the English
agent, Mr. Watts, and his subordinates, had fled from Kasimbazar,
after an interview with Mir Jafar, at the time in his disfavour. Then
he gave way: then he realized that, without the aid of his nobles, he
was helpless: then he guessed the whole plot; the schemes of Clive;
the treason of his own people: then he turned to Mir Jafar for
reconciliation, imploring him not to abandon him in his distress. Mir
Jafar and the other nobles, most of whom were in the plot, all swore
fealty and obedience, Mir Jafar leading the way. They would risk
everything for the Subahdar. They would drive back the cursed
English, and free Bengal from their influence. Recovering his
equanimity from these assurances, Siraj-ud-daula ordered his army to
march to an intrenched camp he had prepared near the village of
Plassey, in the island of Kasimbazar,[3] twenty-two miles distant.
There was some difficulty regarding the arrears of pay of his men,
failing the settlement of which they refused to march. But, with
friendly assistance {89}this difficulty was overcome; the army set
out three days later for its destination, and arrived in the
intrenched camp on the 21st of June.

[Footnote 3: Kasimbazar is called an island because whilst the base
of the triangle which composes it is watered by the Ganges, the
western side, on which lies Plassey, is watered by the Bhagirathi;
the eastern by the Jalangi.]

I propose now briefly to record the movements of Clive: then to
describe the decisive battle which followed his arrival on the
island.

{90}

CHAPTER IX
THE BATTLE OF PLASSEY

Meanwhile Clive had made every preparation for the advance of his
army. A considerable portion of it had been stationed at
Chandranagar. To that place he despatched on the 12th of June all the
soldiers available, and 150 sailors lent him by the Admiral, leaving
Calcutta guarded by a few sick Europeans, some sipahis to look after
the French prisoners, and a few gunners to man the guns on the
ramparts. On the 13th he quitted Chandranagar, the Europeans, with
the guns, munitions, and stores, proceeding by water in 200 boats,
towed by natives against the stream, the sipahis marching along the
right bank of the river, on the highroad made by the Mughal
Government from Hugli to Patna.[1] The force consisted, all told, of
about 900 Europeans, 200 men of mixed native and Portuguese blood who
served with the Europeans, a small detail of lascars, and 2100
sipahis.