Barnard discovered, too, that his deficiencies in men and _materiel_ prevented regular approaches being made.

There were only 150 Native Sappers and Miners with our force, and Infantry could not be spared for working parties.
On the 10th June another determined attack was made on Hindu Rao's house, which was repulsed by the Sirmur battalion of Gurkhas under its distinguished Commandant, Major Reid.[13] The mutineers quite hoped that the Gurkhas would join them, and as they were advancing they called out: 'We are not firing; we want to speak to you; we want you to join us.' The little Gurkhas replied, 'Oh yes; we are coming,' on which they advanced to within twenty paces of the rebels, and, firing a well-directed volley, killed nearly thirty of them.
The next day the insurgents made a third attack, and were again repulsed with considerable loss.

They knew that Hindu Rao's house was the key of our position, and throughout the siege they made the most desperate attempts to capture it.

But Barnard had entrusted this post of danger to the Gurkhas, and all efforts to dislodge them were unavailing.

At first Reid had at his command only his own battalion and two companies of the 60th Rifles; but on the arrival of the Guides their Infantry were also placed at his disposal, and whenever he sounded the alarm he was reinforced by two more companies of the 60th.
Hindu Rao's house was within easy range of nearly all the enemy's heavy guns, and was riddled through and through with shot and shell.
Reid never quitted the Ridge save to attack the enemy, and never once visited the camp until carried into it severely wounded on the day of the final assault.