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MAY, 1917)
THE HISTORY OF THE NAIK KINGDOM OF MADURA
asking them to come to Trichinopoly. On their arrival" he related the condition of the king and the cause of thoir summons, and proposed that next day they should come at the head of a well-armed section of their troops to the revenue office with a view to seizing the person of the obnoxious Muhammadan. The next day the chiefs and their retinue appeared at the gates of the office. Rustam Khan's suspicion was aroused, and he inquired into the reasons of the unusual procedure. GSvinda ppaiya, however, answered that they were coming, in accordance with procedents, for the settlement of the revenues, but in secret gave the sig for attack, Two thousan l musket-shots, then, assailed the Muhammadan and his men, and put an end to their existence before they could hardly recover from their gurprise. T.10 Din ligul Polygar carried the welcome news to the king, but he refused to come out, unless ho saw with his own oyes the head of the traitor. "Chinna Kadir replied that it was not possible to bring it, as Rustam's body could not be distinguished from those of his compaions; but the king persisted in his desire, asserting that the discovery was easy enough from a mark in the adventurer's ear. The body was then discovered and the head being placed bofore Chok karât.a, he emerged from the palace and once again assumed the charge of affairs. His first act was to recall his brother from Negapatam.
The Mysorean and Maratha incursions. But the rolio of Chokkanátha from domestic enemies did not give him relief from his foreign enemies. The Marathas and the Mysoreans had by this time overthrown the whole of the Malura king lom. They nov, in 16X2, encompassed Trichinopoly. Chokkanatha trid to adopt a wise policy of diplomacy and intrigue, to foment their disunion and cause third struction. With this view he entered into negotiations with the lieutenant of Santoji agains: Mysore. It was, as the immediate result showed, a wise act. The Maratha general encountered tho forces of Kumara Raya, defeated them with great slaughter, ca tured Kumara Raya himself, and conquered the whole kingdom, except Madura. Even Madura he would have taken but for the assistance which the Mara vas rendered to the other party. 13 Choklanåt.. a rejoiced at Lis ally's success; he expected that, in return for his alliance and assistance, he would get back his possessions. But he was mistaken. The Maratha's selfishness blinded him to the obligation of treaty, and instead of restoring the kingdom to Chokkanatha, he seized it himself. The military occupation of the Marathas was a disaster to the pooplo of the unfortunate kingdom.
The death of Chokkanatha. It was a blow from which Chokkanatha never recovered. The cup of his grief was now full. Friendless and powerless, shut up at Trichinopoly, he became a prey to despair and melancholy. Even the Sêtupati, who had rescued him from the obnoxious Rustam, became a passive traitor. He, indeed, did not openly join the Marathas and Mysoreans against his master. Nevertheless, he was present in the seat of war, and while freely collecting booty, did not raise his finger on behalf of his suzerain. It is not improbable
3 Nelson gives a different account. He says that the Mysoreans under Kumara Raya were then begieging Trichinopoly: that Rustam made a sally and attacked him, but was defeated; and that when he was returning to the city with a few followers, Chokkanatha's friends (Setupati, etc.) fell upon them and cut them down to a man.
14 The Maravas were the enemies of both the combatants and would have gladly taken the city for themselves; but as it was, they had, in consequence of their inabilty to take it, to join that party which was likely to prove the most amenable neighbour to them; and they thought Mysore was compara. tively the better,
