Lawrence and his victorious men marched gaily into the fortress.
The reader who has studied the character of Dupleix, who has recognised the passionate desire by which he was animated to found an empire for France in Southern India, who has noted how, by every means except by that of actual presence in the field, he had laboured for that end, can picture to himself the anger and mortification of that great man when he realised that the inefficiency of Law had caused the failure of all his hopes. When he had recommended daring, Law had displayed an excess of caution. When he had shown Law how, by massing his strongest array against the enemy's weakest point, he could baffle that enemy, he had despatched his weakest array against the enemy's strongest point. This ineptitude had shattered for the moment all his plans. But it was a part of the nature of Dupleix never to despair so long as one hope remained. Glancing then at his position, he recognised that he was still strong with the Subáhdár of the Deccan. Bussy guided the councils of that prince. Nor, though Lawrence and Clive had relieved Trichinopoli, was it certain that they could do more than save that fortress. In numbers, the French and their allies still prevailed even there. The one thing he wanted was a man. It was clear to him that it would be a crime to trust Law any longer. But he had only D'Auteuil, just recovered from his attack of gout. He had had, he knew, reason to complain on
