s; but this included a considerable Spanish force and
one of their batteries, and 10,000 Portuguese who, however, could
not be reckoned as good troops. The pursuit of the French was taken
up hotly next morning, and they were chased for forty miles that
day but, the next morning, they eluded their pursuers, marched to
Valladolid, drew off the garrison there, and left it to be occupied
by the British the following day.

The Minho regiment had been, two days before the battle, attached
to the 6th division. For a time, being in the second line, they
looked on, impatient spectators of the fight; but, at the crisis of
the battle, they were brought up to check Clausel's impetuous
counter attack, and nowhere was the struggle fiercer. Hulse's
brigade, to which they were attached, bore more than its share of
the fighting; and the 11th and the 61st, together, had but 160 men
and officers left when the battle was over. The Portuguese fought
valiantly, and the fact that their countrymen had been defeated, in
their attempt to capture the French Hermanito, inspired them with a
fierce determination to show that Portuguese troops could fight as
well as their allies. They pushed forward well abreast of the other
regiments of the brigade, and suffered equally.

In vain the French attempted to check their advance. Showers of
grape swept their ranks; volleys of musketry, at a distance of but
a few yards, withered up their front lines and, for a time, a
hand-to-hand fight with bayonets raged. In the terrible roar of
artillery and musketry, words of command were unheard; but the men
mechanically filled up the gaps in their ranks, and the one thought
of all was to press forward until, at length, the French yielded
and fell sullenly back, disputing every yard of the ground, and a
fresh division took up the pursuit.

The order to halt was given. The men looked round, confused and
dazed, as if waking from a dream. Grimed with powder, soaked with
perspiration, breathless and haggard, many seemed scarcely able to
keep their feet; and every limb trembled at the sudden cessation of
the terrible strain. Then, as they looked round their ranks and to
the ground they had passed over, now so thickly dotted with the
dark uniforms, hoarse sobs broke from them; and men who had gone
unflinchingly through the terrible struggle burst into tears. The
regiment had gone into action over 2000 strong. Scarce 1200
remained unwounded. Of the officers, Bull had fal