out, General Leon and the other officers thought proper not to wear theirs; consequently we arrived completely drenched at our hovels, and, after lying all night in our wet clothes, we marched next day in an incessant storm of rain to Casa la Reyna, thirty-two miles.

28th. We went to Logroño, thirty-two miles; and on the 29th to Galahorra, thirty-six. This is a curious old town, with some Roman remains. It is a large place; and, as we were few in number, we had excellent billets here. The 30th, we crossed the Ebro, by a ford, where the water was so deep and rapid that some of our men and horses were carried away, and with difficulty saved. Here we entered Navarre, and kept a pretty sharp look-out, as all the open country was in the hands of the enemy. We halted in Peralta, a neat town upon the river Arga, famous for its wine, and the beauty of its women. Here the general, either as a reward for our long marches, or to welcome us into the theatre of our dangers and our glories, rather imprudently ordered a double ration of wine to be served to the men. The effect of strong wine upon empty stomachs was soon apparent, and the squadron marched to Tafalla in rather a discreditable state. It required great exertions on the part of the offi cers to keep the men in their ranks.

Being joined by nine battalions and five squadrons in Tafalla, we marched (October 1st) to Barasoain, eight miles from Tafalla, on the road to Pamplona. On the 2d at daybreak, three more squadrons having come up, Leon issued out of Barasoain at the head of about ten thousand infantry, one thousand cavalry, and six Spanish guns, with the purpose of driving the enemy across the Arga. After marching slowly over difficult ground, we came in sight of the enemy about three in the afternoon. He was in his old position on the Perdon, about a couple of miles north of Puente la Reyna. We formed our line upon a ridge opposite to him, the two armies lying about a mile apart; the road from Puente to Pamplona ran between the two heights, which were bare and open downs. While the column was closing up, and the various regiments deploying into line, we had a good opportunity of examining the enemy, whose dark lines extended along the whole of the opposite ridge, and seemed to be calmly waiting the assault.

Our line being formed, Leon instantly began the attack, menacing their left with his right, while himself led a column against their right and centre. The skirmishers were soon warmly engaged, and ours were not long in driving back the enemy, and gaining a lodg ment on the summit of the hill. The face of the enemy's position was exceedingly steep, so that the cavalry arrived in some disorder at the top. As each squadron came up, it formed close column of divisions, supporting the advance of the infantry, who, with colours flying, music playing, and loud shouts, went in a dense mass against the enemy. The scene was pretty and animated; but the enemy fell back at once, though in good order; and retired fighting through the mountains, and over ground almost impracticable for cavalry, so that, although Leon pressed vigorously after them, and annoyed their retreat with his howitzers, their loss must have been trifling; and they retired finally across the bridge of Belascoain, and the fords and boats, to their lines behind the Arga. A strong force of cavalry, with the guns of a fort, protected this movement; but the Carlists never made the least show of charging with their squadrons.

I saw a man hit in rather a singular way, soon after we got under fire. As he was shouting and swearing at the enemy, a shot struck him right in the mouth. He walked quietly to the rear, but making

a rueful spectacle.

By sunset the firing had ceased, and we passed the night in various villages along the left bank of the Arga, in the quarters which the enemy had occupied in the morning. In some of the houses we found dinner preparing for the officers, who were expected back that night. This was an agreeable sight to men who had been marching and fighting all day in the keen air of the mountains; and the dinner changed owners at once.

The next day was spent in a long circuitous route over the mountains to Pamplona, where we arrived after having been marching for eight days, in which time we had fought a general action, and had gone over more than two hundred miles of ground.

For the next two months few things occurred worthy of mention. We were employed in watching the enemy, and restraining him within the lines, as well as in relieving the various garrisons of Navarre, escorting convoys, and such like occupations. The infantry took their turn of garrison duty; but we poor cavalry were always in the field, seldom remaining a day in any one place; and when marching in that cold weather among the mountains I quite envied the infantry, who looked warm and comfortable on foot, while we sat with our legs dangling, and our feet numbed and miserable.

I will mention a few occurrences that intervened between the battle of the Perdon and an affair at Sesma two months afterwards. Arriving on the 30th of October at Garcar, a town upon a lofty height near the junction of the Ega with the Ebro, we found that three hundred horse had passed by a few hours before, on their way from Cabrera's army to Estella. The Conde de Negri, Basilio Garcia, and another chief were with them. They were completely exhausted, having marched sixty miles without a halt, and they had above twenty more before they would reach their destination. General Espeleta lay at Zerin with four squadrons, but the Carlists passed under his nose without molestation. So much for Spanish activity.

On the 8th of November, my squadron being at Tafalla, news was suddenly brought that the enemy, with two battalions and five hundred horse, was about to cross the Ebro at the ford of Mendavia. We immediately turned out, and starting at five in the afternoon, marched all night to Andosilla near Carcar, which we reached at four next morning, and found that there was no truth in the report. We then returned to Peralta, and hearing that the enemy had appeared in force at the Carrascal, we hastened back to Tafalla to dislodge them, but they retired within their lines.

This was the sort of harassing work they kept us at, going over the same ground day after day. No sooner did we fancy ourselves going snugly into winter quarters than the enemy made a dash across the country in some direction, generally in the worst weather, and out we turned in pursuit.

Nov. 18.-Early this morning (a dark rainy morning it was), General Espeleta, with the division of the Ribera, came into Tafalla, and being joined by our division, we all pushed forward in the direction of Lumbier, a town on the borders of Arragon and Navarre, garrisoned by the Queen's troops. The enemy had attacked some companies and a squadron somewhere on that road, and would have

overpowered them but for our approach. Marching quite across the country, through swamps and over ditches, we reached Monreal towards evening, and soon heard the cheerful crack of the musket along the slopes of the mountains, which rise on either side the road exceedingly wild and tangled. The enemy showed both horse and foot, and our light companies, spreading up the hills, began skirmishing; but it soon fell dusk. We lay that night in Monreal, Salinas, and other villages along the road to Lumbier, fully expecting to fight next morning. I can hardly conceive anything more wild than this country; it is covered with immense forests, abounding with bears and wolves; the villages contain few and poor houses; the people are very simple, and use torches from the neighbouring pine-forest instead of a lamp or candle. At Salinas de Monreal there are salt-pits. The next village, whose name I forget, was the birth-place of Mina. Close by, the lofty peak of Monreal, seen for an immense distance round, raises his grey head far above the surrounding mountains.

On the 19th we retired towards Pamplona, as Maroto made a movement toward the important positions of the Carrascal. The 20th we occupied those positions, the enemy's videttes crowning all the opposite heights; and it was said that Maroto, whose force was very much superior to ours, had sworn to the King to attack and annihilate our cavalry. On the 21st, the enemy fell back into his own lines, and we entered Tafalla; whence, marching by Olite and Peralta, we arrived on the 22d December at Carcar.

On the 3d, before daybreak, Leon issued forth from Carcar, leading a gallant column of eleven battalions, eight squadrons, and ten guns, and carrying with him a long string of empty carts, with which he intended to drive off contributions from Los Arcos, a large town of the enemy about twenty-five miles west of Carcar. I had charge of the rearguard, consisting of fifteen men, and together with a company of infantry we brought up the rear of the whole column. All that part of Navarre consists of undulating brown plains of dry grass. Soon after passing Sesma, a small town of the enemy, we observed a body of horsemen on a rising ground to our right. They advanced slowly towards us in four masses, and their red boynas, or caps, soon told us that they were Carlists. My position at this moment was not very enviable. I imagined Leon, with the rest of the cavalry, to be many miles in advance, for the nature of the ground prevented me from seeing far to the front. The infantry were showing symptoms of unsteadiness; the muleteers made off with their carts with great noise and terror, and I had only fifteen men to oppose to four squadrons. However I fronted them to the enemy, and the infantry at the same time beginning an irregular fire upon them, they halted. I was waiting for them to sweep down upon us, and had prepared to charge the moment they advanced, when an aide-de-camp galloped up, and informed me that support was at hand, and that I was to join my squadron as soon as it appeared. It was plain that the enemy, being on higher ground than I was, saw something which I could not, which prevented his coming on, and annihilating me in an instant. The infantry had made off to join their regiment, when Leon, at the head of four gallant squadrons, swept at once upon the plain-a goodly sight. I then fell in with my troop, which was moving in close column of divisions, and at the moment I did so we

were ordered to form line, and advanced in line at the trot; and at the same instant the fight began in our front.

Maroto, confiding in his superior number, and particularly in his cavalry, whom he had been carefully organizing for some time, had quitted his mountains and his breast works, and come boldly forth upon the plains to fight. Pushing forwards four strong squadrons, all armed with carbines and blunderbusses, supported by a reserve of a like number, he began the action. Leon, unwisely undervaluing an adversary, whose cavalry he had often severely handled, led the light squadron of the guards against the enemy; but they were met by a volley of carbines, that staggered and checked them. A squadron of lancers of the guard were then ordered up, but were unable even to form line. Their major, a gallant officer, with many of his men, went down under the fire of the enemy; the rest turned, and fled outright. The superb squadron of grenadiers of the guard now fell on, but though they went to their work in good style, the enemy closed on them with a confident front, and they were overmatched. The moment was very critical. Leon now saw the mistake he had committed. Two of his best squadrons were broken; the grenadiers could not long stand before such fearful odds. Maroto had only to bring up his reserves, and to drive Leon's remaining squadrons in upon his infantry, and then closing with his battalions, send the whole Christino force pell-mell into the Ebro,

In this emergency the British were hastened up; the reserves were ordered forward; the artillery was sent for; while Leon himself, a man of great stature, and of a fine martial figure, animated and cheered on the men. A little band of brave and resolute men saved the army that day. The grenadiers were about to be carried backwards and scattered by the heavy line that bore upon them; men and horses were strewed about the ground, while the lancers and caçadores were trotting off in confused groups, when the British squadron, with a terrible shout, burst in upon the astonished foe, who broke immediately, and the whole mass went fighting down the opposite side of the hill, with a mighty hubbub. Here the ground was much broken, and covered with stunted forest-trees. I never shall forget that scene. The various uniforms of the Queen's troops, the wild dress of the Carlists, the groups fighting here and there among the trees, horses galloping wildly about without their riders, the wounded and dying wretches strewed about the ground, combined, with the shouts and cries of men, and the report of pistols and carbines, to form a scene not easily to be forgotten. Never was a charge more brilliant or more successful. A whole squadron of the enemy that formed the right of their line, went off in a body, without having any one opposed to them, for their line was so long that it overlapped ours. For my part, being on the left of our line, I followed these fellows, accompanied by one or two of my own men, and some Spaniards. With headlong speed we kept up the chase through the wild forest ground, and I laughed to see a whole squadron going off in that manner, their bodies bent forward, and all tearing along at full speed; but I was mounted on a gallant English mare, and gained rapidly upon an officer who brought up the rear of the runaways. I followed him close, supposing my companions were still near me. I shouted at the officer, who looked round, turned, and just as I came upon him, faced me, crying out at the same time to the others to set upon me. I in my turn looked

round for my men, but not a soul did I see; I had outridden them, or they had turned aside to plunder some of those who were down; and nothing was to be seen save the sloping banks of the forest, and the Carlist squadron, which was rapidly recovering from its panic, and halting and turning about very fast. However I had not much time for these remarks, for the gentleman with the red boyna cut them short by thrusting at me with his lance; a compliment which I returned immediately; but we were both winded with the smart run which we had had, and he merely drew blood from my left arm, while my thrust was equally harmless. At the same time, however, I received a poke delivered with more effect from one of the others in the right hip; so, finding that I was not likely to have fairplay, I went left about, and galloped off, pursued by the whole pack at full cry, yelling after me like so many fiends. Thanks to the stoutness of my horse, I got out of their clutches, and surmounting a rising ground, came in sight of my own party retiring slowly from the chase. It was a strange thing on crossing the field to find the dead already stripped naked. I also saw several of the Spanish cavalry cruelly butchering such as had been knocked over, but not killed in the charge. The enemy followed us, cracking their carbines after us, by which some horses were hit, and one man, a good soldier, shot dead. This was all the loss we had in our squadron, except that a servant of mine received a ball through the foot; as he was a private servant, he had no business there, but his martial ardour overlaid his judgment, and charging with the rest, he had just fired his pistol and drawn his sword, when an unlucky carbine checked his farther progress.

So ended this day's work, in which the enemy left one hundred dead upon the field, and twenty-five prisoners, not to mention many wounded who got off. After the fight we retired to Mendavia, a Carlist town about ten miles south of the field. Here we were crowded together in a miserable way; it rained incessantly, and we had no corn for our horses, the men having cut their corn sacks in the fight to lighten the load. I must not omit to say that General Leon thanked the British on the field, and told us that we had gained the honour of the day. I thought the charge was only the beginning of a general action; and when we arrived at Mendavia we expected to fight again next day; but the enemy had had enough; and although we did not accomplish our object of going to Los Arcos, we remained all the 4th in Mendavia, raising contributions, with which we marched unmolested to Carcar on the following morning. Thence we marched to Peralta, Tafalla, and Pamplona; and the 18th we were again in the Ribera, as the southern part of Navarre is called. At Lodosa we learned that Espartero was at Alcanadre, across the Ebro; and the following day he inspected the division on the plain of Lodosa. After making a speech to the division generally upon the affair of the 3d, he rode up to our squadron, and addressed us in Spanish to this effect: Soldiers! comrades!-you have shown in the last action that you belong to the brave English nation. Be assured that your gallant deeds are by me faithfully reported to her majesty, the Queen, and that all that you do or shall achieve for her sacred cause will be gratefully acknowledged and amply recompensed. Long live the valiant English!"*

[We hope to present our readers with the conclusion of this narrative in our next number.-ED.]