No. 39.-— 1889.] account of ceylon, 295 



On the 20th* of September they made a sally with several 

 thousand men, but they had to retreat with a loss of five 

 hundred men. We made many of these prisoners, kept them 

 for three or four days, but, after that, had to take them into 

 the wood and shoot them down. As we had already four 

 hundred prisoners on board our ships, Which we had taken 

 at Berberi, and as our men had to come on shore every day 

 to bring ammunition and provisions, we could not guard a 

 large number of prisoners. 



On the 2nd of October we began to build batteries during 

 the night, and made four, into two of which we put from 

 two to three guns, and in the others from three to four guns, 

 all able to carry a charge of eighteen to twenty -four pound, 

 iron. The Emperor of Ceilon sent us two thousand of his 

 men to help to work, of whom in many a night twenty to 

 thirty were killed ; he promised to send even more, but we 

 were not to leave anything undone to get Columbo into our 

 power. Our head gunner proceeded without the necessary 

 caution. Instructions had been given to load the cannon with 

 shot during the night, so that, in case the enemy came out, 

 he could be received properly. During the day the shot was 

 to be taken out again, and ball put in instead, so that if the 

 enemy fired from the walls the fire could be returned imme- 

 diately. Our head gunner forgot to take the shot out, and 

 when fire was opened at the enemy at a time when our 

 people were working between the town and our battery, the 

 shot spread, and killed thirteen men of our allies. The 

 gunner was at once arrested, and a letter was despatched to 

 the King of Candia to say how unfortunate that gunner had 

 been, and to ask what punishment he wished to be awarded. 

 The reply came, as it had been an accident, a ball should be 

 fired over his head, and if the man made another such mistake 

 he should be shot. 



On the 17th of October we began to dig trenches from our 



16—91 



* Dutch ed. has 19th. 



L 



