86 CONQUEST OF MYSORE. 



districts ; but, in advancing westward, he met its full force, 

 which rendered the country wholly unfit for military opera- 

 tions. After giving a formal summons to Palgaut, he 

 returned, and was then despatched to Dindigul, more than 

 100 miles distant in the south-east. Having formed a very 

 inadequate idea of the strength of this place, he had car- 

 ried only a small stock of ammunition, which was found 

 nearly exhausted after effecting only a very imperfect 

 breach. No alternative was left but to attempt it, such as 

 it was. However, he was repulsed ; but the enemy were 

 so struck by the spirit with which the assault was con- 

 ducted, and so ignorant of the deficiency under which he 

 laboured, that they sent proposals of surrender, on terms 

 which the English commander was too wise not to accept. 



By the time he returned from Dindigul, the season ad- 

 mitted of his again proceeding against Palgaut. Here he 

 had been equally misinformed, though to quite a different 

 effect, having been led to expect a very formidable resist- 

 ance. He accordingly employed great efforts in sending 

 forward a considerable train of artillery ; but on the morn- 

 ing of the 21st September, two batteries having been opened, 

 the guns of the fort were speedily silenced, and before night 

 a breach was effected in the curtain. The garrison soon 

 made offers of submission, asking scarcely any conditions 

 except that they should be protected from the fury of the 

 nayrs in the British service, who were ready to vent on all 

 that belonged to Tippoo their deepest resentment for his 

 barbarous persecution. 



While Colonel Stuart was thus employed, considerable 

 progress was made by the army towards the high land of 

 Mysore. A chain of posts along the rivers Cavery and 

 Bahvany, — Caroor, Eroad, Sattimtingul, — had been suc- 

 cessively reduced; and the last of these, commandin" the 

 important pass of Gujolhutty, which opened the way into 

 the heart of Mysore, was occupied by Colonel Floyd with 

 a force of 2000 men. By this arrangement the different 

 corps wore very ill connected together. General Medows 

 at Coimbetoor was sixty miles distant from the division of 

 Floyd, and thirty from that of Stuart. The second of these 

 officers pointed out the danger of his situation, and the in- 

 telligence he had received that Tippoo was collecting a great 

 force to attack him. The commander, however, paid no 



