Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/425

Book X. town of St. Thomé; but Captain Preston thinking this a hazardous enterprize, resolved to participate in it, and accompanied him with 80 Europeans, two field-pieces, and six companies of Sepoys, from his garrison. They arrived at the Mount on the 29th, and were rejoined the same day by the horse from Conjeveram: during the ensuing night, a detachment of 500 Europeans, of which 100 were cavalry, 600 Sepoys, and 800 black horse, marched from the black town and other posts, under the command of Mr. Soupire, and at day-break the next morning had passed the village of Sidapet, and were within sight of the Mount before their approach was known; however, the activity of Preston and Mahomed Issoof stopt the effects of the surprize, and in a few minutes the troops from both their camps were in march: the enemy halted and began to cannonade, which was returned and continued until 11 o'clock, when Captain Preston seeing an advantage, made a push with the Chinglapet troops, and seized two of their guns, whilst Mahomed Issoof with his, kept the main body at bay and prevented them from making an effort to rescue them; however, the enemy retreated in good order to Sidapet; for the greatest part of Mahomed Issoof's cavalry were, if possible, worse than the black horse with the French, and few of either ventured within arm's length of each other. Fifteen of the French Europeans, with some of their Sepoys and horses, were left dead on the plain, but they carried away their wounded, of whom fifteen were troopers; most of this execution was done by the field-pieces; the Chinglapet troops lost only one European but several Sepoys; and more of Mahomed Issoofs Sepoys with some of his horsemen, were killed and wounded; both Preston's and Mahomed Issoofs divisions continued at the Mount. At break of day the next morning, 1000 Sepoys, with the troop of horse, sallied from the garrison of Fort St. George by the southern gate, in order to beat up the guards at the bar of the river, the garden-house, and the village of Triplicane, which they effected without opposition; they likewise intercepted a tappy or letter-carrier, coming with many to the French army, which gave information of the arrival of a vessel at Pondicherry from the island of Mauritius with 70 chests of silver. This