sword. Clive returned a defiant refusal, and the guns
again opened on the second breach.

On the 9th of November, the Mahrattas began to show themselves in the
neighbourhood of the besieging army. The force under Lieutenant Innis
had been reinforced, and was now under the command of Captain
Kilpatrick, who had a hundred and fifty English troops, with four
field guns. This was now advancing.

Four days later the new breach had attained a width of thirty yards,
but Clive had prepared defences in the rear, similar to those at the
other breach; and the difficulties of the besiegers would here be much
greater, as the ditch was not fordable.

The fifty days which the siege had lasted had been terrible ones for
the garrison. Never daring to expose themselves unnecessarily during
the day, yet ever on the alert to repel an attack; labouring at night
at the defences, with their numbers daily dwindling, and the prospect
of an assault becoming more and more imminent, the work of the little
garrison was terrible; and it is to the defences of Lucknow and
Cawnpore, a hundred years later, that we must look to find a parallel,
in English warfare, for their endurance and bravery.

Both Charlie Marryat and Peters had been wounded, but in neither case
were the injuries severe enough to prevent their continuing on duty.
Tim Kelly had his arm broken by a ball, while another bullet cut a
deep seam along his cheek, and carried away a portion of his ear. With
his arm in splints and a sling, and the side of his face covered with
strappings and plaster, he still went about his business.

"Ah! Yer honors," he said one day to his masters; "I've often been out
catching rabbits, with ferrits to drive 'em out of their holes, and
sticks to knock 'em on the head, as soon as they showed themselves;
and it's a divarshun I was always mightily fond of, but I never quite
intered into the feelings of the rabbits. Now I understand them
complately, for ain't we rabbits ourselves? The officers, saving your
presence, are the ferrits who turn us out of our holes on duty; and
the niggers yonder, with their muskets and their matchlocks, are the
men with sticks, ready to knock us on head, directly we show
ourselves. If it plase Heaven that I ever return to the ould country
again, I'll niver lend a hand at rabbiting, to my dying day."

Chapter 8: The Grand Assault.

The 14th of November was a Mohammedan festival, and Riza Sahib
determined to utilize the