Terence noticed that, when the British soldiers entered the church,
most of them carried heavy staves. A sergeant came up, and saluted.

"We have had four men killed and eight wounded, sir. The men
declare that they are not going to stand still and see the French
murdered by these fellows, and I doubt if any orders will keep them
back."

"Very well, sergeant. I will speak to them, presently.

"Now, gentlemen," he said, to the other officers, "three of you are
senior to me in our own army and, though I own that I don't know
how matters should stand, holding as I do Lord Beresford's
commission as colonel, I am perfectly willing to place myself under
the orders of whoever may be senior of you."

"I believe I am the senior," one of the captains said; "but I
should imagine that Lord Beresford's commission would, for the
time, rank just as if it had been signed by our own authorities.
Moreover, you are on Wellesley's staff. You have seen more service
out here than any of us, and I think that you are certainly
entitled to the command; though really, I don't see what we can do,
in our uniforms."

"I quite agree with you, Captain Travers, and therefore my proposal
is that we shall all take them off, and fight in our shirt sleeves.
The guerillas will then not be able to affirm that there were any
men in English uniforms assisting the French."

"I think the idea is an excellent one," Captain Travers said.

"Then in that case I will act upon it;" and Terence went up to the
English soldiers, who were standing in a group in the middle of the
church.

"I am sure you quite understand, my men," he said, "that it would
never do for you to be fighting, in British uniforms, against the
Spaniards; otherwise, I leave the matter in your hands. But I may
mention that it is the intention of myself, and the other officers,
to defend this church without our coats and caps. If any of you
like to do the same, of course you can join us. I give no orders
whatever on the subject, but you see that it would get rid of the
inconvenience of soldiers, in British uniforms, fighting against
the Spaniards."

The men answered with a shout of satisfaction, mingled with
laughter and, in less than a minute, the scarlet uniforms had
disappeared. The muskets of the French killed and wounded were
appropriated, and the rest of the English prisoners seized their
clubs.

For some hours the fight continued and, from the roof of the church
belfry and windo