river whose destination was the sea.

Again another ragged volley; and this was followed by a few dull,
heavy-sounding single shots, which came evidently from a skirmishing
party which was working its way along the steep slope across the river.

There was no responsive platoon reply to the volley, but the skirmishing
shots were answered directly by _crack! crack! crack_! the reports that
sounded strangely different to those heavy, dull musket-shots which came
from near at hand, and hardly needed glimpses of dark-green uniforms
that dotted the hither slope of the mountain-side to proclaim that they
were delivered by riflemen who a few minutes before were, almost in
single line, making their way along a rugged mountain-path.

A second glance showed that they formed the rear-guard of a body of
sharpshooters, beyond whom in the distance could be made out now and
then glints of bright scarlet, which at times looked almost orange in
the brilliant sunshine--orange flashed with silver, as the sun played
upon musket-barrel and fixed bayonet more than shoulder-high.

The country Spain, amidst the towering Pyrenees; the scarlet that of a
British column making its way along a rugged mule-path, from which those
that traversed it looked down upon a scene of earthly beauty, and
upwards at the celestial blue, beyond which towered the rugged peaks
where here and there patches of the past winter's snow gleamed and
sparkled in the sun.

Strategy had indicated retreat; and the black-green, tipped at collar
and cuff with scarlet, of England's rifle-regiment was covering the
retiring line, when the blue-coated columns of the French General's
division had pressed on and delivered the wild volleys and scattered
shots of the skirmishers which drew forth the sharp, vicious, snapping
reply of the retreating rear-guard.

"At last!" said one of the riflemen, rising from where he had knelt on
one knee to take cover behind a bush, and there stand driving down a
cartridge with a peculiarly sharp, ringing sound of iron against iron,
before finishing off with a few heavy thuds, returning the bright rod to
its loops, and raising the pan of the lock to see that it was well
primed with the coarse powder of the day.

"Yes--at last!" said his nearest comrade, who with a few more had halted
at a subaltern's command to wait in cover for a shot or two at their
pursuing foe. "Are we going to hold this place?"

"No," said the young officer. "Hear that,