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274 a body of armed men, and news was received of the capture by some insurgents of a body of police near Bodulúru. Early on the 13th March a large party of hill men came close to Chódavaram and stated their grievances to the Sub-Collector, who went out unarmed to meet them. He attempted to reassure them and they expressed themselves satisfied; but a few minutes later they called out that they could not trust the Sircar's promises, and began firing on the camp. No particular harm was done by their fire, but the Sub-Collector's party, which consisted of 39 police of all ranks with 32 carbines, was now cut off. They had no difficulty in holding out at Chódavaram until reinforcements came up, and by the 17th the force in the village amounted to 149 men. Some 400 officers and men of the 39th Native Infantry had also been landed at Cocanada on the l6th and were moving up the country. Meanwhile, however, at Rampa two captured constables were solemnly sacrificed before the chief shrine by the insurgents, the leaders of the latter announced that rebellion was their only hope, and the whole of the Rampa country was speedily ablaze.

In the next month (April) the disturbance spread to the Golgonda hills of Vizagapatam, and in July to the Rékapalle country in Bhadráchalam; but the causes of the disaffection there (which are mentioned in the accounts of Rékapalle and Dutcharti) were essentially different from those operating in Rampa itself. The disturbed area now comprised over 5,000 square miles of wooded and hilly country. The operations of the troops were much hampered by the nature of the ground, and the malcontents took advantage of their superior knowledge of the country to maintain a harassing guerilla warfare, avoiding all direct encounters with the troops, but attacking isolated police-stations and burning or looting the villages of those who assisted the authorities. Troops were hastened up to the country, and by the end of 1879 the Government forces included, besides several hundred police drafted from neighbouring districts, as many as six regiments of Madras Infantry, two companies of Sappers and Miners, and a squadron of cavalry and a wing of infantry from the Hyderabad Contingent. The chief leaders of the insurgents were four notorious characters named Chandrayya, Sirdar Jangam Pulicánta Sámbayya, Tamman Dora, and Ambul Reddi of Bodulúru. The second of these was arrested as early as April 29th, 1879. Chandrayya, however, scored many successes in the