"تاريخ البحرية الهندية. (١٦١٣- ١٨٦٣)." [‎٢‎٧‎٦] (٦٢٢/٢٩٥)

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276
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVT.
ceding to Captain Fytche, in his letters and despatches, the chief
merit of the success attending this remarkable achievement-
but his colleague would be the first to disclaim the chief
honours, which were justly due to the Commander of the
' Zenobia,' who inspired his gallant blue-jackets with that
ardour for the combat which animated him wherever powder
was to be burned, while " all hands," officers and men, reposed
the utmost confidence in a leader whose coolness and judgment
were as remarkable as his dash and gallantry. The effect of
this feat of arms was most striking, and, henceforth, the entire
district of Bassein was tranquillised, and British authority de
finitely established. For his successful conduct of the Expe
dition, Commander Rennie received a letter, signed by Mr.
Allen, Secretary to the Supreme Government, expressing the
high approbation of the Governor-General.
As it became necessary before all things that the daring
guerilla chief, Mya-toon, whom his countrymen, doubtless, con
sidered a patriot of the Wallace type, should be ousted from
the position he had taken up at Donabew, situated to the north-
duty executed very faithfully; and after dark they assured us he was quiet for
the night and certainly would not move before next morning. Fytche now con
sidered him safe, but to insure complete success, he resolved on the bold experi
ment of getting on his front; so after a few hours' rest we started off just after
midnight, and by making a move to the right found ourselves at five a.m. close to
the old Menghee's force, their fires spreading over the plain, and we took up our
position half a mile ahead on the road he must pass on advancing. A little before
six they began to move, and for the first time were aware of their progress being
checked; but having no intimation of our being near them, they concluded we
"were a small band of Dacoits ; our guns, four in number, were masked by trees,
and the Europeans were all kneeling down, almost concealed by the morning
mist; so on they marched very boldly, yelling out shouts of abuse and defiance,
until they approached within two hundred yards. This was the advanced guard
of one hundred Ava men, all musketeers, led by a very daring chief on horseback,
flourishing his dhao. Here they opened a very well-directed fire, though rather
high, and on two of our fellows getting hit, the guns sent a shower of canister and
grape into the dense mass, which acted like an electric shock, and a repetition
completely routed them, sending them flying over the plain a disorganized rabble,
but leaving behind them forty-eight killed; and we captured fifty prisoners,
besides four gold umbrellas, three hundred muskets, and spears innumerable.
Amongst the prisoners are the Menghee's two sons, aged nineteen and twenty-
three, very nice-looking lads, one of them shot through the foot. We had no
time to look for wounded men, nor do I fancy there were many, as they were so
close to us ; the grape-shot and canister told their tale with terrible effect. The
Menghee had a narrow escape, his horse was almost cut in two, and when last
seen by his sons he had but four men with him, indeed, never were any body of
troops so completely destroyed, and when we left, the villagers had turned out in
hot pursuit, attracted by the rich loot the Menghee was known to possess. We
got to Lamena that evening at seven p.m., the men having marched full thirty
miles since one o'clock that morning. It will hardly be believed that eighty blue
jackets backed by three to four hundred Kareens, who behaved very indifferently,
could annihilate a force of nearly three thousand fighting men, not Dacoits, but
mostly up-country soldiers. The whole success is of course mainly attributable to
our having Fytche with us ; he is a very gallant, daring fellow, and the natives
consider him invincible. We returned all the better for the trip, and have been
absent just a fortnight, only one man sick out of the lot."
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