Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/641

Book XII. which could be recovered; but the loss of the provisions was by far the greatest detriment to the enemy.

Major Monson, with the pioneers and their equipments, embarked in the Falmouth from Alamparvah on the 25th; they anchored in the road of Karical at day-break on the 28th, when the Captain to the Falmouth, Mathison, went in his boat with Major Monson to reconnoitre the shore. They discovered no signs, either^ of the people expected from Richard Smith at Tritchinopoly, or the detachment with Captain Joseph; whose instructions had not reached them in time to be as yet fulfilled. At eight o'clock, the squadron, which had likewise sailed from Madrass on the 25th, appeared. Major Monson went on board Mr. Cornish's ship, and it was agreed, notwithstanding they were entirely ignorant of the place, and disappointed of the troops they expected to meet, to make the landing immediately. Fifteen massoolas accompanied the ships; they took in 170 of the troops, besides the Macoas, who are the black fellows that row them; these formed the first division, and were towed to the surf by the yawls and pinnaces of the ships, which, besides their rowers, took as many soldiers as they could carry, who formed the second division: all these steered for the shore, five miles to the north of the fort. The third division of the troops embarked in the longboats, which were rigged with sails, and proceeded close to the surf, opposite to the fort, and the mouth of a river which leads to it, where they were to appear as if intending to land by pushing over the bar of the river, which was not impracticable.

A small snow and a sloop, which drew little water, and mounted guns, anchored as close as they could opposite to a village half-way between the real landing and the long-boats. As soon as the yawls and pinnaces reached the surf, they dropped their graplings, and cast off the massoolas, which immediately rowed ashore, and landed the troops in them; then returned, and landed the second division out of the other boats, when a signal was Hung out, on which the long-boats came down, sailing fast with the wind and current, and the troops in them were likewise landed all together by the massolas;