576 
STUBBS DIARY. 
for Maholi, which, commands the bridge. The enemy, expecting a 
direct attack, were not here. Got in at 11 o’clock. 
November '8th .—Marched before day-break. At five miles came on 
the rebel cavalry and guns. The Horse Artillery opened upon them 
and drove them back; the country not so open here. They took up a 
position at Baragaon, from which a second fire of shrapnel dislodged 
them. Firoz Shah, with two guns, was here and retired on Mithauli; 
Khan Ali Khan, with 2000 men and 6 guns, in an easterly direction. 
We then began to enter the thick, dhak jungle round Mithauli, nearly 
a mile through, and progress was very slow. On emerging into a culti¬ 
vated field, interspersed with topes of trees, the cavalry were sighted 
again, but they did not stay to reply to us. We went on, rather 
uncertain as to the proper direction. A rifleman went up a tree but 
could see nothing. However, when we had gone about a mile and a - 
half over fields, the guns were brought into action upon a bamboo fence, 
which proved to be the place. Brind, after reconnoitring, chose a place 
to the right for mortars, and to this I was sent with a small detail of 
the 4th-4th, Bird, the Provost-Marshal, and Hume with some of the 
Troop, to serve them. Got three mortars into play at once, and after¬ 
wards a fourth. They saw us and kept up a hot fire from the south-east 
bastion, opposite us, nearly 1000 yards-off. Brind then went off to the 
heavy guns and got them into action again, somewhat nearer. Shelling 
lasted till dark. We had no casualties, but at the heavy guns Gunner 
Royal and a driver were killed; Bombardiers Muir, Bradley, and two 
lascars wounded. By dark the fort was silenced, and they only dis¬ 
charged some small piece every now and then. My covering party, 
a company of Rifles, I had increased by a company and a-half, as we 
were detached from the rest and threatened on the right flank. We 
were well posted in a small patch of jungle which covered front, right 
and rear, and Preston, 1 commanding the Rifles, made a very good dis¬ 
position of his men along the edges of it. Found some straw and made 
ourselves comfortable for the night. It was impossible to find out 
where the rest of the force was. Dined chiefly on a pipe. 
November 9th .—The fort was empty this morning. Got seven guns 
there, two large. 
November 12th.— Rode with Gureton to the Paruya Ghht and took a 
sketch of the battery on the direct road from Nikara. It was a semi¬ 
circular breastwork, only about 2-| feet high, on a little knoll, 30 feet 
above the stream and 300 yards from the Ghat. They had cut the road 
in several places and laid trunks of trees across. Brind still thinks we 
should have come that way. 
November 13th. —Breakfasted with the Engineers, and got Holmes’ 
plan of the fort. Inside the rampart are two bamboo hedges; the 
outer one 60 feet thick, and separated by a 19 feet ditch from the 
inner one, which is 20 feet thick, and older. 
November 17th .—Troup left this morning for Aliganj, leaving Colonel 
Hay in command here with the light artillery, two squadrons Cara- 
biniers, Multanies, 4th Irregular Cavalry (joined us two days ago), the 
1 Now Viscount Gormanston, Governor and Commanding-in-Chief, Tasmania. 
