plan.

On the 22nd, Gordon was ordered to land with fifty men, and occupy a small
building on the top of a hill on the north side of the river. What he was
expected to do there does not appear. Soon, a number of boats full of men
were observed crossing from the fort to engage Gordon, so a reinforcement
of fifty men was sent to him. On reaching the hill, Gordon found that what
had been taken for a building consisted only of a natural pile of loose
stones, such as are to be frequently seen on the Deccan hills, and there
was nothing for it but to re-embark. He managed his retreat to the
landing-place in good order, followed by the enemy at musket-shot distance.
Several times he faced about, but the enemy always shrank from close
quarters. Nothing had been done to cover the place of embarkation, and it
was only after the strongest remonstrances from those on board that Brown
was prevailed on to order the _Revenge_ and the _Hunter_ to stand in and
cover the re-embarkation of Gordon's party. In spite of this precaution, a
lieutenant, a sergeant, a quartermaster of the _London_ and six men were
killed, and about twenty men wounded. It is difficult to imagine anything
feebler and more aimless than the whole proceeding.

The next day the bombketch was again sent in to bombard the fort, with the
same result as before. The proceedings were enlivened by the punishment of
Sergeant Passmore, who was reported by Gordon for cowardly behaviour. He
was sent round the fleet to receive ten lashes alongside each ship. The
next three days were spent in idleness, awaiting the _Phram_, from which
so much was expected. On board ship there was no discipline, but plenty of
hard drinking. In order to make the men fight well, Brown's idea was to
supply them with unlimited rum: the officers kept pace with the men in
their libations, and what little discipline existed soon disappeared.
Orders were disobeyed, while drunkenness, violence, and insubordination