But our men fired grape and canister now, and as gun after gun sent out its puff of smoke, a perfect tempest of bullets surged through the columns, while as I sat fast, panting and awaiting their charge, I found that Brace knew the enemy better than I, for as the shot tore among them they broke off to right and left, scattering as they went back toward the spots from which they had started on their desperate charge, leaving scores of their men about upon the plain. "Risky," said Brace to me, as the men ceased firing, and waited for fresh orders; "but I knew our lads would be steady, and that the scoundrels would never hold together after those last charges of grape." "And if they had kept together?" "If," he said, smiling. "Well, then they would have cut us all down with their tulwars; but they could not keep together--no sowars could bear such a tempest as that. Some of them were sure to turn tail, and then force of example upsets more, and the rest followed them in such a retreat as you see." "Look! they are gathering again on each side of the road. Round shot." Two guns dispersed them this time, for they were evidently preparing to revenge themselves upon our friends, who had by this time reached the outskirts of the place, as we could see by the dotted puffs of smoke rising whitely here and there among the houses. Just then, though, we saw a fresh body of sepoys, many hundreds strong, debouching from a road some fifty yards from that by which we had issued from the place, evidently to intercept our friends. There was very little order among them in spite of their being, as their uniform showed, men of sepoy regiments, and their confusion was our opportunity. There was a slight alteration of the guns, so that their fire might be concentrated; and just as they were tearing along, and we saw the skirmishers of our party issuing from among the houses, we opened a terrible fire of grape. The effect was wonderful. At the first shot, the sepoys halted; at the second they wavered, and by the time the sixth had sent in its deadly storm, their survivors were in full flight, while, cheering loudly, our column marched out into sight, and now for the first time, and just as the waggons and elephants came full in view, we heard, instead of the rattle of scattered firing, the heavy roar of a volley in the rear. Then the order was given to double, and the column came on with a couple of companies in the rear now in sight, taking it in turns to halt, kneel, and fire a volley before turning and doubling past their comrades waiting to hold the enemy in check and fire a volley in turn.