Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/37

CH. I.] impudent in his manner. He came up to me without the slightest symptom of the respect commonly shewn by servants, especially in that country, and which with him had usually been manifested even to a degree of disgusting obsequiousness: I rated him soundly for his conduct, and, after looking at the priming of my pistols, proceeded to place them, whilst he observed me, under my pillow. As we had a long journey to travel the next day, we rose very early; but, as I expected, the escort was not ready to accompany us. My bed was close to a window that looked out in the farm-yard of the hacienda: partly from distrust at my situation with my servants, and partly from a constant noise of shouts and exclamations of the soldiery kept up till past midnight, I slept indifferently. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and I had the curiosity to step to the window to see what was going on: I was not a little surprised to find that the escort who had complained in the day of the length of the march, were repaying