command of the cavalry
sat watching the sepoy ranks being ploughed up by our grape and
canister, till they scattered to shelter, and commenced a useless fire
upon us, and then seemed utterly astounded as round shot after round
shot plunged in among their squadrons, making terrible gaps, and
throwing them into utter confusion.

But they closed up again as well as they could, and sat fast in spite of
dozens of the men taking fright and galloping off with riderless horses
over the plain; but half a dozen more shots scattered them again, and
now for the first time the idea seemed to enter the brains of their
leaders that they must act in concert, and after a trooper had dashed
across the road from one side to the other, the new columns advanced,
and we directed our fire right at the thick masses in which they were
formed.

To my mind we had time for one shot, and then I expected the call to
limber up and gallop off, but it did not come; and as we loaded again,
then, with a roar like that of a tempest, the sowars came on till, as we
fired again, we could see their gleaming eyes and the savage rage and
hate in their countenances.

I knew that we should have no time to retreat after those six shots, and
felt that in a few seconds I should be in the midst of a terrible
_melee_.

But our men fired grape and canister now, and as gun after gun sent out
its puff of smoke, a perfect tempest of bullets surged through the
columns, while as I sat fast, panting and awaiting their charge, I found
that Brace knew the enemy better than I, for as the shot tore among them
they broke off to right and left, scattering as they went back toward
the spots from which they had started on their desperate charge, leaving
scores of their men about upon the plain.

"Risky," said Brace to me, as the men ceased firing, and waited for
fresh orders; "but I knew our lads would be steady, and that the
scoundrels would never hold together after those last charges of grape."

"And if they had kept together?"

"If," he said, smiling. "Well, then they would have cut us all down
with their tulwars; but they could not keep together--no sowars could
bear such a tempest as that. Some of them were sure to turn tail, and
then force of example upsets more, and the rest followed them in such a
retreat as you see."

"Look! they are gathering again on each side of the road. Round shot."

Two guns dispersed them this time, for they were evidently preparing t