An hour earlier Terence had arrived on the other side of the river, and
had at once made preparations for blowing up the bridge. The men had been
but a short time at work when numbers of the townsmen streamed across the
bridge and reported that a great body of the French were entering the
town. Terence had a hasty consultation with Herrara, and both agreed that
they could not hope to hold the bridge long against the whole French army,
especially as they had learned two hours before from a peasant who had
ridden up, that strong bodies of French troops had crossed the river by
the ferries at Ribadavia and Barbibante, and that they might shortly be
attacked in flank. The powder-barrels were therefore hastily repacked, and
the troops marched off towards the hills on their left.
They were but half-way across the plain when a regiment of French cavalry
were seen riding in pursuit. The regiments were at once formed into
squares within fifty yards of each other, and Terence and Bull in the
centre of one square, and Herrara and Macwitty in the other, exhorted the
men to stand steady, assuring them there was nothing whatever to be feared
from the cavalry if they did so. The French rode up towards the squares,
but were met by heavy volleys, and after riding round them drew off,
having suffered considerable loss, being greatly surprised at finding that
instead of a mob of armed men, such as they had met at Avia, they were
encountered by soldiers possessing the steadiness of trained troops.
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