z.]

A company of infantry I had sent out brought in, about ten o'clock in the
evening, forty odd prisoners, a number of pack-animals, etc. Our men were
thoroughly worn out by the day's work. Early the next morning I had four
companies of infantry, the cavalry, and two guns ready to resume the
pursuit. And there cannot be the shadow of a doubt that, had I had five
more hours, I should have taken Lares; for that the flying Spaniards had
prepared to abandon it at once I have the most reliable information. But
at this particular juncture the notice that hostilities would be suspended
came to me. No troops ever "suspended" with worse grace. We had given the
Spanish no peace, and had taken all the starch out of them. The colonel and
lieutenant-colonel had surrendered. Their troops were utterly demoralized
and disintegrated. It seemed a pity to deprive us of the full fruits of a
victory for which we had labored so hard; but of course we had to bow to
the inevitable. Please let the general read this.

Faithfully your friend,

THEO. SCHWAN.

The part of our command left under Colonel DeRussy set out on the morning
of the 13th to join the rest of the column, whose movements you have
already followed in the preceding documents. The last detachment found it
no less difficult to make headway than had the first; and on the morning of
the 14th the entire brigade was so broken up and strung out that its head
and tail were a good nine miles apart. So much trouble had been experienced
in getting the artillery up the incredibly steep mountain-sides that no
one had been able to give assistance or even thought to the hopelessly
embarrassed wagon-train, and consequently we were practically without food
for over twenty-four hours. When at last something to eat did come plodding
along, we were obliged to put up with half-rations in order that our little
collection of recently acquired prisoners might be fed. At a conservative
estimate, those prisoners must have been the hungriest lot of men that ever
laid down their arms. There were less than sixty of them, and they drew
rations for about 1,200. However, they were fed; and we had the consolation
of realizing that victory, like some other things of less familiar
acquaintance, is its own reward. By noon on the 14th, everything was once
more in order; and I have not yet ceased to wonder how those in authority
managed to erase so quickly the chaos of the night before.

[Illustration: The Plaz