to go out and reconnoitre.

"You shall not go alone," said Mr Laffan.

"No," I answered; "I intend to take Lion with me."

"I intend to go also," he replied. "I have done a little skirmishing in
my day, and three pairs of eyes will take in more than two. Indeed, I
do not think you should count much on the services Lion may render."

"He will, at all events, give us timely notice should we get near a
sentinel, or should one of the enemy approach us," I remarked.

"You are right," answered Mr Laffan. "We will go together; and I am
pretty strongly of opinion that we shall bring Don Juan word that the
enemy are not far off."

"But shall we go by night or day?" I asked.

"At night we should have the advantage of being able to get up to the
enemy without being seen," said Mr Laffan; "but we should be quite as
likely to find ourselves in their midst before we had discovered where
they were. Whereas in daylight, though we may find more difficulty in
approaching them, we shall be able to see any of their men moving about
at a distance. During the day, too, they will be less likely to be on
the watch for scouts."

It was finally settled, after a discussion in which Juan and the other
officers took part, that we should leave the fort just before dawn, and
remain concealed until daylight, when we were to make our way in the
direction in which it was most probable that we should find the
Spaniards, if they were still in the neighbourhood. This plan was
finally agreed on; and Captain Laffan, Lion, and I, at the hour fixed
on, left the fort, and made our way across the river to a grove of trees
which afforded us sufficient concealment; while, should the Spaniards
themselves have sent out any reconnoitring party to ascertain what we
were about, we should to a certainty discover them.

As soon as it was daylight we continued our route, Lion going on just
before me, and turning round frequently to see if I was following. By
his conduct, I was very sure that he understood the object of our
expedition. We kept as much as possible under cover; occasionally when
we came to open ground we ran across it in a stooping posture, so that,
should we be seen by those at a distance, we might be mistaken for
animals. We had gone nearly a league without observing a human being,
when we caught sight of a small hamlet in the distance, with a wood on
one side, and a stream partly encircling it.

"That's a likely place for the enemy t