selves in a very reckless manner.

There was a wall forming the side of the rope-walk, about four feet
high, and behind this wall we stood and fired at the Moors as they
showed themselves in any of the streets commanded by our position. I
cannot describe how interested and excited I got in this cruel sport,
for such it resembled. I chose for myself a long, narrow street
leading to the southward, with about a dozen lanes crossing it from
east to west. Loading my gun and resting it on the coping of the wall
with the muzzle pointed down this street, I kept my eyes on the
various openings. Every quarter of an hour, perhaps, a small party of
soldiers in bright silk turbans, with glittering arms and armour,
would pass out from one of the lanes into this street, either crossing
it or moving up or down. Each time I would wait till a whole group
emerged, so as to have a bigger target, and then discharge my piece.
Almost invariably a man would fall, and the whole party, terrified and
not understanding the smallness of our force, would run into one of
the lanes adjoining, leaving a wounded or dead man lying in the
deserted street. This went on till, I think, fifteen or twenty bodies
lay at different points along the roadway, besides those who, being
slightly hurt, had crawled away into shelter.

In the end I suppose the Moorish leader in this part of the attack
must have had notice of our proceedings; for presently a force of some
thirty or forty Indians emerged suddenly from a corner very near the
rope-walk and advanced towards us at a run, firing freely as they
came. Now it was that one of our men was hit for the first time, a
Company's servant named Parkes, a young lad who had arrived in Bengal
only six weeks before from England. A ball struck him under the right
eye, and he died in a few minutes.

This accident caused the rest of us to take more care. Nevertheless,
we managed to get off a good volley before the enemy could arrive as
far as the wall, wounding several. The rest wavered, and would,
perhaps, have fled but for the action of their leader, a tall, fine
man, having a great scymetar in his hand, with which he struck his men
violently on the shoulders to urge them forward. Seeing them resume
their rush at our position, I looked round at my own men, and to my
disgust found several preparing to desert their places and retire
further back.

"Stop!" I shouted angrily. "Let us show these black villains we are
not afraid