Our points of attack were two: a stone bridge which joins the city
proper with the suburbs, and a great hill of rock called El Pecachua.
This hill either guards or betrays the capital. The houses reach
almost to its base and from its crest one can drop a shell through the
roof of any one of them. Consequently, when we arrived, we found its
approaches strongly entrenched and the hill occupied in force by the
government artillery. There is a saying in Honduras, which has been
justified by countless revolutions, and which dates back to the days
of Morazan the Liberator, that "He who takes Pecachua sleeps in the
Palace."

Garcia's plan was for two days to bombard the city, and if, in that
time, Alvarez had not surrendered, to attack El Pecachua by night. As
usual, the work was so divided that the more dangerous and difficult
part of it fell to the Foreign Legion, for in his plan Garcia so
ordered it that Laguerre should storm Pecachua, while he advanced from
the plain and attacked the city at the stone bridge.

But this plan was never carried out, and after our first day in front
of the Capital, General Garcia never again gave an order to General
Laguerre.

After midnight on the evening of that first day Aiken came to the hut
where we had made our head-quarters and demanded to see the General on
a matter of life and death. With him, looking very uncertain as to the
propriety of the visit, were all the officers of the Legion.

The General was somewhat surprised and somewhat amused, but he invited
us to enter. When the officers had lined up against the walls he said,