boundless ambition and consummate hypocrisy, paused to make his blow more sure: he levied forces, but not, he professed, to promote any ambitious designs of his own. With characteristic craftiness, he assured his brother Morad that his own views were directed to heaven, and not to a throne; but Dara, he declared, was unfit for sovereignty, while Shoojawas a heretic, and, consequently, unworthy of the crown. Under these circumstances, he was anxious to assist Morad in ascending the throne, after which he should retire to spend the remainder of his life in the exercise of devotion; and Morad being entirely deceived by these professions, a junction of their forces was determined upon.
Not long afterwards, an action took place between these united forces and the troops of Dara. The conflict was obstinate, and the result for a long time doubtful; but the victory was ultimately decided by one of those accidents which have so often determined the fate of armies, and of nations. Dara, from some cause or other, dismounted from an elephant which had borne him throughout the day; and his remaining troops, seeing the elephant retreating with the imperial standard, and missing the prince from the situation which he had previously occupied, concluded that he was slain. Dara, to counteract this impression, mounted a horse; but it was only to discover that he was deserted by his followers, who, panic-struck by the supposed loss of their general, had precipitately fled, leaving Aurungzebe, to his great surprise, master of the field.
The next object of Aurungzebe was to obtain possession of his father's person, in which, by his superior craft, he ultimately succeeded. He then saluted Morad as Emperor, and gravely solicited permission to make a pilgrimage to Mecca; but while the latter was congratulating himself on his easy acquirement of the throne, he was suddenly placed in confinement by Aurungzebe, who, "at the earnest solicitation of several friends," himself assumed the imperial title.
