Chap. VI.) SIEGE OF TIUCHINOPOLY. -liiJ
be impaled alive, and even extended his barbarism to the dead by ordering their ad. 1754. bodies to be suspended on the sm-rounding trees. This success did not produce the effect which might have been anticipated from it. The rajah, satisfied that the immediate danger was passed, dismissed Monacjee from his command with a few compliments; and instead of reinforcing Major Lawrence as he had promised, disbanded his troops as no longer necessary.
While the nabob's anny thus received no accession, and was on the contraiy The enemy diminished by the necessity of increasing the garrison of Trichinopoly, in con- rior in sequence of the great number of French prisoners detained in it, the enemy, by """" "'^ means of reinforcements, was able to muster GOO Europeans, 400 toi)asses, GOOO sepoys, and nearly 30,000 Mysoreans and Mahrattas. To meet these Major Lawrence w<is unable to bring into the field more than GOO Europeans and 1 800 sepoys. Notwithstanding this enormous inequality of force, the enemy were so dispii'ited by their repeated defeats, that they did not venture to cross to the south bank of the Cauvery.
Trichinopoly had so long been the seat of war that there was not a tree left Devastation
around Tri-
standing in the plain around it, and the British could only procure firewood by chiuoiwiy. sending out detachments to a distance of five or six miles. Their provisions were obtained with still greater difficulty. These from what was called Tonde- man's Country were brought no farther than the skirts of the woods, distant about seven miles; while those from Tanjore were not brought nearer than eighteen miles, the merchants depositing them at Trictapolly, a fort situated at that distance eastward on the banks of the Cauvery. The detachments employed in escorting the provisions from these distances were seldom less than 150 Euro- peans and 500 sepoys. Experience seemed to have proved that this force was sufficient, for from the beginning of January to the middle of February, 1754, seven convoys had been safely escorted. The next convoy in readiness was larger than any of these. It consisted of military stores as well as provisions, and required no less than 3000 bullocks. The escort was strengthened in pro- portion, and composed of the gi*enadier company of 100 men, eighty other Euro- peans, 800 sepoys, and four pieces of cannon. As not much less than a half of the whole army was thus required, the more prudent plan undoubtedly would have been not to divide it, but to employ it all as an escort. A more serious blunder was committed in intrusting the command of it to an officer of little experience and less ability.
The escort, which left Trictapolly on the morning of the 13th of February, senousdis- reached Killycottah, about eight miles fjirther west, in the evening. The follow- taiued w
Iing morning it was journeying on in the same direction, without any appre- **'" ^"'^'*
hension of danger, and had proceeded two miles beyond Killycottah, along the skirts of Tondeman's Wood.s, when several bodies of cavalry were seen moving on all sides among the thickets and underwood. The officer commanding the convoy had adopted the worst pos.siblo arrangement, for he had no more than a
