se horse, defended themselves desperately, and
although the town was wholly without fortifications, they repulsed
every attack until their ammunition was exhausted, and they were then
forced to surrender. Staremberg, on hearing that Stanhope was attacked
and surrounded, turned back and marched with all speed to relieve him,
but on arriving within three hours' march of the town, heard that he
had surrendered.

The Duke of Vendome, hearing of his coming, drew his troops out
and formed them in line of battle, and the next morning attacked
him vigorously. The allied right held their ground, but the left
fled, and Vendome swept his right round and took the centre and
right of the allies in the rear. Three battalions of the second
line, however, fell in turn upon the French rear and repulsed
them, and the left wing, rallying again, renewed the battle.

The combat was indecisive, both parties claiming the victory.
Staremberg wrote to Charles that he had captured all the enemy's
guns, and had killed six thousand of them; while the French
claimed that they had totally defeated the allies, and captured
all their cannon, killed four thousand, and taken nine thousand
prisoners. The balance of probability lies to some extent with the
French, for the day after the battle, Staremberg retired and
marched to Barcelona; but the fact that he was not at once pursued
shows that the French and Spaniards must have suffered very
heavily.

Desmond had passed unscathed through the battle of Saragossa.
O'Neil had been severely wounded, but had managed to sit his horse
until the division effected its junction with the Marquis de Bay's
shattered forces. Great was the wrath among the two Irish
regiments at the issue of the battle.

"What is the use," an officer said to Desmond, "of our throwing
away our lives, fighting for these Spaniards, when they themselves
are useless, save when they meet the Portuguese, who are still
more contemptible? Here have we, on level ground, fairly beaten
the enemy, while the right and centre, although having a great
advantage in position, allow themselves to be scattered like a
flock of sheep."

"They had stouter foes to meet than we had," Desmond said. "We had
only Spaniards opposed to us, while they had English and Dutch to
fight; and as the best French troops have found, in Flanders, that
these were at least a match for them, we must not blame the
Spanish too severely for giving way before they were attacked