At this moment, bang! bang! bang! from the bastion.
"They are firing on my brigade," said our colonel. "Who has led his
company there against my orders? Captain Neville, into the battery, and
fire twenty rounds at the bastion! Aim at the flashes from their middle
tier."
"Yes, colonel."
The battery opened with all its guns on the bastion. The right attack
followed suit. The town answered, and a furious cannonade roared and
blazed all down both lines till daybreak. Hell seemed broken loose.
Captain Jullien had followed the flying foe: but could not come up with
them: and, as the enemy had prepared for every contingency, the
fatal bastion, after first throwing a rocket or two to discover their
position, poured showers of grape into them, killed many, and would have
killed more but that Captain Neville and his gunners happened by mere
accident to dismount one gun and to kill a couple of gunners at the
others. This gave the remains of the company time to disperse and run
back. When the men were mustered, Captain Jullien and twenty-five of
his company did not answer to their names.
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