Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/601

Book XII. Mr. Lally to desist from the siege until a better opportunity; and to keep his whole force together, until the English either fought or retired; but Mr. Lally as before could not brook instruction from the rival he detested, and persisted. Their battery did nob open until the 20th; having waited for the cannon, which were brought 70 miles from the ramparts of Valdore, on carriages sent from Pondicherry. They were two eighteen, and two of twenty-four. By the night of the 20th the wall of the faussebray was opened. Colonel Coote, on this intelligence, marched the next day with all the cavalry to reconnoitre the enemy's situation and the state of the siege, and receiving, when near, a message from Sherlocke, that they had breached the main rampart, went back, and halted at Tirimbourg, a village half way, to which he ordered the main body of the army to advance without delay from Outramalore, but to send their heavy baggage, for better security, to Carangoly. They arrived at Tirimbourg in the night; at sun-rise, Colonel Coote taking with him 1000 of the black horse, and the two troops of European, with two companies of Sepoys, advanced in front of the main body of the army, which he ordered to follow, but without pressing their march. The distance from Tirimbourg to Vandivash is seven miles; the road leads from the N. E. to the s. w. The mountain of Vandivash lies in the same direction, extending more than a league in length. The fort stands two miles to the s. of the mountain, but nearer to the western than the eastern end. The French army was encamped directly opposite to the eastern end of the mountain, at the distance of three miles, and at two to the west of the fort. The camp was in two lines separated by paddy fields; a great tank covered the left flank of both lines. At 300 yards in front of this tank, but a little on its left, was another, and farther on, likewise on the left of this, another, neither more than 200 yards in circumference, and both dry; and the bank which surrounded the foremost tank had been converted into a retrenchment, in which were mounted some pieces of cannon, which commanded the plain in front, and flanked in its whole length the esplanade in front of the camp.