222 
ATTACK ON THE COLUMN OF PILGRIMS. 
company was not to be seen, owing to the continued zig-zag of 
the road, it was impossible to come at the real cause of the 
augmenting tumult. But this object of anxiety did not check 
our advance; at least not that of the pilgrims themselves ; in¬ 
deed, so much to the contrary, the great mass seemed pushed on 
by a sort of general impulse given to their rear, each individual 
quickening his pace as the disturbance grew louder. In this 
pell-mell proceeding, no one shewed the least wish for a nearer 
investigation of the noise, than a simultaneous look behind 
him ; and as I had come to a pause, I could easily perceive, 
by the expression of all the faces turned in my direction, that 
they apprehended the disorder to be something more than a 
kicking horse or two, or the falling of a few beasts of burthen, 
with their wives and children. But our foremost ranks had 
pressed on scarcely fifty yards, before the report of two or three 
shots called all eyes to the front, when we beheld our advanced 
horsemen galloping down the sides of the hills as if all the 
world were at their heels. A momentary silence took place 
at once amongst us, every soul standing stock still, as if suddenly 
rooted to the spot. But on the immediate appearance of a 
scattered troop of our dreaded enemies, flourishing their lances 
on the high ground recently quitted by our valiant videttes, a 
sort of hollow, tremulous yell burst from the whole column, 
armed and unarmed; and every other demonstration of unap- 
peaseable dismay soon became manifest; there being no longer 
a doubt that the head of the march would ere long be as dis¬ 
agreeably entangled as its tail. The chawosh and his elite now 
joined our affrighted company; but their accession rather in¬ 
creased than diminished the confusion; their fears multiplying 
the approaching slender troop to such incredible numbers, that 
