"Without an army," exclaimed Doña Dalmacia, looking round at him with a fresh terror in her eyes. "Have then so many fallen? And the Reconquistador, what has become of him?"
"Of Liniers I know nothing. We have not many killed, but the army is dispersed," replied Don Felipe.
"We have no hope now, for there is no confidence," said Don Isidro. "All the fight was without order; it may be said that there was no fight. We were not beaten, we ran away because we did not know what to do."
"So long as it was an affair of shooting," said Don Felipe, "our men stood well enough, but when they came at us with the bayonet——Do you know, it is an imposing thing, that charge with the bayonet. Those English with their smooth faces look like boys, but when they came at us in a long line close together we felt that they were men. If we had waited for them the half of our men would have stopped there for ever."
"Have many stopped there?" said Doña Dalmacia. "I have heard heavier firing at a review."
"Of ours we have lost very few," replied Don Isidro. "The corps on the left, where Liniers was, were all in disorder, and I don't think they lost many. But I fear me much, Dalma, we have lost a friend."
"Say!" said Doña Dalmacia, nervously closing one hand upon his shoulder.
"'Los Morenos de Ponce,' are almost annihilated."
"Marcelino sacrificed himself and his men to save the others," said Felipe Navarro.
"It is what one might foretell of him," said Doña Dalmacia, bursting into tears.