Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/243

Book III. the barrier into the pettah, where they began to make resistance again by firing over the mud wall. By this time the Europeans came up, and assaulting the barrier, soon forced their way and put the enemy to flight a second time, who now ran to take shelter in the stone fort, where the governor, according to his promise, shut the gate; but some of them getting over the walls with scaling ladders, in an unguarded part, opened the gate, in spite of the garrison, and let in their fellow fugitives. This passed whilst the English troops, cautious of dispersing in a place they were not acquainted with, were forming to follow them in order, and soon after the field pieces began to fire upon the gate, whilst the musketry under shelter, of the houses deterred the enemy from appearing on the ramparts. Mr. D'Auteuil therefore, as the last resource, attempted to get into the fortifications of the adjacent rock; but the governor, who was there in person, sent him word, that if he persisted in using any violence he would fire into the fort. In this perplexity, which the night increased, he consulted his officers, who unanimously agreed to surrender. The white flag was hung out, and the terms were soon settled. It was agreed, that the deserters should be pardoned, that the French commissioned officers should not serve against the Nabob for 12 months, and the private men remain prisoners of war at his discretion. The whole party consisted of 100 Europeans, of which 35 were English deserters, 400 Sepoys, and 340 horse. Their artillery was only three pieces of cannon, but there was found in the pettah three large magazines, which, besides a variety of other military stores, contained 800 barrels of gun-powder and 3000 muskets. It was known that Mr. D'Auteuil had with him a large sum of money, but he secreted great part of it amongst bis own baggage, which he was permitted to carry away without examination: the troops on both sides embezzled part of the remainder: so that only 50,000 rupees were regularly taken possession of for the use of the captors; whose booty, exclusive of the military stores, which were reserved for the Company, amounted to 10,000 pounds sterling: the horsemen and Sepoys were, as usual, disarmed and set at liberty, and captain Give returned to his camp with the rest of the prisoners.