Page:Aurangzíb and the Decay of the Mughal Empire.djvu/121

Rh 'camp' to which the Ottoman Empire has been compared. As Bernier says, 'The Great Mogul is a foreigner in Hindústán: he finds himself in a hostile country, or nearly so; a country containing hundreds of Gentiles to one Mughal, or even to one Muhammadan.' Hence his large armies; his network of feudatory governors and landholders dependent upon his countenance alone for their dignity and support; hence, too, an administrative policy which sacrificed the welfare of the people to the supremacy of an armed minority. Had the people been other than Hindús, accustomed to oppression, the system would have broken down. As it was, it preserved internal peace, and secured the authority of the throne during a long and critical reign. We read of few disturbances or insurrections in all these fifty years. Such wars as were waged were either campaigns of aggression outside the normal limits of the Empire, or were deliberately provoked by the Emperor's intolerance.

The external wars are of little historical significance. Mír Jumla's disastrous campaign in Assam was typical of many other attempts to subdue the north-east frontagers of India. The rains and the guerilla tactics of the enemy drove the Mughal army to despair, and its gallant leader died on his return in the spring of 1663. 'You mourn,' said Aurangzíb to Mír Jumla's son, 'you mourn a loving father, and I the most powerful and the most dangerous of my friends.' The war in Arakán had more lasting effects. That kingdom had long been a standing menace to Bengal, and