In the meantime circumstances had occurred which occasioned the battalion to be called from its quarters at Meerut, to take the field against the Nepaulese, whose depredations on the British territory could not be restrained without force of arms. The FIFTY-THIRD marched from Meerut on the 14th of October, and joined the division of the army appointed to invade the kingdom of Nepaul, or the Gorca state, under the orders of Major-General Robert Rollo Gillespie. This division was directed to penetrate the Himalaya mountains by the pass of the Deyrah Doon, and capture the strong fort of _Kalunga_, situate upon a peak in the mountains between the rivers Sutlej and Ganges, which was defended by a garrison of warlike mountaineers, under a celebrated Hindoo warrior named Bulbudder. [Sidenote: 1814] Two companies of the FIFTY-THIRD, commanded by Lieutenant Young, were detached with a small column under Lieut.-Colonel Carpenter of the seventeenth native infantry, and ascending the Timlee pass, into the Deyrah valley, joined at midnight on the 24th of October, another detachment under Colonel Mawby of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment, who advanced to capture the fort of _Kalunga_ by a _coup-de-main_; but upon approaching the place, it was found to be a strong work of excellent stone masonry, more formidable than it had been represented to be, and not to be taken without cannon. After a close reconnoissance, Colonel Mawby retired, and received the acknowledgments of Major-General Gillespie, in orders, for his conduct on the occasion. The Major-General afterwards advanced with the leading corps, and taking with him a few light field-pieces on the backs of elephants, had them placed in battery upon a piece of table-land near the fort, and on the morning of the 31st of October storming parties were in readiness to attack the fort. The troops moved forward with great gallantry, but under such unfavourable circumstances, that the assault failed; among the other disasters the pioneers bearing the ladders fell, from the fire of the garrison, in the midst of a village of grass huts, which caught fire, and the storming party was thus deprived of the means for ascending the walls of the fort. The two companies of the FIFTY-THIRD lost several men, and had Lieutenants Young and Anstice severely wounded. Three of the columns of attack had not advanced, in consequence of not hearing, or not understanding, the signal, and the messengers despatched to them never reached their destination. The columns which had advanced, withdrew to the village. At this moment three companies of the FIFTY-THIRD arrived from a long march, under Captain Wheeler Coultman, and were ordered to join the storming party, which consisted also of a brigade of Bengal horse artillery (six-pounders), under the command of Captain Charles Pratt Kennedy, for the purpose of making another determined effort to capture the place. Major-General Gillespie headed the assault in person.