And with that the merchant, knowing his friend, was very well content; but he kept his own counsel.

At length, one day in the first week of February, 1756, Desmond received a summons to visit the admiral.  His interview was brief.  He was directed to place himself under the orders of Captain Latham on the Tyger; the fleet was about to sail.

It was a bright, cool February morning; cool, that is, for Bombay, when the vessels weighed anchor and sailed slowly out of the harbor.  All Bombay lined the shores:  natives of every hue and every mode of attire; English merchants; ladies fluttering white handkerchiefs.  Such an expedition had never been undertaken against the noted Pirate before, and the report of Commodore James, confirming the information brought by Desmond, had given the authorities good hope that this pest of the Malabar coast was at last to be destroyed.

It was an inspiriting sight as the vessels, rounding the point, made under full sail to the south.  There were six line-of-battle ships, six Company’s vessels, five bomb ketches, four Maratha grabs—­one of them Angria’s own grab, the Tremukji, on which Desmond had escaped—­and forty gallivats.  The Tyger led the van.  Admiral Watson’s flag was hoisted on the Kent, Admiral Pocock’s on the Cumberland.  On board the fleet were two hundred European soldiers, three hundred Sepoys, and three hundred Topasses—­mainly half-caste Portuguese in the service of the Company, owing their name to the topi {hat} they wore.  To cooperate with this force a land army of twelve thousand Marathas, horse and foot, under the command of Ramaji Punt, one of the Peshwa’s generals, had been for some time investing the town of Gheria.

At this time of year the winds were so slight and variable that it was nearly a week before the fleet arrived off Gheria.  When the bastions of the fort hove into sight Desmond could not help contrasting his feelings with those of two months before.

“Like the look of your cage, Mr. Burke?” asked Captain Latham at his elbow.

“I was just thinking of it, sir,” said Desmond.  “It makes a very great difference when you’re outside the bars.”

“And we’ll break those bars before we’re much older, or I’m a Dutchman.”

But at this moment the signal to heave-to was seen flying at the masthead of the Kent.  Before the vessels had anchored one of the grabs left the main fleet and ran into the harbor.  It bore a message from Admiral Watson to Tulaji Angria, summoning him to surrender.  The answer returned was that if the admiral desired to be master of the fort he must take it by force, as Angria was resolved to defend it to the last extremity.