The Indians were caught between a fire and a charge that they had
good reason to fear in front of them, and a disturbance on their
left flank that might mean anything. As one-half of them turned
wildly to face what might be coming from this unexpected quarter,
the British troops came on with a roar, and at the same moment Mahommed
Khan reached the rear of their firing-line and crashed headlong
into it.
In a second the whole Indian line was in confusion and in another
minute it was in full retreat not knowing nor even guessing what had
routed it. Retreat grew into panic and panic to stampede and, five
minutes after the Risaldar's appearance on the scene, half of the
Indian line was rushing wildly for Hanadra and the other half was
retiring sullenly in comparatively dense and decent order.
Bellairs could not see all that happened. The smoke from his own
guns obscured the view, and the necessity for giving orders to his
men prevented him from watching as he would have wished. But he saw
the Rajputs burst out through the Indian ranks and he saw his own
charger--Shaitan the unmistakable--careering across the plain toward
him riderless.
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