Page:History of the French in India.djvu/419

 BRILLIANT PROSPECTS OF THE FRENCH. 393 impression that it would better his position. Sickness and exposure had worked with such effect upon his garrison, that he was unable to bring more than 500 1753. Europeans into the field. To support these he had but 1,300 sipahis and 100 horse — the rest of his native allies remaining in the city out of dread of an encounter with the Marathas. On the other side, Astruc commanded 400 French soldiers and 1,500 sipahis, supported by 8,000 Maisur horse, 1,200 foot, 3,500 Maratha cavalry, and 15,000 irregular infantry. Was it likely, was it even probable, that the small superiority in the number of Europeans, or that the superior ability of their leader, should make up for the general numerical superiority possessed by the French and their allies % The position of the English was indeed gloomy, and it seemed as though a few days' patience on the part of Astruc must compel them either to attack an impreg- nable position or to capitulate. To precipitate matters, however, Astruc resolved to force the enemy to take refuge within the city itself. This, he saw, must be the result of the capture of another eminence called the Golden Rock, about a mile nearer to the city than his own position, and on which there was only a sipahi guard. This rock taken, there was no position between it and Trichinapalli which could afford shelter to the English force. We see now clearly the position of the hostile armies. On the one side Astruc, with a force on the whole overwhelmingly superior, though in one parti- cular, that of European troops, inferior by one-fifth ; — Astruc with this force possessing an almost inacces- sible position, barring supplies from the garrison, and needing only the possession of another height, one mile nearer the city, to insure its downfall ; on the other side Lawrence, sick and weakly, in a defensive position unable to attack with any chance of success, with no