NO. 42. —1891.] SIEGE OF COLOMBO. 



87 



account of the danger that threatened us.] In this struggle 

 we lost many soldiers of great worth ; and although we used 

 all the energy, and [even more, that] our limited forces 

 permitted us, we could not prevent their continuing the 

 approach ; [and on bringing it as far as the place where we 

 destroyed their gallery, they threw such a quantity of earth 

 into the ditch that they soon filled it up, having done which 

 they broke down its wall, and began to mine below the 

 earth, and made things so impossible for us that neither 

 from the dike nor from the bastion of S. Estevao could we 

 harm them. 



Thirty paces in front of the Porta da Rainha they set up a 

 battery of eight demi-cannon,with which in seven days they 

 levelled the stretch of wall which ran therefrom to the 

 bastion of S. Sebastiao, and made such a clean sweep of the 

 whole, that not a sr;n of a ruin remained, as all was built of 

 taipa, like the rest which protected the city • for which 

 cause everyone set to work to cover over the piece that ran 

 from the bastion of S. Joao to that of S. Estevao with earth 

 and palm-trees, a not unnecessary precaution, as that was 

 where the enemy was making the most vigorous attacks ; but 

 in order not to leave the city defenceless at that part, we 

 make a stockade of pointed wood, with ribands nailed at two 

 places, and it was so well finished off, and so strong, that a 

 wall was unnecessary, and the flanks which joined the gate 

 and the foot of the bastion were guarded by four pedereros. 

 The enemy had determined to make an assault at this point ; 

 however, the soldiers who frequently deserted from us 

 dissuaded them from this intent.] 



The whole time that this siege lasted they threw into the 

 city a large quantity of bombs, [of an immense size, and in 

 the house into which any fell the least that it did was to 

 carry away the upper part, and leave it open, only the walls 

 remaining ; the uneasiness and horror that they caused being 

 more than the deaths that resulted from them. There was 

 another kind of bomb that they manufactured. These were 

 much smaller, but covered with plenty of tow and inflam- 



