,
more especially to the good soubahdar. I immediately communicated the
fact of his acquittal to his agonized family, who prostrated themselves
on the earth, and said, "Bless the humane English! may they long live
and prosper in this land!" Immediately after his acquittal he was
permitted to live with his wife and daughters, and he was received by
them with feelings that would have done credit and honour to a more
enlightened family. From that moment his beautiful daughter was no more
visible; but they all proceeded with us towards the small fort of
Huttra, until the turbulence of the country in which the keeledar
resided had in some measure subsided, when he was permitted to return to
his home.

Having left a regiment for the protection of the fort of Huttra, we
proceeded towards Saugar. On our way we had to call on several smaller
forts, the occupants of which gave them up without a murmur; and in a
short time we reached our cantonments: but scarcely had we had time to
cool ourselves, when we were again put in requisition, and directed to
proceed against the strong stone fort of Gurrah Khootah. Towards this
fort we moved some time in the month of March, 1819; and we were not
displeased with the news, as we were indebted to the keeledar of that
fort an old grudge, for his impudence when we passed it some few months
before. The garrison was overbearing, and it was high time to bring them
to their senses. This fort belonged to Scindia, one of our allies, but
had been sold by the garrison, for their ten months' arrears of pay, to
a neighbouring rajah, who could not or would not give it up without a
fight for it. The circumstances of the purchase are these:--

Some years before that period, the fort of Gurrah Khootah was besieged
by a considerable force from the Deccan, and they persisted in the siege
for some eighteen months, but could not take it. The rajah, then its
owner, not being able to drive the invading force away, solicited Jean
Baptiste, a bastard Frenchman in Scindia's service, to disperse the
besiegers, with a promise that he would reward him for so doing with
some land in the vicinity of the fort. This was accepted by the
Frenchman, who, with a considerable force, succeeded in driving the
besiegers to their own country. This accomplished, he took up his ground
on the place the besiegers had left; and, a day having been appointed
for the arrangement of the promised reward, the hypocritical Jean
Baptiste marc