Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c8.s5.15

v1.c8.s5.15

Bhāskar advanced on foot to the big tent of interview and was welcomed at its door by Jānakirām and Mustafa Khān. With him were 21 generals, the only absentee being Raghuji Gāikwād, who had always suspected Alivardi of treachery and on this day had stayed behind on the plea of illness. Besides these, there were some twenty other attendants of lower rank. The party began to walk up the carpeted floor of the tent towards the far end of it where the Nawāb was sitting on a dais with his officers. They had barely crossed one-fourth of the way, when the Nawāb, after satisfying himself that Bhāskar had really come, cried out, "Kill these wretched misbelievers." Then the Nawāb’s soldiers rushed out of their places of hiding in the wings, hemmed the Marātha visitors round and after some exchange of blows cut all of them down.