and every day saw fresh additions to the strength of the rioters.
Aurangzíb saw that his troops were demoralized by fear of the enemy's supposed magic, and he resolved to counteract witchcraft by holy charms. He wrote some pious texts, and had them sewn to his banners. To him, the device probably meant no more than the expression of his zeal: 'In the name of the Lord will I destroy them.' But to his soldiers the blessed words from the Korán were sure amulets against the sorcery of the enemy. Led by Persian nobles, always keen to do battle with Hindús, the imperial troops fell upon the badly armed rebels like avenging zealots, and soon the conflict became a massacre. The Satnámís fought with the courage of despair and the exaltation of martyrs, but the end was not doubtful: thousands were slain; and the insurrection was suppressed.
It is very difficult to trace the cause and effect of Aurangzíb's successive steps in his reactionary policy towards the Hindús. In the eleventh year of his reign he suddenly put a stop to the system of official chronicles, which had been minutely recorded by historiographers royal since the time of Akbar. Now, it was strictly forbidden to write any chronicles at all, and those that have come down to us were recorded in secret, or merely treasured in the memory, and have all the confusion and fragmentary character of haphazard reminiscences. There are probably several links missing in the chain of events which connected
