Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/79

Book VI. found opening: others at the same time had escaladed the warehouses. In this confusion no resistance was made, and every one surrendering his arms, the Nabob's troops refrained from bloodshed; but about 20 of the garrison ran to the N. w. bastion, and dropped from the embrasures, where some escaped along the slime of the river, and others were surrounded and taken prisoners.

At five the Nabob entered the fort, accompanied by his general Meer Jaffier, and most of the principal officers of his army. He immediately ordered Omichund and Kissendass to be brought before him, and received them with civility; and having bid some officers go and take possession of the company's treasury, he proceeded to the principal apartment of the factory, where he sat in state and received the compliments of his court and attendants in magnificent expressions of his prowess and good fortune. Soon after he sent for Mr. Holwell, to whom he expressed much resentment at the presumption of the English in daring to defend the fort, and much dissatisfaction at the smallness of the sum found in the treasury, which did not exceed 50,000 rupees. Mr. Holwell had two other conferences with him on this subject before seven o'clock, when the Nabob dismissed him with repeated assurances, on the word of a soldier, that he should suffer no harm. Mr. Holwell, returning to his unfortunate companions, found them assembled and surrounded by a strong guard. Several buildings on the north and south sides of the fort were already in flames, which approached with so thick a smoke on either hand, that the prisoners imagined their enemies had caused this conflagration, in order to suffocate them between the two fires. On each side of the eastern gate of the fort extended a range of chambers adjoining to the curtain; and before the chambers a varanda, or open gallery: it was of arched masonry, and intended to shelter the soldiers from the sun and rain, but being low, almost totally obstructed the chambers behind from the light and air; and whilst some of the guard were looking in other parts of the factory for proper places to confine the prisoners during the night, the rest ordered them to assemble in ranks under the varanda on the right hand of the gateway;