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ascertaining this, the Nepaulese general changed his ground, leaving all his stockades to the left of Ramgurh, and keeping that fort still at his right, took up a reversed position on the other side of it, so as to show a new front to our force, which had turned his left. The Goorkha commander likewise strengthened his headquarters, Mungoo ki Dar. It was soon ascertained that the ridge which Thompson had occupied did not afford any means of approaching the enemy's main position, in consequence of the ground being particularly rugged; consequently, a different plan of operations became necessary; and about the middle of January, Ochterlony, still wishing to straighten the enemy's supplies, which, since the occupation of the Urkee and Subathoo roads, had been entirely drawn from Belaspore, executed a most masterly movement, by which he subsequently reduced Rutungurh, a fort, although separated from the ridge, lying directly between the heights of Maloun and Belaspore. Much time was consumed in reducing the Ramgurh forts, and

THE BELASPORE RAJAH.

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Ochterlony employed himself during the interval in bringing over the Belaspore Rajah; who, after some unsuccessful attempts to help the Goorkhas, had fled across the Sutlej. This Rajah, though connected with the Goorkha commander's family by a recent marriage, was at last induced, through the fear of losing his capital, to make terms and submit.

CHAPTER XI.

THE WAR CONTINUED.

I MUST now return to the more interesting operations in the Turais of Goruckpore and Tirhoot, with one parting word regarding Umur Sing, who not only proved himself a brave soldier, but often a very sagacious one, by the way in which he had often met and sometimes defeated the plans of the British commanders.

The division assembled at Goruckpore, was ordered to take the field by the middle of November, but was delayed in consequence of the great difficulty of obtaining hill-porters in that then thinly peopled district. It was there

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fore near the end of December, ere General Wood proceeded to the Turai, and having been detained for some time in obtaining information as to the best route for penetrating to Palpa, he first determined on leaving Bhotwal to the right, and attacking Nyakote, a post which crowns the hills to the west of the town. Ascertaining, however, that the Nepaulese under Wuzeer Sing, a nephew of Bhim Sen's, had posted himself at the mouth of the pass, in which Bhotwal is situated, and had thrown up a stockade, it was determined to reconnoitre and carry them, if possible, before proceeding further.

The first week in January, General Wood broke ground at Simra with two regiments of infantry to execute this plan; acting on the information of a Brahmin spy, in the employ of some of the old Palpa Rajah's family residing at Goruckpore, the priest offering himself as a guide. The route ran along the banks of the Tenavee, and the last seven miles through a Saal Forest; but General Wood had been led

to expect an open space about the stockade. The General himself was with his advance guard, in the thick of the forest, when they suddenly found themselves in front of the stockade, and not more than fifty yards off, which immediately opened a destructive fire on the advancing party, and the General, Brigade-Major and engineer officer were both wounded, the latter mortally. This loss was sustained in attempting to reconnoitre the post, preparatory to the advance of the main column headed by her Majesty's 17th Regiment

very

of foot.

Immediately on its arrival, the officer commanding advanced against the stockade driving in the party who had sallied out against our advanced guard. The officer commanding the grenadiers followed the Goorkhas up the hill, and succeeded in ascending with his own, and two other companies of the regiment, by the left of the enemy's work; thus a position was gained that commanded it entirely, for it was only a hollow stockade running along the slope of the hill. The carrying of the work was

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