No opportunity to relieve Ciudad Rodrigo occurred; but during the siege marauding parties of French soldiers entered the villages of Barquillo and _Villa de Puerco_ on three successive nights. Brigadier-General Craufurd, thinking to cut off the next party, formed two ambuscades, one near Villa de Puerco, with six squadrons, another of three squadrons near Barquillo, and he also placed his artillery, five companies of the ninety-fifth, (Rifle-brigade) and the third Portuguese Caçadores in reserve; the FOURTEENTH light dragoons were employed in these ambuscades. On the morning of the 11th of July, a little after day-break, a party of French infantry was observed near Villa de Puerco, and a small body of cavalry at Barquillo; and the open country on the right would have enabled the six squadrons to place themselves between the infantry and their point of retreat; but this was circuitous, and Brigadier-General Craufurd preferred passing along a narrow defile between two stone walls. This proved difficult; in threading the defile in a long line the dragoons were separated, and the French infantry, two hundred strong, had time to form square, being hidden in high standing corn. The French dragoons coming out of Barquillo, were charged by the German hussars and a squadron of the sixteenth, and two officers and twenty-nine men were made prisoners. In the meantime the FOURTEENTH light dragoons had threaded the defile, and mounting the hill, rode with distinguished gallantry against the square; but the French infantry remained perfectly steady, and opened such a fire, that Lieut.-Colonel Talbot and eight men fell dead close to the bayonets, and twenty-three men were wounded.[11] The survivors withdrew a short distance to reform their ranks, and the French square commenced its retreat with singular steadiness and good order. The FOURTEENTH dragoons seeing this, prepared to launch against it another squadron, which was already in speed for the purpose, when Colonel Arentschildt of the hussars, observing cavalry approaching in front and flank, checked the movement. It was afterwards regretted that he took this step, as the horsemen, who alarmed him, proved to be the German hussars and sixteenth returning from the pursuit of the French dragoons, the whole of whom they had captured. On the death of Lieut.-Colonel Talbot the command of the regiment devolved on Lieut.-Colonel F. B. Hervey, under whose directions the FOURTEENTH became celebrated as an efficient corps of light cavalry, remarkable for the excellent manner in which they performed the out-post duty.