183 



guard bad cleared the works, Ensign Short and 

 Mr. AFijiistaBt Surgeon Smith fired the piles of 

 gun carriages and provUions. The enemy came 

 rushing on with a y^li, but these officers effected 

 a junction with the rear guard in safety. A spark 

 falling upon the roof of the bungalow, it rapidly 

 fell a prey to the devouring element, and the 

 sheeted light which burst upwards, and fiery 

 tinge which the ccnflagralion threw upon the 

 dark ma-sses ol' foliage around, it were lovely in 

 the extreme. 



The enemy opened their fire on the rear of the 

 retreating column, which was returned by it, and 

 the discharge of pieces soon became general in 

 spite of ihe repeated bugle call to cease firing. 

 The detachmeui at length reached the Roombi- 

 yah forest, but, by this time, the heavy precur- 

 sory clouds of a Sumatra had blotted the moon 

 and stars out of the heavens, and the road could 

 only be discovered by the flashes of musquetry, 

 or the glances of ihe hghtaing which searched 

 the forest in every direction. The muttering of 

 the thunder assumed every instant a louder vo- 

 lume, and the slow, pattering, big drops tell thick- 

 er and faster. ' Hitherto the obstruction of the 

 felled trees had been surmounted, although cer- 

 tainly with great difficulty, but each successive 

 obstacle rapidly exhausted the strength of the 

 men as the guns were lifted over each by sheer 

 manual labor. Near the summit of the hill^ 

 however, a tremendous tree* was lying across 

 the road, tliree ur four, smaller ones having been 



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an- in din , en /(.^j 



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