old place. Not because I am afraid about our share in that business being
discovered, but we have been here nearly a fortnight now, and as we know
there is a strong French force within ten miles of us, I think that it is
about time that the fun began. You don't think that we are going to
retreat, do you?"

"I don't know any more about it than you do, Dicky; but I feel absolutely
sure that we shall retreat. I don't see anything else for us to do. Every
day fresh news comes in about the strength of the French, and as the
Spanish resistance is now pretty well over, and Madrid has fallen, they
will all be free to march against us; and even when Hope has joined us we
shall only be about 20,000 strong, and they have, at the least, ten times
that force. I thing we shall be mighty lucky if we get back across the
frontier into Portugal before they are all on us."

Sir John Moore, however, was not disposed to retire without doing
something for the cause of Spain. The French armies had not yet penetrated
into the southern provinces, and he nobly resolved to make a movement that
would draw the whole strength of the French towards him, and give time for
the Spaniards in the south to gather the remains of their armies together
and organize a resistance to the French advance. In view of the number and
strength of the enemy, no more heroic resolution was ever taken by a
military commander, and it was all the more to be admired, inasmuch as he
could hope to win no victory that would cover himself and his army with
glory, no success that would satisfy the public at home, and at best he
could but hope, after long, fatiguing, and dangerous marches, to effect
his retreat from the overwhelming forces that would be hurled against him.

While remaining at Salamanca, Sir John, foreseeing that a retreat into
Portugal must be finally carried out, took steps to have magazines