I am pretty well known
and respected by the men of both parties in Spain (indeed I served for
some months on the Queen's side before I came over to Don Carlos); and,
as it is my maxim never to give quarter, I never expect to receive it
when taken myself. On issuing from the podesta with Sheeny's portmanteau
and my sword in my hand, I was a little disgusted and annoyed to see our
own men in a pretty good column retreating at double-quick, and about
four hundred yards beyond me, up the hill leading to the fort; while
on my left hand, and at only a hundred yards, a troop of the Queenite
lancers were clattering along the road.
I had got into the very middle of the road before I made this discovery,
so that the fellows had a full sight of me, and whiz! came a bullet by
my left whisker before I could say Jack Robinson. I looked round--there
were seventy of the accursed malvados at the least, and within, as I
said, a hundred yards. Were I to say that I stopped to fight seventy
men, you would write me down a fool or a liar: no, sir, I did not fight,
I ran away.
I am six feet four--my figure is as well known in the Spanish army
as that of the Count de Luchana, or my fierce little friend Cabrera
himself. "GAHAGAN!" shouted out half a dozen scoundrelly voices, and
fifty more shots came rattling after me.
Pages:
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264