themselves four miles from the besiegers' camp and molested them at night by the discharge of
rockets, the favourite fire-arm of the Deccanis
and especially of the Marathas. Expert in partisan
warfare, they effectually closed the path for the
coming of provisions and couriers. The Mughal
army could not be fed unless its food supply
was sent under strong escort. Once Mahabat
Khan himself on escort duty was hemmed round
by the enemy at a place 10 miles
north-east of Kaliani. The
Mahabat Khan's battle with the Bijapuris:
small Mughal detachment of
2,000 was outnumbered as ten to one, but stood
its ground heroically. The battle raged long and
fiercely. "The field was obscured by the smoke
of artillery and muskets, and the dust raised by
horses' hoofs. Fathers could not look after their
sons," as the Mughal annalist writes. The brunt
of the battle fell on the Rajputs. The horsemen
of Khan Muhammad burst in vain upon the
granite wall of Rao Chhatra Sal and his Hada
clansmen. Rajah Rai Singh Sisodia, assaulted
by the sons of Bahlol Khan of Bijapur, was
wounded and unhorsed in the press of the enemy.
Sivaram, the captain of the Maharana's contingent, was slain with many followers of Rai Singh. Barhamdeo and others, as is the wont of Rajputs in desperate straits, dismounted, drew
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HISTORY OF AURANGZIB.
[CHAP. XI.
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