Page:History of the French in India.djvu/423

 THE ENGLISH SOLDIERS AND THEIR LEADERS. 397 forced to succumb, it was in consequence of an event CI Jx P * which it had been impossible to foresee, and against which he could not have provided. The greater honour 1753. is on that account due to the Englishman, who, in a sudden and dangerous crisis, elected to dare all in the face of an overpowering enemy, rather than to yield to him in the field ! Nor is it possible to leave this subject without a word with respect to those gallant troops who followed him so nobly. Those men had been trained by Clive and by Lawrence himself to the same state of perfection attained many years later by the veterans of Wellington. They were men who could be trusted to perform any service — men who regarded neither difficulties nor numbers, who asked merely to be shown the position of the enemy and to be told to attack it. No finer feat of arms has been performed in any part of the world than the assault by a handful of grenadiers of the Golden Rock, held by an enemy that had just conquered it, and whose army was formed up at its base ! The attempt alone was sufficient to intimidate an enemy whose morale was inferior, who had not learned by experience that the one way to conquer was to move straight on. It was, in fact, one of those deeds of heroism which deserve to be recorded in the archives of a nation's history, never to be suffered, as has been the case with this, to fall into oblivion and neglect.* The French, after their defeat, retreated to the Fakir's Tope, thence to continue the system of blockade Mr. Orme, Colonel Wilks, and by friends. He writes: " Lawrence Major Lawrence. Their works, how- knowing bow mucb be could depend ever, published at intervals from up- upon his troops, marched boldly wards of half a century to nearly against the French, and, after an ninety years ago, are scarcely avail- obstinate and bloody combat, re- able for tbe general reader. Mr. Mill mained master of the field of battle." describes the whole campaign of 1753 It will not then be denied that this in nineteen lines, and makes no par- gallant action has, with modern his- ticular allusion to this action. Baron torians, fallen into " oblivion and Barchou de Penhoen is more just to neglect."
 * The story is told at length by his adversaries than Mr. Mill to his