attack in the plain, but we shall perhaps get
our friends to meet us in the mountain."

Gomez--a tall, portly man, of inexpressive countenance, and whose
accent, when he spoke, betrayed the Andalusian--proceeded to execute
the orders he had received, and Zumalacarregui once more resumed his
post of observation.

The carelessness of the Christino picket, and the practice which the
Carlists had already had in a warfare of stratagem and surprise,
enabled the company of light infantry to execute, with great facility,
the instructions they had received. The young ensign who commanded the
outpost was walking listlessly along the edge of the wood, cursing the
wearisome duty entrusted to him, and referring to his watch to see how
far still the hour of relief was off, when he was suddenly struck to
the ground by a blow from a musket-butt, and before he could attempt
to rise, the point of a bayonet was at his throat. At the same instant
three score long-legged Navarrese dashed from under cover of the wood,
bayoneted the sentinels, surrounded the picket-house, and made
prisoners of the picket. The surprise was complete; not a shot had
been fired, and all had passed with so little noise that it appeared
probable the _coup-de-main_ would only become known to the Christinos
when the time arrived for relieving the outposts.

A trifling oversight, however, on the part of the Carlists, caused
things to pass differently. A soldier belonging to the picket, and who
was sleeping amongst the long grass, just within the wood, had escaped
all notice. The noise of the scuffle awoke him; but on perceiving how
matters stood, he prudently remained in his hiding-place till the
Carlists, having collected the arms and ammunition of their prisoners,
began to reascend the mountain. At a distance of three hundred yards
he fired at them, and then scampered off in the contrary direction.
His bullet took no effect, and the retreating guerillas, seeing how
great a start he had, allowed him to escape unpursued. But the report
of his musket spread the alarm. The pickets right and left of the one
that had been surprised, saw the Carlists winding their way up the
mountain; the vedettes fired, and the drums beat to arms. The alarm
spread rapidly from one end of the valley to the other, and every part
of it was in an instant swarming with men. Dragoons saddled and
artillery harnessed; infantry formed up by battalions and brigades;
generals and aides-de-camp d