CHAPTER VI. too old for his pleasures; he recruited himself with strong medicines; they brought him to the verge of the grave. The ferment: Shah Jehan's letter. Shuja approaches Agra. Meantime the empire was in a ferment. Shuja, the most impetuous of the sons of Shah Jehan, was the first to take the field. Bengal was the wealthiest province of the empire. Shuja had kept forty thousand horsemen in readiness; he had filled his coffers by plundering some Bengal Rajas and ruining others; he had camels loaded with gold mohurs. He was soon on the road to Delhi. As he mounted his horse he waved his scimitar and cried out, "Death or the throne." He pushed on by the great road to Agra. He proclaimed that Dara had poisoned Shah Jehan; he was going to Delhi to revenge the death of his father. Shah Jehan was beginning to recover; he was still very ill; he was told that Shuja was marching to Delhi. He was exceedingly angry; he wrote a crafty letter to Shuja :-" I have recovered from my sickness; it was not brought about by Dara: I am obliged by your affection: I beg you to return at once to Bengal; by strict obedience you may atone for the hasty measure into which you have been hurried." Shuja received the letter on his march. It was accompanied by other letters from his spies saying that his father's malady was mortal; that his presence at Delhi was of crying importance. He said nothing about his father's letter; he hastened on all the faster. Meantime an army was sent against Shuja. Shah Jehan was very ill; he removed from Delhi to Agra. The imperial army was commanded by Sulai Afghans and man, the eldest son of Dara. It was composed of CHAPTER VI. ' Afghans and Rajpoots. The Afghans were com- Imperial army: manded by Dalil Khan an Afghan; the Afghans Rajpoots. would glory in fighting against a Shíah like Shuja.54 The Rajpoots were commanded by Jai Singh of Jaipur. Jai Singh had not forgotten the insult of Dara; he was by no means anxious to defeat Shuja; he is said to have been instructed by Shah Jehan to avoid a battle. letter to Shuja. Jai Singh wrote as follows to Shuja:-"Your Jai Singh's affection for your father is beyond all praise: You have proved your valour by marching against an army far superior to your own: But your father still lives: It would be dishonourable in you to fight against his faithful subjects: Return at once to Bengal: Courage is never esteemed if it is accompanied by crime." Shuja. Shuja deliberated for awhile; he then resolved Artifice of on revolt. He concealed his intention; he tried to deceive the imperial army. He wrote back to Jai Singh: "I quitted Bengal only to avenge my father: as Shah Jehan is still living, I will return to Bengal: I only ask that you retire first: It is not meet that I should seem to fly from you: I exact this as a mark of respect; I expect it both from you and my nephew Sulaiman.” Jai Singh. Jai Singh knew that the letter was an artifice; Bamboozled by he knew that Shuja only wanted to surprise the imperial army, and to attack it in its retreat. He was 51 Father Catrou speaks of the force under Dalil Khan as being composed of Mussulmans. It is doubtful whether it included Moghuls; it is doubtful whether Moghul Shíahs could be trusted to fight against Shuja. As the force was commanded by an Afghan it is reasonable to suppose that it was composed of Afghans, or Sunnís. This would account for their alacrity to fight against Shuja. CHAPTER VI. a match for Shuja; he ordered a retreat. At daybreak the baggage was on the move to Delhi; a few useless footmen were also sent back. The spies of Shuja were deceived; they advised Shuja that the imperial army was going back to Delhi. Defeat of Aurungzeb hoodwinks Murád. In reality the imperial army was in battle array. Shuja attacked some squadrons; he took them for a rear-guard. He soon found that he had been over-reached. The imperial cavalry charged him with fury. His forces were thrown into disorder; he could not rally them. His guns and elephants were captured; many of his troops were taken prisoners. He was obliged to retreat to Bengal. Jai Singh refused to pursue him; he was afraid to take Shuja prisoner; Shuja would have been pardoned; he would have hated Jai Singh for life. Moreover Jai Singh remembered that Dara had called him a musician. Shuja retired with the wreck of his army into Bengal; to save appearances the army of Sulaiman followed at a distance behind. Whilst Shuja was making a bold stroke for the throne, Aurungzeb was biding his time. The crafty Sunní was not going to commit himself; he knew what was going on; he waited for both his brothers to revolt. Presently he heard that Murád was on the march for Delhi. He wrote to Murád to the following effect:-"You know that I have resolved to spend my life in penitence and prayer; the splendour of this world has no charms for me: My only desire is to establish the worship of the true God and the law of his prophet: You alone of all my brothers are jealous for the Koran: Dara is impious; he hankers after the religion of Europe: Shuja is a heretic; he is in league with the Shahs of Persia: I will not suffer impiety or heresy to sit CHAPTER VI. upon the throne: You are a true Mussulman, a staunch Sunní, the defender of the faithful: You alone are worthy to wear the crown: I salute you as my sovereign: Suffer me to join my troops with yours; to help you to defend the righteous cause; to combat with you for our religion: I shall ask for only one recompense: When the victory is won you must permit me to spend the remainder of my days near the tomb of our holy prophet at Medina." ness. Murád was overjoyed at this letter. He was Murad's blindwarned to beware of Aurungzeb; he was deaf to all advice. He replied in the same strain :-"We have always been friends; we must unite to defend our religion from impiety and heresy: I swear by the great prophet that I will always respect you as my father." Meantime Aurungzeb had gained an army. He Aurungzeb'e craft with begged Amír Jumla to join him from Bíjápur. Amír Jumla. Amír Jumla was powerless; his wife and children if he helped Aurungzeb were in the hands of Dara; leaves the Thus reinforced Aurungzeb prepared to join Aurangzeb Murád. Before he left Aurungabad he made another Dekhan. show of piety. He took the Koran in his hand in the presence of his army; he pressed it devoutly to CHAPTER VI. his heart. He cried out with a loud voice :-"I am going to defend the Koran: The infidel Dara has treated it with contempt; I am going to avenge it: It is for this that I break the peace that ought to reign between brothers." He told every one Joins Murád at Mandu. Alarm of Dara. Scruples of that Shah Jehan was dead. He allowed no letter to enter the Dekhan that hinted that Shah Jehan was alive. All this while Aurungzeb wrote to Murád as to his sovereign. He professed the most profound obedience to Murád. The two armies formed a junction near Mandu. Aurungzeb dismounted from his elephant; he prostrated himself before his younger brother. From that day he treated Murád as Padishah. He took the orders of Murád as regards the army. In this way the united armies pushed on through Rajpootana. Dara had rejoiced at the victory of his son Sulaiman. He was now alarmed at the movements of Aurungzeb and Murád. He wrote to both the brothers that Shah Jehan was still alive; he warned them against disobedience to their sovereign and father. Murád was startled by the news that Shah by Aurungzeb. Jehan was alive; he began to waver. Aurungzeb soon quieted him; he spoke to Murád as follows:"Shah Jehan is dead; the story that he is alive is the artifice of Dara: If we go back the murderer will secure the throne; the parricide will wreak his vengeance upon us and our children: If we go forward you may gain the empire: If Shah Jehan is alive we will submit to him; he will be assured of our affection from our impatience to avenge him.” Murád was persuaded by the words of Aurung |