24 



History of the Ramoossies. 



[Jan. 



of men of his own corps that was with him, was unceasing 

 in his labours to overtake Oomiah and his gang ; but unfor- 

 tunately the Ramoossies were too successful in misleading 

 him, by means of the false information which they circulated. 

 This was the case with the other detachments commanded 

 by the European Officers, for they could never approach the 

 Bund to strike a blow at them. 



The gang were about one hundred and forty in number 

 on the 20th December, when near the small village of Wa- 

 soonda, about three koss from Jambool Para, in the Konkan, 

 they seized a Havildar and four sepoys, who had come to this 

 hamlet to obtain some information respecting them. They 

 barbarously put to death three of the sepoys, as an act of 

 retaliation for the loss of two of their body who were 

 killed and beheaded by the horsemen three weeks before, 

 at Sonapoor, although it must be recollected that the two 

 men of the gang fell during a skirmish, and in the latter 

 case the sepoys had surrendered themselves without making 

 the least resistance, or acting in any manner to excite any 

 angry feeling on the part of the Ramoossies. 



I received the following statement of this cruel proceed- 

 ing, from several men who were present in the gang at the 

 time ; and Oomiah himself acknowledged that it was a true 

 account of the affair. 



The Bund were close to the small village of Wasoonda, 

 and the following Naiks were present with the gang under 

 Oomiah, viz. Kristnajee, Bhojajee Pandoo, Wittoojee, Mha- 

 deo, Essoo Neckary, Bhoany, Chota Pandoo, &c. About 

 four o'clock when they had finished their dinner, one of their 

 party, who had proceeded for some purpose to the village, 

 came running back to his friends to tell them that there was 

 a detachment in the village. Upon receiving this informa- 

 tion, the Bund immediately got ready, advanced and sur- 

 rounded the hamlet, and perceiving a few sepoys only, they 

 approached them and called on them to surrender them- 

 selves. The Havildar and four sepoys being of opinion that 

 it would be useless to attempt to defend themselves against 

 an attack from so large a body judged it most prudent to 

 deliver up their arms without making any opposition. They 

 were then seized, and the gang retired to some short distance 

 from the place^ driving the prisoners before them. The 



