All this while I had been fast asleep; but being now awakened by the roaring of the cannon, I got up, and went on the ter­race of Mir-abdollah’s house,* (a gentleman of whom mention has already been made more than once) from whence I had a good view of the double attack carrying on at the eastern and southern sides of the city. Our whole quarter was up now, and Azim-aba?? greatly dis­tressed, but relieved in time by Captain Knox. in the utmost terror and confusion. Luckily that the day clear­ing up, I discovered beyond the sands which were in the river’s bed, and on the opposite side of the shore, some English colours and standards flying. At the same time I observed some badja­rows and other boats putting off from the English factory, and making towards the opposite shore. On sending for intelligence at the factory, I learned that Captain Knox had brought up in so short a time, as thirteen days only, a detachment from Bardevan, and that Mr. Amyatt was sending boats to bring them over. It being now broad day, I took Mir-abdollah with me and went to see Ram-naráin, who lived in Ismáil-qhan’s seat, whose garden came close to the city’s berme. He was pale, his lips dry, his whole person impressed with fear; nor was Doctor Fullerton himself without some emotion. And no wonder, people were now under general apprehensions that, although the last attack had been got over with the utmost difficulty, yet the next might prove more difficult, the general opinion being now, that the enemy had found out the way to get within the city, and had only miscarried by an accident. It became notorious now that there was a breach in the wall, and that the same scene would be commenced again the next night; and as P8r-dil-qhan had been wounded with most of his people in succouring the breach, no troops could be prevailed upon now to go on that service, although the breach had been made up with mud; for so prevalent were every one’s fears, that they all declined marching thither. The discouragement being then so general, the city could not hold out another night, and would assuredly be taken; in which case Ram-naráin with his family and garrison would fall in the enemy’s power infallibly. Such were the discourses of that assembly, and such the face of things. In a moment I made sign to Doctor Fullerton, and I informed him that an English detachment was coming. An English detachment, said he with amazement; where and how? I explained my intelligence. He was transported with joy; and Ram-naráin hearing it, com­menced to breathe freely; and he sent a messenger to ascertain that piece of news. The messenger returned, and confirmed my report. The Governor now got up, and seemed to have commenced to live anew. From Ram-naráin’s house I went with Doctor Fullerton to Mir-abdollah’s, and from thence to Mr. Amyatt’s, where I found Captain Knox, who was an acquain­tance of mine; and there I learned that he had set out from Bardevan with five companies of Talingas, and one company of European English, which detachment having performed in thirteen days, a march of full nineteen stages, was overcome with fatigue; although that officer, to leave no excuse to the soldiers, used to march on foot himself the whole day, and to give an example of patience to all. I heard also, that the reason of their having come by the other side of the Ganga, was out of an apprehension, lest the enemy should advance a detachment to meet them, by which incident their purpose might have been wholly defeated, or at least, their march so much impeded, that meanwhile the Emperor might have rendered himself master of the city. Mr. Amyatt was busy in sending wine and other refreshments and necessaries to the detachment; and he advised the Commander to let his people take some rest that day. In the evening Captain Knox embarked with his detachment, and with colours flying and drums beating, he landed at the Western gate, from whence he marched with a military look, and a resolute countenance, through the markets and the high street, as far as the castle, to the great comfort of the citizens, who on beholding the English march through their city, gave up their apprehensions about an escalade, and about an assault, and said openly, that now that the English were within their walls, the enemy would not dare to come to attack again. As soon as night came on, Captain Knox with two other officers more and a guide, got out of the city, and having approached unperceived close to the enemy’s quarters, he viewed carefully the outside of the walls, and the enemy’s encampment, with the roads leading to it, as well as the situation of the ground, and then returned within, without having been discovered. The next day, at about noon-day, a time when Cam-car-qhan had just eaten his meal, and laid down his clothes to take his usual nap, the English were already in his camp; and whilst his men, accustomed to the Indian habit of taking their afternoon nap likewise, had retired to some shady place for that purpose, or were busy in preparing their victuals, or in some other avocation, the Captain made suddenly his appearance with a small number of men, and made a discharge of musquetry unexpectedly. On the first fire the troops in the intrenchment turned about, and fled in the utmost consternation, leaving Cam-car-qhan to shift for himself. This General, sur­rounded by the English forces, thought himself undone; he had all the pains in the world to make his escape; and it was without either turband, clothes, or slippers. The Captain having taken away some of the enemy’s colours, then flying on the entrench­ment, with some other things that happened to be in his way, returned in triumph. After such an adventure, Cam-car-qhan had no stomach for tarrying any more in the suburbs of the city; he decamped immediately and pitched his tents in the plain, and at a distance from the houses, for fear of being surprised in the night time. In a few days more he found his place untenable; and quitting his post, he repaired to Gáya-manp8r, where he turned his views towards raising contributions for the Emperor, who having no other resource but that Zemindar, was obliged to give his consent to whatever he proposed. Meanwhile he had several times invited my forgiven father to come to his camp, and the latter had excused himself as often, under a variety of pretences; but in fact, because he rightly concluded that such a step of his would render him odious to the Government of Azim-abad. The Emperor took offence at this refusal; and Cam-car-qhan was aggravating the circumstances of it; but as he was a man of expedients, he proposed to bring him to camp within twenty-four hours, by only ordering the Marhatta Shy8-bahat to make some excursions on his estate and Djaghiri-lands. The Emperor approved his expedient, and laid his commands on the Marhatta officer accordingly; so that the whole estate was going now to be plundered and sacked, when my father thought proper to stay Shy8-bahat’s execution, by expressing his readiness to repair to the Imperial camp; and he forthwith prepared his equipage, But this intelligence no sooner came to the ears of Ram-naráin. than he attempted to put an end to all intercourse between the English and me, by giving an exaggerated account of this affair to Amyatt. He said, “that Gh8lam-hosséin-qhan by his intercourse with the English, was enabled to give his father information of every word and every transaction in the place. That his father, although a subject of this Government, and highly beholden to it for the favour of being reinstated in the possession of his Djaghir, was preparing to repair to the Imperial camp, and to add fuel to a fire that was already consuming the land. He added, that Gh8lam-hosséin-qhan must be enjoined to write to his father so effectually, as to oblige him to abandon such a mis­chievous design.” On this representation Mr. Amyatt desired me to comply with the request. “I answered, by taking God Almighty to witness, that since I had attached myself to the English, I had ceased all correspondence with my father, having never so much as wrote him a letter, or even sent him a message; that what Ram-naráin had been pleased to say, was true only in part, the rest being founded on mere misinformation; that it was notorious that my father, after having by a variety of artifices got rid of the Emperor’s service, was living peaceably upon his estate in the middle of his family and dependants; and now that he is threatened with ruin and devastation, pray, sir, what party would you have him take? At a time when Ram-naráin armed, as he is, with all the powers of Government, finds himself unable to cope with the Emperor; what can my father do, who lives in the flat country and in an open town, where his consort, his family, his honour are exposed to every incursion? Ram-naráin, apprehensive lest my father, by com­ing to live in town, and rendering his merit known to the English, should inspire them with the thoughts of putting him at the head of the Government, is afraid of giving him leave to reside in this city; and at the same time he pretends that he ought in an open plain to resist the Imperial will, and to with­hold his submission; doubtless he must in his own defence submit to the Emperor’s commands. But if it be intended that he should not join the enemy, then let an order be sent him to come and reside in the city; else, to send him injunctions not to join the Emperor, and not to submit to him, is nugatory; nor is such an order of a nature to admit execution.” This speech made some effect; and Mr. Amyatt, who was a man of sense, and of a liberal disposition, having attentively heard what I had said, acknowledged the rationality of it, but added, that although he was convinced of it, he saw no inconvenience in send­ing the letter requested. To oblige therefore that gentleman, I took pen and wrote just such a letter as Ram-naráin had desired, and I put it in his hands; but to repel still more that Governor’s imputation, I could not help observing, “that Ram-naráin’s earnestness on that subject seemed calculated to render my per­son odious, together with that of my father’s; that such letters and such requests would never prevent my father from taking party with the Emperor; and if it was really intended to pre­vent that step, the best method would be to require him to come to town with his family; otherwise he would unavoidably betake himself to the only expedient that could secure his life, honour, family and property; and in fact, the truth is, that I had not the least correspondence with either my father or my brother, or any one in the Imperial camp; and that I carried the pre­caution so far on that subject, that whenever chance would have it so, that any one in the service of the enemy should come to see me, I constantly declined the interview; and God is my witness, that treason, artifice, and insincerity have never been in my character, nor are in it to this day. I thank His Divine Goodness, that he made me live everywhere with honour and dignity; and that I have had opportunities to see with my own eyes, that traitors and artificious people, so far from pros­pering in this world, soon or late, with all their cunning and shrewdness, fall into misfortunes, and are rewarded according to their deserts.”

“The plain Ahmed I was, and the plain Ahmed am I still.”