Page:History of the French in India.djvu/441

 FATAL OBSTINACY OF DUPLE1X. 415 yield one small portion of its pretensions, we cannot but chap. failing. In similar circumstances Napoleon acted simi- larly. In 1813-14 he too preferred the risk of the sacrifice of his throne to the certain sacrifice of the smallest of his pretentions. The reason which prompted both these great rulers was the same. It was simply, we repeat, this, that on an occasion requiring peculiarly a cool judgment and clear discrimination, they were both alike influenced by their passions ! Meanwhile, hostilities did not cease in the Karnatik Even before TrichinapalH the temporary success of the French arms seemed almost to justify Dupleix in his policy of haughty persistence. After the failure of his attempt to surprise Trichin- apalH, Mainville had withdrawn his parties within Srirangam, and there awaited reinforcements. These Dupleix, with his usual promptitude, had sent him. On their arrival, Mainville resolved to strike another blow at his enemy. He had observed that the guards which escorted convoys periodically sent in to the city had gradually become smaller. Formerly Lawrence had made a point of attending them with his whole army, but convinced apparently that all the steel had been taken out of the French, he had latterly remained himself in camp, sending only a much smaller party with the convoys. Having noted this, Mainville determined to surprise and attack the next convoy regarding which he might receive tidings. In- telligence having reached him very soon afterwards, that a particularly large convoy, escorted by only 180 Europeans, 800 sipahis, and four guns, would en- deavour to make its way into the city, from Kilakota, a small fort on the south of the Kavan, about twelve miles from TrichinapalH, on the early morning of February 26, he made the following preparations to