Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/458

434 the enemy again opened their breaching battery, but before they had fired three rounds were obliged to close it again by the same fire as the day before. At nine, a red flag seen on the Mount signified that Preston's and Mahomed Issoof's army were arrived there from Trimliwash; they had before represented the necessity of remaining at a distance until supplied with ammunition and stores from Chinglapet, provisions from the country, and money from Madrass. Mr. Pigot ordered them at all events to attempt the effort so often recommended of marching into the fort; but, lest it should fail, dispatched in the evening ten of the troop of European horse, with Captain Vasserot, each carrying a thousand pagodas, who crossed the Island, forced through the enemy's guard at Chindadrapettah, and arrived at the Mount at ten at night, of which they immediately gave notice to the garrison by four rockets and a large fire. The fire of the enemy's batteries was slacker than usual in the day, their shells very few, and little musketry in the night. Nevertheless the casualties until the morning of the 6th, were another twenty-four pounder disabled on the demi bastion, one European and three Sepoys killed, and four Europeans wounded.

The enemy's breaching battery remained silent during the 6th; nor had they repaired the damages it had sustained; but in Lally's of which the fire had ceased since the 30th of the last month, six embrasures appeared to have been restored to good condition for service: but so many of the enemy's guns had been ruined, that they were obliged to withdraw the four from the recrochet battery at the hospital, to furnish the embrasures at Lally's which, however, they did not open until the next day; so that their fire this day was from fewer guns than in any since they began the siege, consisting only of the four guns at the burying-ground, and two in the Lorrain battery; but they added two ten-inch mortars to the two already established at the second crochet. All their cavalry, European, as well as the black, were observed filing off to the Choultry Plain; and Sepoys, with guns and tumbrils, were seen marching that way from the black town. The night passed without skirmish, for the enemy were not heard at work on the crest of the glacis; but their mortars