CHAPTER VI. division was in danger; he called on Dara to help him. Dara thus lost his hold on Aurungzeb. Death of Ram Meantime Ram Singh and his Rajpoots had the Rajpoots. charged Murád. Ram Singh engaged Murád in single combat. Murád seated on his elephant threw darts at Ram Singh. The Rajpoot mounted on his horse shot arrows at Murád. At last Ram Singh emptied his quiver. He dismounted from his horse; he tried to pierce Murád's elephant under the belly. Murád struck him down with a javelin. elephant caught the Rajpoot with his trunk, dashed his head against the ground, and trampled him to death. The Rajpoots lost heart at the death of their leader. They fled in all directions. Dara tried to rally them; all was in vain. The Rajpoots obey no voice but that of their Raja. Dara dismounts from his the battle. The Notwithstanding the flight of the Rajpoots, elephant: loses Dara had still enough troops to gain the victory. He repulsed the charges of the rebels; he was winning the day; he lost it through the perfidy of Khalil Khan. Dara was mounted on an elephant. Khalil Khan told him that the enemy was routed; that he need not expose himself longer to the arrows; that he had better mount his horse, and pursue the enemy. In an evil moment Dara followed the counsel; he dismounted from his elephant; he mounted his horse. The troops saw that he was not on his elephant; they thought he was killed; they were seized with a panic; they fled in all directions. Amidst the disorder Khalil Khan went over to Aurungzeb, followed by thirty thousand Moghuls. Flight of Dara The battle on the Chambal had lasted ten hours. to Agra, Delhi, At seven o'clock in the morning Dara commanded an immense army; at five o'clock in the afternoon and he was flying to Agra with a handful of followers. CHAPTER VI. He could do nothing but curse and swear at Khalil Khan. He would not stop at Agra; he hurried on to Delhi; the governor shut the fortress against him. He went on to Lahore; there he got on better. Shah Jehan sent him ten camels loaded with rupees and gold mohurs. and gold mohurs. He began to collect the wreck of his army. Aurungzeb : Murád. Aurungzeb had gained the victory; his modera- Moderation of tion was the admiration of all men. He captured deference to the imperial camp and baggage. He made over the imperial pavilions to Murád. He retired to a tent and engaged in prayer. He entered his brother's tent with the Koran in his hand. He presented Khalil Khan to Murád. He said: He said: "It is to God, to yourself, and to this faithful friend, that we owe the victory: I have returned thanks for the preservation of Islam; I now prostrate myself before my sovereign: Place all your trust in the faithful Khalil Khan: I will wait for a third victory to place you on the throne: I shall then devote the rest of my days to meditation and prayer." Aurungzeb : Sulaiman to Such was the language of Aurungzeb in public. Activity of In private he was working to gain his own ends. flight of He recommended Khalil Khan to Murád in order to know his brother's secrets. Day and night he was sending despatches to his friends at Agra; to the viceroys of provinces; to the governors of fortresses. Dalil Khan and Jai Singh had gone with Sulaiman into Bengal; Aurungzeb wrote letters to both; he ordered them to put Sulaiman to death, or send him in chains to the camp. Neither the Afghan nor the Rajpoot would murder a prince of the imperial blood; neither would deliver up Sulaiman to his CHAPTER VI. enemies. They told Sulaiman of his father's defeat; they advised him to fly to the mountains. Sulaiman saw his danger; he fled to Kashmir with a small escort. Dalil Khan and Jai Singh prepared to join Aurungzeb. Aurungzeb and Murád at Agra: Jehan. Shortly after the battle Aurungzeb and Murád message to Shah advanced to Agra. They pitched their camp near the imperial gardens, within two miles of the city. Aurungzeb played a solemn farce. He sent a faithful eunuch to make a set speech to Shah Jehan. The eunuch spoke thus to the Padishah:-" Your sons have not made war out of ambition or disobedience: They know how to respect their father and their sovereign: They appealed to arms because Dara was a tyrant. They heard rumours of your death; they desired to avenge it: Happily you are still alive: I am come in their name to acknowledge you as their sovereign: Justice demands that you should distinguish between the son who is hated by all the nobles, and the sons who are worthy of your esteem." Shah Jehan's reply. Treachery and artifice. Shah Jehan was equal to the occasion; his reply was equally as insincere. "Assure my children," he said, "of my affection for them; affection for them; their disobedience has not extinguished it: Tell them to dismiss their armies; to come and implore my forgiveness; they shall then feel my clemency." Aurungzeb knew the meaning of these words. His sister, Royshan Rai Begum, had sent him a warning message from the harem :-"If you enter the palace you will be murdered by the Tartar women.” Aurungzeb met artifice by artifice. He gave out that he was about to visit his father, to be reconciled to his father, to submit to his father. He postponed the visit from day to day. Meantime he CHAPTER VI. had gained over every grandee. He ordered his son Mahmud to blockade the palace. palace at Agra. Shah Jehan saw from the towers of his palace Siege of the that it was being invested. He planted cannon on his ramparts; they did little execution. Mahmúd raised a battery and fired against the palace walls. Aurungzeb tried another dodge. He sent the eunuch with another message to Shah Jehan. He said that he was very sick; the troops had attacked the palace without his orders. He begged that his son Mahmud might tender his submission to Shah Jehan. When his health improved he would pay his respects in person. Shah Jehan. Shah Jehan agreed to the visit of his grandson. Mahmud visits He prepared costly gifts for Mahmúd; they were the bait by which he hoped to ensnare Aurungzeb. Mahmúd entered the fortress. He gained over the soldiers of the watch; he became master of the palace without difficulty. He entered the interior with a strong escort. He slaughtered every one he met, soldiers, women, slaves, and eunuchs. He entered the chamber of Shah Jehan. The Tartar women were standing round. Smooth language was laid aside. Mahmúd spoke out the demands of Aurungzeb:-"Your great age, my lord, has rendered you incapable of reigning: Retire with your wives into the palace gardens: Pass the remainder of your days in tranquillity: We do not grudge you the light of day: But you dishonour the throne; you must resign it to your children." retires. At these words the Tartar women raised a great Shah Jehan shout. Mahmud was too strong for them. Shah Jehan yielded to force. He retired with his women CHAPTER VI. to the garden pavilions without the circuit of the Shah Jehan offers the crown to Mahmud. Mahmúd refuses: Aurungzeb master. Letter of Shah fortress. He Shah Jehan lived as a captive in a country palace; he was surrounded only by women. had one last game to Aurungzeb the empire. play; it might have cost He invited Mahmúd to pay him a second visit. He spoke to Mahmúd as follows:-"I have been dethroned by my rebellious children: I place my crown in your hands: It is for you to become Padishah and avenge my cause: You command an army; you are master of Agra: Throw off your servitude to Aurungzeb; he dethroned his father; he will not spare his son." Mahmud was taken aback by the offer of the throne. For a moment he wavered. He was afraid of his father; he could not trust his grandfather. He resisted the temptation. He refused the crown. He forced Shah Jehan to make over all the palace keys. Henceforth Aurungzeb was master. He walled up gates; he guarded every entrance. Henceforth Shah Jehan and his harem were barred off from the outer world; henceforth the outer world knew nothing of Shah Jehan. About this time some of the grandees began to pity Shah Jehan. Aurungzeb sought to allay this feeling; he produced a letter purporting to have been written by Shah Jehan to Dara. It told Dara that Aurungzeb and Murád had promised to visit the palace; that both were to be murdered; that he had better march at once on Agra. Whether this letter was real or counterfeit can never be known. Shah Jehan was capable of writing it; Aurungzeb was capable of forging it. It was delivered to Aurungzeb whilst he was sur |