Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/632

shew the path leading up the north side of the hill, which being extremely rugged and difficult, was not likely to be suspected; they proceeded with two compaies of Sepoys at eight at night; at the same time a platoon of Coote's grenadiers, with another company of Sepoys, went up the steps leading from the pettah to the back of the upper fort, which made a false attack to divert the enemy from the real, which were forty minutes in gaining the summit, when the foremost got over the wall before they were discovered. The enemy's guards consisted chiefly of Sepoys, and all of them astonished by the first fire ran away from their different stations, and regained the upper fort, where Colonel O'Kennedy, ignorant of the numbers which had got into the lower, and perplexed by the false attack, would not risque a sally which might have recovered the loss; but kept up a hot fire upon them by guess from the defences along the ridge which seperates the upper from the lower fort; but with no effect, for the choultries and rocks rising every where afforded shelter. The guides, as soon as the party was established, came down with information of their success to Colonel Coote, who was waiting at the foot of the path, with the pioneer company, and the Volunteers of France, provided with ladders, gabions, and fascines, and immediately proceeded with them up the hill; where as soon as they had joined the party above, the whole proceeded across the lower fort, to escalade the fortifications along the ridge, notwithstanding the garrison was prepared to receive them. The ridge might be ascended without clambering. The grenadiers carried the ladders; the rest followed, ready to mount, and in the mean time fired up against the parapet; from which the fire instantly became excessively hot. The ladders that were first applied proved too short; it was supposed they would answer better in other parts, to which they were removed, and tried with as little success. Nevertheless the contest continued half an hour; and the Sepoys behaved with as much eagerness as the Europeans, but many dropping or disabled, Colonel Coote oredered the assault to cease. He received a wound in the knee; his aid-de-camp, Captain Admas, was shot through the hip; a serjeant of the pioneers, one of the French Volunteers