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OLIVE 693 fire, he exclaimed that he must be reserved for something great. Madras having fallen into the hands of the French, Olive at night fled from the city, disguised as a Mohammedan, and arrived safely at Fort St. David. He now, at the age of 21, obtained an ensign's commis- sion in the military service of the company, and distinguished himself in several operations against the French. Although peace was soon concluded between England and France in Eu- rope, the French and English trading compa- nies in India continued to be upon hostile terms. Dupleix, the French commander, had gained absolute power over the Deccan, the nominal native ruler being only a puppet set up by himself. The English were alarmed for their establishments, even for their existence in India. They recognized Mohammed Ali as nabob of the Oarnatic, against Chunda Sahib, supported by the French ; but his dominions now consisted alone of Trichinopoly, and even this place was besieged by Chunda Sahib and the French auxiliaries. Arcot, the capital of the Carnatic, was decided upon as a point of Attack ; and in the absence of Major Lawrence, who had gone to England, all eyes were turned to Olive. He was now 25 years of age, and had acquired a name for desperate courage, sagacity, and military genius. He assured his superiors that unless some decisive move was a.t once made on Arcot, Trichinopoly would fall, and the French, becoming entire masters of India, would expel the English. His ad- Tice prevailed, and he was placed at the head of 200 British troops and 300 sepoys. He marched on Arcot and took it without a blow, the garrison being panic-struck ; but knowing that he would not be long suffered to remain unmolested, he made vigorous preparations for defence (August, 1751). As soon as the news reached Chunda Sahib, he invested Arcot with about 10,000 men commanded by his son, Kajah Sahib. For more than 50 days Olive sustained the siege against this overwhelm- ing force; his little band in the mean time, although suffering with hunger, manifesting .great devotion to their young commander. An .attempt by the government of Madras to relieve him had failed, but a body of 6,000 Mahrat- tas were on the march to succor the English. Before they could arrive, Chunda Sahib de- termined to storm the fort. He chose for the day of the assault the anniversary of the death of Hosein, the son of Ali, when devout Mussul- mans are. stirred to the wildest fanaticism, and have an implicit faith that whoever then falls in battle against the infidel passes at once to the eternal joys of paradise. Olive had re- ceived secret notice of the proposed attack, and had made arrangements to meet it. The enemy came on driving elephants before them, whose foreheads were armed with iron plates to batter down the gates. As soon as they felt the musket balls, they turned furiously around, .and threw their drivers into confusion. Olive everywhere animated his troops, exposing him- self to the greatest dangers; and after three desperate assaults and an hour's conflict, the assailants retired behind the ditch, and under cover of night retreated, leaving several guns and a quantity of ammunition. They lost 400 men, while the besieged lost but 5 or 6. This exploit was received at Madras with exulta- tion; 200 English soldiers and 700 sepoys were sent to Olive, who at once began offen- sive operations. He took the fort of Timery, joined a party of Mahrattas, attacked Rajah Sahib, who had 5,000 men, of whom 300 were French, defeated him, seized his military chest, routed him in a second battle, marched to Fort St. David, and on his way razed to the ground the monument which Dupleix had erected to his own glory, as. well as the city which had since sprung up in the vicinity. Olive now triumphed everywhere, although in some cases his troops were of the worst or- der. The important forts of Covelong and Chingleput, garrisoned by French soldiers, fell into his hands ; and after these successes he returned to Madras and married Miss Mas- kelyne, sister of the celebrated astronomer royal. His health was much broken, and he shortly afterward sailed for England. On his arrival there in 1753, he was received with the highest distinction. The East India com- pany presented him with a rich diamond-hilted sword, which he refused to accept until one of equal value was voted to his superior officer, Major Lawrence, whose merits he declared not inferior to his own. He remained about two years in England, spending his money profuse- ly, aiding his poor relations, and contesting a seat in parliament, to which he was elected, but was at once deprived of it by the vote of a small majority in the house. In 1755 he em- barked for India with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was now employed, in connection with Admirals Watson and Pocock, in redu- cing the stronghold of Gheriah, the haunt of a pirate named Angria, the terror of the Arabian sea. The place was captured, and booty to the amount of 150,000 divided among the conquerors. He then proceeded to his govern- ment of Fort St. David, and had been there but about two months when Surajah Dowlah, the nabob of Bengal, seized Fort William, the cita- del of Calcutta (June 20, 1756), and flung his English prisoners, 146 in number, into the gar- rison prison, known as the "black hole," a dungeon only 18 ft. square, and all except 23 of them perished. (See BLACK HOLE.) To inflict vengeance for the massacre, an expedi- tion was placed under the joint command of Olive and Admiral Watson ; and 900 English infantry and 1,500 sepoys sailed from Madras in October, but owing to head winds did not reach Bengal until December. The nabob was at Moorshedabad when he heard of the arrival of the English on the Hoogly, and instantly as- sembled his army and marched toward Cal- cutta. Clive took Budgebudge, Fort William, and Calcutta, and stormed and sacked Hoogly