Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c38.s9.1

v3.c38.s9.1

However, he resumed his march after the Dasahārā (24th Sep.) and crossed the swollen Chambal river with some difficulty and delay. The fort of Dholpur, then held for Muhammad Beg, quickly capitulated to his incomparably superior force, and he moved about taking possession of the districts of Dholpur and Bāri, driving away Hamadāni’s collectors by the terror of his might and appointing his own agents everywhere. These two districts were fertile and had a standard revenue of five or six lakhs of Rupees. Afrāsiyāb had hoped that Sindhia would be content to act as his cat’s paw, wrest these districts from Hamadāni and then hand them over to him. But when the Maratha chief refused to disgorge his gains, a rupture between the two seemed imminent. Sindhia rightly argued that as he had come there at the Emperor’s call, the regent must pay the salary of his vast force; but Himmat Bahadur, who was the Delhi Government’s agent at his Court, frankly told him that Afrāsiyāb had no money and his own troops were being ruined by his insolvency. These districts were the only assets that Mahadji could lay his hands on. A truce was, however, patched up by the Gosain, and Sindhia agreed to release the districts. He then advanced to Rupbās, nine miles south-west of Fathpur-Sikri, which had been selected as his halting place (22nd October), and there waited for his ally to come and mature the pact.