it might not be best to allow this formidable body to march away
unmolested, news reached him that General Beck, with his reinforcements,
would be on the ground in an hour. This decided him, and he ordered the
whole of the guns that had been rescued from their late captors to be
turned on the Spanish square, and then, collecting his cavalry into a
mass, dashed at it. The Spaniards remained motionless till the French
line was within twenty yards of them, then men stepped aside, a number
of guns poured their contents into the cavalry, while a tremendous
volley swept away their front line. So terrible was the effect, so great
the confusion caused by the carnage, that had the Walloon cavalry been
rallied and returned to the field, the tide of the battle might again
have been changed; but they were miles away, and Enghien rallied his men
without a moment's delay, while the French artillery again opened fire
upon the Spanish square. Again the French cavalry charged and strove
to make their way into the gaps made by the artillery, but before they
reached the face of the square these were closed up, and the guns and
musketry carried havoc among the French squadrons, which again recoiled
in confusion. Once more Enghien rallied them, and, when the French
artillery had done their work, led them forward again with a bravery as
impetuous and unshaken as that with which he had ridden in front of them
in their first charge; nevertheless for the third time they fell back,
shattered by the storm of iron and lead. Enghien now brought up his
artillery to close quarters, Baron de Sirot led up the infantry of the
reserve, and the attack was renewed.

The aged Spanish general, though streaming with blood from several
wounds, still from his litter encouraged his soldiers, who, stern and
unmoved, filled up the gaps that had been made, and undauntedly faced
their foes. But the struggle could not be long continued. The square was
gradually wasting away, and occupied but half the ground which it had
stood upon when the battle began. And Fuentes, seeing that further
resistance could only lead to the annihilation of his little band, felt
that no more could be done. There were no signs of Beck coming to
his assistance. Indeed the troops of that general had been met by the
cavalry in their flight; these communicated their own panic to them, and
such was the alarm that the division abandoned its baggage and guns and
fled from the field, where their a