APPENDIX. 441 
to negotiate with him personally ; and required that we should advance no 
farther. Carrera told them that he was willing to suspend hostilities for 
twenty-four hours, but that they should give up their position on the bank of 
the river and retire elsewhere. Suasti, who was the deputy of the enemy, 
refused to give up the ground which Carrera had required of him, and which 
(on account of the water) was absolutely necessary for us. Carrera desired 
he would immediately return to his troops, and, at the same time, gave 
orders that Colonel Benevente should prepare to carry the enemy’s position 
by force. Suasti, seeing the General resolute, requested a few minutes to 
deliberate with his officers, which was granted him; and sooner than fight 
they consented to retire, and allowed us to take possession of the ground in 
dispute. We heard the enemy sound their march with a number of trumpets 
and bugles, but neither saw their force nor knew whither they retired. 
Suasti accompanied us to the place where we were to encamp for the night, 
when he had an opportunity of estimating our effective force. An officer 
arrived late in the evening with a letter from Governor Ortiz to General 
Carrera, which was to be answered next morning. 
The ground which we occupied was a square of about 150 yards each 
way; one side was formed by the broad sandy beach of that part of the 
river; the opposite side by houses, corrales, gardens, and paling; and the 
other two sides by thick woods. 
Early in the morn, when the General was in the act of answering the letter 
of Ortiz, the enemy’s trumpets sounded in the woods in every direction, and 
soon after our advanced posts reported the advance of the enemy in several 
different quarters. The General could not suppose that this attack had the 
sanction of Ortiz, but rather supposed it to have originated in some mistake, 
and therefore sent an officer with a flag of truce to enquire into the cause of 
such dishonourable proceedings. ‘The enemy received our flag of truce with 
fire, which sufficiently proved the baseness of their design: our outposts 
retired into the square, when we prepared for action. Some officers requested 
the General would give up to them the officer of the enemy who had 
brought Ortiz’s despatches, and who was nothing less than a spy, that they 
might have him shot in front of our line, and in sight of his own, by way of 
commencement; but he appeared so very sad, and protested so earnestly that 
he was ignorant of the treachery of his countrymen, that the-General, so far 
from giving him up to be shot, as was solicited, sent an officer with him to 
put him out of the reach of danger from our troops, that he might with safety 
3L 
