ocritical priest or mendicant impostor, who leads them blindfold to
destruction.

The firing from the fort was good and steady, and some of their long
shots would have been no disgrace to a European gunner. I was, during
this siege, as before, baggage-master and acting aid-de-camp to
Brigadier-General Watson, C.B., who invested this fort in person, and
saw hourly the operations carried on under his own eye, being constantly
riding round the chain of posts, or in the breaching and other
batteries, always seeing things done, and strictly watching the progress
of the siege.

Our principal breaching-battery was on the east side of the fort,
keeping the pure stream of the sweet Nerbuddah running between ourselves
and the foe. Many of the enemy, when sipping of its crystal water, were
killed in the attempt to moisten their parched lips. I have more than
once nearly quarrelled with my brother officers on the following
subject, nor can I ever reconcile to my bosom, that the act is fair or
right. The question to which I alluded is this, whether it is fair that
I should secrete myself in a hole, or behind a wall, with a rifle, and
thus, unseen, shoot every poor creature who shows his nose, without my
own person being in the slightest danger. It is true, it is an enemy
whom you thus treat, but I do consider the act of placing one's self in
security, and from the hiding-place dealing out death, treads close upon
the heels of cowardice, if it does not come under the designation of
actual murder. Give me man to man, and sword to sword. I hate unfairness
in anything; and I do not think this practice, though often adopted,
will stand the test of scrutiny in the eye of justice.

We breached a corner bastion of the town, the base of which ran down
into the river, on the banks of which we could approach the breach out
of sight, and pounce upon it unobserved, and out of the reach of their
cannon and small arms. All was impatience to get to work. The breach
seemed fit for storming. Various were the opinions of the impetuous
soldiers relative to its practicability. Some said they could ride up
it, others that they could drive a gig up. Thus went round the
thoughtless opinions of rash youth, ever willing to run headstrong into
danger; but our prudent engineer, Captain Tickell, smiled on their hasty
opinions, and sarcastically replied, "Whenever you do storm, rest
assured you will not find the ascent of that breach a light job. To
satisfy m