r wounded. Poor Sergeant Bury
found his way in, wounded as he was, before the whole company had
entered, and fought hard the whole night. Early in the morning he was
looking over the parapet of the fort, when a cannon-ball struck him on
the back, and killed him on the spot; otherwise he would have been
rewarded with a commission; but such is the fate of war! The taking of
this small redoubt was but a preparatory and necessary step before we
commenced a regular siege against the strong fort, and equally strong
town, both of which, however, they gave up, being fully satisfied of the
impossibility of holding either.

[Illustration]

FOOTNOTES:

[8] The English, which we were confident we heard spoken on this
occasion, was, no doubt, by a drummer who had deserted from the 76th
regiment, and who was afterwards found dead in the fort.

[Illustration: OFFICIAL PLAN OF THE SIEGE OF BHURTPORE, 1805.]

CHAPTER VII.

I was obliged to nurse myself a little, as the strong fortress of
Bhurtpore was, we understood, to be our next job.[9] Having but in part
led the last party in, I became a volunteer to lead the Forlorn Hope at
Bhurtpore. This offer his excellency, Lord Lake, accepted, with
encomiums on my zeal, and a promise that, if I escaped, I should have a
commission. We arrived before this place about the 29th day of December,
encamped about two miles from it, and immediately commenced our
operations against it. Holkar was lying under its walls, with his
immense body of cavalry, who committed every kind of cruelty on the
camp-followers that fell into their hands, such as cutting off their
hands from the first joint of the wrist, cutting off their noses, ears,
&c.; but seldom killing them outright.

During the preparation for the siege, when off duty I amused myself with
going out to the advanced piquets, where there were continual skirmishes
with Holkar's cavalry, who were always loitering about, day and night.
On one of these occasions I nearly paid dear for my imprudence. I
ventured far beyond the piquet, in hopes of picking off a fellow who was
showing off his horsemanship. As I was mounted on a good horse, and was
well armed, I rode after him, gaining ground fast; but, on looking
behind, I found myself a considerable distance from the piquet, and that
several horsemen had got between us, to prevent my return. To have run
away would have given them encouragement: no other remedy was left but
to dash through th