Page:History of India Vol 4.djvu/198

166 in the words Kāfir ba jahannam raft, "The Infidel went to Hell," which is, in reality, a chronogram to be interpreted by the numerical values of the consonants (K 20, A 1, F 80, R 200, B 2, J 3, H 5, N N 50 + 50, R 200, P 80, T 400 = 1091 A.H. [1680 A.D.]).

"Sivaji always strove to maintain the honour of the people in his territories," says a Mohammedan historian." He persisted in rebellion, plundering caravans, and troubling mankind; but he was absolutely guiltless of baser sins, and was scrupulous of the honour of women and children of the Moslems when they fell into his hands." Aurangzib himself admitted that his foe was "a great captain;" and added, "My armies have been employed against him for nineteen years, and nevertheless his state has always been increasing."

The great captain was dead, but his spirit lived in the nation he had created. Aurangzib never fully realized the strength of a nation of freebooters or the intolerable weariness of guerrilla warfare, but he at least saw that the time had come to trust no more generals, but to take the quarrel into his own hands. At the close of 1681 he arrived at Burhanpur, and took command of the army. The emperor's first step was to endeavour to strike awe into the Marathas by sending his sons to scour the country. The enemy offered no opposition, and left their rugged country to punish the invaders. Prince Mu'azzam accordingly marched through the whole Konkan, and laid it waste, and when he reached the end he found that he had hardly a horse fit to carry him, and that his men were marching afoot, half-starv-