Page:History of the French in India.djvu/418

392 THE FALL OF DUPLEIX. chap, the troops of that Nawwab commanded by his brother, . , although aided by a party of forty English, most of 1753. whom, after a gallant resistance, were slain in the encounter. The Karnatik thus once more cleared of active enemies, Dupleix again bent all his energies to the capture of Trichinapalli. The troops that had been on the Panar were accordingly despatched to reinforce those in Srirangam — a measure by which the French force in that island was raised to 450 Europeans and 1,500 drilled sipahis. Their arrival at that place com- bined with the inaction of Lawrence to incite Astruc to vigorous measures. Marching out of Srirangam, there- fore, he crossed the Kavari, and took up a position to the south of Trichinapalli, a little to the north of the English camp. Learning next morning that Major Lawrence was confined to the city by ill-health, Astruc profited by his absence to take possession of some heights about a mile south of and commanding the English camp. These heights, known as the Five Rocks, being guarded only by sipahis, Astruc easily carried. He at once diligently set to work to fortify them, and succeeded so well that when Lawrence, hearing of their loss, moved out to endeavour to recover them, he was repulsed and com- pelled to retire to a position about a quarter of a mile nearer the town out of reach of the enemy's fire. This bold and successful manoeuvre on the part of Astruc gave an immense advantage to the French. Their position at the Five Rocks was not only unas- sailable, but it was the key of the surrounding country. It enabled them to intercept all the supplies destined for the garrison, and to bar a passage to the enemy's convoys. The advantage they possessed in cavalry seemed to render any movement on the part of Lawrence impossible. Nor did the idea of a general action present to the mind of the English leader any