The stock of provisions was scanty, and the
commander was a youth of five and twenty, who had been bred a
book-keeper.
20. "During fifty days the siege went on. During fifty days the young
captain maintained the defense with a firmness, vigilance, and ability
which would have done honor to the oldest marshal in Europe. The
garrison began to feel the pressure of hunger. At this juncture the
sepoys came to Clive, not to complain of their scanty fare, but to
propose that all the grain should be given to the Europeans, who
required more nourishment than the natives of Asia. The thin gruel,
they said, which was strained away from the rice, would suffice for
themselves. The devotion of Clive's little band equaled that of the
Tenth Legion of Caesar, or of the Old Guard of Napoleon.
21. "Clive looked for succor from two sources. An attempt made by the
government at Madras to relieve the place failed, but there was still
hope from another quarter. A body of six thousand Mahrattas, under a
chief named Morari Row, had been hired to assist Mohammed Ali; but as
the French power seemed irresistible, this force bad hitherto remained
inactive on the frontiers of the Carnatic. The fame of the defense of
Arcot roused them from their torpor. Rajah Sahib learned that the
Mahrattas were in motion. It was necessary for him to be expeditious.
He first offered large bribes to Clive, and vowed that if his
proposals were not accepted he would instantly storm the fort and put
every man to the sword.
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