The English officers halted for one day at Amboor Gurh, and, on the next, advanced to attack the Nawaub. As soon as they approached near to his army, he placed his cavalry under the command of his son, Tippoo, and forming the right wing, and committing his left to the command of Rooknud­dowla, and others, he posted himself in the centre with his artillery, his bravest senior officers, and Muhammad Alí commandant. In the meantime, the English officers, by their skill comprehending the Nawaub’s disposition of his army, despatched one battalion and two companies of soldiers, (Europeans) with two guns, to attack Rooknuddowla; and two battalions of natives, and a risala or regiment of Frengis, (also Europeans), with four guns to attack Tippoo; and the general, (Smith,) himself, marched straight forward to attack the centre or main body. In a moment, the flames of mortal strife blazed forth, and the brave mussulmans, steady as rocks, planted their feet firmly on the ground; and, from vollies of artillery and musketry, they passed rapidly to the active employment of the sword and spear, hand to hand. Verses.* “The fire of rage seized both the right and left wings,”— “The world again saw the tempest of Noah.”— “On every side glitter­ing poisonous spears,”— “like the eye lashes and glances of the languishing fair.”— “From the bloody darts or spears flashing in the sun,”— “the heart became like the Ruby Mountain of Budukshan.”— “From the blood of the brave, and the dust of the army,”— “the earth became red, and the sky black.”* The troops of Rooknuddowla, however, from the attack of one battalion, and a few shot from their guns, cowardly gave up their ground, and did not draw breath until they arrived at Wanum Bari. But, before the English could defeat the main body, Tippoo, with his victorious horse, had charged them several times, and then attacked their rear guard,* (Chundawul), which was commanded by two Jamadárs, named Ibrar Khan, and Asrar Khan, and consisted of three thousand horse and four thousand foot, having in charge stores of pro­visions and cattle collected by them; and, like a lion springing on a herd of deer, he fell upon this body, and sunk the boats* of their existence in the whirl­pool of eternity. A deadly shock was thereby given to this force, and the whole were dispersed, and put to flight; the military reputation of the officers above mentioned was destroyed; tents, standards, loads of baggage, grain, &c. were burned, and several officers and soldiers of the English army taken prisoners, with their horses and palan­kins; and, having effected this, Tippoo returned. On seeing this condition of affairs, the General to preserve his cattle and baggage, instantly halted.* The Nawaub Bahadúr, in speed outstripping the lightning, now fell upon the battalion sent to pur­sue Rooknuddowla; and, in one irresistible charge, overthrew it, and, with such spoil as had fallen into his hands, returned to Wanum Bari. Tippoo, also, returned victorious, and rejoined the Nawaub’s force. The English officers and army remained on the field of battle.

The Nawaub now sent for Rooknuddowla, and made him listen to a bitter expostulation; for he told him that, without doubt, his companions were fine fellows for shewing their heels, and, there­fore, it was better that he and his city champions should return to his master, seeing that, by the exertions of such men, he, the Nawaub, could never expect to see the face of victory, and God forbid that the contagion of their cowardice, or want of manhood, should, by association and companionship infect his gallant fellows, and cast their courage and enterprise to the winds. As Rooknuddowla in reply, repeated his boasting and did not wish to go away, it was settled that he should always encamp at the distance of half a Fursung, (two miles), from Hydur’s army, and that none of his men should enter Hydur’s camp; but, in case of need, messages should be sent by Hurkaras.

But, to return— after four days, the English officers, with their army, marched towards Wanum Bari. The Nawaub, on this, quitted his encamp­ment, and the first day encamped at Tripatoor, the next day, he marched with his troops and artillery, and pitched his tents near Kavuri Puttun, in a plain, surrounded by a plantation of Saul trees* and a marsh or deep mud. Here he threw up round his army, four batteries, or redoubts, and mounted guns in them. Rooknuddowla was stationed outside the limits of his camp. The English General now left the troops attached to the Colonel, (Hewitt), in charge of Wanum Bari and Tripatoor, and he himself encamped on the slope of a hill, at the dis­tance of one measured Fursung from the army of the Nawaub. The outposts* of the Nawaub, how­ever, pressed the English army closely on the flanks, and on one side, the horse of Rooknuddowla were stationed to guard the road. At night, how­ever, General Smith, intending to make a nocturnal attack, got his troops in readiness, and marched by the very road which was held by the brave* picquets of Rooknuddowla; and, although these troops were fully aware of what was going on, they gave no intelligence to the Nawaub, neither did they make any opposition, but on the contrary retired out of their enemy’s reach— “Not every woman is a woman, nor every man a man.”— “God has not made the five fingers of the same length,”* until the time when the General, with much exertion, had arrived near the camp of the Nawaub. From the ignorance of his guides, however, his troops had been led among the Saul trees, and into the marsh or mire; so that his guns had stuck fast in the mud, and they had all been much delayed and dis­tressed, and by this time the harbinger of morning, the cock, sounded his awakening call to the sleep­ing army, that is, the dark night suddenly broke into the light of the morning, and the soldiers, awakening in the batteries of the Nawaub, began to pour forth such a fire from their guns, and other arms, as soon made the Saul plantation like a bed of spring roses, with the blood of the English troops wading through the mud; and at the same moment, also, the picquets of the Nawaub arrived in their rear, treading on their heels, and, with arrows and musketry, made the red coats drink the red wine of death.

The same night, having concerted and taken the path of union with the English, Rooknuddowla made a treaty with them; and although he on one side was all in readiness, pretending to give aid to the Nawaub, yet, in fact, he was only looking out for an opportunity, to attack and plunder his army. The Nawaub, therefore, who had before heard that his conduct shewed evidently a siding with the English, being now confirmed in his opinion by the circumstance of his being in readiness, and yet giv­ing to the Nawaub no warning or information of the night attack, clearly perceived that he and his troops were changing sides, and he, therefore, ordered to Payindah Khan Bukhturi, Risaldár, to advance with his Risala, and fire a few cannon shot at him, by way of congè, and that drove him away. The General, (Smith), in despair, now wheeled about, and returned to his own ground of encamp­ment.