New History of the Marathas v1.c17.73

v1.c17.73

Sambhājī’s vicious and intemperate habits must also have disgusted the Shahzada, so that a severe estrangement came about between them. Akbar was fed up with the miserable life of a wandering fugitive in an inhospitable land, with no brighter prospect. For three years in succession rumours of Sambhājī and Akbar going to start on a raid on Surat, struck terror into the hearts of the people of Gujarat. Kalusha and Akbar kept constantly moving between Kolhāpur, Rājapur, Vengurla and Sangameshwar, as these places repeatedly occur in the letters of those days. Some disaffected servants and commanders of Aurangzeb continued to help Akbar secretly. A few glimpses of Akbar's life are available in Sir Jadunath's House of Shivaji. On 17 February 1683, the following news reached the Emperor through his spies. “The ‘rebel’ (Akbar) had newly enlisted 2000 horse and two thousand foot. Their salary is paid by the ‘wretch’ (Sambhājī). The ‘rebel’ made a Hindu dancing girl Muslim and kept her in his harem and gave her the pearl necklace and other things presented to him (by the Maratha king). When the news of it reached to (the) ‘wretch,’ he sent to the ‘rebel’ to say, “I had offered the necklace and other things for your royal use.” The ‘rebel’ replied, “I am an Emperor's son and shall do as I like.” Thereupon the ‘wretch’ sent him a message to send back the troops he had under him. Thus the ‘rebel’ finding himself helpless, set fire to his house, assumed the guise of a faqir and started for Goa. Then the ‘wretch’ wrote to the Portuguese not to let the ‘rebel’ enter their territory. For this reason they kept him out. So the ‘rebel’ has turned back and taken his abode at the place where he formerly used to remain.”