The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c15.141

c15.141

Of their method of fighting, Benjamin Hall, Purser of the *Derby*, has left the following account: ‘Their manner of fighting a ship is as follows. Their Grabbs and Gallivats, be there never so many of them in number, always keep astern of our ships, or any other they may engage, and so close, that there is no danger of their missing you when they fire their prow-guns, which were six-pounders. They tack and give you a Broad-side, and so shear off and load again. But in the mean time another Grabb comes up, and fire on us in the same manner, and so goes off, that the next may come up. This is the method they take, till they have all fired round, when the first comes up again. As to their Gallivats, they run in between the Grabbs, and keep constantly firing at you. Their Grabbs are the oddest built vessels you ever saw; they have a very long prow, which is almost even with the surface of the Water, and very high-sterned. They carry 16 Guns each, and 150 men, all in arms proper for boarding any vessels. But in time of engagement, they are all, excepting the Gunners who manage their Guns, under Deck, where there is little danger of killing them with our Guns. These vessels are built purposely for fighting and they manage them with so much dexterity, that they can tack on you any way in a moment, and always keep their Grabbs astern, so that we shall not be able to bring a Broadside to bear on them. As to their Gallivats, they carry six guns each, and sixty armed men, and are always ready to supply their Grabbs with ammunition and men, in case of any accident’.²