Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/636

612 40 yards, to draw their fire; but the grenadiers of Lorrain, who formed the rear-guard, reserved it with much discipline. At length, however, the foremost troop of horse, led by Assaf beg, a Jemidar of great spirit, broke in upon a platoon, and cub down seven of them; but the next troop drew up their bridles, and were afraid to follow the impression, which otherwise promised to break the whole column, which recovered, and continued its way as before, until they had passed the bound-hedge, under the redoubt of Valdore, which terminates the avenue along which they were marching, when the fire of the redoubt was left free, and Colonel Coote stopped the pursuit. In the mean while, the other division under the command of Captain De Buke, had crossed over to the village of Villenore, and routed the market-people there without resistance, and the black horse with him, joined by more from the main body, collected all worth the while they could carry of, and drove before them all the cattle. The whole assembled again on the hill of Perimbé, where they set fire to the barracks, and the carriage of an eighteen-pounder, for want of proper bullocks to draw it off. In the afternoon, the whole returned to Tritchimungalum, intending to rest the night there; but a corporal of the dragoons deserting, they removed five miles farther back to Manoor; from hence Colonel Coote sent orders to Major Monson, to march the army from Tondivanum against Alamparvah.

The next day he moved himself to Taliaveram, which is five miles from Manoor to the N. E. on the road towards Permacoil; but few of the black horse accompanied him; they were all dispersed to secure or sell the plunder they had got the day before. They, however, came back on the 9th, and he proceeded with them from Taliaveram again to the bound-hedge of Pondicherry, and observed very nearly, without annoyance. On his return, he went to Conymere, where he met Mr. Bussy by appointment, who had been recalled on his parole to Madrass, in order to be sent to Europe, in compliance with the earnest importunity of the Nabob, who regarded him as fraught with more dangerous resources than all his other enemies, and said that if he became free, and commanded, he would