pieces, and the liquor ran out into the grass.  The filibusters jumped up astounded and disordered; but, seeing so much good liquor running away wastefully into the grass, they grew terrible.  It was an insult and injury which both men and officers appreciated.  It gave every man in the troop a personal quarrel with the enemy.  “Charge ’em!” shouted the captain; “we’ll pay the scoundrels for the miserable trick!” At full speed they swept through a gap in the hedge, and rushed into the plantain-grove before the enemy had time to reload.  But when the greasers saw them coming on fiercely, their hearts failed them, and, turning their backs, they fled towards the town.  Never were filibusters or men-of-war better pleased than now!  They rattled on furiously behind the nimble greasers.  They sent howling death into their midst at every step of the chase.  They passed bloody forms stretched here and there upon the earth.  They followed the flying foe even to the edge of the town, and saw its hostile swarm running hither and thither in alarm.—­Alas!  General William Walker, why were you not here at this propitious moment, with all your brave spirits, invincible with rum, behind you?  Then might you have rushed with the fugitives into the town, and hurled the yellow-skinned invaders into the lake!  Then might the flag of Regeneration have waved even at this day over the hills and valleys of Nicaragua,—­and the unfortunate author of this history have received a reward for his services!—­Ay de mi! Even now, reposing in the shade of the palm-tree, fanned by the orange-scented breeze that blows over the lake, I might drink the immortal juice of the sugarcane, called aguardiente, and dream, and gaze at the cloud-wrapped cone of Ometepec!—­But I must forget this.

The dead killed in this plantain-patch were all that our men obtained sight of.  How many fell behind the barricades, where all the serious fighting took place, it was impossible to tell; though there was no reason to think that the enemy, fighting under cover, had suffered at all proportionably with our men, or, indeed, had suffered equally, losing man for man, except that ours were the better marksmen.

We passed a cold and sleepless night, awaiting the word to take up arms and advance; but in the mean time General Walker had changed his intention, and, when morning broke, the whole force quitted the outskirts and marched back into Rivas.  The killed and wounded by the whole affair were reported officially at one hundred, or thereabout,—­underrated, most probably, for effect upon the men.  It was enough, however, considering the filibusters had no more than four hundred engaged.  Amongst them, though not reported, was that devil-hearted dog which I have mentioned heretofore.  He fell, shot through the head, whilst advancing with the others toward the barricade.  He was lamented by the whole army,—­by many superstitiously, even,—­who said he had gone through all Walker’s hard stresses so far untouched, and his end was prophetic of downfall.