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rich harvest of gold, jewels, and stuffs, brought to the shrine of the saint by pious pilgrims. Another sign of the instability of his rule awaited him at Delhi, for he found that a state prisoner had eluded the vigilance of the governor, and that the governor, apprehensive of the imperial displeasure, had quitted the city, and broken into rebellion. Nor, even when he reached Agra, did more reassuring tidings await him. The country about Kanauj was in a state of rebellion, and it was clear to him that many of his nobles could not be trusted. In this emergency he marched to Bhojpur, in the Rai Bareli district, thence to Rai Bareli. There he learned that the rebels had crossed the Ganges with the object of proceeding towards Kalpi. There had been heavy {104} rains and the country was flooded, but Akbar, eager for action, despatched his main forces to Karrah whilst he hastened with a body of chosen troops to Manikpur, midway between Partabgarh and Allahabad. There he crossed the river on an elephant, pushed on with great celerity, caught the rebels at the village of Manikpur, and completely defeated them. The principal leaders of the revolt were killed during or after the battle. From the battle-field, Akbar marched to Allahabad, then called by its ancient name of Pryaga. After a visit to Benares and to Jaunpur, in the course of which he settled the country, he returned to Agra. Deeming his eastern territories now secure, Akbar turned his attention to Rajputana. The most ancient of all the rulers of the kingdoms in that large division of Western India was Udai Singh, Rana of Mewar, a man possessing a character in which weakness was combined with great obstinacy. His principal stronghold was the famous fortress of Chitor, a fortress which had indeed succumbed to Allah-ud-din Khilji in 1303, but which had regained the reputation of being impregnable. It stands on a high oblong hill above the river Banas, the outer wall of the fortifications adapting itself to the shape of the hill. It was defended by an army of about seven thousand Rajputs, good soldiers, and commanded by a true and loyal captain. It was supplied with provisions and abundance of water, and was in all respects able to stand a long siege. {105} Akbar himself sat down before the fortress, whilst he sent another body of troops to make conquests in the vicinity, for the Rana, despairing of success, had fled to the jungles. But if he pressed the siege vigo
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