trade of China. The Moghuls captured and sacked CHAP. VII. the city. Amír Jumla reported that he was about to invade China. Aurangzeb saw himself already in possession of China.

disasters.

From this point there was nothing but disaster. Moghul The provisions of the city were consumed. The rains began with unusual violence; the rivers overflowed their banks; the whole country round Ghergong was a deluge. The Moghuls suffered horrible privations. Pestilence followed the famine. Every day numbers of corpses were thrown from the ramparts upon the surrounding waters.

gal.

After some months the waters subsided. The inva- Retreat to Bension of China was out of the question. Amír Jumla beat a retreat to Bengal. The way was strewed with corpses. The plains were intersected with canals which had been filled during the rains. The mountains were blocked up by bands of Assamese with poisoned arrows to their bows. Amír Jumla was smitten with mortal disease. The Portuguese flotilla carried the remains of the army to Bengal. Amír Jumla died shortly afterwards. On his death-bed he sent the largest diamond in India as a present to the Emperor.43

Satisfaction.

Aurangzeb was mortified at the loss of his army, Aurangzeb's but consoled by the death of Amír Jumla. He had long suspected Amír Jumla of sinister designs; and he rejoiced at knowing that he was out of the way. Aurangzeb was forced to give his attention to Per- Persian sian affairs. Shah Abbas the Second was a warlike

43 This diamond was probably the Koh-i-Nor, now in the possession of her Majesty. It was carried off by Nadir Shah at the sack of Delhi in 1738-39. It subsequently fell into the hands of the Amirs of Kábul. Runjit Singh forced Shah Shuja to give it up. The English took possession of it after the conquest of the Punjab.

threatenings.

CHAP VII. prince, and Aurangzeb was afraid of him. The Shah suspected that the journey of the Moghul Emperor to Kashmir was a blind for making some attack on Persian territory." Accordingly, the Shah began to mass troops in Kandahar. Aurangzeb hoped to quiet down these hostile demonstrations by sending an embassy with presents to Shah Abbas.

Moghul embassy to Persia,

The embassy of Aurangzeb to the Shah of Persia must have made some stir at the time. The old rivalry between Persia and the Moghul was intensified. by the religious antagonism between the Shíah and the Sunní. The Moghul ambassador was treated with a studied rudeness and contempt, which showed that the Shah was bent on war. The ambassador had prepared a long speech of compliments and flatteries to be delivered at the first audience. Shah Abbas received him on horseback, and rode away the moment he began his speech. When the presents were delivered, the Shah contemptuously distributed them amongst his officers. At other audiences the Shah descanted on the hypocrisy of Aurangzeb; openly charged him with parricide; laughed at his title of Conqueror of the World," which was engraved on the Moghul coins. At the final audience, the beard of the ambassador was set on fire by a page; and the ambassador was dismissed with a challenge to Aurangzeb to come out and fight the Shah in Kábul."

44 At this period Kábul belonged nominally to the Moghul, whilst Kandahar was Persian territory. Shah Abbas probably suspected Aurangzeb of some design on Kandahar.

45 Manouchi, through Catrou, gives the best narrative of this embassy. His account is confirmed by Thevenot and Tavernier. Khafi Khan says nothing about it.

Thevenot says that on one occasion the ambassador refused to take wine, but was induced to smoke a pipe (Travels, Part ii., chap. 11).

Tavernier was under the impression that Shah Jehan was still alive, but

wrath.

By this time Aurangzeb had returned from Kash- CHAP. VII. mír to Delhi. He was in no mood for smiling on the Aurangzeb's ambassador, for he had been deeply mortified by the outturn of Mahratta affairs. He received the ambassador with bitter reproaches. "Why had he permitted the loss of his beard? Why had he not avenged the insult by stabbing the Shah to the heart?" The ambassador was doomed; he was executed the same day; he was bitten by a snake whose venom always killed.

Abbas.

Shah Abbas kept his word. He took the field with Death of Shah sixty thousand of the finest cavalry of Asia. Aurangzeb assembled fresh armies round Delhi. He warned the tributary Rajas to be ready with their respective armies at the first summons. He treated the challenge of Shah Abbas with contempt, but displayed so much personal cowardice as to excite strange murmurs. He certainly was in extreme peril, but his good fortune did not fail him. Suddenly Shah Abbas died of a disorder of his throat, brought on or aggravated by excessive drinking.46

It will now be necessary to revert to the progress Mahratta affairs. of Mahratta affairs. In 1663 Sivaji had committed

the onslaught on Aurangzeb's uncle, Shaista Khan.

In 1664 he had plundered Surat.

In 1664, before Aurangzeb left Delhi for Kashmír, sivaji outwitted. he had sent a large army against Sivaji. It comprised a Muhammadan force under a Muhammadan general, and a Rajput force under Jai Singh of Jaipur. The details of the operations that followed are of no

reports that Shah Abbas charged Aurangzeb with parricide. Tavernier confirms the statement that the ambassador lost his beard, but says it was shaved off (Travels in India, Book ii., chap. 7).

46 Manouchi through Catrou. Tavernier shows that Shah Abbas died in 1666. This helps to clear up the chronology.

CHAP. VII. interest; but Jai Singh was told to negotiate with Sivaji, to induce him to make his submission to the Moghul, and to offer him the post of Viceroy of the Dekhan under the Moghul. Aurangzeb had calculated that Sivaji would rely on the good faith of the Rajpút when he would refuse to believe the word of a Muhammadan. For himself, Aurangzeb trusted no one. He would not allow Jai Singh to leave Delhi without leaving his eldest son as hostage for his fidelity.

Deception.

Treachery.

Sivaji at Delhi.

Aurangzeb's guile.

Aurangzeb judged correctly. Jai Singh was deceived by the Moghul, and Sivaji was deceived by the Rajpút. Sivaji never for a moment doubted his fitness for the post of Viceroy of the Dekhan; he was dazzled by the prospect of being Viceroy under the Moghul. He soon agreed to go to Delhi with his eldest son, Sambhaji; to tender his submission to Aurangzeb; to receive investiture of the exalted command.

There was treachery all round, excepting in the heart of Jai Singh. The Muhammadan general knew the trickery of Aurangzeb, whereas the Rajpút believed that Aurangzeb was in earnest in his offers to Sivaji. The Muhammadan wanted to assassinate Sivaji in order to win the favour of the Emperor. Jai Singh refused to listen to any such proposal. But his belief was shaken in the good faith of Aurangzeb; and he wrote to his son at Delhi to keep an eye on the safety of Sivaji.

The Mahratta reached Delhi swelling with pride. He knew that he was feared. Indeed, he might well imagine that Aurangzeb had need of his services in the expected conquest of Bíjápur and Golkonda.

Aurangzeb had very different intentions. He had ensnared the "mountain rat" only to humble him and

destroy him; to avenge the onslaught on Shaista Khan CHAP. VII. and plunder of Surat.

cation.

Sivaji expected to be petted as a welcome guest. Sivaji's mortiaHe found himself neglected and held in contempt. No one greeted him on his arrival; he was only told to remain in his tents near the gate of the palace. All inquiries respecting an audience were put off with evasions and excuses.

audience.

After a weary delay, a day was fixed for the audience. Sivaji's All who were conversant with the Moghul court were conscious that unusual preparations were being made to overawe the Mahratta. The audience was held in the splendid hall of the Dewan-i-Khas, with its massive columns of white marble picked out with birds and flowers in precious stones. Aurangzeb himself departed from his usual custom. Instead of appearing in simple attire on an ordinary throne, he entered the hall in a blaze of jewels, and took his seat on the peacock throne of Shah Jehan.

Mahratta,

The great hall was crowded with grandees. They wrath of the were ranged according to their rank on three successive platforms. The first platform was covered with gold, the second with silver, the third with marble. Sivaji was admitted to the golden platform, but directed to take the lowest place. He knew that he was not ranked as Viceroy of the Dekhan. He could not master his anger. He openly charged Aurangzeb with a breach of faith. He turned to the grandees above him, and called them cowards and women; he had defeated them in battle, but here they were placed above him. He then left the platform, and stalked out of the palace. He had bearded the lion in his den, and was reckless of the consequences.

It is difficult to realise the effect of this sudden out