a quarter past ten
Soon after ten o'clock the regiment formed up . Terence had given detailed orders to the captain of each company . These were instructed to call up their men twenty at a time , and to explain their orders to them , so that every man should know exactly what to do . No sound had been heard in the village , and Terence felt sure that Herrara must have received his orders , and at a quarter past ten he with one company moved slowly down towards the village ; Bull , with the main body of the force , marching westward along the hills . Six men had volunteered for the service of silencing the French outposts , and these , leaving their muskets behind , stole forward in advance of the company , which halted at some little distance from the French centre . In a quarter of an hour they returned . Eight French sentries had been surprised and killed , the Portuguese crawling up to them until near enough to spring upon and stab them without the slightest alarm being given .