1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 165
2 formidable by horse, appears to check, had on this
3 day, as at Feerozshuhur, gallopped over and cut
4 down the obstinate defenders of batteries and field
5 works; and the weight of three divisions of in- The united
6 force of artil~
7 fantry, with every field artillery gun which could tery, ewaty
8 be sent to their aid, had been cast into the scale, Posh aa
9 that victory finally declared for the British, The men.”
10 fire of the Sikhs first slackened, and then nearly
11 ceased; and the victors pressing them on every
12 side, precipitated them in masses over their bridge, Pie Sika
13 and into the Sutlej, which a sudden rise of seven precipitated
14 inches had rendered hardly fordable In their ’””* ced
15 efforts to reach the right bank through the deep-
16 ened water, they suffered a terrible carnage from
17 our horse artillery.
18 “Hundreds fell under this cannonade; hundreds
19 upon hundreds were drowned in attempting the Vast numbers
20 perilous passage.” This awful slaughter, confusion, AT
21 and dismay, were such as would have excited com-
22 passion in the hearts of their generous conquerors,
23 if the Khalsa troops had not, in the earlier part of he great
24 the action, sullied their gallantry, by slaughtering counted for.
25 and barbarously mangling every wounded soldier,
26 whom, in the vicissitudes of attack, the fortune of
27 war left at their mercy. I must pause in this
28 narrative, especially to notice the determined hardi-
29 hood and bravery with which our two battalions of
30 Goorkhas, the Sirmoor and Nusseeree, met the
31 Sikhs whenever they were opposed to them. Sol- The bravery
32 of the Goork-
33 diers of small stature, but indomitable spirit, they has.
34 vied in ardent courage in the charge with grena-