ary measure, which a Cabrera or a Valmaseda would probably not
have hesitated to adopt, Zumalacarregui abstained. "It did not agree,"
says his biographer, "with the principles of equity and justice which he
observed relatively to the villages and their inhabitants;" from which
we are left to infer, that the burning alive of five hundred Christino
soldiers, could it have been done without injuring houses or peasants,
would have been rather an acceptable holocaust to the Carlist chief.

When all the advantages calculated upon from this expedition had been
obtained, the retreat was sounded, and, forming up his men with the
greatest celerity, Zumalacarregui marched rapidly away, carrying off the
arms, horses, and prisoners, that had been taken. With all his haste,
however, early upon the following day Lorenzo and Oraa were close upon
his heels; but the wary Carlist had omitted no precaution, and, in
anticipation of a hot pursuit, had ordered four battalions to meet him
at the neighbouring pass of Lizarraga, where he accordingly found them
waiting his arrival, and immediately prepared to give the Christinos a
warm reception. The latter, on arriving in front of the position,
probably considered it too formidable a one to attack; for they
forthwith retreated, leaving Zumalacarregui in the peaceable enjoyment
of a triumph which greatly increased his reputation and the confidence
of his followers.

Quesada, who succeeded Valdes in the command of the Queen's army, was
the first to introduce the horrible system of reprisals, or, it should
rather be said, to occasion it, by cruelty towards his prisoners.
Valdes, if he had done little towards terminating the war, had at least
not envenomed it, or rendered its character more ferocious than he had
found it. Although it was impossible to suspect him of any leaning
towards his opponents, he always showed great moderation and humanity,
and caused the wounded Carlists who fell into his hands to be treated
with as much care as if they had been his own men. Quesada, on the
contrary, irritated at the failure of certain attempts he had made to
seduce Zumalacarregui, and subsequently other Carlist leaders, from
their allegiance to him they called their King, and acting under the
influence of a disposition which many events in his life sufficiently
proved to be cruel and bloodthirsty, had scarcely assumed the command
when he gave the signal for reprisals, by shooting at Pampeluna the
Carlist o