He entered into a compact of friendship with Makhdūm ‘Ālam, the governor of Ḥājipūr, one of the Amīrs of the Wālī of Bangāla, who despatched an Amīr named Qub Khān to under­take the overthrow of Makhdūm ‘Ālam. Shīr Khān marched to the aid of Makhdūm ‘Ālam, and* after a fierce battle put Qub Khān to death, taking as spoil elephants and treasure and many followers. Jalāl Khān and his tribe, who are Lūhānīs,* in spite of Shīr Khān, made over Bihār to the ruler of Bangāla and elected to serve under him, and leaving Shīr Khān to his fate, took care to secure their own safety.

The Bangālīs in the first instance sent Ibrāhīm Khān, the son of the Qub Khān above mentioned, against Shīr Khān to wreak vengeance upon him. Shīr Khān used daily to fight with them from within the fort, but since the Bangālīs received large rein­forcements, and no way of retreat remained open to him, he yielded to necessity and fought a battle with them in the open* in which he gained the day. Ibrāhīm Khān also seeing what had occurred went and joined his father, and Shīr Khān seized the whole of the camp of the Bangālīs* with their elephants and artillery, acquiring thereby great renown, so that he established a lasting and undivided control over the country of Bihār and raised himself to the dignity of a Sulān. He next wrested the fortress of Chinār together with its vast treasures from the sons of [Jamāl Khān Sārang-Khānī*]*] Tāj Khān, one of the Amīrs of ^361. Sulān Ibrāhīm Lodī, who some years before had regained possess­ion of it, and took in marriage his wealthy and beautiful wife who had vast stores of treasure. This fact also enhanced his grandeur and dignity, so that the desire for sovereignty daily gained more ascendency over his mind, till at last certain powerful Amīrs of the Afghān Lodī faction summoned from Chitor Sulān Maḥmūd, son of Sulān Sikandar Lodī, who, after raising Ḥasan Khān Mīwātī and Rānā Sānkā to royal power, had induced him to fight with Bābar Pādshāh, and subsequently to his defeat* had remained in the fortress of Chitor, and seated him upon the throne in Patna.* He accordingly came with a vast army and invaded the country of Bihār, and wresting it from Shīr Khān took possession of it. Shīr Khān was perforce compelled to submit, and entered his service, and taking leave came to Sahsarām. Sulān Maḥmūd passing by Sahsarām, after writing and making over to Shīr Khān an agreement relating to Bihār,* thereby raising his hopes, despatched him to attempt the conquest of Jaunpūr and to engage in war with the Amīrs of Humāyūn Pādshāh. He thus brought the whole of that province as far as Lakhnau into his own* power. The Amīrs of Humāyūn Pādshāh could not stand against (Shīr Khān), and proceeding to Kālinjar* gave in their allegiance to him. Humāyūn marched to oppose Sulān Maḥmūd, and Baban and Bāyazīd,* who were with him.* When the two armies met Shīr Khān, who had stood aloof from Sulān Maḥmud for some days, again joined his force, and sent a message to Mīr Hindū Bēg Qūchīn, Commander-in-chief of the Mughūl army, saying that on the day of the battle he would make a flank movement and stand on one side. You and the ^362. Afghāns, said he, well know how utterly I abhor and detest the command of Sulān Maḥmūd and Baban* and Bāyazīd.

Verse.

If I committed a fault, I have at all events made my road
clear.

Eventually he did as he had arranged, and Sulān Maḥmūd and Baban* being defeated retired to the country of Patna, and made no further attempts to fight, till in the year 949 H. (1542 A. D.) in the country of Orissa* he encamped on the frontiers of the desert of non-existence, and having gone to the appointed goal remained at rest. Humāyūn Pādshāh [after this victory]* sent Mīr Hindū Bēg as his agent to Shīr Khān with a demand to him to yield up the fort of Chinār. He, however, made some lame excuse, so the king ordered several noted Amīrs to precede him and lay siege to that fortress, himself also* preparing to follow them. In the meanwhile Shīr Khān wrote a petition in which he pointed out his own sincerity and the favour shewn him by Baban, and recounted the deserving nature of his former services, more specially his opposition to Baban and Bāyazīd. This petition he sent by the hand of Qub Khān, his eldest son, together with a large force, to Humāyūn Pādshāh. He sent also with Qub Khān, ‘Īsā Khān Hajjāb, who was his vakīl with the powers of a vazīr, and he fleeing from Gujrāt joined his father in Bangāla. When Humāy-ūn Pādshāh altered his course towards Gujrāt, Shīr Khān himself had risen to great dignity and power, so that he engaged in open battle with Humāyūn on two occasions, and gained the day, as has already been mentioned. Shīr Shāh in the early part of the year of his accession laid waste the ancient city of Qannauj, and mov­ing it from its original site re-established it on the banks of the river Ganges; it is now known as Shīrgaṛh. In the same manner he destroyed the fortress of Shamsābād and removed it to another ^363. place, calling it by the name of Rusūlpūr. Now, however, at the date of writing, it has been repopulated in its old position. And when he arrived at old Dihlī, which was founded by Sulān ‘Alāu-d-Dīn, he destroyed that also, and established between the fortress of Dīnpanāh, which Muḥammad Humāyūn Pādshāh constructed, and* Fīrozābād, an extensive city, and built round* that fort a rampart of stone and mortar, having an extent of three krohs. On his arrival at Sulānpūr by continuous marches, the bro­thers of Humāyūn Pādshāh and the Chaghatai Amīrs quarrelled, and each took his own way as has been described, and Shīr Shāh himself,* not giving them time to reassemble, came up in pursuit. In this year he issued a public proclamation that from the country of Bangāla as far as western Rohtās, which is a four months' journey, and also from Āgra to Mandū,* at every kroh a sarāi (rest-house) and a mosque, and a well built of burned bricks was to be established and a Muaẕẕin* and an Imām.* A Musulmān and a Hindū were also appointed to superintend the supply of water for each. A refreshment house was also kept stocked for the use of strangers and poor wayfarers. On both sides of the road also, large and lofty trees were planted in avenues, so that all travellers might go along in the shade of them. Traces of these still remain in most places up to the present time, though fifty-two years have passed since then. In his reign justice was so widespread that if, for example, an old man holding a golden tray in his hand had lain down to sleep whenever he felt inclined, no thief or ruffian would have dared to take it away from him.