For an instant all was confusion. Near to Ned a horse fell to the ground, kicking and struggling in its death agony. Bullets whistled by him, and all about arose the clashing and cries of conflict. The troopers wavered and seemed to be about to seek safety in flight. “Your carbines!” shrieked the cavalry officers. They spurred their horses hither and thither, in the crush of panic-stricken horses and men, striking their followers with the flats of their swords and fairly driving them into the conflict. After a few moments of this frenzied work, the horsemen rallied a little and poured back an answering fire from their carbines. Their cordite-driven bullets did sharp execution in the insurgent ranks, and the ambuscade, having done its work, began to give way, falling back on the main lines of the insurgent troops. Then came a breathing spell, but the Americans knew as well as the government officers that it was the lull before the storm. General de Guzman was far too tricky a campaigner to have massed all his strength on that one blow. “Where are your infantry and artillery?” asked the middy, who, with the others, had remained at the colonel’s side in the skirmish. “I do not know,” began the colonel, distractedly looking about him. “If they do not arrive soon, we are lost. We dare not move forward without their fire to cover our advance.” As he spoke there came from below a bugle call, which the Americans recognized as the “advance.” In many South American armies the bugle calls are the same as ours, and the Republic of Costaveza was no exception. “They have disobeyed my orders!” exclaimed Colonel Lazard furiously. “They have taken the lower road.” To understand what is to follow, it is necessary to comprehend that, at this stage of the engagement, the government cavalry were massed at the junction of the mountain trail and the main road. To the north, on the main road, were the insurgents, with their machine guns. On a lower road still was the government infantry and artillery. It afterward transpired that they had been compelled to take that route to avoid falling into the rear guard of the insurgents. Straight ahead on the main road lay the Hill of the Ten Saints, but it was commanded from the main road by the guns of the insurgents. Situated as were Colonel Lazard’s infantry and artillery,--without which latter he could not hope to hold the hill, even if he gained it,--they could not be communicated with in regard to the situation. It became necessary, then, to send a scout across to them to inform them of conditions, so that a concentrated advance might be begun.