of a people whom they had
professedly come to aid, it could now look the Spaniards in the
face again. Just as he had concluded, a staff officer rode up.

"Lord Wellington wishes to speak to you, colonel," he said. "We
have been looking about for you everywhere, but your regiment
seemed to have vanished."

"Then I must leave the work of inspecting the kits to you, Herrara.
You will see that every article is unfolded and closely examined,
and place every man in whose kit anything is discovered under
arrest, at once. I trust that you will not find anything but, if
you do, place a strong guard over the prisoners, with loaded
muskets, and orders to shoot any one of them who tries to escape."

Walking by the side of the staff officer--for he had returned the
horse lent him by General Barnard--he accompanied him to a house in
the great square, where Lord Wellington had taken up his quarters.

Chapter 19: Gratitude.

"Your regiment has been distinguishing itself again, Colonel
O'Connor, I have heard from three sources. First, General Barnard
reported to me that he, and the other officers, were wholly unable
to restrain the troops from their villainous work last night; until
he found you and your regiment drawn up in perfect order, and was
able, with it, to put an end to the disorder everywhere reigning.
In the second place, the Count de Montego and the Marquis de
Valoroso, two of the wealthiest nobles in the province, have called
upon me to return thanks for the inestimable service, as they
expressed it, rendered by Colonel O'Connor and his officers, in
defending their houses, and protecting the lives and honour of
their families, from the assaults of the soldiers. They said that
the defenders consisted entirely of officers. How was that?"

"I am sorry to say that my men were, at first, infected by the
general spirit of disorder. Left alone by ourselves, I thought that
we could not do anything better than save, from spoliation, two
fine mansions that happened to be at the spot where we had been
left. We had to stand a sharp siege for two or three hours; but we
abstained, as far as possible, from using our arms, and I think
that only two or three of the soldiers were wounded. However, we
should have had to use our pistols in earnest, in a short time, had
I not sent out several of my officers by the back entrance of the
house; and these were not long in finding, and persuading to return
to their duties, a couple of