them, borne in every direction by defeated royalists, who to shield their own failure declared the followers of the lauded Navarrese leader to be demons, not men.[1]
The personal qualities of Mina were well calculated to sustain the fame that had preceded him. There was a combined dash and dignity about him that commanded admiration as well as respect; the stamp of a born leader, exacting an involuntary deference, yet permeated with a generosity and frankness that inspired confidence and love. In manners and accomplishments a gentleman, he possessed also every sterling trait of the soldier. While foremost in a spirited charge, he remained calm throughout the danger, ready to seize the opportunity and direct his officers. Frugal and enduring as was required of the mountain guerrilla, he shared hardship and discomfort with the meanest, cheering the sufferer, and winning the hearts of opponents with his kind sympathy. His broad Spanish face, with its heavy lower chin, the dark bushy hair, and favorite whiskers of his race, gave the impression, primarily, of a man of firmness and action, and one somewhat beyond the twenty-seven years which he had just passed. In figure he was well formed and strongly built, though rather slight, and of scant medium height.[2]
An opportunity soon presented itself to give his new comrades in arms an inspiring proof of his ability. While Armiñan held back under the lesson he had received, Comandante general Ordoñez of Guanajuato, in conjunction with Castañon, renowned both for his successes and cruelties, advanced with 700 men against Sombrero. Mina set out to meet them with about half that number,[3] and brought them to a stand June
