"Years passed. I was captain in General Oribe's army at the siege of
my own city. One day a lad was captured in our lines, and came very
near being put to death as a spy. He had come out from Montevideo, and
was looking for me. He had been sent, he said, by Transita de la Barca,
who was lying ill in the town, and desired to speak to me before she
died. I asked and obtained permission from our General, who had a
strong personal friendship for me, to penetrate into the town. This
was, of course, dangerous, and more so for me, perhaps, than it would
have been for many of my brother officers, for I was very well known
to the besieged. I succeeded, however, by persuading the officers of
a French sloop of war, stationed in the harbour, to assist me. These
foreigners at that time had friendly relations with the officers of
both armies, and three of them had at one time visited our General to
ask him to let them hunt ostriches in the interior. He passed them on
to me, and, taking them to my own _estancia_, I entertained them
and hunted with them for several days. For this hospitality they had
expressed themselves very grateful, inviting me repeatedly to visit
them on board, and also saying that they would gladly do me any personal
service in the town, which they visited constantly. I love not the
French, believing them to be the most vain and egotistical, consequently
the least chivalrous, of mankind; but these officers were in my debt,
and I resolved to ask them to help me.
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