Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/438

414 to fire into the trench extending before the hospital battery; but the guard there taking the alarm in time, 50 men advanced across the bridge leading to it, and after a fire given and returned, drove the party back into the covered-way. Another sally of 12 Europeans was made at one in the morning, under the Command of Ensign Barnes, against the head of the enemy's trenches, into which they gave their fire, and finding only five or six men in it, advanced, until a relief, of 40 or 50 came up from the rear, who drove them back, and before they regained the covered-way, Ensign Barnes, with two of the soldiers, were killed. Before and after this sally, a constant fire, as in the preceding nights, was kept up until morning on the enemy's workmen; who, notwithstanding these interruptions, advanced the sap above 20 yards. Even the garrison acknowledged the activity of the enemy's progress, and frequent letters had been dispatched, enjoining Captain Preston and Mahomed Issoof to approach, and interrupt their operations; but these officers were no longer masters of their own. Retreating after the action at Trivambore, they arrived at Vendalore on the 3d, where they found some provisions. Preston's division was unimpaired; of Mahomed Issoof's, most of the Tritchinopoly Sepoys, and 150 of the new-levied horse, had rejoined the rest of those who had fled to Chinglapet, who were the 1500 Colleries and 500 horse sent by Tondiman, the 300 horse from Tanjore, and the same number of his own levies; and all these troops refused to march back from Chinglapet to Vendalore. The kind of warfare for which they were intended, and only fit, rendered their desertion in the present conjuncture of too much consequence to be neglected: and after several ineffectual messages, the two commanders marched on the 6th from Vendalore, and joined them at Chinglapet. On expostulation, the cavalry in general pleaded with much complaint, the loss, although owing to their own cowardice, of their baggage and effects at Trivambore, and little less than declared, that they had not engaged in the service, with the expectation of exposing their horses against Europeans, but were willing to act in their usual modes; which Preston rightly interpreted plunder; and to gratify their