Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/704

680 price of grain would rise, suffered none to be brought to the camp. Sickness likewise prevailed, and with the wounded there were 600 Europeans in the hospital. The next day Colonel Coote caused the gorges of the redoubts in the bound-hedge to be fortified, and fixed posts in proper stations in the higher ground round the camp: from whence on the 23d, a detachment of 200 rank and file, with the company of pioneers, a great number of cooleys and carpenters, marched to a hillock of sand, which stood half a mile from the sea, and at the distance of a mile directly opposite to the Madrass redoubt in the north side of the bound-hedge. Here they were to remain, and raise a large redoubt on the table of the hill, capable of containing five hundred men. On the 27th in the forenoon, Colonel Coote advanced, with his usual escort of three companies of Sepoys, and 300 black horse, towards the Ariancopang redoubt, at which the guard took panic, and firing off the guns before the party were within point-blank-shot, abandoned the post, of which Colonel Coote took possession, and leaving the Sepoys in it, returned in the afternoon with workmen to retrench the gorge; on whose appearance the town cannonaded and threw shells, but without effect, and the gorge was completed the next night. Early in the morning of the 29th, 400 of the enemy's Europeans, with two field-pieces, marched from the glacis to recover the redoubt, and made various attempts, in all of which they were repulsed, until they perceived two companies of Sepoys marching on their right to gain their rear, whom Colonel Coote, who was always early abroad, had sent from the Valdore redoubt; on which the enemy retreated, but as they were going off received the fire of the Sepoys, who were themselves exposed to a strong, but distant fire from the town. The enemy had two officers and seven privates killed, and the adjutant of the Lorrain regiment with 18 wounded. None were killed in the redoubt, and only one Sepoy in the plain. Fifty Europeans were appointed to be the guard in future, as sufficient for the sudden defence, until reinforced; and more would have