Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/352

344 so little, little danger was apprehended; and it was imagined that a party of Tanjorine horse which lay encamped at Cootaparah, five miles north-east of Elimiserum, would join the escort upon any emergency: but these, whether inadvertently, or from a malicious design of avoiding the service expected from them, quitted their post the 12th of February, the very day that the escort marched; which, however, arrived without interruption at Tricatapoly in the evening, from whence they set out with the convoy the next day, and gained Kelli Cotah, where they passed the night: this fort is situated about five miles to the east of Cootaparah, and the road between these two places lies through the skirts of Tondiman's woods. The enemy at Seringham receiving intelligence that the party were returning, determined to meet them with a sufficient force; 12000 horse, Morattoes and Mysoreans, 6000 Sepoys, 400 Europeans, with seven pieces of cannon, crossed the river in the night, and posted themselves a little to the east of Cootaparah. The convoy continuing their march at day -break the 15th, advanced two miles from Kelli Cotah without any suspicion of danger; when they discovered at a distance several bodies of cavalry moving on all sides amongst the thickets and underwood. The commanding officer nevertheless made no change in his disposition, which happened to be the very worst that could have been imagined; for he had distributed the troops in small bodies along each side of the line of bullocks and carts, and even in the front and rear kept no more than a single platoon. The Morattoes were commanded by Morari-row and Innis Khan, who soon discovered the weakness of this order of march, and resolved to take advantage of it without waiting for the French troops. On a sudden, all the different bodies of cavalry, which surrounded the convoy, set up a shout in concert, and galloping up at full speed charged every part of the line almost in the same instant; some pushing on to the intervals which separated the different platoons, and then falling on their flanks, whilst others attacked them in front. The onset was so sudden and impetuous, that few of the English troops had time to give more than a single discharge, after which, what resistance they made, was all pell-mell, and in confusion, every man trusting only to himself, and resolving to sell his life as dear as possible.