strewn with wounded men. A cloud of
smoke was crushed down by the heavy atmosphere upon the dark green
plain; the horses of the Mexican officers reared wildly in the air, or,
with bristling mane and streaming tail, galloped furiously away with
their half-deafened riders. Numbers of persons had been thrown down by
the shock, others had flung themselves upon the ground in consternation,
and some moments elapsed before the cause of the explosion was
ascertained. The powder magazine had disappeared--all but a small part
of the carriage, around which lay a number of wounded, and, at about
fifteen paces from it, a black object, in which the form of a human
being was scarcely recognisable, but which was still living, although
unable to speak. Coal-black as a negro, and frightfully disfigured, it
was impossible to distinguish the features of this unhappy wretch.
Inquiry was made, the roll was called, and Johnson was found missing.
Nobody had observed his proceedings, and the explosion may have been the
result of an accident; but we entertained little doubt that he had
formed a deliberate plan to kill himself and as many Mexicans as he
could, and had chosen what he considered a favourable moment to set fire
to the ammunition-waggon. As it happened, the cover was not fastened
down, so that the principal force of the powder went upwards, and his
terrible project was rendered in a great measure abortive.

Scarcely had the confusion caused by this incident subsided, and the
fury of our foes been appeased, when the alarm was sounded in the
opposite camp, and the Mexicans ran to their arms. The cause of this was
soon explained. In the wood, which, could we have reached it, would have
been our salvation, appeared our faithful vanguard, accompanied by all
the militia they had been able to collect in so short a time--the whole
commanded by Colonel Horton. False indeed had been the report, that six
or eight hundred men were stationed at Victoria; including our vanguard,
the gallant fellows who thus came to our assistance were but sixty in
number.

"With what horror," said the brave Horton, subsequently, "did we
perceive that we had arrived too late! We stood thunderstruck and
uncertain what to do, when we were suddenly roused from our bewilderment
by the sound of the Mexican trumpets. There was no time to lose, and our
minds were speedily made up. Although Fanning had so far forgotten his
duty as to surrender, ours was to save ourselves