As Ab8l-mans8r-qhan was approaching, a panic seized all the inhabitants of Azim-abad, who dreaded the character which those deserters from Nadyr-shah’s army bore all over those parts for their insubordination and their ferocity. This character of theirs was so well known, that the citizens were as consterned, as if they had been called up for the last judgment. They had heard of the cruelties exercised at the general massacre of Shah-djehan-abad, and knew that their Deputy Governor, although furnished with a body of troops suitable to his office and station, was by no means equal to a contest with so formidable a guest, who was followed by an unbridled soldiery, of whose fury and resoluteness they had conceived the highest opinion. Nor was the Deputy-Governor himself without his apprehensions on that account, as he had not the least connection with that General; and the necessity of providing for his own honour, dictated the propriety of seeking out some mediator. Luckily for him, he now recol­lected that M8rid-qhan, the nobleman sent from Court, and rele­gated by Aaly-verdy-qhan at Azim-abad, was a Sëyd of the race of the Tebatebas, as well as my honoured father himself; and as this circumstance had soon produced an acquaintance which had occasioned much intercourse, and then a strict intimacy, he was thought by my father the fittest person for the office of introductor and mediator with Ab8l-mans8r-qhan: for he was himself a Lord of the presence, and had been at Delhi a great friend of Ab8l-mans8r-qhan’s. To M8rid-qhan, therefore, he disclosed his apprehensions in a distant indirect manner; and this nobleman having quieted his mind on that head, took upon himself the task of introducing him to that General. With that view he quitted the city, and went to meet that new comer, from whose camp he in a few days wrote to my father to inform him “that he might come by all means, without any fear and without giving himself the least uneasines on what he had so much apprehended.” This letter was accompanied by one from the General himself, which was conceived in terms full of kindness and expressed a desire to see him. The Deputy Governor, encourged by these letters, advanced as far as Monir, where he paid his respects to the General as he was passing, by whom he was received and spoke to with much kindness and affability; after which he came with his retinue to Azim-abad, where one of Ab8l-mans8r-qhan’s first order was, to clear the castle of every thing and person belonging to the Governor-General, Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan. He had already sent a guard of MoghuIs to take possession of the gates; so that it became impossible to bring anything out of the Governor’s lodg­ings. However, when night came on, my father sent me with a number of trusty men, who found means to bring together in one place the furniture and things belonging to his master; from whence they were carried with silence and precaution out of the castle to a house that had been appropriated to that service, but from whence it became necessary to carry them farther again into a house close to our own lodgings, where they remained safe. The next day Ab8l-mans8r-qhan made a pompous entry into Azim-abad; and without stopping anywhere, he repaired to the castle, where he placed a number of his own men, after hav­ing taken a slight survey of it; from thence he went to perform his devotions at the mausoleum of his maternal-uncle, (monu­ment that goes by the name of Saadet-qhan’s father) and after having religiously visited the place, and pronounced a short prayer, he returned to his camp, which had been pitched at Baky-poor. Thither he was followed by every one of the Crown-officers, by the heads of office, by all the Mansubdars, and Zemindars, and Djaghirdars, and by all the men of distinction in Overbear­ing behaviour of Ab8l-man­s8r-qhan’s. the city, who made it a point to figure amongst the foremost of those that presented him their Nuzurs and respects. But as he was exceedingly proud, and assuming, he barely received their homages, without paying any more attention to the highest than he did to the lowest of them: a disdainful behaviour that made every one of the visitors return home very much dissatisfied with the success of this visit; nor did he use the Governor-General less cavalierly. There were then at Azim-abad some war-elephants, perfectly well trained, which the Governor-General had left there as a resource against the Marhattas; but Ab8l-mans8r-qhan no sooner heard of them, than he sent for my honoured father, and desired his making those animals over to him on what price he chose to fix upon them. Hedáiet-aaly-qhan answered in these very words: “My Lord, neither my master is a merchant, nor is your servant his shopkeeper. You are a mighty Lord and Com­mander, and so is my Lord and Commander; moreover there intervenes between you and him so much intercourse and union, that it would be injurious to think that two such illustrious personages can become strangers to each other. Of course what­ever belongs to him, belongs also to his friend; your Excellency, therefore, may take whatever you please; but I, as his servant, cannot give any thing, without an express order from him.” To this speech no regard was paid; and Ab8l-mans8r-qhan hav­ing cast the eye of covetousness upon so small an object, as threé or four elephants and three or four pieces of cannon, sent for them by his own people, and kept them in his camp. Such pro­ceedings having been reported at M8rsh8d-abad, displeased Aaly-verdy-qhan so much, that he wrote him a letter in a proper style, where he desired him to forbear coming to M8rsh8d-abad, as it would be better for him to return to his own Government. He also sent ap a petition to the Emperor purporting, “that he did not stand in need of such assisters, as by God’s blessing, and under His Majesty’s auspices, his servant would shew what he could perform; and that as no cordiality could ever take place between such a succourer and himself, his faithful subject, he hoped that Ab8l-mans8r-qhan would be ordered back to his own Government.” The Emperor, informed of the matter, wrote to Ab8l-mans8r-qhan, commanding his returning to his post; and in giving the letter to that General’s agent, he intimated his pleasure that his master should depart immediately on the receipt of it. But before this order could arrive from the capital, Ab8l-mans8r-qhan was already informed of its contents, as well as of the effect which Aaly-verdy-qhan’s representation had made on the Emperor’s mind. He had likewise received intelligence by the same channel that Baladji-räo was by the Emperor’s own command putting himself in motion, and that he would soon be expected at Azim-abad in his march to Bengal, where he was directed to succour Aaly-verdy-qhan. Now as there subsisted much enmity between that General and Baladji-räo on account of the bloody defeat given to Baladji-räo’s father by Saadet-qhan, and of the many Marhatta Commanders which had fallen in the victor’s hands, and were still kept confined by his son-in law, Ab8l-mans8r-qhan; the latter who suspected every one of Bala­dji-räos motions, thought it best to be arrived betimes at A8d, his own capital. Quitting, therefore, Azim-abad without loss of time, he advanced to Monir, where he crossed the Ganga on a bridge of boats, which he threw on that river; from whence he by long marches proceeded to his own country; and it was from Monir he dismissed the Deputy Governor, who out of respect had accompanied him so far.

This visit of his to Ab8l-mans8r-qhan, although dictated by The author’s father is mis­represented. necessity, was represented by envy and detraction in a very bad light. It was varnished likewise with an imputation of such sinister purposes, as had never so much as entered into that wothy man’s mind; and as on the other hand both Aaly-verdy-qhan and his nephew had already suspicions against M8rid-qhan’s journey and errand, and they were much displeased at some vile actions and some very improper behaviour of Ab8l-mans8r-qhan’s; the accusations against the Deputy sunk the deeper in their minds as being seemingly founded on facts uncontroverted. Both therefore were incensed against him, and the young Governor-General more than any other; but this, however, he kept concealed in his mind, reserving it for a proper opportunity, which he hoped would arise whenever his uncle should have defeated and expelled the Marhattas; at which time he would be freed from the necessity of foreign assistance. However, notwithstanding so much dissimulation he at once substituted Räy-Chintamundass, his Divan, to Hedáiet-aaly-qhan in the office of Nàib or Deputy Governor of Azim-abad; but this Minister falling sick after his arrival at that city, where he died after a short illness, the city remained for some time without ruler or a man in power. It was at this critical moment that news came of Baladji-räo’s approach with no less than forty of fifty thousand horse. And what added to the terror of the inhabitants was, that by this time it became known that all along his passage he had exacted con­tributions; and that whoever had paid with a good grace, had had his person, lands, and country, spared; but that whoever had pretended to stand upon his defence, had not failed of having his person plundered, his country ruined, and his tenants put to the sword.* Such was the fate which availed a nobleman called Ahmed-qhan, who was grandson to Dà8d-qhan, Coreishy, and held in fief the two districts of Incha and Gow in the province of Azim-abad, where he lived in Dà8d-nugur, a town which had been founded and peopled by his grandfather. This man think­ing that the Marhatta General, intent on going to Aaly-verdy-qhan’s assistance, would not lose any time in forming sieges, took shelter in Ghò8ss-gur, a fort which he had built and fortified himself, close to Dà8d-nugur, and where he retired with his family, troops, and all the merchants and moneyed men of the country, resolved to stand upon his defence, and to pay no contributionBaladji-räo, informed of this, sent troops to chastise the man, and to destroy his fort. The troops advancing first against Dà8d-nugur, sacked and burned it to the ground; and then made use of the bricks and other materials to fill up the ditch of the Fort of Ghò8ss-gur, which was close to it, and which they besieged immediately. This fight having put an end to Ahmed-qhan’s pride, and also to his presence of mind, he made his escape through one of the gates; and now convinced of his impotence, he availed himself of the mediation of some merchants within the fort, to make his peace with the Marhattas, and to ransom his life for fifty thousand rupees.