APENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



159 



moved forward with a hastened 

 step, and shortly before day-light 

 entered the enclosures of the vil- 

 lage. It was then that we plainly 

 perceived that the Mahratta or 

 Pindarry horse were either mount- 

 ed or mounting for a march : 

 under these circumstances no time 

 was to be lost, and being then 

 only a few paces, as 1 supposed, 

 from their rear picquet, I directed 

 Lieutenant Beach to give them a 

 volley from the front rank of the 

 leading division, having previously 

 ordered the front ranks only of the 

 leading divisions of the 3d and 

 14th to load : this was accordingly 

 done ; and the column immediately 

 after rushed I'orwaid to the charge. 

 The horse fled in all directions , leav- 

 ingfiftyor sixty killed and wounded 

 on the ground. Tht^y were pur- 

 sued for some distance, when the 

 exhausted state of the men, and 

 the scattered order whicli they 

 were necessarily obliged to assume 

 for a pursuit, induced me to con- 

 centrate my little force ; and I 

 was the more persuaded of the 

 propriety of this measure from ob- 

 serving considerable Ijodies of 

 horse apparently well organized, 

 in commanding situations on our 

 flanks. This arrangement, I pre- 

 sume, induced them to draw off; 

 nor did 1 deem it right or expe- 

 dient to continue a pursuit after 

 a fresh body of horse, with in- 

 fantry jaded and exhausted from 

 our long marclics, continued for 

 five successive days and nights. 



At ten or eleven a. m vve v.eip 

 called to arms, by the re-appeaj- 

 tnnce of a body of about 'iOO well- 

 mounted horse, in promiscuous 

 order, who, after firing a few 

 shots from their matchlocks at the 



party brought out to keep them in 

 check, retired. 



I omitted to mention before, 

 that this body of horse, which 

 could not have been less then 

 4,000, murdered Lieut. Warre, of 

 the Madras artillery, and his sepoy 

 guard, at the village of Soome, 

 on the evening of the 16th, a few 

 hours prior tomypassing through 

 it ; and that they plundered all 

 the smaller unprotected villages 

 on their route from the southward 

 to Piittre. 



Some baggage, a quantity of 

 arms, and from 100 to 150 horses 

 of different descriptions, were left 

 uj)on the ground ; the greatest 

 part of which were pillaged by the 

 villagers in the neiabourhood dur- 

 ing tiie pursuit, &c. 



1 am happy to add, that we met 

 with no casualties, with the ex- 

 ception of one non-commissioned 

 officer of the 2d Bombay Native 

 Infantry wounded. 



Had we not unfoi tunately been 

 led out of the route by the guides, 

 as before mentioned, we should 

 in all probability have found the 

 enemy less prepared for flight, and 

 consequently hiive been enabled to 

 give a better account of them ; as 

 it is, however, I hope you will 

 give me credit when I assure you, 

 that every exertion was made hy 

 both officers and men for the pub- 

 lic service; and 1 feel great plea- 

 sure in having this opportunity of 

 bearing testimony to the cheer- 

 fulness Avith which they bore the 

 fatigues, and the zeal and alacrity 

 with which the officers performed 

 their several duties. 



I estimate the dii>tancc traversed 

 by the detachment to be about 

 150 miles, including the morning 



it 



