Upon entering the house we found the old man up waiting for us.
He met us with an angry look and demanded very fiercely why we had
staid out so late. It was about half-past nine. Neither of us made
any reply but passing him proceeded to our rooms. We heard him
foaming and fussing and calling us all kinds of names as we closed

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our door and fastened it. Striking a light we set it upon a table and
called a council of war.

`It is time,' said Fairfax, `that the old man and ourselves came to
an understanding. As to remaining longer with him degrading ourselves
by retailing soda and Port wine sangarees to the officers of the
navy and army, I for one will do it no longer!'

`Nor will I! Nor I! Nor I!' was the unanimous response.

`Softly boys,' said Hewitt. `We must move with discretion. We
have caught ourselves in a scrape and we must act prudently to get out
of it.'

`If you choose to remain,' answered Radsworth, `you are at liberty
to do so. I think you have a sort of hankering for the old deceiver.
You seem to be on better terms with him than any of us; and he likes
you better than the rest of us!'

`I have acted prudently only. You know we are dependent on him
and until we can find other employment must continue to be. This I
have thought of. If I had money I would not stay another day, but
dress up and go and board at the British Coffee House till I could get
a passage home. Suppose we should all leave him to-morrow, where
should we go? Where should we sleep to-morrow night? I have not
but thirty dollars in the world, and each one is worth its weight in
gold to me so far from home. None of you have much more. Paul,
here, says his father forgot to leave him any when he took leave of him
on board the brig, and he was too much taken up with parting to remind
him of it.'

`I have ninety-five dollars,' answered Fairfax very positively.

What Hewitt had said was the truth. My father had not given me
any money, and I had not asked him for any, supposing he would leave
some with me at parting. In the hurry and grief of separation, I did
not again think of it, and perhaps, he did not; at any rate, I had with
me but seven dollars and a quarter, and ten thousand miles from home,
without a friend or acquaintance, and only eighteen years of age. I
was not, however, disheartened. Neither of us were disposed to despair.
We were healthy, had a good flow of spirits, plenty of hope and
were ready to do and dare!

`Your ninety-five dollars, George, won't last long if you go to a
hotel. They charge three dollars a day.'

`You shall all share with me. We will make one purse in common,
boys!' he said generously. `All our riches together will make about
one hundred and seventy dollars. I propose that we quit old Hunks in
a body to-morrow and trust to fortune for the inture!'

`I don't think so,' said the moderate Hewitt. `Let us stay and save
every dollar till we shall need its use.'

`I propose,' said I, `that we in the morning come to an understanding
with the old man. Let us have a regular `talk' with him, let him
know that we are acquainted with his duplicity, and then tell him that
it is our intention to quit him and throw ourselves upon the protection
of the American Consul. At this he will become alarmed, and then
we will propose to him that if he will pay us each a dollar a day we
will consent to remain with him until we can do something better, or

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get a passage back to the United States. We shall thus be getting
money for our services, and laying up something for a day of necessity.
If he refuses we will then wait upon the Consul, state our grievances
and the trick that has been put upon us in thus luring us from our native
land and be guided by his advice. I have a letter in my pocket
from my father to Colonel Forbes, our charge d' affaires at Buenos
Ayres, which I will show to the consul in testimony of our `respectability'
and let him understand that we are not exactly `bar-boys.'

This speech of mine was received with general approbation, and it
was decided unanimously that this course should be adopted.

`I never thought of the Consul,' said Hewitt with an air of surprise.
`He's the very man to look to! He stands instead of our country to
protect us and all other Americans. We'll get the weather side of old
Bedrick yet!' And rubbing his hands he chuckled and snuffled his
nose at the idea.

We now retired to bed. I slept little for the fleas, and for thinking
of the step we were about to take in the morning. I may observe here
that I was less and less annoyed each successive night by these miserable
natives, and was rapidly bringing to a successful test the remark
of Saul, for I had not been a fortnight on shore when nearly every
pore in my body had been pierced by their bills.

About daylight I was awakened from a drowsy sleep into which I
had fallen by a heavy cannonading mingled with musketry. In my
half-waking half-asleep state I fancied that it was a thunder storm accompanied
by hail rattling upon the roof. I heard, however, my
companions rousing up and calling out that there must be fighting. I
sprung to my feet and hastily dressed, while the walls of the house
shook with the heavy discharges of artillery, and the flashes of the explosion
reddened to the zenith and lighted the room, for it was yet
scarcely day.

While I was putting on my coat the old man came running in in his
green flannel gown crying in great trepidation:

`There is a battle? There is a fight! They are attacking the
town! What shall we do?'

I did not answer him, but hurrying on my dress hastened to the roof
of the house, which I reached at the same moment with Fairfax and
Bill Bedrick. I have already said that the top of our house commanded
an extensive view over a portion of the city, the harbor, the curve
of the opposite shore, and the castillated mound. Upon gaining the
top of the house and mounting the battlement, I witnessed a scene
that made my blood thrill with wild excitement. The castle upon the
Mount, a mile and a half distant from the place on which I stood, was
in the act of being stormed by the patriots. The masses of cavalry,
some dismounted and acting as infantry, were surrounding its base,
swaying this way and that like the waves of the sea, now pressing forward
like an overwhelming billow, now retiring a little to renew its
onset, while from its van, its bosom and its flank flashed sheets of flame
which gave light to the terrific scene. The castle which they were
assaulting was enveloped in smoke and jetting flames from the artillery
which from the embrasures poured its fire upon them. In the harbor

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four of five vessels were opening their broadsides upon the patriots,
raking them across a low piece of ground which lay at the foot of the
hill. The roar of artillery, its red glare in the heavens, like incessant
sheet lightning, the rattling of musketry, the sharp ringing of pistols,
and the cries of those engaged, which distinctly reached our ears, presented
a scene such as I had before no conception could be enacted
on this lower earth, The tops of the houses were crowded with spectators,
whose vivas and exclamations were constant. The city itself
was in a condition of the highest excitement. Drums sounded to
arms, bugles swelled upon the air from every quarter. General officers
dashed up and down the streets, now this way now that, encircled by
their staffs, giving orders to their aids as they galloped by. In a few
minutes after I had reached the roof I beheld a regiment advancing at
a round trot from the Grande Square, their officers with waving swords
and loud voices encouraging them on. They passed along the street
beneath me like a torrent. Then appeared a detachment of cavalry
galloping after them at full speed. Then from a cross street came battalion
after battalion of infantry and artillery, all pressing forward towards
the quay. I soon saw the object of this movement by beholding
several barges filled with troops launch out from the mole and pull
across the harbor. All the boats of the fleet were in requisition.—
Barge after barge crowded with men rapidly pulled across towards
the scene of contest. While I was looking, Saul Freelove stood by
my side.

`So you are looking at the battle. Wall, it's a sight one don't see
every day in the States, but since I've been here I've seen so much
fighting I've got a sort a used to it! I came over here as I couldn't
see the castle plain from my house, and to tell you all you needn't be
frightened, it'll soon blow over. The darned Brazilians think they'll
do somethin' by sendin' over their sogers in the boats, but the patriots
ain't going to be caught in a trap. They know what they are about;
though it does seem a sort of foolish thing to take a castle without artillery!
Look and see how them brave &longs;ellers climb up the walls.—
There's bloody work going on there, and God have mercy on their
souls. It's as bad as Bunker Hill!'

`Can you tell how many patriots there are engaged?' I asked.

`About two thousand I should guess; but they don't stay still enough
for me to count 'em, and then there is sich a smoke and firing?'

`I wish I was there in the midst!' I cried with youthful enthusiasm.
`I would like to help the patriots.'

`You'd wish yourself back again,' answered Saul dryly. `Jest see
them fellers tumble off the horses and roll down hill. See them horses
without riders flying like mad towards the country. You be like
never to see Boston State-hus agen if you was there!'

Nevertheless I felt as if I should very much like to be there. I had
caught the spirit of battle, and I almost wished for wings to fly to
mingle in the conflict. The interest of the contest grew each moment
more absorbing. Battalion after battalion marched through the
city, embarked at the mole, and pressed towards the opposite shore
where they disembarked and formed under cover of the fire from the

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shipping. In the meanwhile, the assailants strove to possess themselves
of the fortress with a bravery that was wonderful. Unintimidated
by the fire of the artillery from the yawning embrasures, the heavy
and galling discharges of musketry from the battlements, they pressed
round the walls with ladders and fascires. We could see the brave
men fall here and there from their horses and objects descended swiftly
and heavily from the walls into the moat which Saul said were soldiers
slain by the patriot's fire. At length the detachment which had landed
began their march, about fifteen hundred in number, to attack the
rear of the patriots' force.

`Now Llavelleja will get caught in a trap if he doesn'tretreat,' said
Saul. `The Brazilian means to try and cut him off from his camp!'

While Saul was speaking I saw the patriots, from whom I scarcely
kept off my eyes, make a movement simultaneously to retire. The infantry,
or rather those that were dismounted, I saw disappear in a sort
of a ravine, while the cavalry, forming in a close column and bearing
off their wounded across their saddles, began to trot down the hill.—
They were in a few moments joined by about six hundred cavalry that
emerged suddenly from the ravine.

`Them are the men we saw disappear on the other side o' the hill,'
said Saul. `They left there horses there so as to attack on foot, and
now they have gone and mounted again. That's jist like them Quacho
rancheros! Now they fight on horseback, now on foot, jist as it happens.
They be the bravest fellers in the world, Yankee boys always
excepted. But they haint got the old castle this time. But they go
off with flying colors and sounding bugles!'

The patriots had indeed found it expedient to retire; but they did
so as if they did not fear their foes. They moved in a compact column
at a free but not a hurried trot, with banners glancing in the sun
which was just rising, and bugles sounding. We could hear their
tirrah-tirrah! through the still air where we were. They passed within
a third of a mile of the Brazilian battalions, which drew up in order
of battle as if expecting a cavalry charge. But the vast body of
horse passed them without notice, and in a few minutes wound into a
gorge between two low peach hills, and disappeared towards the interior.
A cannonading had been kept up after them from the fortress,
but I saw that only one shot appeared to take effect, from witnessing
some slight confusion in the midst of a column and a brief detention
in the rear of some score or two of the horsemen, who appeared to be
lifting wounded companions upon their horses.

The Brazilian force did not pursue; but after a little delay about
two hundred of them were detached from the line and marched towards
the fortress, which they entered. The firing from the shipping ceased,
and also that from the castle, and silence once more reigned over the
scene of war. With a small pocket spy-glass, which I now recollected
I had in my trunk, and which I regretted I had not thought of before,
I was able to view the battle ground with much nearer proximity. I
could plainly discern the bodies of men and horses strewn over the
green hill-side, and fancied I could make out the stiffened features of

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many a fallen patriot. I counted seventy-four dead bodies of the patriots,
and upwards of a hundred horses. Carbines, swords, pistols,
so far as I could make out, were scattered in all directions. I could
see no bodies of Brazilian soldiers save near the gates; for those that
fell had been shot upon the walls and had plunged into the moat. It
was a bad scene, and it was a relief to remove the glass from my eye
and place again a wide distance between. My heart sickened at such
slaughter. My sympathies were with the patriots. They had not
been beaten, but had returned only to avoid collision with a superior
force of fresh troops.

We gathered together in a group, we four, and talked over what we
had witnessed. One idea seemed simultaneously to take possession of
our minds. I was the first to give it language by saying to them:

`How would you like to join the patriots?'

`It is just what I was thinking of,' they answered almost in the same
breath.

`Then the way of honor is open before us,' I answered. `If we
leave Bedrick we leave him to join Llavelleja. Is it so?'

`Yes,' was the response of all three.

We joined hands upon it and then obeyed the call to breakfast; for
if men fight they must eat too. Nothing can be done in this world,
without beef, bread and coffee.