178 PINDARE£ WAR. 



On the way certain persons were heard asking in a whis- 

 pering tone which was the sastree ; to which it was an- 

 swered that it was he who wore the necklace ; but the 

 question, it was imagined, was prompted by mere curiosity. 

 The minister, having performed his devotions, was return- 

 ing with a diminished escort, when several men, with long 

 twisted cloths used for the purpose, called aloud to clear the 

 way. The sastree being thus left alone, they rushed upon 

 him with drawn swords, and quickly pierced him with nume- 

 rous wounds. Every thing conspired to render it manifest 

 that Trimbuckjee was the author of this daring crime. The 

 assassins had left him in the temple, whither they were seen 

 running back with naked weapons. On the most trivial 

 pretests, however, he declined to submit to any formal in- 

 vestigation. In short, the inquiries of Mr. Elphinstone, 

 the resident, left no room to doubt that he was the direct 

 instigator of the murder, and had obtained the full consent 

 of Bajee Rao to its perpetration. 



The British minister, on this emergency, determined to 

 adopt the most decisive measures, and with the view of 

 giving effect to the negotiation, ordered the auxiliary force 

 to approach nearer to Poonah. The peishwa, evidently 

 apprehensive of being personally charged with the deed, 

 evaded, on various grounds, all communication on the sub- 

 ject. At length, two persons in his confidence waited on 

 the resident, apparently with a view to sound his intentions. 

 Mr. Elphinstone allowed them to understand that there was 

 no design of fixing the crime upon the peishwa ; indeed, 

 if he made any allusion to the rumour of Bajee's guilt, it 

 was with the air of entire disbelief, and only to show the 

 necessity of his disproving it by bringing the real offender 

 to justice. It was demanded that Trimbuckjee, who was 

 openly charged with the murder, should, with his two prin- 

 cipal accomplices, be placed in close confinement to await 

 a full investigation. The prince studiously employed every 

 expedient to save his favourite ; sometimes he endeavoured 

 to justify him, and at other times declared it beyond his 

 power to effect his arrest. The suspicion thus afforded of 

 n determination to screen the offender induced the resident, 

 with the concurrence of the governor-general, to demand 

 that he should be delivered into British custody. This pro- 

 posal was of course still more revolting to the peishwa, who 



