Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/591

Book XI the dependencies of the Pulitaver. The Colleries defended the wood three days, and then abandoned both; and retired to Nellitangaville. After this success, the want of ammunition obliged Mahomed Issoof to remain until he received supplies from Madura, Palamcotah, and Anjengo. The army of Travancore, to prevent disgusts from disparity of customs, encamped separately, but in sight of Mahomed Issoof's; and on the 20th of November, a body of 5 or C000 Colleries attacked the camp of the Travancores in open day. Mahomed Issoof, on the first alarm, sent his horse, and followed with his Sepoys and other foot; but the Colleries retreated before they came up, and their nimbleness, with the ruggedness of the country, rendered the pursuit of little avail. They had killed and wounded 100 of the Travencores, before they went off. A day or two after this skirmish, Mahomed Issoof received three howitzes, with some stores, and a supply of ammunition from Anjengo; and the two six-pounders with their shot likewise came up from Tutacorin; he then moved with his allies, and on the 4th of December set down before Washinelore, another fort dependent on the Pulitaver, much stronger than any he had, excepting Nellitangaville, from which it is situated twenty miles to the N. w. and twelve in the same direction from Outamaly.

Washinelore stood within three miles from the great range of mountains, at the foot of which ran a thick wood, extending two miles into the plain, and within 1300 yards of the west and south sides of the fort; but turned to a much greater distance on the north, and to the east the plain was open, and every where covered with profuse cultivation. A very extensive pettah, the residence of some thousand inhabitants, commenced within forty yards, and extended 1200 to the N. E. of the walls: a thick thorn hedge, with barriers, surrounded both the pettah and the fort. The extent of the fort was 650 by 300 yards: it was of mud, but almost as hard as brick; it had four large square towers, one at each angle, and several smaller, which were round, between. Every tower was a separate redoubt, enclosed by a parapet, to command within as well as without the fort: the access to the tower was a steep ramp, only two feet broad, the entrance a narrow wicket in the parapet; the curtain between the