whil.'<t tiiere was a single post between its 

 present posiiion and the H:ivildaf s guard, which 

 was catijctiurtd to be at Soongei Pattye. In the 

 event o I that small party having been cut off. ttiere 

 would n )t have been a aingle conaectiug link be- 

 tween Mutiikee, and iMalacca. 



Tl.!^ circumstance had been taken into consj- 

 deraliun and duly weiifbed belV.re-hand ; but, as 

 every disjiosahle man iiad been drawn iVom Ma^ 

 lacca, and yei the bodv njovrng m advance, con- 

 sisted i^fonlv u hundred and fifty bayonets, it 

 it was clear ih-M, weakeainjj this hnndful ufraen, 

 by Ie;iviug detached parties at intervening dis- 

 tances, would only subject it to be cut up in de- 

 tail Tf\e die had therefore beea cast before 

 the expedition Rirtrtedr if the game were to be 

 played, it mu^t be played boldfy : it was so play- 

 ed, and, ahhongh it proved unsuccessful, it can- 

 not be denied that, de^tpite of every adverse cir- 

 cumstance, the troops had performed more than 

 coiddhave been expected of them, aud had arrived 

 at that point where defeat was no disgrace. 



A&airs were now lapidly drawing to a crisis: 

 at six p. Ai, firing was heard between MuUikee 

 aiid Mabcca, which, being kept up without in- 

 ternaission until d p. m., induced a belief that the 

 bag expected suppliers were at length upon the 

 road, and that the receipt of thera would enable 

 the troops to move on the nejtt day to Taboo, 

 which, with the inaccuracy which had distinguish- 

 ed all the preceding statements of dLstances, was 

 said to be di^^tant two miles, although actually 

 upwards of fiive. As the only possibility of ad- 

 vancing rented on the supplies, a flavildars party 



