Page:History of the French in India.djvu/292

 270 FRENCH INDIA AT ITS ZENITH. chap, laid at the feet of Muzaffar Jang, whose own had just escaped a similar ceremony.* 1750. This was the intelligence conveyed to M. de la Touche by the messenger of Muzaffar Jang, just after the French, to their delight, had beheld their national standard displayed on the foremost elephant of the advancing party. The first act of the French leader was to despatch his second in command, de Bussy — although he had been wounded in the fight — to con- gratulate the new Subadar on his elevation. Bussy found the newly-made potentate seated on the splen- didly-caparisoned elephant of his late rival, acknow- ledged as Subadar, not only by the conspiring nobles, but by all but a very small minority of the army which but a few hours before had obeyed the orders of Nasir Jang. The same evening M. de la Touche himself, accompanied by his principal officers, paid a congratu- 1 latory visit to Muzaffar Jang, and received from him the commission to inform Dupleix that nothing would be undertaken without his advice, to obtain which he, Muzaffar Jang, proposed instantly to proceed to Pondi- chery. Whilst matters had thus progressed in the field, Dupleix had been awaiting in Pondichery the return of the messenger he had sent to the army to direct the suspension of hostilities. But before that messenger could return, the intelligence of the great victory and its results reached the town.f The excitement, the joy, the enthusiasm may be imagined. That the French might have entered into a satisfactory arrangement with Nasir Jang had been hoped; but every bound of reason- able expectation was exceeded when it was ascertained chat, owing to the exertions of 800 Frenchmen and o,000 sipahis trained by them, the protege of France • He simply owed his escape to the t Mr. Orme states that it was con- fact that the officer in whose charge veyed in person by Chanda Sahib to he had been placed was one of the Dupleix. conspirators. — Dupleix.