Memoir of An Eventful Expedition in Central America

us enterprise they had so daringly projected and commenced. Unfortunately for the public, the Senor's journal, fragmentary throughout, is especially meagre concerning the incidents of travel between the capital of Vera Paz and Santa Cruz del Quiche. At this period, he appears to have left the task of recording them almost entirely to his two friends, whose memoranda, in all probability, are forever lost. Some of those incidents appear, even from his brief minutes of them, to have been of the most imminent and critical importance. Thus under the date of February 2nd, 1849, he says, " on the bank of a branch of the Salamo, attacked in the night by about thirty Indian robbers, several of whom had fire-arms. Sr. Hammond, sitting within the light of the fire, was severely wounded through the left shoulder ; they had followed us from the hacienda, six leagues, passed us to the nor h and lay in ambush ; killed four, wounded three ; of the rest saw no more ; poor Juan, shot through the body, died this morning ; lost two mules." After this, there is nothing written until the 16th, when they had arrived at a place called San Jose, where he says, " Good beef and fowls ; Sr. Huertis much better ; Sr. Hammond very low in intermittent fever ; fresh mules and good ones." Next on the 5th of March, at the Indian village of Axitzel, is written, "Detained here five days ; Hammond, strong and headstrong. Agree with Huertis that, to be safe, we must await with patience the return o...