that echoed far and wide into
the French lines, and as it was a sound that had often pierced them
before, and never yet boded them any good, we heard afterwards that
they were kept standing at their arms the greater part of the night in
consequence.

At the time of Soult's last irruption into the Pyrenees, Sir Thomas
Graham had made an unsuccessful attempt to carry St. Sebastian by
storm, and having, ever since, been prosecuting the siege with
unremitting vigour, the works were now reduced to such a state as to
justify a second attempt, and our division sent forth their three
hundred volunteers to join the storming party.[3] The morning on which
we expected the assault to take place, we had turned out before
daylight, as usual, and as a thick fog hung on the French position,
which prevented our seeing them, we turned in again at the usual time,
but had scarcely done so, when the mist rode off on a passing breeze,
showing us the opposite hills bristling with their bayonets, and their
columns descending rapidly towards us. The bugles instantly sounded to
arms, and we formed on our alarm posts. We thought at first that the
attack was intended for us, but they presently began to pass the
river, a little below the village of Bera, and to advance against the
Spaniards on our left. They were covered by some mountain guns, from
which their first shell fell short, and made such a breach in their
own leading column, that we could not resist giving three cheers to
their marksman. Leaving a strong covering party to keep our division
in check at the bridge of Bera, their main body followed the
Spaniards, who, offering little opposition, continued retiring towards
St. Sebastian.

[Footnote 3: Lieutenants Percival and Hamilton commanded
those from our battalion, and were both desperately wounded.]

We remained quiet the early part of the day, under a harmless fire
from their mountain guns; but, towards the afternoon, our battalion,
with part of the forty-third, and supported by a brigade of Spaniards,
were ordered to pass by the bridge of Le Secca, and to move in a
parallel direction with the French, along the same ridge of hills.

The different flanking-posts of the enemy permitted the forty-third
and us to pass them quietly, thinking, I suppose, that it was their
interest to keep the peace; but not so with the Spaniards, whom they
kept in a regular fever, under a smart fire, the whole way. We took up
a positi