The parties who were to man the breastworks were now posted. Terence
himself took the command here. The defenders consisted of a company of
Bull's battalion.
Half an hour later a deep sound was heard, and as it grew louder the head
of a column of cavalry was seen approaching. The whole of the force on the
hillsides were hidden behind rocks or brushwood; not a head was shown
above the breastworks. The cavalry, however, halted, and an officer with
four men rode forward. When within fifty yards of the bridge a volley of
twenty muskets flashed out from the work behind it. The officer and three
men fell, the other galloped back to the main body. He had seen nothing
beyond the fact that there was a breastwork across the road, and
Franceschi, thinking that he had but a small force of peasants in front of
him, ordered a squadron to charge, and clear the obstacle.
As before, they were allowed to approach to within fifty yards of the
bridge, when from the breastwork in front, and the two side redoubts a
storm of musketry was poured into them. The effect was terrible; the head
of the squadron was swept away, but a few men charged forward until close
to the break in the bridge. Most of these fell, but a few galloped back,
and the remains of the squadron then trotted off in good order.
No further movement took place for an hour, and then a body of infantry,
some two thousand strong, appeared.
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