as possible, and overpower it with weight of metal. After taking the
necessary soundings, on the 2nd April he stood in to four-fathom water,
taking with him the _Viper_ and _Triumph_, and bombarded Severndroog fort.
The Mahratta fleet gave no assistance, so the _Swallow_ was detached to
guard the southern entrance. All day long the cannonade continued, till a
heavy swell setting into the harbour, in the evening, obliged a cessation
of fire. The fort fired briskly in return, but did little damage; while
the Mahratta fleet lay off out of range, idle spectators of the conflict.
At night came Ramajee Punt on board the _Protector_, bringing with him a
deserter from the fort, who reported that the Governor had been killed and
a good deal of damage done. He told them that it was impossible to breach
the side on which the _Protector's_ fire was directed, as it was all solid
rock.

In the morning, the _Protector_ weighed and ran in again, James placing
his ships between Severndroog and Gova. The flagship engaged Severndroog
so closely that, by the small arm fire of men in the tops, and by firing
two or three upper-deck guns at a time instead of in broadsides, the
Severndroog gunners were hardly able to return a shot. With her lower-deck
guns on the other side the _Protector_ cannonaded the mainland forts,
which also received the attention of the _Viper_ and _Triumph_. It would
be difficult to find a parallel to this instance of a single ship and two
bombketches successfully engaging four forts at once, that far outnumbered
them in guns; but so good were James's arrangements that neither his ships
nor his men suffered harm. Soon after midday a magazine exploded in
Severndroog; the conflagration spread, and, before long, men, women, and
children were seen taking to their boats, and escaping to the mainland.
Numbers of them were intercepted and taken by the _Swallow_ and the
Mahratta gallivats. The bombardment of the mainland forts was continued
till night, and resumed the following morning, till about ten o'clock,