Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/607

Book XII. piece next, and beyond 200 Sepoys on each of their flanks: the cavalry formed the third line; the 80 Europeans, as before, in the centre of the black horse; the two field-pieces with the two companies of Sepoys of the morning still continued apart, advanced as before a little on the left of the first line.

As the English army were marching up, and before they were within cannon shot, Mr. Lally, putting himself at the head of the European cavalry on the right, set off with them, and taking a large sweep on the plain, came down, intending to fall upon the horse of the English army, which made their third line. The black horse, who were nine-tenths of this body, pretended to wheel, in order to meet the enemy's, but purposely confused themselves so much, that some went off immediately, which gave a pretext to the rest to follow them, and the 80 Europeans were left alone, who faced and drew up properly to receive the charge, relying on better assistance. As soon as the intention of Mr. Lally was understood, the division of Sepoys on the left of the first line were ordered to fall back in an angle from the front, ready to take the enemy's cavalry in flank as they were approaching, but performed the evolution with so little firmness, that little hope was entertained of any execution from their fire; but Captain Barker with the two guns of the separate detachment, had watched, and directing his own by the movement of the enemy, was within point blank of them just before they were opposite and riding in on the flank and rear of the horse, where only the European were ready to oppose them, for all the black were gone. In less than a minute the quick firing of the two guns brought down ten or fifteen men or horses, which, as usual, threw the next to them, and they the whole, into confusion; and the horses growing every moment wilder, all turned and went off on the full gallop, leaving Mr. Lally, as he asserts, singly alone. If so, he could not have staid long where he was, for the European horse, on seeing the enemy's check, were advancing; and many of the black, encouraged by the security, were returning, and the whole soon after set off after the enemy, whom they pursued in a long course quite to the rear of their camp.