e few pieces of cannon
with them, and opened the first fire with both cannon and musketry,
but every shot seemed to rise over our heads, and I don't think that
volley killed a man. We were up and at them like dragons, wounding and
taking their general with about a hundred and fifty other prisoners;
likewise a stand of colours, three pieces of cannon, and their
baggage. Moreover, we found a nice breakfast cooking for us in the
shape of fowls, geese, turkeys, beef, rice, and _calavancos_, (though
the latter were rather too warm with cayenne pepper and garlic,) all
of which the enemy had had to leave in his hurry, and which came in
very acceptably at the end of a long march.

The colonel ordered everything to be taken from the prisoners we had
made, as that was how he had been served himself when he had been
taken prisoner at Buenos Ayres, so we set to clearing them of all they
possessed, their money, which amounted to about two thousand dollars,
their clothes, and even their boots. I had a very narrow escape while
the plunder was going on. I entered one of the enemy's storehouses, at
one end of which a quantity of bullocks' hides were lying, at a
sufficient distance from the wall to allow a man to pass or hide
behind them; and there beside the heap stood a Spaniard whom I knew
well, as he had sold cakes to us while we were at Colonia, and who now
offered me a pot of honey to eat. I had my misgivings, however, so
made motion for him to eat first, for fear of poison; and at the same
time, casting my eye to the left, I saw a Spaniard emerge from between
the hides and the wall with a pistol, which he levelled at me. I
became pretty active, as may be supposed under the circumstances, and
managed to guard it off; but the shot whizzed very close to my head
nevertheless, which made me very much enraged with the man, and
determined he should not escape. Unfortunately for him, one of our
dismounted cavalry, an Irishman, came in, and on my telling him there
was a Spaniard behind the hides, who had just fired a pistol at me,
"Tare an' 'ounds," says he, "I'll fetch him out; you stand at one end
to stop him with your bayonet while I drive him out." So Paddy went
round with his sword, and after a little exercise behind, "Look out
comrade," he sang out, "he's coming;" and sure enough I skewered him
to the wall by driving my bayonet right through his body, while Paddy
came out and finished him by splitting his head nearly in two with his