He had already, knowing that great bodies of French cavalry had crossed the Mondego, called in the companies that were working Leiria and the coast; as they might otherwise have been cut up, in detail, by the French cavalry.

With these he marched east, picking up the other companies as he went and, on the same evening, the regiment was collected on the Zezere.
Having followed the river up, he reached Foz d'Aronce and then, finding that several bodies of French troops had already passed through that village, he turned to the left and camped close to the Mondego; sending ten of his men over the river, in peasants' clothes, to ascertain the movements of the enemy.

One of them returned with news that he had come upon a party of Trant's men, who told him that their main body were but two miles away, and that there were no French north of Coimbra.
The regiment had made a march of upwards of forty miles that day.
Therefore, leaving them to rest, Terence forded the Mondego and rode, with Ryan, to Trant's village.
"I am glad, indeed, to see you, O'Connor," the partisan leader said, as Terence entered the cottage where he had established himself.

"Is your regiment with you ?" "Yes, it is three miles away, on the other side of the river.

We have marched something like eighty miles, in two days.