INSURRECTION AT BENARES. 
165 
The enemy’s camp, in which their principal strength 
lay., was at Pateeta, about six or seven miles from 
Major Popham’s in the same direction. In addition 
to the small force already mentioned. Lieutenant Pol- 
hill had arrived with six companies of sepoys from the 
Nabob Vizeer’s body-guard, which was supplied by 
the Company but paid by that prince. Lieutenant 
Polhill obtained some advantage over the enemy by 
defeating a considerable body of their troops on the 
opposite bank of the river, where he had been station- 
ed in order to keep the communication open with 
head-quarters, — thus scattering through their ranks a 
spirit of intimidation, which was beginning at this 
time strongly to manifest itself, and securing a large 
quantity of grain that had been the principal object of 
the attack. 
On the 3rd of September, just eighteen days after 
the insurrection at Benares, Captain Blair, with a bat- 
talion of sepoys and two companies of grenadiers, at- 
tempted to surprise the enemy’s camp at Pateeta, but 
found that they were already prepared to meet him in 
the open plain, having obtained notice of his intention 
probably through the treachery of some of his agents, 
who held secret communication with Cheit Singh’s 
army. The adverse troops were drawn up in good 
order, and exhibited a more than ordinary degree 
of discipline in their evolutions. A severe action en- 
sued, in which this tumultuary force, flushed with 
their recent success, fought with an obstinacy that left 
the fortune of the field for some time doubtful: in 
fact the sepoys had already begun to waver, when, by 
a dexterous movement, the enemy’s guns were sue- 
