﻿144 NARRATIVE OF A ROUtE 



to pay me a vifit. I chided him for his alarm ; to 

 which he very reafonably replied, that circumfpeftion 

 in his fitiiation was but proper; for, as the Nizam 

 had many Fringhys in his fervice, how was he to know 

 that I was not one of them. As it was not my intereft 

 to enter into further altercation with him on the fub- 

 je6t, and his fears feemed to have fubfided, I began to 

 interrogate him concerning the extent of the Mahratta 

 territory to the fouthward ; and afked him if he would 

 venture to recommend mc to the care and attention of 

 the Nizam's 6fficers in the adjoining diftrict of Chin- 

 noor. He replied, that the Mahratfa territorv ex- 

 tended only three cofi further; and that his Rajah 

 being then at war with the Nizam, he could not ven- 

 ture to enter into an\- corrcfpondence with his people. 

 He then confirmed the accounts 1 had before received, 

 of the whole diftricl of Chinnoor bein^ defolate. 



Having now no other alternative, but to proceed 

 by that route; and reflecting on the frequent inftances 

 in which I had been diitrcffcd for wan l of guides; I 

 inftrufted fomeof my people to endeavour to get three 

 or four intelligent men, who fhould engage to accom- 

 panv us to Ellorr^ or Rajamandyy ; and to promife, at 

 the fame time, that they fliould be paid very largely 

 for it. 1 confidered that if the PaloonPiah Rajah fliould 

 prove hoftile, nothing but this would enable me to pufli 

 through his country with rapidity, or any tolerable 

 fucccis. The diiiicuity of our fituation feemed indeed 

 to be imprelfed upon the whole party, and every man 

 in it appeared to interefl: himfclf in our mutual welfare. 

 They cheerfully fubmitiedto fuch hardfhips as the ne- 

 ceflitv of the cafe required, particularly in agreeing to 

 carry grain through the wildernefs we had to traverfe. 

 Three Mahratta Brinjaries w'cre at length prevailed 

 upon to conduct us to Rajamandry ; whofe demands 

 for compenfation were enormous; yet I w^as ne- 

 cefTitated to comply with them; and the Mahratta 

 3 officer 



