In reply to the entreaties of Castellon, Walker affected to be undecided as to his course after reaching Chinandega, evading a positive reply, by saying he did not know whether he could safely leave his wounded at the last-named town, since the Legitimists, if they intended to enter the Occidental Department, would certainly occupy that place, in order to cut off supplies and communications. The Director told Walker that if he intended to go to Leon, the sub-prefect at Chinandega had orders to furnish him with all the supplies and transportation he required. Castellon and Salazar left for Leon in better spirits, because there appeared a prospect of retaining the Falange in the country; and the Americans proceeded to Chinandega, where they arrived the same afternoon, and found as comfortable quarters as the town afforded. All the officers, civil and military, vied with each other in the efforts they made to satisfy the wants of the Falange; and the women of the place were constantly paying to the wounded those little attentions which take away from the tedium of the soldier obliged to lie idle and inactive, while the bustle of preparation for marching and adventure is going on around him. The day after reaching Chinandega, Walker made his requisition on the sub-prefect for the horses and ox-carts necessary on the march to Leon; and the Americans were in high spirits at the idea of visiting the old capital of the country, and the second city in size of Central America. The evening before they set out for the seat of the Provisional Government, Byron Cole rode into Chinandega accompanied by Don Bruno Von Natzmer. The former had waited several months after sending his contract to California, expecting each week to hear of the arrival of Americans at Realejo; but as time wore away and the cause of Castellon waned rapidly, he had gone to Honduras hoping to find profit, if not fame, in the gold hills of Olancho. There he met Bruno Von Natzmer, a Prussian, who had resigned his commission in the cavalry of his native country to join Baron Bulow in the colony he proposed to establish in Costa Rica some years ago. Von Natzmer spoke Spanish very well, French tolerably, and English quite indifferently. Having resided for some time in Central America, and being a man of fine intelligence, Von Natzmer was well calculated to render much service to the Americans. He and Cole had left Olancho for Nicaragua as soon as they heard of the arrival of the Vesta at Realejo; and it will be seen in the course of events that they were valuable auxiliaries to the Falange.