Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/561

 Chap. VIILj TllEACHERY OF ALI VEEDY. 527

to an interview, by promising to concede whatever he should ask. Accordingly, a.d. 1742.

when he demanded heavy contributions, he was told that he had only to pay

the nabob a visit in order to obtain them. His avarice blinded him to the

flanker, and on a fixed day, moving out with the greater part of his army from

Cutwah, where it had been encamped, he drew it up in order of battle, and

advanced with his principal officers and attendants to the tent where the nabob

was waitinj; to <nve them audience. The rest is soon told. A band of assassins Treacherous

had been concealed within the screens around the tent, and only waited a sig- "tol'keT"

nal to commence their horrid butchery. When the Mahratta officers entered, '"' '

Aii Verdy eagerly sisked which was Bosker Punt, and on his being pointed out,

cried aloud, "Cut down the infidel!" In an instant Bosker and nineteen chiefs

who had accompanied him were despatched. To complete the atrocity. All

Verdy put himself at the head of his troops, and without any note of warning,

charged the Mahratta line, which immediately gave way and fled in confusion.

Ali Verdy gained little but infamy by this abominable treachery. As a

ju.st retribution, his principal general, Mustapha Khan, to whom he was in-

ilebted for most of his victories, rose in arms against liim ; his brother Haji,

offended at being refused an unreasonable request, retired in disgust to Patna,

to waste the residue of a long life in sensual indulgences; and his favourite

grandson, whom he had destined for his lieir, and spoiled by excessive indul^-

gence, becoming too impatient to wait for the succession, endeavoured to seize

it by force. Nor were the Mahrattas slow to avenge their murdered country- Exaspera- tion of the men. Year after year Ragojee Bhonsla headed an invasion of some part of Maiirattas

Bengal, and when he died, his son and successor, Janojee, continued the warfare

with the same indomitable energy. The ultimate result was, that Ali Verdy,

worn out by years and incessjint fatigue, and broken in health, was obliged to

i-ompound with his relentless enemies by ceding to them the whole province of

Urissa, and agi'eeing, moreover, to pay twelve lacs of rupees annually. This

was truly a recognition of the claim to levy chout in Bengal ; but to save the

nabob's dignity, that obnoxious term was not used in tiie treaty, which simply

declared that the payment was to be made " on condition that the Mahrattas

should not again set foot in his highness's territories." That there might be no

doubt as to the limit thus fixed, it wa.s added that " the river Soonamooky,

which runs by Bahisore, should be considered as the boimdary between the two

dominions ; and that the Mahrattas should never cro.ss that river, nor even set

a foot in its waters."

Before the nabob consented to this treaty, he had been rendered almost XiMgicai

broken-hearted by the tragical deaths of his brother Haji and his fjivourite AiiVenivs

nepliew, Zyn Addeen. The one, as already mentioned, had retired to Patna n^hew.""

in disgust, and the other was residing in it as governor of Behar, when the

nabob, having discovered that two Afghan chiefs, Shumsheer Khan and Serdar

Khan, were intriguing with the Mahrattas, dismissed them and their followei"S