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Text Appearing Before Image: the Durranis, and in the mean time hadjoined Biswas Raos camp, then started from Gwahorfor Shahjahanabad by Bhaos order, at the head ofa formidable army, and having reached Agra, tookJankuji Sindhia along with him from thence, and drewnear to his destination. Ahmad Shah Abdali, on ascertaining this news,sallied out from the city of DeM to encounter him;but the latter, finding himself unable to resist, merelymade some dashing excursions to the right and leftfor a few days, after the guerrilla fashion. As theShah, however, would never once refrain from pursu-ing him, he was ultimately forced to make an igno-minious retreat back along the road he had come, andhaving returned to Gwalior, went and rejoined Bhaoji.The rainy season was coming on, so Ahmad Shahcrossed the river Jumna, and having encamped at 8i-kandra, gave instructions to the officers of his armyto prepare houses of wood and grass for themselves,in place of tents and pavilions. Bhao and Biswas Rao marched from Gwalior, after

Text Appearing After Image: THE ADVANCE TOWARD DELHI 245 travelling many stages, and traversed long distances,but as soon as they reached Akbarabad, Holkar andJankuji, at Bhaos instigation, betook themselves toKaja Suraj Mai Jat, and brought him along with themto have an interview with Bhao. The latter wentout a league from camp to meet him, and Imad-al-mulk, the vizir, also held a conference with Bhaothrough Suraj Mais mediation. Suraj Mai proposedthat the campaign should be conducted on the follow-ing plan: that they should deposit their extra baggageand heavy gims, together with their female relatives,in the fort of Jhansi, by the side of the river Chambal;and then proceed to wage a predatory and desultorystyle of warfare against the enemy, as is the usualpractice of the Maratha troops; for imder these cir-cumstances their own territory would be behind theirbacks, and a constant supply of provisions would notfail to reach their camp in safety. Bhao and the otherleaders, after hearing Suraj Mais observations,

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