177 



was despatched by Captain Wyllie at eight 

 o'clock in order to strengthen the convoy. 



At ten p. M. the musketry, which had been in- 

 creaeing in liveliness, now rumbled in a heavy and 

 incessant roll, which continued to be sharply kept 

 up until about two A. of the tenth, at which 

 hour the havildar s party rejoined, stating that it 

 had proceeded a considerable way, without meet- 

 ing either friend or foe, and had consequently re- 

 turned. The firing now considerably abated, and 

 by 4 A. M. had sunk into total silence. Whilst 

 the ringing of a single shot could be heard, it was 

 evident that some of the gallant little band* was 

 yet stru^jgling for existence, but the dead still- 

 ness which had ensued induced a painful belief, 

 amounting almost to a certainty, that the last of 

 the convoy had paid the price of his unflinching 

 fidelity with his life. 



Another havitdar^s party, escorting seventy coo- 

 lies, was sent back at 6 a, m. of the tenth, with 

 the faint hope of perhaps being able to assist that 

 of Soongei Pattye, or, at all events, redeeming a 

 portion of the stores ; and the returnof this detach- 

 ment was anxiously expected, as its report would 

 at once decide the movements of the main body. 

 At six A. M. a faint glimmer of hope was inspir- 

 ed by a flag of truce entering the camp, which 

 fihot up considerably when it was discovered that 

 the bearer of it was the son of Datloo Malalu. 



Lookin^^ back at this distance of time, and care- 

 fully weigliing all the information subsequently 

 obtained, 1 cannot avoid coming to the conclusion 

 that the tale told by this man was true, and the 



Y 



7^1 



