248 TRAVEL, ADVENTUKE, AND SPOET. 



whole day ; but though three of them were Syuds, 

 they could not prevent what occurred. Scarcely had 

 we proceeded homewards a mile, when we noticed 

 bodies of armed men hurrying along a ridge to our 

 left, and soon we were under a smart fire from every 

 knoll and bush around us. A remonstrance against 

 their conduct, when we were there with the permis- 

 sion of their chiefs, only elicited a volley, and loud 

 yells of " Ali ! Ali ! " The sepoys now opened out 

 in skirmishing order. A sudden sharp, fire soon drove 

 our enemies behind cover, and taught them caution ; 

 but far from all supports, and unable to secure a 

 good position, we were obliged for the next two hours 

 to skirmish slowly back from bush to bush and rock 

 to rock. The steadiness of the sepoys and the 

 Sniders kept the enemy back, till we found ourselves 

 obliged to descend a steep, stony, bare ridge. A 

 heavy flank-fire had compelled us to keep on one side 

 of the spur leading to this, and we were thus unaware 

 that a body of the fanatics were hurrying on parallel 

 to us within a few yards. As soon as they saw us 

 crawling down the rocks, a wild " Allahi ! Allah ! " 

 rang out, and in a moment after they dashed on us 

 sword in hand. For the first few seconds all seemed 

 lost ; in a few more the fanatics had been driven 

 back under cover, leaving some of their number on 

 the ground. One sepoy had been killed and one 

 wounded, both with sword-cuts. Almost immedi- 

 ately after a heavy fire was again opened on us, and 



