Page:History of the French in India.djvu/565

 BUSSY MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY. 539 be seized at once if success is to be achieved. This chap. advance, and the fate of Madras would have been sealed. 1758. For not only would these 650 men have been slain or captured, but the effect upon their comrades within the walls would, according to the testimony of their com- mandant, have been decisive.* It was a great oppor- tunity — let us see how the French used it. We have said that after the capture of d'Estaing, Lally had proceeded to the right of the position, where the action was going on, whilst Bussy galloped back to his post on the left. Lally arrived at the scene of action after GuiUermin and Secati had rallied their men, and the English in their turn had begun to retreat. He at once directed a movement whereby eighty of the latter were cut off from their comrades and made prisoners, at the same time that he ordered a vigorous pursuit of the remainder; on the other side the Cheva- lier de Crillon, who commanded the Lally brigade, saw the English retreating towards the bridge, in disorder, and pursued by the Lorraine and Indian brigades. The thought at once came into his mind that by occupying the bridge on which that detachment was retreating, he might cut it off to a man. As, however, he did not command in that part of the field, Bussy being on the spot, he went up to that officer, and asked his permis- sion to make the movement with his corps. To his intense mortification Bussy refused. In vain did other officers crowd round him; he was obstinate and obdurate.f So sensible, however, was Crillon of the Memoirs that the previous retrograde undoubtedly have tended to the siill movements of the English had further discouragement of those re- greatly discouraged bis men, and maining within the walls, that this sortie had been determined t The conduct of Bussy on this upon, because " it appeared necessary occasion has been hotly contested, to do something immediately to re- The following points, however, are store the spirits of the garrison." clear: 1st: — That if the bridge had Had the men composing the sortie- been occupied by the regiment of was one of them. The regiment XIT.
 * Colonel Lawrence states in his party been killed or taken, it would