Part 57 (2/2)

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE BATTLE OF THE GENERALS.

”They're coming down!” cried Alzura excitedly, rus.h.i.+ng into our tent.

It wanted two hours to sunset; we had done nothing all day, and tired of watching the enemy on the opposite heights, most of us had gone to sleep.

Alzura's announcement woke us up, and running forward, we glanced eagerly at the hill, which a battalion of infantry was descending.

”Skirmishers, nothing more,” said Plaza quietly. ”They fancy we might attempt a night attack. Take my word for it, they won't be foolish enough to meet us on the plain.”

”Unless they try a rush in the dark.”

”That's just possible, but not probable; they're sure of us without that.”

”There goes a battalion of our light infantry in extended order,”

remarked Cordova; ”but there won't be any real fighting to-night. I'm going back to bed.”

”A very sensible proceeding, too,” exclaimed a genial voice; and turning round we beheld General Miller. ”I should advise all of you not on duty to do the same,” he added.

”Are we going to fight, general?” I asked eagerly.

”Hullo, Crawford! I've been so busy that I've lost sight of you lately. Well, I hardly know. Perhaps the viceroy would be better able to tell you; he knows more about it than I do.”

”I don't think he'll abandon his strong position just to give us a better chance, sir,” remarked Plaza.

”Perhaps not,” replied the general. ”But you mustn't think he's in clover up yonder. His men are as hungry as ours, and that's saying much. If it is a fight, however, 'twill be a fight to the finish, and the Hussars of Junin won't be missing!”

”Take us with you, sir!”

”That's just what I've come to see the colonel about. I intend to get all the regiment together and use it as a battering-ram.”

”He thinks the Royalists will attack,” said Alzura, as the general pa.s.sed on. ”He has heard something important, you may depend. And why shouldn't they? they're two to one, and have no end of guns.”

”I like his idea of using all the regiment,” laughed Cordova. ”Nearly a half of the third squadron are mounted on baggage mules; their horses are all dead.”

”They must get fresh ones from the enemy,” I suggested.

”Come,” said Plaza; ”there's nothing more to see here.” And we returned to the tent.

Anxious to have a good long night, Cordova soon fell asleep; but Alzura and I sat up chatting till within an hour or two of dawn. We could hear the hostile skirmishers peppering away at each other at intervals, and somehow the sounds seemed to be the prelude to a coming battle.

Fortunately the morning dawned fair, but there was a nip in the air which impelled us to move about smartly. Then the sun rose gloriously over the eastern peaks, and its genial warmth raised our drooping spirits. I cannot account for the feeling, but somehow the whole army felt that a battle was imminent, and the faces of the troops wore a look of excited expectancy.

Directly after breakfast, or what we were pleased to call breakfast, the men began moving to their positions, each corps being formed in close column. For the better understanding of what happened, I must try to describe our position. We were drawn up on a nearly square tableland known as the Plain of Ayacucho, a league in circ.u.mference, and flanked right and left by rugged ravines. We had the village at our backs, and the only road by which we could retreat was effectually blocked. The Royalist army was perched just below the summit of a gigantic ridge called Condorcanqui, which formed the eastern boundary of the plain.

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