He broke off, and with a suddenness that took Desmond by surprise he sprang away, making towards the grove of mangoes that stood between him and the shore.  Desmond was instantly in pursuit.  If Diggle gained the shelter of the trees he might escape in the darkness.  But the race was short.  Weak from fear and loss of blood, the elder was no match in speed for the younger.  In less than a hundred yards he was overtaken, and stood panting, quivering, unnerved.  Desmond gripped his uninjured arm, and with quickened footsteps hurried him towards the shore.  There was the boat, the lascar resting motionless on his oar.  Ten minutes later Diggle was assisted up the side of the Kent, and handed over to the officer of the watch.  Then Desmond made his report to Clive.

“All the enemy are withdrawn within the fort, sir.  The whole ground between the fort and the shore is clear.  There is nothing to obstruct your landing.”

“I thank you.  You have exceeded your time by ten minutes.  Who is that man who came aboard with you?”

“It was he who delayed me, sir.  It is Mr. Diggle, or Peloti, I should say.”

“The deuce he is!”

“He was stealing out of the fort; it came to a scuffle, and he was wounded—­so I brought him along.”

“Mr. Speke,” said Clive, turning to the captain, “may I ask you to see this man safe bestowed?  I will deal with him when our business here is concluded.

“Mr. Burke, you will come with me.”

By nine o’clock Clive had landed his troops.  They bivouacked on the shore, in expectation of storming the fort next day.  At daybreak an officer was sent into the fort with a flag of truce to demand its surrender.  This being refused, the admiral ordered his ships to warp within a cable’s length of the walls in three fathoms and a quarter water, and the attack was renewed by sea and land, Clive gradually advancing and worrying the enemy with his cannon.  At two o’clock a magazine in the fort blew up, and not long after, just as Clive was about to give the order to storm, a white flag was seen fluttering at one of the bastions.

A messenger was sent to the governor to arrange the capitulation, but when he was met by prevarication and pleas for delay the bombardment was once more resumed.  A few minutes of this sufficed to bring the defenders to reason, and by five o’clock the English flag flew upon the walls.

Clive postponed his entry until dawn on the following morning.

“By Jove, Mr. Burke,” he said to Desmond, who showed him the way to the palace, “if we had been within these walls I think we could have held out till doomsday.”

All the English officers were impressed by the strength of the fortifications.  Besides Angria’s two hundred and fifty cannon, an immense quantity of stores and ammunition fell into the hands of the captors.  In the vaults of the palace were found silver rupees to the value of one hundred thousand pounds, and treasure worth thirty thousand pounds more.  The capture had been effected with the loss of only twenty killed and wounded.