Breakfast cleared away, your horse is brought to the door, that you may ride a few miles forwards, and take a view of the operations, or ogle Soult through a telescope. Pedro then commences his culinary operations forthwith. The beef--and what-not besides--is whipped into the saucepan; the saucepan is set among the embers upon the hearth: and there it stands--not boiling--scarcely simmering--suppose we say digesting--throughout the forenoon, and till you are ready to eat. Long before dinner, savoury steams announce a normal process of the _cuisine_, a process both leisurely and effectual. At length, crowned with laurels, and, like all heroes, hungry after fighting, you return from the skirmish in front, having barely escaped a stray cannon-ball that made your horse--oh, didn't it?--spin round like a teetotum. The rich repast awaits you--the whole is turned out, and smokes upon the table--the _bouilli_ is tender, the "jus" appetising and substantial, the _tout-ensemble_ excellent. And if, with an eye to his own interest in the concern, Pedro has slipped in a handful or so of garlic, why, you live all day in the open air--so it doesn't much signify. Well, so much for Irish stew. We wound up the evening with ship-biscuit and brandy-and-water--ration brandy--French--superb. What an exchange for the horrid _agoardente_ of Lisbon, that excoriated your palate, indurated your gizzard, and burnt a hole in your liver! I happened to mention my morning visit to St Sebastian. All my three companions had seen St Sebastian during the siege--were present at the storming. "Sorry I was not ordered up in time," said I. "You'll never see anything like that," said the doctor. "Well, can't you tell me something about it?" "No, no," replied he; "rather too late for that to-night. I must be moving." "Come, gentlemen; mix another tumbler round," said "my friend." "If we cannot go into particulars, at least, for the satisfaction of Mr Y----, let us each relate some one incident, which we witnessed when the city was taken by storm. Come, doctor; you shall begin." "Really," said the doctor, "it was such a scene of slaughter and confusion, I can hardly recollect anything distinctly enough to tell it. I got into the town almost immediately after the troops, to look after the wounded; just those that required to be operated on at once. Found my way into a by-street; came among some of our fellows, who were carrying on such a game, drinking, plundering, firing at the inhabitants, and I don't know what-all besides, I was glad enough to escape with my life, and got out of the place as fast as I could. Don't really remember any particular occurrence to relate. Oh, yes; just as I was coming away, I saw one old woman--beg pardon; ought to have said elderly gentlewoman--pinned to a post with a bayonet, for defending her daughter's virtue."