OUTPOST. 



253 



About a league and a half from the city, we 

 passed one of the Patriot outposts, consisting of 

 Montaneros, or hill soldiers, guarding a depot of 

 horses and mules. They were wild, bold-looking 

 men, rather short, but well set and athletic : and 

 were scattered about in groups on the grass in the 

 fields, along with the horses. The sentinels, who 

 paced the walls by the road-side, formed on the 

 sky-line the most picturesque figures imaginable. 

 One of them, in particular, caught our notice : on 

 his head he wore a high conical cap, made out of 

 a whole sheep^s skin ; and over his shoulders a 

 large white cloak of blanket stuff reaching to his 

 knees, and hanging loosely over his arms ; his 

 long sword, pulled somewhat in front, dangled 

 about his ankles, round which he had laced pieces 

 of raw horse-hide instead of boots : in this garb 

 he strode along the parapet, with his musket over 

 his arm, the very beau-ideal of a Guerrilla. On 

 hearing the tramp of our horses' feet, he turned 

 round, and perceiving we were officers, saluted us 

 with all the respectfulness of a disciplined sol- 

 dier, and at the same time with tho air of a free- 

 born son of the hills. As for the rest, they were 



