Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/339

Rh were distributed; Dr Basch was given his marriage-ring, with the charge to report at home on the siege and his last days, "and tell my mother that I have done my duty as a soldier and die a good Christian." During these last days came a false report that Charlotte had died. It affected him deeply, but soon grief gave way to resignation. "It is one bond less holding me to life," he said.

Shortly after six o'clock on the morning of June 19th, after mass, the three prisoners were driven, each with his confessor, in a common-looking carriage, to the Cerro de la Campana, where the surrender had taken place. A strong escort kept at a distance the grief-stricken citizens, and a force of 4,000 men enclosed the field. Maximilian stepped lightly from his carriage and walked with dignity to the spot assigned, stroking his beard. He was dressed in black, with high-buttoned frock-coat and broad-brimmed felt hat. "Ah, what a splendid day!" he said; "I always wished to die on such a day."

They took their position at the foot of the hill in front of a shattered wall, which, like the adjacent