Page:History of the French in India.djvu/225

 THE FRENCH SURPRISED AND REPULSED. 203 whole army. Their one thought was to reach and cross chap. the river, and towards it they ran without order or v " array. But the enemy, who were 6,000 horse and 3,000 foot of the Nawwab's army, commanded by his two sons, were there before them. Notwithstanding this, the French rushed recklessly into the river, im- patient only to gain the opposite bank. Fortunately for them, their artillery, which was admirably handled, and to the troops composing which the panic had not extended, kept the enemy at a distance. More than that, its commander, not content with covering the disordered retreat of the infantry, deliberately trans- ported his own guns, one by one across the river, in face of the enemy, and, when on the other bank, served them so as to keep the Mughals at bay. It was not until the French had retreated for upwards of two hours, that the natives could be prevailed upon to pursue them, and then only after they had been urged thereto by the English garrison of Fort St. David, which had arrived too late to take any part in the skirmish at the river Panar. The pursuit was fruitless in results. The French had long before recovered from their panic, and the attitude they presented on the approach of the enemy, made the Mughal princes think rather of their own safety than of an attack on their position. M. de Bury on his part was equally indis- posed to expose his army to further risks. As soon, therefore, as the allied force of the English and Mu- ghals commenced a retrograde movement towards Gu- dalur, he continued his retreat to Ariakupum, where he arrived the same evening, after having sustained a loss in this ill-conducted expedition of twelve men killed and a hundred and twenty wounded. A small quantity of muskets and stores, which had been left behind in the garden at Gudalur, fell likewise into the hands of the enemy. On their side the French could congratu- late themselves only on the facts that they had saved