'Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde; accompanied by a geographical and historical account of those countries, with a map.' [‎348] (390/476)

548
TATTAH.
of the city ; and nearly as far thence, until we reached the Honour
able Company's factory An East India Company trading post. *, where we dismounted and took up our
quarters.
A second letter was received by the envoy from the Umeers while
we were on the road, acquainting him that one of their Jumptees,
or state boats, was about to be dispatched for the conveyance of him
self and suite, by water, to Hyderabad ; and that he might expect
her in a few days. It had been previously decided, that some
plausible excuse should be fabricated to enable the gentlemen of the
mission to separate here, in order to proceed to court by two routes,
and thereby acquire the utmost geographical knowledge of the
country possible under so jealous a government; and, therefore,
this act of politeness was deemed rather unfortunate ; but it proved
so exactly the reverse, that our plan was perfected by it, as the boat
was found too small even to contain one half the mission ; and
Mr. Ellis, Captain Maxfield, and myself, were eventually accommo
dated on board of her, with some difficulty, while the envoy and the
remainder of the officers proceeded by the land route.
Our stay at Tattah afforded us ample leisure to see every corner of
it, and the surrounding district offered to the sportsmen of the party
abundance of shooting at hares and partridges. We were not, how
ever, exclusively indebted to these recreations for means to pass our
time, as some acts of the officers of the Sindian government, again
called for all the firmness and address of the envoy to combat them,
and had nearly led to the mission abruptly leaving the country.
Shortly after we had taken up our residence at Tattah, a nobleman
of high rank and station, of the name of Wullee Mohummud Khan,
came to that city on official business ; and, the very next morning,
sent a body of his troops, who made prisoners of all the Sindians that
were employed by the mission.
* The Honourable East India Company had a commercial residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in Sinde for many
years.