按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
flashes； but every few moments； as if to belie the destruction that seemed so plete； an Indian gun would flash back its response and a round shot would scream across the fields towards the British batteries。 Or else a rocket would flare up from the defenders and snake its thicker smoke trail across the delicate tracery left by the fuses of the howitzer shells。 The largest guns on the city wall were also firing； trying to bounce their shot up from the ground so that the ricochets would reach the besiegers' artillery。 Sharpe； inside the city； heard the vast hammering of the guns and wondered if it presaged an assault on the city's walls； but Sergeant Rothiere assured the men that it was only the British wasting ammunition on the old mill。
The bombardment suddenly ceased and the Tippoo's mencame scrambling out of the mill's damp cellars to take their places at their fire…scorched ramparts。 They reached their broken firesteps just in time； for the leading engineers were already hurling lit carcasses into the ditch。 The carcasses were bundles of damp straw tight wrapped about a paper…cased shell of saltpetre； corned gunpowder and antimony。 The carcasses burned fiercely； consuming the straw from the inside to billow choking streams of smoke through vents left in the casings so that within seconds the ditch was filled with a dense fog of grey smoke into which the frightened defenders poured a badly aimed musket volley。 More carcasses were hurled； adding to the blinding smoke； and under this cover a dozen planks were thrown across the ditch and screaming attackers charged across with fixed bayonets。 Only a few of the Tippoo's men still had loaded muskets。 Those men fired； and one of the attackers fell through the smoke to fall on the hissing carcasses； but the rest were already scrambling over the walls。 Half the attackers were Macleod's Highlanders from Perthshire； the others were Bengali infantry； and both came into the mill like avenging furies。 The Tippoo's men seemed stunned by the suddenness of the assault； or else they had been so shaken by the shelling and were so confused by the choking smoke that they were incapable of resistance； and incapable； too； of surrender。 Bengalis and Highlanders hunted through the ruins； their war cries shrill as they bayoneted and shot the garrison； while behind them； before the smoke of the carcasses had even begun to fade or the fighting in the mill die down； the engineers were constructing a stouter bridge across which they could haul their siege guns so they could turn the old mill into a breaching battery。
The smoke of the carcasses at last died and drifted away； its remnants touched red by the setting sun； and in the lurid light a Highlander capered on the ramparts with the captured sun banner at the end of his bayonet while a Bengali havildar waved the Tippoo's lion flag in celebration。 The assault hadturned into a massacre and the officers now tried to calm the attackers down as they pierced ever deeper into the mill's vaults。 The innermost cellar was grimly defended by a group of the Tippoo's infantry； but an engineer brought the last remaining carcass into the mill； lit its fuse； waited until the smoke began to pour from the vents and then hurled it down the steps。 There were a few seconds of silence； then dazed and gasping defenders came scrambling up the steep stairs。 The mill fort was taken； and astonishingly only one of the attackers had been killed； but a shocked Highlander lieutenant counted two hundred dead bodies dressed in the Tippoo's tiger…striped tunic； and still more enemy dead were piled bloodily in every embrasure。 The rest of the garrison was either taken prisoner or else had managed to flee down the connecting trench to the city。 A Scottish sergeant； finding one of the Tippoo's rockets in a magazine； stuck it vertically between two of the ruin's bigger stones； then lit the fuse。 There were cheers as the rocket flamed and smoked； then louder cheers as it screamed up into the sky。 It began to corkscrew； leaving a crazy trail of smoke in the twilight air； and then； reaching its apogee； and by now almost invisible； it tumbled and fell into the Cauvery。
Next morning the first eighteen…pounders were already emplaced in the mill。 The range to the city was long； but not impossible； and Harris gave the order for the guns to open fire。 The eighteen…pounder cannon were among the heavy siege guns that would make the breach； but for now they were employed to batter the enemy's own guns。 Seringapatam's outer wall was protected by a glacis； but there was not enough distance between the river and the wall to construct a full glacis with a gently sloping outer face high enough to bounce cannon shot over the city's walls； and so the low glacis could only protect the wall's base； not the parapet； and the eighteen…pounders' first shots were aimed to scour that parapet of its guns。 The good fortune that hadacpanied the Bengalis and the Highlanders in their assault on the old mill now seemed to settle on the shoulders of the gunners for their very first shot cracked apart an embrasure and the second dismounted the gun behind it； and after that every shot seemed to have an equally destructive effect。 British and Indian officers watched through spyglasses as embrasure after embrasure was destroyed and as gun after gun was thrown down。 A dozen heavy cannon were tumbled forward into the flooded ditch between the city wall and the glacis； and every tumbling fall was greeted by a cheer from the besiegers。 The city's western wall was being stripped of guns； and the artillerymen's prowess seemed to promise an easy assault。 Spirits in the allied ranks soared。
While inside the city； watching his precious cannon being destroyed； the Tippoo fumed。 The mill fort； on which he had pinned such high hopes of delaying the enemy till the monsoon washed them away； had fallen like a child's wooden toy。 And now his precious guns were being obliterated。
It was time； the Tippoo decided； to show his soldiers that these red…coated enemies were not invulnerable demons； but mortal men； and that like any other mortal men； they could be made to whimper。 It was time to unsheath the tiger's claws。
A half…hour's walk east of the city； just outside the embrasured wall that protected the Tippoo's encampment； lay his Summer Palace； the Daria Dowlat。 It was much smaller than the Inner Palace within the city； for the Inner Palace was where the Tippoo's enormous harem lived and where his government had its offices and his army its headquarters； and so it was a sprawl of stables； storehouses； courtyards； state rooms and prison cells。 The Inner Palace seethed with activity； a place where hundreds of folk had their daily living； while the Summer Palace； set in its wide green gardens and protected by a thick hedge of aloe； was a haven of peace。The Daria Dowlat had not been built to impress； but rather for fort。 Only two storeys high； the building was made from huge teak beams over which stucco had been laid； then modelled and painted so that every surface glittered in the sunlight。 The whole palace was surrounded by a two…storeyed verandah and on the western outer wall； under the verandah where the sun could not fade it； the Tippoo had ordered painted a vast mural showing the battle of Pollilur at which； seventeen years before； he had destroyed a British army。 That great victory had extended Mysore's dominion along the Malabar Coast and； in honour of the triumph； the palace had been built and received its name； the Daria Dowlat or Treasure of the Sea。 The palace lay on the road leading to the island's eastern tip； the same road on which was built the fine； elegant mausoleum in which the Tippoo's great father； Hyder Ali； and his mother； the Begum Fatima； were buried。 There too； one day； the Tippoo prayed he would lie at rest。
The Daria Dowlat's garden was a wide lawn dotted with pools； trees； shrubs and flowers。 Roses grew there； and mangoes； but there were also exotic strains of indigo and cotton mixed with pineapples from Africa and avocados from Mexico； all of them plants that the Tippoo had encouraged or imported in the hope that they would prove profitable for his country； but on this day； the day after the mill fort had been swamped with smoke； fire and blood； the garden was filled with two thousand of the Tippoo's thirty thousand troops。 The men paraded in three sides of a hollow square to the north of the palace； leaving the Daria Dowlat's shadowed facade as the fourth side of their square。
The Tippoo had ordered entertainment for his troops。 There were dancers from the city； two jugglers and a man who charmed snakes； but； best of all； the Tippoo's wooden tiger organ had been fetched from the Inner Palace and the soldiers laughed as the life…size model tiger raked its claws across the redcoat's blood…painted face。 The bellow…drivengrowl did not carry very far； any more than did the pathetic cry of the tiger's victim； but the action of the toy alone was sufficient to amuse the men。
The Tippoo arrived in a palanquin just after midday。 None of his European advisers acpanied him； nor were any of his European troops present； though Appah Rao was in attendance； for two of the five cushoons parading in the palace gardens came from Rao's brigade； and the Hindu General stood tall and silent just behind the Tippoo on the palace's upper verandah。 Appah Rao disapproved of what was about to happen； but he dared not make a protest； for any sign of disloyalty from a Hindu was enough to rouse the Tippoo's suspicions。 Besides； the Tippoo could not be dissuaded。 His astrologers had told him that a period of ill luck had arrived and that it could only be averted by sacrifice。 Other sages had peered into the smoke…misted surface of a pot of hot oil； the Tippoo's favourite form of divination； and had deciphered the strange…coloured and slow…moving swirls to declare that they told the same grim tale： a season of bad fortune had e to Seringapatam。 That bad luck had caused both the fall of the mill fort and the destruction of the guns on the outer western wall and the Tippoo was determined to avert this sudden ill fortune。
The Tippoo let his soldiers enjoy the tiger for a few moments longer； then he clapped his hands and ordered his servants to carry the model back to the Inner Palace。 The tiger's place was taken by a dozen jettis who strode onto the forecourt with their bare torsos gleaming。 For a few moments they amused the soldiers with their more monplace tricks： they bent iron rods into circles； lifted grown men on both hands or juggled with cannonballs。
Then a goatskin drum sounded and the jettis； obedient to its strokes； went back to the shadows under the Tippoo's balcony。 The watching soldiers fell into an expectant silence； then growled as a sorry party of prisoners was herded ontothe forecourt。 There were thirteen prisoners； all in red coats； all of them men of the 33rd who had been captured during the night battle at the Sultanpetah tope。
The thirteen men stood uncertainly amidst the ring of their enemies。 The sun beat down。 One of the prisoners； a sergeant； twitched as he stared at the ranks of tiger…striped soldiers； and still his face twitched as he turned around and gazed with a curious intensity when the Tippoo stepped to the rail of the upper verandah and； in a clear high voice； spoke to his troops。 The enemy； the Tippoo said； had been fortunate。 They had gained some cheap victories to the west of the city； but that was no reason to fear them。 The British sorcerers； knowing they could not defeat the tigers of Mysore by force alone； had made a powerful spell； but with the help of Allah that spell would now be confounded。 The soldiers greeted the speech with a long and approving sigh while the prisoners； unable to understand any of the Tippoo's words； looked anxiously about； but could make no sense of the occasion。
Guards surrounded the prisoners and pushed them back to the palace； leaving just one man alone on the forecourt。 That man tried to go with his panions； but a guard thrust him back with a bayonet and the uneven contest between a confused prisoner and an armed guard sparked a gust of laughter。 The prisoner； driven back to the centre of the forecourt； waited nervously。
Two jettis walked towards him。 They were b