drew his dagger all of a sudden and stabbed Chandra Rao to death and wounded his brother Surya Rao, who was despatched by a Maratha soldier. The assassins promptly rushed out of the gate, cut their way through the alarmed and confused guards, beat back the small and hurriedly organised band of pursuers and gained a chosen place of hiding in the forest.
Shivaji had kept himself ready to follow up his agent's crime; according to later accounts he had arrived at Mahabaleshwar with an army on the plea of a pilgrimage. Immediately on hearing of the murder of the Mores, he arrived and assaulted Javli. The leaderless garrison defended themselves for six hours and were then overcome. Chandra Rao's two sons and entire family were made prisoners. But his kinsman and manager, Hanumant Rao More, rallied the partisans of the house and held a neighbouring village in force, menacing Shivaji 's new conquest. Shiva found that "unless he murdered Hanumant, the thorn would not be removed from Javli." (Sabh. 10.) So, he sent a Maratha officer of his household named Shambhuji Kavji with a pretended message to Hanumant Rao, who was then stabbed to death at a private interview, (about Oct. 1655.) The whole kingdom of Javli now passed intoShivaji's possession and he was free to invade South Konkan with ease or extend his dominion southward? into the Kolhapur district.
