s."

The officer fell back to his squadron, and the next minute a subaltern
and twenty men detached themselves from the column, and, at a brisk
trot, began retracing their steps along the road. Upon arriving in
sight of the house to which they were proceeding, they leaped their
horses over a narrow ditch dividing the road from the fields and
struck across the latter in a straight line, compelled, however, by
the heaviness of the ground to slacken their pace to a walk. They had
not got over more than half the distance which they had to traverse,
when they heard the clang of a bell, continuously rung; and this was
followed by the appearance of two men, who issued from the stables and
out-buildings, and hurried to the house. Scarcely had they entered
when the shutters of the lower windows were pushed to, and the heavy
door closed and barred. The soldiers were now within a hundred yards
of the dwelling.

"Hallo!" cried the officer contemptuously, "they will not stand a
siege, will they? The old don is a black-hearted rebel, I know; but he
will hardly be fool enough to resist us."

The trooper was mistaken. The courage of Don Manuel Herrera was of
that obstinate and uncalculating character which would have induced
him to defend his house, single-handed, against a much larger force
than that now brought against it. When he had learned, three days
previously, that risings were taking place in his own neighbourhood in
the name of Charles V., he had attached very little importance to the
intelligence. An old soldier himself, he entertained the most
unmitigated contempt for the Realista volunteers, whom he looked upon
as a set of tailors, whose muskets would rather encumber them than
injure any body else; and who, on the first appearance of regular
troops, would infallibly throw down their arms, and betake themselves
to their homes. As to the parties of insurgent guerillas which he was
informed were beginning to show themselves at various points of the
vicinity, he considered them as mere bandits, availing themselves of
the stir and excitement in the country to exercise their nefarious
profession; and, should any such parties attempt to molest him, he was
fully determined to resist their attacks. In this resolution he now
persevered, although he rightly conjectured that the horsemen
approaching his house were either the rearguard or a detachment of the
disorderly-looking column of which he had a short time previously
observed