English troops, who gave them no time to fall back
through the narrow openings in the palings. These were soon blocked
by the dying and dead.

Some of the Shans, led by their chiefs, fought with desperate
courage; but were unable to stand the advance of the British, whose
steady volleys, poured in at distances of a few yards, swept them
away. Wounded horses, rushing wildly about in the throng, added to
the terrible confusion. Groups of men endeavoured to cut a way
through the stockades behind, others strove to climb over. Maha
Nemiow was killed, while bravely exhorting his men to stand their
ground, and one of the heroic Amazons was shot. As soon as the
troops reached the spot where she fell, and saw that she was a
woman, she was carried into a cottage; and there died, a few hours
afterwards. Stockade after stockade was carried, until the whole
position fell into our hands.

In the meantime the other column, commanded by General Campbell
himself, and consisting of the 13th, 38th, 47th, and 87th
Regiments, and the 38th Madras Infantry, had moved down on the
other side of the Nawine river; and taken up a position to command
the ford there, by which the fugitives from the stockade must
cross, on their way to join the centre. As the crowd of frightened
men issued from the jungle, and poured across the ford, the
artillery opened upon them with shrapnel, and completed their
discomfiture. All thought of joining the centre was abandoned and,
re-entering the jungle, they scattered; and the greater portion of
them started for their homes, intent only on avoiding another
contest with their foes. Another of the Burmese heroines was
killed, at the ford.

Three hundred men had been killed, at the storming of the stockade;
but a far greater loss took place in the retreat--very few of the
Shans ever regaining their country; the greater portion perishing
from starvation, in the great forests through which they travelled
in order to escape the Burmese authorities, who would have forced
them to rejoin the army.

Chapter 17: The Pride Of Burma Humbled.

As soon as the victory was completed, the troops piled arms; and
were allowed two hours' rest. Then they marched back, to the point
where General Campbell's division had forded the Nawine river in
the morning. From this point, a path led towards the enemy's
centre; this it was determined to attack, at daybreak on the
following morning, before the news of the defeat of its lef