ack to his Factory, and by the evening of the 15th of
April he was ready to depart. The same day the Nawab wrote to
Clive:--

"Mr. Law I have put out of the city, and have wrote
expressly to my Naib[96] at Patna to turn him and his attendants
out of the bounds of his Subaship, and that he shall not
suffer them to stay in any place within it."[97]

At the end of April the Nawab wrote to Abdulla Khan, the Afghan
general at Delhi, that he had supplied Law with Rs.10,000. Clive was
quickly informed of this.

On the morning of the 16th the French marched through Murshidabad
with colours flying and drums beating, prepared against any surprise
in the narrow streets of the city. Mr. Watts wrote to Clive:--

"They had 100 Europeans, 60 Tellingees, 30 _hackerys_"
(i.e. bullock-waggons) "and 4 elephants with them."[98]

Close on their track followed two spies, sent by Mr. Watts to try
and seduce the French soldiers and sepoys. Law left a M. Bugros
behind in charge of the French Factory.

Shortly after leaving Cossimbazar, Law was reinforced by a party of
45 men, mostly sailors of the _Saint Contest_, who had managed to
escape from the English. On the 2nd of May the French arrived at
Bhagulpur, the Nawab writing to them to move on whenever he heard
they were halting, and not to go so fast when he heard they were on
the march.

"To satisfy him we should have been always in motion
and yet not advancing; this did not suit us. It was of the
utmost importance to arrive at some place where I could
find means for the equipment of my troop. We were
destitute of everything."

These contradictory orders, and even letters of recall, reached Law
on his march, but though he sent back M. Sinfray with letters to M.
Bugros and Coja Wajid--which the latter afterwards made over to
Clive--he continued his march to Patna, where he arrived on the 3rd
of June, and was well received by Raja Ramnarain, and where he was
within four or five days' march or sail from Sooty, the mouth of the
Murshidabad or Cossimbazar river, and therefore in a position to
join the Nawab whenever it might be necessary.

In the mean time fate had avenged Law on one of his lesser enemies.
This was that Ranjit Rai, who had insulted him during his interview
with the Seths. The latter had pursued their old policy of inciting
the English to make extravagant demands which they at the same time
urged the Nawab to refuse. To justify one such demand, th