Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/216

208 decamped, and passing by Kistnavaram without molestation from the garrison, returned to Tritchinopoly, where they arrived on the 6th of February, and the French soon after recalled their detachment. The junction of the Mysoreans determined the king of Tanjore to declare for the Nabob; and soon after their arrival he sent to Tritchinopoly 3000 horse and 2000 foot under the command of his general Monack-jee. The Polygar Tondiman, whose country lies between Tanjore and Madura, likewise sent 400 horse and 3000 Colleries; these are a people, who, under several petty chiefs, inhabit the woods between Tritchinopoly and Cape Comorin; their name in their own language signifies Thieves, and justly describes their general character, which however has differences in different parts of the country. Those to the north of Madura are almost savage: their weapon is a pike 18 feet long, with which they creep along the ground, and use it with great address in ambuscades; but the principal service they render to an army is, by stealing or killing the horses of the enemy's camp. Thus the force of Mahomed-ally became on a sudden superior to that of Chunda-saheb; for the troops of his allies joined to his own, formed a body of 20,000 cavalry, 6000 of which were Morattoes, and of 20,000 infantry. The army of Chunda-saheb had likewise since their arrival before Tritchinopoly, been augmented to 15,000 horse and 20,000 foot, by the junction of 3000 horse commanded by Allum-Khan, the governor of Madura, and of 4000 Peons and Colleries belonging to the Polygar, Morawar, whose country lies to the south of the kingdom of Tanjore. The king of Mysore, impatient to be put in possession of the places which Mahomed-ally had agreed to give up to him in return for his assistance, pressed the English battalion to make a general attack on the enemy with the whole army, and Morari-row, the Morattoe, seconded him very strongly in this proposal; but captain Gingen knowing that these Indian troops were capable of rendering very little service against fortified posts, defended by Europeans, and considering that if the English battalion, on whom the brunt would lay, should suffer severely in these attacks, such a loss would be irreparable, he determined to wait until he was reinforced by a body of Europeans, which were preparing to take the field in the province of Arcot.