hat Balloba had resolved to oppose Bajee Rao, and to have
both a minister and a Peishwa of his own nomination; and that he
proposed to him that Mahdoo Rao's widow should adopt Chimnajee as
her son, that Bajee should be placed in confinement, and that he,
Purseram Bhow, should be his minister. He asked Nana's advice as to
what course he should take. He stated that Balloba had said he was
greatly influenced, in the methods he proposed, by the hope of
rendering them in some degree acceptable to Nana.

As the latter had only placed Bajee Rao on the musnud as a means of
checkmating Scindia, he advised Purseram to accept the offer; but
pointed out the absolute necessity for his retaining Bajee in his
own custody. Purseram omitted to follow this portion of the advice,
and a formal reconciliation took place, by letter, between Balloba
and Nana. The latter was invited to proceed at once to Poona; but
on finding that Purseram had allowed Balloba to retain Bajee in his
hands, he suspected that the whole was a scheme to entice him into
the power of his enemy, and he therefore made excuses for not
going.

Bajee, ignorant of the plot that had been planned, went to
Scindia's camp to remonstrate against a heavy demand for money, on
account of the expenses to which Scindia had been put; and to his
astonishment he was, then and there, made a prisoner. Chimnajee
positively refused to become a party to the usurpation of his
brother's rights; but he was compelled, by threats, to ascend the
musnud. On the day after his installation, Purseram Bhow wrote,
proposing that Nana should come to Poona to meet Balloba, and to
assume the civil administration of the new Peishwa's government;
while the command of the troops, and all military arrangements,
should remain as they stood.

In reply, Nana requested that Purseram should send his son, Hurry
Punt, to settle the preliminaries; but instead of coming as an
envoy, Hurry Punt left Poona with over five thousand chosen horse.
This naturally excited Nana's suspicions, which were strengthened
by a letter from Rao Phurkay, who was in command of the Peishwa's
household troops, warning him to seek safety without a moment's
delay.

Now that he saw that half measures were no longer possible, Nana
ceased to be irresolute and, when his fortunes seemed to all men to
be desperate, commenced a series of successful intrigues that
astonished all India. He had quietly increased his force, during
the weeks of w