Page:Advice to the Indian Aristocracy.djvu/102

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64

and many others. I will now give you an account of more recent valour shown by the defenders of Bobbili Fort in 1758. This battle was fought between one of my ancestors with his small army and the combined forces of Vizianagaram, the French and the Nizam who numbered 14,000, of whom 12,000, viz., those of the French and the Nizam were all well trained. I quote some parts of "Orme's History of Indostan."

"The assailants admired, for no European had ever seen such excess of courage in the natives of Indostan, and continually offered quarter, which was always answered by the menace and intention of death : not a man had gained the rampart at two o'clock in the afternoon, when another cessation of the attack ensued; on which Rangarow assembled the principal men, told them there was no hope of maintaining the