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CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM
Exerpta Cypria
page 160

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brought up to the walls; for ten days the Christians returned cannonade for cannonade, dis-abled fifteen of the enemy's best guns, and killed up to date thirty thousand Turks. But seeing that powder was failing, it was arranged that each day not more than thirty shots should be fired from thirty pieces, and those in the presence of their several captains, so that no shot should be wasted. On May 29 a frigate arrived from Candia, which filled the whole city with hopes of assistance, aud put everybody in excellent spirits. The enemy, after a sharp fight and great losses on both sides, won the counterscarp. Thereupon to meet the fire of the five batteries, they began to throw up the earth in the ditch, digging close to the wall of the counterscarp : but all this earth and the debris torn from the walls by the artillery was carried inside by the defenders, who all worked day and night until the enemy made certain loopholes in the wall through which they swept all the ditch with musket fire, and made it impossible for the defendere to go down with impunity. M. Giovan Mormori, the Engineer, contrived a kind of shield of planks joined together, under which men could work sheltered from shot. With this they recovered some ground, but not much, and Messer Giovan died. When the Turks had thrown up so much earth that it reached the top of the ditch, they made an opening in the wall of the counterscarp, and little by little throwing up the soil in front of it they made a traverse up to the walls on two sides reaching all the batteries. This they afterwards widened with sacks of wool and fascines, and secured themselves from our flanking fire. Once masters of the diteli, and safo from attack except by chance from above, they began to undermine the ravelin, the great tower of S. Nappa, and those of the Antraci and the Campo Santo, and the curtain and tower of the Arsenal. The Christians could no longer avail themselves of these flanks; they began te throw grenades, and did very great damage. They tried to set fire to the wool and faggots, and gave a ducat a sack for each one destroyed. They countermined in all directions, under the orders of Cav, Maggio, the Engineer, who at every need showed all possible zeal and courage, but they did not meet except under the towers of S. Nappa, l'An truci and Campo Santo, and these were empty. Many times by day and night the defenders went out into the ditch to discover the mines, and set fire to the fascines and wool ; and so wonderful was the industrious zeal of Signor Baglione, who took thought for all these things, that without rest or truce, with all manner of ingenious devices, the enemy was harassed. He divided the companies according to the batteries, adding at each post a company of Albanians, who whether serving as horse or foot always displayed great, courage. First Assault. On June 21 they fired the mine under the great tower of the Arsenal, under the directions of Janpulad Bey : it shattered the wall, which was of great thickness, breached it and brought down more than half of it, splitting also a part of the parapet, which had been made to project and bear the brunt of an assault. Immediately a great band of Turks mounted on the ruins with their standards and reached the top. Captain Pietro Conte was on guard there with his company which was much shaken by the explosion. Signor Nestor Martinengo came up first with his company, and the enemy, though reinforced five or six times, was driven back, and conld not accomplish his purpose. Signor Baglione fought there in person. Messer Bragadino with Messer Querini stood armed a little way off, cheering on the soldiers. The Commandant with the artillery of Sperone inflicted great loss on the enemy during the attack, which lasted for five hours without a break. The Turks lost six hnndred men, and the Christian dead and wounded were a hundred. An accident with some grenades carelessly handled burnt many of the latter. Among the killed were Count Gian Francesco Gore, 152 EXCERPTA CYPRTA.

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