m the top to the bottom of the bastion. How I got
there in safety, I know not; but, when I came to myself, I found I was
lying under the breach, with my legs in the water. I was much hurt from
the fall, my face was severely scorched, my clothes much burnt, and all
the hair on the back of my head burnt off. I for a time could not tell
where I was. I crawled to the opposite side of the bank, and seated
myself by a soldier of the same company, who did not know me. I sat
here, quite unable to move, for some little time, till a cannon-ball
struck in the ditch, which knocked the mud all over me. This added
greatly to the elegance of my appearance; and in this state I contrived,
somehow or other, to crawl out of the ditch. At this moment the retreat
was sounded, after every mortal effort had been made in vain.

The case was now deemed completely hopeless, and we were obliged to give
up the contest, having lost, in killed and wounded, upwards of three
thousand men--braver, or more zealous, never lived--against this fort.
Of the twelve gallant fellows who composed the third forlorn hope led by
me, not one returned to reap the proffered reward of the
commander-in-chief: add to this, the loss of one of the best officers in
our army, Captain Menzies, of the 22nd grenadier company, aid-de-camp to
Lord Lake. He fell endeavouring to rally some native troops that were
exposed to a galling fire, and began to give way. In this heroic attempt
he lost his life, regretted by the whole army. Of our two companies,
scarce a soul escaped uninjured. Near the breach, the dead, dying, and
wounded would have melted the heart of the most callous wretch; and, had
not the little party who stormed the eleven-gun battery proved
successful, few, if any, would have escaped the dreadful carnage. You
must permit me to draw the gloomy shroud of mourning over this scene of
misery and terror. The sad details of this siege have years ago been
before the public; and here my personal services at Bhurtpore ended,
leaving impressions, both on mind and body, that can never be
obliterated.

In the course of the siege, frequent overtures were made from the fort,
but of what nature I do not pretend to know. They were at last, however,
obliged to come to our terms, which compelled them to pay all the
expenses of the siege, &c.; after which we raised the siege, and
returned to camp. The loss of the enemy must have been immense: report
said, five thousand men, women, and