opposition from the enemy, I succeeded in forcing him to retire some
distance; but not without disputing every inch of ground, which was well
calculated for resistance, being intersected at every few yards, by
banks and water courses raised for the purpose of irrigation, and
covered with date trees. The next morning the riflemen, supported by the
pickets, were again called into play, and soon established their
position within three and four hundred yards of the town, which with the
base of the hill, was so completely surrounded, as to render the escape
of any of the garrison now almost impossible. This advantage was gained
by a severe loss. Two twenty-four pounders and the two twelves, the
landing of which had been retarded by the difficulty of communication
with the fleet from which we derived all our supplies, having been now
brought on shore, we broke ground in the evening, and notwithstanding
the rocky soil, had them to play next morning at daylight.

Aware, however, that the families of the enemy were still in the town,
and humanity dictating that some effort should be made to save the
innocent from the fate that awaited the guilty; an opportunity was
afforded for that purpose by an offer to the garrison of security to
their women and children, should they be sent out within the hour; but
the infatuated chief, either from an idea that his fort on the hill was
not to be reached by our shot, or with the vain hope to gain time by
procrastination, returning no answer to our communication, while he
detained our messenger; we opened our fire at half past eight in the
morning, and such was the precision of the practice, that in two hours
we perceived the breach would soon be practicable. I was in the act of
ordering the assault, when a white flag was displayed; and the enemy,
after some little delay in assembling from the different quarters of the
place, marched out without their arms, with Hussein Bin Alley at their
head, to the number of three hundred and ninety-eight; and at half past