cheering, and he returned with Captain Heinze. They both ran toward
General Laguerre, and Porter then came across to me, and told me that
the government troops were in full flight, and escaping down the side
streets into the jungle. They were panic-stricken and were scattering
in every direction, each man looking after his own safety. For the
next two hours I chased terrified little soldiers all over the side of
the town which had been assigned me, either losing them at the edge of
the jungle, or dragging them out of shops and private houses. No one
was hurt. It was only necessary to fire a shot after them to see them
throw up their hands. By nine o'clock I had cleaned up my side of the
town, and returned to the plaza. It was now so choked with men and
mules that I was five minutes in forcing my way across. Garcia's
troops had marched in, and were raising a great hullabaloo, cheering
and shouting, and embracing the townspeople, whom they had known
during their former occupation, and many of whom were the same people
who had been firing at us. I found Laguerre in counsel with Garcia,
who was in high spirits, and feeling exceedingly pleased with himself.
He entirely ignored our part in taking the town, and talked as though
he had captured it single-handed. The fact that the government troops
had held him back until we threatened them in the rear he did not
consider as important. I resented his swagger and the way he
patronized Laguerre, but the General did not seem to notice it, or was
too well satisfied with the day's work to care. While I was at head-
quarters our scouts came in to report that the enemy was escaping
along the trail to Comyagua, and that two of their guns had stalled in
the mud, not one mile out from Santa Barbara. This was great news, and
to my delight I was among those who hurried out to the place where the
guns were supposed to be. We found them abandoned and stuck in the
mud, and captured them without firing a shot. A half hour later we
paraded our prizes in a triumphal procession through the streets of