WESTERN HINDOOSTAN. 



By the light of the fire the imperial army faw the barbarous 

 rites, and entered the deferted breaches, led on by Akbar. The 

 Raipoots, devoting themfelves to death, retired to their temples. 

 The vidlor ordered three hundred elephants of war to be intro- 

 duced to tread to death the gallant victims. The fcene became 

 now too fhocking to be defcribed. Brave men, rendered more 

 valiant by defpair, crouded round the elephants, feized them 

 even by the tullvS, and inflidted on them unavailing wounds. 

 The terrible animals trod the Indians like grafshoppers under 

 their feet, or winding them in their powerful trunks toffed them 

 into the air, or dallied them to pieces againft the walls and 

 pavements. Of the garrifon and of the inhabitants, who 

 amounted to forty thoufand, thirty thoufand were flain ; a few 

 only efcaped in the confulion, by tying their own children like 

 captives, and driving them through the royal camp *. 



Sir I'bofnas Roe paffed through it in his way to Agimere, in 

 1612, and gives the following melancholy account of it's then 

 ftate : " Cytor is an antient ruined city, on a hill, but fliews the 

 ** footfteps of wonderful magnificence. There are ftill (landing 

 *' above a hundred churches, all of carved ftone, many fair 

 *' towers and lanthorns, many pillars, and innumerable houfes, 

 *' but not one inhabitant. There is but one fteep afcent cut 

 " out of the rock, and four gates in the afcent before you come 

 *' to the city gate, which is magnificent. The hill is enclofed 

 *< at the top for about eight cofles, and at the fouth-weft end is 

 *' a goodly caftlel." 



Let not this, or feveral other inftances of unprincely barba- 

 rity, be attributed to the influence of climate. The greateft 



* Dow's Feriflita, ii. 276, f Churchill's Coll. i. p. 770. 812. 



Vol. I. I monarchs, 



57 



