The sun rose over the camp and soon thousands of men, women and children had emerged from their quarters and gathered round their fires to eat. Arthur watched from the ramparts of the arsenal. Only a handful of his men were visible from outside the building and the two sepoys guarding the entrance wore jackets taken from the men imprisoned in the storeroom.

Kirkpatrick was squatting next to him and chewing the end of his thumb as he kept glancing towards the nearest gateway into the camp. ‘They should be here by now. What’s keeping them, damn it?’

Arthur glanced round and saw that one of the sepoys was looking at them. He turned back to gaze over the camp and muttered, ‘Keep your voice down. What kind of effect do you think your fretting will have on the men?’

Kirkpatrick started guiltily. ‘Sorry, sir.’

‘I understand you are nervous.’ Arthur smiled. ‘So am I. The trick is not to let it show. Think on that and you’ll be fine.’

‘Yes, sir . . . Thank you.’

They were interrupted by a chorus of shouts from over by the barracks. Arthur squinted his tired eyes and saw a group of men running from the direction of the headquarters building, shouting and gesticulating wildly as they ran. The Nizam’s soldiers hurried back into their quarters and began to emerge with their weapons to join the growing crowd.

‘They’re headed this way,’ Arthur said quietly. ‘Damn . . . All right, then, Kirkpatrick. The time for stealth is over. Call those two sentries in and close and barricade the doors and windows of the arsenal. We may have to hold them off for a while before the other columns turn up.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Kirkpatrick hurried away to carry out his orders and a moment later Arthur heard the heavy timber door thud home below him. The sepoys who had been hidden below came padding up on to the ramparts and took up position, muskets loaded and ready at half-cock. There was a roar from the crowd as they saw the arsenal being closed up, and then scores of heads appearing at the battlements. The mob surged forward and started battering at the door with their muskets, to no effect. One of Arthur’s men rose up and took aim with his weapon.

‘Lower your gun!’ Arthur bellowed at him in Hindoostani. ‘Now!’

When the man had dropped down again Arthur stood up so that all his men could see him and drew a deep breath so that he would be heard over the din of the crowd.‘We’re safe enough here.They have no powder or shot for their weapons.They can’t hurt us, so hold your fire.’