e act was one of
kindness, not of cruelty, and done to save his life. For this purpose
one of his countrymen, a spy of ours, was sent for; nothing, however,
but the sight of the same operation performed on one of our native men,
could appease and satisfy him. After having witnessed this, he became
calm, and felt satisfied that we were not such barbarians as he had been
taught to suppose. Our humane general had directed that men of the same
caste should attend the wounded prisoners of war, and volunteers in
abundance came forward for this benevolent purpose. It was a truly
pleasurable and delightful sight to witness those who, but a short day
before, had fought hard in the bitterest rancour of their souls, now
interchanging the most affectionate civilities.

I have, in the hurry of my narrative, forgotten a circumstance which
reflects honour on the soldier whom it concerns. When on the top of the
hill where the action raged most, one of the enemy showed himself most
conspicuously, fighting like a hero. He had just shot one of our men
close by where I stood, when I made towards him, with a man of the name
of Quanbury. Finding that he was receding from us, and again loading,
the soldier next me fired, and the man fell upon his knees. Quanbury
immediately ran up to him--for he still grasped his firelock--and was in
the act of running him through, when the man threw down his arms. Seeing
this, the brave Irish soldier stayed his finishing blow, exclaiming, "By
the powers, my fine fellow, but it was well you were after doing that
self-same thing; for had you shot me as you did that other man, bad luck
to me if I wouldn't have blown your brains out; so I would." Here the
quarter-master-general came up and took charge of his prisoner, and we
passed on to clear the hill of others who were keeping up a heavy fire.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIV.

We were still obliged to carry on our approaches with all possible
vigilance and activity; and our discipline was not relaxed in the
slightest particular. We were compelled to watch the enemy with a
jealous eye, not allowing our late little victory to feed our vanity, or
to seduce us from our wonted caution. Every eye was now fixed on the
hill which was in front of our head approach; and various and ludicrous
were the reports and opinions, during the day and night, of the
movements on the said hill. Fallen trees were magnified into guns and
mortars; variegated bushes into sold