On the other hand: some of the 1st Battalion were, in one of the affairs of outposts about this time, ordered to drive in the French picquets in front of them. Lieutenant Gardiner, who commanded the party, observed that he would not shoot the French sentries. So, calling to them to begone, he told them that he was going to attack the post. I have already noted that he spoke French fluently. They retired; but had hardly done so, when the French officer ordered his picquet to fire on Gardiner, who was making his men fall in for the attack. The discharge was ineffectual; and the Riflemen were glad to hear afterwards that the officer in charge of the French picquet was not a real soldier, but one of the national guard. On the 12th the enemy made a show of strengthening his position; constructing a six-gun battery on the height in front of Arcangues, which however his gunners never could have served; as the Riflemen would have shot them before they could have fired a second round. While therefore our people were strengthening the château of Arcangues by _abattis_ and throwing up a breastwork, the older heads declared that it was all a sham. And so indeed it proved. For though some fighting was anticipated on the 12th, and though in the afternoon the 1st and 3rd Battalions fell in with the supposed intention of driving the enemy’s outposts further back from the ridge in front of Arcangues, yet nothing was done. And in the night between the 12th and 13th, the sentries of the picquets having reported that the enemy’s fires were burning more brightly than usual, the _ruse_ was suspected. And an officer with a patrol, having crept up to their lines, found them almost abandoned. The truth is that Soult had withdrawn his force in front of the Riflemen, to attack General Hill’s force on their right. In the morning the Riflemen moved forward to the ridge of Bassussari, and had some little firing with the rear-guard, which had not yet cleared off; but one of the known signals being made (an officer holding up his cap on the top of his sword), the firing ceased; and the Riflemen were suffered without any opposition to advance their outposts to the ground they had occupied before the attack on them on the 9th.