. The British rocketeers
were busy on their side, too, but succeeded in inflicting very little
damage upon the Americans.

"But I must leave the rest of the story for another time, for I see we
are about to have company," concluded the captain, as a carriage was
seen coming swiftly up the driveway. It brought callers who remained
until the hour for the retiring of the younger ones among his hearers.

CHAPTER II.

THE next evening the Viamede family were again gathered upon the
veranda, and, at the urgent request of the younger portion, seconded by
that of the older ones, the captain resumed the thread of his narrative.

"Keane's men," he said, "could no longer endure the terrible fire that
was so rapidly thinning their ranks, and they were presently ordered to
seek shelter in the little canals, where, in mud and water almost waist
deep, they leaned forward, concealing themselves in the rushes which
grew on the banks. They were Wellington's veterans, and must have felt
humiliated enough to be thus compelled to flee before a few rough
backwoodsmen, as they considered Jackson's troops.

"In the meantime, Gibbs and Rennie were endeavoring to flank the
American left, driving in the pickets till they were within a hundred
yards of Carroll and his Tennesseeans. Carroll perceived their object
and sent Colonel Henderson with 200 Tennesseeans to cut Rennie off from
the main body of the enemy by gaining his rear. Henderson went too far,
met a large British force, and he and five of his men were killed and
several wounded. But Gibbs, seeing how hard the fight was going with
Keane, ordered Rennie to fall back to his assistance. Rennie reluctantly
obeyed, but only to be a witness of Keane's repulse. Packenham, deeply
mortified by the unexpected disaster to his veterans, presently ordered
his men to fall back, and retired to his headquarters at Villere's."

"Had he lost many of his men that day, sir?" queried Walter.

"The British loss in the engagement is said to have been about one
hundred and fifty," replied Captain Raymond; "that of the Americans nine
killed and eight wounded. Packenham called a council of war, at which it
was resolved to bring heavy siege guns from the navy and with them make
another attempt to conquer the Americans and get possession of the city,
which Packenham now began to see to be by no means the easy task he had
at first imagined. He perceived that it was difficult, dangerous, and
would requi