THE HISTORY OF KATHIAWAD certain amount of ill-feeling and jealousy arose against him. But he had before shown his capacity in dealing with the Marathas, and so was permitted to remain at Junagadh, in spite of the vigorous attempts made to supplant him. The choice, however, was fully justified, for in very troublous times the affairs of Sorath were managed with great skill and judgment, and Sher Khan became even friendly with the Maratha spoilers. During this time he had no opportunity for directing affairs at Gogha, and Bhavsinhji was enabled to consolidate his power and to encroach on Gogha territory without hin- drance. In A.D. 1739 he entered into an agreement with the Abyssinian Commander at Surat whereby he under- took to pay the Abyssinian 1J per cent, on the sea customs revenue of Bhavnagar port, and also to remit certain port and customs dues from Surat traders in return for protec- tion by sea. Both parties to the agreement further undertook to do their utmost to put down the piracy which existed in an aggravated form all round the coast of Saurashtra. Momin Khan, Viceroy of Gujarat, made one of his periodic incursions into Sorath in A.D. 1742 to collect tribute. At Gogha, where he first went, he met with no resistance, but Jam Tamachi of Nawanagar, as usual with the Jadej as, refused to pay. For twenty days he defied the Viceroy's army, but was then obliged to sur- render, and agreed to pay half a lakh of rupees. Jam Tamachi only survived a short time after Momin Khan's departure, for in A.D. 1743 he was murdered by Karan- sinhji Jhala of Wadhwan at the instigation of Jadeja Halaji of Pardhari, who had helped Jam Tamachi to regain Nawanagar sixteen years before. Halaji, who was a noted assassin, had become displeased with Jam Tamachi because he had been sent to his village, and had determined to revenge what he imagined to be his overlord's ingrati- tude. 128