Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/279

Book IV. precipitation, notwithstanding they had the minute before given three huzzas, on the retreat of the Morattoes: a body of 3000 Mysore horse, who were drawn up on the bank, immediately galloped into the bed of the river, and charging the fugitives with fury, cut down the whole party excepting 15 men: flushed with this success, they made a push at captain Dalton's division on the other side. All these motions succeeded one another so rapidly, that he had hardly time to put his men on their guard; more especially as many of them had caught the panic, from having been spectators of the massacre of their comrades: however some of the bravest hearkening to his exhortations stood firm by the artillery; their behaviour encouraged the Sepoys, who made a strong fire from behind the low wall in their front, which, accompanied by the grape-shot of the four field pieces, soon abated the ardour of the enemy, and obliged them to retreat, leaving some horses, whose riders fell within 20 yards of the muzzles of the guns: captain Dalton then advanced a little way into the bed of the river, where he remained until he had collected the dead and wounded. Not a man who escaped could give any reason why he quitted his post, all of them acknowledging that at the time when they took flight only one man in the entrenchment was wounded, and that they had nine barrels of ammunition.

This disaster diminished the strength of the garrison near one half, not by the number, but the quality of the troops that were lost; for the killed and disabled were 70 Europeans, and 300 of the best Sepoys, together with the lieutenants Wilkey and Crow; who having endeavoured in vain to rally the men, gallantly determined to stay in the entrenchment, where they were cut down. No farther hopes therefore remained of driving the regent out of Seringham; on the contrary, it became necessary for the garrison, thus lessened, to give their whole attention to the security of the city; and all negotiations between the Nabob and the regent being at an end, captain Dalton turned out the 700 Mysoreans, suffering them to retire peaceably with their arms and baggage: but he detained their commander Gopaulrauze, the regent's brother, permitting him however to keep such domesticks as he thought proper.