The Bravest of the Brave

capable of withstanding an attack by even a small force, they were in their element in harassing a large one in retreat. Halfway between Montjuich and the town was the small fort of San Bertram

and led them down to the little fort. Ropes were fastened to the guns, and with forty men to each gun these were quickly run up the hill and placed in position in

d mortars from the fleet. The news of the attack on Montjuich and the retreat of the Spanish column spread with rapidity through the country, and swarms of armed peasants flocked in. These the ea

relieve Montjuich. In those two days wonders had been performed by the soldiers and sailors, who toiled unweariedly in dragging the heavy guns from the landing place to the hill of Montjuich. The light cannon of the besieg

a heavy mortar, to try to drop a shell upon it. The artilleryman made several attempts, but each time missed the mark. Colonel Southwell undertook the management of the mortar himself, and soon succeeded in dropping a shell upon the roof of the

ffects of the explosion had, however, scared all idea of further resistance out of the minds of the defenders, who at once rushed out of the works and called out that they surrendered, the senior surviving officer and his

citadel had silenced all murmurs and completely restored Lord Peterborough's authority. Soldiers and sailors vied with each other in their exertions t

increased by troops from the main body, conducted the attack from the side of Montjuich. Four batteries of heavy guns and two of mortars

st desperate. The disaffection of the inhabitants was now openly shown. The soldiers had lost confidence and heart, and the loyalty of many of t

o be practicable, and Peterborough himself wrote to the governor offering honorable terms

ent within the breach, and had sunk two mines beneath the ru

a third fell on the breach itself, and crashing through the rubbish fired Velasco's two mines and greatly enlarged the breach. The earl could now h

e honors of war, and should be transported by sea to San Felix, and escorted thence to Gerona; but as a few hours later the news arrived that Gerona had declared for King Charles, Velasco requested to be c

"to horse! The rascals inside are breaking out into a riot,

oons who were at hand to accompany him, and ordered that four

essive measures which the governor had been obliged to take against the disaffected had added to the Catalan hatred of the French, and the Austrian party determined to have vengeance upon the governor. A report was circulated that he intended to c

the streets exhorting, entreating, and commanding the rioters to abstain. When, as in some cases, the mob refused to listen to him, and continued their work, the dragoons belabored them heartily with the flats of their swords; and the surprise caused by seeing the

borough came upon a lady and gentleman struggling with the mob, who w

e redoubted English general, resisted, and one discharged a musket at him at a distance

an to their house hard by, when, to his satisfaction, he found that the gentleman he had saved was

side street, and hearing screams, he turned off and rode into the middle of the crowd. Spurring his horse and making him rear,

number of men were gathered round a doorway. Within he heard the clashing of steel and t

Three servants lay dead upon the ground, and seven or eight of the townspeople were also lying dead or wounded. Jack rushed forward, and with his pistol shot the man who appeared to be the leader of the assailants, and then, drawing his sword, placed himself before the gentl

des. Some of the men in the corridor came in to aid them in so doing. Jack, sword in hand, accompanied them to the door, and saw them out of the house. Then he told a boy to hold his horse, and closing the do

k. The man ran to a buffet and produced some cordials. Jack filled a glass and placed it

Minas, and I owe you my life and that of my w

s, but the title caught his ear, and he gues

g you are so far recovered, I must leave you, for there is much to do in the town, and the general has entered with only a few troops.

ied away, and mounting his hors

o in a few hours would be master of the town, scattered to their homes, and when all was quiet Peterborough again rode off to the camp with his troops

the town house and lay them in proper form, and that he would see that justice was done. An hour later some of the princ

d, and as for the army they will strictly follow the rules of war, and per

ench had spread a report among them that the Protestants, if

y the shops were all opened, the markets filled, and there were no signs that the tranquillity of Barcelona had ever been disturbed. Soon after breakfast Jack, who was quartered in the governor's palace with the general, was informe

I did not know your name, but inquiring this morning who were the officers that entered with the general yesterday, I was told that his aide de camp, Lieutenant Stilwell, was alone with him. That is how I f

was a piece of good fortune, indeed, on my part that I happened so providentially to ride along at the right moment. I was about t

und to her," the count said. "Will you

he count led him was not that in which the fray had taken place the day before. The countess rose as they entered, an

ow can I thank you for the lives of my husband and my boy! One more minute and you would have arrived

ed his thoughts he would have said, "Please don't make any more fuss about it;"

and I shall ever feel grateful that I have been p

ed as Jack's word

she said. "They told us that you were uncouth isl

alk to you without the aid of an interpreter. It is very

the end of that time Jack thought he might venture to take his leave. The count accompanied him to the door, and

an interpreter, it's like repeating lessons, only worse. I should like to see a man making a joke through an interpreter, and waiting to see how it told. I must get up

he town, placed the governor in their center and escorted him to the shore, and so took him safely on board a ship. He was conveyed, by his own desi

adherence to his sovereign's orders, patience and self command under the ill concealed hatred of many of those with whom he had to cooperate-the wrong headedness of the king, the insolence of the Ger

avor, and the gentlemen of the district poured into the town to offer their homage to the king. Only about one thousand men of the Spanish garrison had to be conveyed

ity. The Count de Minas introduced him to many of the leading nobles of the city as the preserver of his life; but his inability to speak the language deprived him of much of the pleasure which he would otherwise have obtained,

by the Germans and Dutch. At last, however, his energy, aided by the active spirit of the king, prevailed, and preparations were made for the continuance of the campaign. The season was so late that

mmanded the bridge of boats on the Ebro, the main communication between Aragon and Valencia. To this town two hundred dragoons and one thousand foot were sent under Colonel Hans Hamilton. The king turned his attention to the organization of the Spanish army. He formed a regiment of five hundred dragoons for his bod

ain less flourishing. Lord Galway and General Fagel had been beaten by Marshal Tesse before Badajos, and the allied army had retreated

at the other half should march into Aragon; but Brigadier General Conyngham and the Dutch General Schratenbach strongly opposed this bold counsel, urging that the troops required repose after their labors, and that their numbers were hardly sufficient to guard the province they had won. Such arguments drove

. The friendly and wavering, who would at once have risen had the king boldly advanced after his striking success, had already lost heart and become dispirited by

onel Nebot, commanding a regiment of Philip's dragoons, declared for Charles, and, accompanied by four hundred

a. The next day they pushed on through Alzira, where they were joined by many of the principal inhabitants, and a detachment of the dragoons under Nebot's br

head of his dragoons and galloped up to the gates shouting "Long live the king!" The inhabitants overpowered the guard at the gate and threw it open and Valencia was taken. When the news of these reverses reached

1706, and wrote at once to Peterborough, urging him to go to the relief of San Matteo, but giving him no troops whatever to assist him in his enterprise; and Peterborough's di

t night and day, he reached Tortosa on the 4th, and at once summoned the magnates of the town to give information as to the real state of things. He then found, to his astonishment, that the details which the king had sent him respecting the force of th

gether with his officers, considered that under such circumstances it was absolutely hopeless to attempt any m

of desperate remedies. Be content; let me try my fortune, whether I cannot by dilig

ts marched from Tortosa under Killigrew, and the next day the earl followed with the dragoons and a party of Miquelets, and overtook the infantry that night. The next morning he broke up his li

ccupy the passes among the hills. When arrived at these points they had strict orders to let no one pass them until t

. Thus while the English force were within two leagues of San Matteo, Las Torres remained in absolute ignorance that any hostile force was advancing against him. Graham and Jack were nearly worn out by the exertions which they had undergone with their indefatigable general. They

cation with the natives, and two months and a half steady work with an instructor had enabled them to make great pr