128 - History of the RaiiiGossks, [April 



the Naiks and tlieir retainers took an oath of allegiance to 

 him on the occasion. 



Several very wild schemes for cnnductinsj their plan of 

 operations, were suggested by various individuals of the 

 assemblage. Some of them wished to set fire to the se- 

 poy's huts in the cantonment of Poona : some spoke even 

 of burning tlse city; others proposed to attack and 

 plunder an oiiicer's family residing on the Poorundur hill, 

 w^hile some suggested an attack on the district treasuries ; 

 but Oomiah overruled all these propositions, insisting on 

 the propriety of carrying on their operations with secrecy ; 

 and pointed out the disadvantages likely to result from 

 acting precipitately. It was settled that they should in 

 the first instance proceed into the Punt Suchew's country, 

 and compel him to grant to them the rights and emolu- 

 ments which they had been claiming so long in vain. 



At this time there were assembled on the Kurry Puthar 

 about three hundred and fifty men with Oomiah. Many 

 of them were most desperate characters, who had figured 

 in the former Bund. Among them also were several noto- 

 rious Ramoossy Naiks from the Satara territory and from 

 Bhore, all of whom had been proscribed by their own Go- 

 vernment for the numerous atrocities which they had com- 

 mitted. 



But it was not Oomiah's intention to keep his followers 

 in one body for any length of time. He was aware of the 

 difl[iculty of being always able to procure food for any large 

 number of men, especially when forced to keep in the hills 

 at a distance from large villages ; and he well knew the 

 movements of any considerable number of men must at- 

 tract observation. 



He proposed employing about two hundred Kolies in 

 the hills in the Joonere and Nassick districts, and an equal 

 number of Mangs in the direction of Shollapoor and the 

 Nizam frontier villages at the same time, to act in 

 concert with him. One of his Jemedars, a Mussulman, 

 has stated in his deposition, that a Patell of a village near 

 the Salpie Ghaut, offered to bring a body of horse from 

 the Nizman's country to act as Pindaries : but this was 

 not approved of at the time. 



