1 THE MUTINY IN CASHMERE. 195
2 the mutineers sent their women and children to a place of safety,
3 and gave away all their property, even their clothes and shoes,
4 to the Brahmins, thus significantly intimating* their resolution
5 to conquer or to die in the battle that was to ensue. Some
6 of them, however, waited on Rajah Goolaub Sing, as though
7 to make further propositions for their surrender, and by
8 deceitful representations induced him to mount his elephant,
9 and proceed towards their entrenchments. As he approached,
10 fifty of the band suddenly rushed out upon him sword in hand,
11 and attacked his escort of five hundred men with such des-
12 perate fury that the Rajah had to seek safety in a precipitate
13 flight to his own camp.
14 Enraged at this treachery and its effect, Goolaub Sing order-
15 ed an instant attack by his whole force, which was already
16 drawn up in line on the opposite bank. Ere, however, his
17 troops could get into motion for the assault, a party of about
18 two hundred and fifty of the mutineers rushed upon them
19 with such impetuosity, that the four battalions of the Rajah's
20 force were for the moment broken and put to flight. But the
21 troops thus surprised and temporarily discomfited, soon rallied
22 again, and opened so heavy a fire on their assailants that
23 the latter had speedily to retire to the shelter of their entrench-
24 ments. By this sally of the mutineers the Durbar force lost
25 about two hundred and thirty men
26 Now the Rajah's four battalions, with about a thousand
27 Gorechars, advanced to attack the main body of the mutineers
28 in their entrenchments. The ground to be passed over was
29 the half-dry bed of the stream already referred to. The troops
30 marched over it in regular order, until they came within about
31 twenty-five or thirty yards of the entrenchments, when the
32 mutineers, — about five hundred only were present, the rest
33 having escorted the women and children — fired a most des-
34 tructive volley into the advancing ranks, then throwing down
35 their matchlocks, rushed out sword in hand upon the enemy