permanently recruited, though they were given fields in the neighbourhood. The number of the silahdars who hired themselves and their horses out to him varied greatly from year to year, according to his need, their expectation of plunder in the impending campaign, and the demand for their services in the neighbouring States at a particular time. In the earlier stages of his career, local chieftains with their retainers used to join him in his raids (e.g., Surat,
1664) and swell his army by the adhesion of a body of irregulars. But he soon learnt to do without such allies of dubious military value.
His elephants numbered 1,260, according to Sabhasad (p. 97); but T. S. gives 125 and Chit. 300, which are more likely figures. The camels were 3,000 (T. S.) or 1,500 (Chit.) The number of his artillery-pieces is not mentioned. Chitnis (a doubtful authority) tells us that 200 guns were kept ready for field service and the rest were placed in the forts. Each piece of ordnance had some elephants and a battalion of infantry attached to it.
§4. Council of Eight Ministers.
His earliest administrative Council, in the days of Dadaji Kond-dev, was composed of four officers only, viz., the Peshwa, the Majmuadar, the Dabir, and the Sabnis (Sabh. 7.) When, in 1647, Shiva became his own master, he added a commander-in- chief {Sar-i-naubat) and a second Dabir to the above four (Sabh. 8.) In 1655, after the conquest of Javli
