one
o'clock in the morning
His notion , no doubt , was to paralyze the action of the enemy by exciting suspicions of treachery among their leaders , but the means which he took to do so were base and unworthy in the extreme . He began with the Spanish officer who had brought the capitulation , giving him a garbled account of his interview with Mahony , and then endeavoring to bribe him to desert to the Austrian cause , insinuating that he had succeeded by this means with Mahony . As the earl expected , he failed to induce the Spaniard to desert , but he succeeded in his purpose of filling his mind with suspicions of treachery on the part of Mahony . Mahony had conducted the negotiations in a manner worthy of a loyal and skillful officer ; he had stipulated not to leave the town till one o'clock in the morning , and that Peterborough should not pass the river until that hour . This he had arranged in order to allow the Duke of Arcos time to reach the plains , where he was to be joined by the horse from Murviedro . But Peterborough 's machinations had been effectual ; the Spanish officer , on his return , informed his countrymen that Mahony had betrayed them , and the troops and populace became enraged against the unfortunate Irishman and threatened his life . Peterborough , who , in spite of his perverted notions of honor , would not on any account have passed the river before the time stipulated , heard the neighing of horses in the town and supposed that some of the troops were leaving it .