emed scarcely a minute from the time we were
on our feet till we were close under the walls. The fascines were
thrown into the ditches, and the ladders being planted against the
walls, up we climbed, as O'Driscoll observed, like ants attacking a
sugar cask. We had already mounted the walls and were leaping down into
the town before the enemy knew what we were about. As soon as they were
aroused they made a stout resistance and poured a heavy fire on us.
Several men near me were killed or wounded. Poor young Adams was
cheering on his party placed under his orders. A bullet struck him.
His sword was uplifted, his cheerful voice was still sounding on my ear
when I saw him fall over, and before he reached the ground he was dead.
Our men poured over the walls, and on we rushed among the buildings in
the fortress. We encountered a body of Spaniards led on by an officer
who apparently had only that instant been roused out of bed, for he had
neither his coat buttoned, a hat on his head, nor a sword in his hand.
Another party of men on my left engaged my attention, and I was about to
attack them when I saw Tom Rockets rushing towards the unarmed officer.
I thought Tom was going to cut down the Spaniard, and so I dare say did
the latter, but instead of that I heard him sing out, "Senor Don
Officer, you no habby cutlash-o, I've got two-o! Take one of mine, old
boy; let's have fair play and no favour. Stand aside, mates, and we'll
have it out like men!"

On this, to the very great astonishment of his enemy, he presented him
with one of his cutlasses, and made a sign that he was ready to begin
the fight. The Spaniard, however, had no notion of fighting with so
generous and brave a fellow. Probably, also, he found the Englishman's
cutlass rather an awkward weapon to use, so he made signs to him to take
it back, and that he would yield himself up as a prisoner of war. Tom
thereupon took back the cutlass, and, shaking the Spaniard by the hand,
assured him that he should be ready to have the matter out, if it so
pleased him, as soon as the public fighting was disposed of. So sudden
had been our attack, and so unexpected by the Spaniards, that we had
even fewer men killed and wounded than on the previous days. The
Spanish officer and his men having yielded, I left them under charge of
Tom and some of my people, while I pushed on, accompanied by Grampus,
towards the summit of the fortress, on which stood a flag-staff with the