The Sultán after this marched with his army to Binkapoor, and encamped eighteen kose to the north­ward of Sanore:— at this place a party of Kuzzak horse left the army with an intention to plunder the villages in that vicinity. It so happened, how­ever, that the outposts of the Mahrattas obtained in formation of this movement, and posted themselves on the road by which they (the Kuzzaks) marched and at one charge surrounded and killed every man of them. The Sultán hearing of this was greatly incensed, and issued orders to the other Kuzzaks, with his army and to his own horse, that no one should proceed beyond the limits of the outposts, or grand guards, without permission. In this encampment the Sultán remained one month, and in that time, by dispensing gold and sending honorary dresses and presents of all kinds in the way of courtesy and friendship, made several of the chiefs of the Mahrattas obedient, and the slaves of his commands, and all operations were under­taken by the advice and instruction of these men, until one day, when, according to the hints and directions of these chiefs, all four divisions of the army were made ready, and marched off for a night attack, and the Sultán having assembled a number of hermaphrodites* belonging to his camp, to the amount of about one hundred and fifty, he gave them painted sticks and placed them in front of each division.

The pickets of the Mahrattas who were the servants of Hurri Punt Phirkia, seeing and know­ing the Sultán’s troops, allowed them to pass. When, however, the Sipahsalars arrived near the Mahratta encampment, one of the Mahrattas becoming aware of their approach, apprised Holkar, that they had entered the camp through the vil­lany and collusion of the officers in command of the pickets; Holkar, on hearing this, left his tent on foot, and he had no sooner quitted it than the fire of the rockets and musketry blazing close to his eyes, he immediately ran away leaving his favourite wife asleep in the tent, and the rest of the Mahratta chiefs followed his example. The whole of the camp, therefore, after this was plun­dered, and the half alive Moghul camp, was also completely pillaged, and eighteen women, the wives of the Mahratta chiefs, with their gold and jewels were taken. As soon as the morning dawned the Sipahsalars, victorious, with the captured bag­gage of the Mahrattas, their standards, tents, ele­phants, camels, treasure and four guns, marched on their return, and notwithstanding the Mah­rattas rallied those of their army spared by the sword, and that they seized and occupied the road by which the Sultán’s troops returned, and fought desperately to cut them off;— still, it was of no avail, and they were compelled to retire, and the Sipahsalars on their arrival were honoured by admission to the presence, and they presented the plundered property and the women taken to the Sultán; the liberal Sultán to every officer and soldier who had distinguished himself on this occa­sion, gave two months additional pay, besides other honours and advantages.

The women taken prisoners were dismissed as before, after making an agreement, which they confirmed with solemn oaths to the effect that by every art and means, they would prevent their husbands from continuing the war, and that they would never withdraw their hands from importu­nity and solicitation, until their husbands laid their heads in submission on the orders of the Sultán. On the arrival of the women in the Mahratta camp, their husbands fearing they had been polluted, and that the veil of their honour had been rent by the rude hands of the Mussulmans who made them prisoners, placed them all in a tent pitched sepa­rately for them, and did not allow them to enter their tents.

The women, therefore, now opened their mouths to reproach and revile the illiberality and want of shame manifested by their husbands, to extol their own purity; to praise the kind and honourable treatment they had received from the Sultán; and lastly pertinaciously to insist that peace should be made.

The chiefs of the Mahrattas, therefore, now cleared from their minds the bad opinions they had formed, and discharged from their hearts the deep rooted enmity in which they had indulged, but still from a sense of duty exerted themselves in the execution of the orders of their chief— however, on whatever side the Sultán’s troops advanced to the attack, they as constantly retired;— When the Sultán, therefore, found there was no readiness for action on the part of the enemy’s troops, after the lapse of a month, casting the eyes of compassion on God’s people, according to the hints and instructions of the chiefs of the Mah­rattas and Moghul armies, he commenced to set on foot negotiations for the establishment of peace, and Budruzzumán Khán and other Kháns, with friendly letters, a sum of money, some rarities, valuable cloths and jewels, among which was one diamond necklace, worth five lakhs* of rupees, were despatched to Poona.