The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c12.49

c12.49

The scouts formed an old institution of the country. Shivaji had a separate department of *Jasuds* or scouts, and his chief scout, Bahirji Jadhav, was a man of exceptional ability. It was to Bahirji’s familiarity with the less known byways of the country that Shivaji was indebted for much of his success and not a little of his safety. The *Jasuds* maintained their reputation even during the Peshwa period, when they acted, not merely as scouts but also as mail bearers. When employed in the latter capacity, they generally went in pairs, for we always read of *Jasudjodi* and *Kasidjodi*.³ They travelled day and night, knew all the short cuts and byroads, and could cover the longest distance in a reasonably short time. On their way they could rely on the assistance of every village headman and district officer, and cottages and resthouses were provided for their use on the usual main route. While employed as scouts they had to use various disguises and their knowledge of the locality stood them in good stead. It does not appear that the *Jasuds* formed a separate department during the Peshwa days, but a number of them was usually attached to each army, the trained battalions not being excepted.