the shoulders of two sergeants. Both of these men were of lower stature than their commander, who, from this cause, as well as from the effect of weakness, stood in a stooping position, his body being thus thrown slightly behind theirs. An Irishman, who took the lead among the deserters, came forward, and, addressing Clive in opprobrious language, declared that he would shoot him. This was not an idle threat, for he instantly levelled his musket in the direction in which Clive was standing, and discharged it. The ball passed through the bodies of both the men on whom Clive was leaning, but, from his relative position with regard to them, he was untouched.
This occurrence is said to have facilitated the surrender of the pagoda, the Frenchmen thinking it necessary to disown the outrage which had been committed, lest it might exclude them from being admitted to quarter. The enemy's Sepoys outside the pagoda endeavoured to repass the boundaries of the British camp, and succeeded; but the Mahratta cavalry setting out in pursuit of them, overtook and cut them to pieces, not a single man of seven hundred having escaped with his life.
The tide of success now flowed steadily in favour of the British cause. D'Auteuil soon after surrendered with his whole force, now diminished to one hundred Europeans, four hundred native infantry, and about three hundred and forty cavalry. These reverses of the French materially affected the state of affairs in the island of Seringham, where the greater part of the native chiefs detached themselves from the losing cause of Chunda Sahib, and passed without hesitation into the service of the British; want of success being in India deemed an evident manifestation of Divine wrath.
The prospects of Chunda Sahib had now become gloomy indeed; only one termination of his wretched fortunes was before him, and the sole question for his determination was, whose captive he should become. After long and anxious deliberation, he agreed to put himself into the hands of Monaekjee, who commanded the forces of
