Two regiments of French cavalry set out in pursuit, as soon as the
party that had chased the Portuguese troopers entered Banos with
the news that a body of infantry, some 2000 strong, was close at
hand. They came up before the Portuguese had marched more than a
mile. The two battalions were halted, and thrown into square. The
French rode fearlessly down upon them, but were received with so
hot and steady a fire that they speedily drew off, with
considerable loss. Then the regiment ascended the hills and, half
an hour later, halted.

"The question is, what is to be done?" Terence said to Herrara and
his two majors. "It is evident that, for once, the information we
obtained from the Spaniards is correct, and that Soult must have at
least 30,000 men with him. Possibly his full strength is not up
yet. By this time the force that passed yesterday must be at
Plasencia, and by tomorrow may be on the Tagus, and Sir Arthur's
position must be one of great danger. Putting Cuesta and the
Spaniards altogether aside as worthless, he has, even with that
brigade we saw marching in soon after we started, only 22,000 or
23,000 men; and on one side of him is Victor, with some 40,000; on
the other is Soult, with perhaps as many more. With starving and
exhausted troops his chances are small, indeed, unless he can cross
the Tagus. He might beat one marshal or the other, but he can
hardly beat the two of them.

"The first thing to do is to send two troopers off, with duplicate
despatches, telling Sir Arthur of Soult's passage. He might not
otherwise hear of it for some time, and then it might be too late.
The peasantry and the village authorities will be too busy carrying
off their effects, and driving their animals to the hills, to think
for a moment of sending information. That is evidently the first
thing to be done.

"Until we see what is going to happen, I don't think we can do
better than cross the Sierra, and encamp at some spot where we can
make out the movements of the French on the plain. At the same time
we can keep an eye on the road to Plasencia, and be able to send
information to Sir Arthur, if any further bodies of French troops
come down into the valley. Our position is evidently a dangerous
one. If the news has reached Sir Arthur, he will have fallen back
from Talavera at once. Victor will no doubt follow on his heels,
and his cavalry and those of Soult will speedily meet each other.
Therefore it will be, in all ways