A History of the Mahrattas v1.c11.26

v1.c11.26

in the fort, a practice said to have prevailed from before the time of Sivajee. The insurgents having corrupted one or two persons of the garrison, a party of them, each loaded with a bundle of grass, having his arms concealed below it, appeared at the gate in the dress of villagers, to deposit, as they pretended, the annual supply ; and admittance being thus gained, they surprised the garrison and possessed themselves of the place. The fort was Prucheetgurh, and the circumstance will be alluded to in its proper place ; it is only mentioned here as a stratagem, the original merit of which is ascribed to Sivajee. [The position of the more important forts is given against their names in the Index at the end of Vol. II.]