near as to cut some of the bands by which the amari was fixed upon the elephant, hoping in that way to bring his antagonist to the earth; but the intrepidity and adroitness of Morâd-Bakche did not permit him to accomplish his object. Though wounded, and beset on all sides by the rajaputs, the Prince disdained to yield: he dealt his blows with terrible effect, throwing at the same time his shield over his son, a lad of seven years of age, seated at his side; and discharged an arrow with so unerring an aim that the Rajah fell dead on the spot.

"It was not long before Dara was made acquainted with the serious loss he had sustained; and hearing also that Morâd-Bakche was hemmed in by the rajaputs, rendered furious by the death of their master, he determined, notwithstanding every obstacle, to advance to the attack of that Prince; the only measure by which he could hope to repair the error committed in suffering Aurengzebe to escape: but even this step was rendered abortive by an act of treachery, which involved Dara in immediate and irretrievable ruin.

The

"Calil-ullah Khan, who commanded the right wing, consisting of thirty thousand Moguls, a force which alone was sufficient to destroy Aurengzebe's army, kept aloof from the engagement, while Dara, at the head of the left wing, fought with courage and success. traitor pretended that his division was designed for a corps of reserve, and that he could not, consistently with his orders, move one step, or discharge a single arrow, until the last extremity; but the blackest perfidy was the cause of his inaction.

"A few years prior to this period, Calil-ullah had suffered some indignity at the hands of Dara, and he considered the hour arrived when he might gratify the resentment which had never ceased to rankle in his bosom. His abstinence from all share in the battle did not, however, produce the mischief intended, Dara having proved victorious without the co-operation of the right wing. The traitor, therefore, had recourse to another expedient. He quitted his division, followed by a few persons, and riding with speed towards Dara, precisely at the moment when that Prince was hastening to assist in the downfal of Morad-Bakche, he exclaimed, while yet at some distance, 'Mohbarek-bad, Hazaret, Salamet, Elhamd-ul-ellah; May you be happy! May your Majesty enjoy health, and reign in safety! The victory is your own! But let me ask, why are you still mounted on this lofty elephant? Have you not been sufficiently exposed to danger? If one of the numberless arrows, or balls, which have pierced your canopy had touched your person, who can imagine the dreadful situation to which we should be reduced? In Heaven's name, descend quickly and mount your horse; nothing now remains but to pursue the fugitives with vigour. I entreat your Majesty, permit them not to escape.'

"Had Dara considered the consequences of quitting the back of his elephant, on which he had displayed so much valour, and served as a rallying point to the army, he would have become master of the empire; but the credulous Prince, duped by the artful obsequiousness of Calil-ullah, listened to his advice as though it had been sincere. He descended from the elephant, and mounted his horse; but a quarter of an hour had not elapsed when, suspecting the imposture, he inquired

impatiently for Calil-ullah. The villain, however, was not within his reach: he inveighed vehemently against that officer, and threatened him with death; but Dara's rage was now impotent, and his menace incapable of being executed. The troops having missed their Prince, a rumour quickly spread that he was killed and the army betrayed: an universal panic seized them; every man thought only of his own safety, and how to escape from the resentment of Aurengzebe. In a few minutes the army seemed disbanded, and (strange and sudden reverse!) the conqueror became the vanquished. Aurengzebe remained during a quarter of an hour steadily on his elephant, and was rewarded with the crown of Hindostan : Dara left his own elephant a few minutes too soon, and was hurled from the pinnacle of glory, to be numbered among the most miserable of princes:- -so short-sighted is man, and so mighty are the consequences which sometimes flow from the most trivial incident."

Aurengzebe combined the characters of the bigot and the hypocrite in a perfection unknown among less perfidious races; bold, austere, and calculating, he pretended to all the humble virtues of a devotee, while he pursued his worldly interests with the aid of great sagacity, intelligence, and penetration, and at the expense of every species of cruelty, treachery, and deceit. He had succeeded in joining his forces with those of his younger brother, by pretending to renounce all claims to the throne, in his favour, and to seek only for himself a life of religious seclusion. By this stratagem, and by a tissue of the most artful intrigues, he effectually imposed upon the rashness and impetuosity of his thoughtless brother, and availed himself of his troops to fight his own battles. When the victory was secure, and the aid of Morâd-Bakche no longer wanted, Aurengzebe, instead of fulfilling his promises and acting up to his professions, threw off the mask; but not till he had secured the person of his brother, whom he shortly afterwards led to an ignominious death. The last scene of duplicity, and the first of violence, as regards his brother, is thus told by Bernier :

"The feigned and fulsome adulation of Aurengzebe had indeed enchanted the unhappy Prince (Morâd-Bakche); and, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of his friends, he accepted an invitation from his brother for supper. The latter expected him, and had concerted his measures with Mirkhan and three or four other of his minions. MorâdBakche was greeted with even more external courtesy and respect than had been usual since Aurengzebe had marked him for his victim; tears of joy seemed to flow, and his brother wiped, with a gentle hand, the perspiration and dust from the face of the devoted and credulous Prince. During supper, the utmost good humour and conviviality apparently prevailed; the conversation was enlivening and incessant; and at the end of the repast, a large quantity of the delicious wines of Schiraz and Cabul was introduced. Aurengzebe then rose softly, and with a countenance that beamed affection and delight, said, I need not inform your Majesty of the serious turn of my mind, and that, as a

mussulman, I feel scruples which do not permit me to indulge in the pleasures of the table; but though I deem it my duty to retire, yet I leave you in excellent company. Mirkhan, and my other friends, will entertain your Majesty. An extravagant fondness for wine was among Morad-Bakche's foibles, and upon the present occasion, finding it peculiarly good, he drank to such excess that he became intoxicated, and fell into a deep sleep. This was precisely the effect which Aurengzebe intended the wine should produce. His servants were ordered to withdraw that their master might not be disturbed; and Mirkhan took away both his sword and jemder (poniard). It was not long before Aurengzebe came to rouse him from this disgraceful sleep. He entered the room, and pushing the inebriated prince rudely with his feet, until he opened his eyes, the arch hypocrite uttered his short and insolent reprimand. Oh, shame and infamy! Thou a king, and yet possessing so little discretion? What will the world now say of thee, and even of me? Let this wretched and drunken man be bound hand and foot, and dragged into the closet, there to sleep away his shame. The command was no sooner given than executed; five or six soldiers rushed upon Morâd-Bakche, and in spite of his cries and resistance, fetters and handcuffs were applied, and he was carried to his place of confinement. This violence could not be perpetrated without the knowledge, indistinct as it might be, of Morâd-Bakche's dependents, by whom he was attended; they wished to sound an alarm, and attempted to break into the apartment; but they were silenced and overawed by Allah-Couly, the chief officer in Morâd-Bakche's artillery, who had long been corrupted by the gold of Aurengzebe. Some agitation soon began, however, to manifest itself among the troops; and, to prevent the consequences of any sudden movement, emissaries were busily employed during the night in representing the occurrences in Aurengzebe's tent as perfectly trifling and unimportant: they were present (they pretended), and Morâd-Bakche having drunk to excess, had lost his self-possession, and made use of very intemperate language. There was no acquaintance upon whom he had not cast injurious reflections, and he had even loaded Aurengzebe himself with the foulest abuse. In short, he had grown so quarrelsome and ungovernable, that it became necessary to confine him apart: but in the morning, when recovered from his night's debauch, he would be again set at liberty. In the mean time, large bribes and larger promises were given to all the superior officers; the pay of the whole army was immediately augmented; and, as there were few who had not long foreseen the downfall of Morâd-Bakche, it is not surprising that when the day dawned scarcely a trace of the late partial commotion existed. Aurengzebe felt that he might venture to shut his brother up in a covered amari, a kind of closed house, in which women are carried on elephants; and in this manner the Prince was conveyed to Delhi, and incarcerated in the citadel of Slinger, which is situated in the middle of the river."

An order was ultimately given for his head, and the unhappy dupe was murdered in prison.

The fate of Dara, the elder brother, was equally melancholy.

After a signal defeat, Dara, deserted by his friends, and unable to assemble another army, fled to the mountains, and took refuge with a Patan chief, who betrayed him. M Bernier accidentally encountered him in his flight, and gives a description of the miserable circumstances of the princely fugitive.

"The miserable and devoted Dara, whose only chance of preservation was to regain Ahmedabâd, was constrained to pass through a long range of what might be considered hostile territory, destitute of tents and baggage. The country between Agimeer and Ahmedabâd consists almost entirely of territories belonging to Rajahs. The Prince was accompanied by two thousand men at most; the heat was intolerable; and the coolies followed him day and night, pillaging and assassinating so many of his soldiers that it became dangerous to separate even a few yards from the main body. These coolies are the peasantry of this part of the country, and are the greatest robbers, and altogether the most unprincipled people in Hindostan. Notwithstanding every obstruction, Dara contrived to advance within a days journey from Ahmedabâd, expecting to enter the city on the following day, and to assemble an army; but the hopes of the vanquished and unfortunate are seldom realized.

"The governor whom he had left in the castle of Ahmedabad, alarmed by the menaces, or allured by the promises of Aurengzebe, had basely deserted the cause of his master; and sent a letter to Dara by which he desired him not to advance nearer to the city, whose gates were shut, and whose inhabitants were armed to oppose his entrance. I had now been three days with Dara, whom I met on the road by the strangest chance imaginable; and, being destitute of any medical attendant, he compelled me to accompany him in the capacity of physician. The day preceding that on which he received the governor's communication, he expressed his fear lest I should be murdered by the coolies, and insisted upon my passing the night in his caravansary. The cords of the knates, or screens, which concealed his wife and women (for he was without even a tent), were fastened to the wheels of the carriage wherein I reposed. This may appear almost incredible to those who know how extremely jealous the great men of Hindostan are of their wives, and I mention the circumstance as a proof of the low condition to which the fortunes of the prince were reduced. It was at break of day that the governor's message was delivered, and the shrieks of the females drew tears from every eye. We were all overwhelmed with confusion and dismay, gazing in speechless horror at each other, at a loss what plan to recommend, and ignorant of the fate which perhaps awaited us from hour to hour. We observed Dara stepping out, more dead than alive, speaking now to one, then to another; stopping and consulting even the commonest soldier. He saw consternation depicted in every countenance, and felt assured that he should be left without a single follower; but what was to become of him? whither must he go? to delay his departure was to accelerate his ruin.

During the three days that I remained in this Prince's retinue, we marched, nearly without intermission, day and night: and so insup

portable was the heat, and so suffocating the dust, that of the three large oxen of Guzaret which drew my carriage, one had died, another was in a dying state, and the third was unable to proceed from fatigue. Dara felt anxious to retain me in his service, especially as one of his wives had a bad wound in her leg; yet neither his threats nor entreaties could procure for me a single horse, ox, or camel; so totally destitute of power and influence had he become! I remained behind therefore, because of the absolute impossibility of continuing the journey, and could not but weep when I beheld the Prince depart with a force diminished to four or five hundred horsemen. There were also a couple of elephants laden, it was said, with gold and silver. Dara, I understood, intended to take the road to Tatta, and under all circumstances this was not perhaps an unwise selection. There was indeed only a choice of appalling difficulties, and I could not cherish the hope that the Prince would succeed in crossing the sandy desert which separated him from Tatta. In fact, nearly the whole of the men, and many of the women, did perish; some dying of thirst, hunger, or fatigue, while others were killed by the hands of the merciless coolies. Happy would it have been for Dara had he not himself survived this perilous march! but he struggled through every obstacle, and reached the territory of Rajah-Kutch."

Hence he proceeded to the territory of Jehan-Khan, a man whose life he had twice saved, when condemned for rebellion to be thrown under the elephants' feet. The base ingratitude of this man, and the conclusion of the tragedy, are thus forcibly but simply narrated by Bernier.

"The Patan having assembled, during the night, a considerable number of armed men, seized this gold, together with the women's jewels, and fell upon Dara and Sipper Shekô, killed the persons who attempted to defend them, and tied the Prince on the back of an elephant. The public executioner was ordered to sit behind, for the purpose of cutting off his head, upon the first appearance of resistance, either on his own part or on that of any of his adherents; and in this degrading posture Dara was carried to the army before Tatta, and delivered into the hands of Mir-Baba. This officer then commanded Jihon-Khan to proceed with his prisoner, first to Lahore, and afterwards to Delhi.

"When the unhappy Prince was brought to the gates of Delhi, it became a question with Aurengzebe whether, in conducting him to the fortress of Gualior, he should be made to pass through the capital. It was the opinion of some courtiers that this was by all means to be avoided, because not only would such an exhibition be derogatory to the royal family, but it might become the signal for revolt, and the rescue of Dara might be successfully attempted. Others maintained, on the contrary, that he ought to be seen by the whole city; that it was necessary to strike the people with terror and astonishment, and to impress their minds with an idea of the absolute and irresistible power of Aurengzebe. It was also advisable, they added, to undeceive the omrahs and the people, who still entertained doubts of Dara's captivity, and to extinguish at once the hopes of his secret partisans.