Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/210

204 consolidating with the mass; the common method of forming these defences in India: the ditch had no water, and was in many parts much choked by drifts of sand. Nazeabulla, on the approach of Abdulwahab, had gone away with 1500 horse, and left the city to be defended by a resolute officer, with a garrison of 4000 Peons, who were instructed and assisted by 20 Frenchmen, sent from Masulipatam. The English troops encamped along the river in face of the town, the Nabob's and the Polygar's at a distance higher up. On the 29th, the eighteen-pounder, with the field-pieces, together with the cohorns and howitz, began to fire from the mound of a tank at the distance of 300 yards; but by mistake against the strongest part of the wall, on which, in four days, they made no impression. In the night of the 2d of May, all the artillery was moved to a battery erected about 200 yards to the left, and 100 nearer the wall, which in this part was visibly in a ruinous condition. The 18-pounder fired briskly during the next day, and by the evening made a breach which appeared practicable; and hitherto only one man had been wounded by the enemy's fire, which had been very few cannon-shot, but continual from small-arms. The next day Abdulwahab summoned the governor, who answered with civility, that he could not deliver the fort to any one without a positive order from Nazeabulla, whose salt he eat. It was therefore resolved to storm the next morning; but, during this interval the garrison had been diligently employed in counterworking the breach. On each side they cut a broad trench through the rampart, and another on the ground within, which joined at right angles with those from the rampart, and enclosed a space of some yards square; these trenches were to be defended by men armed with long pikes, whilst numbers stationed, some along the ramparts, some in various pits dug for the occasion, and others in the adjacent houses, were to annoy the assailants, when on the breach, with stones, arrows, and fire-arms, to which their own pikemen, being intrenched breast-high, would be little exposed. At sun-rise the English troops advanced to the assault. The 300 Sepoys marched first; the company of Coffrees next; the Europeans in the rear. The enemy fired