Chap. IV.] REIGN OF AURUNGZEBE. 297
his motives, l)ut his conduct on tliis occasion certainly differs much from that a.d. i6M. which he had been accustomed to pursue. Without any better security than Jei Sings promise, he arrived with only a few attendants in the rajah's camp, and then making- the humblest profes.sions of fidelity, readily accepted the terms which were offered. Of thirty-two forts which he possessed, he unconditionally surrendered twenty, with all the territory depending on them ; the remaining sevajee twelve and all his other possessions he was contented to hold as a jaghire from »ubmis«ion the Mogul emperor. In return for all these sacrifices, he received nothing more ^i^"""'*^ than the rank of a commander of 5000 men in the Mogul service, for his son, Sambajee, a boy of five years of age, and a kind of percentage on the revenues of tiie different districts of Bejapoor. The latter grant was valuable only for its indefiniteness, as it afterwards furnished the Mahrattas with a pretext for making many unfounded claims. On the com])letion of this arrangement, Sevajee joined the Mogul army with 2000 horse and 8000 infantry, in an invasion of Bejapoor. The deference paid to him by Jei Sing, and two letters from Aurung- zebe complimenting him on his services, made such an impression upon him, that he set out with his son Sambajee on a visit to Delhi. His reception was morti- fying in the extreme. On approaching the capital, he was met only by an oflScer visits Delhi, of inferior rank, and on entering the presence, was left lumoticed to take his place among commanders of the third rank. Overpowered by feelings of shame and indignation, he slunk behind, and fell do^vn in a swoon. What Aurung- zebe intended by this treatment is not very obvious. If he thought that the Mahratta spirit was thus to be tamed, he was greatly mistaken. Sevajee only burned for revenge, and, preparatory to it, began with all his usual craft to plan an escape. He had brought an escort of 500 horse and 1000 foot, and lulled suspicion by asking leave to send them home, on the ground that the climate did not agree with them. He next feigned sickness ; and, by gaining over some of the Hindoo physicians who attended him, found means of com- municating with his friends without. Meanwhile he was constantlv making presents of sweetmeats and provisions to fakirs and other devotees. These were conveyed in large baskets and hampers, which passed so frequently, that the guards set over him ceased to inspect them. Escape thus became comparatively easy. One evening Sevajee was carried out in one of these hampers, and his son in another, and as he had taken the precaution to leave a servant in his bed to counterfeit him, some time elap.sed before the escape was discovered. A strict search was made in every quarter, and all the avenues by which ho might pass to his own country were carefully watched ; but at length, after nine months of surprising adventures, he made his a]ipearance among his own people in the disguise of a Hindoo religious mendicant.
It was not Sevajee's policy to come at once to a final nipture ^vith the ue makes Mogiils; and therefore, availing himself of a change of commandei"s in the siuons Deccan, he once more made his j^eace through the mediation of Jeswant Sing, Vol. I. 38
