46 WAR WITH MYSORE. 



now his successful rival ; but could obtain no other terms 

 than to be allowed to steal off in the night with a few sol- 

 diers, leaving behind him nearly all his treasures, the accu- 

 mulated fruit of so much crime and extortion, and even his 

 family, among whom was his son Tippoo, then nine years 

 old. These last, however, were received into Seringapa- 

 tam, and treated with kindness. 



The expelled chief sought refuge first at Anicul and then 

 % at Bangalore, places under his immediate command, and of 

 which the governors proved faithful even in this extremity. 

 He soon collected his forces, called in his detachments, and 

 endeavoured, by the reputation of his name, to attract fresh 

 adventurers to his standard. Thus in a few months he 

 took the field against Kunde Row ; but that able chief, hav- 

 ing still a superior army, brought on a general action, in 

 which Hyder was defeated. His affairs being thus rendered 

 nearly desperate, he had recourse for relief to a very sin- 

 gular quarter. With two hundred horse he hastened durino 

 the night to the residence of Nunjeraj, presented himself in 

 a suppliant posture, confessed his guilt and ingratitude, 

 and intreated his former patron to resume his place, and 

 treat him again as a servant. All historians express aston- 

 ishment that the fallen minister should have been won over 

 by protestations so manifestly insincere ; but we are to con- 

 sider, that by closing with this proposal he obtained per- 

 haps the only chance of regaining his power and dignity. 

 Upon this successful stratagem Hyder formed another 

 still deeper. He affixed the seal of Nunjeraj to a number 

 of letters, seeming to contain a treasonable correspondence, 

 addressed to the principal officers in Kunde Row's army! 

 They were sent by an emissary, who appeared to exercise 

 the strictest vigilance lest they should fall into the hands of 

 that chief, yet took effectual means that they should be in- 

 tercepted. Kunde Row, with all his experience and pro- 

 found policy, was completely deceived ; and seeing himself, 

 as he imagined, betrayed by his followers, he abruptly quit- 

 ted the camp and hastened to Seringapatam. The army 

 was thus thrown into a state of complete disorganization, 

 when Hyder, attacking them unexpectedly, put" them to a 

 total rout, capturing guns, stores, baggage, and all the in- 

 fantry, who were then incorporated with his own troops ; 

 the cavalry alone by early flight effected their escape. Kunde 



