He  then  fawned  upon  Jeswant  Rao.  "My  brother  Wit-
toojee,"  replied  Jeswant  Rao,  "is  dead,  he  cannot  be
restored  to  me ;  but  let  my  nephew  Khundee  Rao  be  released,
and  the  family  possessions  given  up."  Bajee  Rao,  to  gain
time,  while  he  urged  Sindia  to  push  on  to  Poona  with  all
speed,  pretended  to  assent,  but  really  hurried  Khundee
Rao   off  to  prison  in  Asseergurh.     Sindia  and  Holkar  then


HOLKAR  SIGNALLY  DEFEATS  SINDIA  AT  POONA.    41

each  raced  for  Poona,  where  Jeswant  Rao  Holkar
arrived  first,  on  the  23rd  October,  1802,  encamping  a  few
miles  off  at  Lonee — Sindia  arrived  next  day,  and  encamped
between  the  British  Camp  at  Kirkee  and  the  City.
On  the  morning  of  the  25th  October,  the  two  great
Mahratta  Armies  confronted  each  other  in  battle  array.
History  does  not  record  a  stranger  scene.  On  one  side
lay  the  City  of  Poona  wherein  sat  the  Brahmin  Peishwa,
his  motley  force  of  Arabs,  Moguls,  Pathans,  half-drilled
Mahratta  Infantry  and  mobs  of  irregular  horsemen  ready
to  take  part  in  the  battle  directly  it  should  turn  in  Sindia's
favour.  On  the  other  side  drawn  up  under  arms  in
their  cantonment  at  Kirkee,  the  handful  of  well-discipHned
British  troops  under  Colonel  Close,  who — just  as  "  off
side"  is  marked  off  at  the  Rugby  game  of  football — had
set  up  the  British  standard  at  prominent  points  round  the
Residency  (at  the  Sungum)  and  the  Camp.  The  British
Army  was  not  to  intervene  under  any  circumstances,  but
simply  to  protect  its  position  from  both  combatants.
There  were  English  officers  commanding  in  each  Mah-
ratta army.
