Page:History of the French in India.djvu/507

THE SUBADAR MOVES ON MAISUR. 481 marched, Bussy, at the head of his 500 French, really chap. directing the operations. XL Dev Raj, brother of Nandaraj — who had conducted 1755 the operations of the Maisurian army before Trichina- palli — would willingly have paid the tribute demanded by Salabat Jang, but his treasury was empty, and he was unable even to promise compliance. Trusting, therefore, to the anticipated slowness of the movements of the Mughal army, he despatched a messenger to his brother before Trichmapalli, requesting him to take the enemy in flank whilst they should be marching upon Seringapatam. The celerity of Bussy's movements, how- ever, rendered such a manoeuvre impossible. His very name struck terror into the Maisur soldiers, and dis- posed them to regard opposition as hopeless. The only fort that did not at once open its gates to him, Kungal, he stormed. Between that place and Seringapatam, a distance of fifty-four miles, there was nothing to oppose his progress. He rapidly traversed it, and appearing before Seringapatam on the third day, summoned it to surrender. It deserves to be recorded, that throughout this march, rapid as it was, he carefully guarded the interests of the Maisurians, protecting them as much as possible from plunder and damage ; the main object he had in view being to paralyse, by the celerity of his march, all chance of opposition, and to bring the opera- tions to a close with the least possible delay. An event happened soon after his arrival at Seringa- patam, which tended very much to bring about this desirable result. The Peshwa, Balaji Baji Rao, had not witnessed unmoved the Muhammadan invasion of Maisur, but he had deemed it more advisable to en- deavour to share in the spoils of that country, rather than to send his squadrons to be repulsed by the in- vincible Bussy. He accordingly invaded Maisur from the side of Puna. No sooner did intelligence of this invasion reach Dev Raj, than, to avoid the danger of ii