An account of the incursion of Trimuk Rao Mama, the maternal uncle of Madhoo Rao, into the Karnatic Balaghaut, and the terrible defeat the troops of the Nawaub sustained in the battle of the hill of Churkooli, a place about four or five miles to the northward of Seringaputtun; and, lastly, Trimuk Rao’s boot­less return to Poona; with other fearful events of the year 1182, Hijri, A. D. 1768.

MADHOO Rao having returned from his first and second expeditions without success, and brooding over his failures, in the same fit of despondency was seized by the palsy,* and died. Narayen Rao, his brother, succeeded him, and remained for some time occupied in his own regulations and govern­ment. After that, however, the thorn of his shameful failure in the Balaghaut, wounding his heart, to relieve himself from painful reflection and sorrow, he formed a deep scheme or plan, and des­patched Trimuk Mama, his maternal uncle, with a hundred and twenty thousand horse, and sixty thousand foot, and a hundred pieces of light artillery, to conquer that country, and he himself proceeded to Sitara.

As soon as Trimuk had received his orders to proceed to this quarter, he marched on, and soon arrived in the Balaghaut; and all the Poli­gars of this part of the country, such as Morar Rao, the Chituldroog chief, the Ruttun Giri, the Mer­kaisi, the Khut, Kumneer chiefs, &c., who had all been spared by the heavy hand of the Nawaub, all now at once turned against him, and joined the Mahrattas; and every one took upon himself the responsibility of guarding the Mahratta camp, and escorting supplies to their army. The chiefs of Shanoor and Kirpa,* also, followed the same path. Trimuk, consequently advanced, and took possession of some forts, depending on Puttun, which were out of repair, or not well garrisoned, and, giving them over in charge to his own officers and men, he marched towards Puttun, and, with the hand of oppression, plundered and destroyed the poor inhabitants of the country, and so com­pletely desolated most of the towns and districts, that they have not been repeopled to this day. In whatever place his ill-omened troops encamped, were it but for a single day, that place remained uninhabited for years, and the abode of bats and owls; and on whatever ground the plundering troops of this oppressor halted, even but for an hour or two, from beneath the earth cries of Amán,* (mercy,) and the sound of Ul Hafeez,* (God the Protector), arose, and reached the ears of the oppressed world.* When Trimuk found that the plains of this part of the country were free from the presence of the raging lion,* he, without any constraint or fear, extended his steps to the plun­der of the wealth and property of the inhabitants of the Balaghaut. The Nawaub, however, when he came to know Trimuk’s intentions, and his invasion of this neighbourhood, returning rapidly with his troops and artillery, arrived at Seringa­puttun; and, after making some arrangements there, marched by the way of Chenputtun, towards the jungul of Makri Droog, with this intention, that, whenever the Mahratta, (Trimuk), should besiege Puttun, he would attack and harass his rear. Having arrived and obtained cover there, he remained waiting for an opportunity to carry his design into effect, while Trimuk, on hearing that the Nawaub had arrived near the said Droog, immediately marched with his troops and artillery in that direction. The Nawaub, being also informed of this movement, marched at night, and having defeated the advanced guard of the Mah­rattas, he entered the mountains of Milekote. On the following day, the Mahrattas moved from their encampment, and besieged Milekote.

The first day of the siege, the Nawaub, with the whole of his regular infantry and artillery, made an attack on the Mahrattas; and, by a constant fire of artillery, and vollies of musketry, drove them off the field of battle. Notwithstanding this, the troops of Trimuk still surrounded the fort, at a dis­tance. Hydur, meanwhile, maintained his position for fifteen or twenty days, and kept the hill against his enemies, fighting hard with them every day. At length, however, as his provisions were failing him, and as he could procure no hay or corn for his horses, he determined to return to his capital, Puttun. At night, therefore, Hydur cut down the jungul at the back of the hill, and, having despatched his artillery under Meer Alí Ruza Khan, he himself, with his horse and regular foot, marched to amuse and occupy the Mahrattas, and, after forming his lines, at the foot of the mountain, and displaying his strength to them, he marched on.

The road to the rear of the mountain was, how­ever, very bad, the surface being up and down, and full of ravines and holes, and the guns and stores were not able to get on, until by the exertion of great labour* they proceeded seven or eight miles. At this distance, the jungul or forest ended; the night also closed, and morning appeared. The Mahratta scouts, or sentinels, now gave information to Trimuk Rao, that the Nawaub’s artillery and stores were proceeding towards Puttun; and, immediately on hearing this intelligence, he marched off all his troops, with strict orders to take the artillery, and bring it back to him; he himself following. By this time the Nawaub had advanced four Fursungs* (perhaps Kose), and had arrived near Kurri Goorah, (a place situate north-east* from Puttun, and three or four Fursungs distant from that town, when he heard that Trimuk, like a salamander had attacked his fire department, or artillery and ammunition, and had not only taken the whole, but was actually returning with it. Hydur imme­diately gallopped off with his cavalry, to the main body of his enemies, who, being crowded round the artillery, formed as good a mark as a butt on a mound, and attacking and breaking in upon them on one flank, he dispersed them, and reached his guns,* and then, without stopping, marched straight from that place towards his capital, having his horse in the centre, and his right and left wings, and his advanced and rear guards, formed of his regular and irregular infantry, and artillery, and keeping up a continual fire. In this movement, notwithstanding troop after troop of the Mahratta cavalry leaped or sprang their horses against the rampart formed by his infantry, the fire of his veterans blackened the faces of their manhood, and sent them away in despair. During this time, how­ever, the Mahrattas had placed seven or eight long guns on the bank of the Mooti Tulaub, or Pearl Tank, and had blocked up the road of safety to the Nawaub’s troops; and from that position they commenced a brisk fire, the shot of which threw the Nawaub’s baggage and followers into great con­fusion. The Nawaub, therefore, taking with him a number of his brave fellows, and two guns, advanced, fighting desperately; and, not giving the enemy time to draw off the guns or retire in safety, fell on them like the stroke of fate, and, at one charge, took their guns and ammunition, and this done, halted there. As the whole of the Nawaub’s army and artillery had come up from the rear, they halted there also, for a short time, to take their breakfast; and although the wiser servants of the Nawaub, and the experienced officers of his govern­ment, represented to him that for that day he had better plant his standard and pitch his tents where he was; and that the next morning they might proceed with perfect ease to the capital, still, as the heavenly bodies do not always revolve after the same fashion, and those intrusted with the decrees of fate are not always guided by the same rules; so, the ruin of the God-given* state had arrived, and there was no help for it! “In truth, an unlucky day will never be seen fortunate.”— “On his burial night no one will sleep in his house.”— “What fate has from eternity prescribed,”— “power has no choice but to meet at the appointed time.” The suggestions of the able men about the Nawaub did not agree with his opinion for the reason that “When ruin comes to any one, folly or madness shuts up the path of wisdom.”— “On an unlucky day sense or wisdom is taken away;” and the Nawaub, therefore, let go the thread or clue of care and caution; and, after eating and drinking what was presented to him, he arose, and the troops, forming by his directions, commenced their march.