escaped with difficulty. He then proceeded to demand a heavy contribution from Morári Ráo of Gútti, sixty miles to the eastward. On that chief refusing, he besieged the place, but although he succeeded in capturing the lower fort, where he secured a large booty, the upper citadel[1], which was virtually impregnable, resisted all his efforts to take it. Owing to the great numbers of followers who were in the fort, the garrison began to be in want of water, and Morári Ráo, concealing the fact, was anxious to come to an arrangement. But Haidar, having skilfully elicited from his envoy the distress to which his chief was reduced, protracted the negotiations till Morári Ráo in despair was obliged to surrender with all his troops. Haidar, besides levying a contribution of ten lacs, annexed the adjacent territory, and sent the whole family to Seringapatam, whence Morári Ráo was afterwards despatched to the fatal rock of Kabáldrúg[2], where he died.
In March, 1775, Raghubá had succeeded in inducing the Bombay Government to support his cause. Strengthened by this alliance, he proposed to Haidar
- ↑ The citadel was on the summit of a huge smooth rock of granite, on the north side of a circular cluster of hill fortifications, all of which it overlooked.
- ↑ This fortified hill is of conical shape, and is about 4.000 feet above the sea. The ascent is extremely steep and slippery, steps being cut in the solid rock to afford a sufficient hold to the feet. There is water on the summit, as in the case of nearly all the Mysore drúgs, but it is most unwholesome, so that this circumstance, added to its isolated position in the south of the province, made the fortress a convenient state prison. One of the Mysore Rájás died while confined here.
