fortress, with whose governor both continued their
negotiations.

"Gingen then lost patience and attacked the place, but was repulsed,
and the governor at once admitted the French within the fortress. The
next day the main body of the French attacked us, the guns of the
fortress opening fire upon us at the same time. Our men, a great
portion of whom were recruits just joined from England, fell into a
panic and bolted, abandoning their allies and leaving their guns,
ammunition, and stores in the hands of the enemy.

"Luckily, D'Auteuil was laid up with gout. If he had pressed on, there
remained only the two or three hundred men under Cope to offer the
slightest resistance. Trichinopoli must have fallen at once; and we,
without a hundred soldiers here, should have had nothing to do but
pack up and go. As it was, Gingen's beaten men were allowed to retreat
quietly towards Trichinopoli.

"The next day D'Auteuil was better, and followed in pursuit, and
Gingen had the greatest difficulty in reaching Trichinopoli. There, at
the present moment, we lie shut up, a portion of our force only
remaining outside the walls.

"The place itself is strong. The town lies round a lofty rock, on
which stands the fortress, which commands the country for some
distance round. Still, there is no question that the French could take
it, if they attacked it. Our men are utterly dispirited with defeat.
Cope and Gingen have neither enterprise nor talent.

"At present the enemy, who are now under the command of Colonel Law,
who has succeeded D'Auteuil, are contenting themselves with
beleaguering the place. But as we have no troops whatever to send to
its rescue, and Muhammud Ali has no friends elsewhere to whom to look
for aid, it is a matter of absolute certainty that the place must
fall, and then Dupleix will only have to request us to leave, and we
shall have nothing else to do but to go at once. So I should advise
you not to trouble yourself to unpack your luggage, for in all
probability another fortnight will see us on board ship.

"There, that's a tremendous long yarn I've been telling you, and not a
pleasant one. It's a history of defeat, loss of prestige and position.
We have been out fought and out diplomatized, and have made a mess of
everything we put our hand to. I should think you must be tired of it.
I am. I haven't done so much talking, for years."

Charlie and Peters thanked their new acquaintance, warmly, for the
pains he ha