DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25988#0406
382 Life of Mountstuart Elphinstone. ch. xr.
the last pages of a volnme of jonrnal. It leaves the party at
the moment of their joining Colonel Burr’s force. I give the
sequel of the story as reported to his friend Close, the Resident
at. Sindia’s Court.
‘ Private and Confidential.
(To Ca'ptain CLose.)
‘ Camp, Kirkee, Nov. 11, 1817.
‘ My dear Close,' -I make no doubt you are astonished at
my long silence, and perhaps think I am murdered, or t.hat
the communication is quite cut off. The truth is, I did not
like to trust your dawk with my secrets for fear of their being
intercepted, and so influencing Sindia’s resolutions. Now
these are no longer any secrets, and I sit down to write to you.
The Peshwa, under cover of Malcolm’s desire that he would
raise troops, got together a large army at Poona (about 25,000
horse and half as many foot). Tliese he encamped towards
Gfarpeer, pressing on and almost surrounding our brigade. He
had long since set to work to corrupt our Sepoys, and pushed
on with increasing vigour and publicity. In short., everything
tended to a rupture, and it was necessary to watch the moment
when it would break out. On the arrival of the Bombay
European Regiment, I moved the cantonment to this delightful
position, and felt quite relieved whenl saw it established here;
but the impression made in town, and diligently encouraged
by Gfocla, was that the Ferringees liad fled before the invin-
cible arms of Sreemuntj and would soon be clear out of the
country. These feelings were shown with great insolence, our
cantonments were plundered, a gentleman was wounded and
robbed of his horse at Gunaishkind, and it. became unsafe for
an officer to ride even between our old camp and our new.
Moro Dixit warned Ford of an approacliing attack, in which
all our Sepoys were to leave us, and offered to save his life
if he would remain quiet in Dapooree. The Peshwa treated
every application I made to him with contempt, althougb I
had complained of troops coming near us in our old ground.
the last pages of a volnme of jonrnal. It leaves the party at
the moment of their joining Colonel Burr’s force. I give the
sequel of the story as reported to his friend Close, the Resident
at. Sindia’s Court.
‘ Private and Confidential.
(To Ca'ptain CLose.)
‘ Camp, Kirkee, Nov. 11, 1817.
‘ My dear Close,' -I make no doubt you are astonished at
my long silence, and perhaps think I am murdered, or t.hat
the communication is quite cut off. The truth is, I did not
like to trust your dawk with my secrets for fear of their being
intercepted, and so influencing Sindia’s resolutions. Now
these are no longer any secrets, and I sit down to write to you.
The Peshwa, under cover of Malcolm’s desire that he would
raise troops, got together a large army at Poona (about 25,000
horse and half as many foot). Tliese he encamped towards
Gfarpeer, pressing on and almost surrounding our brigade. He
had long since set to work to corrupt our Sepoys, and pushed
on with increasing vigour and publicity. In short., everything
tended to a rupture, and it was necessary to watch the moment
when it would break out. On the arrival of the Bombay
European Regiment, I moved the cantonment to this delightful
position, and felt quite relieved whenl saw it established here;
but the impression made in town, and diligently encouraged
by Gfocla, was that the Ferringees liad fled before the invin-
cible arms of Sreemuntj and would soon be clear out of the
country. These feelings were shown with great insolence, our
cantonments were plundered, a gentleman was wounded and
robbed of his horse at Gunaishkind, and it. became unsafe for
an officer to ride even between our old camp and our new.
Moro Dixit warned Ford of an approacliing attack, in which
all our Sepoys were to leave us, and offered to save his life
if he would remain quiet in Dapooree. The Peshwa treated
every application I made to him with contempt, althougb I
had complained of troops coming near us in our old ground.