194             REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES

the King of Golkonda invariably marches an army to the
frontiers, to show the Mogol not only that preparations
are made for internal defence, but that an ally is at hand
to assist Visapour, if driven to extremity. It appears like¬
wise that the government of Golkonda employs large sums
as bribes to the generals of the Mogol's army, who there¬
fore constantly give it as their opinion that Visapour
ought to be attacked rather than Golkonda, on account of
its greater proximity to Daulet-Abad. Indeed, after the
convention concluded, as we have seen, between Aureng-
Zebe and the present King of Golkonda, the former has no
great inducement to march troops into that kingdom,
which he probably considers as his own. It has been long
tributary to the Mogol, to whom it presents annually a
considerable quantity of hard cash, home-manufactured
articles of exquisite workmanship, and elephants imported
from Pegu, Siam, and Ceylon. There is now no fortress
between Daulet-Abad and Golkonda capable of ofl^ering any
resistance, and Aureng-Zebe feels confident, therefore, that
a single campaign would suffice to conquer the country.
In my own opinion, nothing has restrained him from
attempting that conquest but tlie apprehension of having
the Decan overrun by the King of Visapour, who knows
that if he permits his neighbour to fall, his own destruc¬
tion must be the necessary consequence.

From what I have said, some idea may be formed of
the present state of the King of Golkonda in relation to the
Mogol. There can be no doubt that his power is held
by a most uncertain tenure. Since the nefarious transac¬
tion in Golkonda,^ planned by Emir-Jemla and executed
by Aureng-Zebe, the King has lost all mental energy, and
has ceased to hold the reins of government. He never
appears in public to give audience and administer justice
according to the custom of the country; nor does he
venture outside the walls of the fortress of Golkonda.
Confusion and misrule are the natural and unavoidable
^ See p. l6, et seq.