Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/277

Book IV. whilst the other, drawn up in a more compart manner, were ordered to halt as soon as they came amongst the tents, and there remain as a support to the first party; who moving on, found the enemy's advanced guard fast asleep, and stabbing them with their bayonets, entered the camp without opposition, and to the right and left began a brisk fire from front to rear. The alarm was instantly spread, and produced such consternation, that nothing was heard but the shrieks of men wounded, and the outcries of others warning their friends to fly from the danger. The enemy, according to their senseless custom, raised a number of blue lights in the air, in order to discover the motions of the column, but these lights served much better to direct the fire against themselves; in the mean time those within the pagoda manned the walls, but refrained from firing for fear of killing their own people in the camp, who in less than an hour were totally dispersed; and if the English had brought with them a petard, they would probably have forced into the pagoda, and have finished the war by securing the person of the regent. Every thing being now quiet, the Sepoys were permitted to take as many horses as they could conveniently lead away; and marching foremost out of the camp, were followed by the Europeans in good order; but by this time the Mysoreans within the pagoda, finding by the extinction of the lights, that none of their own army remained within reach, began to fire smartly from the walls, and killed and wounded 20 men, of whom seven were Europeans. The troops reached the city by day break, when they discovered the enemy returning to the island, who immediately struck all their tents. and retired into the pagoda. This sufficiently shewed their panic: but nevertheless it was evident that their continuance in the neighbourhood would prevent the inhabitants from bringing in provisions, of which they began already to feel the want; captain Dalton therefore determined to bombard the pagoda, not doubting, that if he could drive the enemy out of it, their fears would deter them from encamping again within a night's march. With this view he sent half his force the following night across the river, and dislodged them from a great choultry that stands by the water side, directly