RISE OF THE MARATHAS 43

and successfully defended by Sir George Oxenden; and in 1671 he had levied heavy contributions on Surat and the Portuguese colony. Nor could the Moghul gov- ernors give any trustworthy protection, for Aurangzib's attention was distracted by a revolt in Afghanistan, which he was totally unable to put down, despite a 8IVAJI ON THE MARCH. long and arduous campaign. When he returned to the Deccan, he found his enemies stronger than before in the field. After Sivaji's death in 1680, his son Sambaji con- tinued the revolt; the imperial armies were gradually worn out by incessant warfare, by futile pursuits of an enemy that always avoided a decisive blow, and by the disorganization of the central government caused by the emperor's long absence from his capital upon