Self-control of
Aurangzeb,

CHAP. VII. burst of wrath upon the assembled courtiers. There had been one or two outbreaks of Rajpúts at the palace during the reign of Shah Jehan; but the bold defiance of the great Moghul by a rude Mahratta from the mountains was beyond all experience. Every one expected that Sivaji would be beheaded. Every eye was turned upon Aurangzeb. The Emperor had listened to the Mahratta with perfect tranquillity. A malicious smile lighted up his face when the grandees were charged with cowardice, but that was all. Deceit was habitual to Aurangzeb. He could hide his rage with smiles, or veil his joy with sadness and tears. Little could be learned by those who watched his countenance of what was going on within.

Sivaji entrapped.

The escape.

Aurangzeb had still a part to play. He sent his minister to pacify Sivaji. The angry Mahratta was told that newcomers were never placed in the first rank; that though he was to be appointed Viceroy of the Dekhan, he had not been invested; that justice would be done to his merits hereafter. Sivaji feigned to be satisfied, but was soon subjected to more trickery. A guard was placed over him under pretence of shielding him from the wrath of the offended grandees. He was requested to remain in his tents until a palace could be prepared for him.

A palace was indeed prepared, not for entertaining Sivaji, but for murdering him. The plot was discovered by the son of Jai Singh. The escape of Sivaji from Delhi is told with a variety of romantic details. He and his son are said to have been carried out.of Delhi in a couple of empty fruit hampers, and to have reached their mountain homes in the disguise of religious mendicants. The mode of escape is of no consequence to history. The English merchants on the

Malabar coast observed, in a letter dated Septem- CHAP. VII. ber 1666 "If it be true that Sivaji hath escaped, Aurangzeb will quickly hear it to his sorrow." 47

Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb must have been exceedingly wroth at Disgust of the escape of his prey. He devised new schemes for entrapping the "mountain rat," but the difficulties. had multiplied. Sivaji was armed against every artifice. Never again would he believe the word of Moghul or Rajpút; never again would he trust to oaths, whether sworn on the Koran or on Ganges

water.

Nevertheless the Emperor preferred stratagem to New schemes. war, or only declared war in order to conceal a stratagem. He sent another army into the Dekhan under the command of his eldest son, Shah Alam. It comprised a Muhammadan force under a Muhammadan named Diler Khan, and a Rajpút force under Jai Singh of Jaipur. But the Prince Imperial, Shah Alam, was generalissimo.

Shah Alam was to raise a sham rebellion against sham rebellion. his father; to invite the co-operation of Sivaji; to ensnare him in his toils in order to destroy him. Such a rebellion was in strict accordance with Moghul precedents. The eldest son of every Emperor from Akbar downwards had rebelled against his father. There was no reason to doubt that Sivaji would eagerly join in such a rebellion against the Emperor Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb had other results to work out by this Sinister objects. sham rebellion. He wanted to know how far the army was disaffected, and to take measures accordingly. He had a third object of the utmost importance, but that will appear in the sequel.

47 Manouchi through Catrou. Grant Duff's "History of the Mahrattas." The letter quoted in the text fixes an approximate date.

CHAP. VII.

More artice.

About 1667 the army of the Moghul moved into Sham treachery. the Dekhan. Shah Alam fixed his headquarters at Aurangabad. It was soon evident that there was treachery in the air. Shah Alam remained inactive at Aurangabad; he forbade all raids on Sivaji's territories. To make matters worse, Sivaji was ravaging the Dekhan up to the neighbourhood of Aurangabad. Reports soon reached Delhi that Shah Alam was afraid of Sivají; that he was cooling the ardour of the soldiers by delays, and wasting the time of the officers by festivities. Aurangzeb feigned to those around him to be much concerned at these rumours. He wrote letters to the generals in the Dekhan, begging them to watch the conduct of Shah Alam; to report his movements, but obey him in all things. At the same time he authorised Shah Alam to begin negotiations with Sivaji.48

Success.

Rebel agreement.

Shah Alam sent an officer to Sivaji to explain that he was about to rebel. The coming revolt was noised abroad. Shah Alam sounded his officers; they all, with one exception, agreed to join him in the rebellion. The Rajputs were especially enthusiastic; they all knew that Shah Alam's mother was a Rajpút. The one exception was Diler Khan, who commanded the Muhammadan army. He suspected artifice and ran off to Delhi.49

Shah Alam drew up an agreement committing all his officers to the rebellion; all signed it excepting

48 Manouchi, who relates all these details through Catrou, was evidently on the spot and in the confidence of Shah Alam. He says, what may be readily believed, that Shah Alam was so suspicious of his father, Aurangzeb, that he would not open up negotiations with Sivaji until he received a written authority from the Emperor.

49 Manouchi says that Diler Khan was the man of all others whom Aurangzeb desired to catch tripping; and that the Emperor had Diler Khan specially in his eye when he concocted the sham rebellion.

Diler Khan. One copy was sent to Aurangzeb and CHAP. VII. another to Sivaji.

suspicion.

The Mahratta had become preternaturally suspicious Mahratta since his escape from Delhi. He readily signed the agreement to support the rebellion; he applauded the resolution of Shah Alam to the skies; but he did not move; he waited for circumstances; he bided his time.

clamations.

Shah Alam played his part to perfection. He led sham prothe army some marches towards Delhi. He issued proclamations that he was going to dethrone his. father and take possession of the empire; he promised governments to his generals, increased pay to his officers, remissions of tribute and abolition of imposts to the people at large.

discovery.

Sivaji had his spies at the camp of Shah Alam as Sivaji's well as at the court of Delhi. He heard that envoys from the Emperor had ordered Shah Alam not to cross the river Chambal. He also heard that Shah Alam had dismissed the envoys with contempt, and was pushing on towards the river. So far the Prince Imperial seemed to be in earnest. But suspicious news came from Delhi. The Emperor expressed anger but showed no uneasiness. This was enough for Sivaji; he made up his mind not to leave the Konkan. He pressed Shah Alam to go on to Delhi; for himself, he would stay in the Dekhan, maintain order, and keep a retreat open for Shah Alam in the event of any disaster.

Shah Alam was foiled. He begged Sivaji to join Moghul foiled. him; he said he wanted Sivaji to command the army in the room of Diler Khan. The Mahratta refused the bait; he had been caught once by the offer of the viceroyalty of the Dekhan. He replied by flattery

CHAP. VII and compliments; he began to see the hand of Aurangzeb in the game of rebellion.

Plot explodes.

Shah Alam disarmed.

Dekhan entanglement.

There was no further hope of catching Sivaji. The farce was played out on the bank of the Chambal. Preparations were in progress for crossing the river. An envoy from the Emperor rode up to Shah Alam, seized the bridle of his horse, and ordered him in the Emperor's name to return to Aurangabad. Shah Alam pretended to faint; he changed colour; he said he would return to Aurangabad. The rebels were in dismay. They might have torn the Prince to pieces, but there was no union among them; each man suspected his fellows. To crown all, an army of twenty thousand fresh troops suddenly appeared under the command of Diler Khan. Resistance was in vain. All the rebel officers were punished by death or exile; all the rebel soldiers were drafted to other districts to serve under other generals.

Aurangzeb had failed to entrap Sivaji, but he had effected an object of greater importance than the capture of the Mahratta. Every Moghul Emperor of Hindustan had suffered from the rebellion or usurpation of his eldest son. Aurangzeb had already put his eldest son to death for rebellion. Shah Alam succeeded as heir-apparent; henceforth he was crippled and disarmed. He could never rebel against his father. Not a Moghul or Rajpút would trust him. He had betrayed them once; he never had an opportunity of betraying them again.

The further progress of affairs in the Dekhan is for a while an entangled web. There is a jungle of obsolete details, but no history. Treachery underlies the whole, but the clue is obscure. There was some sort of peace or understanding between the Moghuls and