had been deceived, opening upon them with
musketry. Their excitement and fury, however, disturbed their aim,
and the six horsemen rode into camp unhurt, and reported that the
ditch was not very wide, and that it did not seem to be very deep.

Portable bridges were at once constructed. These were to be carried
by picked men, who were instructed in the best method of pushing
them over the ditch. To prevent the recurrence of the confusion
that had been, before, caused by the assault in the dark, it was
determined that it should be made in daylight and, on the following
afternoon, the storming party moved forward. It consisted of four
hundred and twenty men from the European regiments, supported by
the rest of those troops, and three battalions of native infantry.
Colonel Macrae was in command. The whole of the batteries opened
fire, to cover the movement and keep down that of the besieged.

On arriving at the ditch, it was found that the portable bridges
could not be thrown across as, during the night, the garrison had
dammed up the moat below the breach and turned a quantity of water
into it, thus doubling both its width and depth. A few gallant
fellows jumped in, swam across, and climbed the breach; but there
were few capable of performing this feat, encumbered by their
muskets and ammunition; and Colonel Macrae, seeing the impossibility
of succeeding, called them back, and retired under a tremendous fire
from the bastions and walls.

This assault was even more disastrous than the last, for the loss
in killed and wounded amounted to nearly six hundred. Harry was
deeply disappointed at these reverses, which the rajah himself,
with great glee, reported to him with full details.

There had been other fighting: two British convoys on their way
from Agra had been attacked by the horsemen of Ameer Khan, Holkar,
and the rajah. The first might have been successful, for the twelve
hundred bullocks were escorted by only fourteen hundred men; and
these, although they might have defended themselves successfully,
were unable to keep the convoy together. The animals, excited by
the firing, were rushing off in all directions when, fortunately, a
body of our cavalry which had been sent out to meet the convoy
arrived, and drove off the enemy with a loss of six hundred men.

The next morning a general movement could be seen in the British
camp. The rajah, who was immediately informed of it, came up to the
lookout.

"The English ge