Chap. V.J THE SIEGE OF ARCOT. 163
intention of placing the enemy between two fires, Clive sallied out from the a.d. itsl north-west gate with the greatest part of his troops and the fom- field-pieces, and advanced along the street leading north and east ; while Ensign Glass was ordered to proceed from the east gate up the street leading north to the palace, which W518 thus the common point at which the two detachments, if they removed the obstacles in their way, would meet. On turning east, Clive saw the French troops, with four field-pieces, drawn up at the palace, and a can- Procoediiigs nonade commenced at the distance of only 30 yards. A few minutes cleared Bieg«. tlie street of the French, and obliged them to take lefuge in the palace. Mean- while, Rajah Sahib's troops occupying the liouses in the street, and sheltered by them, kept up a contiiuial fire, with so good an aim that fourteen men sent to capture and bring away the French guns were all killed or wounded. To escape this murderous fire, Clive took advantage of a large choultry or building for the reception of travellers. It was situated on one side of tlie street, and having an open front supported by pillars, wliile its otlier three sides were inclosed, afforded good cover; and at the same time, giving free ingress and egi-ess, enabled the artillerymen to load and fij-e without much danger. In this way the guns were gradually withdrawn into the north street ; and the whole party wiiich had sallied from the north-west gate were able to return by it into the fort. The platoon under Ensign Glass returned about the same time, after encountering similar difficulties. The whole attack was a decided failure, and gave Clive a lesson of caution which seems to have been, at this early stage of his military experience, by no means unnecessary. It cost him the lives of fifteen Europeans, who were killed on the spot or mortally wounded ; and the services of sixteen more of his party, who were disabled. Among the latter was Lieutenant Revel, the only artillery officer; among the former was Lieutenant Trenwith, who, by pulling Clive aside when he saw a sepoy aiming at him, ssived his commanding officer's life and lost his own, as the sepoy immediately changed the aim, and shot him through the body.
Tlie day after this affjiir Rajah Sahib was reinforced b}' 2000 men from state of for-
tificiitiniis
Vellore, commanded by Mortiz Ali in person, and commenced the siege by ofAwot. occupying all the avenues leading to the fort. Its defence must have been regarded, both by besiegers and besieged, as all but impossible. Its walls, about a mile in circuit, and several of the towers flanking them, were in many places ruinous ; the rampart, surmounted by a low and slightly built parapet, was too narrow to admit the firing of artillery; and the ditch, choked up in some places and dry in othei-s, was generally, even when it contained water, so shallow as to be fordable. The only two gates — the north-west and east, already mentioned — were large piles of masonry projecting 40 feet beyond the walls, and the entrance to each of them Avas not by a drawbridge, but a broad ctiuseway. 'i'his large, decayed, and ill-constructed fort had an efficient garrison of otdy 120 Europeans and 200 sepoys: n!i(l was besieged by an army
