Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/278

270 opposite to the south-gate of Seringham; the building was 100 feet square, and 30 high; a great number of Coolies were immediately set to work, and before morning they inclosed the choultry with a strong entrenchment, and likewise made a parapet with sand bags round the roof, on which two field pieces were mounted. As it was not doubted that the enemy would make an effort to recover a post so capable of molesting them, captain Dalton determined to support it with the rest of his force; the bed of the Caveri having at this time little or no water, he took post over against the choultry, on the southern bank of the river; where a low wall served the party as a parapet; who had with them four field pieces, which might easily flank the choultry, as the river in this part was only 400 yards wide: the enemy remained quiet until noon, when having sufficiently intoxicated themselves with opium, they began to swarm out in great numbers; but the field pieces kept them for some time at a distance, every shot doing execution. During the cannonade a party of the Nabob's Sepoys crossed the river, and taking possession of a small choultry at a little distance to the right of the other, began to fire from this untenable post; upon which a body of 300 Morattoe horse galloped up to attack them, but before they arrived the Sepoys took flight; several of them were cut to pieces, and the rest re-crossing the river, ran into the city; the Morattoes, encouraged by this success, now galloped up towards the entrenchment of the great choultry, where they were suffered to come so near, that several of them made use of their sabres across the parapet before the troops within gave fire, which then began, and seconded by that of the four pieces of cannon on the other side of the river, killed and wounded a great number of men and horses, and obliged the enemy to retire in confusion: in this instant an officer unadvisedly took the resolution of quitting his post, and passed the river, in order to give captain Dalton some information concerning the artillery: some of the soldiers seeing this, imagined that he went away through fear, and concluding that things were worse than appeared to them, followed his example, and ran out of the entrenchment; which the rest perceiving, a panic seized the whole, and they left the post with the greatest