1 102 THE ARMY OF THE PUNJAUB.
2 Upon witnessing the flight of his troops, to-
3 gether with the loss of some pieces of artillery,
4 in the moment of despair at the consequences he
5 had brought upon himself, turning to his own
6 personal suite, of which about 100 had remained
7 with him, he addressed them briefly on the shame
8 and disgrace which awaited their conduct; and
9 being determined not to survive the disasters of
10 the day, he induced them to make a last effort to
11 retrieve their ill fortune. The Sikhs had now
12 precipitated themselves about two miles into this
13 fatal pass, which allowed but four horsemen to
14 work abreast.
15 The little band above mentioned, with their
16 leader at their head, resigning themselves to the
17 will of the Comptroller of all Destinies, with their
18 war shout of “Allah Akhbar!” threw themselves
19 headlong on the foremost of their pursuers, who,
20 by the superior weight of their Toorkee chargers,
21 the nervous blows from the vigorous arms of their
22 assailants, and the meteor-like charge, were on
23 the instant overwhelmed and dismounted. The
24 sudden check so unexpectedly sustained threw
25 the Sikhs into confusion; and, being ignorant of
26 the number of their opponents, they wheeled
27 round, and pell-mell rode over their own masses!
28 —the Mahomedan sabre all the time doing its
29 work brilliantly. Upwards of five hundred were
30 left dead and wounded on the field, and the