was foon followed by advices of the intentions Qf the rebels
to make an attack on Benares that night;.it was therefore
thought advifable to leave this place-of infecurity for Chunar,
a diftance of twenty miles. This refolution was taken .at
feven in the eVening,- and the whole party was clear of the
towii by half paft eight o’clock. The confufion natural on
fuch an oceafion foon fuhfided ; and the party, inchiding ferr
vants, &c. with the troops, which amounted to about four
hundred men, fafely arrived oppofite Chunar in the morning
at feven o’clock. The night fortunately fumed out moft favourable;
it was light, clear, and- cpoL- As the refolution
was fuddenly taken, I was under themeceffity of leaving, behind
me the whole of. my baggage, exempting my'drawihgSi
and a few changes of linen, which I had thrown into rpy
palankeen, and which in the confufion of the night I loft
fight of, but found my fervants on the following day-. .In
the party was Beneram Pundit, the Berar Vakeel^,- and his
brother Biffumber Pundit, who, from motives of theftrongeft
perfonal attachment to Mr. Haftings, left their faipily in Benares,
to attend him, and fct what in that country is a vety
extraordinary example, a native voluntarily fharing in the dangers
and diftreffes of a European, without a yiew to his own
private advantage*
O n this oecafion it cannot be improper to mention the
I N D I A , m
handfome ancfoliberai ,cpn|Ju^ oft pyery gentleman in the gftfr
jifon of Chunar to thpfe who. attended. the.Gpyejpqr, General.
I feel ftrongly the ^ftehtiofts fhewn me at -my
friend Major,*.noW: Colonel Gardner, ^vwhofe,houfe, during
my flay at Chunar, I received every kind of h'ofpitality. >-
T he war was now completely commenced, with great
disadvantage on the part of^he Englifh;. their, number fiyiaR,
and befieged in a fort, without provifion to laft .at month, or
money to pay the few .troop^-, - which* were already confider-
ably in arrears, owing to the mifcqnduxft.af the .Rajah, who
had now fixed his ftandard on the fort of Lutteefpoo?, in the
jungles*, and who was, recruiting his army. The feve|d orders
that had been fent by the Governor General to the commanding
officers, who were within a moderate diftanee, fo
march to his affiftap.ee, Were either cut off by‘..the enemy, or,
from die fears of the meffengers, thefe orders were fccreted,
and were never heard of afterwards. , One of the Hircarrahs*f*,
however, reached Lieutenant Polhil, then at Allahabad, who
immediately .marched with his corps of. three hundred and
eighty men,’ and reached the oppofite ffiore of.Cbunar on the
2*7th. In the mean .time, a perfon in the fervice o f Cheyt
Sing, at Jionpoor, on the; river Goomty, had polledtgdrpbody
* Jungles,. clofe woods.
' t Hircarrahs are fervants, ufed for carrying orders or meffages to any