30 SWABEY DIARY. 
I must now return to my poor self. The moment I found I was hit I 
turned my horse round and quietly walked to the village where I met 
Sutton actually in tears at the loss of the horse, which he said was like 
losing his best companion. I laughed at him, and told him the state I 
was in, but still he kept prating about the horse; he helped me off and 
I got into the first hovel I could find. I found there the doctor with 
two or three of our men likewise wounded. As soon as they were 
dressed he came to me, and on examination we found the ball had to all 
appearances gone directly in between my knee-cap and the top of the 
leg bone, taking in the cloth of my overalls and drawers, and the piece 
in the wound not being entirely separated from the cloth outside, I 
vainly thought I could pull the ball out with it. In this I failed. The 
doctor then probed the wound and said decidedly the ball was not there, 
so that where it went God only knows. Whilst he was dressing us a 
cannon shot, and afterwards a shell, came into the building, doing us 
fortunately no other injury than that of knocking the tiles about our 
heads. The doctor being obliged to follow the troop, I sent Sutton 
and a man out on the road, who collected our poor fellows to the num- 
ber of thirteen and brought them in. I succeeded by my entreaties in 
getting their wounds dressed or rather tied up. The army had now 
passed on and some of our men wanted to get into spring waggons, 
but I would not permit it, not knowing where they were to betaken to,and 
the doctor having promised to see us all before night. Things were in 
this state when back along the road came the spring waggons and all 
the lumber of the army at a gallop, with an alarm that the French 
cavalry had broken our line and were coming down the road. ‘Though 
I did not much believe it, yet the alarm of the moment made me, in 
spite of the pain, get on my horse, an action which has been the cause of 
much swelling in my wound. I would not however get off till I had 
ascertained the fact or seen the enemy, though many of the poor fellows 
went off wounded as they were ; poor Corporal Fraser however, having 
his leg broken, lay still with the most heroic resignation. My bag- 
gage had meanwhile arrived and I ordered my servants to unpack my 
two mules and my led horse, that some of them might escape on the 
animals; fortunately the alarm turned out false, and after some time 
both the baggage and men were collected again in the hovel. The in- 
terval between the doctor’s departure and his expected return was long 
and anxious, though I will say the fortitude which the men displayed was 
truly admirable; for although men of other regiments and Frenchmen 
were groaning all around, not a complaint was uttered, and nothing was 
said or done but rejoicing over the success of the day and assisting 
each other. 
Towards evening I was enabled to buy some bread and wine, which 
was as acceptable to the menasit was tome. At last, when no doctor 
appeared, I for a moment almost lost my courage, but thank God it was 
only fora moment. Seeing clearly that I was to be there all night I 
had my baggage unpacked, my mattress spread out and lay down to 
sleep which, being very tired and my wound not yet stiff and painful, 
I at length accomplished, making Marsland! lie on one side of me and a 
1 One of the men of ‘E’ troop badly wounded at Majalahonda, and who was assisted during the 
retreat from Madrid in1812 by Lieutenant Swabey, whose servant he afterwards became.—(¥.4.W) 
