For the next four days the troops worked night and day, the
operations being carried on under a tremendous fire from the French
batteries. The trenches being carried along the whole line of the
Small Teson, on the night of the 13th the convent of Santa Cruz was
captured and, on the 14th, the batteries opened fire against the
town and, before morning, the 40th regiment carried the convent of
San Francisco; and thus established itself within the suburb, which
was inclosed by an entrenchment that the Spanish had thrown up
there, during the last siege. The French artillery was very
powerful and, at times, overpowered that of the besiegers. Some
gallant sorties were also made but, by the 19th, two breaches were
effected in the ramparts, and preparations were made for an
assault.
That evening Terence received an order to march at once to the
place, and to join Pack's Portuguese. The assault was to be made by
the 3rd and light divisions, aided by Pack's command and Colonel
O'Toole's Portuguese riflemen. The main British army lay along the
Coa, in readiness to advance at once and give battle, should
Marmont come up to the assistance of the besieged town.
On the 19th both the breaches were pronounced practicable and,
during the day, the guns of the besiegers were directed against the
artillery on the ramparts, while the storming parties prepared for
their work. The third division was to attack the great breach. The
light division was to make for the small breach and, upon entering
the inclosure known as the fausse braye, a portion were to turn and
enter the town by the Salamanca gate; while the others were to
penetrate by the breach.
Colonel O'Toole, with his Portuguese, was to cross the river and to
aid the right attack; while Pack's Portuguese were to make a false
attack on the San Jago gate, on the other side of the town, and to
convert this into a real assault if the defence should prove
feeble.
The French scarcely appeared conscious that the critical moment was
at hand, but they had raised breastworks along the tops of both
breaches, and were perfectly prepared for the assault. When the
signal was given, the attack was begun on the right. The 5th, 77th,
and 94th Regiments rushed from the convent of Santa Cruz, leapt
down into the fausse braye, and made their way to the foot of the
great breach; which they reached at the same moment as the rest of
the third division, who had run down from the Small Teson. A
terrible fire was opened upon them but, undismayed by shell, grape,
and musketry from the ramparts and houses, they drove the French
behind their new work.
Here, however, the enemy stood so stoutly that no progress could be
made. Unable to cross the obstacle, the troops nevertheless
maintained their position, although suffering terrible losses from
the French fire.
Equally furious was the attack on the small breach, by the light
division. After a few minutes' fighting, they succeeded in bursting
through the ranks of the defenders; and then, turning to the right,
fought their way along the ramparts until they reached the top of
the great breach. The French there wavered, on finding that their
flank was turned; and the third division, seizing the opportunity,
hurled themselves upon them, and this breach was also won.
O'Toole's attack was successful and, on the other side of the town,
Pack's Portuguese, meeting with no resistance, had blown open the
gate of San Jago, and had also entered the town. Here a terrible
scene took place, and the British troops sullied their victory by
the wildest and most horrible excesses. They had neither forgotten
nor forgiven the treatment they had experienced at the hands of the
Spanish, both before and after the battle of Talavera; when they
were almost starved, while the Spaniards had abundant supplies, and
yet left the British wounded unattended, to die of starvation in
the hospitals, when they evacuated the city. From that time their
animosity against the Spaniards had been vastly greater than their
feeling against the French, who had always behaved as gallant
enemies, and had treated their wounded and prisoners with the
greatest kindness.
Now this long-pent-up feeling burst out, and murder, rapine, and
violence of all sorts raged for some hours, wholly without check.
Officers who endeavoured to protect the hapless inhabitants were
shot down, all commands were unheeded, and abominable atrocities
were perpetrated.
Some share of the blame rests with Wellington and his staff, who
had taken no measures whatever for maintaining order in the town,
when possession should be gained of it--a provision which should
never be omitted, in the case of an assault. The Portuguese, whose
animosity against the Spaniards was equally bitter, imitated the
example of their British comrades. Fires broke out in several
places, which added to the horror of the scene. The castle was
still held by the French, the troops having retreated there as soon
as the breach had been carried. There was not, therefore, even the
excuse of the excitement of street fighting to be made for the
conduct of the victors.
In vain, Terence and his officers endeavoured to keep their men
together. By threes and fours these scattered down the side
streets, to join the searchers for plunder; until at last, he
remained alone with his British and Portuguese officers.
"This is horrible," he said to Ryan, as the shouts, shrieks, and
screams told that the work of murder, as well as plunder, was being
carried on. "It is evident that, single handed, nothing can be
done. I propose that we divide into two parties, and take these two
houses standing together under our protection. We will have two
English officers with each, as there is no chance of the soldiers
listening to a Portuguese officer. How many are there of us?"
There were the twelve captains, and twenty subalterns.
"Bull and Macwitty, do you take half of them; Colonel Herrara,
Ryan, and I will take the other half. When you have once obtained
admission, barricade the door and lower windows with furniture.
When the rioters arrive, show yourselves at the windows, and say
that you have orders to protect the houses from insult and, if any
attack is made, you will carry out your orders at whatever cost.
When they see four British officers at the windows, they will
suppose that special instructions have been given us with respect
to these two houses.
"If they attack we must each defend ourselves to the last, holding
the stairs if they break in. If only our house is attacked, come
with half your force to our assistance; and we will do the same to
you. We can get along by those balconies, without coming down into
the street."
The force was at once divided. Terence knocked at the door of one
house, and his majors at that of the other. No answer was received
but, as they continued to knock with such violence that it seemed
as if they were about to break down the doors, these were presently
opened. Terence entered. A Spanish gentleman, behind whom stood a
number of trembling servants, advanced.
"What would you have, senor?" he asked. "I see that you are an
officer. Surely you cannot menace with violence those who are your
allies?"
"You are right, senor; but unfortunately our troops have shaken off
all discipline, and are pillaging and, I am afraid, murdering. The
men of my own regiment have joined the rest, and I with my
officers, finding ourselves powerless, have resolved at least to
protect your mansion, and the next, from our maddened troops. I can
give you my word of honour that I and these gentlemen, who are all
my officers, have come as friends, and are determined to defend
until the last your mansion, which happened to be the first we came
to. A similar party is taking charge of the next house and, if
necessary, we can join forces."
"I thank you indeed, sir. I am the Count de Montego. I have my wife
and daughters here and, in their name as well as my own, I thank
you most cordially. I have some twenty men, sir. Alone we could do
nothing, but they will aid you in every way, if you will but give
orders."
"In the first place, count, we will move as many articles of heavy
furniture as possible against the doors. I see that your lower
windows are all barred. We had better place mattresses behind them,
to prevent shot from penetrating. I hope, however, that it will not
come to that; and that I shall be able to persuade any that may
come along that these houses are under special protection."
The count at once ordered his servants to carry out the British
officer's instructions, and the whole party were soon engaged in
piling heavy furniture against the door. The count had gone up to
allay the fears of his wife and daughters who, with the female
servants, were gathered in terrible anxiety in the drawing room
above. As soon as the preparations were completed, Terence, Ryan,
and Herrara went upstairs and, after being introduced to the
ladies, who were now to some extent reassured, Terence went out on
to the balcony with Ryan; leaving Herrara in the drawing room, as
he thought it was best that only British officers should show
themselves.
Terrible as the scene had been before, it was even worse now. The
soldiers had everywhere broken into the cellars, and numbers of
them were already drunk. Many discharged their muskets recklessly,
some quarrelled among themselves as to the spoil they had taken,
and fierce fights occurred.
In two or three minutes Bull and Macwitty appeared on the balcony
of the next house.
"I see it is too far to get across," Terence said. "If you cannot
find a plank, set half a dozen men to prise up a couple from the
floor."
Presently a number of soldiers came running along down the street.
"Here are two big houses," one shouted. "There ought to be plenty
of plunder here."
"Halt!" Terence shouted. "These houses are under special protection
and, as you see, I myself and three other British officers are
placed here, to see that no one enters. I have a strong force under
my orders, and anyone attempting to break down the doors will be
shot instantly, and all who aid him will be subsequently tried and
hung."
The men, on seeing the four British officers--three of them in the
dress of field officers, and one, the speaker, in the uniform of
the staff--at once drew back.
"Come on, mates," one said, as they stood indecisive; "we shall
only lose time here, while others are getting as much plunder as
they can carry. Let us go on."
But as the wine took effect, others who came along were less
disposed to listen to orders. Gradually gathering, until they were
in considerable numbers, several shots were fired at the officers;
and one man, advancing up the steps, began to hammer at the door
with the butt end of his musket. Terence leaned over the balcony
and, drawing his pistol and taking a steady aim, fired, and the man
fell with a sharp cry. A number of shots were fired from below, but
the men were too unsteady to take aim, and Terence was uninjured.
[Illustration: The man fell, with a sharp cry.]
Again he stood up.
"Men," he shouted, "you have shown yourselves to be brave soldiers
today. Are you now going to disgrace yourselves, by mutiny against
officers who are doing their duty, thereby running the risk of
being tried and hung? I tell you again that these houses are both
defended by a strong force, and that we shall protect them at all
hazard. Go elsewhere, where booty is to be more easily obtained."
His words, however, were unheeded. Some more shots were fired, and
then there was a general rush at the doors; while another party
attacked that of the next house. The officers were all provided
with pistols, and Terence hurried below with Ryan.
"Do not fire," he said to the others, "until they break down the
door. It will take them some time and, at any moment, fresh troops
may be marched in to restore order."
The door was a strong one and, backed as it was, it resisted for a
considerable time. Those who first attacked it speedily broke the
stocks of their guns, and had to make way for others. Presently the
attack ceased suddenly.
"Run upstairs, Dicky, and see what they are doing, and how things
are going on next door."
Ryan soon returned.
"They are bringing furniture and a lot of straw from houses
opposite. They have broken down the next door, but they have not
got in yet."
"Let the servants at once set to work, to draw pails of water from
the well in the courtyard, and carry them upstairs.
"Ryan, you had better go into the next house and see if they are
pressed. Tell them that they must hold out without my help for a
short time. I am going to send six officers out by the back of the
house, to collect some of our men together. Another will be in
readiness to open the back door, as soon as they return.
"I shall keep them from firing the pile as long as I can. The count
has two double-barrelled guns. I don't want to use them, if I can
help it; but they shall not get in here. Do you stop, and help next
door. There can be no fighting here yet for, if they do burn the
door, it will be a long time before they can get in."
The native officers started at once. They were of opinion that they
would soon be able to bring in a good many of their men; for the
Portuguese are a sober race, and few would have got intoxicated.
Most of the men would soon find that there was not much booty to be
obtained, and that even what they got would probably be snatched
from them by the English soldiers; and would consequently be glad
to return to their duty again.
An officer took his place at the back door, in readiness to remove
the bars; another went up with Terence to the first floor; and the
remainder stopped in the hall, with six of the menservants.
Terence went upstairs and looked down into the street. There was a
lot of furniture, with bundles of faggots and straw, piled there.
"Now," he said to the officer, "empty these pails at once; the
servants will soon bring some more up. I will stand here with these
guns, and fire at any one who interferes with you. Just come out
into the balcony, empty your pails over, and go back at once. You
need scarcely show yourself, and there is not much chance of your
being hit by those drunken rascals."
Yells and shouts of rage were heard below, as the water was thrown
over. As fast as the pails were emptied, the servants carried them
off and refilled them. At last, two soldiers appeared from a house
opposite, with blazing torches.
The guns had been loaded by the count with small shot, as Terence
was anxious not to take life. As soon as the two men appeared, he
raised the fowling piece to his shoulder and fired both barrels, in
quick succession. With a yell of pain, the soldiers dropped their
torches. One fell to the ground, the other clapped his hands to his
face and ran down the street in an agony, as if half mad. Half a
dozen muskets were discharged, but Terence had stepped back the
moment he had fired, and handed the gun to the count, who was
standing behind him, to recharge.
Two other soldiers picked up the torches, but dropped them as
Terence again fired. Another man snatched up one of them, and flung
it across the street. It fell upon some straw that had been
thoroughly soaked by the water, and burned out there harmlessly.
It was not long before the servants began to arrive with the full
buckets and, when these also had been emptied, Terence, glancing
over, had little fear that the pile could now be lighted. The pails
were sent down again, and he waited for the next move.
The fighting had ceased at the other door. The soldiers having
drawn back from the barricade, to see the effect of the fire. Ryan
ran across the plank and rejoined Terence.
"Things are quiet there, for the present," he said. "There has not
been much harm done. When they had partly broken down the door,
they began firing through it. Bull and Macwitty kept the others
back from the line of fire, and not a pistol has been discharged
yet. Bull cut down one fellow who tried to climb over the
barricade, but otherwise no blood has been shed on either side."
Help was coming now. One of the Portuguese officers was admitted,
with twenty-four men that he had picked up. The others came in
rapidly and, within a quarter of an hour, three hundred men were
assembled. All were sober, and looked thoroughly ashamed of
themselves as they were formed up in the courtyard.
Terence went down to them. He said no word of blame.
"Now, men," he said, "you have to retrieve your characters. Half of
you will post yourselves at the windows, from the ground floor to
the top of the house. You are not to show yourselves, till you
receive orders to do so. You are not to load your guns but, as you
appear at the windows, point them down into the street. The
officers will post you, five at each window.
"The rest of you are at once to clear away the furniture in the
hall; and, when you receive the order, throw open the door and pour
out, forming across the street as you do so. Captain Ryan will be
in command of you. You are not to load, but to clear the street
with your bayonets. If any of the soldiers are too drunk to get out
of your way, knock them down with the butt end of your muskets; but
if they rush at you, use your bayonets."
He went round the house, and saw that five men were in readiness at
each window looking into the street. He ordered them to leave the
doors open.
"A pistol will be fired from the first landing," he said; "that
will be the signal, then show yourselves at once."
He waited until Ryan's party had cleared away the furniture. He
then went out on to the balcony, and addressed the crowd of
soldiers who were standing, uncertain what step to take next, many
of them having already gone off in search of plunder elsewhere.
"Listen to me, men," he shouted. "Hitherto I have refrained from
employing force against men who, after behaving as heroes, are now
acting like madmen; but I shall do so no longer. I will give you
two minutes to clear off, and anyone who remains at the end of that
time will have to take his chance."
Derisive shouts and threats arose in reply. He turned round and
nodded to the count, who was standing at the door of the room with
a pistol in his hand. He raised it and fired and, in a moment,
soldiers appeared at every window, menacing the crowd below with
their rifles. At the same moment the door opened, and the
Portuguese poured out, with Ryan at their head, trampling over the
pile raised in front of it.
There was a moment of stupefied dismay amongst the soldiers.
Hitherto none had believed that there were any in the houses, with
the exception of a few officers; and the sudden appearance of a
hundred men at the windows, and a number pouring out through the
door, took them so completely by surprise that there was not even a
thought of resistance.
Men who had faced the terrors of the deadly breaches turned and
fled and, save a few leaning stupidly against the opposite wall,
none remained by the time Ryan had formed up the two lines across
the street. Each of these advanced a short distance, and were at
once joined by the defenders of the other house, and by those at
the windows.
"Do you take command of one line, Bull; and you of the other,
Macwitty. I don't think that we shall be meddled with but, should
any of them return and attack you, you will first try and persuade
them to go away quietly. If they still attack, you will at once
fire upon them.
"Herrara, will you send out all your officers, and bring the men in
at the back doors, as before. We shall soon have the greater part
of the regiment here, and with them we can hold the street, if
necessary, against any force that is likely to attack it."
In half an hour, indeed, more than fifteen hundred men had been
rallied and, while two lines, each a hundred strong, were formed
across the street, some eighty yards apart, the rest were drawn up
in a solid body in the centre; Terence's order being that, if
attacked in force, half of them were to at once enter the houses on
both sides of the street, and to man the windows. He felt sure,
however, that the sight of so strong a force would be sufficient to
prevent the rioters interfering with them; the soldiers being, for
the most part, too drunk to act together, or with a common object.
This, indeed, proved to be the case. Parties at times came down the
street but, on seeing the dark lines of troops drawn up, they
retired immediately, on being hailed by the English officers, and
slunk off under the belief that a large body of fresh troops had
entered the town. An hour later a mounted officer, followed by some
five or six others and some orderlies, rode up.
"What troops are these?" the officer asked.
"The Minho Portuguese Regiment, general," Bull answered, "commanded
by Colonel O'Connor."
The general rode on, the line opened, and he and his staff passed
through. Terence, who had posted himself in the balcony so as to
have a view of the whole street, at once ran down. Two of the men
with torches followed him.
On approaching, he at once recognized the officer as General
Barnard, who commanded one of the brigades of the light division.
"So your regiment has remained firm, Colonel O'Connor?" the general
said.
"I am sorry to say, sir, that it did not, at first, but scattered
like the rest of the troops. My officers and myself, for some time,
defended these two large houses from the attack of the soldiery.
Matters became very serious, and I then sent out some of my
officers, who soon collected three hundred men, which sufficed to
disperse the rioters without our being obliged to fire a shot. The
officers then again went out, and now between fifteen and sixteen
hundred men are here.
"I am glad that you have come, sir, for I felt in a great
difficulty. It was hard to stay here inactive, when I was aware
that the town was being sacked, and atrocities of every kind
perpetrated but, upon the other hand, I dared not undertake the
responsibility of attempting to clear the streets. Such an attempt
would probably end in desperate fighting. It might have resulted in
heavy loss on both sides, and have caused such ill feeling between
the British and Portuguese troops as to seriously interfere with
the general dispositions for the campaign."
"No doubt you have taken the best course that could be pursued,
Colonel O'Connor; but I must take on myself the responsibility of
doing something. My appearance, at the head of your regiment, will
have some effect upon the men of the light division; and those who
are sober will, no doubt, rally round me, though hitherto my
efforts have been altogether powerless. All the officers will, of
course, join us at once. I fear that many have been killed in
trying to protect the inhabitants but, now that we have at least
got a nucleus of good troops, I have no doubt that we shall be
successful.
"Have you any torches?"
"There is a supply of them in the house, sir."
"Get them all lighted, and divide them among the men. As soon as
you have done this, form the regiment into column."
"Are they to load, sir?"
"Yes," the general said shortly; "but instruct your officers that
no one is to fire without orders, and that the sound of firing at
the head of the column is not to be considered as a signal for the
rest to open fire; though it may be necessary to shoot some of
these insubordinate scoundrels. By the way, I think it will be best
that only the leading company should load. The rest have their
bayonets, and can use them if attacked."
Some forty torches were handed over, by the count. These were
lighted and distributed along the line, ten being carried by the
leading company.
"You have bugles, colonel?"
"Yes, sir. There is one to each company."
"Let them all come to the front and play the Assembly, as they
march on.
"Now, will you ride at their head by my side, sir? Dismount one of
my orderlies, and take his horse."
By the time all the preparations were completed, they had been
joined by nearly two hundred more men. Just before they started,
Terence said:
"Would it not be well, general, if I were to tell off a dozen
parties of twenty men, each under the command of a steady
non-commissioned officer, to enter the houses on each side of the
road as we go along, and to clear out any soldiers they may find
there?"
"Certainly. But I think that when they see the regiment marching
along, and hear the bugles, they will clear out fast enough of
their own accord."
With bugles blowing, the regiment started. Twenty men, with an
officer, had been left behind at each of the houses they had
defended; in case parties of marauders should arrive, and endeavour
to obtain an entrance.
As they marched by, men appeared at the windows. Most of these were
soldiers who, with an exclamation of alarm when they saw the
general, followed by two battalions in perfect order, hastily ran
down and made their escape by the backs of the houses; or came
quietly out and, forming in some sort of order, accompanied the
regiment. Several shots were heard behind, as the search parties
cleared out those who had remained in the houses and, presently,
the force entered the main square of the town and halted in its
centre, the bugles still blowing the Assembly. Numbers of officers
at once ran up, and many of the more sober soldiers.
"Form them up as they arrive," the general said to the officers.
In a few minutes, some five hundred men had gathered.
"Do you break your regiment up into four columns, Colonel O'Connor.
A fourth of these men shall go with each, with a strong party of
officers. The soldiers will be the less inclined to resist, if they
see their own comrades and officers with your troops, than if the
latter were alone. I will take the command of one column myself, do
you take that of another.
"Colonel Strong, will you join one of the majors of Colonel
O'Connor's regiment; and will you, Major Hughes, join the other?
"All soldiers who do not, at once, obey your summons to fall in
will be taken prisoners; and those who use violence you will shoot,
without hesitation. All drunken men are to be picked up and sent
back here. Place a strong guard over them, and see that they do not
make off again."
Five minutes later, the four columns started in different
directions. A few soldiers who, inflamed by drink, fired at those
who summoned them to surrender, were instantly shot and, in half an
hour, the terrible din that had filled the air had quietened down.
Morning was breaking now. In the great square, officers were busy
drawing up the men who had been brought in, in order of their
regiments. The inhabitants issued from their houses, collected the
bodies of those who had been killed in the streets, and carried
them into their homes; and sounds of wailing and lamentation rose
from every house.
Lord Wellington now rode in, with his staff. The regiments that had
disgraced themselves were at once marched out of the town, and
their places taken by those of other divisions. But nothing could
repair the damage that had been done; and the doings of that night
excited, throughout Spain, a feeling of hostility to the British
that has scarcely subsided to this day; and was heightened by the
equally bad conduct of the troops at the storming of Badajoz.
Long before the arrival of Lord Wellington, the whole of the Minho
regiment had rejoined. Terence ordered that the late comers should
not be permitted to fall in with their companies, but should remain
as a separate body. He marched the regiment to a quiet spot in the
suburbs, and ordered them to form in a hollow square, with the men
who had last joined in the centre. These he addressed sternly.
"For the first time," he said, "since this regiment was formed, I
am ashamed of my men. I had thought that I could rely upon you
under all circumstances. I find that this is not so, and that the
greed for plunder has, at once, broken down the bonds of
discipline. Those who, the moment they were called upon, returned
to their colours, I can forgive, seeing that the British regiments
set them so bad an example; but you men, who to the last remained
insubordinate, I cannot forgive. You have disgraced not only
yourselves, but your regiment, and I shall request Lord Wellington
to attach you to some other force. I only want to command men I can
rely upon."
A loud chorus of lament and entreaty rose from the men.
"It is as painful to me as it is to you," Terence went on, raising
his hands for silence. "How proud I should have been if, this
morning, I could have met the general and said that the regiment he
had been good enough to praise so highly, several times, had proved
trustworthy; instead of having to report that every man deserted
his officers, and that many continued the evil work of pillage, and
worse, to the end."
Many of the men wept loudly, others dropped upon their knees and
implored Terence to forgive them. He had already instructed his two
majors what was to be done, and they and the twelve captains now
stepped forward.
"Colonel," Bull said, in a loud voice that could be heard all over
the square, "we, the officers of the Minho regiment, thoroughly
agree with you in all that you have said, and feel deeply the
disgrace the conduct of these men has brought upon it; but we trust
that you will have mercy on them, and we are ready to promise, in
their name, that never again will they so offend, and that their
future conduct will show how deeply they repent of their error."
There was a general cry from the men of:
"Indeed we do. Punish us as you like, colonel, but don't send us
away from the regiment!"
Terence stood as if hesitating, for some time; then he said:
"I cannot resist the prayer of your officers, men; and I am willing
to believe that you deeply regret the disgrace you have brought
upon us all. Of one thing I am determined upon; not one man in the
regiment shall be any the better for his share in this night's
work, and that this accursed plunder shall not be retained. A
blanket will be spread out here in front of me, and the regiment
will pass along before me by twos. Each man, as he files by, will
empty out the contents of his pockets, and swear solemnly that he
has retained no object of spoil, whatever. After that is over, I
shall have an inspection of kits and, if any article of value is
found concealed, I will hand over its owner to the provost marshal,
to be shot forthwith."
The operation took upwards of two hours. At Herrara's suggestion a
table was brought out, a crucifix placed upon it, and each man as
he came up, after emptying out his pockets, swore solemnly, laying
his hand upon the table, that he had given up all the spoil he had
collected.
Terence could not help smiling at the scene the regiment presented,
before the men began to file past. No small proportion of the men
stripped off their coats, and unwound from their bodies rolls of
silk, costly veils, and other stuffs of which they had taken
possession. All these were laid down by the side of the blanket, on
which a pile of gold and silver coins, a great number of rings,
brooches, and bracelets, had accumulated by the time the whole had
passed by.
"The money cannot be restored," Terence said to Herrara, "therefore
set four non-commissioned officers to count it out. Have the jewels
all placed in a bag. Let all the stuffs and garments be made into
bundles. I shall be obliged if you will take a sufficient number of
men to carry them, and go down yourself, with a guard of twenty
men, to the syndic, or whatever they call their head man, and hand
them over to him. Say that the Minho regiment returns the spoil it
had captured, and deeply regrets its conduct.
"Will you say that I beg him to divide the money among the
sufferers most in need of it, and to dispose the jewels and other
things where they can be seen, and to issue a notice to the
inhabitants that all can come and inspect them, and those who can
bring proof that any of the articles belong to them can take them
away."
The regiment was by this time formed up again, and Terence,
addressing them, told them of the orders that he had given; saying
that, as the regiment had made all the compensation in their power,
and had rid itself of the spoils of a people whom they had
professedly come to aid, it could now look the Spaniards in the
face again. Just as he had concluded, a staff officer rode up.
"Lord Wellington wishes to speak to you, colonel," he said. "We
have been looking about for you everywhere, but your regiment
seemed to have vanished."
"Then I must leave the work of inspecting the kits to you, Herrara.
You will see that every article is unfolded and closely examined,
and place every man in whose kit anything is discovered under
arrest, at once. I trust that you will not find anything but, if
you do, place a strong guard over the prisoners, with loaded
muskets, and orders to shoot any one of them who tries to escape."
Walking by the side of the staff officer--for he had returned the
horse lent him by General Barnard--he accompanied him to a house in
the great square, where Lord Wellington had taken up his quarters.