Page:History of the French in India.djvu/351

 COURSES STILL OPEN TO LAW. 327 provisions were fast failing him, his native allies were chap. deserting him in hundreds, but still he had his , Europeans. In the beginning of June there yet remained 1752. to him 800 of these, in addition to about 2,000 trained sipahis, and 3,0f)0 or 4,000 native levies who still remained faithful to Chanda Sahib. With these he might easily have taken advantage of the first fall of the Kavari to attack Major Lawrence's camp on the south of the river, to the troops guarding which he was in numbers vastly superior. Overpowering this, he might have thence cut his way, without much chance of molestation, to Karikal. In vain did Chanda Sahib over and over again implore him to have recourse to some such means. He could not make up his mind, he preferred to depend on acci- dents and chances, — and he was lost ! Nevertheless, it must not be supposed that he was so base as to be indifferent to the fate of that faithful supporter of French interests. Law knew full well that but one result to Chanda Sahib would follow his sur- render to the now triumphant Muhammad Ali. As for surrender to the English, that was absolutely out of the question, for France and England were not at war. In the contest between Muhammad Ali and Chanda Sahib, the French and English were not principals, they were simply hired mercenaries engaged on opposite sides. Whichever party might be victorious neither then could claim the open direction of affairs. A proposition of surrender to the English could not, therefore, and would not, have been entertained. As for Muhammad Ali, it was not to be expected that, brought up as he had been to regard all means lawful to accomplish the death of a rival, he would hesitate as to the punishment to be meted out to one who had proved himself so persistent, so daring, so fertile in expedients as the French-protected Chanda Sahib. Having rejected all bolder counsels, and having made up his mind to surrender, Law busied him- self therefore to find the means of saving the life of his