The night of the 11th, Capt. Hankins, with two native boys, was sent to
San Juan del Sur to get the correspondence brought from Panama by the
Orizaba. On the night of the 14th he returned to Rivas, and added to the
commissary stores by riding in on horseback. The letters from the San
Juan river gave the news of the arrival of Capers and Marcellus French
with their respective commands; while those from New-York too well
confirmed the surmises of Walker’s friends in California, for they gave
notice of the intention of Garrison and Morgan to cease running their
steamers. It is unnecessary to go into the reasons which induced these
men to the course they took; for it would involve an investigation into
transactions uninteresting if not positively distasteful. Suffice it
to say that their conduct was the result of weakness and timidity. As
to their treachery, Walker had expected them to remain faithful to the
Americans in Nicaragua only as long as their interests required fidelity;
he expected them, however, to show more commercial nerve and sagacity
than they displayed. Their course evinced as much folly as timidity,
and jeoparded their reputation of skilful merchants fully as much as it
damaged their character for honesty and integrity.
From the 14th to the 23d, a number of skirmishes took place between
parties of the enemy and small bodies of the Americans who went out to
gather plantains; but none of these was serious or deserving of special
notice. One of these skirmishes occurred on the morning of the 23d;
and in the afternoon of the same day, a flag of truce brought letters
to Walker announcing that Lieut. Huston, of the St. Mary’s, was at the
headquarters of the Allies, and was ready, under the United States
flag, to conduct the women and children in Rivas to San Juan del Sur. A
letter from Mora to Walker proposed to send two of his aides with Lieut.
Huston to a convenient-point between the camps, where the United States
officer might be met by two of Walker’s aids, and be thus conducted into
Rivas. In accordance with this proposition, Hooff and Brady accompanied
the native boy who bore the letters from Mora to a point about half way
between the camps, and there halted, waiting the approach of Lieut.
Huston. While these two officers waited, a couple of deserters approached
and attempted to address them; but Hooff, drawing his pistol, warned the
fellows off under peril of their lives. Then, indignant at the Allies
for permitting such an insult as the approach of deserters to officers
bearing a flag of truce, Hooff and Brady returned to Rivas without
waiting longer the arrival of Lieut. Huston. Soon after, however, Lieut.
Huston entered the town, accompanied by a corporal of marines.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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