ver, to the great solidity of the door, and
the numerous fastenings with which it was provided on the other side,
the kicks of the horse, although several times repeated, failed to
burst it open; and at last the animal, as if wearied by the resistance
it met with, relaxed the vigour of its applications.

"Famous horse that of yours, Morral!" said the officer; "as good as a
locksmith or a six-pounder. Try it again, my boy. You have made some
ugly marks already. Another round of kicks, and the way is open."

"And if another blow is struck upon my door," said Don Manuel,
suddenly reappearing at the window, to the soldier, "your horse will
go home with an empty saddle."

"Silence! you old rebel," shouted Rufin, drawing a pistol from his
holster. "And you, Morral, never fear. At it again, man."

The soldier again applied his knuckles to his horse's back, and the
animal gave a tremendous kick. At the same instant a puff of smoke
issued from the window at which Don Manuel had stationed himself, the
report of a musket was heard, and the unlucky Morral, shot through the
body, fell headlong to the ground.

"Damnation!" roared the officer, firing his pistol at the window
whence the shot had proceeded; and immediately his men, without
waiting for orders, commenced an irregular fire of carbines and
pistols against the house. It was replied to with effect from three of
the windows. A man fell mortally wounded, and two of the horses were
hit. Rufin, alarmed at the loss the party had experienced, drew his
men back under shelter of some trees, till he could decide on what was
best to be done. It seemed at first by no means improbable that the
Carlists would have to beat a retreat, or at any rate wait the arrival
of infantry, which it was not improbable Merino might have sent to
their assistance when the sound of the firing reached his ears. The
lower windows of the house were protected by strong iron bars; and,
although the defenders were so few in number, their muskets, and the
shelter behind which they fought, gave them a great advantage over the
assailants, whose carbines would not carry far, and who had no cover
from the fire of their opponents. At last a plan was devised which
offered some chance of success. The party dismounted; and whilst four
men, making a circuit, and concealing themselves as much as possible
behind trees and hedges, endeavoured to get in rear of the building,
the others, with the exception of two or three