wa's cousin, Sadasheo Bhao, and Holkar and Sindhia were with him. The Afghans and Moghuls numbered about 53,000 horse, Afghan, Persian, and Indian, and less than 40,000 infantry, partly Rohillas under Najib; but their field-pieces were very inferior to the Marathas' guns. Too weak to attack, the Moslem army intrenched itself over against the Hindus, and for two months the opposing forces that were contending for the crown of India, watched each other narrowly. Famine soon began to make itself felt, but Ahmad Shah refused to force an action. He knew that the Deccan wolves were suffering even more than his Patans and were even opening negotiations for peace with the nawab-vizir, although the Afghan king, strongly urged by Najib, refused all compromise.
At last the Bhao declared that the cup was full to the brim and could not hold another drop; the time for negotiation was past, and the starved Hindus, smeared with turmeric, rushed upon the Afghan army. For a time it looked as if Hinduism had triumphed. The Rohillas suffered tremendously; the vizir could hardly hold his ground; the Moslems were skulking or flying. Ahmad Shah, who was watching the battle from his red tent, saw that the time had come to order up his reserves. He rallied the fugitives, cut down all who would not return to the fight, and sent his mailed reserve, 10,000 strong, to support the vizir and charge upon the enemy in close order. The effect of this heavy charge at the close of an exhausting battle was supreme. The Marathas gave way, the Bhao was
