The guards round the house were presently surprised to notice how cheerful and happy Shivaji had become. He joked with the soldiers on duty, sent presents to the officers and constantly remarked how healthy he found the climate of Agra—pleasantly dry after the depressing dampness of his native hills—how grateful he was for the Emperor’s gifts of fruit and sweetmeats, and what a real relief it was to be rid of the endless round of statecraft and diplomacy, to be at ease as a gentleman of leisure in this delightful city of the civilised north.
