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Lutoph Ally, that should he on any future occasion send female 

 emissaries to the fort, they might possess more youth and beauty; 

 that they should be well received, and returned to his camp with 

 as much safety as the antiquated duenna who was then conducted 

 out of the garrison. 



Desertion among the native troops, especially in the Malawar 

 corps, was now very common, sixteen of their recruits went off in 

 a body ; and a few nights afterwards one of them was detected in 

 deserting from his post as sentinel. The commanding officer, de- 

 termined to prevent an evil which might otherwise eventually en- 

 danger the loss of the fort, ordered all the troops who were off duty 

 under arms ; and with the dead march beating, the deserter was 

 conducted in front to a spot near the attacked face of the works, 

 and blown from the mouth of an eigh teen-pounder. 



The day following the fort sustained a heavy and skilful fire 

 from the enemy's grand battery, which did great execution. Three 

 of our guns were considerably damaged, and several of the garri- 

 son wounded. Since the commencement of the siege a few non- 

 commissioned officers and Europeans have been killed and wounded, 

 besides several of the Bombay sepoys and native troops entertained 

 at Onore. 



The enemy's fire was now kept up briskly for several days, de- 

 stroying the defences of the large tower ; many of the garrison were 

 killed and wounded. The disease before mentioned was very de- 

 structive, and great desertions prevailed among the Onore recruits. 

 On the 19th of July, an intelligent native, employed as a spy, re- 

 turned from the enemy's camp, with information that our last fire 

 had disabled three of their best guns, and killed and wounded 



