Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/400

392 march, and halted at the town of Nattam on the farther side of the wood. Some time after the rest of the army entered the pass in the following order of march: some companies of Sepoys led the van; these were followed by a Serjeant and twelve Europeans; and immediately after them came the first division of artillery, with the tumbrils containing military stores; then followed the battalion led by captain Polier, after whom marched the rear division of artillery and tumbrils, which were followed by a serjeant and twelve men, and these by some companies of Sepoys: then followed the baggage of the whole army, carried by bullocks and coolies, with several elephants and camels belonging to Maphuze Khan, and accompanied by some Sepoys to protect them. The rear of the whole line was closed by a guard of 20 Europeans, 40 Caffres, and 200 Sepoys, with a six pounder, under the command of captain Joseph Smith: colonel Heron with a few horse proceeded before the line. Nothing could be blamed in this disposition, excepting that the commanding officer should have been in the center with the battalion, or with the rear guard, which ought to have been stronger: but the report from captain Lin's party, who had passed without interruption, removed every apprehension of danger, and relaxed the spirit of precaution. The whole army had entered the defile, and proceeded, wondering they saw nothing of an enemy of whom they had heard so much; when, by the carelessness of a driver, one of the heaviest tumbrils belonging to the rear division of artillery stuck in a slough, out of which the oxen were not able to draw it: the officers of artillery, however, imagining that they should soon be able to extricate it, suffered the troops marching before them to go on without calling out, or sending to bid them halt; and the officer who commanded in the rear of the battalion, seeing several of the tumbrils following close up with him, did not suspect what had happened, and kept on his way: most of the Sepoys, who marched behind the rear division of artillery, were likewise suffered to pass the carriage in the slough, and proceeded in the rear of those tumbrils which were going on. In the mean time the carriage resisted several different efforts which were made to remove it, and choaking up the road, prevented the other tumbrils which followed, as well as the three field pieces which formed the rear