248 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



was in former days an event very celebrated in the 

 annals of our Indian wars ; it is now almost entirely 

 forgotten. A very brief account of it may therefore, 

 perhaps, prove interesting. I describe the occur- 

 rences as I have heard them narrated by officers 

 who had themselves been present and taken part in 

 them. 



It was arranged by Sir Rollo that the fort should 

 be attacked at the same time by three different 

 divisions and at three different points. The signal for 

 the attack was to be the firing of a gun, and the gun 

 was to be fired from the head of the division which Sir 

 Rollo himself was to lead. The time fixed for the 

 attack was the early morning. The morning dawned, 

 the gun was fired, and Sir Rollo's division commenced 

 to move, but it seemed doubtful if the other divisions 

 had heard the report of the gun ; it turned out that 

 they had not. Sir Rollo was entreated to fire a second 

 gun and meanwhile to delay his own advance. He 

 would do neither. 



His division, headed by English soldiers, moved on 

 unsupported. There was other mismanagement. On 

 reaching the fort the troops found themselves in front 

 of a wall which they had no means of ascending ; there 

 they stood exposed to the fire of the Goorkhas above, 

 and this fire from their position they were unable to 

 return. I was told that, in their rage and despair, the 

 soldiers beat at the wall with the butts of their muskets 

 and dug their bayonets into it between the joining of 

 the stones. It was a position where courage could avail 

 nothing. There was no course save to retreat ; but 



I 



