224 



Eughieer crossed the paddy field to inspect a 

 dusuft, u-bieh flanked the right of the road, but 

 Ibund no works thrown upon jt. Lieut- Poole 

 also proceeded oa the road towards Bukit .Se- 

 boosa. but was recalled by the bu^'le before he 

 reached that place. The reconnoisanccs having 

 beea completed, the officersi and their escort re- 

 turned to the covering party, which was uomo* 

 lested throughout. 



Biiial Mutjji. one of the guides, who was a 

 l^annijigite of some importance* gave itiformalion 

 before day-break of the i7th that the enemy had 

 during the night thrown up two breast- works, 

 right and left of the road on the hither side 

 of the cutting. This man. when accompanying 

 the coTcring parties, dress^ed hjmselt in such a 

 manner as to disguise himself from the Nanning- 

 ites, with whom he used to a^isociate at night, 

 and assist in constructing their defences, so that 

 his information was the best that could be procur- 

 ed Lq camp. 



The covering party this day consisted of the 

 F. company of ihe 5th under Ensign Thomson, 

 and the small howitzer under 2d Lieutenant Law- 

 ford ; Engineer Officer, Lieutenant Watts. Short 

 ly after the party had started Colonel Her- 

 bert, having received intelligence that opposi- 

 tion was likely to l)e offered, as stockades had 

 been erected, directed that Lieutenant Begbie 

 should join with the 5^ inch mortar, which he 

 accordingly did* and assumed command of the 

 whole, having been previously directed to a^jply 

 to Ensign Thomson for his instructions. A uns- 

 conception of the orders thus pirsied on from one 



f 



