and departed. Though accustomed to feats of strength and heroism from the nervous arms of their countrywomen, the act surprised them. They descended to the stream at hand and prepared the repast, as is usual, on the spot. The feast was held, and comments were passing on the fair arm which had transfixed the boar, when a ball of clay from a sling fractured a limb of the prince's steed. Looking in the direction whence it came, they observed the same damsel, from her elevated stand, preserving her fields from ærial depredators; but seeing the mischief she had occasioned she descended to express regret, and then returned to her pursuit. As they were proceeding homewards after the sports of the day, they again encountered the damsel with a vessel of milk on her head, and leading in either hand a young buffalo. It was proposed, in frolic, to overturn her milk, and one of the companions of the prince dashed rudely by her; but without being disconcerted, she entangled one of her charges with the horse's limbs, and brought the rider to the ground. On inquiry the prince discovered that she was the daughter of a poor Rajput of the Chundano tribe. He returned the next day to the same quarter and sent for her father, who came and took his seat with perfect independence close to the prince, to the merriment of his companions, which was checked by Ursi, asking his daughter to wife. They were yet more surprised by the demand being refused. The Rajput, on going home, told the more prudent mother, who scolded him heartily, made him recall the refusal and seek the prince. They were married, and Hamir was the son of the Chundano Rajputni."í

1Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, pp. 267, 68. It was this Rana Hamir who attacked, defeated and made prisoner the Khilji king, Mahmud, the successor of Allahuddin Khilji. The king suffered a confinement of three months in Chitor. Nor was he liberated till he had surrendered Ajmer, Ranthambhor, Nagaur and Soe Sopur, besides paying fiftylakhs of rupees and one hundred elephants, See Vol. I,

p. 272.

"The romantic history of the Chohan Emperor of Delhi abounds in sketches of female character; and in the story of his carrying off Sanjogta, the princess of Kanauj, we have a faithful picture of the sex. We see her, from the moment when, rejecting the assembled princes, she threw the 'garland of marriage' round the neck of her hero, the Chohan, abandon herself to all the influences of passion, mix in a cambat of five days' continuance against her father's array, witness his overthrow and the carnage of both armies, and subsequently, by her seductive charms, lulling her lover into a neglect of every princely duty. Yet when the foes of his glory and power invade India, we see the enchantress at once start from her trance of pleasure, and exchanging the softer for the sterner passions, in accents not less strong because mingled with deep affection, she conjures him, while arming him for the battle, to die for his fame, declaring that she will join him in the 'mansions of the sun.'

What Hindu can read without emotion the reply of the brave and beautiful Sanjogta, then in the heydey of her honeymoon? On Prithvi's relating to her the dream, he saw the previous night, she said: "Victory and fame to my lord! Oh Sun of the Chohans, in glory or in pleasure, who has tasted so deeply as you? To die is the destiny not only of man but of the gods, all desire to throw off the old garment; but to die well is to live for ever. Think not of self, but of immortality; let your sword divide your foe, and I will be your ardhanga (the other half) hereafter."

The army having assembled and all being prepared to march against the Islamite, the fair Sanjogta armed

her lord for the encounter. "In vain she sought the rings of his corslet; her eyes were fixed on the face of the Chohan, as those of the famished wretch who finds a piece of gold. The sound of the drum reached the ear of the Chohan; it was as a death-knell on that of Sanjogta: and as he left her to head Delhi's heroes, she vowed that henceforth water only should sustain her. I shall see him again in the region of Surya, but never more in Yoginipur."

A more recent instance of the high spirit, undaunted courage and a high sense of duty and honour displayed by a queen of Marwar, has been recorded by a Frenchman of note. In the Civil War for empire amongst the sons of Shah Jahan, when Aurangzeb opened his career by the deposal of his father and the murder of his brothers, the Rajputs, faithful to the Emperor determined to oppose him. Under the intrepid Rahtore, Jaswant Singh, thirty thousand Rajputs chiefly of that clan, advanced to the Narbada, and with a magnanimity amounting to imprudence, they permitted the junction of Murád with Aurangzeb.

Next morning the action commenced, which continued throughout the day. The Rajputs behaved with their usual bravery, but were surrounded on all sides, and by sunset left ten thousand dead on the field. The Maharaja retreated to his own country, but his wife, a daughter of the Rana of Udaipur, "disdained (says Ferishta) to receive her lord, and shut the gates of the castle."

The French traveller, Bernier, who was present in India at the time, says: "I cannot forbear to relate the

fierce reception which the daughter of the Rana gave to her husband, Jaswant Singh, after his defeat and flight. When she heard he was nigh, and had understood what had passed in the battle-that he had fought with all possible courage; that he had but four or five hundred men left; and at last, no longer able to resist the enemy, had been forced to retreat; instead of sending some one to condole him in his misfortunes, she commanded in a dry mood to shut the gates of the castle, and not to let this infamous man enter; that he was not her husband; that the son-in-law of the great Rana could not have so mean a soul; that he was to remember, that being grafted into so illustrious a house, he was to imitate its virtue ; in a word, he was to vanquish, or to die. A moment after, she was of another humour. She commands a pile of wood to be laid, that she might burn herself; that they abused her; that her husband must needs be dead; that it could not be otherwise. And a little while after she was seen to change countenance, to fall into a passion, and break into a thousand reproaches against him. In short, she remained thus transported eight or nine days, without being able to resolve to see her husband, till at last her mother coming, brought her in time to herself, composed by assuring her that as soon as the Raja had but refreshed himself, he would raise another army to fight Aurangzeb, and repair his honour. By which story one may see a pattern of the courage of the women in that country."1

Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 622,

IX-FOREIGN RELATIONS.

"In the theatre of the world

The people are actors all.

One doth the sovereign monarch play;

And him the rest obey."

-CALDERON.

WHEN such brilliant national character combines with such happy social organization of the people as to excite the admiration of all who study it, one can easily conceive what noble achievements of peace and war the ancient Hindus must have accomplished. It is true, 'peace hath her victories no less renowned than war"; still a peculiar halo of glory attaches to military achieve. ments. The achievements of the Hindus in philosophy, poetry, sciences and arts prove their peaceful victories. But their military achievements were equally great, as will appear from their mastery of the science of war.

Their civilizing missions covered the globe, and Hindu civilization still flows like an under-current in the countless social institutions of the world.

In the Aiteriya Brahman, Emperor Sudas is stated to have completely conquered the whole world, with its different countries.

That the Hindus were quite capable of accomplishing this feat, is clear from the remarkable article that appeared in the Contemporary Review from the pen of Mr. Townsend. He says: "If the Prussian conscription were applied in India, we should, without counting reserves or land'wehr or any force not summoned

1 See Hang's A. B., Vol. II, p. 524,