s renewed and, two days later,
the regiment arrived at Miranda. The frontier ran close to this
town, the Douro separating the two countries. They learned that
Moras was lying four miles farther to the north, and across the
frontier line; doubtless preferring to remain in Spain, in order to
prevent a quarrel between his followers and the Portuguese.

The next morning Terence, accompanied by Ryan and four mounted
orderlies, rode into the glen where he and his followers were
lying. They had erected a great number of small arbours of boughs
and bushes and, as Terence rode up to one of these, which was
larger and better finished than the rest, Moras himself came to the
entrance to meet them.

He did not at all correspond with Terence's ideas of a guerilla
chief. He was a young man, of three or four and twenty; of slim
figure and with a handsome, thoughtful face. He had been a student
of divinity at Salamanca, but had killed a French officer in a
duel, brought on by the insolence of the latter; and had been
compelled to fly. A few men had gathered round him, and he had at
once raised his standard as a guerilla chief.

At first his operations had been on a very small scale; but the
success that had attended these enterprises, and the reports of his
reckless bravery, had speedily swelled the number of his followers;
and although as a rule he kept only a hundred with him, he could at
any time, by sending round a summons, collect five times that
number, in a few hours.

When Terence introduced himself as the colonel of the two
battalions that had arrived, at Miranda, to operate in conjunction
with him, Moras held out his hand frankly.

"I am very glad indeed to meet you, Colonel O'Connor," he said. "I
received a despatch four days ago from your general, saying that
the Minho regiment would shortly arrive at Miranda, to act in
concert with me. I was glad indeed when I heard of this, for the
name of the regiment is well known, on this side of the frontier as
well as on the other, having been engaged in many gallant actions;
and your name is equally well known, in connection with it; but I
hardly expected to meet you, for the despatch said the Minho
regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Herrara."

"Yes. I only rejoined it two days ago, having been taken prisoner
at Fuentes d'Onoro, and having made my escape from Salamanca."

"Your aid will be invaluable, senor. My own men are brave enough,
but they are irregulars in the full s