488 IIISTOllY or INDIA. [Book III,
AD. 17.W. tlie other troops behaved with e<juul galhintry, and re.serving their fire till within twenty yards of tiie enemy's line, poured in such a volley that tlie French fled in consternation, leaving three pieces of cannon behind them. The Mah- rattas, in endeavouring to cover the retreat of the French, and even to regain the day, were severely handled. Though the victory had been gained, tlie struggle was not yet ended. The victors were a mile distant from their camp, and in order to reach it must pass over an intervening plain in the face of nearly 12,000 cavalry, who stood ready to pounce upon them the moment their retrograde movement should begin. Nothing but the utmost skill, coolness, and courage could have saved them. Fortunately the heroic band possessed all these qualities in an eminent degree, and made the cavalry pay so dearly for attempting to charge them, that they were at last allowed to proceed without interruption. Mahomed The enemy, ashamed and dispirited by their defeat, lost much time in
Ali in 'lan-
serfiomiu? mutual rccrimination. The sepoys employed in forwarding supplies made dili- gent use of the interval, and succeeded in bringing in a stock of provisions suffi- cient to last for fifty days. The danger of famine being thus removed, Major Lawrence determined to march into the Tanjore country, with the double object of meeting a reinforcement which he expected from the presidency, and inducing the king to throw aside the neutrality he had jigain professedly a&sumed, and furnish a contingent of cavalry, which was veiy much wanted. To facilitate tliis negotiation the presence of the nabob was thought desirable ; but when lie prepared to set out, an unexpected difficulty occurred. His troops, clamouring for their arrears of pay, declared he should not qxni the city till they were satis- fied. This he could not or would not do ; and the singular spectacle was seen of 200 Europeans, with fixed bayonets, escorting the nabob, in whose cause the Company had already expended much blood and treasure, because his ovm troops, so far from escorting him, were bent on committing outrage on his person. A few days after his departure the whole of these troops repaired in a body to Captain Dalton, and intimated their intention to join the enemy. This intimation they accompanied with the singular request that he would not fire upon them while they were marching off. Glad to be quit of them on any tenu.s he granted their request, and they walked off unmolested at noon-day.
stiata-eiii The euemv beinff now in complete possession of the whole country around
aud counter- ./ o i i. ^
stratagem Trichiuopoly, tliB city itself was the only object now to be contended for, and
at Trichin- i , . , , . t i mi • li_ c
oi)oiy. both parties made their arrangements accordingly. Ihe garrison, as a matter of stern necessity, reserved all the provisions which bad been stored up for their own use, and the inhabitants, threatened with absolute starvation, had no alter- native but to quit their habitations. The whole population, estimated at nearly 400,000, disappeared in less than a month, and nothing remained to fill up the blank but a garrison, which, including soldiers and artificers of aU descriptions, did not exceed 2000 men. Of these nearly one-half were native peons or undis-
