e two bodies mixed together that the Forty-second
and Forty-fourth which were posted on the left of the road, could not
distinguish friend from foe.

Before the former regiment had time to form square the French were
upon them, and for two or three minutes a desperate hand-to-hand
conflict took place between bayonet and lance. The Forty-fourth did
not attempt to form a square. Its colonel faced the rear rank about,
and these poured so tremendous a volley into the French cavalry that
they reeled back in confusion. Two companies of the Forty-second which
had been cut off from the rest were almost annihilated; but the rest
of the square closed in around French cavalry who had pierced them and
destroyed them to a man. The Twenty-eighth also repulsed the enemy.

"What do you think of it now, Conway?" Captain O'Connor asked as the
French retreated.

"I feel all right now," Ralph said; "though I thought just now that it
was all over with me. A big Frenchman was just dealing a sweeping cut
at me when a musket shot struck him. Still this is a thousand times
better than standing still and being pounded by their artillery. I
confess I felt horribly uncomfortable while that was going on."

"I dare say you did, lad."

The Duke of Wellington had, upon the fall of their commander, in vain
endeavored to rally the flying Brunswickers. As he was so engaged the
cavalry column swept down upon him. He put spurs to his horse and
galloped to the spot where the Ninety-second were lying behind a ditch
bordering the road. The French were close to his heels. He shouted to
the men of the Ninety-second in front of him to throw themselves down,
and setting spurs to his horse leaped the ditch and the men behind it,
and instantly the Highlanders poured so terrible a volley into the
French cavalry that a hundred saddles were emptied.

The cavalry recoiled for a moment in confusion, but then reformed and
retired in good order. Some of the leading squadrons, however, had
galloped on into the village, and cut down some stragglers there; but
the Highlanders closed round them, and, being pent up in a farmyard
from which there was but one outlet, scarce a man who had entered
escaped.

The French had now received heavy reinforcement--Kellermann's heavy
horse having come upon the field--and as neither the Dutch nor Belgian
cavalry would face the French troopers they were free to employ their
whole cavalry force against the British infantry.

Again an