340 



therefore gather the people together, and encamp against the royal 

 city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called after my name." 



I had not been many weeks in Dlinboy, before it was sur- 

 rounded by the Mahratla army, consisting of near an hundred 

 thousand horse and foot, who encamped within sight of the walls, 

 although not within reach of our cannon. The Dhuboy garrison 

 consisted only of three companies of Bombay sepoys, commanded 

 by three European officers, a few European artillery-men and 

 lascars, with five byracs of Arabs and Scindian infantry. Our 

 situation was very unpleasant; but finding from the halcarras and 

 spies sent into the enemy's camp, that they entertained a much 

 higher opinion of our strength, we were in hopes the city might 

 be defended until we received a reinforcement from Baroche. 



Two English gentlemen, with whom I was intimately ac- 

 quainted, were at that time hostages in the Mahratta camp; one in 

 the civil service on the Bombay establishment, the other a military 

 officer. The former contrived to send me secretly a few words con- 

 cealed within the tube of a very small cpaill, run into the messenger's 

 ear, to inform me of the enemy's determination to recapture Dhu- 

 boy; advising me, as I could expect no relief from Baroche, and 

 general Goddard's army was pursuing a different direction, to make 

 the best terms possible, and deliver up the keys to the Mahratta 

 sirdar, as all resistance would be vain. My library at Dhuboy 

 was very scanty; the Annual Registers and Encyclopedia were 

 its principal treasures. I consulted the commanding officer, and 

 looked over various articles of capitulation, that in case of neces- 

 sity we might at least have made honourable terms; and having 

 no artillery officer, nor engineer, we studied the treatises on forti- 



