t, they might be willing to grant you a portion of the
territories of Mysore, lying on the other side of the Godavery,
which would be as valuable as Bhopal."

As the rajah, himself, was still uncertain as to which side it
would be most advantageous to take; and as he thought that the
campaign against Tippoo would last for many months; he offered no
objection to Harry's proposal. The latter sent off two troopers,
the next day, with a letter to Lord Mornington saying that as the
rajah's demands were, he knew, altogether out of the question, he
had sent them to him simply to gain time; hoping that, before the
answer arrived, the army would have gained such successes over
Tippoo as would induce the prince to greatly modify his terms. The
troopers were charged not to use undue haste, but to travel
quietly, at a rate not exceeding twenty miles a day.

Two months passed. The rajah was in no hurry, for the two parties
among his councillors were so evenly divided that he was by no
means sure that, even if he wished it, he could put his army in
motion, in support of either the English or Tippoo; and in the next
place, he believed that the latter would win, and was reluctant in
the extreme to take any step that would draw down upon him the
vengeance of the Lord of Mysore. He occasionally saw Harry and,
although he expressed his anxiety for the return of the messengers,
Harry could see that this feeling was only feigned, and that at
heart he was not sorry that he was not yet called upon to decide.

At the end of a month, Harry had received a letter from the
Governor General, brought by a messenger in the disguise of a
peasant. It only said:

"March 6th, 1799.

"The army has left Vellore. On the 11th the Nizam's contingent also
marched, as has that from Bombay. By the 1st of this month all
should have reached the plateau--the Bombay army at Sedaseer,
forty-five miles west of Seringapatam; and the main army about
eighty miles east of that town. By the end of the month, both
should be before Tippoo's capital. Siege will probably occupy a
month.

"Even if Berar decides against us, its army cannot arrive in time
to aid Tippoo. Therefore, if you can extend the negotiations for a
month after you receive this, your mission will have been
fulfilled."

This messenger had, of course, been sent off before the arrival of
the troopers in Calcutta and, if Lord Mornington's calculations
were correct, Seringapatam would be invested befor