Having, therefore, after a long and a tough pull, fairly obtained a footing on the higher part of the ridge, they proposed to carry the forts by assault. This part of the operations was particularly interesting, as in the execution of it our troops were to shew to the world whether their military prowess was confined to field operations, unobstructed by stone walls, or whether every description of military work was to them the same. The conflict was severe, but not very long, for the enemy, seeing that the British were determined to bear down all opposition, retired from their strongholds one after another, and at length making a virtue of necessity, finally left the heights, (their own guns giving them a parting salute,) and retired towards Cambo, on the Nive.
The allied forces which moved against the French right wing, were long and sharply engaged in the neighbourhood of St Pe. They at length succeeded, however, in forcing the enemy from the town to some heights above it, from which they annoyed our men very much with a sharp discharge of musketry till it was pretty late in the evening, when
The bugles sang truce for the night cloud had lowered,
And the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky,
And thousands had sunk on the ground overpowered,
The weary to sleep, and the wounded to die.
Pending these operations, a body of Spanish troops crossed the heights of Maya, and attacked the advanced posts of the enemy's left wing with spirit; but pushing their success farther than prudence warranted, they were attacked in turn, and driven into the valley of Bastan, where the French succeeded in capturing some of our light cavalry baggage. How the enemy accomplished this, was a complete puzzle to many. It was related at the time, and very generally credited, that if common prudence or exertion had been used, not a particle of baggage would have fallen into the hands of the French. On obtaining possession of the person and personal baggage of a British pay-master, the enemy pressed him hard for cash. Conceiving that a few guineas would satisfy his unwelcome visitants, he handed them as many as would have made the whole party more than half-seas-over. These they most kindly accepted, and politely solicited a fresh supply. In hopes that a few more would rid him of their presence, the pay-master consented to make a farther sacrifice, but instead of satisfying, it only tended to sharpen the appetite of the plunderers for the precious metal. A fresh supply was necessary, and down came a hundred guineas. Surely the fellows will now cry enough, thought the pay-master, but, no! another hundred rung in his ears like the sound of a funeral bell. On tendering the second hundred—I have no more, said the pay-master—we will prove that replied the French. Tapping him on the shoulder, the latter said in a jocular manner, "Come now, just another hundred if you please," and repeated the same thing on receiving every additional hundred, till the pay-master had "dropped," not quite so many guineas as the blind beggar of Bethlehem-Green did on the marriage of his daughter, but considerably more than he could afford to lose, or any government should under similar circumstances be called upon to pay.
In this battle, generally termed the battle of the Nivelle, our loss was 3000 killed and wounded; that of the enemy was estimated at 4000 killed and wounded, and 1500 prisoners. Fifty-one pieces of cannon also fell into our hands.
Soult having withdrawn his right wing from its position in front of St Jean-de-Luz during the night of the 10th, and morning of the 11th, the allied army moved forward on the latter, the left wing towards Bayonne, the right upon Cambo on the Nive. About ten o'clock, A.M. on the 11th, the second division quitted the heights from which they had driven the enemy the preceding day, and after a trip of three or four miles halted in a field, where, under a torrent of rain, it remained the whole day without making any attempt to drive the French farther back, although they were but a little way from us all the time. The French, however, retired about sun-set; we advanced to an eminence covered with heath, on the left of the principal road from Anhoe to Cambo, and about three miles from the latter. Here we spent a most uncomfortable night, for the brush-wood being so wet that it would not burn, we were deprived of our usual allowance of warm water, either made into soup, or its more refreshing relative, tea.
Sir Rowland Hill being ordered to dislodge the enemy from Cambo, the division got under arms a little before mid-day on the 12th. The second and third brigades moved first towards the river Nive, but on arriving within a few hundred yards of it, they brought up their left shoulders, and then advanced direct upon Cambo. The first brigade moved obliquely to the right, till it gained the high road, and then pushed along, drove back the enemy's piquets within a short distance of their works, and turning to the right, ascended an eminence which overlooked the town, and the whole of the enemy's defences within range of the artillery. Here Sir Rowland reconnoitered the French, when finding them better prepared for us than was expected, he contented himself with driving back their light troops, and cannonading the garrison. In the evening we retired about a mile, and encamped.
Two worthy pay-masters, anxious to see how the heads took leave of the shoulders of their friends, but at such a distance as to preclude every chance of a similar compliment being paid to themselves, very knowingly rode round the rear base of the ridge on which we were posted, conversing on every subject save dead and wounded pay-masters. Moving along, therefore, in conscious security, and casting an eye occasionally to the left to see if any friendly sconce was twirling down the face of the hill, Mr A. had just withdrawn his optics from that quarter, and remarked to Mr B. that they had a better berth of it than their friends on the top of the hill, when a large cannon-ball plunged into the earth, under his horse's belly,—on perceiving which,
Away went Gilpin—away went he.
We had not been long in our bivouack, before the rain began to pour on us with its usual severity, and continued to pelt us unmercifully throughout the whole of the night. Our baggage being still in rear, and the wind being high, nothing could be more truly miserable than the situation of the whole brigade at day-break on the 13th. By arranging ourselves around a few blazing fires, however, we contrived at length to have one side always pretty comfortable. Thus while one-half of our persons was nearly roasted, the other was cold as a piece of ice.