Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/165

Book II. title, the head of his uncle. Murzafa-jing ordered it to be fixed on a pole, and to be earned to the army of the confederates, whither he repaired himself attended by the Nabob.

The news was spread through the confederate army with great rapidity by the elevation of small white banners: Mr. de la Touche discovered these signals very soon after he had ordered the French battalion to halt, and knew the meaning of them: a few minutes after came a horseman at full speed, sent from Murzafa-jing; upon which Mr. Bussy was immediately dispatched to compliment him, and receive his orders. The death of Nazir-jing was no sooner known amongst his troops than the greatest part of them came in crowds to range themselves under the banner of his successor, and by nine o'clock in the morning every sword was sheathed, notwithstanding that three brothers of the murdered prince were in the camp. The new Soubah proceeded to the tent of state, where he received homage from most of the great officers, who the day before had paid it to his uncle. But the prime minister Shanavaze Khan was not of the number; he, dreading the resentment of Murzafa-jing, for having suffered him to remain so long in prison, made his escape to the fort of Chittapet: and Mahomed-ally, the open rival of Chunda-saheb knew he had every thing to apprehend from this revolution: fortunately his quarters were at a considerable distance from the scene of this catastrophe; and the instant he heard of it, he mounted the fleetest of his horses, and, accompanied only by two or three attendants, hasted with the utmost precipitation to gain his fortress of Tritchinopoly. In the evening, Mr de la Touche, accompanied by all his officers, went in ceremony to pay his respects to Murzafa-jing, by whom they were received with demonstrations of gratitude worthy the important service they had rendered him. The oriental compliments paid to them on this occasion, were, for once, not destitute of truth; for, excepting the conquests of Cortez and Pizarro in the new world, never did so small a force decide the fate of so large a sovereignty. The dominions of the Great Mogul consist of 22 provinces, six of which, comprehending more than one third of the empire, compose