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356 keeper of a puppet Nizam Shah. Masaud and Bahlol were not more disinterested, but certainly less efficient than he would have been as Regent of Bijapur. The news of the transfer of the Adil-Shahi capital to Siddi Masaud (21st February) reached Shivaji on his way from Belvadi through Turgal to Bijapur, and he swerved aside to the west and returned to his own stronghold of Panhala at the end of March or in the first week of April, 1678.

At this stage we may conveniently inquire into what happened in Maharashtra during Shivaji's absence in the Karnatak. In November, 1676, an army was sent under Shambhuji to annex some Portuguese territory near Goa. He demanded 60 villages from the Portuguese on the ground that they belonged to the fort of Ponda, which was now in Shivaji's possession ; but on meeting with a refusal, he made a rash assault on the Portuguese forces, who beat him off. Then the Marathas left the district for Daman, hoping to find less opposition there. But no permanent gain resulted from this campaign. (Dutch Rec, Vol. 34, No. 844.)

During this period (December, 1676 — March, 1678), the army left at home under Moro Trimbak in the Desh and Annaji Datto in Konkan, naturally confined itself to the defence of the realm, without venturing to make any aggression. In November