o
revenge themselves upon our friends, who had by this time reached the
outskirts of the place, as we could see by the dotted puffs of smoke
rising whitely here and there among the houses.

Just then, though, we saw a fresh body of sepoys, many hundreds strong,
debouching from a road some fifty yards from that by which we had issued
from the place, evidently to intercept our friends. There was very
little order among them in spite of their being, as their uniform
showed, men of sepoy regiments, and their confusion was our opportunity.

There was a slight alteration of the guns, so that their fire might be
concentrated; and just as they were tearing along, and we saw the
skirmishers of our party issuing from among the houses, we opened a
terrible fire of grape.

The effect was wonderful. At the first shot, the sepoys halted; at the
second they wavered, and by the time the sixth had sent in its deadly
storm, their survivors were in full flight, while, cheering loudly, our
column marched out into sight, and now for the first time, and just as
the waggons and elephants came full in view, we heard, instead of the
rattle of scattered firing, the heavy roar of a volley in the rear.

Then the order was given to double, and the column came on with a couple
of companies in the rear now in sight, taking it in turns to halt,
kneel, and fire a volley before turning and doubling past their comrades
waiting to hold the enemy in check and fire a volley in turn.

For the enemy were in force behind them, and came pouring out in pursuit
till nearly a couple of thousand men must have rushed out of the wide
road, and as they opened out to right and left, firing on the retreating
regiment, the position of our friends was growing perilous in the
extreme. Men were dropping fast, and it was evident that the two rear
companies wanted support.

The support was coming, for our guns were run off to our right, took up
fresh position where we could fire clear of our own men, and rapidly as
they could be served, and the heated vents would permit, a terrific fire
was brought to bear upon the sepoys, crushing them so effectually that
ten minutes after, and only followed by a scattered fire, the infantry
regiment reached the patch of wood, the elephants, ammunition-waggons,
and native followers were placed in safety, and the colonel found time
to canter up to Brace and warmly wring his hand.

"Splendid!" he cried. "We have lost wonderfully few