From the moment we took possession of the knoll, we had busied
ourselves in collecting branches of trees and other things, for the
purpose of making an _abatis_ to block up the road between that and
the farm-house, and soon completed one, which we thought looked
sufficiently formidable to keep out the whole of the French cavalry;
but it was put to the proof sooner than we expected, by a troop of our
own light dragoons, who, having occasion to gallop through, astonished
us not a little by clearing away every stick of it. We had just time
to replace the scattered branches, when the whole of the enemy's
artillery opened, and their countless columns began to advance under
cover of it.

The scene at that moment was grand and imposing, and we had a few
minutes to spare for observation. The column destined as _our_
particular _friends_, first attracted our notice, and seemed to
consist of about ten thousand infantry. A smaller body of infantry and
one of cavalry moved on their right; and, on their left, another huge
column of infantry, and a formidable body of cuirassiers, while beyond
them it seemed one moving mass.

We saw Buonaparte himself take post on the side of the road,
immediately in our front, surrounded by a numerous staff; and each
regiment, as they passed him, rent the air with shouts of "_vive
l'Empereur_," nor did they cease after they had passed; but, backed by
the thunder of their artillery, and carrying with them the _rubidub_
of drums, and the _tantarara_ of trumpets, in addition to their
increasing shouts, it looked, at first, as if they had some hopes of
scaring us off the ground; for it was a singular contrast to the stern
silence reigning on our side, where nothing, as yet, but the voices of
our great guns, told that we had mouths to open when we chose to use
them. Our rifles were, however, in a very few seconds, required to
play their parts, and opened such a fire on the advancing skirmishers
as quickly brought them to a stand still; but their columns advanced
steadily through them, although our incessant _tiralade_ was telling
in their centre with fearful exactness, and our post was quickly
turned in both flanks, which compelled us to fall back and join our
comrades, behind the hedge, though not before some of our officers and
theirs had been engaged in personal combat.

When the heads of their columns shewed over the knoll which we had
just quitted, they received such a fire from our first line,