1835.] 



History of the Ramcosdes. 



39 



bay, and that an escort of ten or twelve men would accom- 

 pany the treasure. 



. Oomiah expressed a great anxiety to get this money into 

 his possession, and prepared a detachment for the purpose 

 of capturing it. 



Suggun Bhow Hetkurry, with twelve of his men and a 

 party of Ramoossies from Sakoordy, being joined by ten from 

 Raak and ten from Oondry, proceeded with all secrecy and 

 rapidity to a place beyond Chouk, ten miles from Panweli ; 

 and about nine o'clock in the morning of the 29th of No- 

 vember, 1829, when the treasure party arrived at the spot 

 near which the gang were lying concealed, the latter rushed 

 on the escort and cut several of them down. The Ramoos- 

 sies instantly unloaded the tattoos, and moved off with th« 

 booty ; they proceeded to a hill only a few miles distant, 

 and halted to rest themselves in a well-sheltered ravine, at 

 a short distance from a cowherd's house. This cowherd 

 had observed the Ramoossies, and w^ent to Chouk and gave 

 information to a Subadar of the 17th Regiment, who was 

 posted there with a small detachment. The Ramoossiei 

 not suspecting any danger, and being fatigued, remained in 

 the ravine without fear ; and as the money was packed in 

 large bags, they determined before proceeding on their 

 march to make an equal division of it, that they might carry 

 it home with greater facility ; on this account, they had 

 emptied out a considerable portion of it on a kumly, and were 

 busy counting the amount by giving five rupees at a time 

 to each man, when very unexpectedly they were assailed by 

 a round of musketry from the detachment. Several of the 

 most active Ramoossies seized the rmopened bags and fled^ 

 pursued by the sepoys. The jungle was so dense, and they 

 were so much below the sepoys, that none of them were in- 

 jured by the fire of the detachment. The Subadar found 

 about four thousand seven hundred rupees, w^hich the Ra- 

 moossies were constrained to leave behind them when they 

 were surprised. The gang upon reaching Sakoordy, deli- 

 vered over upwards of six thousand rupees to Oomiah. 



To Suggun Bhow and another Hetkurry he gave twenty 

 rupees each, besides a silver ornamental chain to wear on 

 their ancle. To the Raak Ramoossies he gave five hun- 

 dred rupees^ and an equal sum was declared to belong to the 



