APPENDIX. 445 



soner : he was accompanied by an Alcalde, Ortiz, and both were spies ; how- 

 ever, Carrera again liberated him, and recommended him to the attention of 

 the officers. 



From the neighbourhood of Lobay the General took an escort, and pro- 

 ceeded to Melingue, to reconnoitre the frontier, and hear if Ramirez had 

 crossed the Parrana. In the meantime we dispersed a division of Bustos 

 which came to surprise us near the Tunas. From thence Bustos retired to 

 the Punta Sause, a town on the Riotercero ; where he shut himself up, and 

 fortified the place. 



The Indians having had no intelligence of us from the time of our de- 

 parture from the toldos, had sent 400 men in search of us, as they were 

 anxious to hear what had become of us. These Indians came up with us 

 on the frontier of Buenos Ayres, when we were endeavouring to surprise La 

 Madrid. As the General wished rather to interest the peasants in his favour 

 than deter them by the presence of the Indians, he took a great quantity of 

 mares, and giving them to the Indians, dismissed them to their country, 

 assuring them that they should frequently hear from him, and that he would 

 call on them for assistance whenever he found it necessary. Three of the 

 Indian captains remained with us as guides, in case we should be obliged 

 at any time to return to the country of the Indians, or call on them for any 

 force. 



As Ramirez could not for the present cross the Parrana, owing to the su- 

 periority of the Porteiiian squadron on the river, Carrera determined to go 

 into the province of Cordova in search of Bustos, who had so diligently fol- 

 lowed us. Bustos' experience had taught him not to wish to meet us in the 

 field ; he therefore determined to fight us only under the protection of his 

 batteries or entrenchments. He remained in his fortifications in Sause with 

 500 men ; and we besieged him there fourteen days with 200 men, including 

 his own soldiers who were taken in Chajan: we encamped close by the town ; 

 and our guerillas kept the enemy always annoyed in the trenches, notwith- 

 standing the advantage of their artillery, which was sometimes used but to 

 very little purpose. Finding it impossible to draw Bustos from his fortifica- 

 tions, or to assault him in them, w.e left him in possession of his town, and 

 proceeded through all the other towns of the province, which we reduced, 

 with the exception of the city of Cordova. 



We began to recruit our regiment, which soon augmented to 500, all of 



