Page:Shivaji and His Times.djvu/332

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312
SHIVAJI.
[CH. XI.


the Maharajah's men returned disappointed," as the Marathi chronicler puts it. (Shivadigvijay, 195.)

§ 9. Naval war, 1676-1680.

The rest of the struggle with the Siddis is given below in a summary form, on the basis of Orme's narrative (Frag., 55-88) compiled from the English factory records, which I have supplemented by a reference to some additional records in the India Office, London.

In May 1676, Siddi Sambal who had quarrelled with the Mughal Government was dismissed and his post of imperial admiral was given to Siddi Qasim, with the governorship of Danda-Rajpuri. Qasim halted at Bombay on his way to his new headquarters. But Sambal delayed handing over the fleet to his successor. He cruised along Shivaji's coast (in October) burning Jaitapur (at the mouth of the Rajapur river) in December, but was prevented from advancing further inland and returned to Janjira, where Qasim had already raised the Maratha siege under Moro Pant.

Early in 1677 strict orders came from Delhi that the fleet must be delivered to Qasim. But Sambal put off obeying the order for many months, till the rival Siddi admirals who were living in Bombay came to blows, and finally through the mediation of the English Council the quarrel was settled, and Qasim was installed as admiral, at the end of October. Sambal in disgust transferred his services