By that time Tantia had already travelled over a large extent of country. Closely followed by two flying columns under General Roberts and Colonel Holmes, he struck southward from Tonk, and was overtaken and defeated by Roberts at Sanganir on the 7th August. A week later (14th August) he was again attacked by Roberts at Kankrowlee, again defeated, and pursued for seventeen miles. Then he struck east towards the Chumbul, where he evaded a third column under Brigadier Parke and reached Jhalra-patan. Here he was joined by the Rajah’s troops, whereby his force was augmented to 10,000 men, and gained possession of forty cannon as well as of considerable treasure.
Thus strengthened, he conceived the idea of marching on Indore; but General Michel, divining his purpose, sent two columns, under Colonels Hope and Lockhart, to cut him off. Tantia then retired leisurely to Rajghur. 1858. General Michel thereupon moved up to Nulkeera, about a hundred miles north of Mhow, and there added his troops, including Sir W. Gordon’s squadron of the Seventeenth, to the united columns of Colonels Hope and Lockhart. September. On the 14th September Michel, having obtained information of Tantia’s movements, marched on Rajghur, some five-and-thirty miles distant.
His force consisted of the following troops:—
| Seventeenth Lancers | 80 | |
| 3rd Light Cavalry | 180 | |
| 71st Highland Light Infantry and 92nd Highlanders | 600 | |
| 15th and 4th Rifles, N. I. |  | |
| 4 guns, Bengal Artillery | 240 | |
| 1100 |
Heavy rain was falling, and the cotton soil of Malwa was a sea of black mud. With great difficulty Michel reached Chapera, about half-way to Rajghur, and there halted. Next day the rain ceased, and the heat was so terrible that one-third of the European infantry fell out exhausted, several of them actually dying of sunstroke, while many of the artillery horses dropped dead in the traces. The march that day lasted from 4 A.M. till 5 P.M., when Michel at last arrived in sight of the enemy; but his infantry were then three miles in rear of the mounted men, and so much spent that attack was out of the question.
At 2.30 next morning Michel advanced, but found that Tantia had retired. The Seventeenth and the native cavalry, the whole being under the command of Sir W. Gordon, were pushed forward on the track of Tantia’s retreat, and presently came upon his whole force, 8000 men and 27 guns, drawn up for battle in two lines. After a trifling skirmish the cavalry was halted to permit the infantry and guns to come up; but the rebel army, on seeing the advance of the British, forthwith gave way and fled. Then Sir W. Gordon, who had been posted on the extreme right, was let loose with the cavalry, and dashing to the front, dispersed (to use Michel’s own words) all symptoms of an organised body. The pursuit was kept up for four or five miles till men and horses were tired out. 1858. 15th Sept. The heat was terrible; the infantry fell out in great numbers under the midday sun; and when the cavalry finally halted under the shade of some trees, an officer of the native cavalry died then and there from sunstroke. But not a drop of blood was shed on the English side; and the losses of the Seventeenth consisted of a single horse killed. The trophies of the cavalry consisted of Tantia’s whole park of 27 guns.
After one day’s halt Michel resumed the pursuit, passing eastward through Nursinghur; but between that place and Birseeah the rain came down with such violence that further progress was impossible. For two days the torrent never ceased to fall. The camp became a swamp, and the unfortunate horses stood fetlock deep in mud. Meanwhile Tantia moved away through dense jungle to the north-eastward, and on reaching Seronge, fifty miles from Rajghur, halted there for eight days. He then moved northward sixty miles to Esaughur, one of Scindia’s forts, which he stormed and plundered, capturing some supplies and seven guns. He used one of these guns for the purpose of blowing his chief artillery officer from its mouth, and then took counsel with the Rao Sahib as to future operations. The pair then agreed to divide their forces—Tantia moving eastward to Chunderi, and the Rao Sahib northward to Tal Bahat.
After wasting three days in the vain attempt to capture Chunderi from Scindia’s garrison, Tantia moved south about twenty miles to Mungrowlee—as fate ordained it, straight into the jaws of his pursuers. Michel having marched since daybreak thirty-five miles north-eastward from Seronge, was in the act of pitching his camp at Mungrowlee, when a lancer of the picquet galloped in with the report that the rebels were close at hand. Michel’s force was made up as follows:—
| Seventeenth Lancers | 90 |
| H.M. 71st and 92nd | 510 |
| 19th N. I. | 429 |
| Bengal Artillery, 4 guns | 62 |
| 1091 |
1858.