Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/525

Book XI panic themselves, and broke, before the enemy's Europeans were at their breasts; and all instantly fell under the sabres of their black cavalry: meanwhile the exhortations of Ralliard and Kistnarow were vain to retain the Nabob's, who went off on the full gallop in the road to Tritchinopoly. All the Europeans were killed, or made prisoners: all the Sepoys threw down their arms, and suffered more as the enemy did not think them worth taking, and only 200 of them got back to Tritchinopoly. Kistnarow, seeing all lost, followed the Nabob's cavalry; Ralliard road back to the enemy, discharged his pistols at the first he met, and then galloped out of their reach. He was afterwards found dead five miles from the field of action; his head and breast bruised with violent strokes of his pistol, under which he is supposed, as he had neither cartridges nor sword, to have expired, and to have inflicted this severe, but needless execution on himself, to avoid the disgrace of his defeat. The enemy returned to Thiagar, and summoned Kisbnarow's officer in the upper fort to surrender, who, encouraged by Serjeant Hunterman, refused; which obliged them to send to Chittapet and Vandiwash, for three mortars, and more Europeans. They fired and bombarded the rock until the 25th; when Hunterman, having nearly expended all the ammunition, capitulated to 600 Europeans, and obtained honourable terms for the whole garrison, Kistnarow's people as well as the English Sepoys; all being permitted to march away with their arms, their persons without search, their baggage on oxen, and under an escort of French troops to the distance they chose: the artillery only excepted. The gallantry of Hunterman was rewarded with an Ensign's commission. Nothing of consequence had passed between the two armies since they went into cantonments, except reciprocal excursions of small parties to drive off cattle, of which the English collected 5 or 6000. The French garrison in the fort of Arcot consisted of 60 Europeans and six companies of Sepoys: and being as ill paid as the rest of the troops, the Sepoys made overtures to Colonel Monson, proffering to deliver up the fort for a reward in money. At the same time, the Kellidar of Covrepauk, in which were only ten Europeans, and he