"You are right," answered the Doctor; "if the battle of Plassey had gone the other way, the English power would have been completely broken, at least that is what the English historians themselves admit. Clive's army consisted of only 3000 men, and two-thirds of them were native soldiers, the rest being Englishmen. The native army opposed to him was 55,000 strong, consisting of 40,000 infantry, 15,000 cavalry, and having fifty large cannon, drawn by elephants and oxen. It is proper to say that the infantry was armed principally with pikes, swords, and bows and arrows, and the only weapons using gunpowder were some old-fashioned firelocks. The English had the best fire-arms of those times, and their artillery was far superior to that of the natives, though the number of pieces was smaller. "The native nabob who commanded opened fire on Clive with his heavy guns, but they did very little harm. The English artillery replied with such deadly effect that the nabob ordered a retreat; Clive's army then advanced, and the enemy was thrown into confusion, and the retreat became a disorderly rout. All their artillery and camp equipage fell into the hands of the English, and the victory was complete." One of the boys asked if many of the combatants were killed. "No," was the reply; "the loss of life on both sides was very small, especially for such a complete defeat on one side, and a decisive victory on the other. About 500 of the native army were killed, and a great number made prisoners; the English lost twenty-two killed and fifty wounded--when I say English, I mean the entire army under Clive's command. "Clive's victory at Plassey was followed by another at Patna over the troops of the Great Mogul, and in the year 1759 he defeated an army that was sent from the Dutch East Indies by the Governor of Batavia. Then he went to England, where he remained four years before returning to India to resume his command of the affairs of the colonies. On his final return to England his administration was questioned, but he vindicated himself in a parliamentary examination and died in 1774." While this conversation was going on our friends were strolling through the streets of Pondicherry, and observing its peculiarities. Fred said he expected to see a great fort and many soldiers, but the Doctor told him that when the place was given up by the English, in 1814, it was on the condition that no European soldiers should be kept there, and no fort should be built. The same was the case with the other French possessions in India, and consequently they could never be of any military importance, and would speedily fall into the hands of the English in case of war between the two countries. [Illustration: HOUSE IN THE EUROPEAN QUARTER.]