Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/299

 prisoners, whom, moreover, they had always treated honourably and humanely, in consequence of regulations which emanated from Juarez, and would have done honour to an European army.

At Pachuca, Joaquim Martinez offered to hold intercourse with us for this purpose. At Oajaca, a person named Thiele, Porfirio Diaz' private secretary, had presented himself, in November 1866, at our outposts at Tehuacan. This person was of French origin, and had been in the police-force which was sent out from Paris by M. Hirvoix, head of the police there, for the security of the sovereigns of Mexico; subsequently he had entered Maximilian's service, and had proceeded as agent of colonisation to the coast of Oajaca. Thence he had gone over to the enemy, to avoid the persecutions of a high Mexican functionary. He had offered his services to Porfirio Diaz, from whom he now brought an answer to a note from General Aymard. This note, which opened negotiations with the liberals, was sent with a view of claiming those of our countrymen who had been surprised in Oajaca after the death of the commandant, Testard. We had seventy prisoners in Porfirio's hands (nineteen of whom were officers of the cazadores); on January 22, the latter handed them over to us, safe and sound, at Buenavista. This delicate operation, which had lasted more than two months, is explained in the following letter, addressed to the head of the military cabinet of our head-quarters, who had to deal with all these questions:—