in person at the Court of the Great Mogul, to do homage to his suzerain for no less a feof than the Viceroyalty of the Deccan. No more amazing apparition than this sturdy little 'mountain rat' among the stately grandour of a gorgeous Court could be imagined.
The visit was not a success. Aurangzíb clearly did not understand the man he had to deal with, and showed a curious lack of political sagacity in his reception of the Maráthá. No prince or general in all India could render the Emperor such aid in his designs against the Deccan kingdoms as the rude highlander who had at last come to his foot. A good many points might well be stretched to secure so valuable an ally. But Aurangzíb was a bigot, and inclined to be fastidious in some things. He could not forget that Sivají was a fanatical Hindú, and a vulgar brigand to boot. He set himself the task of showing the Maráthá his real place, and, far from recognizing him as Viceroy of the Deccan, let him stand unnoticed among third rank officers in the splendid assombly that daily gathered before the throne in the great Hall of Audience[1]. Deeply
- ↑ There is some mystery about this interview. Kháfí Khán says, with little probability, that Aurangzíb was not aware of the lavish promises which had been made to Sivají in his name by Jai Singh. Bernier and Fryer explain Aurangzíb's coldness by the clamour of the women, who, like Sháyista's wife, had lost their sons by the hands of the Maráthás. The risk of assassination by the injured relatives of his victims may well have given Sivají a motive for escape from Delhi, but the vengeful appeals of the women could not have dictated Aurangzíb's policy. He never budged an inch from
