1 176 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 British could not break into the entrenchment ; but
3 no sooner did espy the British bayonets, than he.
4 The dines: fled in dismay, leaving his troops to defend them-
5 flight of the selves. This they did with their swords and
6 their com- muskets; for the Sikh bayonet is nearly harmless
7 , in their hands, and they could not long withstand
8 that never-fuiling weapon when wielded by a British
9 soldier. They yielded, retreated, fled, plunged into
10 the river, or attempted to cross the bridge.
11 Whether with a view of preventing the victors from
12 following them across the river, or more probably
13 with the design of cutting off all hopes of retreat
14 from the Sikhs, and thus obliging them to fight,
15 Passage by one of the boats from the centre of the bridge had
16 on "8 "'been let loose, and the passage by it totally cut
17 off. In one dense mass of thousands, the discom-
18 fited Sikhs had no alternative but to take to the
19 Murderous river breast-high; their progress was necessarily
20 Bricehon slow, and their pursuers had ample time to give
21 the fugitives them volley after volley, while the horse artillery
22 mowed down those at the greatest distance with
23 murderous grape. The river was covered with
24 dead and dying, the mass of the former actually
25 formed a bridge in the middle of the stream, while
26 as the musket and grape took effect, hundreds were
27 seen raising their heads for an instant, and then
28 The cause of disappearing for ever. The fire on a retreating foe
29 ; in the field of battle is at all times injurious; but
30 when that foe not only turns his back, but is inter-
31 cepted by a deep stream of water, he becomes a
32 sure aim, and the carnage committed by his pur-