A History of the Mahrattas v2.c32.118

v2.c32.118

At this critical period, when the army had marched and Rugonath Rao was on the eve of departure from Poona, Ram Shastree waited upon him in the manner which has been mentioned. The other ministers were less sincere, but as Rugonath Rao showed himself suspicious and distrustful of all the experienced men who were capable of supporting his government, they soon became entirely estranged from his councils. Sewdasheo Ramchundur, Chintoo Wittul, Abbajee Mahdeo, and Sukaram Hurry, the persons of whom he made choice, were ill-qualified to supply their place. In the month of November, the Peishwa's army approached that of Nizam Ally, before the latter was prepared, and he was compelled to seek shelter under the walls of Beder. For three weeks there were daily skirmishes, in which the Mahrattas were generally successful; the Moghuls, when pressed, retired under cover of the cannon on the walls, and the Mahrattas, although they occasionally brought up guns to cannonade,¹ were obliged to retire daily to their camp on the bank of the Manjera, as most of the wells² in the immediate vicinity of Beder were within gun-shot of the walls of the fort.