Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/509

Book XI but when they were to move, Captain Callender, who by his rank was to lead the first division of Europeans, was not to be found; and after much search and enquiry, the troops proceeded without him, crossing the morass from the dry ground of sand directly opposite to the Cameleon, the bastion they were to storm. In the way they were joined by the gunners crossing the morass, likewise from the batteries, which for fear of surprize they did not quit until the last moment. But before the troops arrived at the ditch, they heard the firing of Knox's attack, which nevertheless had only begun at the appointed time; on which all marched as fast as they could, as before up to the knees in mire, and in crossing the ditch, up to the middle in water and mud. Here they were discovered just before they got to the pallisade on the berm; and whilst the first division, commanded by Captain Fischer, were tearing it up; which took several minutes, the enemy gathered on the breach, and began likewise to fire cannon and musketry from the next bastions, the Saint John's on the right, and that called the small-gate on the left. The opposition only encreased the ardour of the assailants, and whilst the first division of Europeans with Fischer were gaining the breach, the second, commanded by Yorke, fired up against St. John's and the division of Sepoys led by Macleane against the small gate. Several were killed before Fischer's division had mounted, and got possession of the Cameleon; when, having waited until Yorke's came up, they turned and advanced along the rampart to the left, to get possession of the small gate. There was a handy gun, with its ammunition, on the Cameleon, which Yorke, on the suggestion of Captain Moran, who discovered it, ordered the gunners to turn and fire along the rampart towards the Sound, and in the mean time prepared his division to follow the same direction, as soon as a number of Sepoys sufficient to maintain the bastion were come up the breach; but, just as he was setting off, he perceived a line of Sepoys coming along in the way below, between the foot of the rampart and the buildings of the town: they were sent to reinforce the Cameleon from the arsenal near the Sound, where Conflans continued waiting the event with the grenadier company and other troops. Yorke immediately ran down, and seizing