A History of the Mahrattas v1.c23.32

v1.c23.32

Sumbhajee Angria, still intent on recovering Kolabah from his half-brother Mannajee, taking advantage of the absence of so large a body of troops, had again attacked Mannajee’s districts, and having rapidly taken Choule, Alybagh, Thull, and Sagurgurh, laid siege to Kolabah, and cut off the garrison from fresh water. Mannajee applied to Ballajee Bajee Rao, who was with the Raja in the neighbourhood of Satara. Five hundred men were accordingly sent to support the garrison, and an express dispatched to Chimnajee Appa for instructions. Chimnajee had ordered his nephew to repair to Kolabah in person, and applied to the Governor in Council at Bombay (with whom he had concluded a treaty, and maintained a friendly intercourse since his late campaign in the Concan), to support the garrison at Kolabah and assist them with water, which was immediately done. Ballajee, or as he was then invariably designated, Nana Sahib, arrived at Kolabah on the fifth day’s march, and distinguished himself on his first service by an attack on a party stationed under the protection of Heera-kot, which he drove into Sumbhajee’s camp, killed twenty-five or thirty men, and took Toolajee, the half-brother of Sumbhajee, prisoner.³ The English had arrived before Nana Sahib; they forced the fleet of Sumbhajee to run down to Severndroog, and compelled him to move his camp from the sea-side, where it was pitched on their arrival, and to throw up an entrenchment to protect his people from a heavy cannonade which they opened from their ships. Sumbhajee applied to the English for permission to retire to Severndroog,¹ but they refused to listen to his request. He however effected his escape by some means of which the Mahratta letters and manuscripts afford no particulars. Chimnajee Appa having joined Nana Sahib, they were concerting the reduction of Rewadunda, when accounts reached them of the death² of Bajee Rao, which happened on the banks of the Nerbuddah, on the 28th day of April 1740. On receiving this intelligence, Shunkrajee Narrain was appointed Soobehdar of the Concan, Khundoojee Mankur was left in command of a body of troops, whilst Chimnajee Appa and his nephew, after the usual ceremonies of mourning, which occupy ten or twelve days, returned to Poona, and shortly afterwards repaired to Satara.