es stole out, in the order in
which they had been directed. The guerillas had just begun to fire
heavily, as a prelude, Terence had no doubt, to a serious attack
upon the church. Fortunately there were no houses at the back of
the church, and no shout indicated that the party were seen. They
therefore kept together, until fifty or sixty yards from the door;
then they separated, and continued their way to the ends of the
village to which they had been, respectively, assigned.

Then at one end of the village a French trumpeter sounded the
charge, and two drummers at the other beat the same order,
vigorously, and with loud cheers they rushed down the street, the
French and English alike shouting. It had been arranged that, while
the French held their way straight on, shooting down the Spaniards
as they poured out into the street, the British should break up
into small detachments, burst their way into the houses, and
overpower the enemy there. They found the first houses they entered
deserted, and the soldiers uttered exclamations of impatience as
they heard the heavy roll of firing in the main street. As they
approached the centre of the village, however, they came upon a
number of the Spaniards rushing from their houses.

The men who had arms opened fire at once upon them, while those
with clubs dashed forward, levelling the panic-stricken guerillas
to the ground with their heavy blows, and arming themselves with
their muskets and bandoleers. Thus the firing soon became general,
and the Spaniards, struck with utter dismay, and believing that
they had been attacked by a heavy column that had just arrived,
speedily took to headlong flight, most of them throwing away their
arms as they fled. In some of the houses there were short but
desperate conflicts but, in a quarter of an hour after the first
shot was fired, there was not a guerilla remaining alive in the
village, upwards of a hundred and fifty having been killed; while
on the side of their assailants only some fifteen had been killed,
and twenty-eight wounded.

They soon formed up in the street, and were told off, in parties of
twelve, to the houses in the outskirts of the village. Three in
each party were to keep watch, by turns, while the rest slept. An
English officer was to remain in charge on one side of the street,
and a French officer on the other. The rest went back to the
church, whose doors were now thrown open.

"I thank you most heartily, gentlemen,"