Page:History of the French in India.djvu/322

 298 THE STRUGGLES OP DUPLEIX WITH ADVERSITY. °vn P "^ 0r some ^ a y s ^^j u Sahib yet hesitated. He might ' L . still, had he been left alone, have forced the evacuation 1751. of the fort by a continued blockade, for he was well aware of the attenuated state of the supplies within its walls. But all this time Mr. Saunders, the Governor of Madras, had exerted himself with unsurpassable energy to deliver his young captain from his difficult position. First, by reinforcements to Lieutenant Innis, under a more experienced officer, Captain Kilpatrick, he had enabled the detachment to march from Punamallu in the direction of Arkat. Secondly, and with a far more important effect upon Raju Sahib, he had induced the Marathas to take up arms on behalf of Muhammad Ali. A body of 6,000 of these, under the command of Murari Rao, had been for some time awaiting the course of events in the pass of Damalcheri. But, though nominally the allies of Muhammad Ali, the fortunes of that chieftain were at so low an ebb that they hesitated at first to commit themselves in his favour. The sturdy defence of Arkat, however, had not been without its effect upon these hardy warriors. In the handful of men who had defended its dilapitated fortifications against numbers so superior, they recog- nised soldiers worthy of their alliance. They deter- mined, therefore, without further hesitation, to cast in their lot with the English, The intelligence of this finally determined Raju Sahib. He had to choose between an encounter with Murari Rao in the field, supported by a sortie from the garrison, or an immediate assault. With correct judg- ment he chose the latter alternative, and, on the even- ing of the 24th November (new style), made his prepa- rations for the storm. Unfortunately for the success of his plans, a deserter disclosed them to Clive. When, therefore, his troops advanced, early on the following morning, to the assault, they found that every possible preparation had been made to receive them, that cannon