When the war was over, and Kistnagherry was ceded to
them, I was appointed to this fortress, which seems to me to be even
stronger than that was.
"The commander was a brave man, the garrison was strong, there was no
suspicion of treachery; and though, at last, the troops were seized
with a panic, as they might well be when they saw that they were
unable to arrest the advance of the enemy, the defence up to that time
had been stout. The English brought up guns, where it was thought no
guns could be taken. They knocked the defences to pieces; and, after
winning their way to the top, in one day captured this fort, and that
on the hill yonder. It seems miraculous."
Coffee was brought in, and pipes, for although Tippoo was violently
opposed to smoking, and no one would venture upon the use of tobacco
in the Palace or fort, old officers like the governor, in distant
commands, did not relinquish tobacco.
"It is necessary here," the governor said, as he filled his pipe. "The
country round is terribly unhealthy, and the air is full of fever. I
do not discourage its use among the men, for they would die off like
flies, did they not smoke to keep out the bad air. The climate is,
indeed, the best protection to the fort, for an army that sat down for
any length of time before it, would speedily melt away.
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