Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/705

Book XIII been unnecessarily exposed to the fire of shot and shells, which continued and reached from the town. In that part of the limits, which is immediately behind the Madrass redoubt, was a regular village of several streets, called, from its intention, the Blancherie, in which all the cloths purchased for the French company at Pondicherry were bleached, and warehouses were built in the village to receive them. As these buildings would not only afford shelter but convenience to the English troops, the enemy resolved to destroy them, and to strengthen the Madrass redoubt, with the ground about it. They began to demolish on the 30th of September, of which Colonel Coote received intelligence, and saw the intention. He went the next day, with his usual escort of Sepoys and black horse, as if he only meant to review the progress of the redoubt he had ordered to be raised to the north, of the hedge, in which Major Joseph Smith commanded for the week. After dinner, both officers mounted their horses, and proceeded with the escort along the strand of the sea, towards the limits of Pondicherry, as if they only meant to reconnoitre. The bound-hedge ceaseth at some distance from the water-mark, and left an opening on the sand, which the enemy had neglected to close or obstruct. As soon as near this opening, Colonel Coote ordered the Sepoys to form in three parties, and the horse to divide equally with them; but the Sepoys having entertained no suspicion that they were led to such an attack, boggled; on which he ordered the horse to cut down whoever refused to advance, or attempted to run away; and the Sepoys, ashamed of their backwardness, recovered their spirit. Two of the divisions went off to the right, one to force through the bound-hedge, 500 yards beyond the Madrass redoubt on its left, the other to attack the redoubt itself, whilst Colonel Coote with Joseph Smith remained along the sea-shore, ready to push, and gain the rear of the hedge, and all the three attacks were to be made at the same time. There were some small pieces of cannon in the redoubt, and several guards of Sepoys along the inside of the hedge, all of which kept up a constant fire, but at too great a distance, whilst the two parties sent to the right were advancing