re firmly
than ever, to all eternity, Edgar arrived before Tarragona with Colonel
Sterret's English brigade. It is matter of history that Colonel Sterret
considered the position so insecure, that he would not disembark his
troops. This our eager young soldier could not endure. He left the
English force, and betook himself to the Spanish general Contreras, who
was occupying the fortress with 8,000 Spanish soldiers. We are aware
that Souchet's force took Tarragona by storm, notwithstanding the most
heroic defence, and that Contreras himself, with a bayonet wound, fell
into the hands of the enemy.

The scenes which passed before Edgar's eyes, displayed all the
terribleness of hell itself. Whether it was on account of shameful
treachery, or from incomprehensible carelessness on the part of those
whose duty it was to attend to the matter, the troops who had to defend
the principal _enceinte_ of the fort, soon ran short of ammunition.
They for a long time resisted with the bayonet the incoming of the
enemy through the gateway which had been forced: but when, ultimately,
they had to retire before the urgency of his fire, they rushed across
to the further gateway in wild disarray, and in confused masses:
and as this gate was too narrow to admit of their passage, they
had, therefore, to submit to a terrific massacre. Yet some 4,000
Spaniards--Almeira's regiment, with which Edgar happened to be at the
time--managed to force their way through. With the courage of despair
they broke their passage through the enemy's battalions which were
there posted, and continued their flight towards Barcelona. They were
fancying that they were in safety, when they were assailed by a
terrible fire from some field-pieces, which the enemy had placed in
position behind a trench cut across the road, bringing inevitable
destruction into their ranks. Edgar was hit, and fell to the ground.

A violent pain in the head was what he felt when he recovered
consciousness. It was dark night, and all the terrors of death
permeated him as he heard the hollow groans and the heart-piercing
cries which surrounded him. He managed to get upon his legs and creep
along. When at length the morning began to break he found himself close
to a deep ravine; but as he was about to go down into it a troop of the
enemy's cavalry came slowly up. It seemed an impossibility to avoid
being taken prisoner; but suddenly shots came dropping out of the
thickest part of the wood, empt