d we dashed
into the river, carried the enemy's trenches at the point of the
bayonet, and hunted them out, from enclosure to enclosure, till
they all drew off.

"By the side of the bridge was the village of Thobal; and as, with
so small a force, it was impossible to advance against the
overwhelming numbers that would meet us before we got to Manipur,
fifteen miles away, Grant determined to hold Thobal; where he
could, he thought, defend himself, and afford refuge to any who had
escaped the massacre. As soon as the enemy had retired, we all set
to work to prepare a defensive position; by setting fire to the
crops, so as to prevent the enemy from creeping up unseen, and by
making an abattis.

"The night passed off quietly. At six in the morning the enemy were
seen advancing in force, but Lieutenant Grant sent out thirty men
to the farthest wall of the village, some four hundred yards in
advance of the enclosure; and their fire checked the enemy, and
forced them to retire. At three in the afternoon the enemy advanced
in great force, their line being over a mile long. Grant again
occupied the front wall, and held his fire till the enemy reached a
point which had been carefully marked as being six hundred yards
away. Fire was then opened, the muskets being sighted for this
known range. The tribesmen fell in great numbers, and drew back
under the protection of their artillery, who now opened fire at a
range of about a thousand yards. In half an hour they were
completely silenced.

"They then withdrew to another hill, five hundred yards farther off but,
even at this range, we got at them with our Martinis, and they soon
began firing wildly. The infantry advanced several times, but were
always driven back as soon as they reached the six-hundred-yards limit.

"It was now becoming dark, and the enemy were working round on our
flank. We therefore fell back on the entrenched position and,
though the enemy kept up a heavy fire till two in the morning,
ammunition was too scanty to allow us to waste a cartridge, and no
reply was made. At three we set to work to strengthen the defences,
using baskets filled with earth and sacks filled with sand, as well
as adding to the abattis.

"In the course of the day the enemy sent in a flag of truce,
offering to allow us to retreat. This Grant refused to do, till all
prisoners still in the hands of the Manipuris were delivered over
to him. In order to deceive the enemy as to his strength,