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138 men, and allowing his guns to be dragged into a good position, he made no effort to stem the growing insurrection, although the Sháh himself asked more than once why our troops were not moving forward. In vain did Lawrence urge him to march at once into the city. 'My force,' he answered, 'is inadequate, and you don't appear to know what street-firing is.' To the amazed annoyance both of Lawrence and the Sháh, he stood there inert and paralyzed, while the work of rapine and destruction went on below, and two brave officers, Trevor and Mackenzie, with a handful of resolute followers, were defending their isolated posts in the city against swarms of assailants, armed with long jazails or matchlocks, which carried much further than the muskets of our Sepoys.