SWABEY DIARY. 199 
which we were crammed with the 7th division, six of us with Major 
Downman at the head in one house. We got good forage here, but 
the rye is grown too ripe and dry and is of little use for horses; the 
barley is nearly all used throughout the unfortunate seat of war, and 
all the recompense given is an order or receipt, which I hope, for the 
sake of the unfortunate people, will be paid some day or other. 
18th April.—Marched to Nisa in the rain and were nearly without 
forage. I found nothing new to remark here. 
L9th April.—Halted at Nisa. The weather at length cleared up, 
and we had time to think of drying ourselves, which I could not boast 
of having done for some time, as all my jackets and pantaloons had 
rung the changes, and in this despicable country there is no blazing 
fire to dry things by, nothing but a wretched substitute of a few 
embers. 
My friends the storks were on the tower as usual. 
Received a letter from Eliza, and wrote to Freeman and Walcott. 
20th April.—Marched on a fine day to Sarnadas where we encamped, 
having passed the T'agus as usual at Villa Velha. 
The commandant of Castel Branco on his retreat from thence to Nisa, 
after crossing, removed the bridge of boats and got away every man 
from the hospital ; he put in the hands of the convalescents the muskets 
of the Portuguese Militia rear-guard, who seemed little disposed to 
behave well. 
21st April—Marched to Castel Branco and contrary to expectation 
found very little damage had been done; six or seven houses only were 
burnt, belonging to people who were obnoxious to the French. They 
now pursue a system according to the bloody policy of their master, 
only one degree removed from wanton barbarity, which sooner or later 
will have the desired effect. They destroy the houses of those who 
desert the towns hitherto the whole populace, but to those who remain 
they now hold out the promise of leaving their property untouched. 
A week before the troop reached Castel Branco, parties of the 
French force, under Marmont, had plundered the country in 
its vicinity ; however, the Portuguese General, Le Cor, stood 
fast with the militia, checked the enemy’s cavalry detach- 
ments, removed the hospitals and some stores, and when 
menaced by a strong force of infantry on the 12th, destroyed 
the rest of the magazines, and fell back to Sarnadas, only one 
short march on the road to Villa Velha, and the next day 
when the French retired, he followed and harassed their rear. 
See Napier, Vol. 4., p. 443, 
(To be continued). 
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