On arriving at the ditch, it was found that the portable bridges could not be thrown across as, during the night, the garrison had dammed up the moat below the breach and turned a quantity of water into it, thus doubling both its width and depth. A few gallant fellows jumped in, swam across, and climbed the breach; but there were few capable of performing this feat, encumbered by their muskets and ammunition; and Colonel Macrae, seeing the impossibility of succeeding, called them back, and retired under a tremendous fire from the bastions and walls.
This assault was even more disastrous than the last, for the loss in killed and wounded amounted to nearly six hundred. Harry was deeply disappointed at these reverses, which the rajah himself, with great glee, reported to him with full details.
There had been other fighting: two British convoys on their way from Agra had been attacked by the horsemen of Ameer Khan, Holkar, and the rajah. The first might have been successful, for the twelve hundred bullocks were escorted by only fourteen hundred men; and these, although they might have defended themselves successfully, were unable to keep the convoy together. The animals, excited by the firing, were rushing off in all directions when, fortunately, a body of our cavalry which had been sent out to meet the convoy arrived, and drove off the enemy with a loss of six hundred men.
The next morning a general movement could be seen in the British camp. The rajah, who was immediately informed of it, came up to the lookout.
"The English general has given it up as hopeless," he said. "They are about to march away."
"It looks like it, Rajah," Harry admitted, "but I should hardly fancy that Lord Lake will take such a step. He has tried to take the town by a sudden assault, and I think that he will not retreat until he has attempted to do so by a regular siege operation."
An hour later the whole of the tents had been pulled down and, presently, both the troops and the huge body of followers and cattle were in motion.
"They are not going to Agra," the rajah said, after watching them for some time; "they must be going to march to the north."
Two hours later, the great procession had arrived at the north of the town. There they halted, and their long lines of tents began to rise.
"They are going to try another point," the rajah exclaimed. "Truly they are brave men, but they will be repulsed, as they were before."