rallied them, and then accompanied them back to their positions. It was 
3-30 p. m. 
Suddenly I saw Spanish troops in the centre falling back too. I knew 
our machine-gun section was with them, and would, at any rate, cover 
their retirement. Yet, if my group could make the 80 yards to the trench 
they were leaving, we could retrieve the situation. There was a little 
crest between it and us. We drew breath at the bottom, and dashed up. 
Twenty yards covered safely. Then a terrific blast of fire. Half my men 
went down. At this rate, we could retake nothing. 
We sent the wounded back and took what cover there was. The Fas- 
cists rushed from the right to outflank us. Those young Spaniards with 
me beat them off. They tried again; again we turned them back. Yet 
it was only a question of time. But if I could hold out there half an hour, 
Joe Hinks would have time to get the British comrades out before they 
were surrounded. 
What had actually happened was that the Fascists had been held 
up by our machine-gun section on the right and and on the rear, but had 
broken the centre. 
At 4-10 young Buck of Nelson, and Sam Masters joined us. Sam was 
game as ever. Young Buck was full of courage. We held on. Our guns 
were red-hot with incessant fire. Three out of fourteen Spaniards were 
left with me. Seven inert bodies lay around. At 4—30p.m. I decided Joe 
Hinks would have done his job. We fell back to rejoin him. We divided 
our little force, Sam Masters taking one group, I the other, each taking 
an opposite side of the valley and retreating, turn and turn about. The 
Moors pressed hard, but seeing they were getting hurt, held off and 
enabled us join the rest of our comrades. 
We got to them. Great confusion prevailed. They were preparing to 
retreat further down the valley, but I knew that if the valley mouth 
was not already occupied by Fascists, it was at least well commanded 
by their fire. There was only one thing to be done — to get up on the 
hills behind, and establish contact with whatever troops had been on our 
flanks, and get them reform the line with us. 
I hastily ran a party of men up a hill at our rear, putting Masters in 
charge with instructions to fire across over our heads and cover our 
withdrawal. I went back for the other men. It was here that I found 
our brave Dr. Sollenberger had been killed. 
Joe Hinks had gone further down the valley to locate any other troops 
that might be there. He found some French and German International 
sections and Spaniards. Both he and they were cut off from us by 
heavy fire. So back up the hill, with Master’s men giving us cover- 

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