bar, however, by a skilful disposition of
his forces, compelled their submission, and received them back to
favour. In the course of this year the imperial generals had {102}
taken the fortress of Rotas, in Behar, and ambassadors, sent on a
mission to the king of Orissa, had returned laden with splendid
presents.

The spring of the year 1566 found the Emperor back at Agra. The
native historians record that in these times of peace his great
delight was to spend the evening in the game of chaugan. Chaugan is
the modern polo, which was carried to Europe from India. But Akbar,
whilst playing it in the daytime in the manner in which it is now
played all over the world, devised a method of playing it on the dark
nights which supervene so quickly on the daylight in India. For this
purpose he had balls made of palas wood--a wood which is very light
and which burns for a long time, and set them on fire. He had the
credit of being the keenest chaugan-player of his time.

From this pleasure Akbar was roused by the news of successful
rebellions at Kabul and at Lahore. He marched with all haste towards
the close of the year in the direction of the Sutlej, reached Delhi
in ten days; thence marched to Sirhind; and thence joyfully to
Lahore. Thence he despatched his generals to drive the rebels across
the Indus. This they accomplished, and returned. The troubles at
Kabul were at the same time appeased: but, as a counter-irritant, the
absence of the Emperor so far in the north-west brought about
rebellion at Jaunpur. It was clear that up to this time--the end of
1566--Akbar had been unable successfully to grapple with the
important question how to establish a permanent {103} government in
Hindustan. The eleventh year of his reign, counting from the battle
of Panipat, was now closing, and he had fixed so few roots in the
soil that it was certain that, should a fatal accident befall him,
the succession would again be decided by the sword. The beginning of
the year 1567 found him still at Lahore, engaged in hunting and
similar pleasures. He was roused from these diversions by the
intelligence that the Uzbek nobles whom he had pardoned, had taken
advantage of his absence to break out again. Accordingly he quitted
Lahore on the 22nd of March, and began his return-march to Agra. On
reaching Thuneswar, in Sirhind, he was greatly entertained by a fight
between two sects of Hindu devotees, the Jogis and the Suniasis, for
the possession of the