"تاريخ البحرية الهندية. (١٦١٣- ١٨٦٣)." [‎٤‎٤‎٢] (٦٢٢/٤٦١)

U2
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
the buildings. Another party was employed in attacking suc
cessively the mosque and tomb in the centre of the Lall Bagh,
while the howitzers were hotly engaged in the endeavour to
silence the Sepoys' 9-pounders. In clearing the mosque and
tomb, many of the Sepoys, who were unable to escape in time,
were found huddled up beneath their beds, and received their
6 quietus.' Others were ' prodded ' out at the point of the
bayonet, and run through when endeavouring to get away.
The sailors did most of their work with the 4 cold steel,' and
rarely stopped to load; they never asked or received quarter
from their opponents, and they granted none in return. Thus,
with few exceptions, all put hors de combat were killed. When
the Sepoys were brought to bay, it became a hand-to-hand, life-
or-death struggle, in which the victor only survived. It is
difficult now to realise the temper of those stern times; but it
may well be imagined how fiercely a handful of Englishmen
would fight for their lives against fourfold their own number
of Sepoys, with 4 Cawnpore !' ringing in their ears for a battle-
cry.
" After about half-an-hour's hard fighting, the buildings were
carried, though not without considerable loss to the sailors,
who especially suffered when clearing the loopholed barracks
on the embankment. As a last hope, the Sepoys made a stand
around the 9-pounder gun, which they had still at work, and
the sailors now prepared to charge down upon it from the top
of the embankment, where they remained under cover to reform
after capturing the barracks. A young midshipman,* who was
awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallant conduct on this
occasion, placed himself at the head of about twenty of his men,
and led them at full speed, and with a loud 'hurrah!' straight
upon the gun. At almost the same moment, the party of
sailors that had cleared the mosque and tomb appeared ill view
on the left flank of the Sepoys, who, together with the artillery
men, instantly broke and fled, abandoning the gun, which they
left loaded, and which was at once turned and fired after them,
while the howitzers played upon them from the centre of the
enclosure and flanked them in their flight.
" The fight was now fairly won. In less than three-quarters
of an hour the sailors had beaten shamefully four times their
own number of Sepoys out of a very strong position. Only
three prisoners were taken, of whom two were wounded; and
when the action was over, forty-one Sepoys were lying dead in
the Lall Bagh. Of the sailors, three were killed and sixteen
wounded, one of whom subsequently died, nearly one man in
every four having been hit. Altogether, it will probably be
admitted, this was a sharp morning's work before breakfast in
the usually quiet city of Dacca. It was all over in an hour.
# Mr. Arthur Mayo, a gallant and accomplished young officer.