Page:Our Indian Army.djvu/240

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216
OUR ANGLO-INDIAN ARMY.

men was not to take place till the following day; and in the mean time the respective sums remained in the custody of the treasurer, in bags bearing his own seal and that of the buckshee to whom they belonged. On the first alarm of an attack, the treasurer began to load his charge upon camels with all possible despatch. Musket-balls soon began to pass around him, and by one of them he was severely wounded. He continued, however, to proceed with his work, and completed it. The camels were loaded and driven across the ford, intermingled with the British troops, and the flying servants of Tippoo. They reached the bank in safety; and the undaunted treasurer, conducting his caravan for a considerable distance along the glacis, entered the city by the Mysore gate, and had the satisfaction of depositing his charge in security, without the loss of a single rupee.

Morning soon dawned, and discovered the British army fully established on the island, and facing the fortress of Seringapatam without any interposing barrier. Tippoo, on perceiving the extent of his disaster, made the most vigorous efforts to retrieve it, and urged his soldiers to recover, if possible, the positions in which the British were not yet firmly established. Several of their attacks, being supported by the artillery of the fort, were very formidable, but they were all finally baffled. Amongst these, the following incident is worthy of immortal fame.

The most determined efforts were made by the enemy to recover the Sultan's redoubt, the garrison of which consisted of somewhat less than a hundred Europeans and about fifty Sepoys, commanded by Captain Sibbald of the 71st regiment. In defence of the redoubt, the first object was to shut up the gorge, which was open towards the fort; and an attempt to effect this was. made by throwing across some broken litters and the carriage of a gun. This being perceived from the forty three guns immediately opened from thence upon the gorge, and two field-pieces were sent to some adjacent