Some hours after this misadventure, as most of us took it, our detail was relieved and we rode back to camp.  The man who had been taken in the act of deserting was condemned to be shot at San Juan this same evening, in presence of the whole detachment.  He was led down to the beach, and seated in a chair at the water’s edge.  He bore himself carelessly, or with an absent, almost unconscious air, like one who felt himself acting a part in a dream.  A squad of drafted riflemen was brought up in front of him, and the word was given by a sergeant.  They made their aim false purposely, and but one shot took effect on the doomed man.  He fell back into the water, where he lay struggling, and stained the waves red with his blood.  It was a wrenching sight, too brutal far, to see the sergeant place his gun against the poor wretch’s head, and end his agony!

It seemed so abominable to every spectator there that General Walker should thus seek to enforce Devil’s service from his men, entrapped mostly in the first place, without wages or half maintenance, and with no claim upon them whatever, but by a contract without consideration on the one part, on the other hard labor to the death,—­that this exhibition, which in another army were calculated to strengthen just authority, here only aroused indignation and disgust.  This very night, after witnessing the deserter’s punishment, eleven men left the company to which he belonged in a body, and were seen no more in Nicaragua.  And though for selfish reasons I was concerned to see the army falling to pieces, and the load of toil and danger increasing upon the rest of us, yet both I and the rest acknowledged that there was no tie of honor or honesty to keep any man with us who wished to escape; and this deed seemed to us without decent sanction.

The steamer at length made its appearance, and, after landing us about forty recruits, departed south with the States passengers for Panama; and afterwards, the new soldiers being all furnished with muskets, the detachment started on its return to Rivas.  On the way, it was rumored amongst the men, that a reinforcement to the enemy, marching from Costa Rica, were halted at Virgin Bay, and that General Walker was going to attack them.  We hurried over the Transit road as fast as the foot were able,—­General Sanders, I recollect, riding far in advance, sometimes out of sight, and thus giving himself to an ambush, had the enemy placed any.  By repute he was a man of extreme courage, and held his life so contemptuously that he would scarce hesitate to charge an enemy’s line by himself.  But I fear that this time he had other impulse than his innate valor; for there was no occasion for a solitary man, riding in these gloomy woods, to be singing and hallooing, and whirling his sword about his head, and swaying to and fro on his horse, unless he were strongly worked by aguardiente.