s, when they were able to do so, retaliated
upon these marauders. The feeling of hatred grew, on both sides.
Straggling parties of our men were surrounded, captured, and then
hung, shot, or burnt alive.

"Then, on our side, villages were destroyed and the peasants shot
down. Lately, that is, after the defeats of their armies, numbers
of fugitives took to the hills, threw away their uniforms, obtained
peasants' dresses, and set up as what they called guerillas, which
is only another term for bandits; for although their efforts are
chiefly directed against us, they do not hesitate to plunder their
own people, when they need provisions, and are a perfect scourge to
all the villages among the hills between the Bay of Biscay and the
Mediterranean. Of course, they are strongest along the line of
communication with France; but it may be said that, roughly, where
there are mountains there are guerillas, though there are but few
of them along the hills we crossed between the valley of the Tagus
and that of the Douro.

"This is for two reasons: in the first place, there are very few
villages, and they would have difficulty in maintaining themselves;
and in the second place, because hitherto Leon and Old Castile, on
the north of the Sierra, have always been under different commands
to that in the Tagus valley, and therefore there has been but small
communication between them, except by messengers with despatches
from Madrid. The passes have scarcely been used and, indeed, in
winter they are practically altogether impassable; except that
along the valley of the Ebro. We found that to our cost, when we
marched with Napoleon to cut off your British General Moore. We
lost nearly two days getting through them, and the delay saved your
army."

"Yes, it was a very close thing," Terence said. "As I have told
you, I was with Moore; and if the troops from the south had come up
but six hours earlier, it would have gone very hard with us."

"It was an awful time," the officer said, "and I think our army
must have suffered quite as much as yours did. Soult's force was
reduced fully to half its strength, when he first arrived on that
hill near Corunna. Of course the stragglers came in rapidly, but a
great number never returned to their colours again--some died of
cold and hardship, others were cut off and murdered by the
peasantry. Altogether, we had an awful time of it. Your men were,
in one respect, better off than ours; for your stragg