On the 20th of Jumádá-s-sání* in the year 967 the Emperor crossed the river Jumna on a hunting expedition. And some male­volent speakers, who were jealous of the absolute authority which the Khán Khánán enjoyed as the Vakíl, and especially Adham Khán (who on account of his being the son of Máhum Atka* held the post nearest to his person), and Çádiq Muḥammad Khán and others, seized the opportunity of misrepresenting to the Emperor certain words of the Khán Khánán. And in fact the Emperor himself (because he had not absolute power in his own kingdom, and sometimes (P. 36) had no voice in some of the transactions relating to expenses of the Exchequer, and because there was no privy purse at all, and the servants of the Emperor had but poor fiefs, and were kept in the depths of poverty, while the Khán Khánán's were in ease and luxury) wished that the circle about him should be put on a different footing. But he had no power to accomplish this, until, in accordance with the saying “When God wills a thing, its causes are at hand”, circumstances combined to bring about the desired result:—

“When the subject-matter is collected,
Then the act of verse-making is easy.”

Close by Sikandrah-rao which is [more than] half-way to Dihlí Máhum Ankah represented to His Highness, that the Queen Dow­ager, who was at Dihlí, had fallen suddenly ill, and impressed upon him that he ought to direct his course thither. Shaháb-ud-dín Aḥmad Khán the Governor of Dihlí came to meet the Emperor, and in concert with all the others made mountains of mole-hills, and prejudiced his mind against the Khán Khánán:—

“Thy mole, and tutty-mark, and locks, and brow,
Are all banded together.
For the purpose of killing Mus'úd*
She is become an arraigner.”

Eventually she made the following representation: “When the Khán Khánán learns that the imperial cavalcade is come to Dihlí at my instigation, he will be sure to wish to avenge himself, and I have no power to resist him, so it is best that I should receive permission to make a pilgrimage to Mekka.” The Emperor could not make up his mind to part with Máhum Ankah. So he allayed their terror, and sent to the Khán Khánán the following message: “Since without your leave and approval I have journeyed thus far,* all my attendants are in the uttermost terror. It is right, therefore, that you should show yourself amicably inclined towards them, and so enable them to continue in my service with minds at ease.” The Khán Khánán sent Khwájah (P. 37) Amíná,* and Hájjí Muhammad Khán of Sístán, and Tarsán Muḥammad Khán, who were the centre and pivot of important affairs, to wait on the Emperor, to make apologies, and assure his Majesty of his continued fidelity, and good will. But these advances did not reach the door of acceptance, and the above-mentioned magnates were not allowed to return. Then Shaháb-ud-dín Aḥmad Khán and Máhum Ankah, being determined to go through with the matter, spread abroad the news of the Emperor's alienation from the Khán Khánán, so that it reached the utmost publicity. Then the Amírs one after another left Ágra for Dihlí; and the affair is an exact parallel to that of the Sulṭán Abú Sa'íd Moghúl with Amír Chúbán, who was a vazír of almost regal magnificence: an affair which is mentioned in the books of history. And so the well-known [Arabic] proverb was fulfilled “The mystery of the world is like the course of the ass; when it goes forward it does go forward, when it goes back it does go back:”

When Fortune wishes to come to a slave,
All strangers claim relationship with him.
But when the time of prosperity turns away,
His very door and wall become a sting to him.*

Qíyám Khán Kang was the first of the Amírs who arrived at Dihlí. And Shaháb-ud-dín Aḥmad Khán, and Máhum Ankah attached each one, as he came, more and more to the cause of the Emperor by holding out promises of high offices and fiefs: and with the greatest care and vigilance they applied themselves to strengthening the fortifications.

The Khán Khánán, who was at Ágra with all his devoted ad­herents, called a council. The advice of Shaikh Gadáí, with several others, was this, that before the balance of fortune should have turned against him he should set out, and get the Emperor into his power, so as to prevent his being accessible to the Khán's detractors. The Khán Khánán did not approve this advice, saying “Since the heart of the Emperor is alienated from me, any further friendly intercourse in public is out of the question (P. 38), but how could I possibly assume any other guise! for, after spending a lifetime in loyalty to his person, in my old age to put a dishonourable stain on the forehead of my fortune were to cause me an eternal dis­grace.” Now he had always had a desire to make a pilgrimage to Mekka and Medína, so he got things ready for his journey to Ḥijáz,* and set off for Biyánah, intending to go by way of Nágór. He told his intention to all his supporters, and gave them leave to go to the court. And Bahádur Khán, who had been sent for from Málwah,* he allowed to go as their companion. He then released Muḥammad Amín Díwánah* from the prison in the fortress of Biyánah, and departed:—

“There is no permanence in any prosperity,
However much you may have tried it:
For lo! ‘Prosperity’* read backwards is ‘transient’,*
Read it and see for yourself.”

And those, who had the Emperor's ear, represented to him, that the Khán Khánán intended to go to the Panjáb. So the Emperor sent from Dihlí a message by the hand of Mír 'Abd-ul-Laṭíf Qaz-wíní, saying: “Our intention in coming* to Dihlí was simply, to transact some important State affair on our own absolute authority. But since you have long had a desire to retire, and have taken the resolution of going to Ḥijáz, it is just as well that you should do so. And now you shall have as many pargannahs in Hindústán as you please, and your agents shall forward the revenues of them to any place at which you may happen to be staying.” When the Khán Khánán heard the will of the Emperor, he went from Méwát to Nágór; and, with the exceptions of Walí Bég Zu-'l Qadr, and Ḥusain Qulí Khán (who became Khán Jahán),* and Ismá'íl Qulí Khán his brother, and Sháh Qulí Khán Muḥarram, and Ḥusain Khán a relative of Mahdí Qásim Ḳhán, none remained with him. From Nágór he sent to the Court by the hand of Ḥusain Qulí Khán his paraphernalia of pomp, consisting of such kettle-drums and standards as he possessed. Also Shaikh Gadáí (P. 39), at last on the confines of Bíkánír, chose too to separate himself, and the hidden meaning of the following became manifest:—

“Every brother must part from his brother
(By thy father's life!) except the two stars Al-Farqadáni.”

The Emperor, on his way from Dihlí to the Panjáb, had reached the town of Jhujhar, when these insignia of power were brought to him, and their surrender pleased him much. At this halting place Sháh 'Abú-l-ma'álí, who had come to pay his respects to the Emperor, wished, in the madness of his brain, to overtake* his majesty on horseback. The Emperor had him arrested and given in charge of Shaháb-ud-dín Aḥmad Khán. And at the same stage Pír Mu-ḥammad Khán Shírwání, who was awaiting the proper season [for the pilgrimage] at Gujrát, having received information of the con­fusion of affairs, and of the causes of the Khán Khánán's dismissal, set off at once to the Emperor and did him homage, and received the title of Náçir-i-mulk. When he had received the insignia and standards of Khán-hood, he was appointed by the Emperor to go after the Khán Khánán, and pack him off as quickly as possible to Mekka without giving him any time for delay. He started off quickly enough, but remained at his leasure at Nágór, and after a few days' journey wrote a letter to the Khán Khánán as follows:—