New History of the Marathas v3.c37.s2.1

v3.c37.s2.1

for himself with the same money? If Nana sent help from Poona, evidently he was bound to bear the cost. At least that was Mahadji’s view. Nana had instructed Ali Bahadur to proceed to Bundelkhand, after he had finished Mahadji’s job, and recover in that quarter the former Maratha territories which had been seized by some rebels. Nor were Tukoji and Ali Bahadur asked to hold themselves subordinate to Mahadji, as this would have been derogatory to their status. They claimed an independent position, leading to disunity of counsel and adding to the original friction. Mahadji never took kindly to these chiefs from Poona, who had come to his relief and who followed Nana’s guidance. He had recently made vast new conquests of which Tukoji demanded a share. Mahadji claimed payment of expenses which had been incurred on those conquests before he could share them with Tukoji. Such questions came to be hotly argued for nearly a year and a half, producing an acrimonious wordy warfare. The trouble came to a head when Mahadji fell suddenly ill in the months of June and July 1789, when for a few weeks his life was despaired of, and all political activities came to a standstill.