ting to them his
project, directed them how to proceed. The post of honour was assigned
to a student of the name of Amezqueta, who, by his feats of courage,
subsequently rose from the rank of a simple volunteer to that of
colonel, and died in consequence of wounds received in action. One
company was sent to open a fire upon Zubiri, in which Oraa himself was
lodged; another was to attack the venta, where the cavalry were
quartered; and the remaining three were to penetrate into the streets
and houses of Urdaniz, which were occupied by five or six hundred
Christinos.

The night had at first been bright and moonlit, but was now cloudy and
dark; and Zumalacarregui, in order to avoid the terrible consequences
that might ensue if his soldiers mistook one another for the enemy,
ordered them to put on their shirts over their other garments. It
happened to be Carnival time, and the men, not at once understanding the
reason of this order, took it as a sort of masquerade proceeding, and
made themselves exceedingly merry about it. The result showed how
necessary a precaution it was. After various difficulties, occasioned by
the bad roads and extreme darkness, the three detachments reached their
respective destinations at about half-past two in the morning, and the
fire against Zubiri and Urdaniz commenced almost at the same moment. In
the first-named place, the Christinos kept themselves shut up in the
houses, from the windows of which they returned the fire, guided in
their aim by the flashes of their assailants' muskets. The sole object
of the Carlists was, to keep them employed, in order that they might not
interfere with what was going on at the two other points of attack. The
cavalry at the venta having neglected all precautions, and possessing no
effective means of defence, soon fell into the power of the Carlists;
but at Urdaniz, which was held by infantry, and against which the
expedition was more particularly directed, a hard-contested fight took
place. The first picket which the Carlists encountered was cut to pieces
to a man; the fire of a second outpost spread the alarm; but,
nevertheless, the attacking party penetrated into the ground-floor of
most of the houses, and a desperate contest ensued upon the stairs. The
horses in the stables were either carried off or killed; and nothing
would have been easier than to have set fire to the houses, and so
ensured the destruction of all the Christinos. From this latter
sanguin