A fight commenced, in which one of the convicts, and some
others, were killed; but at last Lieutenant Bunbury succeeded in
securing Arjael Sing himself, with some few of his followers, and the
outlaws.
Hearing the firing of the field-pieces, the surrounding villages
concentrated their quotas of auxiliaries upon the place, and attacked
Lieutenant Bunbury's detachment on all sides. He had taken possession
of the village; but finding it untenable against so large and
increasing a body of assailants, he commenced his retreat. He had
scarcely reached the outskirts when he found himself surrounded by
overwhelming numbers of these auxiliaries, through whom he was
obliged to fight his way for a distance of fourteen miles to Pahanee.
The armed peasantry of every village, on the right and left of the
road as they passed, turned out and joined the pursuers in their
attempt to rescue his prisoners. Lieutenant Bunbury's conduct of this
retreat was most gallant and judicious; and his men behaved
admirably. When the assailants appeared likely to overwhelm him, he
abandoned one of his two guns, and hastened on, leaving three men
lying under them apparently wounded, and unable to move. On this they
pressed on, sword in hand, to despatch the wounded men, and seize the
guns. When the assailants were within thirty or forty yards of the
gun, they started up, and poured in upon the dense crowd a discharge
of grape with deadly effect.
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