his
capital, and had fled to the jungles of Rajpipla, and there had died
in 1572.

His son, Partap Singh, inherited all his obstinacy, and many of the
noble qualities of his grandfather, the famous Sanga Rana. Without a
capital, without resources, his kindred and clansmen dispirited by
the reverses of his house, yet sympathising with him in his refusal
to ally himself with a Muhammadan, Partap Singh had established
himself at Kombalmir, in the Aravallis, and had endeavoured to
organise the country for a renewed struggle. Some {125} information
of his plans seems to have reached the ears of Akbar whilst he was
paying his annual visit to Ajmere in 1576-7, and he despatched his
most trusted general, also a Rajput, the Man Singh of Jaipur, whom we
have seen fighting by his side in Gujarat, with five thousand horse,
to beat him up. The two opposing forces met at Huldighat, called also
Gogandah, in December 1576. The battle which followed terminated in
the complete defeat of the Rana, who, when the day was lost, fled to
the Aravalli hills. To deprive him of all possible resources Akbar
despatched a party into the hills, with instructions to lay waste the
country whilst pursuing. Akbar himself entered Mewar, arranged the
mode of its administration; then proceeded to Malwa, encamped on its
western frontier, arranged the administration of the territories
dependent upon the city of Burhanpur, and improved that of Gujarat.
To these matters he devoted the years 1577-8. He then marched for the
Punjab.

A circumstance, interesting to the people who now hold supreme sway
in India, occurred to the Emperor on his way to the Punjab. He had
reached Delhi, and had even proceeded a march beyond it, when a
certain Haji[2] who had visited Europe, 'brought with him fine goods
and fabrics for his Majesty's inspection.' The chronicler does not
state more on the subject than the extract I have made, and we are
left to imagine the part of Europe whence the fabrics came, and the
impression they made. Akbar stayed but a short time {126} in the
Punjab, then returned to Delhi, paid then his annual visit to Ajmere,
and stopping there but one night, rode, accompanied by but nine
persons, at the rate of over a hundred miles a day to Fatehpur-Sikri,
arriving there the evening of the third day.

[Footnote 2: A Haji is a Musalman who has made the pilgrimage to
Mekka.]

The following year, 1580, was remarkable for the fact that the empire
attained th