was impossible without loss of half the men. We were therefore obliged to retire, and the signal for retreat on our part was one for a sortie on theirs. This was repelled by the bayonet, which quickly decided the matter in our favour. By this movement, however, we were divided, and the retreat was effected in three columns, that in which I was thrown being under the command of Colonel Minuisir, and consisting of about 80 men.
"It was now about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and having procured a guide, we marched uninterruptedly for some hours. About 10 o'clock, however, as we were marching between two mountains, one of which was clothed with a wood, a fire suddenly opened upon us. The enemy, who turned out to be 150 men from Pamplona, were placed on the side of the mountain protected by the wood. This rendered our return fire ineffectual, while theirs upon us was murderous. We then charged with the bayonet, which drove them from their hiding-place; and in a few minutes decided the affair in our favour. This rencontre placed us in a very perilous situation. A surprise at night from a very superior force (150 to 80) was in itself dangerous enough, but the evil did not end here. At the first fire the guide ran away, and after the action we found ourselves 'planted' in the wilds of the Pyrenees without knowing what direction to take. The enemy, though routed, might rally, and our men were fatigued with the effects of a day's severe marching, fighting, and abstinence…
"Tired, reduced in numbers, with enemies before and behind, it was not our object to fight. We, therefore, patiently waited the return of the other parties, and as one of them brought an old man as guide, we gladly availed ourselves of his services to conduct us from this mountainous labyrinth to our head-quarters. A most arduous march at length brought us to Zugarramurdi,
