heart of
his own country; but who would admit a traitor? He could not procure an
asylum, even in the midst of his own territory. He was hunted from fort
to fort, and literally from door to door, execrated and despised; and he
was, at last, found dead somewhere in Scindia's country--the just reward
of his unprovoked, treasonable, and treacherous conduct. He justly
forfeited his throne, and merited his fall.

We took up our quarters for the night in a small tope of trees, near the
Home Doongra, the eminence which I have before spoken of. The night
being sultry and hot, I slept on the outside of my tent. Close to my
feet ran a little rippling stream, the banks of which were thick and
bushy. I had not reclined long on my couch, before I heard a rustling
noise among the bushes, and the cries of so many animals, that I began
to think I was in rather a dangerous neighbourhood, and got my pistols
ready, in case a tiger or other beast of prey should have taken a fancy
to the body of the baggage-master, in preference to that of some more
comely person. I listened attentively for a considerable time, when I
heard imitations of the sounds of birds. I then knew I was in the
vicinity of thieves, and kept my pistol on the cock. At last, I
distinctly heard a low voice say, "He wakes--squat down." I instantly
jumped off my cot, and ran towards the place; but they were off, and,
from the darkness of the night, I could not see them, or they were so
close it was quite impossible they could have escaped. From the noise
they made in scampering off, there must have been some five or six of
them. I should have changed my quarters after this, but the moon at this
time stole from behind a cloud, and illumined all around, and I slept
peaceably till the morning dawned. We then commenced our reconnoitring,
during which we were frequently saluted with a sixty-four pounder, but
escaped unhurt.

The remainder of the division arrived this morning, and in the course of
the day we completely invested the town and fort. We took up our
position on the east side of the fort, having the river Nerbuddah, with
a large village and tope of trees, in our front, which completely
screened us from view. The information brought into camp by the spy
spoken of, with his plans and drawings of the fort, were found, on a
minute examination, to be utterly false. It turned out that he had never
been near the fort, but loitered about in the woods and villages in its
vicin