But whether the prisoners have been killed in other hill forts like this, I cannot say, although I suppose not, or we should not have escaped." "Certainly no such orders can have been sent to the forts here, for we have found a few prisoners in several of them.

Of course, it may be otherwise in the forts near the capital, which Tippoo might have thought were likely to fall into our hands; while he may not have considered it worth while to send the same orders to places so far away as this, where no British force was likely to come.

Still, at any rate, it is a great satisfaction that my father was alive four years ago, and that he was in kind hands.

That is all in favour of my finding him, still alive, in one of the places we shall take, for Lord Cornwallis intends to besiege some of the fortresses that command the passes, because he cannot undertake another siege of Seringapatam until he can obtain supplies, freely and regularly, from beyond the ghauts; as nothing whatever can be obtained from the country round, so completely is it wasted by Tippoo's cavalry.

I have, therefore, great hopes that my father may be found in one of these forts." "I hope, indeed, that you may find him.