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CHAP. IX. but, like other Moghul generals of the period, he received large bribes from both courts, and amused Aurangzeb by desultory wars both with them and the Mahrattas. So long as a grand army was maintained in the Dekhan, so long the Moghul generals profited by the presents they received from the enemy, and the pay which they drew from the imperial treasury for levies which only existed on paper. But the conquest of Bíjápur and Golkonda, and the conclusion of a peace with Sivaji, would have put an immediate stop to their illicit gains.

Sivaji, the Mah

ratta.

India in 1679-81

Meanwhile Sivaji had established his Mahratta empire from the neighbourhood of Surat to the country round about Karwar. He made frequent

incursions on Bíjápur and Golkonda, encouraged their vassals to rebel against their respective Sultans, and tried to play the part of a Hindu champion against the intolerant Aurangzeb, whilst plundering and collecting chout in all directions, from friends as well as from foes. To crown all, whilst the governments of Bíjápur and Golkonda were purchasing the forbearance of the Moghul generals, they sent presents in like manner to Sivaji and other Hindu Rajas, to induce them to make aggressions and raids on the territories of the Moghul.

Dr. Fryer returned from Persia to India in 1679, and remained there until 1681, when he finally departed for Europe. By this time political affairs had undergone a significant change, which has already been described in dealing with the reign of Aurangzeb. He declared war to the knife against the Hindu religion, broke down temples and idols, led overwhelming armies against Rajpúts and Mahrattas, and finally committed himself to his grand

scheme for the suppression of idolatry throughout CHAP. IX. India, and establishment of the religion of Muham

mad from sea to sea.

Dr. Fryer left India at the turning-point of Moghul India, 1690. history. After his departure, Aurangzeb conquered Bíjápur and Golkonda, and annexed both kingdoms to the Moghul empire; but he wasted the remaining portion of his reign in intermittent and useless wars against the Mahrattas.

ton, 1688-1723.

CAPTAIN ALEXANDER HAMILTON was a shrewd Captain HamilScotchman, who carried on a free trade in the eastern seas between 1688 and 1723, in spite of the monopoly of the old East India Company. He was prejudiced against the Company's servants at the different English settlements; but his experiences of Sinde and Guzerat, and the stories he tells of Moghuls and Hindus, may be accepted as trustworthy.

ous brigands.

Sinde, on the lower valley of the river Indus, was Sinde: dangerthe most westerly province belonging to the Moghul. It was exposed on one side to the rebel subjects of Persia, and on the other side to the rebel subjects of the Moghul. There was a wretched seaport near the coast, consisting of about a hundred huts built of sticks and mud; but the route northwards to the capital at Tatta was infested by bands of brigands, who concealed themselves in the neighbouring jungles. In 1699 a rich kafila going to Tatta was attacked and plundered by a large force of these scoundrels, and hundreds of merchants and carriers were slaughtered in the fray.

brigands by

Three months afterwards Captain Hamilton arrived Defeat of the at the port with a valuable cargo from the Malabar Hamilton and coast, worth about ten thousand pounds. The Tatta

his sailors.

CHAP. IX. merchants were ready enough to buy, if the goods were safe at Tatta; but they would not risk the carriage through that dangerous country. They might have secured a guard of horsemen from the Nawab of Tatta, but the guards were often in league with the robbers, and shared the spoil. Accordingly, Hamilton determined to carry his commodities to Tatta, accompanied by some of his sailors armed with matchlocks; and, to render himself more secure, he joined a large kafila going to the same place, escorted by two hundred horsemen. Half-way to Tatta, the scouts brought in the news that the brigands were posted in great force in the neighbouring jungles. Presently a horseman came up brandishing his sword, and threatening to give no quarter unless they all surrendered quietly. The native guard retired to the rear, but one of the sailors shot the horseman dead. Two or three other horsemen appeared, and were shot dead in like manner. By this time the native escort recovered heart, and there was a general charge upon the brigands, in which many were killed, and the remainder fled in all directions.

Triumph at
Tatta strange

by the Nawab.

The news of this victory was soon carried to Tatta; favours granted and the citizens came out with presents of fruit and sweetmeats for Hamilton and his English sailors, who were hailed as deliverers. Quarters were provided for the party in a large house having fifteen rooms and good warehouses. The Nawab of Tatta sent sheep, goats, fowls, and pigeons in abundance. He made Hamilton free of the port, permitting him to land what goods he pleased without the payment of duties. Moreover, he promised to imprison any refractory debtors, and even to sell their wives and children, if Hamilton found any difficulty in getting his money.

and pirates of

Eastward of Sinde was the province of Guzerat, CHAP. IX. which appeared to be peopled with robbers and Guzerat: robbers pirates. The Moghuls were powerless to suppress Beyt. them, for their country was protected by marshes and inlets of the sea. The port of Beyt, in particular, was a nest of pirates. No trading was permitted, and the whole population lived by piracy, and gave an asylum to every robber and outlaw that escaped to their city. They cruised along the Indian Ocean, between the Persian Gulf and Malabar Coast, in small ships mounted with cannon and swarming with fighting men, and attacked every vessel that came in their way. Hamilton had several skirmishes with them, and tells many details of their atrocities. When about to engage in battle they intoxicated themselves with bhang, and let down their long hair as a sign that they neither gave quarter nor accepted it. If a ship surrendered without any fighting the pirates were tolerably civil; but if they encountered any resistance they were cruel and merciless to the last degree. One time they burnt an English ship with all her crew. Another time they beheaded their own admiral for letting a rich prize slip out of his hands.

cenaries hired

Some of the ports of Guzerat carried on trade, but Rajput merthey were obliged to hire bodies of Rajpúts to protect as guards, them against banditti. The Rajpúts employed their swords, like Swiss mercenaries, in behalf of those who gave them the best pay. They carried their women and children with them in every expedition; and if they were repulsed, the wives refused to receive their husbands until the latter had regained their lost honour.

Hamilton tells the story of a Yogi who was buried

CHAP. IX.

buried alive.

alive at Surat under a promise to reappear at AhmaStory of a Yogi dabad, about two hundred miles off. The Nawab of Surat suspected some imposition, and set a party of soldiers to watch the miracle. The holy man was duly buried, and a number of reeds were arranged over his head to keep off the mould. The soldiers then persisted in removing a huge water-jar, which a party of Yogis had set up under a neighbouring tree, and discovered a secret passage leading to the grave. The soldiers were so exasperated at the cheat that they drew their swords upon the Yogis, and slew a dozen on the spot, including the man who had been buried.

Stories of Moghul
India.

Hindu financial administration,

Hamilton relates two anecdotes which furnish glimpses of India in Moghul times. During the wars of Aurangzeb against the Mahrattas, a Moghul force landed on the island of Bombay, and occupied it for more than a year, whilst the English were shut up in Bombay Castle. Another Moghul force drove the Mahrattas out of Karwar; and the Moghul general gave an entertainment to the English gentlemen at the factory, and burnt down the factory whilst his guests were eating and drinking in his pavilion.

A story is told of the Raj of Cannanore which illustrates the simplicity of Hindu financial administration. The treasury chest was bored with holes and fastened with four different locks, whilst a key was given to the Raja and to each of the three ministers. All public money was put in through the holes, and none could be taken out except in the presence of the four, and when all were agreed as to the expenditure.

The relations between the English and the Hindus

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