POSSIBILITIES BEFORE LAW. 309 Clive, the latter or the former would have come forth c *f^ p - the victor. This at least is certain, that the youthful , * hero who laid the first foundations of English empire 1752. in India, though displaying on all occasions military talents and resources of the very highest order, never did meet on the field of battle an opponent of even ordinary merit. We will now see how Law used his opportunity. The distance from Fort St. David to Trichinapalli being about 150 miles, and the route necessitating the crossing of eight considerable rivers, amongst which were the Valaru, the Kolrun, the Vellar, the Pudu-Kavari, and the Kavari, the latter three times, Law could calculate to a nicety the time and the means for best attacking and crushing the enemy. The necessity for the passage of so many broad and rapid rivers multiplied his oppor- tunities for defending them. But he judged, it would seem wisely, that he would himself run less risk, and would insure the more complete destruction of the enemy, if he were to allow him to approach within an easy distance of Trichinapalli, and were then to engage him in a position in which his defeat would be certain. So far Law judged correctly and wisely. But in the execution of this plan he failed lamentably. Instead of detaching from his own force a body of troops sufficient in number to render success a matter of cer- tainty, he sent to meet a party of 400 Europeans and 1,100 sipahis commanded by such men as Lawrence and Clive, a force consisting of but 200 Europeans and from 300 to 400 natives. He did this too at a time when the troops at his own disposal, independently of the levies of Chanda Sahib, consisted of 900 Europeans and about 2,000 sipahis. Well could he have shared two-thirds of this number for the important service he had in view! Far safer would it have been for him to undergo the small risk of a sortie on the part of the English garrison, commanded, as it was,
