e had also
another successful encounter with a party of Morale's guerillas. This
raised Mejia's spirits to the highest point, and made him more resolute
than ever to attack San Felipe. But when I saw General Estero's infantry
my misgivings as to the outcome of the adventure were confirmed. His men,
albeit strong and sturdy and full of fight, were badly disciplined and
indifferently armed, their officers extremely ignorant and absurdly
boastful and confident. Estero himself, though like Mejia, a splendid
patriotic leader, was no general, and I felt sure that unless we caught
Griscelli asleep we should find San Felipe an uncommonly hard nut to
crack. I need hardly say, however, that I kept this opinion religiously to
myself. Everybody was so confident and cock-sure, that the mere suggestion
of a doubt would have been regarded as treason and probably exposed me to
danger.

A march of four days partly across the llanos, partly among the wooded
hills by which they were bounded, brought us one morning to a suitable
camping-ground, within a few miles of San Felipe, and Mejia, who had
assumed the supreme command, decided that the attack should take place on
the following night.

"You will surely reconnoitre first, General Mejia," I ventured to say.

"What would be the use? Estero and I know the place. However, if you and
Carmen like to go and have a look you may."

Carmen was nothing loath, and two hours before sunset we saddled our
horses and set out. I could speak more freely to him than to any of the
others, and as we rode on I remarked how carelessly the camp was guarded.
There were no proper outposts, and instead of being kept out of sight in
the _quebrado_, the men were allowed to come and go as they liked. Nothing
would be easier than for a treacherous soldier to desert and give
information to the enemy which might not only ruin the expedition but
bring destruction on the army.

"No, no, Fortescue, I cannot agree to that. There are no traitors among
us," said my companion, warmly.

"I hope not. Yet how can you guarantee that among two or three thousand
men there is not a single rascal! In war, you should leave nothing to
chance. And even though none of the fellows desert it is possible that
some of them may wander too far away and get taken prisoners, which would
be quite as bad."

"You mean it would give Griscelli warning?"

"Exactly, and if he is an enterprising general he would not wait to be
attacked. Inste