The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c12.2

c12.2

SHIVAJI relied for his success on the secrecy and quick execution of his plans. His army was kept in constant readiness to cover the longest distance at the shortest notice. Speed and personal comfort could not very well be contrived together in those days. Shivaji and his men, therefore, had to accustom themselves to ‘Fare Hard and Journey Fast’. They must have slept under the stars on their way to Surat in 1673, for they had no tents with them. During the Karnatak expedition the army carried only two small tents. These afforded shelter and some comfort to Shivaji and his principal officers,¹ but his men must have been left to shift for themselves as best they could. They did not burden themselves with anything above the barest necessities and these were very few. But even the iron physique of the hardy Maratha leader demanded at times some relaxation, and when he was not pressed for time he would change his horse for a palanquin, in which comfortable conveyance his officers also occasionally indulged.¹ This is all that we know about his marches. Lightly equipped, without any tent, without any camp equipage, unencumbered by field artillery, he and his men moved from place to place with such incredible speed that his bewildered victims credited him with the knowledge of the black art.²