opinion was, that we must give up the campaign, on
account of an impossibility of access into the enemy's country. This was
a death-blow to our hopes. The attempt to force the entrance above
alluded to, would have been through the Chirecah Ghattie pass; but this
was wisely given up as hopeless. There was a small ravine branching off
from the bed of a dry river, in which our encampment lay, and its
entrance looked like the dreary access to some deep cavern. From thence
the spies last came. The moon rose in all her splendour, gilding the
tops of the golden-leaved trees; and all was silent, save the falling of
the distant cataract, when a faint whisper, borne on the refreshing
breeze of night, said, "Prepare to move;" and in one hour after, we
entered this little gaping cavern, leaving the principal part of our
force for the protection of our standing tents and baggage. We were
equipped as lightly as possible. Two six-pounders were conveyed on
elephants, and our march seemed to lie through the bed of this ravine,
which was rocky, and watered by a crystal current that rippled along its
flinty bed. We did not proceed at the rate of more than one or two
hundred yards an hour, ascending and descending every twenty paces; at
one time deep sunk in some dark excavation, and shortly afterwards
perched upon the summit of a rock, the falling of the numerous cataracts
drowning the noise made by our approach. The night was cold and chilly,
but as light as noonday; not a cloud was to be seen; the sky was one
sheet of beautiful blue; but in some of the excavations, where the
blessed moon never condescended to show her bright face, we were obliged
to go back to boyhood, and have a game of blind-man's-buff, for in
those places we were obliged to grope our way completely in the dark. In
these excavations the water was deep and cold; but even in these dreary
spots we experienced some pleasure, for occasionally, through little
fissures in the rock, we could espy the distant moonlit landscape, which
appeared as if viewed through a spy-glass, and was beautiful in the
extreme.

Had the enemy been aware of our nocturnal excursion, they might have
annihilated us, by rolling down rocks and stones upon our heads; but,
fortunately for us, they slumbered on the couch of fancied security, and
heard us not. What with falling and slipping, we became wet through; but
as I had that night the honour of bearing my country's banner, this was
a charge, the ca