Seeing that his position was absolutely untenable, Laborde did not wait
the assault, but fell back, covered by his cavalry, to the far stronger
position in his rear. A momentary pause ensued before the British
continued their advance. The new position of the French was of great
natural strength, and could be approached only by narrow paths winding up
through deep ravines on its face. Ferguson and Fane received orders to
keep to the left, and so turn the enemy's right. Trant similarly was to
push forward and threaten his left flank, while Hill and Nightingale
advanced against the front.

The battle commenced by a storm of skirmishers from these brigades running
forward. These soon reached the foot of the precipitous hill and plunged
into the passes. Neither the fire of the enemy nor the difficulties of the
ascent checked them. Spreading right and left from the paths they made
their way up, and taking advantage of the shelter afforded by great
boulders, broken masses of rock, and the stumps of trees, climbed up
wherever they could find a foothold. The supporting columns experienced
much greater difficulty; the paths were too narrow, and the ground too
broken for them to retain their formation, and they made their way forward
as best they could in necessary disorder.

The din of battle was prodigious, for the rattle of musketry was echoed
and re-echoed from the rocks. The progress of the skirmishers could only
be noted by the light smoke rising through the foliage and by the shouts
of the soldiers, which were echoed by the still louder ones of the French,
gathered strongly on the hill above them. As the British made their way
up, Laborde, who was still anxiously looking for the expected coming of
Loison, withdrew a portion of his troops from the left and strengthened
his right, in order to hold on as long as possible on the side from which