Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c47.s4.20

v4.c47.s4.20

The Rajas now began, for the first time, to hire foreign mercenaries, who were popularly called Sindhis, but lived exactly like the *condottieri* of Italy in the Middle Ages. "These hired bands were entirely composed of infantry, having a slight knowledge of European tactics. . . . These guards were composed either of Purbiā Rajputs (*i.e.*, Oudh and Buxar men), Sindhis, Arabs or Rohillas." (Tod, ii. Marwar, ch. xiii.) A little later, following the example of Sindhia and Holkar, even Jaipur and Kotā engaged French mercenary captains and ordered them to raise trained battalions, but with no real success. These men could not rival De Boigne's achievement, and their inefficient troops, by their heavy pay-bill, only increased their Raja's insolvency and disorder in his realm.