ue the war rather than grant such
humiliating terms as those which had been insisted upon, and the
party who were in favour of peace, even at that cost. The
negotiations were abruptly broken off, and the French troops, who
were already on the march towards the frontier, received orders to
remain in Spain.

Now that he had O'Neil with him, the time in Madrid passed more
pleasantly for Desmond than before. He was frequently away for several
days, carrying despatches to the commanders of the forces in Valencia
and Barcelona. In the capital the French were again regarded as
friends, and as several successes had been gained and places captured,
in Catalonia, the hope that the civil war that had so long been waged
was approaching its end, and the confidence engendered by the victory
on the Caya, made the people doubt whether any attempt at invasion
from the west would be contemplated, and they gave themselves up to
gaiety. Balls and fetes were frequently organized, and at these the
French were among the most honoured guests.

Early in the spring preparations were made for active operations.
Lieutenant General O'Mahony had just returned from Sicily, where
he had rendered distinguished service. In the previous year,
Crofton had been made a major general, and two new regiments of
Irish infantry had been formed, of deserters from the enemy in
Catalonia and Portugal. These were commanded by Colonel Dermond
M'Auliffe and Colonel John Comerford. These two regiments, with
another under Colonel Macdonald, marched from Madrid in April.

As the Marquis de Bay was not yet moving he offered O'Mahony, who
had the command of the force, the services of Desmond and O'Neil
as aides-de-camp. The offer was a welcome one, for, as none of the
men in the newly raised regiments was acquainted with the
language, Desmond, who now spoke Spanish well, would be far more
valuable to him than Spanish officers could be.

For two months the little force moved about in Catalonia, the
rapidity of its marches baffling the attempts of the archduke's
forces to interfere with its operations. These were principally
directed against various small fortresses, held by partisans of
Charles. Several of these were captured, thus clearing the roads
they guarded, and opening the country for the more important
operations that Philip himself was about to undertake.

It was not until July that the royal army approached Lerida, where
O'Mahony's force joined it. General