with a view of making the Castellon party manifest as clearly as possible the necessity of the Falange to their cause. So Dr. Livingston went back to Leon, with a report not very encouraging to the Provisional Government. For some days Walker continued to receive letters from Castellon, entreating him not to give up the democratic cause, and urging him to march the Falange to Leon. In order to bring about the latter result the Director stated that the Legitimists were meditating a movement against his capital, Corral being at Managua with a force of nearly a thousand men, and with arms and ammunition for the supply of a large additional number of recruits. It was also certain that the recruiting of _voluntarios forçados_—forced volunteers—was going on actively in the Oriental Department. Don Mariano Salazar, too, the most energetic man in the democratic party, visited Walker aboard the Vesta, to impress on him the danger of an attack on Leon by Corral, and the necessity of having the American rifles about the residence of the Director. Salazar was the brother-in-law of Castellon; and being a merchant of much shrewdness and sufficient capital, he managed to have a sort of monopoly of the trade in foreign fabrics, imported by the ports of Realejo and Tempisque. Thus he was able and willing to furnish means to the democratic army, and offered to supply the Americans with any ammunition they might need. He, accordingly, sent to La Union, and procured a quantity of rifle powder for the Falange; the powder which the natives used in their muskets not being fit for the arms of the Americans. Walker appeared, however, inflexible, and the friends of the Provisional Government again began to despair. Some ten days passed in this manner, and the Falange, recovered from the effects of the expedition to Rivas, was beginning to wish for more active exercise than could be found aboard the Vesta. It was, therefore, decided to march them to Chinandega, as they were promised good quarters there, and the wounded would be able to get more delicate diet than was to be had at Point Ycaco. Accordingly boats and bungos were procured, and the whole body of Americans was transported to Realejo without previous notice given to the authorities. Not many minutes after Walker reached the town he was standing in front of the Collector’s office, and saw the Director, Castellon, and Don Mariano Salazar, step from the boat. It seems Don Francisco had left Leon that morning, and passing by the Polvon, a sugar plantation belonging to two Americans, John Deshon and Henry Myers, had reached the Vesta only a few minutes after the Americans entered the river. He had forthwith followed, in order to persuade Walker to continue his march to Leon. His anxiety was apparent; in fact it was necessary for him to get back to his capital before the people discovered his absence, otherwise a panic might ensue, and the effects be disastrous.