“Leave that to me,” said Paez, and off he galloped. He soon returned with a body of cowboys picked for their bravery.
“To the water, lads!” he cried, which was what he always said when they went swimming.
The men immediately unsaddled their horses, stripped themselves to their drawers, hung their swords about their necks, and stood ready.
“Let those follow Uncle, who please,” cried Paez, and urged his horse into the river.
The men rode in after him straight toward the gunboats.
When the Spanish saw the dreaded cowboys approaching, who never gave quarter, they fired hurriedly and missed. Then seized with panic, some cast themselves into the water, and others escaped in canoes.
Only one prisoner was taken, a woman who fired the last gun at the cowboys, but who could not stop them from boarding the gunboats.
Thus Bolivar gained possession of the region on both sides of the Apure.
Paez is sometimes called the “Lion of the Apure.”