CHAPTER XI.
THE SEIZURE AND SUICIDE OF SULTÁN MUZAFFIR, THE PILGRIMAGE OF MÍRZÁ AZÍZ KOKÁ TO MEKKA; THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PRINCE SULTÁN MORÁD, WITH SÚRJ SINGH AS HIS DEPUTY, SUCCEEDED BY THAT OF MÍRZÁ AZÍZ KOKÁ, ON HIS RETURN FROM THE PIL­GRIMAGE, AND THE DEATH OF AKBAR.

As Mírzá Azíz Koká, after capturing Júna­garh, made every possible endeavour to discover the retreat of Muzaffir, intelligence was at length received that this unfortunate had taken refuge with the landholder of Haraw,* in the territory of Dwarka. He therefore sent a suitable force in search of the fugitive, and gave command of the same to Naorang Khán, who was accompa­nied by Gujar Khán, Nizámu-d-dín Ahmad Bakhshí, and Mohammed Anwar, the son of Mírzá Azíz Koká. These commanders, after arriving at Dwarka, took the place, and established a mosque; and, having there left a party of troops, marched in pursuit of Muzaffir. But, as the landholder of that part had heard of the expedition, he conveyed Muzaffir by sea to a for­tified island, and went along with him. The Imperialists followed the enemy, who now made a stand on ground where cavalry could not act; but the troops of the former dismounted and engaged their opponents. Many of the latter were slain; and, as the landholder had been at this time killed by an arrow, Muzaffir, much distressed and perplexed, took refuge with the Bharah Zamíndár of Kach.

When intelligence of these events was brought to Mírzá Azíz Koká, then at Júnagarh, he sent another force to that quarter, and gave com­mand of it to his son, Abdullah. The Jám, in token of submission and good wishes, met the latter on the way, and, having indicated a wish to be received with favour by the imperial government, concluded a treaty. The Zamíndár of Kach also sent his agents, who agreed to send the son of their master to the imperial camp; but, as Mírza Azíz Koká, who would not favourably receive this proposition, told them that if they had any real intention of serving the imperial government, or wish to be received into favour, they must deliver up Muzaffir to the servants of the latter. An attempt was made to procrastinate and deceive; but, as Mírzá Azíz Koká had yielded up some territory to the Jám, a force was in the mean time sent to assist him in this matter; and he, being afraid of the consequences, sent to say that he would deliver up Muzaffir, provided the parganah of Murbí, which had been formerly part of his territory, was given to him as a reward for his services. Mírzá Azíz Koká gladly accepted his proposal; and a party, detached for the purpose of seizing Muzaffir, was guided to the spot by the Jám, who sent on a messenger to say that the Bharah Zamíndár was about to pay him a visit; when the latter, coming out to meet him, having been surrounded by the men of the detachment, was made a prisoner.

The party, after thus accomplishing the object for which it had been sent, hastened to return, and marched all night with their prisoners; who, when morning dawned, having alighted for a little, retired behind a tree under some pretext, and cut his throat with a razor, which had been kept concealed in his pocket. He thus liberated himself from the contentions of this world; and, such was the celerity with which the act was accomplished, that, in the time it could have been known he was dead, Mírzá Azíz Koká sent his head to Court along with Nizámu-d-dín Bakhshí. These events happened at Dharrol, fifteen koss from Murbí.

When the news of Muzaffir's death, and the capture of Júnagarh, reached the ear of Akbar, an affectionate order, recalling Mírzá Azíz Koká, was issued. Notwithstanding the latter had done such service, he could not, for various reasons and suspicions, make up his mind to go to Court; and excused himself, by saying that he intended to take Diú from the Portuguese. Having first permitted Naorang Khán, Gujar Khán, and Khoájah Ashraf, with others of the nobles, to return to their jágírs, he at the same time wrote to the commanders at the different sea-ports, that they must prevent the merchants from trading to the harbour of Diú; in order that, by thus reducing the Portuguese to extremity, they might procure for him a licence to go to sea. He at the same time sent to the Bharah Zamíndár and the Jám, saying that he intended to return to Court by way of Sind. After his arrival at Somnáth, he confined Mír Abdu-r-Rizzák Bakhshí and Sayyid Báyázíd Díwán, but on what account the author is not aware; and at this time a letter of licence to go to sea was received from the Portuguese. In

A. Hij. 1001,
A.D. 1592.

the year of the Hijra 1001, A.D. 1592, having embarked with his family, and about one hundred followers, he sailed from Biláwal Patan, in a vessel called the Ilahí, with the intention of making the pilgrimage to Mekka. On the day he went on shipboard, the whole of the troops had been drawn out in line; and the great drums were sounding, when Mírzá Azíz Koká bade his companions farewell with tears in his eyes. He at the same time released the persons he had confined, and asked them for forgiveness. Akbar, on hearing of these things, was greatly vexed; but, after conferring the rank of one thousand horse on the Mírzá's eldest son, then at Court, and giving to another that of five hundred, he entrusted the govern­ment of Gujarát to the Prince Sultán Morád Bakht.

As the prince had been appointed to the government of the Dekhan, previous to these events, and had delayed taking charge of it, in endeavouring to assemble troops in Málwa, Gujarát was now granted him in place of the other. He at the same time received instruc­tions to leave Málwa and go to Ahmadábád, whence he was to lead the troops of both provinces into the Dekhan, and endeavour to mend the state of affairs in that quarter.

A. Hij. 1002,
A.D. 1593-4.

In A. Hij. 1002, A.D. 1593-4, Mirzá Azíz Koká returned from the pilgrimage, and went to Court by way of Gujarát, and, as the Prince Morád Bakht, in the following year, went into the Dekhan, Súrj Singh came to Ahmadábád as his deputy.

Bahádur, the son of the late Sultán Muzaffir,

A. Hij. 1003,
A.D. 1594-5.

in A. Hij. 1003, A.D. 1594-5, excited an insurrection in the province, and met with defeat. At the death of Muzaffir, two sons and two daughters had been left behind, who took refuge with the Parwar Zamíndár of Loárí. The Jágírdárs of Gujarát had been sent to assist in the conquest of the Dekhan; and, as a favourable opportunity for exciting an insurrec­tion in the former province now appeared, Muzaffir's eldest son raised the standard of insurrection, and plundered the towns and vil­lages. Rájá Súrj Singh went against him with a force; and the enemy, being overtaken, made a demonstration as if they resolved to fight, but fled at the first onset. Subsequently to this, Bahádur withdrew into retirement.

A. Hij. 1007,
A. D. 1598.

In A. Hij. 1007, A.D. 1598, the for­tress of Asír, which, from the time of Sultán Bahádur Gujarátí, had been possessed by Ikh­tiyár Khán, Alagh Khán, and Murján, sons of Yákút Sultán, was incorporated with the provinces of the Dehlí empire.*

A. Hij. 1009,
A.D. 1600.

The death of Prince Sultán Morád having taken place in the Dekhan A. Hij. 1009,* A.D. 1600, Mírzá Azíz Koká was for a third time made governor of Gujarát. In this same year, Shamsu-d-dín Husain was sent as deputy governor to Ahmadábád, and one of his sons was appointed Faojdár of Sorath.

The revenue of the province had been assigned over to Mírzá Azíz Koká and his family, in A. Hij. 1011, A.D. 1602; when, at his request, the Emperor conferred on his son Shádmán the deputyship of the province, and made his other son, Abdullah, governor of Júnagarh. In this same year, the sum of one lak of rupees, from the revenue of the port of Khambáyat, was assigned as an annual gift to the Prince Salím.*

On Wednesday the 12th of Jumádá-s-sán

12th of October,
A.D. 1605.

A. Hij. 1014, A.D. 1605, Akbar, be will of God, left this transitory world ?? mansions of eternity.

THE END.