The Press.
London, England, 1858-07-10 00:00:00

THE APPROACH TO PAREILLY.

The first shut as we approached the stream which
crosses the road was fired by the enemy from a rude
breastwork thrown up about half a mile in front of the
bridge, but a few shots returned from our batteries speedily
drove them back from this advanced position, and thee
fell back from the bridge itself, where -.key made s
show of a auntie towards the deserted an half rui a
buildings which formerly were the lines of our fe ' at
Bareilly. It is difficult to say why the enemy lnot
hr
make some preparation to resist the passage of thlatic al,
which, though fordable everywhere, had steep
banks,
offering considerable obstacles for infantry, a still more
breaking d
for cavalry. Still more singular, perhaps, • it, that they
did not impede our advance by
n the bridge.
tea the column advanced skirmishers fell ' and retired on
the flanks, and the leading regiments d oyed into line.
Little could be seen of the position of e enemy, as they
were screened by the ruined cantonments and lines, but
their cavalry showed now and then through the trees in
considerable numbers on both flunks. Suddenly a gun
was opened upon Tombs's troop p) our left in such good
range that the first four shots all
took effect ; but our guns,
soon unlimbering, very apeodile silenced this piece, as well
as some others with which thienemy sought to annoy our
cavalry on the left. Advan • g still without meeting with
It
any opposition from the er y's infantry, we approached
our old cantonments, our rtillery now and then searching
their front with its fire. The enemy replied with occa-
sional shots from their small pieces, which did nn execu-
tion ; but their cavalry exhibited increased activity, cud a
strong body, with tnree horsed guns attached, came out
from the inelosure end menaced our lett and baggage with
distant demonstrations. On our front and right, also, such
bodies of the enemy's horse came out from time to time
as proved they bad more than 2,500 sabres in the field.
In the absence of any definite information respecting
the strength of the enemy's infantry, or the position they
occupied, or even the locality itself, the commander-in-
chief was naturally averse to engage his choice troops in
any precipitate attack upon the town ; indeed, so little did
he know of the position of the place that he ordered up
the mortars and heavy field battery to bombard what he
thought was the town, but what in reality was an outlying
suburb nearly two miles distant. Some companies of •
Punjaub regiment were now sent forward to explore the
ruined mass of one-storied houses in front of our lines ;
the 42nd Regiment, divided into two wings, the left some-
what retired, moved up in support, while the 79th covered
their left at some distance. As soon as the Sikhs got into the
houses they wore exposed to a heavy Sre from a large body
of matchlockmen concealed around them. They either re-
tired of their own accord, or were ordered to do so ; at all
events, they fell back with rapidity and disorder upon the
advancing Highlanders. And now occurred a most extra-
ordinary scene. Among the matchlocknien, who to the
number of 'fkio or 800 were lying behind the walls of the
houses, was a body of Ghezees or l'ilussultnen fanatics,
who, like the Roman Decii, devote their lives with solemn
oaths to their country or their faith. Uttering loud cries,
" Bismillah, Allah, deen deen !" 130 of these fanatics,
sword in hand, with small circular bucklers on the left
arm, and green cutnmerbungs, rushed out after the Sikhs,
and dashed at the left of the right wing of the Highlanders.
With bodies bent and heads low, waving their tulwars with
a circular motion in the air, they came on with astonishing
rapidity. At first they were mistaken for Sikhs, whose
passage had already somewhat disordered our ranks. For-
tunately, Sir Cohn Campbell was close up with the 42nd ;
his keen quick eye detected the case at once. " Steady ,
men, steady; close up the reeks. Bayonet them as they
come on." It was just in time, for these madmen, furious
with bang, were already among us, and a body of them
sweeping around the left of the right wing got into the
rear of the regiment. The struggle was sanguinary, but
short. Three of them dashed so suddenly at Colonel
Cameron that they pulled him off his horse ere he could
defend himself. His sword fell out of its sheath, and be
would have been hacked to pieces in another moment but
for the gallant promptitude of Colour Sergeant Gardiner,
who, stepping out of the ranks, drove his bayonet threugh
two of them in the twinkling of an eye. The third was
shot by one of the 42nd. Brigadier Walpole bad a similar
escape. He was seized by two or three of the Ghost-es,
who sought to put him off his horse, while others cut at
him with their tulwars. He received two cuts on the
hand, but he was delivered from the enemy by the quick
bayonets of the 42nd. In a few minutes, tne (dead bodies
of 130 of these Ghazees, and some eighteen or twenty
wounded men of ours, were all the tokens left of the
struggle.
AN INDIAN " OASIS."
We passed through the large village of Tilhur, and en-
camped about eight o'clock in a large mango tope to the
south of it, not without considerable opposition from some
of the inhabitants, for it so happened that the first camp
fire that was lighted disturbed a community of the moat
vindictive bees in a hollow of the tree above that I ever
heard of; they at once descended to the assault, and in a
few minutes most of their enemies were utterly routed.
The commander-in-chief himself was attacked and driven
right out of the field, or rather out of the tope, for the

~~,

enemy did not desist until they had forced him to take
refuge in the open plain. The chief of the staff too was
attacked and utterly defeated in a few seconds. Colonel
Althorp, after a gallant stand, was obliged to fly with the
loss of his spectacles. Mr. Mackinnon, using a large
mango branch as a claymore, resisted his foes with great
activity and courage for some time, but finally he was
obliged to fly, wounded in several places, and to take
refuge in a neighbouring tank. The guard over the
treasure was also obliged to abandon their post; the
natives wrapped themselves up in their cotton robes, and
lay flat on the ground, and in a short time the bees were
completely victorious. During the struggle all the head-
quarters staff arm.- 1. themselves with green boughs, so that
it looked as if %h..: were rehearsing a sezond march to
Dunsinime. As kG• nas the tents were pitched we had
shelter from mi ••einy. These mango groves are,
indeed, most welcome eater to man and beast, and bird,
and every living thing. *--im the relentless cruelty of the
Indian sun. The trees e• •,;n a great size, and they stand
As close together as their branches, clothed with
-^h dark greeriembrageoue foliage, will permit. At this
,Ik-son of the year they are laden with fruit, each hanging
leo,' a long slender stem and resembling in size and
0!),Ir an unripe greengsge plum. The fruit is not con•
ripe until after the rains have set in, hut the
natty" 'it it even now. I tried the experiment very un-
sereeesh• v, for it struck me that the fruit was like a
lump of ita hinted turpentine. The mess cooks, how.
i.ver, make *wry respectable compound, called ''mango
out of ti fruit. The tree seems subject to a curious
sort of decay, a.ich is betokened by large deep holes in
the trunk and over branches, without any apparent
influence upon its #oliage or vitality. In these recesses
large and beautiful .right blue jays, small green parroquets,
three or four kinds sr gaudy woodpeckers, bees, snakes,
and the smell brown terned owl, reside during the greater
part of the year. A dist-coloured squirrel with brown
bars, and a large bat cm.red with dark brown fur and
having fine and extremely silicate membranous wings, also
frequent them,—in fact, tines topes abound with life.
All day they are mute, but st night become vocal with
discordant sounds, not redeetnal by the call of the gaudy
mango bird, the pleasant note of the bulbul, or the inces-
sant chattering of the minors. It may be easily imagined
bow anxiously each man surveys the trees about his tent
as the site is marked out, and calculates what shelter it
will give him, and at what time the sun will find out his
weak points during the day ; and indeed the rays do strike
through every interstice like red-hot shot. There is no
indecision of shadow, no infirmity of outline, for wherever
the sun falls on the side of the tent it seems to punch out
a fervid blazing pattern on the grey ground of the canvas.
It is a poor consolation to see that the birds themselies,
" to the manner born " though they be, seem to suffer in.
convenience from the sun as well as ourselves. The grey.
headed black pie, uncommonly like our own meg, and
properly called a crow or rook, comes from the fields
during the heat of the day, and seeks shelter in the tope,
and there he sits with his bill wide open and his tongue
out, uttering sultry calls from time to time, gasping toe
breath, and looking decidedly as if ho wanted some iced
claret. Parrots, kites, and all the natives of the groves
give similar evidence of their suffering from the heat, and
the natives seek for shade wherever it is to be found. As
a measure of precaution the chief of the staff ordered
some of Tombs's guns from the battery to be placed in
position on our flank, and the cavalry and infantry were
ordered to be ready to turn out at * moment's notice ; but,
although the natives brought in reports that a portion of
the enemy were in our immediate neighbourhood, and
one of our picket saw, or thought he saw, a party of sowers
in the distance, our repose was not disturbed during the
day. Our next march will be to Shahjehatmore tomorrow
morning, and I have no doubt that measures will be taken
to dissipate the enemy who have so long held together at
Mohunidee.