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On 16 May Lieut Clarke started the return journey with 700 unladen camels and an escort of 80 infantry and the 50 cavalry. Lewis feared he would meet opposition and added a party of 5 [[havildar|havildars]] and 80 [[sepoy|sepoys]] under a [[subadar]] but Clarke sent these back when he was unopposed at the Nuffoosk Pass. Some hours later a [http://www.archive.org/stream/hobsonjobsonbein00yuleuoft#page/312/mode/2up/search/dhooly dhooly] bearer came back to the fort to announce that he was the only survivor of the returning subadar party which had been ambushed by 2,000 Baluchis and massacred. On 21 May a message came that Clarke's detachment had reached Surtoff Mountain 13 miles away when they were attacked. Clarke with 30 infantrymen advanced up the hill but, after a two hour battle, ran out of ammunition and were slaughtered. The Baluchis then fell on the convoy at which the cavalry fled towards Poolajee and the infantry except for one havildar and 11 privates were killed. The camels and baggage were lost.
Captain Lewis was then left with the garrison noted below. Under constant attack he held out for a further four months until he learned that a relief force under Major Clibborn had been turned back in a [[Battle at Nuffoosk Pass|battle at Nuffoosk Pass]] on 31 August. Knowing he would eventually run out of supplies, he negotiated a safe conduct with the Marri chiefs. The garrison left the fort on 28 September with 20 sick on camels and dragging the field gun. They ascended the Nuffoosk Pass to come across the bodies of Clarke's massacred detachment which they had to leave unburied. They marched on over the Surtoff mountain and on 30 September found water but were forced to abandon their ammunition so that they could transport the sick.Their Marri guide went ahead to Poolajee for help and returned on 1 October with some cavalry, spare camels and gun bullocks. They reached safety at midnight.
== Field detachment ==
*300 bayonets [[105th Mahratta Light Infantry|5th Regiment]] under Ensign Taylor
*Two 12-pounder howitzer howitzers under Lieut D Erskine
*50 Scinde Irregular Horse
*50 Patan Horse
