Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/228

220 to relinquish his correspondence with Chunda-saheb, and impressed the enemy with terrors equal to those which they had formerly raised both in the English and the Nabob's army: there seemed to be no sense in their councils. The whole Carnatic lay before them, and by retreating into it they might protract the war until the want of money should decide the contest; but instead of taking this step, they suffered themselves to be captivated by the apparent strength of the two pagodas, and determined to stand their ground in them, notwithstanding that, by the obstruction of their magazines, they were already reduced to the necessity of fetching their provisions from a great distance: they were afraid to fight, and ashamed to retreat.

At the same time nothing but a resolution, justified by very few examples, and bordering in appearance on rashness, seemed capable of putting a speedy end to the war, of which the expences had now greatly distressed the East India company's mercantile affairs. The intimacy and confidence with which major Lawrence distinguished capt. Clive, permitted this officer to suggest to him the resolution of dividing the army into two bodies, and detaching one of these under his command to the north of the Coleroon, whilst the other remained to the south of the Caveri: this was risquing the whole to gain the whole; for if the enemy should overpower one of these bodies, by attacking it with their whole force, the Nabob's affairs would again be reduced to the brink of ruin; and if they neglected or failed in this attempt, they would infallibly be ruined themselves. The proposal, hardy as it was, was adopted by the major without any hesitation; and with a spirit of equity rarely possessed by competitors for glory, he was so far from taking umbrage at the author of this masterly, advice, that he determined in his own mind to give him the command of the separate body, although he refrained from declaring his intention, until he could reconcile it to the rest of the captains in the battalion, who were all of them his superiors in rank; but the scheme was no sooner proposed to the Nabob and the generals of the alliance, than the Morattoes and Mysoreans removed the difficulty, by declaring that they would not make any detachments of their troops if they were to be commanded by any other person. It was necessary to reduce the posts of which the enemy were in possession to the north of the Coleroon: