f
the bastion in a moment, and soon cheered his men in. The enemy fled
towards the fort, and left us in quiet possession of the outer
fortification. There was a large house, about two hundred paces from
this corner, which our men occupied during the night, and we returned to
the camp pleased with our day's exploit, and that we had not stained Old
England's banner.

On the following morning the engineer fixed on a place for the batteries
on the opposite side of the river, and breached an enormous bastion,
which, like that of the fort of Mundellah, ran down to the water's edge.
In four-and-twenty hours the heavy guns were moved down and put into
their places for work, establishing our grand magazine in a village
immediately behind them, to which a road had been dug for the purpose of
conveying the ammunition, without being exposed to the firing from the
fort. The general gave most positive orders, before he left the battery,
that no ammunition should, on any account, be lodged in the magazine,
but that it should be kept behind the village. These orders having been
given, we rode home to breakfast. I had scarcely swallowed a mouthful
when the general seemed restless, and presently said, "Shipp, saddle
your horse immediately, and ride at speed to the grand battery. I have a
strange presentiment that all is not right there." My horse was saddled
in a moment, and I galloped down with all possible speed. When I arrived
at the battery I really thought I should have fallen off my horse, for
the first things that met my eye were the whole of the tumbrells, with
shots and shells, and some thousands of rounds of gunpowder. These were
all drawn up in the battery, and a single shot from the fort would have
blown them all up. I ordered them to be removed instantly behind the
village; and this we completed without the enemy's firing one shot. I
found, on inquiry, that the captain to whom the general's command was
given, delivered his orders to his subaltern--the subaltern to the
sergeant--the sergeant to the corporal--and so on to the poor stupid
driver of the bullocks. I hope this circumstance may meet the eye of
the young soldier, and teach him the absolute necessity of the strictest
obedience to orders, and impress upon his mind that, whatever may be his
rank, it does not place him above seeing things executed himself. Had
those tumbrells, through the neglect which occurred, been blown up, many
lives must have been destroyed, and th