After his defeat the Khán Khánán retired to Talwárah and shut himself up there. This is a very strong and almost inaccessible place in the mountains of Kushmál,* on the banks of the river Biyáh, the go­vernment of which belonged to Rája Gobind Chand. The forces of the king drew near and joined battle. And Sulṭán Ḥusain Jaláír, a youth of great beauty, symmetry of form and bravery, fell in that battle. When they brought his head to the Khán Khánán, offering him congra­tulations, he calling to mind the youth's devotion to himself in times gone by, covered his face with a veil and wept aloud, (P. 44) saying: “A hundred reproaches on this life of mine! For through the mis­fortune of my soul so many youths are lost.” Although the Hindús of that place supported the Khán Khánán, fellow-feeling with the Moslem religion seized his skirt, so that turning his thoughts to the world to come, and purifying himself in the path of religion, he with a view to obtaining forgiveness for his shortcomings, sent without delay, and with the greatest humility, a message by the hand of Jamál Khán, a ghulám, craving an audience with the Em­peror. Then Mullá 'Abd-ulláh of Sulṭánpúr, whose title was Makhdúm-ul-mulk, set off with the intention of acceding to his request. But the armies still remained in the same position, and the coming and going of messengers continued, until Mun'im Khán, with a handful of intrepid men, came up and seized the Khán Khánán's person and brought him back. And all the Amírs, in accordance with orders, went to meet him, and all honour and re­spect, just as in former times, having been paid to him, he received a free pardon, moreover a special dress of honour and a horse were given to him. Then Mun'im Khán brought him to his own abode, and put all his tents and appliances at his service. And two days afterwards he received permission to proceed to Mekka with such an allowance for travelling expenses as beseemed his rank. And the Amírs and courtiers, both small and great, gave him every proper assistance in the shape of money, and that kind of stores which the Turks call Chandogh, and the Emperor having appointed Hájjí Muḥammad Khán Sístání as the Khán's escort, himself went for recreation and hunting towards the castle of Firúzah, going by way of Dihlí; and on the fourth of Rabi'-ul-awwal* in the year nine hundred and sixty-eight (968) he made his glorious entrée into Dihlí. And on the 12th of Rabi'-us-sání he arrived at Ágra, the metropolis, by water.

Now they say that the Khán Khánán going with his retinue to Gujrát by way of Nágór, passed through a jungle which abounded in the prickly acacia, (P. 45) and the corner of his turban was caught in a thorn and fell from his head. And, whereas such an event is usually considered a bad omen, in the Khán Khánán's case it was turned to quite the reverse,* for Hájí Muḥammad Khán aptly quoted the following [couplet from Háfiz]:—

“When in the desert through desire for the Ka'bah* thou dost set thy foot,
If the thorn of the acacia hit thy head do not grieve.”

And so the Khán's gloom was turned to cheerfulness:—

“By speech knots are untied,
By speech the rust of the heart is polished off:
Many a knot which comes into our affairs from destiny,
To open which seems difficult,
Suddenly, by a graceful turn of language,
That business is converted into facility.”

When he arrived at Patan in Gujrát, Musá Khán Fuládí, governor of Patan, and Hájjí Khán of Alwar, received him with the greatest respect, and gave themselves up to the necessary duties of hospi­tality. One day the Khán Khánán was taking a trip on the lake, called Sahnas Lang,* where one named Mubárak Khán Afghán, (he belied his name!), whose father the Khán Khánán at the begin­ning of the conquest of Hindústan had ordered to be put to death, being resolved on vengeance, at the hour of evening prayer, when the Khán Khánán was getting out of the boat, came with a lot of ruffians, on the pretence of meeting him, and with one blow of his gleaming dagger made him drink the draught of martyrdom. And the date was found as follows:—

“When Bairam put on the Iḥrám* in order to encompass the Ka'bah,
On the road he became a martyr,* not having obtained his desire.
Of my heart I asked the date of his martyrdom,

It said: Muḥammad Bairám is become a martyr;”*

And the humble author of this history discovered an enigma (P. 46)
“He said, ‘The rose is gone from the garden of beauty.’”*

Fragment.

“From the bowl of Fortune, who has ever drunk a draught,
To whom its drink has not been more deadly than poison?
How should the world make thee secure from vicissitudes,
When itself is not secure from vicissitudes?
Heaven is a thief breaking into the tent of life,
Alas! its form is not bending for naught!
Seek not repose, since for any one beneath the sky,
The means for attaining this has never been collected.
Only look at the blue* garment of the sky, and learn,
That this sphere can be nothing but a house of mourning.
Put up with wounding, for to us from Fate
Wounds have become our portion, but not the antidote.
O Kháqání, listen not to the deceptions of the world,
For its own laws are not secured from revolution.”

The Khán Khánán always had a sympathetic heart, and was devoted to the words of the great Shaikhs (God be favourable unto them!), and in his noble company the talk was ever of the Word of God, and the Word of the Prophet. One day he went to Síkrá to see a certain ascetic Dervish, and asked the meaning of this verse of the Qur'án, [iii 25]: “Thou exaltest whom thou wilt, and thou humblest whom thou wilt.” And, since the Dervish had not read a commentary, he gave no answer. Then the Khán Khánán himself said, “Thou exaltest whom thou wilt”, namely by means of contentment, “thou humblest whom thou wilt”, by continued craving.* Moreover Friday's prayers and attendance at the (P. 47) mosque were never neglected by him. He was, however, some­what touchy on the subject of precedence, as Muḥammad Amín Khatíb once said to the writer, “With regard to the titles of his Highness, you will do well to give him ever so many more than to other people.”

And in the same year Miyán Ḥátim Sambhalí passed from the world, and a blow fell on religion for [says the Arabic proverb] “The death of the learned is a fissure in religion.” And they found the date in the words,* “He is with the mighty King.”

On the 12th of Rajab-ul-murajjab* in this year Báz Bahádur, son of Sajáwal Khán,* governor of Málwah, advanced with elephants and numerous followers within 7 cosses of Sárangpúr* to oppose Adham Khán, Pír Muḥammad Khán, and the other renowned Amírs. He gave battle and was defeated, and his retinue, and servants, and wives, were all taken prisoners. On the day of the victory, the two captains remained on the spot, and had the captives brought before them, and troop after troop of them put to death, so that their blood flowed river upon river; and Pír Muḥammad Khán, with a smile on his face, said in jest “what a plague of a strong neck this victim has, and what a power of blood has poured from it!”. And as for God's creation, (which is only another term for mankind), with my own eye was it seen, that in his sight it was valued but as radishes,* and cucumbers, and leeks. When I, without any prejudice against either side, came to that army and saw the terror, like that of the Judgment-day, I said to my friend Mihr 'Alí Khán Bég Sildoz,* “Though the rebels have met with their deserts yet it is not at all in accordance with the Sacred Law to kill and imprison their wives and children.” Then he, on account of the pain offered to his religious feelings and conscience, spoke to Pír Muḥammad Khán to the same effect. He replied “In one single night all these captives have been taken, what can be done with them!” And the same night these plundering* marauders, having stowed away their Muḥammadan captives, consisting of the wives of Shaikhs, and Sayyids, and learned men, and nobles, in their boxes and saddle-bags, brought them to (P. 48) Ujjain* and other districts. And the Sayyids, and Shaikhs of that place came out to meet him with their Qur'áns in their hands, but Pír Muḥammad Khán put them all to death, and burnt them:—