Travels in the Mogul Empire (Bernier) 2.16.7

2.16.7

The most likely method of attaining that object was, he conceived, to negotiate with the Raja of Serenaguer, through the medium of Jesseingue : who accordingly wrote to him letter upon letter promising the most splendid remuneration if he delivered up Soliman-Chekouh, and threatening the severest punishment should he refuse to comply. The Raja answered that the loss of his whole territory would affect him less than the idea that he had been guilty of so base and ungenerous an action. When it became evident that neither solicitation nor menace could move the Raja from the path of honour and rectitude, Aureng-Zebe marched his army to the foot of the mountains, and there employed an immense number of pioneers in levelling huge rocks and widening narrow ways: but the Raja laughed at these vain and puerile attempts to gain an ingress into his country; the mountains would have been inaccessible though assailed by the armies of four such countries as Hindoustan; so that after all this display of impotent resentment, the army was withdrawn.