Page:History of the French in India.djvu/360

 336 THE STRUGGLES OF DUPLEIX WITH ADVERSITY. chap, highly improbable that in the lottery of the distribu- ', tion of commands, the English should draw a second 1752. Lawrence, still less another heaven-born genius of the stamp of Clive. His plan, therefore, seemed certain to succeed. Operating on the rear of the enemy, who, he was sure, would make nothing of his movement against Jinji, he would induce him to attack the French in a position previously chosen and previously fortified, and he would then, it seemed certain, take his revenge for Srirangam. It fell out just as he had anticipated. Kinneer arrived before Jinji on August 6, summoned it, and met with a determined refusal. Appalled at its strength he was hesitating as to his action, when news reached him that the French had taken up a position at Vieravandi in his rear, cutting off his communications with Tiruvadi. With the spirit of a soldier Kinneer turned at once to attack this new enemy, and, rendered bold by the re- peated successes of the English, he did not care to reconnoitre, but dashed directly on the French position. To draw on the English against the strongest part of this, M. de Kerjean, a nephew of Dupleix, who held the command, directed his men to retire. The English, on this, advanced with greater audacity, till they found themselves exposed to the full fire of the enemy's field- pieces, separated from them by a strongly fortified wall. At this moment Kinneer was wounded, the English sipahis retreated, and even the English white troops began to waver. Just then Kerjean directed a movement on their flank. On this service 100 French soldiers started. The manoeuvre was decisive. The English fell back after but a slight resistance, leaving forty of their men dead on the field of action. Thus in less than two months after the terrible and seemingly irreparable losses caused by the incapacity of law, did Dupleix bring back victory to the French standards, and recover his influence amongst the native