Sergeants relayed the order and the sepoy battalions and the Swiss de Meuron regiment of mercenaries that fought for the Company clambered out, grateful to quit the fetid misery of the trenches. As soon as the reserve was formed up Arthur led them down to the river and they waded across, muskets held high as the slack water eddied about their waists. On the far bank they halted in front of the wall to await further orders while Arthur went ahead with his aide, Fitzroy, and the grenadier company from the Swiss regiment. The rubble was loose beneath their boots and Arthur had to use a hand on the masonry to steady himself as he made his way up into the breach. The crest and reverse slope were covered with bodies, mostly Tipoo’s men, taken with the bayonet or shot down at point-blank range. Sergeant Graham lay sprawled on his back, slack-jawed, staring lifelessly towards the heavens. Gunfire crackled on either side and Arthur could see distant figures fighting at close quarters for possession of the bastions and towers along the wall.Ahead of him the streets of Seringapatam were silent and still as its people took shelter in their homes and prayed to their gods for deliverance, or mercy.

The two men climbed the nearest steps on to the wall to gain a better view of the fighting. Away to the north, the action seemed concentrated around the water gate on the wall that looked out over the main channel of the Cauvery. In the other direction, Arthur could already see a swarm of redcoats surging towards the Mysore gate.

‘Looks like Tipoo’s men are on the run,’ Fitzroy said as he shaded his eyes, squinting in the same direction as Arthur.

‘It looks that way,’ Arthur conceded after a moment.‘In which case, we must take measures to ensure that the slaughter doesn’t get out of hand. Go down to the reserve and order the sepoys to stand down. They are not to be allowed to enter the city.’

Fitzroy raised his eyebrows.‘They’re not going to like that, sir. You know the rules of war. The place has been taken by assault. By rights they should have a free hand.’

‘That’s not going to happen,’ Arthur replied firmly. ‘Tipoo’s people had nothing to do with his decision to wage war on us. They are not going to share his fate.And I am certainly not going to throw them on the mercy of Madras sepoys. I want the de Meuron regiment drawn up in front of the breach. They are not to let any soldiers into the city. Clear?’