ad barely spoken when the Royalist
cavalry dashed down on the right flank.

"Here's Crawford's friend again!" said Plaza. "We might have guessed
he had a hand in this business."

Santiago made a handsome picture as he tore along well in front of his
regiment, and enemy though he was, I could not help feeling proud of
him. We turned to meet this vigorous onslaught, and though Santiago
fought with all the traditional valour of his race, his men, already
tired by their great exertions, could not stand against us.

Stopping their flight, our own infantry rallied, and advanced in
support, while their loud cheers proclaimed the arrival of a second
cavalry regiment. Nothing daunted by his repulse, Santiago led his
troopers against the new enemy, while we bore down on the hostile
infantry.

"Gallop!" cried our colonel; and neck by neck the horses flew over the
ground, the men waving their sabres and cheering lustily. We could see
the glittering steel of the bayonets now, could almost look down the
barrels of the muskets, when there came a blinding flash, the thud of
falling bodies, and hoarse shrieks of pain.

"Forward!" thundered the colonel, "forward; remember the 'Hussars of
Junin!'"

Crash we went right into them before they could fire another volley,
and then it was horseman against footman, sabre against bayonet. To
and fro we surged, striking parrying, thrusting, till at last the brave
enemy, unable to continue the struggle longer, fled to the ravine,
hotly pursued by our victorious regiment.

In a calmer moment we should have pulled up, but there was no stopping
now. Some one raised a warning cry: it came too late. Down the ravine
we went, the horses slipping and scrambling--some rolling over and
crushing their riders; the majority, keeping their feet somehow,
reached the opposite bank. A small detachment of the enemy halted to
fire a scattering volley, which did some mischief. A man close to me
fell forward on his horse's neck.

"Good-bye, Crawford!" said he faintly; "I am done for."

It was Cordova; but there was no time to help him. On we dashed
straight at the guns, which the gunners dared not fire, so mixed up
were friend and foe. A cry of "Viva el Rey!" arose in our rear.
Santiago was galloping back.

The Royalists could not stand. Miller had brought up three battalions
in double-quick time; the guns were ours; horse and foot we swept over
the plain, driving the enemy pell-mell in all dire