"  I  have  lived  in  this  country  for  forty  years,"
he  cried,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  Laguerre,
"  and  you  are  the  first  white  man  I  have  known
who  has  not  come  into  it,  either  flying  from  the
law,  or  to  rob  and  despoil  it.  I  know  this  coun-
try. I  know  all  of  Central  America,  and  it  is  a
wonderful  country.  There  is  not  a  fruit  nor  a
grain  nor  a  plant  that  you  cannot  dig  out  of  it
with  your  bare  fingers.  It  has  great  forests,  great
pasture-lands,  and  buried  treasures  of  silver  and
iron  and  gold.  But  it  is  cursed  with  the  laziest
of  God's  creatures,  and  the  men  who  rule  them
are  the  most  corrupt  and  the  most  vicious.  They
are  the  dogs  in  the  manger  among  rulers.  They
will  do  nothing  to  help  their  own  country  ;  they

197


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will  not  permit  others  to  help  it.  They  are  a
menace  and  an  insult  to  civilization,  and  it  is  time
that  they  stepped  down  and  out,  and  made  way
for  their  betters,  or  that  they  were  kicked  out.
One  strong  man,  if  he  is  an  honest  man,  can  con-
quer and  hold  Central  America.  William  Walker
was  such  a  man.  I  was  with  him  when  he  ruled
the  best  part  of  this  country  for  two  years.  He
governed  all  Nicaragua  with  two  hundred  white
men,  and  never  before  or  since  have  the  pueblo
known  such  peace  and  justice  and  prosperity  as
Walker  gave  them."

Webster  threw  himself  across  the  table  and
pointed  his  hand  at  Laguerre.
