Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/298

290 detachment of 700 Sepoys sent to escort them: at the same time the great superiority of their numbers, and the advantage of the ground they occupied, rendered an attack upon their camp impracticable: but it was evident that if they were not soon dislodged, neither the English army in the field, nor the garrison of the city, could subsist long; to augment the distress, a strong spirit of desertion arose among the soldiery. In these circumstances, even the most sanguine began to lose hope, and to apprehend that the city must be abandoned in order to save the troops from perishing by famine.

The Major had stationed a guard of 200 Sepoys, on a small rock situated about half a mile south-west of his camp, and nearly a mile north-east of the enemy's. Mr. Astruc soon discovered the importance of this post, which if he could get possession of, his artillery would easily oblige the English to decamp again, and retire under the walls of the city, where, still more streightened, they would probably be reduced in a very few days to the necessity of retreating to their settlements. He therefore resolved to attack the post, and marched early in the morning, on the 26th of June, with his grenadiers and a large body of Sepoys; but they meeting with more resistance than was expected, he ordered the whole army to move and support them. The Major, as soon as he found the rock attacked, ordered the picquet guard of the camp, consisting of 40 Europeans, to march and support his Sepoys: but afterwards observing the whole of the enemy's army in motion, he ordered all his troops to get under arms, and leaving 100 Europeans to take care of the camp, marched with the rest of his force, which, in Europeans did not exceed 300 battalion men, with 80 belonging to the artillery; and he had with him no more than 500 Sepoys: for the rest were at this time in the city endeavouring to procure rice, of which none had been sold in camp since the enemy appeared on the plain. With this small force, he hastened, as fast as they could march, to reach the rock before the enemy's main body. But Mr. Astruc, with the party already engaged in the attack, perceiving his approach, made a vigorous effort, and before the Major had got half way, the Sepoys who defended the rock, were all either killed, or taken prisoners, and the French colours immediately hoisted. This