The march of Hydur and his army to Chuk or little Balapoor, and the capture of that place. Also the conquest of the Hill fort of Murg Sura, or the little Sura of Pankoonda, &c. in the year 1172, Hijri.— A. D. 1758.

As soon as the Nawaub* had accomplished the conquest and regulation of Sura, he determined to attack Balapoor the less, which it had been his intention to have done long before; and he there­fore marched towards that place with his whole force, consisting of eight thousand horse, ten thou­sand regular infantry, and twelve thousand irregular or Karnatic foot, with abundance of stores and artillery. While Hydur was on his route thither, Fyzullah Khan Hybut Jung, who was the son of Meer Mahummudi Khan, Jageerdár of Timri, and the son-in-law of Nawaub Dilawar Khan, having quarrelled with his father-in-law, after the death of his wife, hastened, (making use of his head for his feet)* to the service of the Nawaub Hydur, and was installed in office, according to his abilities and rank. When the Nawaub arrived, and encamped near Balapoor, the Poligar of that place, finding himself unable to oppose him in the field, shut himself up in the fort; and, notwithstanding the Nawaub took great pains to induce him to obey his orders, this unfortu­nate man rejected all his advances, and prepared to defend himself; he also solicited Morar Rao Ghore Purria to give him assistance. The Rao, therefore, with his whole force, amounting to twelve thousand horse and foot, came to his aid, and, having established himself at Goori Bundah, (some place apparently in the vicinity), he made it his station, and despatched six or seven thousand horse, to attack the army of the Nawaub. This force, however, only fell upon and plundered the foraging parties of the Nawaub, and then retired. When he heard of this attack the Nawaub was much irritated, and with a detachment of his bravest soldiers, he imme­diately followed and tracked the route of the Mah­rattas, and on a plain to the westward of Nundi Gurh, he fell in with them, and, at the first charge defeated them, and put most of them to the sword; the few who escaped with their lives leaving their horses and arms behind them. Near two thou­sand horses were taken, on this occasion, by the troops of the Nawaub. Returning victorious, Hydur now fixed his attention solely on the reduction of the fort. By his orders, the troops attacked and took the Peenth or suburbs, and, raising batteries there, employed themselves in firing at the walls, and exploding mines.* Meanwhile, although the Rao had, ordered his troops to ravage and desolate the dependencies of the Sirkar (Hydur’s) and the Kuzzaks of his army, day by day, continued to destroy the towns and villages of the Khodadad State, still they did not attempt to attack Hydur’s troops in the field. The Nawaub was kept constantly informed of these losses; but, considering that his present object was the fort, and that afterwards at his leisure he could punish the Mahrattas, for their excesses, he affected to take no more notice of them than as if he had never seen or heard of them, devoting his whole time and exertions to ensure the capture of the fort. After a short time, therefore, the walls of the fort, which were of earth, were completely battered down and breached on one side, and the Nawaub consequently gave orders for the assault. Yet notwithstanding the state of the walls, and other disadvantages, the besieged fought so bravely in the breach, that they beat off the storming party, and put them to flight. The next day another storming party tried their luck, but without success. The Nawaub was now obliged to have recourse to his ingenuity to take the place, and therefore, with great labour, raised a new stage or battery,* in front of the gate of the fort, and gave orders to batter the gate. In the course of one or two days, his experienced gunners beat down the two walls which masked the gate; and, as soon as the besieged Poligar found that the defences of the gate were battered down, he began to reflect on the probable result; and, through the medium of the bankers and the obedient Poligars who attended the camp of the Nawaub, he forwarded proposals for an accommodation, and requested the lives of the garrison might be spared. After a great deal of dis­cussion, the Nawaub considering him with the eye of kindness, consented to receive from him a Nuz­zur or Paishkush of seven Lakhs of Rupees, and desist from the prosecution of the siege. In com­pliance also with the Poligar’s request, it was settled, that Hydur with his troops and artillery should return by the route of Dewun Hully, (called by Wilks Deonelly), and Bangalore, to Seringaputtun, and that the amount of tribute being divided into three Kists, or payments; one was to be paid at Dewun Hully, another at Bangalore, and the last at the capital. His march therefore was conducted agreeably to the prescribed route; the Nawaub, however, with his usual caution, left in the batteries and suburbs a thousand matchlock men, under the command of Juhan Khan Khokur* and Hussein Khan Lodi, until the payments were made; and he also left seven or eight boxes of ammunition in their charge.

The Rao, on hearing of this accommodation immediately made a forced march during the night, arrived in the rear of the fort, and apprized the Poligar of his arrival. Overjoyed at this intel­ligence, the foolish man left the fort immediately; and the two traitors met, and consulted how they should deceive the Nawaub. The Rao having, with flattery and deceiving words, allured the Poligar from the way of his own welfare, drew him into the net of his wiles, and said, “you see the walls of the fort are battered down, and that most of the poor inhabitants, and soldiers, have been destroyed by the fire of the guns. It is not fit, therefore, that you should now stay here; but that you with your family, treasury, gold, jewels, &c. should depart from hence, and take up your residence at the hill fort of Nundi; and the money, which you have col­lected to pay to the Nawaub, pay to me, and with that same money, I will collect a body of troops, and moreover obtain large armies to your aid from Hydurabad and Poona, and thus he, Hydur, shall have his due punishment.” The period of the Poligar’s ruin being at hand, he gave the selfish words of the Rao a place in his willing ear, and acted accord­ingly; for, having four or five Lakhs of Rupees ready to pay the dividends to the Nawaub, he gave them to the Rao, and left the fort also to his care, and retired to the Hill Nundi.