and the old-fashioned atmosphere of - old Knickerbocker days is reproduced with such a touch of verity as - to seem an actual chronicle recorded by one who lived in those - days."--_Saturday Evening Post_, Philadelphia. - - "The supreme test of a long book is the reading of it, and when one - reaches the end of Free to Serve, he acknowledges freely that it is - the best book that he has taken up for a long time."--_Boston - Herald._ - - -For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on -receipt of price. - - Small, Maynard & Company, - PIERCE BUILDING - COPLEY SQ., BOSTON - - - - -Two Remarkable Volumes of Stories. - -ANTING-ANTING STORIES, - -And Other Strange Tales of the Filipinos. - -BY SARGENT KAYME. - -With cover design by WILLIAM MATHER CROCKER. - - 12mo., cloth. ~$1.25~ - - -The sub-title to this volume gives a suggestion of the nature of the -stories of which it is composed, but no title can give an adequate idea -of their wonderful variety and charm. It is hardly exaggeration to say -that Mr. Kayme's treatment of the life of the Filipinos opens to our -literature a new field, almost as fresh and as original as did Mr. -Kipling's Indian Stories when they first appeared. Like Mr. Kipling, he -shows his perfect familiarity with the country and people he describes; -and he knows how to tell a good story straight away and simply without -any sacrifice of dramatic effect or power. - -The curious title to the volume furnishes the motive for some of the -most striking of the stories. _Anting-Anting_ is a Filipino word, used -to denote anything worn as an amulet, with a supposed power to protect -the life of the wearer. Often a thing of no intrinsic value, the belief -in its efficacy is yet so real that its owner often braves death with a -confidence so sublime as to command admiration, if not respect. - - -WHEN EVE WAS NOT CREATED, - -And Other Stories. - -BY HERVEY WHITE, author of _Differences_ and _Quicksand_ - - 12mo., cloth, with a cover design by MARION L. PEABODY. - - ~$1.25~ - -Remarkable stories of a type and style of subjective symbolism -altogether new to American literature. In the title story Svend, -as a type expressive of the suppression of the artistic sense in -love, where, the eye being satisfied with the object, the heart, the -soul, the mind of the man, yet goes hungry and unsatisfied, will fix -himself in the reader's mind as one of the strongest characters of -fiction. The other stories are scarcely less noteworthy, and the -book as a whole will add greatly to the author's already high -reputation as a writer. - - -For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on -receipt of price. - - Small, Maynard & Company, - PIERCE BUILDING - COPLEY SQ., BOSTON - - - - -A Remarkable Study of Social Life in America. - -DIFFERENCES - -BY HERVEY WHITE. - - 12mo, cloth, decorative, 320 pages. ~$1.50~ - - -"It is treating the poor as a class and employing any method of -handling them that I object to.... Why can't they be treated as -individuals, the same as other people? What would the rich think of my -impertinence if I went about the world treating them in a peculiar -manner,--as if they were not real people, at all, but only 'the rich,' -in my knowledge?"--Hester Carr, in _Differences_. - - "_Differences_ is an extraordinary book.... The labor question is - its primary concern, and the caste barrier which modern conditions - have erected between the man who works and the man who merely - lives. This is no new theme, yet _Differences_ is new, and its - place in thoughtful literature awaits it. The only argument - presented by Mr. White is contained in the picture he spreads - before us. It is real, and set out with bold, firm strokes, and - there is no attempt to be merely artistic. Genevieve Radcliffe, the - rich society girl, who goes to work charity with the poor, and John - Wade, the workman, whose situation involves all the tragedy of - metropolitan poverty, are human, if they be not typical. They - embody the 'differences,' and, if they do not point the way to - equality, it is because American civilization is not yet ripe for - them. Withal, the book is not a tract. It is worth a thousand such. - Informed throughout with a tender simplicity, a sense of the beauty - of common things, and a sincerity that brooks no question, it - carries equal appeal to the student of economics and to the lover - of human feeling."--_Philadelphia North American._ - - "There is no end of philosophy in books about the poor and how to - reach them and send rays of sunshine into their world; but few - books get at the real 'Differences' that exist between the wealthy - classes and the poor as does Mr. Hervey White.... _Differences_ is - vitally interesting, both as a story and as a moral lesson.... It - is written with wholesome enthusiasm and an intelligent survey of - real facts."--_Boston Herald._ - - "The method employed by Mr. Hervey White in _Differences_ is not - like that of any author I have ever read in the English language. - It resembles strongly the work of the best Russian novelists, it - seems to me, and particularly that of Dostoievsky, and yet it is in - no sense an imitation of those writers; it is apparently like them - merely because the author's motives and ways of thought and - observation are like them.... I have never before read any such - treatment in the English language of the life and thought of - laboring people."--Joseph Edgar Chamberlin, in _Boston Transcript_. - - -For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on -receipt of price. - - Small, Maynard & Company, - PIERCE BUILDING - COPLEY SQ., BOSTON - - - - -_A Powerful Realistic Novel of American Life._ - -QUICKSAND - -BY HERVEY WHITE. - - 12mo, cloth, decorative, 328 pages. ~$1.50~ - - -_Quicksand_ is a strong argument against a certain condition which the -author believes exists too generally in American society, and is, in -effect, an appeal for the freedom of the individual in family life. It -is a powerful tragedy, developing very naturally out of the effects of -the interference of parents in the lives of their children, and of -brothers and sisters in the affairs of each other. It becomes -therefore, not only the story of an individual, but the life history of -an entire family, the members of which are portrayed with astonishing -vividness and realism. The hero of the book also illustrates, in his -sufferings and failures, the unfortunate effects of a too narrow -orthodoxy in religion, coupled with his family's interference with his -growth out of this environment. Offsetting the tragedy of the story is -"Hiram," the "hired man" of the family in its earlier New England days, -in whom, particularly, the reader's interest will centre. Patient, -kindly, faithful, and uncomplaining, he is indeed the real "hero" of -the tale, the only one free from the unfortunate environments of the -other characters, yet forced indirectly to suffer also because of them. -It is the every-day life of the every-day family that is drawn; and -this fact, together with the boldness and fidelity of the drawing, -gives the story its power and impressiveness. - - "Hervey White is the most forceful writer who has appeared in - America for a long generation."--_Chicago Evening Post._ - - "We cannot remember another book in which lives, thoughts, - emotions, souls, and principles of action have been analyzed with - such convincing power. Mr. Hervey White has great literary skill. - He has here made his mark, and he has come to stay.... He is the - American George Gissing, and as such some day he will have to be - taken into account."--_Boston Herald._ - - "It should insure Mr. White a permanent place in the critical - regard of his fellow-countrymen.... Few characters as strong as - that of Elizabeth Hinckley have ever been drawn by an American - author, and she will remain in the mind of the most assiduous novel - reader, secure of a place far above that held by most of the puny - creations of the day."--_Chicago Tribune._ - - "It is wrought of enduring qualities. Few novels are so sustained - on an elevated plane of interest."--_Philadelphia Item._ - - "It is a novel that takes hold of one, and is not the sort of - book that, once begun, can be laid down without being finished." - --_Indianapolis News._ - - -For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers -on receipt of price. - - Small, Maynard & Company, - PIERCE BUILDING - COPLEY SQ., BOSTON - - - - -TUSKEGEE ITS STORY & ITS WORK - -By MAX BENNETT THRASHER - -_With an Introduction by BOOKER T. WASHINGTON_ - -12mo, cloth, decorative, 248 pages, 50 Illustrations, $1.00 - - -THE TUSKEGEE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE, at Tuskegee, Alabama, is -one of the most uniquely interesting institutions in America. Begun, -twenty years ago, in two abandoned, tumble-down houses, with thirty -untaught Negro men and women for its first students, it has become -one of the famous schools of the country, with more than a thousand -students each year. Students and teachers are all of the Negro race. -The Principal of the school, Mr. Booker T. Washington, is the -best-known man of his race in the world to-day. - -In "Tuskegee: Its Story and its Work," the story of the school is told -in a very interesting way. He has shown how Mr. Washington's early life -was a preparation for his work. He has given a history of the Institute -from its foundation, explained the practical methods by which it gives -industrial training, and then he has gone on to show some of the -results which the institution has accomplished. The human element is -carried through the whole so thoroughly that one reads the book for -entertainment as well as for instruction. - - - _COMMENTS._ - - "All who are interested in the proper solution of the problem in - the South should feel deeply grateful to Mr. Thrasher for the - task which he has undertaken and performed so well."--BOOKER T. - WASHINGTON. - - "Should be carefully and thoughtfully read by every friend of the - colored race in the North as well as in the South."--_New York - Times._ - - "The book is of the utmost value to all those who desire and hope - for the development of the Negro race in America."--_Louisville - Courier-Journal._ - - "Almost every question one could raise in regard to the school and - its work, from Who was Booker Washington? to What do people whose - opinion is worth having think of Tuskegee? is answered in this - book."--_New Bedford Standard._ - - -_For sale at all Bookstores, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price, -by the publishers_, - - SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY, BOSTON. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. - -Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained -as printed. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BY-WAYS OF WAR*** - - -******* This file should be named 43634.txt or 43634.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/3/43634 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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