To cooperate with this
force a land army of twelve thousand Marathas, horse and foot, under the
command of Ramaji Punt, one of the Peshwa's generals, had been for some
time investing the town of Gheria.
At this time of year the winds were so slight and variable that it was
nearly a week before the fleet arrived off Gheria. When the bastions of
the fort hove into sight Desmond could not help contrasting his feelings
with those of two months before.
"Like the look of your cage, Mr. Burke?" asked Captain Latham at his
elbow.
"I was just thinking of it, sir," said Desmond. "It makes a very great
difference when you're outside the bars."
"And we'll break those bars before we're much older, or I'm a Dutchman."
But at this moment the signal to heave-to was seen flying at the masthead
of the Kent. Before the vessels had anchored one of the grabs left the
main fleet and ran into the harbor. It bore a message from Admiral Watson
to Tulaji Angria, summoning him to surrender. The answer returned was
that if the admiral desired to be master of the fort he must take it by
force, as Angria was resolved to defend it to the last extremity.
The ships remained at anchor outside the harbor during the night. Next
morning a boat put off from the town end of the fort conveying several of
Angria's relatives and some officers of Ramaji Punt's army. It by and by
became known that Tulaji Angria, leaving his brother in charge of the
fort, had given himself up to Ramaji Punt, and was now a prisoner in his
camp.
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