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 +50 IJISTOKY Of INDIA. jBooK III.

AD. i7iu. Willi was next driven o[)cn by a petanl, and the whole of the troops, artillery, and baggage were lodged in the town before night, with the loss of only three or four men. The real contest now began: the enemy firing and throwing rockets from their mountain heights, while the French answered them from their guns and mortars. The mischief done in this way by either side was not great, and preparations were made for an assault. This honour was reserved solely for the Europeans, who attacked the three hills at once in separate parties, carried redoubt after redoubt, reached the summits, and had their flags flying triumphantly on them all by daybreak, with the loss of only twenty men. NazirJung If tlic Frencli were astonished at thus easily captvuing what was jastly con-

.aioused too • i i i n

1 ite flow sidered the strongest fortress of the Carnatic, it is easy to conceive what dismay upor. ^j^^ g^^^ intelligence of the event produced in the camp at Arcot. Nazir Jung was at last aroused from his disgi-aceful stupor. In the excess of his confidence he had allowed many of the chiefs to return home with their contingents, and sent back the greater part of his own troops to Golconda. Besides recalling these, he gave a striking proof of his fear by sending two officers to Pondicherry to negotiate. It was now the turn of Dupleix to be imperious, and he set no limits to the extravagance of his terms. He weU knew that they would be rejected, and had proposed them with this very view, for the party which he had secured in the enemy's camp had organized a conspiracy, and Nazir Jungs life was hanging by a thread. Totally unconscious of the danger impending over him, he ceased negotiating, and began his march towards Gingee late in September, 1750. Though many of the troops absent on leave had failed to return, his force still consisted of 60,000 foot, 45,000 horse, 700 elephants, and 300 pieces of cannon. Including camp followers, the whole army was little short of 300,000. This vast and unwieldy body moved so slowly that fifteen days were spent in marching thii'ty miles. It was still sixteen miles from Gingee when its further progress was arrested by the sudden setting in of the rains. Retreat was now the only prudent course, but it was considered disgraceful, and after the lapse of two or three days became impossible. The whole country was flooded, and the camp lay inclosed between two swollen rivers. Provisions began to fail, sickness as usual followed, and the prospect was gloomy in the extreme. Nazir i8 anxious Jung, now as anxious to quit the Carnatic as he had been fond of remaining in Carnatic. it, again made overtures of peace, and expressed a willingness to submit to the terms which lately he would not even entertain. Dupleix was not unwilling to have two strings to his bow, and began to negotiate without losing sight of his conspirators. At the same time he found himself in a kind of dilemma. If he made the treaty he must abandon the conspiracy, and, in all probability, sacri- fice all the chiefs whom he had tempted to join in it ; if he remained true to them they woidd do their bloody deed, and the treaty would be useless. Ulti- mately it was a mere toss which of the two methods of settlement would V e adopted ; for at the very time he was pressing Nazir Jung's deputies to send