the advance. The soldiers, however, did
not stop running until they reached the bastion.

Captain Yorke went back, and found that many of the soldiers were
proposing to leave the fort, altogether. He swore that he would cut
down the first man who moved, and some of the men who had served with
him in the 39th, ashamed of their conduct, said that they would follow
him. Heading the thirty-six men who had now come to their senses,
Captain Yorke again advanced, with the drummer boys.

Just as he was setting out, Charlie, who had at first gone with
Fisher's division, hearing an entire cessation of fire on the other
side, ran up to see what was going on.

"Major Marryat," Captain Yorke said, "will you rally these fellows,
and bring them after me. They've been frightened with a false alarm of
a mine, and have lost their heads altogether."

Charlie, aided by Tim, exerted himself to the utmost to encourage and
command the soldiers, shaming them by telling them that while they,
European soldiers, were cowering in the bastion, their Sepoy comrades
were winning the town.

"Unless," he said, "in one minute the whole of you are formed up ready
to advance, I will take care that not one shall have a share in the
prize money that will be won tonight."

The men now fell in, and Charlie led them after Captain Yorke. The
first retreat of the latter's division had given the French time to
rally a little, and as he now made along the rampart towards the
bastion on the river, the French officer in command there, having
turned a gun and loaded it with grape, discharged it when the English
were within a few yards. Captain Yorke fell, badly wounded. The two
black drummer boys were killed, as were several of the men, and
sixteen others were wounded.

Charlie, hurrying along with the rest of the party, met the survivors
of Captain Yorke's little band coming back, carrying their wounded
officer.

"There," Charlie shouted to his men, "that is your doing. Now retrieve
yourselves. Show you are worthy of the name of British soldiers."

With a shout, the men rushed forward and carried the bastion, and this
completed the capture of the whole of the wall, from the northeast
angle to the river.

In the meantime Captain Fisher, with his division, was advancing to
the right along the rampart. Maclean's men had joined him, and they
were pushing steadily forward. Colonel Forde continued with the
reserve at the bastion first taken, receiving reports