cavalry were
brought up from their former position, and took post behind Assaye.

The steadiness with which the little force advanced to the attack,
against so immense an army, had already had the effect of shaking
the Mahrattas. It seemed to them that their opponents must be
conscious that they were invincible. Pouring in a volley, the first
British line charged with the bayonet. The Mahratta infantry at
once wavered, and then gave way; and fell back on their second
line, posted near the Juah.

As the 74th Regiment passed through the village, a body of Mahratta
horse charged them; but they were met by the British cavalry, who
drove them, with great slaughter, into the river. The second
Mahratta line gave way, with scarcely any resistance; and the
British cavalry, pressing hotly after them, cut them up terribly.
The infantry followed, as quickly as possible.

But suddenly there was a roar of guns, behind them; and the flying
Mahrattas at once rallied, and faced their pursuers. As they
advanced, the force had captured the Mahrattas' guns; but numbers
of the artillerymen had thrown themselves down, lying as if dead.
As soon as they saw that the British line was still pressing
forward in pursuit, the artillerymen leapt to their feet and,
turning the guns, opened fire.

The general at once put himself at the head of the 71st Regiment
and the native cavalry and, after a desperate conflict, in which
the general had his horse shot under him, succeeded in recapturing
the guns. In the meantime, Colonel Maxwell with the cavalry had,
again and again, charged the fugitives who had rallied; and
succeeded in completely breaking them up, but was himself killed.

The battle had lasted three hours. One thousand five hundred and
sixty-six of the British force were killed, or wounded, being
rather more than a third of the troops engaged. The enemy left
twelve hundred dead on the field of battle, and the country through
which they retreated was covered with their wounded. The camp, with
a number of bullocks, and a large quantity of military stores and
ninety-eight cannon, fell into the hands of the victors.

Scindia, in great alarm, sent an ambassador to the British camp
and, after various conferences, a truce was agreed upon between him
and the general; the conditions being that Scindia should not
approach within forty miles of his frontier, and that the British
should not enter his dominions.

On the day after the battle of As