Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/105

Book VI. them continually with skirmishes, even by night as well as day. At nine at night they began their march, the preparations for which had been perceived, and gave the enemy time to make their own. The road for the first four miles winded through defiles in the rugged rock, over which carriages could not pass without attention to every turn of the wheel. The enemy in several places felled the wood across the road, and all their infantry were in possession of the most advantageous stations before the French troops entered the defiles; and their fire, especially from the caytocks, was much better directed than against the former marches. Men began to fall in the first discharges; no general rules of action could be observed; to get onward was the only principle; it was now become fortunate for the French line that they had no baggage, and nothing to defend but themselves and their artillery; which, although a great encumbrance in the defiles, was to be their best resource when out of them. A large body of the enemy's cavalry, led by Candagla the Morattoe, followed the line into the defile, and through the night endeavoured to retard the march by their din and clamours, but as soon as it was light, acted with more efficacy: for, as many as the road permitted charged the rear, although the guard consisted entirely of Europeans, and had two field-pieces: it was commanded by D'Arambure, an officer of proved gallantry, and next in rank to Mr. Law. Still repulsed, the cavalry still renewed their onsets. Europeans were cut down, and Morattoes shot at the very muzzles of the guns. At sun-rise the van of the line came to the issue of the defile, against which the enemy had planted all their cannon, 20 pieces; behind which appeared all the cavalry which had not followed in the rear; but they seemed to rely on the artillery more than on themselves, which was so ill-served, that it neither interrupted the troops in issuing out of the defile, nor afterwards from forming in the opening; when the field-pieces, as they came out were turned to scour the thickets behind, and soon drove away what parties of the enemy were still molesting the remaining part of the line. Whilst the troops were forming, the enemy's cavalry and cannon in the front hastened onward, to pass a small river called