Page:Aurangzíb and the Decay of the Mughal Empire.djvu/139

Rh Besides these important members of his family and suite, the Emperor's march was followed by an innumerable multitude of servants and tradespeople. Indeed the whole of Delhi turned out to follow its customers, since there was no alternative but to join the procession of its sole employers or to stay at home and starve in a deserted city. The same tradesmen who kept shop in town, were obliged to keep shop in the field, while

Delhi mourns Her empty and depopulated Streets.

The total number of persons in the camp was estimated at between three and four hundred thousand. They had to carry all necessaries with them, except forage; for to pillage the country they passed through, would have been to rob the Emperor, who was, at least in theory, its sole owner; and but for the extreme simplicity of the Indian soldiers' diet and their avoidance of animal food, the camp must have exhibited a scene of appalling starvation. The usual Eastern plan of double camps was observed, one to sleep in, the other, called Paish-khána, to go on in front to be pitched ready for the following night. In each was pitched a travelling Audience and Presence Chamber, where the Emperor held his daily levees and councils, under silk and velvet canopies, exactly as he did at Delhi or Agra. The royal tents were red, lined with hand-painted chintz from Masulipatan, beautifully embroidered and fringed with gold and silver and silk; and the tent poles were painted and