Day and night a heavy fire was kept up on the fort and mamelon. Day and night the rebels served their guns, and repaired their defences. Some batteries returned shot for shot. The native women were seen working on the walls, and carrying ammunition; and often the Rání of Jhánsí and her ladies, in rich attire, visited the ' Black Tower' in the cool of the evening to see how the fight went. A bombardier in charge of one of the breaching guns reported to Sir Hugh Rose, on one occasion, that 'he had covered the Queen and her ladies with his gun,' and asked permission to fire on them; but he was told that that kind of warfare was not approved.
So well were the besieging batteries served, that by March 30th — the eighth day of the investment — Sir Hugh Rose's gunners had dismantled the defences of the fort and city, or disabled the enemy's guns; and the General, to save further expense of ammunition, of which he was running short, made arrangement for the storming of Jhánsí on the next day. The advance, however, of the so-called army of the Peshwá — which to the number of 20,000 men crossed the Betwá under Tántia Topi with reinforcements of heavy guns, engineering obstacles, and all the material of war — caused the assault to be deferred. At sunset on March 31st the enemy lit an immense bonfire on a rising ground on the Jhánsí side of the river Betwá, as a signal to the town of their arrival. It was answered by salvos from all the batteries of the fort and city, and by shouts of joy from the defenders
