Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/205

Book III. had carried off and secured the booty. At this time intelligence was received that a party of Europeans from Pondicherry were approaching towards Arni, a strong fort situated about 20 miles to the south of Arcot; on which captain Clive requested Basin-row to accompany him with his troops to intercept them before they should join Raja-saheb. The Morattoe seeing no probability of acquiring plunder, refused his assistance, and the English marched without him; but hearing that the French party had retreated to Chittapet, returned to their station near Arcot. Two or three days after, Raja-saheb quitted his encampment near Velore, and in the night made a forced march to Arni, where he was joined by the party from Chittapet. The Morattoes still continued unwilling to accompany the English in quest of the enemy: but, hearing from their spies that the enemy's reinforcement had brought a large sum of money for Raja-saheb, Basin-row now expressed as much eagerness to march against him as he had hitherto shewn reluctance. The troops immediately moved; but the Morattoe was not able to assemble more than 600 of his horsemen, the rest being employed in their usual excursions. The next afternoon, by a forced march of 20 miles, the army came in sight of the enemy, just as they were preparing to cross the river which runs to the north of Arni. The enemy, encouraged by the superiority of their force, which consisted of 300 Europeans, 2000 horse, and 2500 Sepoys, with four field pieces, immediately formed, and returned to meet them. Captain Clive halted to receive them in an advantageous post: the Morattoes were stationed in a grove of palm trees to the left; the Sepoys in a village to the right; and the Europeans, with the field pieces, in the center, in an open ground, which extended about three hundred yards between the grove and the village; in the front were rice fields, which at this time of the year were very swampy, and the approach of the enemy's cannon would have been impracticable, had there not been a causeway leading to the village on the right. The French troops, with about 1500 Sepoys, and their artillery, marched alqng the causeway; and the horse, amongst which the rest of the Sepoys were interspersed, moved in a separate body to the left, and attacked the Morattoes in the grove some time before the other' wing was engaged any other way than by cannonading