He was a young man, of three or four and twenty; of slim figure and with a handsome, thoughtful face.

He had been a student of divinity at Salamanca, but had killed a French officer in a duel, brought on by the insolence of the latter; and had been compelled to fly.

A few men had gathered round him, and he had at once raised his standard as a guerilla chief.
At first his operations had been on a very small scale; but the success that had attended these enterprises, and the reports of his reckless bravery, had speedily swelled the number of his followers; and although as a rule he kept only a hundred with him, he could at any time, by sending round a summons, collect five times that number, in a few hours.
When Terence introduced himself as the colonel of the two battalions that had arrived, at Miranda, to operate in conjunction with him, Moras held out his hand frankly.
"I am very glad indeed to meet you, Colonel O'Connor," he said.

"I received a despatch four days ago from your general, saying that the Minho regiment would shortly arrive at Miranda, to act in concert with me.

I was glad indeed when I heard of this, for the name of the regiment is well known, on this side of the frontier as well as on the other, having been engaged in many gallant actions; and your name is equally well known, in connection with it; but I hardly expected to meet you, for the despatch said the Minho regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Herrara." "Yes.