358 



SPANISH AMEHICA. 



It was at San Mateo that an act of the 

 most devoted and heroic courage was per- 

 formed by a patriot officer, a youth named 

 Ricaute, of one of the most distinguished 

 families at Bogota. He was appointed to 

 guard a powder-magazine at San Mateo, 

 when that place was attacked by the roy- 

 alists on the 25th of March 1814: the 

 latter sent a strong detachment of troops 

 to attack the magazine, expecting to take 

 it by surprise whilst the armies were fight- 

 ing at some distance. Ricaute, perceiving 

 the impossibility of making any effectual 

 resistance, ordered his soldiers to join the 

 army, remaining himself alone to defend 

 the magazine : the royalists took posses- 

 sion of the building, and having discovered 

 Ricaute, were on the point of seizing him, 

 when the latter igniting the powder, an 

 instantaneous explosion took place, and 

 himself and the royalist soldiers were all 

 buried beneath the ruins. 



