1835.] History of the Ramoossies. 21 



breakfast, which they would soon finish, and that the villag-- 

 ers could then point them out to the sepoys. The detach- 

 ment accordingly moved towards the hills, where the Bund 

 was said to be, and here they were seen strongly posted. The 

 detachment having divided into several parties, approach- 

 ed the Ramoossy position, and shortly afterwards they com- 

 menced firing on each other, and although they continued 

 skirmishing for several hours, not a man was wounded on 

 either side. The detachment finding that they could not 

 force the gang to quit the ground they occupied, the Duffa- 

 dar commanding the horsemen suggested to the Havildar 

 commanding the Infantry, that he should make a hurried 

 movement to the rear, as if the sepoys were tired of the work, 

 and had determined on retreating, and the horse should make 

 a similar movement with the view of inducing the gang to 

 quit their position to pursue them. The scheme partly suc- 

 ceeded; the Ramoossies instantly commenced shouting and 

 Oomiah with five of the boldest and most active of his friends, 

 advanced along a low shoulder of the hill and descended into 

 the plain, in the hope of overtaking some of the sepoys. The 

 horsemen observing the Ramoossies, and considering them 

 to be within their grasp, wheeled round and advanced as 

 rapidly against them as the nature of the ground would 

 admit of. The gang, who still kept on the shoulder of the 

 hill, seeing the horsemen advancing to charge their friends, 

 called out to them to make for the hill, but the horsemen 

 succeeded in spearing two of the Ramoossies. A horseman 

 pressed Oomiah very closely, (he was not aware at the time 

 it was Oomiah he was pursuing,) when the latter turned 

 round, and threw a stone, which hit him (Bhadur Khan) in 

 the chest and precipated him to the ground. One of the 

 two men that was killed was a nephew of Oomiah's ; both of 

 them were bold and active men, and not only Oomiah, but 

 every member of the gang bewailed their death, and the 

 poignancy of their feelings was increased, by their seeing the 

 horsemen cut off the heads of the two lifeless bodies, which 

 they were anxious to exhibit to the commanding Officer, as 

 a proof of their success. They had not the means of carry- 

 ing away the entire bodies, and as night was approaching, 

 they feared the gang would remove them, for they were still 

 near them on the hilL 



