But nothing

Even if the

up among his confidential handmaids and slaves. descends to such a son on the death (of the father). mother of the child is of a better stock than the father, she cannot marry him unless she be of the same tribe. If, through love, a man consorts with such a woman, and has a son, the child is looked upon with great disdain, he is brought up as a bastard, and can only marry with one like himself. If a woman of the merchant caste goes into the house of a man of lower caste than herself, or the daughter of a Bráhman consorts with a Khatrí, every child that is born is looked upon as a slave (kaniz o ghulȧm).

It is said that one of the ancestors of Sivají, from whom he received the name of Bhoslah, dwelt in the country of the Ráná. He formed a connexion with a woman of inferior caste, and, according to the custom of his tribe, he took the woman to himself without marriage. She bore him a son. Reflecting upon this disgrace to himself and tribe, he kept the child concealed in the hills in that position of life which he had determined for him. There he secretly brought him up. He was very devoted to the woman; so that, although his father and mother wished him to marry a woman of his own tribe, he would not consent.

When

the cup of his affection ran over, and the fact of this maintenance of his child was the common talk of friends and strangers, he secretly took the boy from the place where he had concealed him, and carried him off along with his mother to the Dakhin. Although he falsely gave out that his son was by a woman of his own tribe, no Rájpút of pure race would allow of any matrimonial connexion with the boy. So he was obliged to marry the lad to a girl of the Mahratta tribe, which also claims to belong to an obscure class of Rájpúts. From this good stock, in the seventh or eighth generation, was born Sáhú Bhoslah. The origin of the name Bhoslah, according to the commonly-received opinion, is from the Hinduwi word “ghoslah," meaning "place," or a very small and narrow place; and as that man was brought The commonly-received meaning is "bird's-nest."

up in such a place, he received the name of Bhoslah. But I have heard a different explanation.

After the dominions of the Nizámu-l Mulk dynasty had passed into the possession of Sháh Jahán, and that Emperor had entered into friendly relations with 'Adil Khán of Bíjápúr, the latter proposed to exchange certain districts in the neighbourhood of Khujista-bunyád (Aurangábád), and belonging to Bíjápúr, for the ports of Jiwal, Bábal Danda Rájpúrí, and Chákna1 in the Kokan, which had formerly appertained to Nizámu-1 Mulk, but had been taken possession of by 'Adil Sháh, as being in proximity with his territory in the Konkan known by the name of Tal Kokan. These districts consisted of jungles and hills full of trees. The proposal was accepted, and both Kokans were included in the territory of 'Adil Khán of Bíjápúr.

Mullá Ahmad, an adherent of the Bíjápúr dynasty, who was descended from an Arab immigrant, held three parganas in this country. At this time two parganas, named Púna and Súpa, became the jágir of Sáhú Bhoslah. Sivají became the manager of these two parganas on the part of his father, and looked carefully after them. He was distinguished in his tribe for courage and intelligence; and for craft and trickery he was reckoned a sharp son of the devil, the father of fraud. In that country, where all the hills rise to the sky, and the jungles are full of trees and bushes, he had an inaccessible abode. Like the samindárs of the country, he set about erecting forts on the hills, and mud forts, which in the Hinduwí dialect of the Dakhin are called garhi.

'Adil Khán of Bíjápúr was attacked by sickness, under which he suffered for a long time, and great confusion arose in his territory. At this time Mullá Ahmad went with his followers to wait upon the Emperor Shah Jahán, and Sivají, seeing his country

1 Danda and Rájpúrí are close together, near Jinjira. Jíwal and Bábal (or Pábal) are said in a subsequent passage to be "on the coast near Surat." Chákna, a place frequently mentioned, is not a port, but lies a little north of Púna. See an account of Chakna in Grant Duff's History of the Mahrattas, vol. i. p. 61.

left without a ruler, boldly and wickedly stepped in and seized it, with the possessions of some other jagirdárs. This was the beginning of that system of violence which he and his descendants have spread over the rest of the Kokan and all the territory of the Dakhin. Whenever he heard of a prosperous town, or of a district inhabited by thriving cultivators, he plundered it and took possession of it. Before the jágirdárs in those troublous times could appeal to Bíjápúr, he had sent in his own account of the matter, with presents and offerings, charging the jágirdárs or proprietors with some offence which he had felt called upon to punish, and offering to pay some advanced amount for the lands on their being attached to his own jagir, or to pay their revenues direct to the Government. He communicated these matters to the officials at Bíjápúr, who in those disturbed times took little heed of what any one did. So when the jágirdar's complaint arrived, he obtained no redress, because no one took any notice of it. The country of the Dakhin was never free from commotions and outbreaks, and so the officials, the raiyats, and the soldiery, under the influence of surrounding circumstances, were greedy, stupid, and frivolous; thus they applied the axe to their feet with their own hands, and threw their wealth and

property to the winds. The greed of the officials increased, especially in those days when the authority of the rulers was interrupted, or their attention diverted. In accordance with the wishes of this disturber, the reins of authority over that country fell into his hands, and he at length became the most notorious of all the rebels.

He assembled a large force of Mahratta robbers and plunderers, and set about reducing fortresses. The first fort he reduced was that of Chandan. After that he got possession of some other fortresses which were short of supplies, or were in charge of weak and inexperienced commandants. Evil days fell upon the kingdom of Bíjápúr in the time of Sikandar 'Alí 'Adil

1 Also called Chandan-mandan. See Grant Duff (vol. i. p. 130), who says that Torna was the first fort he obtained.

VOL. VII.

17

Khán the Second, whose legitimacy was questioned, and who ruled when a minor as the locum tenens of his father. The operations of Aurangzeb against that country when he was a prince in the reign of his father, brought great evil upon the country, and other troubles also arose. Sivají day by day increased in strength, and reduced all the forts of the country,

so that in course of time he became a man of power and means. He had drawn together a large force, and attacked the Kings of Hind and of Bíjápúr, and, protected by mountains and jungles full of trees, he ravaged and plundered in all directions far and wide. The inaccessible forts of Rájgarh1 and Chákna were his abodes, and he had secured several islands in the sea by means of a fleet which he had formed. He built several forts also in those parts, so that altogether he had forty forts, all of which were well supplied with provisions and munitions of war. Boldly raising his standard of rebellion, he became the most noted rebel of the Dakhin.

Sivaji murders Afzal Khán Bijápuri.

When Sikandar 'Alí 'Adil Khán came to years of discretion, and took the government into his own hands, he wrote letters to Sivají, but without effect. He then sent Afzal Khán with a large army to chastise the rebel. Afzal Khán was one of 'Adil Khán's most distinguished and courageous officers, and he pressed Sivají hard. The truculent rebel, knowing that he could gain nothing by regular warfare, artfully sent some of his people to express his repentance, and to beg forgiveness of his offences. After some negociation, the deceitful brahmans made an agreement that Sivají should come to wait upon Afzal Khán at a certain place under his fortress with only three or four servants and entirely without arms. Afzal Khán likewise was to proceed in a pálkź, with four or five servants, and without arms, to the place agreed upon under the fort. After Sivají had paid his 1 About twenty miles south-west of Púna.

respects, and verbal agreements had been made, he was to receive a khil' at and then be dismissed. When Afzal Khán had taken the proffered tribute and peshkash, Sivají was to entertain him, and speed him on his way back to Bíjápúr, or rather he would attend him thither in person upon an assurance of reconciliation.

The designing rascal by sending various presents and fruits of the country, and by his humbleness and submission, conciliated Afzal Khán, who fell into the snare, believing all his false deceiving statements, and observing none of that caution which the wise commend. Without arms he mounted the pálki, and proceeded to the place appointed under the fortress. He left all his attendants at the distance of a long arrow-shot. Then the deceiver came down on foot from the fort, and made his appearance with manifestations of humility and despair. Upon reaching the foot of the hill, after every three or four steps, he made a confession of his offences, and begged forgiveness in abject terms and with limbs trembling and crouching. He begged that the armed men and the servants who had accompanied Afzal Khán's litter should move farther off. Sivají had a weapon, called in the language of the Dakhin bichúa,1 on the fingers of his hand hidden under his sleeve, so that it could not be seen. He had concealed a number of armed men among the trees and rocks all about the hill, and he had placed a trumpeter on the steps, to whom he said, "I intend to kill my enemy with this murderous weapon; the moment you see me strike, do not think about me, but blow your trumpet and give the signal to my soldiers." He had given orders to his troops also that as soon as they heard the blast of the trumpet, they should rush out and fall upon the men of Afzal Khán, and do their best to attain success.

Afzal Khán, whom the angel of doom had led by the collar to that place, was confident in his own courage, and saw Sivají approach unarmed and fearing and trembling. He looked upon

1 The primary meaning of this word is "a scorpion." The weapon is also called wág-nakh, "tiger's claws." Grant Duff gives a drawing of one.