Page:Aurangzíb and the Decay of the Mughal Empire.djvu/113

Rh a perpetual source of danger to the throne. There were more than a hundred of these native princes, some of whom could bring at least 20,000 horsemen into action; and far from being the 'mild Hindús' of the plains, they were born fighters, the bravest of the brave, urged to fury by a keenly sensitive feeling of honour and pride of birth, and always ready to conquer or die for their chiefs and their privileges. To see the Rájputs rush into battle, maddened with bang and stained with orange turmeric, and throw themselves recklessly upon the enemy in a forlorn hope, was a spectacle never to be forgotten. Had their Rájas combined their forces, it is probable that no Mughal army could have long stood against them. Happily for the empire they were weakened by internal jealousies, of which Aurangzíb was not slow to take advantage. They could be played off, one against the other. Moreover, the wise conciliation of Akbar, following upon his triumphs in war, had done much to win the Rájput leaders over to the side of the invaders. There are few more instructive lessons in Indian history than the loyal response which the Hindú Chiefs made to the conciliating policy of Akbar. It was a Hindú, Todar Mal, who reduced Bengal to the imperial sceptre, and then organized the financial administration of the empire. Hindú generals and Bráhman poets led Akbar's armies, and governed some of his greatest provinces. Hindú clerks formed the chief official class in all departments where education was essential, and Rájput clans furnished the thews and