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 _reveillé_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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