points where
the enemy seemed to be in the greatest numbers and ordered them to
charge. They dashed forward with a ringing cheer, gained the bank, and
drove the enemy back into the village.

Taking advantage of this success, Mr. Clive turned his attention to
the two field-pieces, which had been surrounded by a party of
Monichund's force.

"Go," he said to me, "order up the volunteers, and rescue those guns."

Elated by this commission I darted towards a little squad composed of
some fifty of the Company's civil servants who had volunteered before
we left Fulta.

"Come on," I shouted, "and take the guns!"

They responded with an answering shout, we charged on the Indians at
the double and drove them off. The artillerymen came up, turned the
guns on the village, and began to shell out the enemy. A minute
afterwards a loud cheer announced a general advance of our whole
force, and Monichund, turning his elephant, fled, followed by all his
men.

While this was taking place the thunder of guns from the direction of
the river told us that the fleet had come up, and was already at work
silencing the artillery of the fort. Colonel Clive called back his men
from the pursuit, and then, finding them utterly exhausted, he
deferred the assault on the fort till the next day, and we again
betook ourselves to repose.

The result of this affair was greatly to encourage us, while we
afterwards learned that it had as much disheartened the Moors. That
presumption which they had felt ever since the fall of Calcutta was
now exchanged for a different feeling, so much so that it may not be
too much to say that the fate of Bengal was decided by that morning's
work. The admiration which I felt for Mr. Clive's conduct on this
occasion emboldened me to offer him my congratulations on his victory,
but he rebuked me for doing do.

"I will tell you what it is, young gentleman," he said to me, "I
deserved to have been defeated for my carelessness in letting the
beggars surprise me. It is true we beat them off, but that is no
defence. A general should not allow himself to be caught napping in
that fashion, and you may depend on it I shall say as little as
possible about this day's work in my despatches to the Directors."

In this confidential way he was pleased to talk with me, a freedom
which it was his habit to indulge in with all those of his
subordinates whom he really liked. For this hero, as I must have
leave to call him, was not one