on seeing him enter alone, attended by some of the ‘men at arms,’ stared at each other, and asked “What had become of Bijai Singh?”—“_Hamare pet men_,” 'in my belly'! was the reply. “We are both the sons of Bishan Singh, and I the eldest. If it is your wish that he should rule, then slay me and bring him forth. For you I have forfeited my faith, for should Bijai Singh have introduced, as he assuredly would, your enemies and mine, you must have perished.” Hearing this, the chiefs were amazed; but there was no remedy, and they left the palace in silence. Outside were encamped six thousand imperial horse, furnished by the wazir as the escort of Bijai Singh, whose commander demanded what had become of their trust. Jai Singh replied, “It was no affair of theirs,” and desired them to be gone, “or he would request their horses of them.” They had no alternative but to retrace their steps, and thus was Bijai Singh made prisoner.[9.2.22] Whatever opinion the moralist may attach to this specimen of 'the hundred and nine _gun_' of the royal astronomer of Amber, which might rather be styled _guna_[9.2.23] (vice) than _gun_ (virtue), no one will deny that it was done in a most masterly manner, and where _chal_ or stratagem is a necessary expedient, did honour to the talents of Jai Singh and the Nazir, who alone, says the narrative, were accessory to the plot. In this instance, moreover, it was perfectly justifiable; for with the means and influence of the wazir to support him, Bijai Singh must, sooner or later, have supplanted his brother. The fate of Bijai Singh is not stated. =Services of Jai Singh to Jaipur State.=—The Kachhwaha State, as well as its capital, owes everything to Jai Singh: before his time, it had little political weight beyond that which it acquired from the personal character of its princes, and their estimation at the Mogul court. Yet, notwithstanding the intimate connexion which existed between the Amber Rajas and the imperial family, from Babur to Aurangzeb, their patrimonial estates had been very little enlarged since Pajun, the contemporary of the last Rajput emperor of Delhi. Nor was it till [364] the troubles which ensued on the demise of Aurangzeb, when the empire was eventually partitioned, that Amber was entitled to the name of a _raj_. During those troubles, Jai Singh’s power as the king’s lieutenant in Agra, which embraced his hereditary domains, gave him ample opportunity to enlarge and consolidate his territory. The manner in which he possessed himself of the independent districts of Deoti and Rajor,[9.2.24] affords an additional insight into the national character, and that of this prince.