tiz An Account.©. j 1 



anfwer was ; * e this is a matter of war, with which you are not acquainted* 

 4 * In other affairs do as you pleafe„ but leave this to me. Military opera- 

 " tions mull: not be precipitated. You mail fee how I will manage this 

 " affair, and at a proper opportunity will bring it to a fuccefsful conclusion." 



As the Durrany army was vigilant both by day and night to prevent 

 the approach of any convoys, there began to .he a great fcarcity of provi^ 

 lions and forage in the Mabratta carnp° 



One night when about twenty thoufand of their camp followers had gone 

 out of the lines to gather wood in a jungle at fome diflance, they happened 

 to fall in with a body of five thoufand horfe under the command of Shah 

 Pussund Khan, whohad the advanced guard that night, and who furround- 

 ing them .on all fides, put the whole to the fword, no perfon coming to 

 their aiTiftance from the Mabratta camp. In the morning, when the affair 

 was reported to the Shah, he went out with mpft ofhis chiefs to the fcene 

 of the flaughter, where dead bodies were piled up into a perfect mountain, 

 fo great had been the deftruction of thofe unhappy people. 



The grief and terror which this event ftruck into the Mafcrattas, is not 

 to be defcribed, and even the Bhow himfelf began to give way to fear and ' 



defponience. 



There was a news-writer of the Show's called Gonniesh Pundit, 



who remained in the camp of the Navab Shujah-ul-Dowlah ; but not 



being of fufficient importance to obtain accefs to the Navab, any bulinefs 



that he had with the Durbar, he tranfadted through my means. Through 



jhis channel the Bhow often wrote letters to me with his own hand, defo* 



