Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/163

Book VII. the good faith of the English without cause: and dismissed Mr. Watts and Scrafton with an assurance that he would immediately recall the troops under the command of Meer Jaffier into the city, but would leave those with Roydoolub in the field, in readiness to join the English on the approach of the Morattoes: who he said would probably invade his dominions. This unexpected resolution would have marred the scheme, since Meer Jaffier would have been as cautious of concluding any thing decisive, whilst one half, as whilst the whole of the army remained in the field. At the next conference Mr. Scrafton represented to him, that the English could not, with common prudence, rely on any of his professions, whilst such a part of his forces were encamped towards Calcutta. The Nabob meditated some time on this argument, and then starting, as a man agitated by suspicion and dismay, said eagerly, "But should the Colonel deceive me." But Scrafton removed his terrors by assurances, and prevailed on him to issue orders recalling his whole army to Muxadavad. The nearer the confederacy approached to the event, the more did Mr. Watts's apprehensions of the treachery of Omichund increase. Mr. Scrafton therefore undertook to get him away to Calcutta, and under the pretext of solicitude for his safety, proposed that Omichund should accompany him thither without delay, alleging, that his age and the habits of his life would not permit him to make his escape on horseback in the hour of confusion and danger, when the flight of Mr. Watts would convince the Nabob that the English intended war, and when his utmost vengeance would be excited against all their adherents. But avarice is the most inflexible of the vices; and Omichund, not having received more than half of his plundered money from the treasury, requested Mr. Scrafton to wait until he had got the whole. Mr. Watts imputed this delay to another motive, thinking that he wanted to remain in the city until Roydoolub should return from Plassy, that they might settle between them the scheme of purloining as much as possible of the Nabob's treasures. To counteract his repugnance, whatsoever might be the cause, Mr. Scrafton assured him, that Colonel Clive intended to employ him as