‘I’ll not be Sergeant for much longer, sir!’ the man grinned as he handed the arrack back to his commander, and patted the standard resting across his knees. ‘It’s Lieutenant Graham, the moment I plant this in the breach.’

Baird smiled. ‘Och, you’ll be dead before you even make the breach, you bloody fool.’

The men of the forlorn hope laughed nervously and Baird passed the jug to Arthur. ‘Have a drink, Wellesley.’

Arthur was about to refuse. He was tired, he had a headache and the last thing he wanted was any drink to cloud his mind. Then he looked at the men sitting round him and watching his reaction. Most of them were as good as dead, he realised with a stab of pity. So he made himself smile, as he instinctively wiped the rim of the jug on his sleeve and raised it.

‘Your health, gentlemen!’ He nodded and then took a steady draught of the fiery liquid before lowering the jug and handing it back to Baird. The Scot gave him a hearty wink and took a gulp before passing the jug on. ‘I’ll try to save a few of Tipoo’s men for you, Wellesley.’

‘If you wouldn’t mind?’ Arthur grinned for a moment, then his expression became serious again. ‘Good luck then, sir.’

‘Aye.’ Baird was reflective for a brief moment. ‘We’ll need it sure enough.’

Arthur returned to his command post. Behind him, over four thousand men in the reserve column were crouched in the sweltering discomfort of the rear trenches. He pulled out his fob watch and dabbed his brow on the back of his sleeve. It was almost time. The siege guns continued their relentless pounding and all seemed quite still on the walls of Seringapatam. Only a handful of tiny figures were in view on the ramparts, keeping watch on the English forces.

As the hands of his watch closed together at noon there came the shrill call of a whistle and at once a wave of redcoats erupted from the forward trenches, as if they were bursting up from the very earth itself. The men of the forlorn hope dashed forward behind Sergeant Graham as he held the rippling standard aloft, then they surged across the shallow current of the south Cauvery and up the far bank, dripping and glistening as they sprinted towards the ragged gap in the city wall.