NO. 42.— 1891.] SIEGE OF COLOMBO. 



89 



Chapter XXIV. 

 Which continues the same subject of the siege. 

 As we could not prevent the enemy's continuing to mine 

 beneath that rubbish which they had thrown into the ditch, 

 that they might thereby mine the bastion of S. Joao, which 

 was already so scarped that not half of its interior space 

 remained, by reason of the many breaches which we had 

 made in it to form parapets, and to repair those that the 

 continuous firing of the batteries had ruined, for which 

 reason we made with all haste at the foot of the same bastion 

 a countermine, and through it we met : 26 Ethis work was of 

 no little use for our defence on account of the impediment 

 and hindrance that we caused to that at which they continued 

 so industriously, depriving them of the hopes which they 

 formed.] At the breach we fought with them obstinately 

 during an afternoon ; and as the passage that they had made 

 through the earth was two fathoms in width, many hastened 

 to the defence, of whom a large number were killed, Qand 

 as the breach which we had made was very small and dark, 

 they could not do us harm. The only arms that could be 

 used in this place were blunderbusses and pistols ; and when 

 it was night there was a cessation of the fray on one side 

 and the other, and the enemy covered themselves with 

 certain boards, which they had got in the forests, in which 

 they had made loopholes. Our men with all haste dug a pit 

 in the space between us and the enemy, in which we buried 

 a, large case of powder of the length of six spans, leaving a 

 span and a half of the fuze connected with the vent above 

 ground ; and it was a miracle, the firing into that place being 

 for a long time so continuous, that a spark did not blow it up 

 Having done this, we enlarged the breach to such an extent 

 as could contain a man when standing from the breast to the 

 shoulders ; and in order to have persons specially set apart 

 for guarding it, the Captain-General ordered some reformado 

 captains who had given good satisfaction to be called, to 

 Whom he said : that as that post was the one where there 

 was most risk, it was not proper that they should trust in 



