disgrace you have brought
upon us all. Of one thing I am determined upon; not one man in the
regiment shall be any the better for his share in this night's
work, and that this accursed plunder shall not be retained. A
blanket will be spread out here in front of me, and the regiment
will pass along before me by twos. Each man, as he files by, will
empty out the contents of his pockets, and swear solemnly that he
has retained no object of spoil, whatever. After that is over, I
shall have an inspection of kits and, if any article of value is
found concealed, I will hand over its owner to the provost marshal,
to be shot forthwith."

The operation took upwards of two hours. At Herrara's suggestion a
table was brought out, a crucifix placed upon it, and each man as
he came up, after emptying out his pockets, swore solemnly, laying
his hand upon the table, that he had given up all the spoil he had
collected.

Terence could not help smiling at the scene the regiment presented,
before the men began to file past. No small proportion of the men
stripped off their coats, and unwound from their bodies rolls of
silk, costly veils, and other stuffs of which they had taken
possession. All these were laid down by the side of the blanket, on
which a pile of gold and silver coins, a great number of rings,
brooches, and bracelets, had accumulated by the time the whole had
passed by.

"The money cannot be restored," Terence said to Herrara, "therefore
set four non-commissioned officers to count it out. Have the jewels
all placed in a bag. Let all the stuffs and garments be made into
bundles. I shall be obliged if you will take a sufficient number of
men to carry them, and go down yourself, with a guard of twenty
men, to the syndic, or whatever they call their head man, and hand
them over to him. Say that the Minho regiment returns the spoil it
had captured, and deeply regrets its conduct.

"Will you say that I beg him to divide the money among the
sufferers most in need of it, and to dispose the jewels and other
things where they can be seen, and to issue a notice to the
inhabitants that all can come and inspect them, and those who can
bring proof that any of the articles belong to them can take them
away."

The regiment was by this time formed up again, and Terence,
addressing them, told them of the orders that he had given; saying
that, as the regiment had made all the compensation in their power,
and had rid itself of the spoils