Early in the night the Rajah sent his own retainers up by a track which they had discovered
for reaching the top. He himself followed them
at some distance and piled up a shelter of stones
in the hillside as his own station. The supports
marched towards the Ali Qabi gate, while their
leader, Baqi Khan, with 300 men from among
Aurangzib's retainers, joined the Rajah. The
success of this hazardous enterprise depended on
silence and secrecy. But the Mughals bungled.
Indian troops are not accustomed to silent work
at night, especially in a hilly region. The
supporting body was too large and too variously
composed to be led on smoothly and noiselessly.
There was some disagreement between Rajrup
and an Imperial officer named Muzaffar Husain,
and words were exchanged.mismanaged, This created a loud
noise. The enemy got the alarm
and stood on their defence. A surprise was no longer possible in the face of
alert defenders, by men climbing up a narrow
hill-track in single file. About three hours before
daybreak the moon rose and took away the last
chance of Mughal success. Soon afterwards,
news came to the Rajah, who had been anxiously waiting so long in his stone shelter on the
hillside, that his troops had found the defenders
of the fort on the summit awake at one place
Page:History of Aurangzib (based on original sources) Vol 1.djvu/185
CHAP. VIII.]
NIGHT ATTACK FAILS.
155