r
I*
cos IILSTOKY OF INDIA. [Book III.
..D 1759. the fort satisfied the nabob, and he was at Ills own request, and greatly to the relief of the garrison, shipped with his family on board a Dutch vessel which was lying in the road.s, and engaged to land him at Negapatam, whence he might easily proceed to Trichinopoly. Deaiutory Xlic opcratioas of the besiegers were much retarded by obstacles, partly the
bjsiegers. rcsult of their own improvidence. For some time after they had invested the fort, the greater part of their artillery, which had Ijeen sliipped at Alumparva, was at sea detained by contrary winds, and they were unable to open their fire before the 2d of January. 1759. Meanwhile they were kept constantly on the alert both by sallies from the garrison and by detached parties, headed chiefly by Mahmood Issoof, an excellent sepoy commander of Olive's training, who intercepted several of their convoys, and devastated the country from which they derived their principal supplies. When the fire did open it was very ineffec- tive. It proceeded only from two batteries, and was more than answered by the fort, the works of which remained uninjured, though the shells did considerable damage to the most conspicuous public buildings. So little were the besiegers satisfied with their first fire that they desisted, and allowed several days to elapse before they ventured to resume it. By this time the number of their guns had been increased, and the effect produced was proportionably greater. Not a few of the guns of the fort were disabled, and the trenches which had been commenced at a breastwork thrown up close to the sea, 580 yards from the covered way, had been gradually advanced by zigzags to the distance of fifty yards. On the 23d of January, the fire of the besiegers began to slacken. The cause proved to be a want of ammunition, and they were waiting for a supply by a brigantine which had sailed from Pondicherry on the 14th, when intelligence was received which completely changed the prospects of besiegers and besieged. Admiral Pococke had arrived at Bombay on the 10th of December, where he had been joined by the two ships of the line from England ; and on the 31st, six of the Company's ships, having on board GOO men belonging to Colonel Draper's regiment, had sailed under convoy of two frigates, and were on their way to Madras. Rumours of Lally was now aware that the assault, if it was to be made at all, could not
ail assault.
be much longer delayed. Indeed, a general rumour prevailed that it was to take place on the very night when the intelligence was received, and in this belief the whole garrison remained at their posts under arms till morning. The rmnour was groundless ; and another fortnight was to elapse before a breach which had any appearance of being practicable could be efiected. Meanwhile the siege continued, though the hopes of the besiegers were becoming fainter and fainter. On the 30th, a vessel was descried to the southward. She proved to be the Company's ship Shaftesbury, and was one of those expected from Bombay. As the worst sailer among them, she had been made the hospital ship, and left behind on the 7th of the month off the south of Ceylon. Shortly after, both wind and current began to favour her, and she was the first to reach the destined
