The mighty column, however, composed of the troops of the
nizam, pressed forward, poured over the fragments of the wall, and
entered the clear space behind it.
Then, from housetop and loophole, and from the walls on either side, a
concentrated fire of musketry was poured upon them, while twelve guns,
four on each barricade, swept them with grape. The head of the column
withered away under the fire, long lines were swept through the
crowded mass; and, after a minute or two's wild firing at their
concealed foes, the troops of the nizam, appalled and shattered by the
tremendous fire, broke and fled.
The instant they had cleared the breach, the guns of the besiegers
again opened furiously upon it, to check any sortie which the besieged
might attempt.
An hour later, the besiegers hoisted a white flag, and requested to be
allowed to bury their dead, and remove their wounded. This Charlie
agreed to, with the proviso that these should be carried by his own
men beyond the breach, as he did not wish that the enemy should have
an opportunity of examining the internal defences. The task occupied
some time, as more than five hundred dead and dying lay scattered in
the open space.
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