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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[DECEMBER, 1927
marauders, by reason of the vigorous resistance which they offered, and by means of the cannon which they levelled, the effects of which Sivaji did not want to try, as he had no cannon himself.
Neither did this Rajab desire to risk attacking the castle, though he was well aware that they had stored all the most valuable things there, in particular a large amount of ready cash. He feared that this attack would cost him too much time, and that the reinforcements which might come, would compel him to abandon the booty he had secured in the city : besides, as the castle had a means of defending itself, his victory there would not have been so profitable as in the case of the remaining part. He therefore decided to retire with all the riches he had amassed. It is believed in Surat that this Rajah carried off more than thirty millions in jewels, gold or silver : in one Bania's house alone he found twenty-two pounds of strung pearls, as well as a large quantity of others which were not yet pierced.
By the way, it would be astonishing that so populous a city should so patiently have allowed a handful of men to pillage it, if one did not know that, for the most part, the Indians are cowardly. No sooner did they see Sivaji with his band, than they all fled, some to the country to retire to Baroche, and the others to the castle, where the Governor of the City was among the first to take refuge. Indeed, the European Christians, who had stayed firm in their quarters, were the only people who saved themselves. All the rest of the city was pillaged, except the Capuchin monastery. When the pillagers were opposite their convent, they passed by; and they had received orders from their chief to act in this way, because, on the evening of the first day, Father Ambrose, the Superior of the Capuchins, moved to compassion for the poor Christians resident in Surat, had approached this Rajah, and had spoken to him in their favour asking him at least to do no injury to their persons. Sivaji respected him : he took him under his protection, and granted him his request for the Christians.
The Great Mogul was much affected by the pillage of this city, and the boldness of Sivaji ; but as his affairs did not permit of his pursuing him then and there, he dissimulated the grief that this attack caused him, and postponed his revenge.
In 1666 Aurangzeb urgently desired to be rid of him, and to gain his ends, he pretended to approve of what Sivaji had done, and praised his action as that of a gallant man, putting the blame on the Governor of Surat, who had not had the courage to oppose him. He thus explained himself before the other rajahs of the Court, among whom he well knew that Sivaji had many friends, and he gave them to understand that, as he esteemed the valour of this Rajah, he wished him to come to the Court, and he said plainly that he would be glad if someone would make this known to Sivaji. He even asked one of them to write to him, and he gave his royal word that no harm would be done to him, that he could come to the Court in all security, that he, the emperor, would forget the past, and that his troops would be so well treated that he would have no cause for complaint. Several rajahs wrote what the king had said, and went in person as surety for his word : and thus he had no objection to coming to the Court with his son, after having commanded his troops to be always on their guard, under a skilful captain whom he left at the head of them.
At first he received all manner of caresses at the Court, but some months afterwards, perceiving the coldness in the king's manner towards him, he complained openly of it, and told him without hesitation that he believed the king desired his, Sivaji's, death, though he had come to the Court on the strength of the king's royal parole, without having been under any constraint or necessity to do so ; but that His Majesty could learn from Shasta Khan and from the Governor of Surat, what manner of man he was, and that, if he was to perish, there would be those who would avenge his death ; but in the meantime, before they could kill him, he wished to die by his own hand; and, drawing his dagger, he attempted suicide ; but he was prevented, and watch was kept over him.
The king would have gladly killed him, but he feared that the rajahs would rise against him. They were already murmuring at the treatment which was being meted out to Sivaji
